Chapter Two for Archive
Title: Once Upon a Dream - Chapter Two: Shattered
Author: M. Raven Croft
Fandom: Fushigi Yuugi
Pairing: Tasuki X Chichiri
Warning: Rating for bad bandit language, and some sexual contents…
Beta: swirly_ayuri
“I know you; I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.
Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem.
But if I know you, I know what you'll do,
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.”
~ Song from Disney's Sleeping Beauty
“You actually need to walk, no da, if we are to get there,” the drop-dead gorgeous monk said in an all too familiar tone. After all, they did this almost every day.
“Don’t wanna,” Tasuki grumbled. He was tired. Well, not tired, he just didn’t feel like walking now. The grassy area under that willow tree to the left of the path looked so inviting. He just wanted to take a nap. And maybe a snuggle. “Nap, must have nap,” he droned sleepily.
“Tasuki!” Chichiri called sternly as he made his way towards said tree. Hmmm… Tasuki thought… nice tree. He felt very sleepy, too sleepy, but he didn’t care.
“Tasuki!” Chichiri’s voice rang out sharply. Why was Chichiri yelling at him? “Something is not right, no da. Get away from there!” Was that fear in Chiri’s voice? Nah.
He continued to move closer to the nice cool spot just under the tree when, with a sudden red flash, Chichiri was standing between him and the tree. Without warning, Chichiri sent a deafening chi blast from his staff, blowing away half the tree.
“Damn, Chiri! Fine! You don’t want me to take a nap, I won’t! Don’t fuckin’ blow up the tree!” Tasuki coughed and dramatically batted at the dust and smoke Chichiri’s antic created.
But Chichiri was not listening; he was facing the charred stump that used to be the willow tree. Next to it was a glowing, greenish woman dressed in a kind of transparent gauze. She was beautiful.
“What the hell is that?” Tasuki didn’t like the feel of her. Her beauty didn’t seem right. She reeked of something like hunger.
“That was going to be your sweet dreams, no da. Still want to take the nap?” Chichiri said over his shoulder, his eye still on the angry apparition.
“Er… no thanks. Let’s kick the demon’s ass instead.”
Chichiri looked over at him then. His face lit up in a beautiful smile and he said, “You still haven’t changed a bit, no da. Okay, let’s go kick some demon ass.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Earth to Terry! Anyone home?” Ken’s voice broke him out of his revelry. He blinked a few times and shook his head to clear the heart-wrenching picture of Chichiri.
“Yeah, I’m here. What happened?” He turned from the window to look at Ken. His friend was looking at him with no small amount of irritation.
“You spaced out again! You told me to look at that weird tree stump that looked like some burnt woman and then you just fuckin’ spaced out.” Ken searched his eyes, more out of habit than concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking how come it looked like a woman. Nothin’ to worry about.” Fuck, that was real freaky! What the hell kind of imagination do I have? Terry wondered.
“Uh huh… whatever,” was all Ken said as he went back to his reading. Terry closed his eyes and for the thousandth time wished he knew what was going on.
They arrived at the bus stop on Mount Hikoto. They would have to walk another three miles to get to the shrine because buses and other motor vehicles were not allowed. The rest of the class filed out of the bus, and Terry found himself in the midst of 15 or so classmates. Somehow it didn’t seem right to him. There were too many people.
The feeling of déjà vu crept over him again, and Terry heard a familiar voice touch his heart.
“Tasuki no da, you asked me that only a few minutes ago. Walk faster and we’ll be there by lunch time, na no da.”
Terry blinked and looked around in confusion. Was that Chiri’s voice?
“If we get there soon, we could relax, and maybe I could even give you a massage to help you feel better, na no da.”
There it was again! ”UGH! I swear, when I get back home, I’m going to see a psychiatrist.’” Terry was pulling on his bright orange hair in frustration, unaware that half of his class was giving him a strange look. Kenji rolled his eyes and ignored him.
The group started to pile up the mountain path, while Terry lagged behind. “Ken, can we grab a drink before we start?” Terry pointed to the stands nestled in the side of the mountain. They were filled with snacks, drinks, and souvenirs.
“We are going to miss the lecture.” Ken frowned, looking after the disappearing group.
“No we won’t. Just a drink and snack and we’ll munch along the way. Please?”
Ken gave an exasperated sigh and allowed himself to be dragged to the stands.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ryosuke stood in front of the shrine of Suzaku and took a deep breath. He felt strange asking the beast God to give him strength to deal with the upcoming task. He had never been religious. He believed that religion was created to control the masses, to brainwash them into certain “acceptable” behaviors. Modern day organized religion was the worst.
All that changed the minute he came face to face with the weather beaten wooden shrine of Suzaku.
Ryo gave a sigh as he heard voices and laughter float up the trail. ‘Here we go,’ he thought as he turned around to face the on-coming crowd with a much-practiced smile - albeit not a friendly one, but serviceable. At the head of the crowd walked a tall young man with sandy hair. He approached Ryo with a sunny smile and an outstretched hand. Ryo met it with his own, and the younger man pumped it enthusiastically.
“HI! I’m Randy, and this is our small group from Stillwell Academy. You’re Ryosuke, right?” He was as energetic as his handshake. Ryo, being somewhat reserved, wasn’t quite used to that. Randy was staring openly and smiling broadly.
“Yes, I’m Ryo. Pleased to meet you.” He was happy that his English came out smoothly. When perplexed, his foreign language skills sometimes refused to cooperate. Ryo tried to put more friendliness into his smile. When Randy’s gaze fixed itself on the scar over his eye, Ryo frowned and looked away. He should be used to people staring at his scar by now, but he wasn’t. He sighed; well at least the accident hadn’t taken out his eye. That would have been something to stare at.
“I’m sorry,” Randy said. Ryo turned back to him but kept his silence. “I didn’t mean to stare. You just looked so mysterious and engaging…”
Now it was Ryo’s turn to blush. Damn!
“Yikes. Sorry.” Randy grinned, not looking the least bit sorry. “I didn’t mean to be so forward.”
Ryo blinked at the other man. Was Randy coming on to him? Old scarred face? As inexperienced as he was with this particular scenario, he couldn’t deny the obvious interest the other man was showing. Ryo did what he always did when faced with a situation he was not familiar with, he ignored it.
Clearing his throat softly he asked, “Are they all here?” He was appalled to find that his voice shook a little. Good heavens! Anyone would have thought he was a pre-teen or something!
Randy’s smile grew brighter, obviously feeling cocky knowing that he had unnerved Ryo. He scanned the noisy crowd and checked off his list.
“Terry and Ken aren’t here yet,” someone yelled helpfully from the back.
“I saw Terry dragging Ken off the path some time ago,” someone else supplied, followed by a healthy dose of laughter from the helpful crowd.
“If those two stayed true to form, they’re screwing each other silly.” More laughter. Wonderful.
Then realization hit him, and Ryo’s jaw dropped. His English was pretty good, and if he understood them correctly, that was NOT what he wanted any of them to do around here.
“SHUT UP, you guys.” Randy gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sure they’re doing nothing of the kind.” Funny, Ryo thought, he didn’t look sure at all.
“Even if they’re not... er… doing anything of that kind, I still don’t think they should be wandering about. There were a few incidents last week with some local people who didn’t like tourists around here. They may get rough.” Ryo looked back towards the trail anxiously.
Randy let out a hearty laugh, which earned him a glare from Ryo.
“Right! Sorry again. It’s just that I can’t imagine anyone messing with those two. They’ll be okay.” Ryo continued to stare blandly at him. “Really, I’ve seen them kick some serious butt, they’ll be fine.”
“I still don’t like people wandering off the path without a chaperone. Please remain with the group and I’ll be right back.” Ryo turned to say something in Chinese to the middle aged man sitting a few feet away. With a curt nod to the group, he left.
A few minutes down the trail and still nothing. Ryo shook his head in frustration. His day started out fine, too, with that sense of happy anticipation. Whatever happened to that? Now he was tracking lost students along the mountain path. As he rounded the bend in the trail, he stopped short at the sight nearly hidden from him. By a large boulder a dozen or so yards from the path, two men were too wrapped up in what they were doing to notice a lone figure walking in on them.
Ryo couldn’t help but stare. There was something achingly familiar about the tall young man pounding into his friend with abandon. At a closer look, Ryo let out a choked gasp and brought a hand to his mouth in astonishment. Tasuki! The hand dropped down to clutch at his chest as he watched them pause and look up.
The gasp brought the two entwined men out of their ecstasy, and they looked towards the sound. Lust filled amber eyes met Ryo’s shocked mahogany ones as they stared at each other across the path.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ken pulled away quickly and adjusted his clothes, saying something about a lecturer and how much trouble they were in. Terry couldn’t care less. All his thoughts were focused on the man standing on the path, staring at them in horror. Terry couldn’t move. He seemed to be rooted to the spot as he continued to gaze at the newcomer. “It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be.” That phrase replayed itself over and over in his mind. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought it might just burst out of his chest.
He thought he heard Ken telling him to fix his pants, but he wasn’t sure. It sounded so far away. Subconsciously, he must have understood because he found himself pulling his clothes together. Either that or it was the pain and betrayal he saw reflected in the beautiful mahogany eyes that made him move to cover himself. Somehow he felt like a heel and he wasn’t sure why. Chichiri was a dream… wasn’t he? He couldn’t be standing right there in the trail, right? What the hell was in that drink he bought from the stand?
He had never much cared what other people thought of him. It wasn’t his fault that the guy walked in on their private moment. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the time or the place, but he never really cared before. Why did it matter to him so much that this man not be hurt? Why did the good opinion of this stranger - who looked remarkably like his Chiri - suddenly seem so important to him?
“Damn it, Terry. Get yourself back together man!” Terry heard Ken’s voice vaguely. “Fuck! We are in deep shit this time,” Ken was saying as he dragged Terry back onto the path. “Do you know who that was?” He asked the semi-comatose Terry. “No, of course you don’t. You never bother to read up on anything,” Kenji continued, and Terry found himself really interested in WHO that was. “THAT, my friend, was Ryosuke Himura. The Japanese genius who’s giving the lecture today. He’s got, like, a ton of Masters degrees and he’s gonna get his PhD this year. Do you know he can speak 10 languages fluently? Hey! Are you spacing out on me again?” Ken punched him roughly on the arm.
“No, I’m listening, lots of Masters, 10 languages, PhD. See? I was listening.” But he looked so young. And he looked just like Chichiri. It couldn’t be, his head told him. His heart on the other hand, had a different idea all together.
“Tasuki-chan. I will always love you, no da.”
“Forever, Chiri. We’ll find each other again, no matter what. I swear.”
Terry stopped abruptly and looked around him. Where did that come from?
“Yo, Terry! You okay?” Ken frowned at him.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, without looking at Ken. He wasn’t sure he could ever look at Ken the same way again. What the hell was he supposed to say to him? “Oh Ken, by the way, I think I found my Chichiri, so gotta go, bye.’” Yeah, right! He was so fucked up, he couldn’t stand himself.
As they approached the class, they heard snickers and cheers greet them. Terry couldn’t help but flash his trademark grin. Randy, on the other hand, was livid.
“Damn it, you two! I just know you didn’t do what I think you did!” His expression, though, clearly told them otherwise. Their own sheepish expressions didn’t change that either.
“I swear if you don’t behave, I’m taping your fucking dicks between your asses!” He marched back to Ryosuke, who looked slightly ill. Terry followed him. He wanted to be closer to Ryo, much closer.
Terry frowned as he saw how pained Ryo looked. One hand still clutched absently at his chest as he discussed something with Randy. His frown deepened to a scowl when he noticed that Randy was much too close to Ryo and would occasionally touch the other man while talking. Terry had a sudden urge to clobber his sandy haired friend. He came close to doing just that when Ryo’s haunting eyes shifted from Randy to him. Terry held his breath. The buzzing in his ears got louder, and again he found that the only thing that mattered was the Japanese man standing a few feet away. All else faded away, and from somewhere far away, he heard a bird cry.
He was jolted out of his thoughts by Randy’s voice telling everyone to gather around the front of the shrine. Terry was already there so he didn’t budge; he wasn’t sure he could move anyways. His gaze traveled down Ryosuke’s form and practically drank in the sight. The man looked really good in that form-hugging, cream-colored sweater that perfectly accentuated his toned upper body. His black jeans clung snuggly to his strong legs and firm ass. Terry tore his eyes away from the enticing rear and moved up to a safer area; the man’s head. The scar across Ryo’s left eye almost matched Chichiri’s perfectly, except Ryo’s eye appeared undamaged. Terry thanked whatever gods were watching Ryo for that.
A stray strand of hair fell along the side of Ryo’s cheek, and he brushed it away absently. Terry wanted to tug it away for him and run his hands through the long brown hair that was tied at the nape of his long slender neck. He wondered what it would look like loose and fanning the pillow as Ryo writhed underneath him. Terry swallowed hard. He shifted his backpack to the front hastily and hoped that his arousal wasn’t too visible. The thought of Ryo panting in ecstasy under him was making him painfully hard.
When they all gathered in front of him, Ryo introduced himself to the crowd and gave them the handout he had prepared. What came after was easy enough, even with the undaunted amber eyes on him. He knew the story of the four beast Gods by heart. He told them about the many legends concerning the deities and noted as some snickered and some laughed outright. He paused at certain points to give the rude behavior his most chilling glare. It always worked wonders as his scar could give him a most villainous look. With THAT taken cared of, he continued with the legend of the shrine. Chills ran down his spine as he said the words that seemed to echo the voice from his dreams.
“There is a legend about this shrine, no da.”
“It is said, no da, that if a couple pledges their love to Suzaku in front of the shrine, and if their love is true, they will be united for eternity, na no da. They will be together in every incarnation to come.”
Terry gasped as the words brought vivid images of him and Chichiri to mind. In his mind’s eyes, he pulled Chichiri into his arms and kissed the lights out of him.
“I love you for always, and if Suzaku’s willing - you too of course - I would love nothing more than to be yours for all of eternity.”
Ryo heard the same sentence uttered by Tasuki. His eyes were fixed on Terry as tears spilled from them. What was this feeling? What was going on? How could this man make him feel so much heartache? Ryo stumbled to his knees and blackness consumed him.
TBC