Fateful Dreams

*(8/9)

By Sakata Ri Houjun

Warning:

This may not end the way you want it to, so be warned that some very 

sad things are in the immediate future.

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

Miaka raised her arms and the room, the house, everything disappeared 

around the Suzaku Shichiseishi who could only watch, helpless and 

dumbfounded.  They all now stood in a great void that could be 

considered space because of the scattering of stars around them if it 

wasn't for the force of gravity and the air they still breathed.  

There was also the sense of solidity beneath their feet which only 

added to the surrealism of the atmosphere.

"Where the hell are we?" Tasuki asked, turning around in circles.

"This is the area between the two realities.  The place where the 

Mikos traveled through to get to the world within the book."  White 

light danced along Miaka's body, seemingly alive.  "I've decided that 

if you witnessed the fruition of my dream, then perhaps you'd 

understand why I'm doing this."

Tamahome covered his face in his hands, Hotohori let his sword arm 

fall to his side, Tasuki cursed, Nuriko shook her head...  The seishi 

felt utterly defeated and powerless.

"Can't we stop her?" Nuriko asked as their Miko rose above their 

heads, the white light growing in intensity.

"But how?  How can we hope to stop an intangible force deep within 

the very person we're supposed to protect?"  Mitsukake countered.

"She is powerful enough to do just as she said she would."  Chiriko 

looked about ready to cry, his despair was so great.

Tamahome watched Miaka, whose body was completely engulfed by the 

white glow.  "I thought there was a seal separating the two worlds."

"A seal placed by a Miko, easily broken by a Miko,"  Chichiri 

explained.

"That's why Miaka was the key I needed.  I don't want to hurt you. 

That has never been my wish."  She looked sad and reproachful for a 

moment and then set her jaw in determination.  "But since you have 

chosen to stand against me instead of helping me, then I shall make 

sure you don't interfere."

With that, the white light streaked outwards in snake-like tendrils 

and wrapped around the nearest seishi, who happened to be Chichiri.  

He was hoisted in the air, where he dangled over the others.  The 

liquid light moved along his skin, warm and alive.  He could have 

casted a spell to free himself, but instead probed the light, 

garnering more information than from his previous contact.  What he 

learned shocked him.

Tasuki watched helplessly at his lover, unable to use his power, 

while Hotohori leapt to aid the former monk.  With a flash of red 

light, he freed Chichiri.  Miaka laughed as a surge of power that 

didn't belong to Suzaku flared, knocking the former emperor to his 

back.  Tasuki ran to Chichiri, his face set in a grimace.  Chichiri 

called up a barrier to protect the seishi as the light reached out 

again.  It crackled harmlessly against the red shield.

"Chichiri," Tasuki whispered while helping his lover to sit 

up.  "Isn't there something we can do?"

The former monk faced him with a pair of high-slit eyes and a 

perpetual smile that was forced into a frown.  Tasuki blinked back in 

shock as the face flickered back into the present day Chichiri he 

knew for a moment before returning to the fox-faced mask.  Quickly, 

he glanced up at the others.

Nuriko was slowly losing his feminine curves.  Chiriko's hair began 

shifting to the pinkish hue he used to have.  Tama-neko suddenly 

appeared on the distraught doctor's shoulder.  They were shifting 

between the two realities.

Tasuki looked down at himself, watching in wonder as his clothes 

changed.  On instinct, he reached back and withdrew his tessen to 

find it solid and real.  Chichiri softly called his name and he 

turned to his lover.

The cerulean-haired man pulled off his mask to reveal his scarred and 

beautiful face.  "Tasuki," he murmured.  "It's started."

"We have to stop her!"

"We can't..."

Tasuki glance back up at the others to watch Hotohori slice through 

the white light, long hair and flowing robes flying behind him.  

Nuriko swung his fists while deftly dodging the tendrils of light, 

but his attacks only passed harmlessly through and hit nothing.  

Tamahome was having similar effects with his ki blasts, never aiming 

close enough to his fiancée to do any damage.  Chiriko and Mitsukake 

remained safely within the shield Chichiri had summoned, calling the 

Miko's name in hope of reaching her.

"We've got to do something before it's too late," he muttered.

"We can't..."

Tasuki looked over at Chichiri who was getting to his knees.  "What 

do you mean we can't?"

"We can't stop her."

"Chiri?"  Tasuki was confused by his lover's change in attitude.  

Something was wrong.

"We can't..."  His eye brimmed with tears as he met his lover's 

fierce, golden gaze.  "But I can..."

"How?"

"A spell.  She's only a ghost who has lost her way.  I know a spell 

that can send her to her true place and save Miaka.  Only..."  He bit 

his lip and looked away.

Tasuki grabbed his lover's shoulders and shook him.  "Only what?  If 

you have a spell, then use it!"

Chichiri's good eye locked with Tasuki's.  "In order to use this 

particular spell, I need to...I have to..."

The realization hit the bandit then, slamming his heart to a stop.  

He knew what was going through his lover's head, what he was 

planning.  He shook his head.  "No..."

"I must."

Tasuki clung desperately to Chichiri, fingers digging into the fabric 

of his kesa.  "Don't.  No..."  He began shaking and sobbing.  "I 

don't want you to leave me again.  I love you."

Chichiri embraced the younger man, closing his eye.  For a moment, it 

all disappeared.  Silence and peace filled his whole being.  The only 

thing that remained was the singular heartbeat that he and Tasuki 

shared since the moment they first met.  This was how it should have 

been, the way its was supposed to be destined.  Almost as if that 

horrible fight had never happened, as if they were on top of that 

mountain, above the clouds and alone.

"Tasuki...," he murmured, the two syllables bringing him back to 

reality once more.  A new feeling of determination overcame him and 

he pulled away.  "I have to do this.  Not to rescue Miaka or even to 

save both worlds, but because I...I want to protect you.  Above all 

else, I want everything that happened to us, how we lived and died 

only to finally find one another and love...I don't want that to 

disappear." 

"Chiri...don't leave me...again...," the younger man choked out 

between his sobs.  "Please..."

Chichiri shook his head sadly.  "I'm never leaving you.  We are 

together always, no matter what.  I can't do this alone though...," 

his voice finally broke with emotion as tears rolled down his 

cheek.  "Tasuki...I...I need your courage...to do this...I need you."

Tasuki nodded, grinning.  "You know I'll follow you."

"No...You need to live.  for both of us..."

He laughed.  "No, I said that I'd follow you anywhere.  I'll follow 

you to the ends of the earth...through time...through all fucking 

existence."

Chichiri returned the grin, remembering when his lover ha last spoken 

those same words.  "For eternity...," he whispered back before softly 

kissing Tasuki.

"For always...," the younger seishi returned.

"I love you..."

Twin orbs of gold, shining with tears met a single mahogany eye, 

locking in a moment that would forever be held in time, suspended for 

eternity as their love passed through that intangible contact between 

one another, surpassing all else except their destiny.  Tasuki 

finally winked as he clutched his tessen, its weight a solid comfort 

even though his heart was audibly breaking.

"You'd better hurry up.  I can only distract her for so long.  

Hopefully it'll be enough for you to do your thing."  He stood and 

faced Miaka.

"Thank you, Tasuki."