Spellbound

*(6/6)

By Sakata Ri Houjun

Warning:  Minor violence, nothing more.

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

The Temple of Suzaku glimmered with the light of a

thousand candles.  Chichiri stood in a circle dressed

in a simple white shirt and a pair of jeans, his

unbound hair a waterfall down his back.

In a swirl a smoke, Mikuni appeared before the monk. 

Solid now, her flesh as real as his.  She wore robes

of black edged in crimson, of power and blood.  She

flung up a hand so that the walls shook.  “Where is

the shinzaho?”

“Beyond you, Mikuni, where it will remain safe.  As

will I.”

“The moon is rising to midnight, Chichiri.  The time

of waiting is ending.  Your lover has deserted you

once again.”  She stepped closer, careful not to test

the edge of the circle, her voice seductive.  “Why not

accept what I offer you?  We will rule together.”

“I want no part of your dark kingdom.”

“He’s lost to you, Chichiri.”

“He’s safe from you.”  He threw up his head.  “So I

have already won.”

Lifting his hands, he loosed a power that sent her

flying back.  “Be gone from this holy place.  Or face

the death of mortals.”

“A battle then,” she retorted as a shadow at her feet

took on the shapeless form of a demon, red-eyed, fangs

bared.

~~~~~~

Tasuki drove his mount furiously up the cliff to the

castle.  Visions came quickly.  Chichiri weeping as he

watched him sleep.  The dark chamber with the globe

held between them and the whispering of the spell.

You will be safe and free.  There is nothing left,

koi.  Follow Tama far away from the danger and don’t

come back if you heart isn’t true.  Live and be well. 

What cannot be held is best forgotten.

Terror struck, for Tasuki knew what Chichiri meant to

do.

~~~

Chichiri fought fiercely, cleaving the demon’s head

from its body with one stroke of his shakujo that

appeared suddenly in his hand.  Yet he knew that he

would lose when midnight rang.

Mikuni could not break the circle and claim him.  But

she sent the ground heaving under his feet, watched

him fall to his knees.

“Will you ask for pain, Chichiri?  Spare yourself. 

Just give me your hand-and the shinzaho.”

“I will not yield.”

“You will.”  She inched closer.  “You have no choice. 

The spell was cast, the time has come.  You belong to

me now.”

“I belong to Suzaku.”  Chichiri pulled a small vial

from his pocket, then flipped its poison chamber open

with his thumb.  With a last show of defiance, he

smiled.  “You will never claim what belongs to

Suzaku.”

He brought the vial to his lips to take the powder.

A horse and its rider burst in.  “Baka!  You’d rather

die than trust me?” Tasuki demanded furiously.

The vial slipped through Chichiri’s fingers, the

powder sifted on the stones.  “Tasuki.”

“Harm him, Mikuni, and I’ll rip your damn head off!”

Mikuni straightened slowly.  “You were a fighter a

thousand years ago, Tasuki.  You are no fighter

tonight.”

Tasuki vaulted from his horse.  His tessen sang as he

opened it to its fullness.  “Try me, bitch.”

Black balls of lightning shot out from her hands,

hissing trails of snaking sparks.  Tasuki raised his

tessen and called upon the incantation that was

ingrained in his mind.  Magical flame roared to meet

the incoming dark magic.  Both spells canceled each

other in a burst of light and singed stone.

“Your power is nothing here!” Chichiri shouted, on his

feet again.  “We are the guardians of this place,

keepers of what you will never own, and wielders of

holy magic!  Fear me, Mikuni!  And fear Tasuki who

stands with me!”

“He will not stand with you.  You will both bow to my

will,” Mikuni warned.  Then she whirled on Tasuki. 

“You remember death?”

Tasuki tessen clattered onto the stone, and he heard

Chichiri’s cry of fear and rage.  “You will not harm

him!  It’s only an illusion!  Tasuki, hear me!”  His

terror for him was so blinding that he ran to him,

leaving the charm of the circle.

A bolt of energy sent Chichiri reeling.  Paralyzed and

laying next to his lover, he fought for his strength. 

“Tasuki.”  He could only watch as his lover knelt on

the stones, unarmed, bleeding.  “You must fight it,”

he whispered.  Weakly he reached out to the redhead.

Mikuni dragged Chichiri roughly to his knees by his

hair.  “Give me the shinzaho and I will spare you,”

she said to him.

“Never.”

“You are in bondage to me for a hundred years times

ten, then.  This pain you feel will be yours until you

bend your will to mine.”  She lowered her gaze to his

mouth.  “A kiss,” she said, “to seal the spell.”

Tasuki’s fingers covered those of Chichiri’s.  Feeling

his power flow into him, he loosed a spell and

disappeared.  Mikuni looked up in confusion as they 

both reappeared at the far end of the room.  Tasuki

stepped in front of Chichiri and raised his tessen.

“You’re toast now, bitch.”  The bandit’s eyes burned. 

The pain swirling through him only added to his

strength.  “Can you burn, demon?” he demanded and

brought the tessen down like fury.

There was a cry, inhuman, as fire consumed the woman. 

A blinding flash followed this.  The ground heaved and

lightning struck.  The explosion lifted him off his

feet.  Even as he grabbed for Chichiri, Tasuki felt

himself hurled into the dark.

Visions played through his head.  Someone told him to

sleep, but he shook off the words.  He had slept long

enough.

He came to, aching in every bone.  He could see the

last of the stars just winking out.  He tried to shake

off the dream.

The cat, Tama, was watching him.  Dazed and in pain,

he pushed himself up and saw that he was lying on the

stone floor of the temple.  The scent of smoke and

blood still clung to the air.

“Chichiri.”  Panicked, Tasuki heaved himself to his

feet.  And nearly stumbled over him.

Chichiri was sprawled on the ground, his face pale,

bruised, his clothes torn and scorched.

“Chichiri,” he said again.  “Chichiri.”

He stirred.  “Tasuki.  You protected me.”

“You should know by now that I would have.”  He

cradled the older man against him.   “But you sent

that damn cat to lure me away, away from you.  Why?”

“I wanted you to be safe, no da.  Mikuni made you

doubt me again.”

“And then Taiitsukun showed up…”

“She wasn’t supposed to interfere,” Chichiri said as

he got up and strolled towards the door that contained

the shinzaho.  “The air is clearing of Mikuni’s evil,”

he added as he stepped through the door.

“It’s over, then?”

“Hai.  She’s been destroyed.  And the shinzaho remains

safe.”

“You were going to take poison.”

“I couldn’t face what she had in mind for me.”

“If I’d been there a moment later, you would have

killed yourself.  Couldn’t you trust me enough to help

you?”

“I was afraid to , no da.”

Chichiri strode towards the shinzaho and placed his

hands on the globe’s smooth surface.  “Tasuki, you met

your fate.  You came to me when I needed you.  In this

holy place you fought against dark and deadly magic. 

You’ve saved my life and protected this relic, and in

so doing fulfilled your duty as a seishi.”

He smiled.  “You are brave and true.  And Suzaku will

now grant you a wish to honor that loyalty.”

“Like unlimited wealth or incredible sexual power?”

Chichiri’s chin went rigid.  “If that’s what you want.

 But be sure of what you wish for.”

“Money?  Sex?  Power, maybe?  So, just what do I

want?”  He narrowed his eyes in consideration, then

stepped towards Chichiri and the shinzaho.  He placed

his hands on the globe, covering the cerulean-haired

man’s with his own.  “You.”

“Nani?”

“You. I want you.”

“To do what , no da?” he asked, then blinked when

Tasuki roared with laughter.  “Oh, don’t waste a wish

on that, na no da.”

“I want all of you, Chichiri,” he said.  “No

restrictions.  For better or worse,” he continued,

“for richer or poorer.”

Chichiri couldn’t get his breath.  “You want me, no

da?  But I don’t have any hold on you.”

“Don’t you?”  He lowered his mouth, buckling the

monk’s knees with his kiss.  “You can’t lie to me.” 

He captured his lips again.  “You were born loving me.

 You’ll die loving me.”

“Hai.”

“Look at me,” Tasuki murmured, easing back as Chichiri

trembled.  “Beautiful Chichiri.  Koibito.”

“Tasuki.  You love me?”

“I was born loving you.”  The kiss was deep and sweet.

 “I’ll die loving you.”

Chichiri’s breath released a shudder of joy. Love.

Trust. Acceptance.  The room was filled with a warm

red glow that came from the shinzaho they were

holding.  Far off in the distance, they both could

hear the keening cry of a bird taking flight.

“Tasuki.”  Chichiri smiled as he leaned in for another

kiss.  “Your wish is granted.”