Categories > Anime/Manga > Fushigi Yuugi > Change of Heart
Chapters: 1/3-4
Old leaves rustled beneath Chichiri’s step on his way up the mountain path, deep within his own thoughts. His ‘all time happy’ mask failed to hide the worry from his face and even the tinkling sound from his staff sound duller than usual. Chichiri barely realised how the cold winds of the late fall made him wrap his kesa tighter around him or the dark clouds that circled over his head.
It had been ages since his feet had touched the surface of the forest that surrounded the Reikaku Mountain and never had they made their way so unwilling. And it wasn’t because he didn’t want to see Tasuki; he really did, it was just that he wasn’t sure if Tasuki would want see him. It had been almost two years since he had seen that face he now knew he could never live without and they really hadn’t parted in the best possible terms. Really, one would think his past experiences would have taught him to sit tight, listen and then make the reckless moves.
Well he hadn’t learned his lesson two years ago, but now he knew it. He just hoped his cowardliness hadn’t cost their friendship; the very thing he had been afraid in the first place. So forcing his unwilling feet to keep going, Chichiri made his way through the mountain path, deeply in his thought, neither noticing the play of nature around him nor the dangerous stare that followed his steps.
“And just where do think you’re going?” A low growl came behind Chichiri, forcing him out of his own world with a slight jump. Behind his calm mask, Chichiri’s one good eye roamed the woods, locating a dark figure of a man leaning against a pine some twenty feet away from the small path. A chill ran across Chichiri’s spine. It was very unlikely that he would have missed a person’s aura even being so absorbed to his own thoughts as he had been, but the fact that he couldn’t find it even now, when he was carefully prying it, was indeed slightly frightening. He would need to be careful with this one.
“Oh, a magician aren’t we. I wonder what a monk like you does in our woods this time at night”, the man said dangerously, stepping out of the shadows, making Chichiri almost back away a half step. He stopped dead cold when he realised he knew that flaming hair the shadows had revealed. It was horrid how Chichiri could feel the fear spreading inside him as the cold emotionless eyes, that he remembered different, penetrated him.
“T-Tasuki…?” Chichiri voiced out his doubtful guess. He couldn’t feel Tasuki’s familiar chi, but he knew this wasn’t a transfiguration spell either…
“I don’t know if you knew, and honestly couldn’t care less if you didn’t, but if you don’t have a special authorization to walk across our mountain you need to pay to do that. And since I’m the only who can give such an authorization, we both know you don’t have it. So I just hope for both of our sake that you’re loaded”, the man looking like Tasuki said and draw a sword out of his back.
“Tasuki, what are you…” Chichiri started, but was silenced by Tasuki’s quick steps that brought him just few inches apart from him. The one inch difference in their height had never felt as visible as it did now as the cold, emotionless amber orbs stared him down, freezing him still. Not that Chichiri would have backed away anyway. After all, that was the reason why he was here in the first place.
“I wouldn’t push my luck if I were you right now. But just in case, why wont we eliminate the unnecessary heroic ideas”, Tasuki said and grabbed the prayer beads around Chichiri’s neck and stepped back. Chichiri could only stare in haze as the cold metal was again pointed at him by the hands of his dearest friend.
Losing his precious beads made Chichiri feel little uneasy, but that was almost completely overwhelmed by worry. Because just a moment ago, when Tasuki’s fingers had brushed his neck, he had felt it. It was faint, so faint that without the physical touch he would have never felt it. But it was there. He knew Tasuki’s chi almost better than his own. And whatever had made Tasuki act the way he did, there was no question that the man in front him wasn’t indeed the same man that had once fought with him and the other Suzaku Seven to save their Miko. The man threatening his life with the tip of katana was no one else than his Tasuki. And that’s why he could not back away nor fight back before he knew what was wrong with his friend.
“Tasuki-kun, no da... It’s me…” Chichiri said stepping closer but stopping as the blade rose closer to his chest.
“Tch, tch… what’s with the friendly tone? I couldn’t care a rat’s ass who this Tasuki of yours is, so why don’t you just give up your valuables so I can get off from this lousy weather”, Tasuki said impatiently, but dead serious.
“Tasuki, it’s me Chichiri. What ever it is that’s taken you, you must…” but once again Chichiri was cut off by Tasuki’s actions. This time in the form of his fist crabbing the front of his shirt.
“Now listen, you damn weird face monk! I don’t care who the fuck you are even if you were the reincarnation of all the freaking four gods themselves. You are not using my road for free so start paying or you will see the ‘whatever god you’re serving’ really soon!”
Chichiri was no closer to find out what was wrong with his friend, but if he were to find that out, he would need to calm the situation first. So raising his hands up for the sign of surrender, Chichiri said carefully: “I…I’m sorry… I’ve taken the vow of poverty and though have no earthily possessions”.
By the look in Tasuki’s eyes, Chichiri words of ease had not worked exactly the way he had think they would.
“No money?” Tasuki said with a cruel smile and tightening grip. “That means we need to figure out a way for you to pay for your trespassing, ne?”
Old leaves rustled beneath Chichiri’s step on his way up the mountain path, deep within his own thoughts. His ‘all time happy’ mask failed to hide the worry from his face and even the tinkling sound from his staff sound duller than usual. Chichiri barely realised how the cold winds of the late fall made him wrap his kesa tighter around him or the dark clouds that circled over his head.
It had been ages since his feet had touched the surface of the forest that surrounded the Reikaku Mountain and never had they made their way so unwilling. And it wasn’t because he didn’t want to see Tasuki; he really did, it was just that he wasn’t sure if Tasuki would want see him. It had been almost two years since he had seen that face he now knew he could never live without and they really hadn’t parted in the best possible terms. Really, one would think his past experiences would have taught him to sit tight, listen and then make the reckless moves.
Well he hadn’t learned his lesson two years ago, but now he knew it. He just hoped his cowardliness hadn’t cost their friendship; the very thing he had been afraid in the first place. So forcing his unwilling feet to keep going, Chichiri made his way through the mountain path, deeply in his thought, neither noticing the play of nature around him nor the dangerous stare that followed his steps.
“And just where do think you’re going?” A low growl came behind Chichiri, forcing him out of his own world with a slight jump. Behind his calm mask, Chichiri’s one good eye roamed the woods, locating a dark figure of a man leaning against a pine some twenty feet away from the small path. A chill ran across Chichiri’s spine. It was very unlikely that he would have missed a person’s aura even being so absorbed to his own thoughts as he had been, but the fact that he couldn’t find it even now, when he was carefully prying it, was indeed slightly frightening. He would need to be careful with this one.
“Oh, a magician aren’t we. I wonder what a monk like you does in our woods this time at night”, the man said dangerously, stepping out of the shadows, making Chichiri almost back away a half step. He stopped dead cold when he realised he knew that flaming hair the shadows had revealed. It was horrid how Chichiri could feel the fear spreading inside him as the cold emotionless eyes, that he remembered different, penetrated him.
“T-Tasuki…?” Chichiri voiced out his doubtful guess. He couldn’t feel Tasuki’s familiar chi, but he knew this wasn’t a transfiguration spell either…
“I don’t know if you knew, and honestly couldn’t care less if you didn’t, but if you don’t have a special authorization to walk across our mountain you need to pay to do that. And since I’m the only who can give such an authorization, we both know you don’t have it. So I just hope for both of our sake that you’re loaded”, the man looking like Tasuki said and draw a sword out of his back.
“Tasuki, what are you…” Chichiri started, but was silenced by Tasuki’s quick steps that brought him just few inches apart from him. The one inch difference in their height had never felt as visible as it did now as the cold, emotionless amber orbs stared him down, freezing him still. Not that Chichiri would have backed away anyway. After all, that was the reason why he was here in the first place.
“I wouldn’t push my luck if I were you right now. But just in case, why wont we eliminate the unnecessary heroic ideas”, Tasuki said and grabbed the prayer beads around Chichiri’s neck and stepped back. Chichiri could only stare in haze as the cold metal was again pointed at him by the hands of his dearest friend.
Losing his precious beads made Chichiri feel little uneasy, but that was almost completely overwhelmed by worry. Because just a moment ago, when Tasuki’s fingers had brushed his neck, he had felt it. It was faint, so faint that without the physical touch he would have never felt it. But it was there. He knew Tasuki’s chi almost better than his own. And whatever had made Tasuki act the way he did, there was no question that the man in front him wasn’t indeed the same man that had once fought with him and the other Suzaku Seven to save their Miko. The man threatening his life with the tip of katana was no one else than his Tasuki. And that’s why he could not back away nor fight back before he knew what was wrong with his friend.
“Tasuki-kun, no da... It’s me…” Chichiri said stepping closer but stopping as the blade rose closer to his chest.
“Tch, tch… what’s with the friendly tone? I couldn’t care a rat’s ass who this Tasuki of yours is, so why don’t you just give up your valuables so I can get off from this lousy weather”, Tasuki said impatiently, but dead serious.
“Tasuki, it’s me Chichiri. What ever it is that’s taken you, you must…” but once again Chichiri was cut off by Tasuki’s actions. This time in the form of his fist crabbing the front of his shirt.
“Now listen, you damn weird face monk! I don’t care who the fuck you are even if you were the reincarnation of all the freaking four gods themselves. You are not using my road for free so start paying or you will see the ‘whatever god you’re serving’ really soon!”
Chichiri was no closer to find out what was wrong with his friend, but if he were to find that out, he would need to calm the situation first. So raising his hands up for the sign of surrender, Chichiri said carefully: “I…I’m sorry… I’ve taken the vow of poverty and though have no earthily possessions”.
By the look in Tasuki’s eyes, Chichiri words of ease had not worked exactly the way he had think they would.
“No money?” Tasuki said with a cruel smile and tightening grip. “That means we need to figure out a way for you to pay for your trespassing, ne?”
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