Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl Who Didn't Believe ❯ Friends? ( Chapter 24 )

The Girl Who Didn't Believe

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

`…' = thoughts

//…// = telepathic conversation

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

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

********** = dream sequence

@@@@@@@@@@ = mirror projection

A little translation here…

Akai----Red

Aoi----Blue

Haiiro----Grey

That's all, minna-san!! Enjoy!!

Chapter 24-Friends?

The next morning dawned bright and early. Sable woke up with the dawn and proceeded to the breakfast room. For once, it was not very hard to get up that early. After last night's confrontation, it would be a miracle if she could have a peaceful sleep.

"Ohayo, no da!!"

Sable jumped. She had been deep in thoughts and had not noticed the seishi who was already in the breakfast room.

Sable looked at Chichiri, her tears threatening to fall.

`How the hell can he be so cheerful after last night?'

"Oh…Ohayo." She said quietly.

Chichiri did not notice Sable's look of abject misery. He was lost in his own world as he helped prepare a serving of breakfast for Sable.

"Here you go, no da." Chichiri placed the food-filled cutlery in front of Sable.

The brunette looked at the food and turned slightly green. Her normally voracious appetite was absent this morning.

"Is there anything wrong with the food, no da?" Chichiri looked concerned at Sable.

The girl shook her head.

"Iie. Iie, Chichiri. I am not hungry, that's all."

Chichiri nodded.

"Demo," he said. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should at least eat something, no da."

Sable nodded and took up a spoon.

The next few minutes were filled with silence.

Chichiri was observing Sable intently.

`How do I go about telling her my change in decision?' he thought, still looking at her. `What if she thinks that I am too fickle-minded and decides to reject me?'

Sable finally realized that the breakfast room was too silent. Curious, she looked up and jerked slightly in surprise when she saw Chichiri doing nothing but staring at her with the oddest expression on his face.

"Anou…"

Chichiri snapped out of his thoughts.

`The chance is here,' he told himself. `Best to grab it now.'

"Sable…" he said hesitantly.

The brunette tilted her head.

"Hai?"

Chichiri forced himself to maintain eye contact with her. He has never known that telling a person of his feelings would be so hard. What if she rejected him?

"Anou…about yesterday…" Chichiri trailed off when he saw Sable stiffen.

"Hai?" She said again, this time albeit a little softer.

"About your declaration yesterday…I have been thinking about it," Chichiri's voice was higher than usual. "And I want to give you my answer now."

Sable did not know how to react to that. She had thought that Chichiri's silence yesterday had been his answer. Thus, she kept quiet.

Chichiri was extremely discouraged. There was no reaction whatsoever from Sable. However, he was determined to carry the entire thing through. Taking a deep breath, he gathered all his courage to blurt out.

"I think that I like you too, Sable."

There was no reaction from the brunette.

Actually, there was not any time at all for Sable to react as the door burst open then and Tasuki, Kitten and Kamui spilled into the room.

"Oi, Chiri!! You are doing your declaration of love in the eating area now?"

"Chichiri!!" Kitten squealed. "You finally saw the light!!"

"Ohayo."

Chichiri was turning red under his mask. Sable was faring no better. There was an awkward silence.

It was official now.

Chichiri and Kamui would fight for Sable's affection.

The original foursome stared nervously at Kamui, who walked calmly to seat himself beside Sable.

"I see that you are eating well, Sable."

Tasuki and Kitten were both flabbergasted. That was all he had to say?

"That's all you are going to say? After seeing Chiri tell Sable of his affections for her, you are just going to say that?" Tasuki asked.

Kamui smirked at the redhead.

"Hai. I knew that Chichiri would wake up one day and finally see that he likes Sable too. Demo," Kamui's eyelashes lowered. "Sable has not answered his declaration. Which means that I just have to work harder in winning her affections, ne? This is not over yet."

##########

In the realm of the gods…

Seiryu was staring in frustration at the mirror before him. Damned birdbrain was correct. Chichiri was very determined to win Sable over now.

`Demo,' he thought slyly. `as Kamui said, this is not over yet, and after all, they are still on my turf. Maybe I should start giving them some challenges already…What should I give to them? There are, after all, so many to choose from…'

Seiryu's ice-blue eyes gleamed with amusement as he finally picked out an interesting one.

`This should be fun…'

The dragon god focused his ki into the mirror and a bluish smoke diffused into the screen.

`Now, all I have to do is to sit back and enjoy the show…'

His grin widened as he imagined Suzaku's reaction to the plan.

#########

Somewhere in the backwoods of Kutou…

The villagers of the Shuang Xi village were having a festival to celebrate this year's successful harvests of crop. The normally quiet village was now abuzz with activities. The night atmosphere was awash with excitement and exhilaration as children and adults alike immersed themselves in merrymaking.

The village was so crowded that night that no one made any notice of the fact that there were three strangers among them. After all, festivals like these always attracted people from other villages.

However, those men did not look like common villagers.

They were tall, well built, handsome and…emotionless.

What should have been a dead give-away to their positions were obviously lost on the cheerful villagers.

Their clothes were…out of this world.

The three weirdly dressed menhad just entered the perimeters of the Shuang Xi village when an unfortunate young man knocked into them.

The adolescent, already half inebriated, shook his head drunkenly and scowled at the men.

"Hey, watch where you are going!! Baka," he muttered.

The youth found himself hanging three feet off the ground before he had any time to react.

He did what most teenagers would do if they were in his position.

He squeaked with fear and began to struggle.

"Gomen nasai!! Lemme go!! Lemme go!!" His wild thrashings did nothing to ease his predicament. It merely resulted in the hand on his neck tightening painfully.

"Onegai…" He whispered hoarsely as his movements became more sluggish and he started to turn blue in the face.

The auburn-haired man holding on to the teen looked bored. He counted to the last second before the boy would inevitably suffocate to death before easing his deadly hold on the kid.

Too bad that they were given strict orders not to kill unnecessarily.

With a deceptively easy flick of his wrist, he flung the gasping boy a good five metres away. The youngster hit the wall with a painful thud. He did not move after that.

By now, the entire village was near silent, the merrymaking mood destroyed. They crowded before the horrifying scene that was slowly unfolding before them. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman pushed herself through the crowds. Her aghast eyes fell upon the unmoving figure of the boy.

"Kami-sama!!" She rushed to her son.

The crowds were full of whispers now.

"Is he dead?"

"Who are those men?"

"What do they want?"

One of the three spoke up then.

"Iie. The runt is not dead." The man who spoke had turquoise hair and violet-colored eyes. "But he will be if we do not get some answers."

The crowd stared at the trio with trepidation.

The third man asked the question. He had long, silvery-gray hair.

"What is the direction to the capital of Kutou?"

The villagers stared flabbergasted at the man. This was the question?

"Anou…" an elderly man offered tentatively. "Just walk on northwards for half a day and you'll see the capital."

The trio looked at each other and nodded at the man.

"Arrigato," They said solemnly. "If we have any problems with that, we'll come back to look for you."

The elderly man reared back and nodded wearily.

The entire village watched the three men leave their land with a deep sigh of relief.

They pitied the citizens of the capital of Kutou.

##########

Haiiro was scowling furiously as he glared at his two counterparts. Akai was muttering to himself and Aoi was seemingly lost in his own world.

Akai turned and noticed the silver-haired man's cross expression.

"What's wrong with you, Haiiro? You have been looking mad ever since we started this journey."

Haiiro frowned at Akai.

"It is all your fault."

The auburn-haired man looked affronted.

"Nani? Me? What did I do?"

"If you have not insisted on traveling on water, we wouldn't have gotten lost!! You know the problem about Aoi and directions!! They never mix!!"

Akai glared back.

"Oh yeah? And I suppose that traveling your way would have been better? You are just as horrible in directions as Aoi!!"

"You are not so good at it yourself!!" Haiiro fumed.

Aoi snapped out of his bemused state.

"What are you two arguing about now?"

The two warriors stared at the man who was the cause of this argument in the first place.

Aoi shook his head.

"You know, guys, we really must cooperate. We are on master's orders to reach the Kutou capital as fast as possible."

Akai and Haiiro sweatdropped.

Aoi continued walking.

"Let's go now, I think that I see the capital gates already."

The three men with a mysterious purpose continued on with their trek to Kutou.

##########

"Anou…" Kitten put down her spoon. "I am done with breakfast. What about you people?"

"Me too." Tasuki muttered. He was secretly relieved that The Most Awkward Breakfast He Had Ever Eaten was soon to be over.

Sable and Chichiri nodded simultaneously.

"I am done too."

"Me too, no da!!"

Everyone looked at Kamui. He had already finished his breakfast, earlier than everyone in fact, but had stayed on to wait for the foursome. He was currently immersed in what Sable thought as palace affairs.

Kamui glanced at the group and called upon his servants. The pair of menservants appeared in no time.

"Put all this paperwork in my room. I will see to them later."

The servants murmured a reply and with the tons of paperwork in hand, retreated from the breakfast room.

Kamui turned to the group then and put his hands together on the table.

"So, what do you all want to do? I am free for today."

The two seishi kept quiet. They did not really feel like doing anything.

The two girls, on the other hand, whispered among each other.

"Anou…Kamui…" Sable ventured at last.

"Hai?" Ice blue eyes softened to warm turquoise.

"Kit and I were hoping if you would be able to bring us around the stalls in Kutou. Is it all right with you?"

Kamui looked amused.

"Hai, that is okay with me. I just need to make some arrangements."

Again, he called upon his menservants. Another pair of servants appeared shortly.

"Hai, Kamui-sama?"

"Please clear the streets and prepare an entourage. The lady and her friends would like to experience the shops and stalls here."

Sable was shocked, to say the least.

`Nani? He is going to empty the streets just because of my whim to go window shopping?'

"Anou…Kamui…iie."

The blonde looked at Sable.

"Iie? You do not wish to go now?"

Sable shook her head.

"Iie…I mean, hai. I still want to go, demo there is no need to disturb the Kutou citizens just because of my whim. These people have their livelihoods to think of. It would be selfish of me to hog the streets."

Kamui looked implacable for a moment, and then he smiled.

"This is why I like you. You always think about others before yourself." Sable blushed at the compliment.

"Okay, then. If that is what you want. I don't have the heart to deny you anyway." Kamui turned to his servants. "You heard my hime, so there is no need to clear the streets. Just prepare the entourage and double the amount of guards."

The servants nodded their understanding and retreated.

Kamui looked back at the four.

"Shall we wait outside for the guards?"

"Don't your guards need some time to prepare?" Kitten asked inquisitively.

Kamui smiled.

"Iie, they are always prepared. As I said, all my staff are required to be efficient."

"Sou ka." Kitten nodded.

"Why are you so curious, Kit?" Tasuki grouched. "It is none of your business anyway."

Kitten decided to ignore Tasuki. She all but ran out of the room in excitement, followed closely by Sable.

Tasuki would have followed too, but he remembered just in time that if he did that, Kamui and Chichiri would be left together.

Not exactly a good combination.

Sighing, Tasuki fell in to walk between Chichiri and Kamui. The tension was so thick that the redhead could have easily used a knife and cut a slice of it for dessert.

Kamui chuckled softly then.

The two seishi stared at him with bewilderment.

What was so funny?

"Why are you laughing, Kamui?" Tasuki asked. " What is so funny?"

Kamui's chuckles subsided, and the two seishi waited for his answer.

"I was thinking about us, Chichiri." He replied a minute later. "I find it especially ironic that the two of us are behaving so very civilly towards one another just because of Sable. Especially when we would be fighting each other under normal circumstances."

Chichiri felt the irony of it too, and he allowed a small smile.

"Hai, no da. Demo being able to meet Sable is not normal, no da."

Kamui nodded.

"Hai, not normal indeed. Sable is a very special girl."

Tasuki looked suspiciously at the blonde. Why was he acting so nice all of a sudden?

Kamui sensed Tasuki's doubts.

"Daijoubu, Tasuki. I assure you that I am not planning to do anything underhanded to win Sable over."

Chichiri nodded. Somehow, he sensed that Kamui was not that kind of person.

"Hai, Tasuki, no da. I also believe that Kamui would not stoop so low, no da."

Kamui's lips quirked.

"Arrigato for the vouch in my character."

The trio stepped out of the room, and saw Sable and Kitten a good distance away.

"Oi, Tasuki!! Hayaku!!" The blue-haired girl waved at her koi. "You are so slow!! What happened to your seishi speed?!!"

Tasuki mumbled something under his breath and strode off after Kitten.

Chichiri and Kamui watched as the trio headed off to the courtyard.

Hands tucked into the pockets of his pants, Kamui was about to follow the three when Chichiri stopped him.

"Matte, Kamui."

The blonde man stopped and turned to the blue-haired seishi.

"Hai?"

Chichiri popped off his mask. There was a determined look on his face.

Vaguely, Kamui wondered if Chichiri was thinking of a confrontation here and now.

"Kamui, I want to tell you that no matter what happens after this, no matter who Sable chooses, I'll always treat you as a good friend."

Surprised silence.

"Naze?" Kamui's tone was neutral.

"Anyone who would protect Sable willingly deserves my friendship, and I know that I can depend on you as a friend." Chichiri nodded. "Just like you can depend on me."

Kamui stared at the blue-haired man.

He wondered when was the last time someone befriended him because they genuinely saw him as a friend, not as an opportunity to elevate their own status, and realized that there were no such cases. Ever.

All his life, the people around him were always wearing a false façade, and he was so used to seeing those fake emotions that it had taken him awhile to realize that the feelings that the fourhad so easily expressed to each other were authentic, real. That was the reason why, he, Kamui, had taken the troublesome trio and Sable into his home.

Into his life.

He was also appalled to discover that he actually envied them. The fourwas so close-knitted,and their unitywas something that he only dreamt of having.

And now, Chichiri was extending an invitation of friendship, despite the fact that they were supposed to be competing .

Chichiri looked, unsure, at Kamui.

He did not know what made him do something as stupid as trying to befriend Kamui. He was the enemy, a Kutou official first and a fellow contender for Sable's affection second.

However, the seishi had once remembered hearing in his head what Sable had thought. The brunette was thinking about how lonely Kamui must have been having such a high post but no true friends whatsoever. Somehow, that thought had resurfaced in his mind a few moments ago and Chichiri was determined to change that fact. (A/N: Gomen nasai for this interruption. But I hope that you guys remember chapters 13 and 14 when Sable unconsciously projected her thoughts to Chichiri and he could sense her emotions just she could him? Hai, the two of them shared a bond even before Suzaku awakened Sable's telepathic abilities. Gomen as I did not emphasize much about the bond on chapter 14, but now that you are all reminded, let us just assume that Chichiri had heard some of Sable's thoughts.)

"Anou…Kamui, daijoubu?" Chichiri asked hesitantly.

The said man snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Chichiri.

"Iie, daijoubu."

"Anou…it's all right if you do not consider yourself as my friend. Let's go then, no da." Chichiri hurried off first, to avoid an awkward scene.

However, he was surprised when Kamui matched his pace. Looking straight ahead, the blonde said in his normal implacable tone, "You are mistaken, Chichiri, I would be honored to be your friend."

Chichiri smiled.

"Wakatta, no da."

##########

The excursion to the streets of Kutou was uneventful, but fun nonetheless. The presence of the guards had ensured that people would keep a safe distance away from the group. Some even bowed respectfully to them!

Chichiri and Tasuki acted as guides and showed Kitten and Sable the places of attraction. After all, being envoys of Konan, they had been to Kutou countless times. They knew more about the streets of Kutou than Kamui did and they gave him a lot of constructive opinions about how to improve the streets. Kamui listened to all their comments with an attentive ear and promised to look into the details when he was back at the imperial palace.

Under the guards' watchful eyes, Kitten and Sable spent their time sightseeing while the men were talking away. Although Kamui had indulgently given them some (read: a lot) of okane, the pair did not spend much.

The duo was separated from Kamui, Tasuki and Chichiri. The three men had decided to escape into an inn for some refreshments while talking.

"Geez," Kitten muttered. "What is wrong with those three? They are suddenly acting like a trio of fishwives."

Sable smiled.

"Kamui is an excellent chief advisor. He wants to know the opinions of Tasuki and Chichiri so that he can improve the Kutou capital. Furthermore, would you prefer Tasuki following you around and whining away while we are shopping?"

Kitten grinned.

"I supposed that you are right. Tasuki would annoy me so."

Sable shook her head.

Kitten sobered again.

"Well, now that the guys are gone, why don't you tell me who you are going to choose, Kamui or Chichiri?"

Sable bit her lips.

"Wakarinai." She admitted softly at last.

Kitten could not believe what she had just heard.

"You don't know?!!" She half yelled. "I thought that you liked Chichiri!! Have you changed your mind so soon?"

Sable looked at her irate friend.

"Iie. I did not change my mind." The brunette said firmly. "I like, no, love Chichiri. But," she hesitated.

"But what?"

"But I am not really sure if he loves me."

Kitten looked surprised.

"Sab no baka!! Are you deaf?! Even I heard Chichiri confess to liking you earlier this morning!!"

"I know." Sable said quietly. "He said that he liked me, not love, Kit. What if he decides midway through that he still loves Kouran and drops me, what would I do? I would not be able to take it."

Kitten looked sympathetically at her friend. She was really thankful that Tasuki was too straightforward and women-intolerant to give her this kind of problems.

"Besides," Sable started again, and Kitten snapped out of her thoughts. "There is still Kamui. What am I supposed to say to him? He is such a lonely person, hiding his true self under his icy and uncaring façade. What about him?"

Kitten shook her head.

"You know, Sab, you cannot keep the two of them hanging after you like that. You must make a decision." Sable looked miserable and Kitten softened. "Why don't you ask Chichiri what he means by liking you?"

Sable nodded.

"Well…" Kitten perked up. "Let's put all these troubles aside for now and concentrate on having fun, shall we? Tell you what, can you help me pick a present for carrot top?"

Sable smiled exasperatedly. She thanked her friend silently for the support that she was giving her.

"Kit, I don't think that you should call Tasuki that."

Kitten grinned.

"Relax, Sable, it is not like he is ever going to know."

##########

In the inn…

The men were paying the bill for the meal that they just had. They had finished talking and had decided to look for the girls.

During the one-hour talk that they had shared, Tasuki had sensed some difference in the situation between Kamui and Chichiri. Yes, the tension was still there, but it had diminished so greatly that it was almost unnoticeable now. In fact, Kamui seemed much more at ease than usual, and he had stopped addressing them formally.

It was as if Kamui was regarding them as…friends.

It was very puzzling to the redhead and he tried looking for some clues of what was happening by reading Chichiri's actions. To his surprise, Chichiri was behaving as if Kamui was not his enemy, but as if Kamui was his…friend.

He wondered what happened to the two of them.

The poor bandit agonized over the entire thing for five minutes before finally deciding to trust Chichiri's instincts. After all, the older seishi had never been wrong in reading people before. Thus, Tasuki had also decided to treat Kamui as a friend.

Kamui had known of Tasuki's bewildermentright from the start. He watched the bandit from a corner of his eyes as the redhead tried to figure out what was happening. Kamui was also curious as to why Chichiri did not tell Tasuki what had happened between them earlier.

He understood why five minutes later.

He watched as Tasuki finally relaxed and began treating him in a friendlier and less wary manner then he ever had in the past five days.

Trust.

It was obvious that Tasuki trusted Chichiri's judgment enough to lower his defenses without needing any answers.

Kamui also knew what Chichiri was trying to relay to him.

This friendship would be based solely on trust.

Dare he trust in them?

Kamui decided to take a gamble.

"Oi, Kamui, you daydreaming?"

Kamui refocused and saw a hand waving back and forth before his eyes. His eyes followed the offending appendage to the person it was connected to.

"Put your hand down, Tasuki, before I am forced to do anything drastic."

The redhead smirked but put down his hand.

"Is that a joke?"

Kamui looked icily at the bandit seishi but inwardly, he was smiling.

"Iie, it is a threat."

Tasuki grumbled something about having a sarcastic iceberg for a friend while Chichiri sweatdropped.

The men were about to vacate the inn when Tasuki sneezed. Repeatedly.

"Daijoubu ka, no da?"

Tasuki nodded.

Kamui smirked.

"Someone is badmouthing you, Tasuki."

The redhead nodded blearily.

"I wonder who that moron is?"

Konnichiwa, minna-san!! Gomen nasai if you were all waiting too long for this chapter. Gomen!! I hope that this chappie is worth your wait though. ^^

I know that I have not done this for a long time, and thus I will say this now: Arrigato to all my readers and reviewers!! Your comments have given me a great deal of insights and encouragement in writing this fic!!

Guess who are the three men? The three men with blue, silverish and red hair? Heheh…new characters are so fun to play around with.^^

Lastly thank you to the bestest beta-editor in the world, Nuriko no Mikos!! You are not a horrid beta-editor, dear pal, you are a great friend who have decided to take time off just to help me to beta-edit my chapters. Domo arrigato!!

Please review, dear readers!! Thanks!!