Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl Who Didn't Believe ❯ Kentucky Fried Suzaku ( Chapter 11 )

The Girl Who Didn't Believe

Yeah!! Yeah!! Hooray!! Cheers for all my reviewers!! Haha!! I have finally hit 30 reviews!! Ain't that fine?? Huh, huh?? Heheheh…thanks to all my reviewers, mainly Metajoker, Riverwood, Chiri26, Songwind, NaTTie and Rita Valentine or Resha Yukira. Arrigato gozaimasu, minna!! Heheh………onward with the chapter!!

DSCLAIMER: I do not own any of the FY characters. They belong to Yuu Watase. I do own Kitten and Sable, though.

//………//=telepathic conversations

`………'-thoughts

########## = at another place

^^^^^^^^^^ = recall

That's all, Folks!!

Chapter 11-Kentucky Fried Suzaku

Suzaku was very weak. He realized faintly that he was still somewhere near the waterfall.

`No doubt to use the water to cook me.' He thought feebly.

Things were starting to look out-of-focus to him. Shadows were blending in with light, making everything look fuzzy and menacing, as if the darkness were going to consume him.

^^^^^^^^^^

The men had ambushed him and he was caught unaware. Luckily and unluckily, instead of capturing him straight away and breaking his neck in one fell swoop; those bandits stalked him sadistically, knowing that he'd never be able to outrun them.

Suzaku did try though. He had turned tail and fled, not knowing that his pathetic attempt at escape had done nothing but merely amused those cretins. They followed him easily as he struggled through the forest.

Eventually, they got bored with that and gathered some stones from the ground to throw at the god. They were planning to literally stone Suzaku to death. The god managed to evade some of the stones but the rest; they hit him with painful accuracy. Being featherless, he was easily bloodied and bruised.

However, that only served to spur Suzaku on further. He increased his speed, which wasn't much, considering that he was already getting weak from the blood loss. Unfortunately for him, the bandits finally decided to end their cruel game, and one of them lunged forward, grabbed the god by his wings, and flung him forcefully towards a tree trunk, thus effectively stunning him.

That was when Suzaku screeched.

He had never felt such excruciating pain in his life.

The force of the impact against the tree had broken both his wings and he lay there trembling, exhausted. His body refused to move even as his mind screamed at it to do so.

Though stunned, he managed to sense footsteps coming towards him. Immobile, the god was rendered helpless as the man grabbed his clawed feet roughly and begun dragging him away.

Upside down, his head thumping painfully against the ground, Suzaku watched dazedly at his wings, which were trailing numbly behind him. He did not feel any pain anymore; it was as if his mind had shut down and was refusing to accept the entire scene.

For the first time in his life, Suzaku tasted fear.

He knew without doubt that he was going to die.

Just as he was about to accept fate, help arrived.

//Suzaku, where are you? We are coming. Can you please call out again?//

`Kitten's voice.' He thought.

Never had the girl's voice sounded so………relieving………to him.

Suddenly, before he could reply, the same man who had been dragging him lifted him up and plunged his body into cold water.

He reacted.

The cold water had `awakened' him, along with all the agonizing pain he felt.

`God………'he thought, `they are cleaning me up for dinner. I must not let that happen. Kitten………the group, they are around………I must call them now………they'd come in time. I know it.'

Feeling hope rise within him, he gathered the last vestiges of his energy to mind-speak to Kitten.

//my seishis………bandits got me………hurry………not much time………at the waterfall now………//

However, the normally simple telepathic communication proved to be too much for the greatly weakened god and he faded into oblivion.

^^^^^^^^^^

Suzaku fought the oncoming darkness with all his might.

`Not now,' he thought, `not now. I cannot go to sleep now. I must stay awake, at least until help arrives.'

He stared vaguely at the bandits; they were gathering firewood.

Suzaku trembled helplessly as a fresh wave of terror washed over him.

`Hurry, my seishis.'

##########

Tasuki was cursing as he sped towards the waterfall.

"Shimatta!! Suzaku better be all right, or someone is going to fucking pay with their blood." He hissed to himself, as he recalled the chilling sound that Suzaku had made. It was as if………as if………he was being tortured.

At that thought, Tasuki increased his speed.

`Not much further now.'

Sure enough, he reached the edge of the clearing of the tiny waterfall in record time.

At first, he did not see Suzaku, only a small group of four men going about their business.

Then he saw him.

A flash of pink as one of the men stood up by the waterfall and revealed the sickening sight.

It actually took Tasuki a long moment to identify his god.

Suzaku was bloodied all over and his wings were bent in unnatural positions. He was lying slumped on the ground and he did not even move. In short, the once proud god of Konan looked………

Dead.

That immediately snapped Tasuki from his horrified trance.

He used his seishi speed, rushed towards his god, scooped him up, and brought him back towards the edge of waterfall.

"What the………" the bandits said. All they had felt was a gush of wind.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!! Each and every one of you will pay for hurting this bird!!"

The men suddenly saw the redheaded man standing at the edge of the clearing with their dinner.

"How dare you steal our dinner, moron!! We'd teach you not to mess with us!!" the head of the band growled.

Tasuki's pupils dilated and he whipped out his tessen even as he took in the disgusting information.

"Prepare to die, bastards!!"

He swung his tessen in a wide arc.

"REKKA SHIN'EN!!"

Chichiri arrived at the edge of the clearing just in time to witness a huge ball of fire exploding from Tasuki's tessen and devouring the group of screaming bandits. Soon, the men's screams faded and the air was filled the sickening sweet scent of burning flesh.

Chichiri averted his face from the gory scene and turned towards Tasuki.

"Where is Suzaku, no da?"

Wordlessly, his eyes not leaving the carnage that he had made, Tasuki pointed towards the edge of the clearing.

Chichiri followed his directions and stopped dead.

He blanched at the sight of his god lying so lifelessly on the ground.

Immediately, he rushed to that limp body and swiftly checked for any signs of life.

Fortunately, he found it in the form of an extremely thready pulse.

Breathing a deep sigh of relieve, he cradled Suzaku in his arms and prepared to teleport; if he wants Suzaku to live, he needs to bring him back to the hold immediately, where there is medical aid.

"Tasuki!! What are you waiting for!! Suzaku is not dead!! We need to bring him back for treatment now!!"

Tasuki started at that.

"NANI!! Not dead!! But he looked………well………Chiri, you bring him there now. I'd go back later; I need to help clean up with the Reikaku bandits."

Chichiri nodded grimly and disappeared into his kasa.

##########

Kitten, Sable and the physician were waiting in the temporary sick bay room that Sable had prepared.

"Are you girls telling me that I am brought all the way up here just to treat a bird?"

Sable and Kitten looked uneasily at each other.

"Hai."

The doctor stared flabbergasted at them but said no more.

"I wonder what is taking them so long………"

"I don't know, but they should be on their way back already." Sable answered.

"But, what if something is wrong? Suzaku………his call had frightened me. It did not sound like his usual squawk."

"Don't worry so much, Kit. With Chichiri, Tasuki, Kouji and the Reikaku people helping out, I'm sure that he'd be fine."

Before Kitten could answer, there was a huge commotion outside.

"Where is the doctor?" they heard Chichiri command.

A few of the bandits led the man to the sick bay and in a matter of moments; Chichiri stepped in with his precious burden.

"What the fuck happened!!" Kitten cried out when she saw Suzaku's bloodied form.

Sable started weeping softly when she saw Suzaku's devastated body.

`Kami-sama,' she thought. `What had they done to him? He must have suffered so.'

The physician stepped in then.

"This must be the bird that I'm supposed to mend. Bring him to the table and I will see how badly injured he is."

Chichiri immediately obeyed the man's order and gently laid Suzaku on the table.

"Good, now, all of you, out!!"

"NANI?!!"

"You know how I work; nobody is to interrupt me, so out!!" the doctor pointed towards the door.

"Demo………"

"The longer you people don't obey me, the longer he will go untreated."

That decided the group and they trooped out, with Chichiri closing the door behind him quietly.

Sable was still tearing slightly and Kitten was about to go and comfort her friend when Chichiri reached her first.

Eyebrows raised, the blue-haired girl shrugged and leant slightly against a pillar, silently observing the two, who had obviously forgotten about her presence.

"Chiri!! It's all my fault!!" Sable wailed as she turned and leaned into Chichiri's comforting arms. She buried her face in his shirt and muttered, "If I hadn't insisted on going to the waterfall, none of this would have happened………"

Chichiri wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Anou………Sable, do you remember what you told me just a while ago? What had happened had happened and nothing, not even putting the blame on yourself will change that fact, right?"

"Demo………demo………"

"But what? Are you telling me that what you had said earlier is not true?"

"Iie………"

Sable sighed. Chichiri was right. He always has a way around him to make her see sense, whether she wants it or not.

"Hai………you are right again, Chichiri. It's stupid of me. Suzaku would not have wanted me to blame myself. Gomen for being too emotional."

"Iie, it is alright to show your distress."

Sable had stopped crying by then and was staring intently at Chichiri now.

`If it is alright to show emotions, then why are you still hiding yours behind that mask?'

Kitten, immediately sensing that whatever she might hear or see next should be a private matter between the two, decided to interrupt.

"Anou………Chichiri, do you know what happened to Suzaku?"

The couple jumped apart immediately, looking embarrassedly at Kitten.

They had really forgotten that she was there.

"Anou………not really," Chichiri said a last. "But I guessed that those bandits had mistaken Suzaku for game fowl and had captured him for dinner. Luckily, they did not break his neck immediately upon capture like what most hunters would do. Unluckily, I believe that they were `playing' with him."

Kitten paled.

"You mean………you mean that they were torturing him?"

Chichiri nodded solemnly.

"Hai. There are some people who………take pleasure in the suffering of others."

The girls flinched but kept quiet, each deep in their own thoughts.

`What is it like to be hurt deliberately again and again?'

`It was by sheer will that Suzaku managed to live through that kind of horror.'

`If it were me, would I be able to survive that?'

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the doctor's head peeked out. He motioned for the group to come in.

The trio stepped into the room with trepidation. Suzaku was still lying on the table, only that he is now bandaged from beak to clawed feet.

"Doctor………is he going to be alright?"

The doctor nodded grimly.

"Hai. He will make it, all right. If he had managed to endure whatever that he had gone through, he will definitely make it. Overall, he has a slight concussion; both his wings are broken; three ribs fractured; there are no internal bleeding, though; however I can safely assure you that he will be feeling very sore when he awakens."

The trio breathed a sigh of relief.

If the doctor thought that it was odd, he did not comment on it. He stayed for a while, giving instructions on how to take care of the bird and left shortly after.

Chichiri moved towards the heavily bandaged god, and careful not to disturb the injured parts, he carried the infant phoenix to a bed and laid him there.

Kitten frowned then.

"Where are Tasuki and Kouji? They should be here."

"We are, you know."

Kouji's whisper scared the bejeezus out of Kitten and without even thinking, she reacted.

Kouji flew from one end of the room to the other end, making a nice wall angel in the process.

"Itai!! What was that for, onna?"

Kitten mock glared at the blue-haired man.

"You deserved it. You scared me. How was I to know who the hell you are?"

Tasuki smirked at that. When he had saw Kouji sneaking up behind Kitten and whispering intimately in her ear, he had an immediate urge to rearrange his best friend's face. Luckily, he did not have to go to that extent as Kitten did the job for him.

Chichiri and Sable turned and frowned as one at the rowdy trio.

"Now is not the time for play," Sable hissed, "Get out if you people want to fool around. Suzaku needs his rest and I'm not going to let anyone of you disturb him!"

The guys, Chichiri included (A/N: Duh) looked stunned as the normally quiet and demure Sable transformed into a tigress with PMS.

Kitten merely sweatdropped. Sable's mothering instincts are awakened and god help the one who tries to say otherwise.

"Anou………" Kitten immediately said. "I'm gonna get the rest of us outta here, so that you can look after Suzaku without any interruptions. Come, Kouji, Tasuki, Chichiri, let's go now."

The two bandit leaders were relieved for the excuse to get away from Sable.

Chichiri, however, looked reluctant.

"Maybe I should stay, no da."

Kitten did not like that answer

"I said," Kitten started sweetly. "LET"S GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!" she roared, turning into a tigress herself.

"H………Hai."

Chichiri all but ran out of the door, to where Kouji and Tasuki were glaring at each other.

Once outside, Chichiri went chibi.

"DAAAA!!" he went running around the now sweatdropping bandits. "Kitten is very kowai!! Kitten is very kowai!! I'm scared!!"

Tasuki merely shook his head. There is only one thing that can cure Chichiri whenever he became chibi.

Sighing, he took out his tessen, waited for Chichiri to run near him and then reached out and bopped the SD man on his head.

"ITAI!! What was that for!! Look!! You flattened my bangs!!" Chichiri wailed, turning back to normal.

"You deserved it," came the short reply.

Before Chichiri could answer to that, Kitten stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"So, what do you people want to do now?" Kitten asked the guys.

"What else?" Kouji replied. "What we were doing before this happened."

Tasuki started scowling fiercely then; he remembered WHAT Kitten and Kouji was doing earlier.

Kitten looked curiously at Tasuki.

What was wrong with the redhead? He seemed to be unhappy with something.

"Anou………" Kitten attempted. "What happened to those bandits who tortured Suzaku?"

"Dead."

"Oh………"

Kouji and Chichiri looked at the two and sweatdropped.

It was obvious that Kitten was beating around the bush and the normally loudmouthed Tasuki was speaking in monosyllables to discourage her.

Kouji looked at Chichiri and winked at him in conspiracy. Chichiri's sweatdrop grew bigger.

"Well, since there is nothing much for all of us to do; Kit, let me take you out again………maybe we can spot the wolves this time. What say you, ne?"

Kitten was interested.

"Okay………"

The two was about to leave when Tasuki interrupted.

"IIE!! It is not fucking okay!!" the redhead fumed.

Kitten looked surprised at Tasuki's outburst. Kouji merely looked satisfied. It was well past time for his baka friend to make his move.

"Tasuki?" Kitten asked hesitantly.

"WHAT?" He roared, aggrieved. "If you want to go walk so much, fine!! I will take you there myself!!"

Thus said, Tasuki stalked to Kitten, grabbed her hand, and started pulling the girl away.

"What the………" Kitten muttered, but she followed obediently.

Chichiri stared at the rapidly disappearing duo. He turned his attention back to Kouji then, who was grinning like an idiot.

"Are you sure that they will not kill each other, no da?"

##########

Tasuki dragged Kitten out of the keep and into the forest, away from the attention of others.

It was time for the long overdue confrontation.

"Matte!!" Kitten yelled, hitting the hand that Tasuki used to hold her. "You are walking too fast; slow down or let go of my hand!!"

Tasuki merely ignored her and if possible, forced the fuming girl to move along faster.

Soon, they reached a clearing.

Tasuki halted and abruptly released Kitten's hand.

By then, Kitten was red-hot furious.

"What the fuck was that for? What kind of walk is this? Kouji would never do something like that!"

Tasuki stiffened. Reminding him of how gentlemanly his friend was did not help to solve matters. Instead, it made him madder.

"Kouji. Kouji. Kouji." He mimicked, turning away from her. "It is always about him. Why, do you love him?"

Of all the responses, this was the one that Kitten least expected.

Tasuki was behaving as if he was………jealous.

Kitten's eyes flared with shock.

`Could it be? That he is jealous? Of me and Kouji?'

Kitten did not know what to think of anymore.

She was so certain that Tasuki would never like a girl like her, so certain that he would definitely reject her and leave her if she were to reveal her feelings for him.

But now, seeing his obvious jealousy, she was suddenly unsure.

`Well,' she thought, `the only way I will know is if I ask. So here goes.'

She took a deep breath and plunged forward.

"TasukiareyoujealousofKouji?"

Silence.

Kitten stared anxiously at Tasuki's back.

"H………hai." His voice was so soft that Kitten had to strain to hear him.

"Doushite?"

That riled up Tasuki again.

"What do you mean why? There is only one reason for me being jealous, and you know why!!"

`One reason………What is it then?'

Suddenly she got it, and with that realization, came disappointment.

"Are you jealous because I was monopolizing Kouji when you two were supposed to like hang out together?"

The redhead turned back to Kitten then, his expression flabbergasted.

"Dammit, onna, you baka or something? Why would I be jealous of you monopolizing Kouji?!! We are friends, not lovers!! And are you kinda dense, Kitten no baka?" His voice softened and he turned slightly red then. "I'm jealous of Kouji because he was hanging out with you when I was supposed to."

"Oh………" Kitten did not know what else to say.

"Anou………then you like me a little then?" she whispered, suddenly feeling shy and awkward.

Tasuki glared exasperatedly at Kitten

.

"What is it with you, onna? Do you make it your lifelong mission to annoy me? Of course I like you. Why would I be jealous when you kissed Kouji?"

"NANI?!! I KISSED Kouji? Why didn't I know of that?" Her amethyst eyes, at first widened in surprise, was now narrowed in annoyance. "Did the little weasel tell you that?"

"Iie, but I saw it myself. He was bent down and kissed you early this morning, after your walk."

`Bent down and kissed me? But how………oh! I understand now!!"

Kitten started laughing then.

"What's so hilarious?" Tasuki asked, offended.

"Kouji wasn't kissing me!! He was picking some dirt from my face!!" Kitten gasped. "You though we were kissing? No wonder you were so mad!!"

"NANI?!! Demo………demo I thought that you two were up to some hanky pankie………" Tasuki stammered, feeling extremely foolish now.

Kitten roared with laughter.

"The only hanky pankie that we did was sneaking me out for a walk when I was supposed to be resting!!"

By now, Tasuki's face was as red as his hair and he looked as if he was in severe discomfort.

"Anou………now that this is cleared, I think we should go back." Tasuki was desperate to be alone so that he could die in peace.

"Hai. I agree. I can't wait to tell the others about your misconception." Kitten was still chuckling.

"I think that they already know." Tasuki muttered, recalling Kouji's amused look earlier.

The duo trudged towards the bandit hold in silence when it suddenly hit Tasuki.

"MATTE!!"

Kitten halted.

"What now, Tasuki?"

Tasuki towered over the girl, frowning slightly.

"I just told you that I liked you, but what about you?"

"Eh………I don't know………"

Tasuki was getting worked up again.

"What do you mean, you don't know?!! Either you like me or you don't, it is as simple as that!!"

Tasuki began swearing fluently then.

Kitten was secretly amused.

It warmed her to know that she was not the only one who was worried about the state of their relationship

There and then Kitten finally understood.

The man whom she was in love with was not insensitive after all.

He just chose to hide his sensitive side.

Under all that toughness and bluster was the man whom he really is.

A caring and sweet person who shows his concern in his own unique way.

In short, an individual whom she could depend on.

A soulmate.

The other piece of her heart.

`Why are you denying yourself when deep inside, you already know, already know that he was meant for you?' Her inner voice whispered.

`Your heart had already accepted him the moment you saw him; but your mind refused him; thus, you fought him, fought against your own heart, because you were afraid, afraid that if you let him too near you, he'd hurt you. But now, now that you know that he would never purposely harm you, why are you still so hesitant?'

At that thought, Kitten made a decision.

She stopped running.

Smiling, her eyes brimming with acceptance, she bent down and took a piece of stone.

And threw it at her beloved's head.

"ITAI!! What was that for!!" Tasuki glared at Kitten.

"That was to get your attention, Tasuki no baka. And regarding your question earlier," The blue-haired girl stepped forward, tiptoed, and kissed Tasuki.

"Aishiteru." Kitten said against his lips before stepping backwards.

She smiled, amused.

Tasuki was looking shell-shocked.

Immediately, an idea came to her.

"Well, seeya at the keep!!"

She rushed off quickly, knowing that when Tasuki recovers, he is going to catch her with great ease.

Tasuki actually stood there for a good minute and watched bemused, as his koibito disappeared out of his sight, before finally snapping out of his happy trance.

"What the………Hey, onna!!" He hollered. "Why, you cheat!! Wait for me!! I swear, you are going to get it when I catch up with you!!"

Grinning, the red-haired bandit gave chase.

Despite the rotten morning, today had turned out to be the best day of his life.

Chapter 11 end!! Sorry if any of the FY characters sounded a little too OOC!! Gomen-nasai!! I was in school when I was writing the last few parts of the chapter, so it might be a little rushed. Sorry again!! Okay, nothing much to write except for readers to please review!! Please!! Onegai!! I need feedback!! Arrigato gozaimasu!! ^__^