Ashes Fade Away

*(10/?)

By Sakata Ri Houjun

Warning:  Continuation of last chapter, so expect a

lot of graphic violence and some rape as well.  Not to

mention that our heroes aren't taking this too well...

*******************

Chichiri watched as the eyes of a young woman slid

closed, signifying the end of her torment and pain. 

Even though he had seen enough suffering to last ten

lifetimes and thought that his heart had been hardened

against it, he still closed his good eye, allowing a

single tear to fall for all that this nameless woman

had to endure.

She had once been an attractive woman, he could tell

even though her long mauve hair had been nearly ripped

from her skull and what was left was matted with

blood.  Her slender body bore many cuts and bruises

and one of her arms had been shattered.  It was

apparent that she had been brutally raped, something

that went beyond sadistic. 

It was for this reason that he now sought to use his

magic, to ease the pain of the dying, giving them a

moment free of pain to pass away peacefully as this

woman had.

There was no more he could do for her now, so he rose

to his feet and gazed around at those around him who

were brought here because they couldn't be saved.  It

was no mere coincidence that the dead were also

brought here.  It was then that he noticed a familiar

flash of flame among the crowd.

Tasuki was carrying the limp body of a small child, but

if he noticed the mage, he never gave indication.  He,

instead, moved to the nearest row of corpses to place

the child among them.  He knelt down and ran a gentle

hand across the cold, pale features of the child.

Chichiri moved a step or two, drawn to the younger

man, but then Tasuki snapped his head up.  His fierce

expression froze the sorcerer in his tracks, his heart

clenching in an unbelievable pain.  Tasuki narrowed

his tearful eyes, releasing the tears down his tanned

and blood smeared cheeks.  He tried to wipe them away

with his sleeve, but it was a futile gesture, so he

rose and took off.

Chichiri watched him leave, then moved to the side of

the child that Tasuki had left.  It was a young boy

with fine brown hair and pale skin.  But what caught

his attention was the deep wound that covered half his

face, the ragged edges slightly black as though it had

been made with heated metal.  Chichiri's hand

involuntarily moved to trace his own scar, an almost

perfect match to the gaping hole where this young

boy's eye should have been.

His heart gripped in fear as old memories of pain and

humiliation threatened once more to steal his sanity. 

But then he remembered Tasuki and his head looked up

on the direction the brigand had run off in.

There was only one place Tasuki could have gone to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tasuki flopped down on the ground and leaned back

against a boulder.  He was in a secluded area, far

from the blood and the cries of the dying, but he

couldn't escape the pain in his heart.  He tilted his

head back against the rough stone to stare up at the

dying sunlight and let the tears fall freely.

It was all so damn unfair!  Why did so many people

have to suffer?  How more lives would be gone before

the night was done?

Tasuki couldn't seem to forget the face of that kid. 

After he had died, the brigand had wondered why it

bothered him so much.  It wasn't until he saw Chichiri

did he connect the similarity of the two wounds.  It

could just merely be a coincidence, but the thought

still broke his heart.

He couldn't take it anymore, he just had to get away. 

But the smell of death still hung heavy in the chill,

autumn air, on his bloodstained clothes.  He was

alone, but haunted nonetheless by his own ghosts.

Chichiri materialized from the shadows and watched the

rogue weep.  The mage tilted his head in confusion,

not at Tasuki's actions, but his own.  Since when did

he start to care for this stubborn youth?

He actively avoided seeing Tasuki all this time even

as he was sought out eagerly.  He didn't want anything

to do with this flame-haired man, but why was he here?

Before Chichiri could react, Tasuki lowered his head

and focused his gaze on the mage.  Just as quickly, he

turned to the side, bitterness fueling his tears now. 

Chichiri could feel this shift in his emotions and

knew what had caused them.  Without being prompted, he

approached Tasuki while removing his hood.

"I know you've been avoiding me," he muttered.  "I

looked everywhere for ya.  Where the hell have ya

been?"

"Everywhere."  Chichiri knelt next to him on the

fallen leaves and sighed.

"I'm pretty fucking pathetic, huh?" Tasuki sniffed as

he wiped his eyes again.

"No, you're not," Chichiri assured, remembering the

fierce gaze he saw just moments before.

"That kid died in my arms."  Tasuki squeezed his eyes

shut at the memory, releasing more tears.  He laughed

suddenly and shook his head.  "You'd think I'd be used

to this sort of thing by now."

"Death is never easy, Tasuki..."  Chichiri closed his

own eye and looked away, ashamed at his own words.

"Do ya remember what I said about everybody having

scars?"  The mage met his gaze and nodded.  "Mine are

pretty minor, mostly on my back.  Seeing all those

people suffering, I can't help but think about all

that happened to me."

"Tasuki..."  Chichiri didn't want the rogue to

continue, but the redhead still pressed on.

"I was my sister.  They beat the fucking hell outta me

back when I was just a kid.  They told me to be a man,

but I was just a runt back then.  One day, I had

enough and ran away from home."

Tasuki laughed again as he propped one arm against his

knee.  "That's when I hooked up with this outfit, met

Kouji, and became Genrou.  Not long after that was

when everything burst into flames.

"Turns out that my village had been besieged by King

Akunin's pets.  I had hoped that my family made it

safety, but when we got there...  I saw the bodies. 

My sisters had been raped, beaten, and then burned

alive..."  A fresh sob escaped Tasuki's throat as he

clenched his fist in despair.

"And for what?  Why did they have to die?"

"Tasuki..."  Chichiri placed a hand on the brigand's

shoulder, silently pleading for him to stop.  He knew

from personal experience that going over the past was

hopeless.  It was better to just forget the pain.

"Chichiri, ya know what's the worst part?  I never got

to tell them that I loved them.  I thought that I had

hated my sisters, but I loved them.  I honestly did

and it hurts like a mother-fucker."  Even though his

language was harsh, his voice was gentle as his hand

reached up to cup the sorcerer's beautiful face.

Chichiri's eye widened and his first impulse was to

pull away.  But he remained rooted to the spot, by

what, he couldn't put a name to.  More tears fell from

Tasuki's eyes and the mage moved his hand from

Tasuki's shoulder to brush them away.

The red-haired man captured Chichiri's hand with his

own, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the palm.  The

sensation sent a chill down the azure-haired mage's

spine as Tasuki's eyes sought his gaze again.  Then

his rough thumb gently traced across the older man's

bottom lip.

"Chichiri," he whispered.  "I don't know what it is

about you.  I don't understand why as if I can tell ya

everything, but I don't want to question it anymore. 

I don't care about that, just you."

With that, he lowered Chichiri's hand from his lips

while sliding his other hand to cup the back of his

head, fingers tangling in the long, silky strands of

blue.  Slowly, he began to push the mage's face closer

to his own, a slight smile playing over his lips in

anticipation.

"Tasuki..," Chichiri whispered as his body reacted in

a surprising way.  He felt his eye sliding closed of

its own accord and sighed softly.  That sound caused

Tasuki's grip to tighten.

A wave of fear washed through Chichiri's heart at the

pressure, replacing the pleasure, as his eye flew

open.  He no longer saw Tasuki, but another man, one

who leered at him with animalistic lust.  His heart

raced as his thoughts turned to that of the young boy

whose eye had been savagely gouged out.  Slowly, the

brown hair shifted to that of a soft blue.

Chichiri began to gasp for breath, as if drowning, and

trembled violently.  Tasuki opened his eyes and

panicked at the sudden change in the older man.  He

quickly released Chichiri and the mage scooted

backwards until he ran into a tree.

He then drew his knees to his chest, his eye unfocused

but still riveted on the rogue.  Tasuki took a deep

breath and crawled over to the mage.  He then moved to

pull Chichiri into his arms.  The older man flinched

at the action, as if expecting to be hit, and hid his

face with a whimper.

Tasuki gently wrapped Chichiri in a loving embrace and

slowly stroked his back.  "Chichiri," he murmured. 

"Please come back to me."

After a moment, he felt the older man move to wrap his

arms tightly around his waist followed by a wetness at

his shoulder.  Chichiri was crying, like a child who

had awakened from a nightmare.

Tasuki ran fingers through the long hair.  "Where did

you go, Chichiri?"

The mage shook his head as he pulled away, not wanting

to bring up memories he had worked so hard to suppress

and forget.  This was why he had been avoiding Tasuki,

why he had to leave now.

"I've got to get back."  Chichiri stood, dismissing

the scene and Tasuki with that motion.

The rogue felt his heart sink.  "What happened,

Chichiri?"

The mage fixed him with a stare moments before turning

and replacing his hood.  Tasuki made a move to stand

and press the issue further, but Chichiri had

disappeared suddenly in a flash of light.

Tasuki grit his teeth in frustration as he slammed his

fist into the stone behind him.  "Damnit all to hell! 

I swear Chichiri, I'll get you to open up to me and

then you'll have no excuse to leave me again!"

*******************

Next Chapter:  Aftermath.