Pull of Destiny

*(4/9)

By Sakata Ri Houjun

 

Warning: This chapter and the next one covers how Chichiri and Tasuki died.

 

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Tasuki opened his eyes sleepily at the loud clamor of pans hitting  the floor and, surprisingly, Chichiri cursing.  He rolled over and  slammed his face into the pillow with a groan.  He hated mornings.   But even through the pillow, the enticing small of sausage and eggs  reached his nose.  Tasuki lifted up his head to peer into the small  kitchen.

 

Chichiri was picking up various pots and pans that littered the  linoleum floor.  He glance up to see Tasuki's questioning and  irritated expression and smiled sheepishly.

 

"Sorry.  I didn't mean to wake you."

 

Tasuki shook his head to clear the last of the sleep from his  mind. "What are you doing?"

 

"Making breakfast."

 

"Funny, it sounds more like you're dropping stuff to me."  Tasuki  pulled himself off the sofa bed and slowly walked to the  kitchen.  "Need any help with that?"  He looked down at the cookware  on the floor.

 

"You don't have to..."

 

"Then get out of my way."  He reached out and pulled the pan that Chichiri clutched.  He flashed a grin.  "Better tend to your eggs  before they burn."  Chichiri blinked back before turning his attention  to the stove.

 

Tasuki laughed as he knelt to stack the pans and pots back in the  cabinet.  He took a deep whiff of the food cooking, noticing the  faint aroma of coffee.  "I thought you said that you didn't have any  coffee?"

 

"I didn't.  I walked to the store this morning while you slept."

 

"You left a thief alone in your apartment?"

 

"No.  I let my friend sleep in."  Tasuki turned around, having  finished replacing the pans to find Chichiri staring down at him with  a smile.  "I trust you, Tasuki.  Besides, you were dead asleep."

 

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As they ate, Tasuki kept watching Chichiri, wondering why he was  acting as if everything was normal.  He remembered and yet pretended  not to for his sake.  Maybe life in this world had changed his friend  more than he thought, but he didn't need to hide.  It didn't seem to  make sense to him.

 

A surge of fear washed through him as he thought of what might happen  to him next.  Would he eventually leave or would Chichiri invite him  to stay, permanently? Either option scared Tasuki.

 

"Is there something on your mind?"  Chichiri had noticed the look in  his friend's eyes and was worried.  Could it be that he did remember  that awful night after all?

 

Tasuki blinked back as he slowly refocused on reality.  He had been  staring at Chichiri so hard that he was certain that the older man was  getting suspicious.  His eyes locked onto Chichiri's. Tasuki could  feel those rich, mahogany orbs reaching into the depths of his soul,  probing for the truth.  His heart began racing and he set down his  fork before the former monk noticed that his hand was shaking.

 

"How did you die?" Tasuki asked, his face serious.

 

Chichiri furrowed his brow in confusion at the question.  this wasn't  quite what he had expected his friend to say.  "What?"

 

"How did you die?  You had to die in order to be reborn in this  world.  Don't you remember how your last life ended?"

 

Chichiri closed his eyes and chuckled softly.  "That was actually the  first memory I ever regained."

 

"So?  How'd it happen?"

 

Chichiri shook his head.  "I'd rather not say."

 

Without thinking, Tasuki's hand shot out to take a hold of  Chichiri's.  His eyes opened in shock and then looked up to see that  Tasuki seemed also surprised at his own action.  But instead of  pulling away, Tasuki squeezed Chichiri's hand and then relaxed with a  grin.

 

"We've been through a lot of shit.  Most of it we worked through  together."  He laughed.  "If you want, I'll go first."

 

"No...," Chichiri softly protested, but Tasuki squeezed again.

 

"It's alright.  I don't mind.  No one else knows who we really are.   What point would there be in keeping such memories from one another?   Besides I want to tell you and get this off my chest..."

 

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Tasuki set down the sake bottle he had just finished drinking and  leaned back in his seat.  He was beyond the pleasant buzz he  originally sought when he ventured into this dive.  He glanced around  the tavern at the other patrons and grinned.  This was the type of  place where you found the scum of the earth.  A fitting place for a  low-down asshole such as he.

 

He had been an honorable man once when he had a purpose and friends.   But yet he had screwed up royally and was completely alone.  He could  always return to Mount Leikaku and lead his gang once more, but what  would be the point?

 

Tasuki placed his face in his hands as another wave of despair washed  over him.  What was the point of life anymore if you were alone?  Ever since he and Chichiri parted on less-than-friendly terms over  three years ago, he had grown to loathe himself more and more.  He  was nothing more than a worthless son of a bitch who had ruined the  one positive thing left in his life and he was paying for it.

 

Tasuki knew he had reached his limitations, but he wanted to be  beyond drunk tonight.  He wanted to feel completely numb and forget  the pain in his heart and the loneliness that ate away at his soul.   In a quick movement, he downed yet another bottle and grinned again.

 

He was a living legend to be feared and respected, yet he had no more  respect for himself.  He was pathetic and was now drinking himself to  death over one minor mistake.  He belched loudly and found the sound  funny.

 

The barkeep came over and removed the rest of the liquor from  Tasuki's reach.  Tasuki snarled drunkenly at the bar keep who paid  him no mind and pushed away from the counter.  He didn't bother  fighting him about it.  He'd find another tavern and take his  business there.

 

He staggered in a fuzzy haze to the exit and out into the night.   Eventually, Tasuki found a wall that helped him in keeping his  balance even though he couldn't see straight.

 

He began singing an old song that Chichiri had taught him once when  they had traveled together, slurring the words rather badly.  He  never heard the footsteps coming up from behind him in the shadows.   Tasuki looked up at the clear night sky and thought he could make out  the constellations of his friends.

 

Then without warning, a thick arm encircled his body.  Tasuki had no  control over his actions and could not even fight back.  It didn't  matter because in a few heartbeats, a cool blade was drawn across his  throat, slicing through his necklaces.  The brightly colored beads  were scattered to the darkness as his blood poured out in a fiery  rush.

 

The stranger made short work of relieving Tasuki of his belongings  and left him laying on his back in the dirt.  Tasuki was paralyzed  with fear as he felt his blood pulsing out from his wound.  His vocal  cords were expertly cut so he couldn't even cry out, yet who would  hear anyways?

 

He was dying and he knew it.  He stared up at the stars, silently  apologizing to his friends for having led his life so shamefully and  dying like an animal in the street.  He closed his eyes as the tears  began to fall.  What a fitting end to such a wasted life.

 

As oblivion finally began to pull him under, he frantically thought of Chichiri. The man he truly loved with all his heart would never know  how he felt.  He would never gaze at his face or even get to  apologize for the horrible things he had done on that three years ago.

 

Tasuki mouthed another apology to the stars before the last of his  blood was weakly pushed from his body and he stilled.