Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl Who Didn't Believe ❯ Picnic ( Chapter 13 )

The Girl Who Didn't Believe

Hi, minna!! In case you do not know, you are at chapter 13 of my fic. Hmmm…13 is an unlucky number, ne? Heheheh. ^__^ Nothing else to add except to as usual, forgive me for my spelling, tenses, and grammar errors. Arrigato gozaimasu!! YAY!! I LOVE FY!! IT ROX!! And Happy Chinese New Year, minna!!

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

`…'= thoughts

//…//= telepathic conversations

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

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

That's all, minna!! Enjoy!! ^v^

Chapter 13-Picnic

//WE HAVE ALREADY RECONCILED AND DECIDED ON A TRUCE. WITH LUCK, KONAN AND KUTOU WOULD NEVER FIGHT AGAINST EACH OTHER AGAIN.//

"NANI?!!"

Suzaku told the group about what he and Seiryu had agreed upon.

Tasuki looked a little disbelieving.

"Are you really sure about this, Suzaku? Because if Seiryu is anything like his seishi, I'd expect him to have an ulterior motive behind this truce."

//IIE, I DO NOT THINK SO. SEIRYU WOULD NEVER STOOP SO LOW. FURTHERMORE, I DO NOT SENSE ANYTHING UNTOWARD ABOUT THIS AGREED TRUCE.//

Chichiri shook his head at Tasuki.

"Tasuki, you are too suspicious, no da. Why don't we see how this goes first before we judge, no da?"

//YES, AND IF THIS PEACE BETWEEN ME AND MY BROTHER HOLDS, ANY WAR THAT BOTH COUNTRIES MIGHT HAVE IN THE FUTURE WOULD NOT BE BECAUSE OF US ANYMORE. WE WOULD NOT BE THE EXCUSE.//

Kitten, Sable and Kouji agreed.

"Yeah, let's try it out. Won't do us any harm."

Tasuki grumbled a little bit but relented, albeit reluctantly.

##########

The next two weeks flew by quickly with almost no mishaps, other than some occasional squabbles and tussles.

If possible, the bonds between god and seishi grew even stronger as both sides begin to realize and understand more about each other.

The group also watched, amazed, at Suzaku's slow metamorphosis as he became larger and crimson down started growing profusely all over, covering his fragile form. By the end of said two weeks, he had grown to become roughly the size of a goat.

The bandits of Mt. Reikaku were extremely mystified by this sudden spurt of growth. They had never seen such a huge chick before. However, Tasuki immediately put all rumors and suspicions to rest by loudly proclaiming that like its master, the bird had certain magical abilities. The bandits did not like hearing that and of course kept a safe distance from Suzaku afterwards. Little did they know that Tasuki's announcement was the exact opposite of fact; other than those ear-rending screeches of his, Suzaku had still not retained any of his powers.

Kitten's shoulder wound was healing rather nicely, and it was currently at the stage where the wound was beginning to itch profusely. Of course, she was not allowed to scratch or do anything to it, which made Kitten extremely miserable.

And guess exactly who did she vent her frustrations at?

Poor Tasuki had to bear with all her mood swings.

And damn if that didn't confuse the obtuse bandit even more. He did not understand what the heck was going. One moment, Kitten was happy as a lark as she went to him for a cuddle; the next, she was abruptly snapping his head off and commenting on how much better he would look with an axe stuck to the side of his head.

It was during one of these episodes that Sable decided to organize an impromptu picnic. She went to the kitchens, asked for some food to be prepared and herded a disgruntled Kitten, a bewildered Tasuki, a protesting Suzaku, an amused Kouji and last but not least, a puzzled Chichiri out of the keep.

"What is the purpose of this, no da?"

Sable shook her head.

"Does everything you do need to have a purpose, Chiri?"

"Chiri?" Tasuki echoed. "When did you start calling him…ITAI!! What was that for?!!" The said redhead glared at Kitten.

"You were being deliberately obtuse, Tas."

"Obtuse?!! And when did I allowed you to call me that?"

"You are right. You do not allow. You have no right to. I can call you whatever I want, TAS." The blue-haired girl said loftily.

Tasuki's ears turned bright red then. However, for the first time of his life, he chose to fume silently, out of consideration for Kitten's injury.

Sable, Chichiri and Kouji sweatdropped.

Suzaku merely waddled along. He had gotten too big to be carried around, much to the relief of everyone.

There was something wrong between the couple. It seems that Kitten had been trying her best to start a quarrel with Tasuki and Tasuki, on the other hand, was just as determined to prevent that quarrel from happening.

At first, everybody thought that it was Kitten's shoulder wound that brought out the worst in her. But as the weeks progressed, it became very clear that Kitten was all but looking for an excuse for Tasuki to blow. She was rude to the poor man, acting haughty and proud and generally making an annoying brat out of herself. Tasuki, bless him; he took in everything with stoic silence. Of course, that did not sit too well with Kitten and she renewed her efforts at frustrating him.

Which was the real reason why Sable decided on this picnic. She had the good sense not to tell that to Kitten though.

"Anou…I was thinking that for the past two weeks, we were extremely busy doing our own stuff, and seldom saw each other except during meals. Which is why I thought of this picnic!!"

Chichiri did not look very convinced but he kept quiet. Sable was hiding something and he sensed it. Somehow, whenever it concerns her, he seems to be very sensitive.

`Well,' he thought, `I will just have to nag it out of her later.'

The others, however, they accepted Sable's explanation.

"Say, Kouji, do you know of any place that will be perfect for a picnic?" Sable asked amiably.

"Well, there is the waterfall…" Kouji trailed off when he saw the different reactions of his companions. Chichiri and Sable were kind of pink in their faces, whereas Suzaku had paled and blanched. "or maybe not…there is a glen not far from here that should be perfect for a picnic."

"Anou…hai. We will go there then. Will you lead us, Kouji?"

"Hai." Kouji joined Suzaku, who was up front. Kitten fell in behind them, followed by Tasuki. Chichiri and Sable brought up the rear. They were carrying the picnic baskets.

The pair trailed behind the group in companionable silence for a while.

"What's the real reason for this "picnic", no da? And don't try to fool me with that excuse you gave them earlier, no da."

"N…Nani?!!" Sable stammered.

Chichiri looked as stern as his mask allowed him.

"Sable, no da. You are not good at lying at all, you know? You might be good enough for the others, but you can never hide anything from me."

"I…don't know what you are talking about."

"Do you know, Sable, that whenever you lie or does something that you do not like, your ki trembles?"

"NANI!!"

Chichiri took of his mask and smiled wryly at her even as he reached out and closed Sable's open mouth.

"I do not know why, but you are the only person whom I can detect such things."

`Uso, uso.' A voice whispered slyly in Chichiri's head then. "You know why the both of you are so deeply connected. Why don't you face it?'

Disconcerted, Chichiri immediately push the voice away. `Iie…iie…it cannot be…' he thought, panicked. `it cannot be…what about…Kouran?'

"Demo…demo…"

Chichiri broke out of his confusing thoughts and stared at Sable, who was still looking slightly disbelieving.

"No buts," he interrupted firmly. "Now, back to the reason we started this conversation. What exactly is going on, Sable?"

Sable sighed, defeated. Chichiri was too perceptive.

`But then,' she thought, `no harm telling him.'

"Didn't you see, Chiri? There is something wrong with Kitten and Tasuki. Kitten had been acting extremely unreasonable lately and surprisingly; Tasuki is letting her walk all over him. This is very odd, don't you think? Which is why I organized this outing. I was hoping that it would force them to face the problem between them." Sable said almost thoughtfully as she walked rapidly to catch up with the group.

Chichiri stared after her, He was surprised, to say the least.

He had expected something more substantial than that. It was in his experience that people almost always lied for their own benefits, not for others.

`Tsk…tsk…' the voice came back to pester him. `you should have known better of Sable, Chichiri mine. After all, this is one of the many reasons why you…love her.'

Chichiri shook his head mentally and all but physically shoved the voice out of his head.

`NANI!!' he thought. `No way I love Sable…hai…she comforted me when I was at my lowest…demo…what about Kouran? You must remember Kouran.' Chichiri reminded himself fiercely. `She was your one true love. You loved her. Remember that.'

Renewed by that conviction, the earlier voice in his head faded away and died.

He should be happy that he had won this round.

However, why is it that he felt disappointed and put out instead?

##########

"When are we going to reach the glen, Kouji?" Kitten yelled.

"Five minutes more!!" Kouji's reply floated back to her.

"Sou ka…arrigato, Kouji!!"

`Five more minutes.' Kitten thought. She sneaked a peek at Tasuki from between her lowered eyelashes. The said flame head was strolling beside her, minding his own business.

Kitten sighed. `What is wrong with me? Why am I always finding excuses to start a fight with Tasuki?' she had seen his hurt look earlier when she had snapped at him, and for some reason, that made her even more miserable. `Doushite?'

"Minna!! We are here!!" Kouji's cheerful voice reached her consciousness and Kitten broke out of her depressed thoughts. She was glad she did it too, for the glen was a sight to behold.

"Kirei…" she breathed with wonder. She heard a soft sigh behind her and knew that Sable shared her sentiments too.

The glen was actually something like a sloped pasture. Wild flowers dotted the place and tiny yellow butterflies fluttered here and there. The place was actually slightly misty but the cheerful sunlight was like a key, unlocking the fog to reveal its beautiful treasure. All in all, the place looked ethereal.

Kouji grinned at the reverent look that the girls had pasted on their faces. Chichiri arrived then, and even he had to be amused by the girls' awe. Tasuki merely snorted slightly and went over to Chichiri to help him unpack the food.

//HMMM…//Suzaku said haughtily. //IN THE REALMS OF THE GODS, SIGHTS LIKE THIS ARE ALMOST COMMON.// his pompous words earned him stones thrown at him from two different directions, of which he squawked with indignation but otherwise made no move to retaliate, for because Sable's and Kitten's awe had reminded him of how easily he had took for granted simple pleasures like this.

"Anou…the picnic is ready, no da."

The girls snapped out of their stupor and went obligingly to where the men had set the food. The next few minutes was spent in silence as everyone ate the meal that was prepared for them.

"Tasuki, Kouji, your cooks prepares wonder food!" Sable praised.

"I have to agree." Kouji admitted. "Our cooks are fantastic."

An awkward silence followed.

Sable's and Kouji's attempt at starting a conversation proved to be futile. No one felt inclined to talk.

At last Kitten spoke up.

"I'm going to walk around and explore a bit." She stood up and walked away.

//I'M GOING WITH KITTEN.// Suzaku straightened from his roost and hurriedly waddled towards Kitten.

"If there is nothing else, I think that I will bring the rest of the stuff back to the keep." Kouji started gathering the uneaten food and putting them back into the baskets.

"Kouji…gomen nasai…" Sable said apologetically. "This picnic was meant to be fun…"

Kouji shook his head and smiled.

"It's all right, onna. You have tried hard. Don't blame yerself so much, ne? I will see all of you back at the hold. Ja na!!" Kouji slung the baskets over his back and disappeared quickly into the forests.

Sable stared at Chichiri then.

"Sou ka…what should we do now?"

"Wakarinai. Maybe we should go and find Kitten and Suzaku, to see what they are doing, no da."

"Hai…demo, what about Tasuki?"

Both looked down to see the flame-haired bandit, who was at the moment snoring away.

"Anou…that settles it, no da. Tasuki can stay here and look after the place, no da."

Sable sweatdropped but agreed.

##########

//PLEASE WAIT FOR ME.// the request was a command, but Kitten did not bother. She trudged on, deep in thoughts.

//I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT, KITTEN.//

That halted the blue haired girl in her tracks.

"Nani?!! Iie, you cannot know…" she sputtered as Suzaku reached abreast of her.

"HAI, I DO. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY WONDERING WHY YOU ARE TREATING TASUKI SO HORRIBLY WHEN HE DOESN'T EVEN DESERVE YOUR SHARP TONGUE.// Suzaku paused for a while before continuing. //AND I KNOW WHY YOU ARE UNCONCIOUSLY DOING ALL THESE.//

"Nani!! You know?" Kitten's voice was incredulous. "Okay, then tell me. Doushite? Why do I do all these hurtful things to him?"

//SIMPLE, KITTEN. YOU STILL DO NOT TRUST YOUR HEART. DEEP INSIDE, A PART OF YOU IS STILL AFRAID THAT TASUKI WILL LEAVE YOU…WHICH IS WHY YOU ARE DOING ALL THESE HURTFUL THINGS TO HIM; YOU WANT TO SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN PUSH HIM BEFORE HE BREAKS AND FINALLY LEAVES YOU.//

Kitten was shocked. How could Suzaku see so much when she barely understood what was going on?

"Iie…iie. Uso, USO!!" Kitten denied vehemently. "I wasn't doing that!! Am I?"

Suzaku shook his head slightly and continued.

//YOU SEE, EVEN NOW YOU ARE DENYING THE FACTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS ALL DISPLAYED IN FRONT OF YOU. WELL, NEVERMIND, YOU WILL SEE THE LIGHT ONE DAY. FOR NOW, ALL YOU SHOULD DO IS TO TRUST IN TASUKI."

"Trust? Demo…"

//YOU ARE LETTING YOUR DOUBTS CLOUD YOUR TRUE FEELINGS. LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, KITTEN. LISTEN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. IT WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO. NOW, LET US RETURN.//

Kitten stared after a retreating Suzaku.

`Is he right after all?' she pondered. ` Should I risk it, and trust fully in Tasuki, or should I live in doubt and continue making the both of us miserable? I'm so confused now; what should I do?' Kitten rubbed her face with her hands.

Suddenly, the answer came to her.

`What should you do, Kitten?' a tiny voice whispered. `Would you choose to hurt the one you love just because it means that you won't be hurt? Or would you want him to be happy and risk your own heart and happiness?'

The answer was glaringly obvious, and with it came relief.

Kitten's inner turmoil calmed and she felt infinitely better.

Her decision was made, and with a serene smile, she followed Suzaku.

##########

Sable stared at Chichiri when he was not looking.

Something was wrong with him; she had sensed some inner struggle within him. What was going on? She was about to ask when Chichiri spotted a flash of pink.

"There, no da. Suzaku!!" Chichiri called.

The said phoenix started and then waddled towards the couple, with Kitten trailing at his wake, looking slightly dazed, but wearing, for the first time in two weeks, a contented smile.

Chichiri looked at Sable.

"I think that your picnic is a success after all, no da. It seems that Kitten is finally at peace with her inner frustrations, no da."

Sable nodded in reply but deep inside, she wondered, `What about you, Chichiri? What about yours? Are you at peace too?'

If Chichiri sensed any of Sable's thoughts, he gave no indication of it. Instead, he went forward to talk to Kitten.

"Daijoubu, Kitten. You seemed a little bemused, no da."

"Nani? Oh…iie. Iie!" Kitten smiled cheerfully at the masked man. "I'm feeling very good, better than I ever had, in fact!! Arrigato for asking."

"Okay…anou…in that case, no da, I suggest that we return to the keep. Kouji had already returned."

Sable agreed.

"Hai. The weather is suddenly very hostile. I think that it is going to rain soon." And indeed it was. The sun had already disappeared and the fog was suddenly thicker than before.

"Okay, let's return before it really starts to pour. Say, where is Tasuki?"

"He is sleeping, no da."

"Sou ka," Kitten's face brightened mischief, "Never mind, allow me to wake him up." Thus said, the blue-haired girl ran on ahead to the picnic area.

Chichiri and Sable sweatdropped.

"Yeah, I'd say that Kitten is back to normal."

Chichiri agreed.

"Suzaku, no da. What did you tell Kitten, no da?"

//I REALLY CANNOT SAY; THIS IS BETWEEN ME AND HER.// Suzaku replied.

"I see, no da. Let's go then."

The trio trudged back to where Tasuki is sleeping, just in time to see Kitten jump Tasuki's sleeping form.

Which of course woke up the bandit in a hurry.

"What the fuck are you trying to do!! Are you trying to fucking kill me?!!"

Before Kitten could say anything, the redhead got up and stormed away. It seemed that he had had enough of Kitten's tantrums.

Sable and Chichiri and Suzaku stared at Kitten, who hurriedly stood up to chase after her koibito.

"You guys go ahead first; Tasuki and I will return later!!" She yelled as she ran past them. "See you later!!"

Sable watched her friend disappear among the trees.

"Well, you heard her." The brunette said, shrugging slightly. "Let's go back first."

"Anou…" Chichiri worried. "Are you sure we should leave them like that, no da? Tasuki seems very angry."

"Don't worry about Kitten, Chiri, she can hold her own."

//I AGREE WITH SABLE. LEAVE THEM BOTH ALONE TO SORT THINGS OUT. NOW. LET US RETURN TO THE KEEP BEFORE IT STARTS RAINING. I DO NOT WANT MY BEAUTIFUL SKIN TO BE SOAKED BY THE RAIN.// the phoenix started off the path that they had took earlier to reach the glen.

Chichiri sweatdropped but Sable merely followed behind Suzaku.

`I don't know, no da…but I think Suzaku reminds me of someone I once knew…'

##########

Kitten ran quickly among the trees.

"Tasuki!! Where are you!! Please come out now!! Onegai!!" The girl yelled. Somewhere along the way, she had lost sight of the redhead.

It is starting to pour heavily, but instead of turning back, Kitten called out again and again.

"Come on, Tasuki!! Where are you?!!" But the shouts proved to be futile.

Her beloved was officially sulking.

Suddenly, an idea came to Kitten.

Bracing herself, she purposely allowed herself to slip on a wet patch of grass. However she had not prepared herself for the landing and pain exploded all over her body as her legs flew out from under her and she landed on her stomach. Hard.

"Itai…" She muttered.

The fall had stunned her and it took her quite a while to recover. She was about to gather her strength around her and push herself up when a familiar pair of boots stepped into her line of vision.

A gruff voice.

"Are ya alright, onna?"

Her hurt forgotten, Kitten all but jumped back up and threw herself into Tasuki's arms.

"Tasuki!!" she held on to the man with all her might, inhaling the scent that was uniquely his, savoring the feel of him in her arms.

Tasuki was slightly taken aback. What was wrong with her now?

Unbeknownst to her, he had been trailing behind her when she was so desperately looking for him. He had actually intended that as a punishment for her for making his life a living hell for the past two weeks. However, when he saw her painful fall, he had dropped all thoughts of punishments and rushed up to see if she had hurt herself badly.

"Whoa…Kit, daijoubu?"

At that question, Kitten released her hold on Tasuki and stepped back reluctantly.

It was time for some explanation.

"Hai…a little bruised, but hai, daijoubu. The fall was worth it if it brought you back to me."

"Nani?!!" Beautiful amber eyes widened with surprised before narrowing. "You fell purposely to garner my attention?! Kitten no baka, you could have fractured or even broken a few bones!!"

Kitten shook her head even as a curiously warm feeling encroached her heart. Tasuki was worried for her. For her well being.

"Iie, demo I'm alright. I wanted to apologize to you for deliberately baiting you for the past two weeks. Gomen nasai, my koibito."

Tasuki reared back in surprise. Kitten had never called him that before. But now that she did, he was not going to complain either.

Taking his surprise for rejection, Kitten hurriedly plunged on.

"Let me tell you a story, Tasuki. Fifteen years ago, a little girl was abandoned by her parents and put in an orphanage. This little girl grew up there and it was also there that she found the best friend of her life. But that is not what I came to tell you about," Kitten rushed. "This girl grew up to become a young woman. She learnt to hide her fears, to not show weakness, emotions. She was confident, independent, and didn't care about what the others thought of her."

Kitten paused, lost in memories.

"But that was what people think, but in actual fact, residing in the heart of this young woman, was the little girl who was abandoned fifteen years ago, who still does not trust people."

Tasuki winced. He had a vague idea who Kitten was talking about. Her sadness was palpable and his hands itched to pull her into his arms.

"This woman, confident as she was, she only has one true friend. Why?" Kitten questioned. "It is because deep inside her, the little girl was afraid. Will people leave me if they know who I really am? That I am just a scared little girl? My parents have done so, so why not the others? Why can't someone love me enough to stay in my life? Is there something wrong with me?" the blue-haired girl lowered her head, her anguish obvious.

Tasuki could not bear it anymore. He moved forward to take Kitten in his arms, but the girl evaded his attempts.

"IIE!! IIE!! Let me finish my story first. Then you can judge whether if I am still worthy of you." For Kitten would not be able to bear it if he took her into his arms now only to push her away later.

Tasuki nodded. He respected her wishes as he could see that this was important to her.

"Very well, Kit, you may continue without any interruptions from me."

"Hai, arrigato, Tasuki. As I was saying, this little girl was afraid and thus the woman outside seemed to act uncaring when in actual fact, she was afraid of getting too near of people, afraid of rejection. So the woman lived life this way. Until one day." Kitten smiled at Tasuki, a sad smile.

"One day, she fell in love. Oh, she didn't want to. But fate seems to have a way of interfering and even though she fought hard against love, she gotten herself more ensnared instead. At last, with no choice, she gave in. She was so already so in love with this man anyway, so why try so hard to prevent what had already happened? But even as she surrendered herself to the sweet magic of love, the little girl inside her would not rest. `What would happen if you trust him with all your heart and he leaves you in the end?' The little girl asked the woman she had become."

Kitten stared at Tasuki, silently pleading for him to understand. And he did, Suzaku help him, but he did understand. The all-consuming feeling of doubt that Kitten must have had felt for the past weeks.

"So," Kitten continued. "This woman proceeded to purposely hurt the man whom she had come to love so much. Throwing barbs and sarcasms at him, not hurting him physically, but emotionally, where it matters most. She had wanted to see how far she could push him before this man breaks and leave her for good. Thankfully, before she could go that far, her heart, the part who had loved so deeply, the part that was bleeding because of all the pain she had inflicted on her beloved, called out to her, asking her if she would be willing to risk his happiness if it meant that she would never be hurt. The answer came to this cowardly woman then, glaringly obvious; she could never be able to do that. Because of that, for the first time ever, the little girl who lived in this woman made no more protests."

Kitten looked Tasuki again, her eyes filled with tears that refused to fall, her posture braced, as if prepared for the worst.

"You might wonder why I am telling you all these. And if you had not yet guessed, I am the little girl. Judge me now for who I really am. Am I worthy of your love? If not………uummmmpppppphhhhhhh!!"

Tasuki had grabbed Kitten then, and sealed her lips with a tender kiss. He poured all the love he felt for her into the kiss.

Kitten froze, her mind going blank as waves and waves of emotions flooded her senses.

After what seemed like a blissful eternity, Tasuki released her and stepped back. Without his support, the bemused Kitten swayed alarmingly.

"I think you just got my answer, kirei. You do me great injustice by even suggesting that I'd leave you. That is the one thing I would never do willingly." The red-haired bandit whispered fiercely.

"And you are not a coward, kirei; you are the strongest woman I have ever seen, and it is because of that that I fell in love with you. The little girl inside you would always be there, a reverberation of your past, a reminder of what you once were and what you are now. You must never forget that, and even if you do, I promise that I will be there to correct you, ne?"

Kitten looked extremely overcome by emotions then, much to Tasuki's amusement.

"Now, onna, can I take you into my arms already?"

The blue-haired girl answered by throwing herself at him. She clutched tightly at this man whom she had come so close to losing. Tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Arrigato, Tasuki, for understanding."

In response, Tasuki hugged Kitten to him tightly and buried his face in the sweet fragrance of her hair.

"Iie…Kit, always remember that whatever happens, aishiteru."

Heheh…chp 13 end. Whew!! This was the longest chapter I had ever written!! Man, 4500 words!! No doubt one of the most boring ones too, so readers, please bear with me!! I didn't expect it to become so long though. Gomen!! Not much adventure and humor in this chapter, but a lot of thoughts. As for Chichiri and Sable being kinda bonded, heheheh. I thought of it last minute. It was interesting though. Gomen again, for those expecting Chiri/Sable WAFF. Heheh…I wrote Tas/Kit instead. I hope that Tasuki was not too OOC. I actually wanted to portray his tender side. Well, I did have some ideas of WAFF for Chiri and Sable…but then…maybe not. I think I wanna torture them both first. ^__^ Well, until then, please review!! Arrigato gozaimasu!!