Respectively, the following character/ideas belong to Amanda "Nuri-chan" Jones, no da:
Samantha Marilin Cummings, the Dove of Suzaku, and my middle name, no da.
The story is Mysia's idea, though, with a pinch of Watase Yuu-sama for flavor.
Arigatou for understanding,
-Suzaku Shichi Seishi and
Heika-sama's Royal Advisor,
Houjun Akia Ri
Chichiri

Fushigi Akugi
Prelude: Ai Shiteru: The Unyielding Wish

    The sun hung high above the empire of Konan. It was late spring and had been a virtually cloudless day as the two figures
wound their way back to the capital city, Eiyo. The air smelled of fresh wildflowers and the birds sang cheerfully. The war of
one year ago was all but forgotten and peace reigned over the four lands once again.
    Tamahome and Miaka lived together in the miko's world while the others lived comfortably in the palace and were revered as the heroes they were. The emperor's first son, Boushin, had been born three months prior to this day and was his father's pride and joy. Mitsukake had become the court healer; Chiriko and Chichiri were dubbed Royal Advisors; Nuriko was made Lady Houki's "Lady" in Waiting; and Tasuki was...well...Tasuki. The ex-bandit leader didn't want nor need a title; he merely wished to remain with his beloved.
    It had taken the fanged teen by surprise when he found the monk had felt the same way. They had been lovers for nearly a half of a year and, for the bandit, things couldn't be nicer. He knew that Chichiri was still not talking about his past, but he didn't
mind too much. Slowly but surely, the monk was coming out from behind the walls he had built up around himself, and that was
all that mattered.
    "Tasuki-kun? Daijoubu ka no da?" Chichiri's voice brought the bandit back to the present and he realized that he had stopped
and was staring blankly at the sky with his hands folded behind his head.
    "Eh?" He looked into Chichiri's lone mahogany and flashed his famed fanged grin. "Ha, I'm fine. How're you?" He slyly
approached the older seishi and gently embraced him, rubbing his nose playfully against his.
    "Tasuki," Chichiri giggled. "Come on, we're almost in Eiyo, no da. If we keep our current pace, we'll be there in time for dinner, na no da."
    "Aw, but Chiri...I wanna get ta my dessert first..." the teen whined pitifully.
    "Iya, dinner first, then dessert, no da," Chichiri smiled, knowing exactly what kind of dessert the hormone driven teen wanted.
    "Demo, I could give you a snack at least, no da," he growled softly, wrapping his free arm around Tasuki's neck and pressing his lips to the bandit's in a passionate kiss.
    Somewhere during their tongue war, Chichiri froze. There was another life-force near by. A dark one. Pulling away form
Tasuki, he began searching for it.
    Ah, so you sensed my life-force, Chichiri. I must say that I am quite impressed," a dark voice laughed.
    "Who's there?" Tasuki shouted, his hand reaching for his tessen.
    "Show yourself, demon!" Chichiri called, staff held ready. A light, invisible wind began to move around him.
    You dare to raise your voice at me, child? I think you should learn how to show respect." A dark burst of energy materialized from an invisible source, knocking Chichiri to the ground and temporally immobilizing him.
    "Chichiri!" Tasuki cried, coming to the monk's side.
    "Watch out!" Chichiri warned as more blasts of energy flew at Tasuki.
    "Kuso," the bandit growled, dodging the blasts with a practiced grace. Locating the source of the assault, he drew his tessen.
    "This is fer hurtin' Chiri! Rekka Shinen!" Fire leapt at the invisible attacker, disintegrating his barrier temporally and revealing his identity.
    "Not bad, boy," the demon lord smirked, smoothing a bit of ruffled silver hair. "I am Tenkou, but you may simply call me
master."
    "Like hell I will! Rekka Shinen!" Again, fire leapt at Tenkou, but this time it had no effect.
    "Is that the best you can do?" Tenkou laughed. Tasuki suddenly found himself unable to move. "Here, let me show you how it's done."
    Chichiri focused on his breathing. The blast from Tenkou had weakened him considerably despite his efforts to disperse it. He had to get up, though. He could only assume Tenkou wanted all of the seishi dead and would be after the others next. He was barely on his feet when he sensed the blast Tenkou had prepared for Tasuki. There was no way the bandit would survive the attack as Chichiri sensed it was more powerful than anything Taiitsu-kun had taught him.
    "You, Tasuki, shall be my first victim," Tenkou stated cruelly, releasing his attack.
    Chichiri's instincts overcame him as the blast flew towards his lover.
    "IYA!!!" In the beat of an instant, he stood before Tasuki, accepting the fatal blow for him.
    "Chichiri!" Tasuki cried in horror. He had been prepared to die if only to buy the older man a few more seconds to gather
himself. He had vowed to protect him with his life, and now could only watch as the demon lord murdered him. It was over in
less than a second but lasted and eternity for the bandit. He suddenly found himself able to move after the blast had ended and
caught Chichiri in his arms before he could collapse to the ground.
    "Well, that was easier than expected. With the passing of Houjun Akia Ri from the Universe of the Four Gods, my Fushigi
Akugi begins." His evil laughter echoed as he faded from view, leaving the bandit with the dying monk.
    Tasuki's breath caught in his throat as he lowered the limp form of Chichiri to the ground, holding him close. He was barely
alive, his lone eye open slightly and starting to glaze over.
    "H-hang in there, Chiri..I'll get ya ta Mitsu-kun right away an' you'll be just fine, ok?" The bandit felt as if he would die right then and there.
    "Go...gomen...Tasuki...kun..." Chichiri breathed, his voice no more than a whisper. "I...will die from this...demo,
G-a-n-b-a-t-t-e...o-on-e-g-a-i...f-o-r m-e, n-o d-a-"
    "Chiri..ya can't...ya can't die...not like this..." Tears streamed down his cheeks and onto the monk's chest as the bandit buried his face into the dying seishi's shoulder.
    "Ai...shi-te-ru, Ta..Tasu-ki...Zut-to..." With a quite sigh, his eye slid closed, a single tear gliding down his cheek.
Tasuki remained where he was for another five minutes before rising to his feet, clutching the still, limp form of the only man
he'd ever truly loved. He continued on towards the palace, letting his feet guide his as tears continued to blur his and travel
down his cheeks in a ceaseless flow.
    Tenkou...mark my words..you will pay for this, if it's the last thing you do...you will pay...
*****************************
This will be the shortest chapter, since it's the prelude and all. Don't worry my fellow worshipers of the monk; our beloved is
the star of this story so you can be reassured that he'll be back in the next chapter(which I'm in the middle of right now, more or
less.) Just remember this quote from Earthbound:"When good battle evil, who do you believe will will? Do you believe that
good is always triumphant?"
Why did Tenkou kill Chichiri? It may not be for the reason you think it is, but all the same, one question comes to mind: What
will the seishi do now that the one person withthe best chance of defeating Tenkou is gone? What will our love lorn bandit do
without Chichiri? Why in the name of Suzaku is Chiri's middle name "Akia"? Well, all but that last question shall be answered in
the next chapter:

Fushigi Akugi:
Chapter 2: Return to a Past Forgotten: And Thus the Curtain Rises