Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Strange Beginnings ❯ Chapter 2

~But now the neighborhood's cracked and torn
The kids are grown up but their lives are worn
How can one little street
Swallow so many lives?~
-"The Kids Aren't Alright", Offspring



Chichiri awoke to find Genrou and himself in a peculiar position. Curiously enough, it wasn't uncomfortable. The fire-haired youth had seemed to turn in his sleep, so instead of laying with his back to Chichiri, he now was cuddled next to the older man, his head in the crook of Chichiri's neck. In turn, the missionary's arms were wrapped, almost protectively, around Genrou.

Chichiri snorted lightly at the memories. No surprise there...

The fanged teenager stirred in his arms, lifting his head and blinking sleepy eyes. "Wha-...?" he mumbled, before the memories of the previous nights' events cam flooding into his sleep-dulled mind, making him grimace. "Damn. I was sorta hopin' I'd wake up and it'd all be a bad dream."

Chichiri rolled his eyes, giving out a long-suffering sigh. "Ohayo to you, too. What time is it?"

Pointedly ignoring the grasp the older man had around his waist, Genrou sat up, throwing a quick glance at his computer. "I set my alarm ta start playin' music at 6:00 sharp. Practice starts at 7."

Releasing his hold on the fanged youth, Chichiri also sat up, as Genrou rose and made his way toward the hallway. "Practice?"

"Band practice." Genrou clarified, turning the corner and knocking loudly on the door. "Hey, kid, time ta wake up!" when he got no response, the flame-haired youth threw open the door, chuckling to himself at the image of Chiriko: sprawled across his bed, hands balled into fists, his sheets twisted around his slim frame, and blinking sleep from his eyes.

The 13-year-old genius yawned. "G'morning, Genrou-san. You sleep well?"

Genrou grinned. "Never better, kid. Now hurry up and get ready; we gotta be at Ryuuen's in an hour!"

"Hai!" Chiriko called as his older friend disappeared from the doorway. The fire-haired teenager made his way past Chichiri to his desk, switching off the music on the computer before picking up a pair of pants and a shirt from those strewn across the floor.

"'M gonna go change," he announced. Chichiri's voice interrupted his progress toward the bathroom.

"Is there anything else you need?"

He paused. "Huh...?" he asked intelligently. It was then that Genrou realized he was now wearing the clothes he had been holding a moment before, and holding the shirt he had slept in. He gawked at his night shirt, then turned to stare at Chichiri. "How...?"

The missionary shrugged. "I was equipped to help and serve you in every way. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Genrou closed his eyes, lowering his head. "I think I'm gettin' a headache..."

Chichiri handed him an aspirin and a glass of water, the glass disappearing once Genrou had gratefully gulped them down. "Thanks," he muttered, not questioning where those particular items had come from.

"I'm ready!" Chiriko called, appearing at the doorway. Contrary to Genrou's casual clothes, the young boy wore a maroon blazer, white undershirt, and green plaid-like slacks. He smiled brightly at them both. "Good morning, Houjun-san!" he called, making his way to the desk and picking up a black school bag.

Chichiri returned the smile. "Actually, Chiriko, I would prefer that you call me Chichiri, onegai. Houjun is just an unneeded code name."

The 13-year-old nodded in agreement, turning to Genrou. "Is he coming with us to Ryuuen-san's?"

"Aa. As soon as I figure out how ta get 'im there. The bike won't hold three people."

"There's no need to worry." Chichiri interrupted. "If you will just show me on a map where we need to go, I can transport us there."

Chiriko's eyes widened. "Hounto?! That's so cool!"

"Yeah, but before we do anythin'," Genrou started, looking Chichiri up and down, "we need ta get ya a new set a clothes. Ya can't go outside wearin' *those*!" he gestured toward the orange outfit that made it seem as if the older man were ready to fight someone at any moment. Startled, Chichiri blinked, looking from Genrou's to Chiriko's outfit. They were right. He did stand out.

And then, suddenly, before Genrou could even blink, Chichiri's clothes changed into an exact copy of Chiriko's. except much taller. "Is this sufficient?"

Genrou eyed the outfit appraisingly. "Yeah. It'll do, since you'll prob'ly insist on comin' ta school with us. Me, I don't change inta the uniform 'til after practice. So, we ready ta go?"

Handing the map he had dug out of a desk drawer to Chichiri, Chiriko ran into the small kitchen. "Just a second!" he called, as the older man studied the paper. Genrou was pointing out Ryuuen's location when the young boy appeared in front of the two again, holding an apple. He smiled sheepishly as Genrou opted not to comment, the fire-haired youth leaning down to snatch up a black backpack.

"You know what type of food Ryuuen-san will have over there." Chiriko explained, making Genrou smirk.

"Alright, I think I have it." Chichiri announced, setting the map aside. "Both of you, please concentrate on your friend, and the task should be easy enough." the two nodded in almost perfect unison, and a second later a feeling like their hearts had dropped into their stomachs overcame them. It was gone as quickly as it had come, however, and the three were standing in front of an average redbrick house. Chichiri noted that Genrou looked a little green.

The garage door was up, so the three entered. Inside they found a drum set, an electric guitar, and two microphones. In the corner of the room was a refrigerator and a small cooler. Leaning over the cooler was a (man? woman? Chichiri couldn't tell) with a long purple braid, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a red tank top. The person looked over their shoulder as they entered.

"Heya, Gen-chan! You're fifteen minutes early! What, Chiriko finally drag ya outta bed at a decent hour?"

"Haha. Very funny." Genrou muttered sarcastically. "Just give me tha usual, ne?"

"Comin' right up!" Ryuuen dug through the cooler, tossing a can of Pepsi and a pack of donuts over-the-shoulder for Genrou to catch. The redhead frowned at the soda.

"No beer?"

Standing up with a certain lithe grace, Ryuuen opened another can of Pepsi, turning to face the three. "Not today. My old man drank the last of 'em last night, and didn't bother ta get anymore. An' me an' Sait-" he (for now Chichiri could tell that this strangely beautiful person was male) paused, catching sight of the addition to the usual group. Smiling suddenly, he advanced toward Chichiri, transferring his soda to his left hand and offering his right. "Hey! I'm Ryuuen, nice ta meetcha!"

Taking the offered hand, Chichiri smiled as well. "Chichiri desu."

The purple-haired man looked him up and down, glancing finally at Genrou. "New boyfriend, Gen-chan? He's a looker."

The fire-haired teen turned as red as his hair. "N-NO! Nothing like that! You know I don't swing that way! He's-uh... He's my cousin from out-of-town!"

Ryuuen eyed him doubtfully. "Your cousin?" he noted the faint flush on Chichiri's face, whether it was caused by the question, compliment, or both, he couldn't be sure. "Right. And I'm the Queen of England."

"And they slept together last night!" Chiriko added helpfully, making Chichiri blush harder. Genrou choked on his drink, his eyes bugging out, and he clapped a hand over the boy's mouth. Ryuuen raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, really?"

Still holding a hand over Chiriko's mouth, Genrou laughed nervously. "Hehehe... Yeah, well, ya see, we didn't have an extra bed, an' I wasn't about ta let 'im sleep on tha floor, so... we shared my bed."

"There was nothing sexual about it." Chichiri clarified as the purple-haired teen eyed the two thoughtfully. Ryuuen crossed his arms, still looking doubtful.

"Well, alright..." he paused, a glint in his eye and a mischievous grin on his face. "But I'll be watching you two!"

"Watching whom?" inquired a new, deeper voice. Another young man, about the age of Ryuuen, entered the garage. He had long brown hair almost to this waist, and wore tight-fitting black jeans, and a vest-like maroon-purple shirt that didn't adequately cover his whole upper body.

Ryuuen smiled cheerfully, going and digging through the cooler again. "Gen-chan and his new boyfriend." he tossed the newcomer a can. "Have a beer, Ho~ri-sama."

Saitei caught the proffered 'beer'. He grimaced at the object, but opened it anyway. "Root beer seems to be the closest thing to alcohol I'll get today. And Nuriko, you know I hate it when you call me that."

Genrou chuckled at the look on Chichiri's face through the exchange. "Don't worry, Chiri, yer not nuts. Their names're Ryuuen and Saitei, but Nuriko and Hotohori are the names they prefer on stage." he explained.

"Ah, look! He's already calling him by a nickname! Isn't it *sweet*?" Ryuuen cooed, dodging Genrou's half-hearted swing. "But that reminds me, Gen-chan. We still haven't found ya stage name, have we? You got any ideas?"

They were silent for a moment, before Chichiri spoke up. "How about 'Tasuki'?"

"Ooooohhhh!" Ryuuen exclaimed. "That's perfect! OK, then, Tasuki-chan, let's get started!" he dragged the flame-haired youth over to the equipment.

As Chichiri watched the three prepare, he noted each person's role in the scheme of things: Genrou was lead vocalist, with Ryuuen acting as guitarist and back-up singer, and Saitei had the drums. Chichiri made his way over to stand next to Chiriko, who had found a chair and was now quietly eating his apple, feet hanging about an inch from the ground.

Stepping in front of the microphone, Genrou turned his head to glance back at the other members of the band. "Oi! Which song?" he demanded.

Ryuuen looked blank. "Uh... Tactics?"

The fire-topped youth grinned, revealing his two tiny fangs. "Right! Ya ready?"

They nodded, and the song began. Ryuuen started first, plucking the guitar strings in a clear, rhythmic melody. Saitei soon joined in, adding an obvious beat to the tune. But Chichiri's full attention was fixed on Genrou, who had closed his eyes and was really getting into the music. The fanged youth smirked with confidence, beginning to sing.

"~Gira tto shita kimi no me ni Doki tto shita hirusagari
Shakki tto shita ore no karada marude tamesareteru you ni
Tsun tto shita kimi to kuuki ni zoku tto shita koigokoro wa
Zara tto shita suna wo kami sareru ga mama yoru ni naru...~"

The song was strangely soothing to Chichiri, almost lulling him into a trance-like state as he watched the one he had been assigned to protect. Genrou seemed to be in his element here, getting out the lyrics smoothly and without a hitch. Perching on a small stool next to Chiriko, Chichiri relaxed, and let the words wash over him.

*****

It wasn't long before the practice was over, both Genrou and Ryuuen changing into uniforms similar to Chichiri's. Saitei had left to make his way to the private school he attended, and soon the remaining four high school students set out as well.

It was as they were walking that Genrou had approached Chichiri: with Ryuuen there, the redhead hadn't wanted to just transport to school, because he didn't want anyone knowing about what Chichiri could do. At least, that was his excuse. Chichiri suspected the last trip had unnerved the younger man a bit.

And so they walked. And Genrou walked next to Chichiri, looking puzzled and thoughtful.

"What's on your mind?" the missionary asked, startling him.

"Wha-? Oh. I was just won'drin'... how'd ya come up with the name 'Tasuki'?"

Chichiri lowered his eyes, suddenly finding his continuously moving feet extremely interesting. "That was... the name of someone I once knew."

"Well? What happened ta 'im?"

He looked at Genrou in surprise, then smiled slightly. //It figures...//

"Forget it. It was a long time ago."

Before Genrou could argue further, a voice interrupted their chat.

"Well, well! If it ain't *Gen-chan* and the little runt!" it said, putting a strong emphasis on the nickname. Genrou halted instantly, glaring daggers at the figure in front of the small group. It was male, with longish green-blue hair, wearing jeans similar to what Ryuuen had worn earlier, a black sleeveless shirt, and a leather jacket. He was smirking, his arms crossed over his chest.

Ryuuen's eyes narrowed as the man continued. "How ya been? I'm been worried about you, Genrou. You know I get worried when one of my *buddies* goes missing. Shame on you!" the newcomer delivered his whole speech in the offhanded manner a cat might have when it played with a mouse, right before the cat pounced for the kill.

"Stuff it." Genrou muttered, turning and passing through the gap in the concrete wall and onto the school grounds. "C'mon, Chichiri, Chiriko."

As the newcomer growled and moved to intercept the fire-haired youth, Ryuuen moved forward. "Why, Tamahome-sempai, you're just the person I needed to talk to!" he called in a sugary-sweet voice.

Tamahome looked miffed, but allowed the braided teen to lead him off to the shade of an old elm tree. Meanwhile, Chiriko and Chichiri followed Genrou toward the throbbing crowd of people positioned just outside the main doors to Muugen High School. The older man made a mental note to ask Genrou about that Tamahome person first chance he got.

But for now, his first day at Muugen High School of Japan awaited.

----------