=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= Mixed Greetings: A YYH/FY/FoR crossover Christina Ortega (also called Christina-chan and “The Eternal Chibi” ^^;;) Part 1 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Trudging through the snow that had already covered a fair amount of Konan, the figure shivered and pulled his light cloak tighter around himself. Peering through the white flakes that were still falling through the sky, making his nose red as the rest of the color drained from his face, Kou Shun’u, also known as Genrou to the Leikaku bandits and Tasuki to the Suzaku Seishi and most of his native country, nodded to himself. “That looks like it. Either that, or I’ll be shit outta luck...” Tasuki shivered again, wishing that he had grabbed a thicker garment before heading off into Konan’s countryside. He remembered Kouji’s disapproving frown as he had told his best friend of his journey. The thought of his blue-haired fighting companion made the seishi lower his eyes sadly. He knew that he had been putting off his responsibilities as a bandit and the leader. Also, quite frankly, he had been taking Kouji’s friendship for granted, but after returning to Leikaku after Miaka and Tama’s latest visit to their world, he had realized that the change in himself was too great to continue robbing from people. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with his old friends, but as a seishi he had gained a sense of honor...and stealing, even if for a living, broke the code he had created for himself. Just remembering the look of fear on the face of a man in Koku two years prior when he had been under Hikou’s spell made him shudder. He had taken Miaka to a small pub with every intention on becoming physical with her, and had threatened the man by bringing up the town’s past devestating experiences caused by the Leikaku. The man had been downright terrified. Tasuki smirked. Before, he had convinced himself that the Leikaku bandits were honorable...they only hurt people that deserved it...people that had enough riches to spare, but now he realized that wasn’t true. They took from whoever they could get from, and it didn’t make much sense to be able to eat when another family, perhaps with young children or sick relatives, starved to death. Tasuki laughed bitterly to himself. Since when did he give a fuck about other people? This question was easily answered, and he let his thoughts drift to Miaka...the girl he saw as a sister...the first girl he’d had true feelings for that had already been in love with another man...the first girl he’d ever given up and done so full of joy. She had changed his life. Hell, they all had. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he had never been the same since that day four years ago when Suzaku no Miko and her seishi had first entered his life. Pulling his mind out of what he considered to be pointless thoughts, Tasuki looked ahead again. A small temple stood just on the outskirts of the main city of Konan. He cursed himself for the millionth time that day. Surely, he could have waited until this damn storm was over before deciding to make a two-day long journey on foot from Leikaku to the city. “Tasuki, you are one hell of a baka.” He shuddered again. It seemed ironic that the wielder of fire had to be stuck in these uncomfortably cold conditions. Tasuki could no longer feel his hands, feet, or most of the rest of his body for that matter. All he knew was that he must still be walking because the city was moving closer to him. Either that, or he was hallucinating. The hood of his black cloak flew back as a sudden gust of wind blew by making his unruly red hair fly back, snowflakes quickly becoming stuck to the loose strands and freezing his skull. Tasuki cursed, this time more loudly than all the others, and quickly pulled the hood back on. “This sucks....this fucking SUCKS!” As it was, he was feeling completely drained, and collapsing right then and there was looking like a pretty good possibility. After all, if he got lucky he would survive the cold and could finish the journey tomorrow. “Yeah, what’s the chance of that happening. Damn it, can’t Konan just move a little bit closer so I won’t have to walk so fuckin’ far!?” Finally, after about 45 minutes, the temple that had been in the distance was right in front of him. Teeth chattering, Tasuki looked at the dry, inviting shrine before turning to the city. He was supposed to go to the palace where he would meet with Houki and Chichiri, and probably talk to Boushin who was already 3 1/2 years old. “They’ll...still be there tomorrow. In this weather, I can’t imagine where they would go.” Obviously, his mind was made up. Walking to the door of the temple, Tasuki let out a relieved sigh, the thought that he had finally made it SOMEWHERE after traveling without rest for two days through the snow reaching his sleep-clouded brain. With that, he pulled on the door handle... ...only to find that it wouldn’t open. A pit formed in his stomach. “Must be the other way...” He pushed. Nothing. The door refused to budge. A half hour was spent just trying to clear the snow away from the door to see if that would do any good. It still wouldn’t open, and that’s when, for the first time since two years ago when Taka had returned to Miaka’s world, Tasuki felt tears well up in his eyes. Any thoughts of burning or cutting the door with his tessen seemed idiotic. This was a TEMPLE after all. A temple of Suzaku. Unless he wanted the large red phoenix to peck him to death, he realized that he shouldn't defile the holy shrine. Not knowing what else to do, Tasuki slumped against the door, his energy completely spent, and used what little determination he had left to bang on the cursed barrier keeping him from the dryness of the temple. “Onegai...someone answer...onegai??” Knocking again, lightly, he dropped his head against the door and felt tears of frustration drop down his cheeks. “Chotto matte kudasai!!” Hearing the foreign voice, Tasuki looked around groggily before dropping his head onto his arms, leaning against the door. Just a figment of his imagination...either that, or it was someone who was too far away to really care about him. Suddenly, the bandit felt himself falling...as the door was pulled away from him. “Dare desuka no da? Who would be traveling in this weather no da?” That voice...Tasuki felt his body hit the floor, but all this impact did was make his frozen body tingle. Only one person he knew spoke with that kind of dialect. “Chi...Chi...Chichiri?” The monk looked down at the black-cloaked figure who had collapsed onto the floor of Suzaku’s shrine where he had gone to pray earlier that day. Seeing all the snow when his mediation had ended, Chichiri had decided to wait in the temple until the storm had cleared so that it would be easier to navigate his way back to the palace. As the person on the floor shivered to the point of convulsion, Chichiri, without even thinking, dragged the figure into the temple and closed the door before much of snow could come in. Worriedly, Chichiri knelt down next to the person and pulled the wet hood away from his pale face before gasping in alarm. “Tasuki-kun!? W...why were you traveling in weather like this no da!? I thought you would have stayed on Mt. Leikaku until the storm passed na no da!” When he got no response, Chichiri sighed his disapproval before somehow pulling the freezing cloak off of his fellow seishi and friend. Tasuki kept his clouded gaze on the monk who, he could tell, was incredibly pissed at him. “Chi...Chichiri?” The monk looked at him crossly before tugging at Tasuki’s boots, finally getting them both off after ten minutes. “Ah...um...a-arigatou...” Chichiri didn’t respond. Instead, he unfastened the metal holster around Tasuki’s back and leg that held his tessen, laying it off to the side before reaching in Tasuki’s soaking sock, finding his hidden dagger, and throwing that away, as well. As the red headed bandit watched him with golden eyes full of interest, Chichiri frowned and tugged off his fellow seishi’s socks before looking over Tasuki’s wet ensamble of a deep green shirt and black slacks and making a sound that seemed suspiciously like a growl to the bandit. “I don’t suppose you can move well enough to take off your clothes, can you?” All Tasuki could do was stare at him, knowing that he would have blushed with embarrassment had his face held the color to do so. Without another word, Chichiri unbuttoned Tasuki’s shirt, slipping it off of his frozen arms and throwing it to the side with his weapons, cloak, boots, and socks. He then examined Tasuki’s pants, grunted with frustration, and finally grabbed the fabric from Tasuki’s ankles, pulling as hard as he could until they came off. “You’re really a piece of work no da,” Chichiri muttered tiredly. “If you weren’t a good friend I would hurt you as payment for the trouble you cause me na no da.” “That’s g-good to know,” Tasuki told the monk with a shaky smile, a fang hanging over his lip. “I won’t push your limits further than I a-am now.” As he felt Chichiri’s kesa drape over him, Tasuki grabbed the warm cloth thankfully, snuggling with it on the floor of the temple contentedly. Sitting down next to the bandit, Chichiri closed his eyes before questioning, “Just HOW long were you traveling no da?” As he saw two of Tasuki’s fingers poke out from the kesa, the monk groaned. “Two days without resting no da!?” A nod. “Oh Suzaku,” Chichiri moaned as he watched his fellow seishi shiver beneath his kesa. “You’re impossible no da! If I’m right, you’re 21!” Another nod. “Shouldn’t you know how to take care of yourself by now!?” The figure lying on the floor shrugged. Chichiri sighed. “Impossible no da. You’re absolutely impossible no da!” Tasuki’s smile grew as he curled up beneath the kesa. “Maybe, but I make your life more interesting, right?” Chichiri gazed at him skeptically. Tasuki winked with amusement. “Ah, you worry too much, Chichiri. I made it, didn’t I?” His companion snorted. “Just go to sleep so I won’t have to babysit you all night no da.” As the bandit saluted and closed both of his eyes, Chichiri gazed at him and sighed reluctantly. “Tasuki?” “Hmmm?” “It is good to see you. I mean, after about a year...it’s been too long na no da.” “Mmm-hmm.” That was the last sound Chichiri heard from his fellow seishi that night. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Owari! More to come in a sec... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=