Chapter Three for Archive
Title: Once Upon a Dream - Chapter three: Unfulfilled
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
“Chiri.” Tasuki’s voice was soft and pensive.
“Hmm?” He looked over at the younger man lying next to him on the grassy hill. Stargazing seemed to have that effect on the lively bandit.
“Do you think we’ll find the others as well?” Tasuki asked. “I really miss them.”
“I miss them too, Tasuki.” He brought the bandit’s hand to his lips and gently kissed the calloused fingertips. “Suzaku willing, we will all meet again someday, no da. But I promise you this: whatever happens I will never stop loving you.”
“You’ll forget…”
“Never.”
Tasuki turned tear-filled eyes to his lover and best friend. He rolled over and half covered the other man with his body and kissed his lips gently.
“I’m gonna hold ya to that, Chiri.” Tasuki’s lips claimed his again and questing tongue probed his eager mouth. Touches that were meant to comfort and soothe soon turned into those of hunger and need as hands roamed freely along heated skin and mouths devoured trembling flesh. Wet tongue soothed his fevered body, and he arched uncontrollably into Tasuki’s hot mouth as his lover lowered it to his aching arousal.
“TASUKI!” Ryo jerked up abruptly into sitting position, panting wildly. He was dreaming about Tasuki again. Movement from the shadows by the doorway brought him sharply back to the present.
“Who’s there?” he asked, still breathless. He looked around the darkened room and recognized it to be the small wooden shack behind the shrine. Bright afternoon sun filtered through the cracks between panels, softly illuminating the interior.
The figure moved slowly from the shadows into the light. “Tasuki!” Ryo cried out in shock and scrambled backwards on the bed until he was backed against the headboard. How could that be? Was he still dreaming?
“Shh! I’m not supposed to be here,” said the young man that Ryo now recognized as the one from the shrine. The one that had affected him so much earlier.
“What do you want?” Ryo asked unsteadily. His heart started to pound painfully in his chest the moment he recognized the face.
* * * * *
Terry couldn’t believe his ears. Did Ryo call him Tasuki? How could Ryo know about Tasuki? Unless Ryo was Chichiri? Dare he hope?
“Nothing. I just wanted to see if you’re alright.” It crushed Terry to see Ryo so wary of him. “My name is Terry. We… er… met at the shrine,” he ended rather lamely. A flash of pain flickered briefly across Ryo’s face at the mention of the shrine, and Terry wanted to kick himself.
“I really wanted to apologize for… um… what we did. You know… er… along the path?” UGH! What the hell prompted him to say that? With that further reminder, Ryo’s body shook harder, and his eyes clouded with confusion. “Ryo, I… may I call you Ryo?”
Ryo nodded, eyes darting about the empty room as if looking for ways to escape.
“Thank you. Ryo, I….” Looking at the beautiful man on the bed, Terry didn’t know how to say it. “I…” he tried again and stopped. How do you ask someone if he was your dream lover?
Terry moved closer to the bed, eyes never leaving Ryo’s, and came to a stop when he touched the side of the bed. Gods, he wanted to hold the other man so badly! Is this what they call love at first sight? Terry decided to get straight to the point.
“Chichiri,” he said simply, voice thick with emotion. “I’ve found you.”
“No!” Ryo shook his head vehemently. “I’m dreaming. Can’t be. No!”
“It’s real, Chiri - er, Ryo. Very real.” Terry came to stand just a foot from where Ryo sat. “I’ve been dreaming of you for years. It IS you! You must feel it too! I know that you do. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it here.” He tapped his chest in earnest and desperation. Ryo continued to shake his head adamantly, but his eyes told Terry of his uncertainty.
Unable to hold himself away any longer, Terry climbed onto the bed and pulled the trembling man to his chest. He buried his face in the soft brown hair and breathed in the scent that was as familiar to him as his own.
“Gods, Chiri. I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, so long.” His voice shook as tears streamed down his face. To hold the other man close to his heart filled him with such joy that he felt he could explode. He hugged Ryo closer to him, relishing the warmth of the unresisting body.
“Ryo,” whispered the voice muffled by his chest. “My name is Ryosuke. Not Chichiri.” Ryo pushed reluctantly away from him.
Terry stroked Ryo’s cheek gently with his fingers while his thumb caressed the soft lips. He heard as well as felt Ryo’s sharp intake of breath as Ryo’s eyes glazed over.
“Have I ever told you that you’ve got very kissable lips, Chiri?”
* * * *
Ryo’s eyes flew open and he found himself staring right into those intense amber eyes. Terry was saying something to him.
“….very kissable lips, Ryo?” Ryo blinked and swallowed. Another episode of déjà vu? He tried to move away from Terry, but his feeble attempt was only half hearted. Sensing that, Terry’s hold on him tightened. Ryo’s eyes grew wider as Terry’s lips moved closer to his. As if they had a mind of their own, his lips parted eagerly. His hands clutched tightly onto Terry’s shirt, inadvertently pulling him closer. His whole body tingled with anticipation, and his brain screamed at his lack of bodily control. When those lips touched his, his whole vision was bathed in a flash of red light. Adrenalin? Shock? His mind decided to shut down, and he let his senses take over. Warm, gentle tongue probed his mouth; drinking in his essence yet offering something more in return. Something that Ryo, in his current state of euphoria, could not decipher.
Terry found it hard to describe his feelings. This wonderful sense of fulfillment; as if after searching the whole world over, he finally found that one piece of himself he didn’t know he was missing. He did not want to let this man go, ever. His heart wanted to explode with the sheer joy of having this man in his life. To have this beautiful creature return his embrace and kisses was surely more than he deserved.
Terry tore his mouth away from Ryo’s and smiled happily to hear the other man moan at the loss. He trailed his tongue along Ryo’s slender neck and paused to suck and nip gently at the sensitive area at the hollow of his throat. His hand roamed ahead and slid underneath Ryo’s sweater to caress and knead at the taut nipples. Strangled moans escaped Ryo’s kiss-swollen lips, and he arched up, giving in to pleasure that Terry was only too happy to give.
So consumed was he with the man of his dreams - literally - that he didn’t hear the door open, nor did he notice the furious figure in the doorway.
“You fucking asshole! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ken’s voice was dangerously low and soft. If that tone could inflict damage, both he and Ryo would certainly be dead.
“Fuck!” Terry groaned into Ryo’s neck. He was unwilling to leave the delicious flesh and cursed his friend’s bad timing.
Ryo, coming slowly back to reality, gasped and pushed him off. The man’s gaze shifted between him and Ken by the door. When his gaze fell on Terry again, they were torn between pain and anger… as if the man wasn’t sure what he should feel.
“Well?” came Ken’s voice, slightly shaking with barely controlled anger. “Are you so hard up you’ve got to be fucking every new ass you find?” Ken’s voice held a hint of malice and he turned to Ryo. “Did you like what you saw so much you wanted to feel him drive his thick cock into you too?”
Terry felt Ryo stiffen next to him, and he got up to stand between his bitter ex-lover and his hopefully new one.
“That’s enough, Ken. Leave him alone. Let’s go outside and talk.”
Ken laughed and swung at Terry. Ryo let out a strangled cry from the bed. Terry caught his fist and twisted Ken’s arm behind him. “I’m so fucking sorry, Ken. I never meant for this to happen.” He half dragged the other man towards the door. “Let’s go outside and I’ll let you beat the crap out of me. I’m sorry.”
“I WILL beat the shit out of you, you son of a bitch. Damn it, Terry, I KNOW you fucking cheat on me sometimes. You’re always looking for a new fuck, but this is different, man! I’m right outside. You were up my ass not an hour ago and now you’re hitting on this guy?” He pointed rather insultingly at Ryo. Terry frowned; there was absolutely nothing wrong with Ryo.
Oh for crying out loud. Was he in the middle of a soap opera? Ryo couldn’t take this anymore. He should have majored in psychology instead of history. He would then have better resources to deal with the insanity he was currently starring in.
He cleared his throat loudly and got off the bed. “I think I’m the one that should leave. It’s better to have a private conversation here than outside.” He moved towards the door, ignoring Terry’s silent protest. He paused before opening the door and turned to look at Ken. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what happened exactly, but there is nothing between your friend and me.” Without looking at Terry, he left.
Outside, Ryo’s heart felt like it broke into a thousand pieces. “I never meant for this to happen.” Terry’s words stung more that he would like to admit. Looking at his watch, Ryo realized that he was out for nearly an hour. He had never been the swoony type. What on earth happened?
‘Terry happened.’
He turned and looked back at the old wooden shack. They hadn’t come out. He hoped they wouldn’t get too violent; the crusty old place wouldn’t be able to handle much of that. Well, maybe it was time to build another one; it had been almost 100 years since the last renovation. Ryo bit his lips. He couldn’t help the way his heartbeat sped up at the thought of the brash young man who had tried to convince him that they were dream lovers. He wasn’t going there. He wasn’t going there. It was all insanity anyway. How could they possibly be dream lovers? He definitely wasn’t a psychic of any kind. And didn’t he say he wasn’t going there? Terry was bad news, a lunatic who looked remarkably like Tasuki… and knew about Chichiri…
Okay! I’m not going there! No thinking about Tasuki or Terry…. The man was in there making up with his lover for goodness sake! He couldn’t have been Tasuki because Tasuki was not real. This man and what he was proposing were defying all logic. Ryo didn’t want to think about the possibilities; it was too overwhelming. If Terry was in fact Tasuki, what would that mean? How could it be? And god damn it, he was thinking about it again!
“You know the answer to that, Ryo.” A raspy voice startled Ryo from his thoughts, and he turned to find an old lady sitting by her souvenir cart. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t realize that he was back at the shrine. Looking around, he noticed that the place was almost deserted except for a couple of lingering tourists and the old lady. Ryo smiled and went over to her. No one had ever paid much attention to the old lady, and out of pity Ryo would spend a lot of time with her. At first. Then he found that she was a barrel full of information. She was very old yet she remembered much of the oral traditions of Suzaku.
“Mrs. Tse-Kun. I didn’t see you earlier this morning. How are you?” Ryo sat on the fallen log next to her stool.
“You’re changing the subject, Ryo,” Mrs. Tse-Kun said rather sternly. Ryo was surprised and raised his eyebrows at the tone.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know we had a subject going.” ‘Well she is very old, her mind is probably wandering,’ Ryo mused to himself.
WHACK!
“Hey!” Ryo jumped away and rubbed at the spot where she had hit him.
“You’re lucky that this is a paper fan and not the original Tessen that Tasuki carried. You would really feel it then.” She glared at him. “Mind wandering, indeed!”
Ryo’s jaws dropped and his eyes turned as round as saucers. “Wha… what did you say?”
She glared at him more ferociously. “And he said my mind is wandering,” she muttered under her breath. “I said that you were lucky-”
“No! I meant about Tasuki. How do you know about Tasuki?” His heart was pounding again. Ryo thought that it was working much too hard lately.
“Of course I know about Tasuki. Didn’t I ever mention him?” she asked innocently. It didn’t quite work with that face, but Ryo ignored it.
“No, I don’t think so. Please tell me.” Ryo tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. Someone else knew a Tasuki? Was he the same one…?
The old lady looked thoughtful for a moment, and then began, “It was a long time ago, or so the legend goes. You remember the stories I told you about the priestess of Suzaku and the 7 celestial warriors, yes? Well, Tasuki was one of them.”
“You’ve never mentioned names. I thought it was all lost.”
“No, not lost. I remember them all: Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, Tasuki, and last but never least…” She paused and looked expectantly at him.
“Chichiri,” Ryo whispered, not knowing how he knew.
“Yes.” The old lady was almost crooning. “You do know. It was Chichiri. He and Tasuki were the only two remaining seishi, and they traveled around together for a long time. There were many stories told of their adventures, I’ll tell some of them to you some time.”
“What does all of this mean?” Ryo wondered out loud in frustration. “What does it all have to do with me?”
“If you’ll stop interrupting, you’ll find out!” the old lady scolded, frowning ferociously.
Ryo nearly flinched, thinking that he’d never seen her uglier than she appeared at that moment and was surprised to find that he caught the fan before it could make contact with his head.
“What was that for?” Ryo was getting upset with the violent old lady.
“Your thoughts are very loud, Ryo. Now listen!”
“They traveled for many years together, and people often wondered at the strange pair. You see, Chichiri was as kind and gentle as could be; while Tasuki was loud, crass at times, and, well, let’s just say that he attracted trouble like you wouldn’t believe.” Ryo smiled at the description. It all seemed so familiar to him. The old lady continued, “During their travels together, they found something else. Something they had never thought possible, especially for Chichiri, for he thought that it was lost to him forever. They found love.” She gave him another intense look before continuing. “They traveled to this very shrine and declared their eternal love for one another. And as the legend goes, they will be together in all of their lives to come.”
Ryo’s chest constricted painfully, and from far away he heard two voices echoing in the depths of his mind.
“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.”
“As Suzaku is my witness, Tasuki, I will love you for always, no da. For always.”
At the sudden images bombarding his mind, tears formed in his eyes and he brushed them away hastily. His heart ached to be with the other man, and he looked towards the trail leading to the shack. “What are you saying?” Ryo whispered.
The old lady looked at him with something akin to pity. “I think you know the answer already.”
“What you’re saying is that they have no choice. No matter what happens in their lives, no matter who they meet, they will always be together? Because of something that was predetermined over a thousand years ago?” Is that so wrong? his heart argued.
“They had a choice, Ryo. They chose to be together for all time. They had great faith in each other and their love. They had chosen to join their souls so that they will never be apart again.”
Ryo shook his head stubbornly. “I am Ryosuke Himura. I want someone to love me for who I am, for what I have done, for what I can do. Here and now. I want to have a say in what and who will make me happy. Here. Now.”
“Were you happy, Ryo?” she asked gently. “Did you ever feel like you were missing something? Was there ever anyone who made you feel complete? Happy?”
‘Tasuki,” his mind supplied. Images of a laughing orange haired young man came to mind.
“No!” he denied almost violently. “He’s nothing like Tasuki. Tasuki would never do that-” What was he saying? What was he admitting to?
“Ah, Ryo. Who’s living in the past now? He may have been Tasuki, but he’s Terry now. And just as you want him to love you as Ryo, you must also accept him as Terry.”
Ryo stared at the old lady in wonder and disbelief. “Who are you?”
“Mrs. Tse-Kun, silly.” She smiled mischievously at him. Before he could answer her, a voice called him from the trail.
“Ryo, are you feeling better?” It was Randy. When he turned back towards Mrs. Tse-Kun, she was gone. Ryo frowned and looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Ryo?” Randy’s handsome face was filled with worry.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you. I really don’t know what happened.” Ryo looked around again. “The class left?”
“Yeah, I sent them back to the boarding house. Don’t worry about it. You finished most of the lecture, and we have the handouts you gave us. I was worried about you so I came back.” He looked embarrassed and added, “That and the fact that Terry and Ken went AWOL again.”
“They were in the shack further along the path.” He pointed, and then added hastily as Randy’s face went three shades brighter, “They were just talking.”
“Oh man! That’s how it always starts. I better go check on them.” Randy started down the trail, then stopped and looked back at Ryo. “Can I take you home or something?” He looked flushed, but Ryo didn’t know if it was from the question or the thought of his two friends’ activities.
“That won’t be necessary. I can manage. Thanks.” Ryo did his best to sound as grateful as possible.
“Look, I know you’re a big boy, but that was something you went through. If Terry hadn’t caught you, you could have been really hurt.”
“Terry?” Ryo bit his lips. He was really mean to Terry.
“Yeah. I’ve never seen that slacker move so fast. Anyway, you still need to fill out and sign some forms, so wait here for me, okay?” He gave a cheery wave and trotted down the path towards the shack.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” The old haggard voice by his ear caused Ryo to jump a few feet into the air.
“Where did you go?” Ryo asked, incredulous. “How did you do that?”
The old lady frowned at him. “Never mind. Just don’t do it.”
“Don’t do what?”
“He’s not for you. You’re not for him. Don’t do this just to prove a point.”
“I’m not trying to prove anything. Wait a minute! Even if I was, what does that have to do with you?”
“Don’t do it Chichiri. Tasuki loves you.” The old lady looked reproachful.
“Hold on a minute here…” Ryo began but was cut short when the old lady disappeared.
“HEY! Quit doing that!” Ryo looked under the cart and around it. “Come back!”
“Ryo?” Ryo whirled towards the voice and found Randy looking at him quizzically. Great! Now he thinks I’m nuts as well.
“Did… did you find them?” Ryo asked, as if old ladies disappeared into thin air everyday.
“No, they’re not there. Where could they be?” Randy scratched at the back of his head, looking worried.
“The path does continue down the other side of the hill to the main gate. Perhaps they went that way.”
Randy pulled out his cell phone and dialed a series of numbers.
“Terry? Where the hell are you?” He sounded more relieved than angry.
“Ken with you?” A pause and a frown. “What do you mean he went back? Why didn’t you go with him?” … “Yeah, right! The day you guys split up, that’s the day it’ll rain cats and dogs.” … “Alright man! Jeeze! Don’t fucking yell at me, I’m not the one that screwed up here! Just get back to the boarding house and wait for me there.” … “I’m still at the shrine, I’ll take Ryo home, then I’ll go back.” … “No, I’m not gonna leave him alone! What the hell is wrong with you? I’ll see you later!” Randy slammed his phone closed and shook his head.
Terry and Ken had broken up? Because of him? Ryo couldn’t believe his ears. Was it because Terry really thought he was in love with him, or was Ken so upset he didn’t want Terry back? Why did his heart feel sudden joy at the thought that the other man was now free to be with him?
He had no answers but he knew he had to see Terry again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“What the fuck! He fucking hung up on me!” Terry shouted furiously at his phone. “Touch a hair on his head, Randy, and I’ll fuckin’ kill you!”
“Well you haven’t changed a bit.” Came a dry voice behind him.
Terry turned towards the voice and screamed. “UGH! What an ugly old hag!!”
WHACK!
“OW!” he shouted, holding his head and glaring at the ugly old woman. “What the fuck!”
The old woman looked smug. “Now that was the real Tessen!” She looked Terry up and down critically and said, “Stop yelping and listen if you want Chichiri back.”
At the sound of his lover’s name, Terry froze and stared at the old woman.
“How do you know Chichiri?” Terry looked at her suspiciously.
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand absently. “Chichiri… Ryo… What difference does it make? Do you want him or not?”
Terry hissed sharply. She knew! How…? What…? Terry was at a loss for words and that was saying a lot. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water and simply nodded dumbly.
The smirking old woman handed him a piece of paper. “That’s his address. Go slow with him, Tasuki. You waited years for each other… don’t be rash now.”
Terry took the paper, dumbfounded. He still couldn’t find his voice. Who was she?
“Someone who cares about both of you very much. Oh! And read the handout you received this morning. Especially on the story of Suzaku no Miko.” Then with a flash of brilliant red light, she disappeared.
Terry would have thought he had imagined the whole thing if it hadn’t been for the piece of paper in his hand. He looked it over carefully and a happy smile spread across his face. Thank you, Suzaku!
TBC
Note: Tasuki’s comment about the old hag - there’s a phrase he and Tamahome usually use to call Taiitsu-kun and that’s SUNUKAKE BABA. Since I pretty much removed the Japanese language, I substituted it with the translation of it.
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
“Chiri.” Tasuki’s voice was soft and pensive.
“Hmm?” He looked over at the younger man lying next to him on the grassy hill. Stargazing seemed to have that effect on the lively bandit.
“Do you think we’ll find the others as well?” Tasuki asked. “I really miss them.”
“I miss them too, Tasuki.” He brought the bandit’s hand to his lips and gently kissed the calloused fingertips. “Suzaku willing, we will all meet again someday, no da. But I promise you this: whatever happens I will never stop loving you.”
“You’ll forget…”
“Never.”
Tasuki turned tear-filled eyes to his lover and best friend. He rolled over and half covered the other man with his body and kissed his lips gently.
“I’m gonna hold ya to that, Chiri.” Tasuki’s lips claimed his again and questing tongue probed his eager mouth. Touches that were meant to comfort and soothe soon turned into those of hunger and need as hands roamed freely along heated skin and mouths devoured trembling flesh. Wet tongue soothed his fevered body, and he arched uncontrollably into Tasuki’s hot mouth as his lover lowered it to his aching arousal.
“TASUKI!” Ryo jerked up abruptly into sitting position, panting wildly. He was dreaming about Tasuki again. Movement from the shadows by the doorway brought him sharply back to the present.
“Who’s there?” he asked, still breathless. He looked around the darkened room and recognized it to be the small wooden shack behind the shrine. Bright afternoon sun filtered through the cracks between panels, softly illuminating the interior.
The figure moved slowly from the shadows into the light. “Tasuki!” Ryo cried out in shock and scrambled backwards on the bed until he was backed against the headboard. How could that be? Was he still dreaming?
“Shh! I’m not supposed to be here,” said the young man that Ryo now recognized as the one from the shrine. The one that had affected him so much earlier.
“What do you want?” Ryo asked unsteadily. His heart started to pound painfully in his chest the moment he recognized the face.
* * * * *
Terry couldn’t believe his ears. Did Ryo call him Tasuki? How could Ryo know about Tasuki? Unless Ryo was Chichiri? Dare he hope?
“Nothing. I just wanted to see if you’re alright.” It crushed Terry to see Ryo so wary of him. “My name is Terry. We… er… met at the shrine,” he ended rather lamely. A flash of pain flickered briefly across Ryo’s face at the mention of the shrine, and Terry wanted to kick himself.
“I really wanted to apologize for… um… what we did. You know… er… along the path?” UGH! What the hell prompted him to say that? With that further reminder, Ryo’s body shook harder, and his eyes clouded with confusion. “Ryo, I… may I call you Ryo?”
Ryo nodded, eyes darting about the empty room as if looking for ways to escape.
“Thank you. Ryo, I….” Looking at the beautiful man on the bed, Terry didn’t know how to say it. “I…” he tried again and stopped. How do you ask someone if he was your dream lover?
Terry moved closer to the bed, eyes never leaving Ryo’s, and came to a stop when he touched the side of the bed. Gods, he wanted to hold the other man so badly! Is this what they call love at first sight? Terry decided to get straight to the point.
“Chichiri,” he said simply, voice thick with emotion. “I’ve found you.”
“No!” Ryo shook his head vehemently. “I’m dreaming. Can’t be. No!”
“It’s real, Chiri - er, Ryo. Very real.” Terry came to stand just a foot from where Ryo sat. “I’ve been dreaming of you for years. It IS you! You must feel it too! I know that you do. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it here.” He tapped his chest in earnest and desperation. Ryo continued to shake his head adamantly, but his eyes told Terry of his uncertainty.
Unable to hold himself away any longer, Terry climbed onto the bed and pulled the trembling man to his chest. He buried his face in the soft brown hair and breathed in the scent that was as familiar to him as his own.
“Gods, Chiri. I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, so long.” His voice shook as tears streamed down his face. To hold the other man close to his heart filled him with such joy that he felt he could explode. He hugged Ryo closer to him, relishing the warmth of the unresisting body.
“Ryo,” whispered the voice muffled by his chest. “My name is Ryosuke. Not Chichiri.” Ryo pushed reluctantly away from him.
Terry stroked Ryo’s cheek gently with his fingers while his thumb caressed the soft lips. He heard as well as felt Ryo’s sharp intake of breath as Ryo’s eyes glazed over.
“Have I ever told you that you’ve got very kissable lips, Chiri?”
* * * *
Ryo’s eyes flew open and he found himself staring right into those intense amber eyes. Terry was saying something to him.
“….very kissable lips, Ryo?” Ryo blinked and swallowed. Another episode of déjà vu? He tried to move away from Terry, but his feeble attempt was only half hearted. Sensing that, Terry’s hold on him tightened. Ryo’s eyes grew wider as Terry’s lips moved closer to his. As if they had a mind of their own, his lips parted eagerly. His hands clutched tightly onto Terry’s shirt, inadvertently pulling him closer. His whole body tingled with anticipation, and his brain screamed at his lack of bodily control. When those lips touched his, his whole vision was bathed in a flash of red light. Adrenalin? Shock? His mind decided to shut down, and he let his senses take over. Warm, gentle tongue probed his mouth; drinking in his essence yet offering something more in return. Something that Ryo, in his current state of euphoria, could not decipher.
Terry found it hard to describe his feelings. This wonderful sense of fulfillment; as if after searching the whole world over, he finally found that one piece of himself he didn’t know he was missing. He did not want to let this man go, ever. His heart wanted to explode with the sheer joy of having this man in his life. To have this beautiful creature return his embrace and kisses was surely more than he deserved.
Terry tore his mouth away from Ryo’s and smiled happily to hear the other man moan at the loss. He trailed his tongue along Ryo’s slender neck and paused to suck and nip gently at the sensitive area at the hollow of his throat. His hand roamed ahead and slid underneath Ryo’s sweater to caress and knead at the taut nipples. Strangled moans escaped Ryo’s kiss-swollen lips, and he arched up, giving in to pleasure that Terry was only too happy to give.
So consumed was he with the man of his dreams - literally - that he didn’t hear the door open, nor did he notice the furious figure in the doorway.
“You fucking asshole! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ken’s voice was dangerously low and soft. If that tone could inflict damage, both he and Ryo would certainly be dead.
“Fuck!” Terry groaned into Ryo’s neck. He was unwilling to leave the delicious flesh and cursed his friend’s bad timing.
Ryo, coming slowly back to reality, gasped and pushed him off. The man’s gaze shifted between him and Ken by the door. When his gaze fell on Terry again, they were torn between pain and anger… as if the man wasn’t sure what he should feel.
“Well?” came Ken’s voice, slightly shaking with barely controlled anger. “Are you so hard up you’ve got to be fucking every new ass you find?” Ken’s voice held a hint of malice and he turned to Ryo. “Did you like what you saw so much you wanted to feel him drive his thick cock into you too?”
Terry felt Ryo stiffen next to him, and he got up to stand between his bitter ex-lover and his hopefully new one.
“That’s enough, Ken. Leave him alone. Let’s go outside and talk.”
Ken laughed and swung at Terry. Ryo let out a strangled cry from the bed. Terry caught his fist and twisted Ken’s arm behind him. “I’m so fucking sorry, Ken. I never meant for this to happen.” He half dragged the other man towards the door. “Let’s go outside and I’ll let you beat the crap out of me. I’m sorry.”
“I WILL beat the shit out of you, you son of a bitch. Damn it, Terry, I KNOW you fucking cheat on me sometimes. You’re always looking for a new fuck, but this is different, man! I’m right outside. You were up my ass not an hour ago and now you’re hitting on this guy?” He pointed rather insultingly at Ryo. Terry frowned; there was absolutely nothing wrong with Ryo.
Oh for crying out loud. Was he in the middle of a soap opera? Ryo couldn’t take this anymore. He should have majored in psychology instead of history. He would then have better resources to deal with the insanity he was currently starring in.
He cleared his throat loudly and got off the bed. “I think I’m the one that should leave. It’s better to have a private conversation here than outside.” He moved towards the door, ignoring Terry’s silent protest. He paused before opening the door and turned to look at Ken. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what happened exactly, but there is nothing between your friend and me.” Without looking at Terry, he left.
Outside, Ryo’s heart felt like it broke into a thousand pieces. “I never meant for this to happen.” Terry’s words stung more that he would like to admit. Looking at his watch, Ryo realized that he was out for nearly an hour. He had never been the swoony type. What on earth happened?
‘Terry happened.’
He turned and looked back at the old wooden shack. They hadn’t come out. He hoped they wouldn’t get too violent; the crusty old place wouldn’t be able to handle much of that. Well, maybe it was time to build another one; it had been almost 100 years since the last renovation. Ryo bit his lips. He couldn’t help the way his heartbeat sped up at the thought of the brash young man who had tried to convince him that they were dream lovers. He wasn’t going there. He wasn’t going there. It was all insanity anyway. How could they possibly be dream lovers? He definitely wasn’t a psychic of any kind. And didn’t he say he wasn’t going there? Terry was bad news, a lunatic who looked remarkably like Tasuki… and knew about Chichiri…
Okay! I’m not going there! No thinking about Tasuki or Terry…. The man was in there making up with his lover for goodness sake! He couldn’t have been Tasuki because Tasuki was not real. This man and what he was proposing were defying all logic. Ryo didn’t want to think about the possibilities; it was too overwhelming. If Terry was in fact Tasuki, what would that mean? How could it be? And god damn it, he was thinking about it again!
“You know the answer to that, Ryo.” A raspy voice startled Ryo from his thoughts, and he turned to find an old lady sitting by her souvenir cart. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t realize that he was back at the shrine. Looking around, he noticed that the place was almost deserted except for a couple of lingering tourists and the old lady. Ryo smiled and went over to her. No one had ever paid much attention to the old lady, and out of pity Ryo would spend a lot of time with her. At first. Then he found that she was a barrel full of information. She was very old yet she remembered much of the oral traditions of Suzaku.
“Mrs. Tse-Kun. I didn’t see you earlier this morning. How are you?” Ryo sat on the fallen log next to her stool.
“You’re changing the subject, Ryo,” Mrs. Tse-Kun said rather sternly. Ryo was surprised and raised his eyebrows at the tone.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know we had a subject going.” ‘Well she is very old, her mind is probably wandering,’ Ryo mused to himself.
WHACK!
“Hey!” Ryo jumped away and rubbed at the spot where she had hit him.
“You’re lucky that this is a paper fan and not the original Tessen that Tasuki carried. You would really feel it then.” She glared at him. “Mind wandering, indeed!”
Ryo’s jaws dropped and his eyes turned as round as saucers. “Wha… what did you say?”
She glared at him more ferociously. “And he said my mind is wandering,” she muttered under her breath. “I said that you were lucky-”
“No! I meant about Tasuki. How do you know about Tasuki?” His heart was pounding again. Ryo thought that it was working much too hard lately.
“Of course I know about Tasuki. Didn’t I ever mention him?” she asked innocently. It didn’t quite work with that face, but Ryo ignored it.
“No, I don’t think so. Please tell me.” Ryo tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. Someone else knew a Tasuki? Was he the same one…?
The old lady looked thoughtful for a moment, and then began, “It was a long time ago, or so the legend goes. You remember the stories I told you about the priestess of Suzaku and the 7 celestial warriors, yes? Well, Tasuki was one of them.”
“You’ve never mentioned names. I thought it was all lost.”
“No, not lost. I remember them all: Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, Tasuki, and last but never least…” She paused and looked expectantly at him.
“Chichiri,” Ryo whispered, not knowing how he knew.
“Yes.” The old lady was almost crooning. “You do know. It was Chichiri. He and Tasuki were the only two remaining seishi, and they traveled around together for a long time. There were many stories told of their adventures, I’ll tell some of them to you some time.”
“What does all of this mean?” Ryo wondered out loud in frustration. “What does it all have to do with me?”
“If you’ll stop interrupting, you’ll find out!” the old lady scolded, frowning ferociously.
Ryo nearly flinched, thinking that he’d never seen her uglier than she appeared at that moment and was surprised to find that he caught the fan before it could make contact with his head.
“What was that for?” Ryo was getting upset with the violent old lady.
“Your thoughts are very loud, Ryo. Now listen!”
“They traveled for many years together, and people often wondered at the strange pair. You see, Chichiri was as kind and gentle as could be; while Tasuki was loud, crass at times, and, well, let’s just say that he attracted trouble like you wouldn’t believe.” Ryo smiled at the description. It all seemed so familiar to him. The old lady continued, “During their travels together, they found something else. Something they had never thought possible, especially for Chichiri, for he thought that it was lost to him forever. They found love.” She gave him another intense look before continuing. “They traveled to this very shrine and declared their eternal love for one another. And as the legend goes, they will be together in all of their lives to come.”
Ryo’s chest constricted painfully, and from far away he heard two voices echoing in the depths of his mind.
“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.”
“As Suzaku is my witness, Tasuki, I will love you for always, no da. For always.”
At the sudden images bombarding his mind, tears formed in his eyes and he brushed them away hastily. His heart ached to be with the other man, and he looked towards the trail leading to the shack. “What are you saying?” Ryo whispered.
The old lady looked at him with something akin to pity. “I think you know the answer already.”
“What you’re saying is that they have no choice. No matter what happens in their lives, no matter who they meet, they will always be together? Because of something that was predetermined over a thousand years ago?” Is that so wrong? his heart argued.
“They had a choice, Ryo. They chose to be together for all time. They had great faith in each other and their love. They had chosen to join their souls so that they will never be apart again.”
Ryo shook his head stubbornly. “I am Ryosuke Himura. I want someone to love me for who I am, for what I have done, for what I can do. Here and now. I want to have a say in what and who will make me happy. Here. Now.”
“Were you happy, Ryo?” she asked gently. “Did you ever feel like you were missing something? Was there ever anyone who made you feel complete? Happy?”
‘Tasuki,” his mind supplied. Images of a laughing orange haired young man came to mind.
“No!” he denied almost violently. “He’s nothing like Tasuki. Tasuki would never do that-” What was he saying? What was he admitting to?
“Ah, Ryo. Who’s living in the past now? He may have been Tasuki, but he’s Terry now. And just as you want him to love you as Ryo, you must also accept him as Terry.”
Ryo stared at the old lady in wonder and disbelief. “Who are you?”
“Mrs. Tse-Kun, silly.” She smiled mischievously at him. Before he could answer her, a voice called him from the trail.
“Ryo, are you feeling better?” It was Randy. When he turned back towards Mrs. Tse-Kun, she was gone. Ryo frowned and looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Ryo?” Randy’s handsome face was filled with worry.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you. I really don’t know what happened.” Ryo looked around again. “The class left?”
“Yeah, I sent them back to the boarding house. Don’t worry about it. You finished most of the lecture, and we have the handouts you gave us. I was worried about you so I came back.” He looked embarrassed and added, “That and the fact that Terry and Ken went AWOL again.”
“They were in the shack further along the path.” He pointed, and then added hastily as Randy’s face went three shades brighter, “They were just talking.”
“Oh man! That’s how it always starts. I better go check on them.” Randy started down the trail, then stopped and looked back at Ryo. “Can I take you home or something?” He looked flushed, but Ryo didn’t know if it was from the question or the thought of his two friends’ activities.
“That won’t be necessary. I can manage. Thanks.” Ryo did his best to sound as grateful as possible.
“Look, I know you’re a big boy, but that was something you went through. If Terry hadn’t caught you, you could have been really hurt.”
“Terry?” Ryo bit his lips. He was really mean to Terry.
“Yeah. I’ve never seen that slacker move so fast. Anyway, you still need to fill out and sign some forms, so wait here for me, okay?” He gave a cheery wave and trotted down the path towards the shack.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” The old haggard voice by his ear caused Ryo to jump a few feet into the air.
“Where did you go?” Ryo asked, incredulous. “How did you do that?”
The old lady frowned at him. “Never mind. Just don’t do it.”
“Don’t do what?”
“He’s not for you. You’re not for him. Don’t do this just to prove a point.”
“I’m not trying to prove anything. Wait a minute! Even if I was, what does that have to do with you?”
“Don’t do it Chichiri. Tasuki loves you.” The old lady looked reproachful.
“Hold on a minute here…” Ryo began but was cut short when the old lady disappeared.
“HEY! Quit doing that!” Ryo looked under the cart and around it. “Come back!”
“Ryo?” Ryo whirled towards the voice and found Randy looking at him quizzically. Great! Now he thinks I’m nuts as well.
“Did… did you find them?” Ryo asked, as if old ladies disappeared into thin air everyday.
“No, they’re not there. Where could they be?” Randy scratched at the back of his head, looking worried.
“The path does continue down the other side of the hill to the main gate. Perhaps they went that way.”
Randy pulled out his cell phone and dialed a series of numbers.
“Terry? Where the hell are you?” He sounded more relieved than angry.
“Ken with you?” A pause and a frown. “What do you mean he went back? Why didn’t you go with him?” … “Yeah, right! The day you guys split up, that’s the day it’ll rain cats and dogs.” … “Alright man! Jeeze! Don’t fucking yell at me, I’m not the one that screwed up here! Just get back to the boarding house and wait for me there.” … “I’m still at the shrine, I’ll take Ryo home, then I’ll go back.” … “No, I’m not gonna leave him alone! What the hell is wrong with you? I’ll see you later!” Randy slammed his phone closed and shook his head.
Terry and Ken had broken up? Because of him? Ryo couldn’t believe his ears. Was it because Terry really thought he was in love with him, or was Ken so upset he didn’t want Terry back? Why did his heart feel sudden joy at the thought that the other man was now free to be with him?
He had no answers but he knew he had to see Terry again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“What the fuck! He fucking hung up on me!” Terry shouted furiously at his phone. “Touch a hair on his head, Randy, and I’ll fuckin’ kill you!”
“Well you haven’t changed a bit.” Came a dry voice behind him.
Terry turned towards the voice and screamed. “UGH! What an ugly old hag!!”
WHACK!
“OW!” he shouted, holding his head and glaring at the ugly old woman. “What the fuck!”
The old woman looked smug. “Now that was the real Tessen!” She looked Terry up and down critically and said, “Stop yelping and listen if you want Chichiri back.”
At the sound of his lover’s name, Terry froze and stared at the old woman.
“How do you know Chichiri?” Terry looked at her suspiciously.
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand absently. “Chichiri… Ryo… What difference does it make? Do you want him or not?”
Terry hissed sharply. She knew! How…? What…? Terry was at a loss for words and that was saying a lot. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water and simply nodded dumbly.
The smirking old woman handed him a piece of paper. “That’s his address. Go slow with him, Tasuki. You waited years for each other… don’t be rash now.”
Terry took the paper, dumbfounded. He still couldn’t find his voice. Who was she?
“Someone who cares about both of you very much. Oh! And read the handout you received this morning. Especially on the story of Suzaku no Miko.” Then with a flash of brilliant red light, she disappeared.
Terry would have thought he had imagined the whole thing if it hadn’t been for the piece of paper in his hand. He looked it over carefully and a happy smile spread across his face. Thank you, Suzaku!
TBC
Note: Tasuki’s comment about the old hag - there’s a phrase he and Tamahome usually use to call Taiitsu-kun and that’s SUNUKAKE BABA. Since I pretty much removed the Japanese language, I substituted it with the translation of it.