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Part 1: Ever Had One of Those Days
It was such a normal day. It wasn't insanely bright and cheerful, or dark and gloomy. It didn't match or contrast with anyone's mood, convey a deep meaning, or make a statement about world peace; it just existed in a non-Zen, non-existentialist, and basically ... well, *normal* way.
Life is so not fair that way.
* * * * *
Chichiri walked ahead of his companion, and resisted the urge to turn back and look at him. Something had obviously been nagging Tasuki since they broke camp this morning; but from experience, Chichiri knew it was useless, even foolhardy to bring it up before Tasuki was ready. So, he kept his eyes forward and his pace steady.
It was irritating, though; the normally over-enthusiastic Tasuki was abnormally quiet, and he kept fidgeting. Chichiri didn't even know you could walk and fidget at the same time. But every few minutes he would check his tessen, resettling it in it's holder. Then he'd pull his collar, or pick at a loose thread on his sleeve. Then he'd stare at Chichiri's back for a while, opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Not that that had ever stopped him before ....
Chichiri pulled back the thought. He shouldn't get angry over this. It was obvious Tasuki needed someone to talk to, and it had to be important to him, otherwise he would just blurt it out in his usual manner. That being, with all the grace of a pregnant elephant in a china shop.
"Chichiri?"
Finally! exulted the monk, although his masked expression revealed nothing. "Hai, Tasuki-kun no da?"
"Ummm ... nuthin'. Never mind."
If Chichiri hadn't spent three years with a half-crazed, extremely powerful old ghoul and about fifty annoying not-really-little-girls, he might have started screaming then and there. But his time on Mt. Taikyoku had taught him nothing if not patience. That, and a high tolerance for extremely ugly women. Or not-women. Whatever.
The conversation repeated itself three times before Chichiri's well of patience was all dried up. The sun was directly over head, when Chichiri suddenly stopped, turned, and faced Tasuki. Luckily Tasuki looked up at the last minute, and avoided slamming right into the mage.
"Oi, what's up?"
"Tasuki, we're not taking another step until you say what's on your mind no da."
Tasuki gaped at him for a minute, then looked everywhere but at him. The bandit scratched the back of his head nervously, and Chichiri had to seriously rein in the urge to reach out and give him a good shaking. Just let him say it. Please gods, just let him say it.
"Ummm.... well... I..."
"SAY IT, NO DA!"
"It's about you and Hikou."
Chichiri felt like he had been blindsided by a flying nyan-nyan. Of all the things that he had expected the bandit to say, that was no where on the list. It wasn't even close to being there.
"Okay, no da. What about me and Hikou na no da?" Chichiri said trying to keep the apprehension out of his voice. And failing. Tasuki heard it anyway, and once again tried to back out of the situation.
"No. It's nuthin'. Really," Tasuki said. Chichiri actually considered letting the subject drop. Then he thought about making the rest of the trip with a fidgeting Tasuki. Better to hear it now, then wonder about it all day.
"Look, Tasuki-kun. If you go on and tell me about it now, then you won't have to worry about it, no da. It will make you feel better, no da." And it will stop you from driving me insane. Tasuki looked doubtful.
"Have you ever considered that maybe the reason Hikou went after your fiancee was not because he liked her, but because he liked you?" Tasuki said as quickly as he could without tripping over his words. For the first time since the conversation started, the bandit looked Chichiri in the face. Chichiri stared at him for a few minutes in incomprehension.
"Well, I know he thought that she was going to interfere with our friendship, no da. That I wouldn't have as much time to spend with him... but that's not what you're talking about, Tasuki-kun, is it?" Chichiri said unsure of what the bandit was trying to say. He really wished that Tasuki would just come out and say it.
Tasuki, on the other hand, was trying to figure out if Chichiri was truly that naive. It wasn't like the monk hadn't played with his mind before, but he didn't think the other seishi would do that on this subject. Which left him with the difficult task of trying to explain what he meant. Without getting chi blasted.
"Well, sometimes friends feel differently about each other ... one might mistake friendship for something else."
"Such as, no da?"
"Love?"
"I loved Hikou!" Chichiri protested. Tasuki stared at him, then shook his head.
"Not that kind of love." I'm pretty sure, at least. Tasuki sighed in defeat at Chichiri's still confused expression. "The kind of love you felt for your fiance, was the kind of love Hikou felt for you. The `I-wanna-fuck-you' kind of love," he added, just for clarity.
Chichiri had only been that shocked one other time in his life - and that had been at the sight of Hikou kissing his fiance. He felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Tasuki quickly moved forward to keep him upright as Chichiri sagged forward, gasping for breath.
"How ..." the monk managed to rasp out. "How can you think that?"
"Well, Hikou could have been happy with your fiancee wherever they went after they died." At this remark, Chichiri gave the bandit a very dangerous look and Tasuki quickly continued. "Instead, he came back. For you. That should tell you something."
It did tell Chichiri something. Something, he hadn't wanted to know about his best friend, and wasn't sure if he was ready to face. It made sense in a way that seemed frighteningly right, like the click of the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle, settling into place. And the picture it formed ... was more than he could deal with. He took a deep, purging breath, willing his heart to slow, the nervous tremors to cease.
"I'm not going to think about this, I don't want to think about this. Not now."
"What happened to your `no da's?"
"No da!!" Chichiri screamed, before he got a hold of himself. He reached back and tugged his kasa forward, shadowing his face. He turned to go, then paused, turning back. "Why did you think of this, no da? I mean ... why did it occur to you?"
Tasuki looked at him a moment, with an expression that, had Miaka been there, she would have described as like `a deer caught in headlights'. Then pink stained his cheekbones, and he found an interesting tree to stare at. "Nuthin'," he muttered, "ain't %*^% nuthin'."
Chichiri had no reply to that. He carefully turned back around and continued down the road.
*****
Susan: It's done, it's done!! They said it couldn't be done, but we proved them wrong!
Miome: And this is a good thing?
Susan: We haven't actually set them up, but we're getting there ...
Miome: And that is a good thing?
Susan: Well, it's good for Tasuki.
Miome: What are you planning to do to my poor Hou-chan?! Dangit, if he's gonna be involved, he better get just as much out of it as Tasuki!
Susan: Ummm ... sure. I'll make sure of it.
Miome: Thanks. I think.