Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ White Stones in the Moonlight ❯ Exorcism, Part 2 - Sacrifice ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

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Chapter 5. Exorcism, Part 2 - Sacrifice (Tamahome, Chichiri, Nuriko)

He stood on a cliff overlooking an unknown ocean, listening to the waves crash and hiss on the shore far below. The sky was dark, with storm clouds gathering in the distance. He shivered in the biting wind as black leaves swirled before him. He seemed to hear his name called from a distance. "Sou Kishuku, Suzaku no Seishi…" Suddenly, he was pushed from behind and gasped as he began to fall forward - only to have his fall stop suddenly as he landed on something warm and firm. He opened his eyes to find himself staring down into amber eyes lined with dark lashes and sparkling with tears. The eyes looked into his with desperate entreaty and dawning hope. "Beautiful..." he thought. "Beautiful..." and felt himself warm with sudden desire. Instantly, he felt himself being dragged back. "No!" he cried out. The amber eyes widened in shock and betrayal, then turned away from him in despair, as black leaves swirled between them to cover the eyes forever...

"No!" he cried out, sitting up with a start. He was in total darkness, unable to see his hand in front of his face. He couldn't remember where he was or how he got there. "Am I in Hell?" he whispered to himself and fought to keep from panicking. Just as he thought he would lose control, he saw a faint light in the distance, growing larger as it approached him. He watched it with desperate intensity, willing it to keep coming, willing it to save him from the darkness that engulfed him. As the light began to illuminate his surroundings, he could make out two figures walking toward him, the soft gleam of their lantern shining on the bars of his cell. He remembered then... remembered where he was and why, and he closed his eyes in bitter pain.

He knew that the two figures now stood beside him, but he kept his eyes closed, denying his existence rather than theirs. As he sat there wishing for oblivion, he felt a gentle presence surround him with an aura of compassion and concern. Feeling unworthy of such care, he tried to reject the comfort he was offered, but the presence stayed with him, soothing, calming him until he relaxed in its embrace. Finally he felt strong enough to open his eyes. Chichiri was crouched before him, hand raised over his head as if blessing him, while Nuriko hovered anxiously behind him.

"Better, Tamahome?" Chichiri asked gently. Tamahome nodded, unable to answer because of the lump in his throat.

"Tamahome, I wish I had time to let you heal a little more, but this situation doesn't permit us that luxury. I have to act to rid you of the evil that has encroached upon you, and I'm afraid that it has to be tonight. I will be very straight with you - this will be harder on you than on anyone else. You will suffer, and you stand to lose a great deal, perhaps even your sanity. The only way that I can hope to pull you through this intact is if you give me your full cooperation. I can't hope to succeed without it. So what is your decision? Will you help me, Tamahome?"

Tamahome looked up at Chichiri, his face shining. "Finally! At last, I can do something. I've been sitting here all day, sick at heart, wishing that I could just pull this thing out of me, and smash it and smash it and smash it until it begs for mercy, and then smash it again! Whatever you need from me, whatever the cost, I'll do it, Chichiri!"

Chichiri smiled faintly at the young seishi's eagerness to enter the battle and his obvious disregard of the severity of the risks to himself. "Tamahome, just so that you understand, this will be very dangerous for you - not just to your body or mind but to your very soul. This is not an undertaking that you can leap into with fists flying - it will require the calm focus of everything that you are, especially your soul. You cannot enter this battle with thoughts of anger or revenge, because then I am sure to lose you. Do you understand?"

Tamahome calmed at the deadly seriousness of Chichiri's tone. "I understand, Chichiri. I know that it may cost me everything - but I still want to do it. So tell me what I have to do."

Nuriko moved forward at this and bent to hug Tamahome. "I am so proud of you, Tama-chan." he whispered emotionally, "I just want you to know that." Tamahome gripped Nuriko's arm, giving him a quick squeeze in gratitude.

"Stand up." commanded Chichiri. Tamahome stood so that they were nearly eye-to-eye, the monk being shorter and slighter than his younger comrade. "This is what I need from you, Tamahome. I need you - everything that you are, everything that you know yourself to be, whether it is Sou Kishuku, the support of his family, or Tamahome, Suzaku no Seishi - I need you to focus on everything that is you and hold fast to it. At first, you will be pushed back as I summon the oni, but there will come a point when you will feel a pull. I need you to pull back on everything you are, your thoughts, your memories, and most especially, your love - I need you to reclaim everything that is Tamahome and hold it fast. Do not let it go, or it will be lost to you forever. Hold tight and remember your love for the people in your life – that is one emotion that the oni cannot understand, and your best barrier against it. If you succumb to your hatred and thirst for revenge, the oni will attach itself to those emotions, and you will lose your soul when I pull the oni out. I can't emphasize enough how strong you must be, even now when you are filled with doubts about yourself and your role as a seishi."

Tamahome winced at the monk's perceptive assessment of his inner turmoil but stood straight and met Chichiri's gaze squarely. "I understand." he stated simply.

"Good. Now, if you can, there is one other thing I need you to do. When you feel that pull, and you pull back on yourself, it would be a great help to me if you could give an almighty push to everything that is not you. There is risk associated with this move, so it's not completely necessary... but it would help."

"You can count on me." Tamahome said quietly. Chichiri finally gave him a full smile, and Nuriko hugged him again.

"Nuriko, it's time for you to leave." As Nuriko walked past Chichiri, Tamahome saw the monk pass something to the purple-haired seishi, something that gleamed briefly in the lantern light, then was gone as Nuriko retreated into the shadows.

Chichiri moved toward Tamahome again, his eye narrowed in concentration. "Are you ready, Suzaku no Tamahome?"

"Ready."

Chichiri leaned forward and pulled the demon ward from Tamahome's forehead. "Come out." he commanded, setting his staff upright between them.

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Nothing happened. Tamahome stared confused into Chichiri's face, which tightened briefly with anger, then returned to its former look of intense concentration.

"Come out, I command you, in the name of Suzaku!" He slammed his shakujou into the ground, making the rings jingle together musically.

Still nothing. Tamahome began to get a look of panic in his eyes. "Calm down, Tamahome... remember what I told you - keep your focus!" Chichiri urged. Tamahome nodded and closed his eyes in concentration.

Chichiri spoke again, his voice taking on a tone that Tamahome had never heard from him before, one of contemptuous mockery. "Why won't you show yourself? Are you so afraid of me that you prefer to cower there in the body of a mere boy? I didn't know that I was so intimidating!"

Tamahome's eyes flashed briefly with a yellow glow that receded quickly, leaving his sparkling grey eyes still staring at Chichiri in confusion.

"All right, I see what you want. You're hungry, aren't you, but I'm not frightened enough to tempt you. Well, try a taste of this…" Chichiri closed his eyes and sent a brief surge of ki toward Tamahome. Tamahome felt the monk's ki touch his and realized that Chichiri had never left himself so wide open to him before. He had a brief impression of great anguish, pain so intense that it seared his soul... then suddenly felt himself shoved BACK, pushed to the furthest corner of his consciousness, as something not him surged forward eagerly.

Chichiri looked with satisfaction at the oni, yellowish-green light blazing forth from Tamahome's eyes and seishi symbol. "So there you are." he said softly.

"Yes, here I am, little monk." Tamahome's voice was thick with a mixture of mockery and desire. "I understand that you…want me for something?"

"Yes. I want you to leave this body and these premises forever. Never show your presence here again, and I may be persuaded to leave you with your life, such as it is."

The oni laughed. "Are you serious? Is that the best you can do?"

"No, but I thought it was worth a try. It is the warrior's code to always offer the enemy an honorable retreat. Not that there's anything honorable about you, but all the same, I've made the offer. Now that you have rejected it, I may proceed with a clear conscience."

"A clear conscience, is that what you call it? That's not what I tasted just a short while ago, little monk."

"Ah, yes, you... tasted it. So tell me about yourself." Chichiri adopted a tone of casual interest. "I so seldom encounter a noncorporeal demon - usually demons have their own bodies instead of utilizing the comparatively frail bodies of humans. Isn't it confining for you, being inside something so small? And what do you nourish yourself with?"

The oni smirked. "Questions, questions... how curious you are, little monk! Well, I've learned something from this boy I inhabit - if you want something, you have to be willing to pay for it. So what are you willing to pay for that information?"

"What do you want?"

"Ummm, how about... YOU!!"

Chichiri shook his head. "No, the price is too high for just a few answers. I have a pretty good idea of my own worth, and I'm worth a lot more than that. I think that you're pretty hungry - how about just another small sample of what I have to offer?"

"What makes you think that I'm so hungry? I just had Tasuki last night – very fine he was, too - and today, I'm feasting on Tamahome and Nuriko. I think that I'm positively full! I don't think that you can tempt me, little monk... maybe just as a brief mouthful for dessert."

"Oh, no? Well, consider this. Those are just children that you've fed on - children in anguish, it's true, but their pain is still only a reflection of what you've inflicted on them." Chichiri's voice dropped, became low, seductive. "What would you say to a man's anguish - aged for years, yet still intense enough to drive him to be a monk, pain that you had nothing to do with, so that for you, it will be totally new."

Tamahome's yellow eyes gleamed with interest. He moved forward, grasping Chichiri's arm. "All right, then... let's have a taste." he purred.

"No, first you have to answer a few questions. What is it that you want? What exactly do you feed on?"

Tamahome smiled. "How stupid, to waste your payment on questions that you already know the answers to. I feed on pain, of course - you know that, since you offer it up to me. Oh, fear, anguish and guilt are also extremely satisfying, not to mention the spices of hatred and vengeance. What do I want? Why, all of you - the Suzaku Seven and their miko. So innocent, so loving and trusting of each other - you're like lambs led to slaughter! The corruption of these formerly pure hearts is the most delicious experience I've had in centuries!"

"How did you come into being? You know, you're very unusual... a life form that feeds on pure emotion, on energy alone."

"Not so different from you, little monk. You feed on energy, too - everything you eat once lived, once had a life force. I just learned to eliminate the intervening steps, that's all... so that's why I don't need a body to process my 'nutrients'. There are advantages and disadvantages... I can go undetected for long periods of time, but there's always the risk that my host body will die, leaving me trapped in Hell. That happened not so long ago, and I'm just lucky to end up here with all of you." Tamahome's face crinkled in a parody of a friendly smile. "Have I told you lately how much I've enjoyed being here with you?"

Chichiri frowned, pondering the oni's answers. "So how exactly did you end up here?"

"Enough of the questions! Now you have to pay if you want any more answers." The oni beckoned to Chichiri. "Come here."

Chichiri stepped closer to Tamahome.

"Now take off your cloak."

"Why? It's my memories you want, not my body."

"Maybe I want both!"

"That wasn't part of the agreement!" Chichiri answered agitatedly.

"Just do it, or this will be the last time you see me before I strike at one of you in secret again!"

Reluctantly, Chichiri unclasped his kesa and let it drop to the floor. Tamahome seized him from behind, pulling Chichiri to him in a spoon position. "There we go... now isn't this nice?" he purred into Chichiri's ear. Suddenly, beams of yellow-green light shot down from the ceiling of the cell, illuminating them as if they stood in a cage of putrescent light. Chichiri looked startled at this development. "Just a little shield to ensure that we won't be... interrupted." cooed the oni.

In the shadows, Nuriko clenched his fists. He wasn't expecting this! How the hell was he going to help Chichiri with that barrier in the way? Too late, he recalled the oni's reference in his story to "shields and barriers." Did he remember to warn Chichiri about that? He couldn't recall - he was too upset while recounting the story to pay close enough attention to what he did and didn't say. That made him remember Chichiri's warning to him to not allow his emotions to overpower him, no matter what he saw or heard. Nuriko carefully unclenched his fists, forcing himself to pay close attention to what was going on, focusing especially closely on Chichiri's right hand.

Tamahome reached around Chichiri, grasping his shirt and ripping it down the middle, then running his hands up and down Chichiri's chest. "Nice…" he murmured. "There's a lot more to you than meets the eye, little monk..."

Nuriko bit down on his lip, drawing blood. It was obscene, this violation of the normally modest monk. He didn't know how much more he could take before he had to jump in! "Calm down, Nuriko... and stay ready..." The voice came from somewhere inside his head, but it sounded like Chichiri. Nuriko drew a deep but quiet breath and crouched in preparation for the signal.

Chichiri twisted in apparent agitation in Tamahome's grasp. "All right!" he gasped. "Now answer my question! How did you get here? How did you escape from Hell?"

"Mmmmmm, from Hell to Heaven in one easy step." gloated the oni. "You can thank that meddling old woman you're always running to. She reached into Hell a short while ago, looking for some demon power to bestow upon one of her favorite warriors - you know, don't you think it's unfair to the Seiryuu seishi, the way she always sides with the Suzaku Seven?" the oni interrupted his story. "Do you think that she's gotten Seiryuu seriously pissed at her? Talk about blatant favoritism!" He thrust his hips against Chichiri and moaned.

"You didn't finish your answer!" Chichiri's voice trembled. "Tell me how you got here!"

"Why, I just jumped on board when she pulled on my demon powers. That idiot bitch didn't even pause to check out the integrity of the power she borrowed - she just assumed that since there was no body attached to it, there was no soul, either!" Tamahome laughed. "And the next thing I knew, here I was, in such a lovely young body. All I needed to do was to lie quiet for a short while, learning about all of you... until it was time for me to feed! Ah, these reminiscences are making me hungry again! So show me what you have for me, little monk!"

Suddenly, an image appeared inside the cage of corrupted light, as clear as a vision yet as insubstantial as a ghost. It was that of three children laughing and playing, two boys and a girl. Nuriko looked closely at the smaller boy - he had silver blue hair tied in a low ponytail and long bangs that hung in front of his two warm brown eyes. "Chichiri!" breathed Nuriko.

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The two combatants and their hidden witness watched the three children in the vision as they formed bonds of strong friendship and love. As the children grew up into young adults in Chichiri's memories, they watched rites of passage, the two young men growing to love each other like brothers, and Chichiri growing ever closer to the young girl. Nuriko felt a lump rising in his throat at witnessing the aching sweetness of their first kiss - he was enchanted and embarrassed at the same time, feeling himself an intruder into Chichiri's most private memories. The time passed in Chichiri's mind, and they saw the betrothal ceremony for Chichiri and his fiancee, both of them joyful and unaware of the other boy frowning angrily in the background.

"Awwww, isn't this sweeeet." sneered the oni, cuddling Chichiri closer to him. "Excuse me while I go throw up."

"Be patient!" snapped Chichiri tersely. "It's almost time for what you want..." His voice trailed off as the scenery changed, the soft yellow sunshine of the happy memories darkening into a storm, a monsoon lashing rain onto the bleak landscape. Chichiri's fiancee crouched before him, tearfully ending their engagement because of something that had happened with the other boy. The oni drew in a deep breath as Chichiri's pain and jealous rage flashed across the scene like a bolt of lightning. The scene changed to the two young men, caught in the monsoon and in their own hateful storm, as they screamed invectives at each other, the lightning of Chichiri's rage at the betrayal flashing again and again. "Ohhh, yesssss..." grinned the oni, thoroughly enjoying Chichiri's pain. Suddenly, the young Chichiri drew a dagger and attacked his friend. They grappled precariously at the edge of a swollen, flooded river, the waters rushing fiercely below them. Nuriko gasped as Chichiri's friend lost his footing and slipped into the river. The young Chichiri jumped forward and grasped his friend's hand, trying to pull him to safety, the lightning of his rage now changing color, giving off feelings of remorse and regret. "Ah," said the oni. "A slightly different flavor, but still palatable. If only the heroics would end..."

As if by his command, the view shifted to that of a tree branch, thick as a log, hurtling at high speed through the floodwaters, suddenly being tossed into the air, striking the young Chichiri squarely in his left eye. "Ow! That had to hurt!" giggled Tamahome excitedly. Chichiri staggered back in pain and shock, blinded, letting go of his friend's hand. His friend screamed his name, then disappeared beneath the rushing waters. Chichiri remained at the water's edge, blind, screaming his friend's name over and over again, his guilt and anguish flaring up like a forest fire around him. "Mmmmmm," moaned the oni. "Perfect!"

Nuriko stayed in the shadows weeping, keeping a hand clamped over his mouth to repress the sound of his sobs. One last image appeared, that of the young Chichiri, a bloody bandage over his missing eye, sitting in the ruins of his home and his life, his fiancee and family dead, a black aura of despair surrounding him, drowning him. The oni groaned with happiness. "Yes! It's just as wonderful as you promised!" He turned a lustful gaze onto Chichiri. "You're mine now..." he purred, then pulling the monk to face him, he ran his tongue along the scar over Chichiri's missing eye. Nuriko nearly screamed out loud, his nails digging into his palms, raging silently at the blatant violation, at the degading insult to Chichiri's suffering. The monk struggled in Tamahome's grip, sobbing. "I gave you what you asked for! Now let me go!"

"No, I think not. I think that what I really want is to compare the despair of your past with the agony I am about to inflict on you now! Which will be more flavorful, I wonder?" The oni laughed in excitement.

Suddenly, in a movement so swift that Nuriko nearly missed it, Chichiri twisted out of Tamahome's grip. Stooping to pick up his staff, he swung it at the bars of light in the barrier, shattering them. He leaped through the hole in the barrier and started to run as if all the demons in hell were after him. Nuriko stared in shock as Chichiri shot past his hiding place, Tamahome following closely on his heels. Just when Nuriko thought that Chichiri might escape, Tamahome leaped forward and caught the monk by the shoulder, spinning him around. He dealt a back-handed slap to Chichiri's face, knocking him down. "Just for this tiresome little interlude," the oni growled, "I'm going to make you pay double. Double the pain, double the fun. What I'm about to do to you will make your friend Tasuki's experience look like a pleasant afternoon's outing!"

Chichiri got slowly to his feet, backing away from Tamahome. "Please..." he whispered, still backing away. "Please don't do that to me. Not like Tasuki. Please..." he pleaded, tears shining in his eye.

Tamahome kept advancing on Chichiri, his grin turning feral as he drank in his victim's fear and dread of what was about to happen to him. Nuriko stood clenching his fists in the shadows - Chichiri hadn't given him the signal yet! Did he even remember their plan, as shaken and distraught as he was after the oni had plundered his darkest memories?! Nuriko prayed to Suzaku for guidance - should he leap out and attack now? Or should he trust Chichiri in his shaken state, and keep to their plan?

Chichiri turned away from Tamahome as if to run again. Tamahome jumped forward, ready to grab him again, when Chichiri suddenly whirled around to face him. Nuriko was startled by the fierceness of his expression. He brought his right hand up in front of his face vertically, palm facing to the left, first two fingers upright and the last two folded down. Tamahome stopped, confused, as Chichiri began to chant spells in a low, ominous voice. Suddenly, red beams of light shot out from various positions in the corridor, converging on Tamahome and pinning him in place. Nuriko finally recognized the place where they stood - it was the corridor where they had talked, the corridor filled with demon wards and holy objects! Chichiri continued to chant, his kesa swirling around him in a mystical wind, as Nuriko wondered dimly when he had found the opportunity to pick up his cloak and don it.

Tamahome's face contorted in rage as the oni realized that all of Chichiri's apparent fear and agitation, his tears and entreaties, were part of an elaborate ruse, a carefully choreographed dance designed to lead him here, unsuspecting, into an area where he could be entrapped. The oni snarled and pulled at the beams of red light that restrained him, feeling them begin to give way. "Stupid little monk!" he hissed. "How long do you think these weak little bonds will hold me?!"

"Long enough." Chichiri replied, then changed the position of the first two fingers of his right hand to form a "V". Suddenly, the oni felt himself struck by a force that twisted one arm behind his back, while an all-too-familiar gauntleted arm pushed itself across his throat. "Hi, again." Nuriko whispered in his ear. "Remember me?"

Chichiri darted forward, slapping demon wards on Tamahome's body and prayer beads over his neck, careful to avoid the seishi sign since he didn't want to push the oni back into Tamahome. Nuriko twisted Tamahome's wrist and forced him down into a kneeling position before Chichiri. Chichiri raised his staff horizontal to the ground, then began spinning it, still chanting prayers and spells.

"You're wasting your time!" snarled the oni. "Those stupid spells can't do anything to me! The only way to get rid of me is to kill your friend!" Chichiri looked up at Nuriko and nodded. Nuriko reached behind himself to his belt, where he had stowed Chiriko's scroll when Chichiri had slipped it to him as he left Tamahome's cell. He tossed the scroll to Chichiri, who caught it smoothly in one hand.

Chichiri met the glaring eyes of the oni coolly. "Time to go." he said softly.

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Chichiri held up the scroll and began to rotate it slowly, chanting out yet another spell. The gold of the scroll flashed before the oni's eyes, seeming to pulse out beams of pure golden light in the same rhythm as heartbeats. Chichiri's chants began to match the tempo of the pulses, and the oni began to feel a powerful pull emanating from the scroll.

"Tamahome!" shouted Chichiri, his voice echoing like thunder in the enclosed space. "Reclaim yourself!!" The oni then felt a force behind him, pulling parts of Tamahome out of his grasp. He felt himself sliding forward, no matter how hard he tried to resist, being pulled inexorably out of his host body and towards the scroll. In desperation, the oni grabbed at the last thing within his reach - a seishi sign glowing with a red light. Although it scorched him, he did not let go, not wanting to lose his last hold on his host. At the same time, the pull from the scroll increased while the unknown force behind him gave a powerful push, and he fell screaming toward the scroll, still clutching the seishi sign which fell with him to be imprisoned with him. He made one last attempt to twist away from the inky void within the scroll.

Nuriko looked into Chichiri's eye which had glazed over strangely. Chichiri's arm still held out the scroll, trembling, vibrating as the being trapped within struggled to escape, then was finally subdued by the power of the scroll. "Chichiri?" Nuriko asked hesitantly. "Is it over? Can I release Tamahome now?" Chichiri's eye turned unfocused toward Nuriko. He seemed to give himself an internal shake, then smiled reassuringly at Nuriko, tucking Chiriko's golden scroll into his belt. "Yes, it's finally over. You can let him go now. He's free to go, free to return to us. The evil has at last been eradicated."

Upon being released, Tamahome fell forward, slumping tiredly on the ground, unconscious. Chichiri looked at him in concern. "Nuriko, can you look after him for a little while? I need to check in on Tasuki. I'll be back in less than an hour." Nuriko powered down his gauntlets into bracelets, then watched as Chichiri turned and started to walk away. He suddenly remembered the last part of their plan.

"Hey, Chichiri!" he called out cheerfully. "Haven't you forgotten something?" Chichiri turned back, a questioning look on his face. "Oh, of course, I nearly forgot. Thank you for reminding me, Nuriko." Chichiri walked back past Nuriko and retrieved his shakujou, then turned and began to retrace his steps out of the prison.

Nuriko looked after him in confusion, then in dawning horror. His chest constricted painfully as he recalled Chichiri's last instructions to him about their secret signal. Tears began rising in his eyes as he watched the beloved figure of the monk walk away from him - yes, beloved. Up until that moment, Nuriko didn't realize how much he had come to love the monk - he loved him like a brother, like a father, like a best friend. And it was that love for his friend, for his integrity, that would give him the strength to carry out Chichiri's last request. Grief-stricken, Nuriko powered up his bracelets back into gauntlets again.

Getting up quietly from where he had been kneeling beside Tamahome, Nuriko moved swiftly after the retreating figure of the monk. Leaping silently into the air, he came down on the monk, his hand raised in the killing blow. "I love you!" he sobbed just before he struck.

Suddenly, Chichiri's staff flew up, deflecting the blow and tossing Nuriko to the side. Chichiri walked up to Nuriko where he lay panting on the ground. "I love you, too, Nuriko." He smiled, then raised his right hand, his fingers in the familiar "V".

Nuriko stared up at him in disbelief. "What?! What do you mean…?! Why didn't you do that before?! WHY?!"

Chichiri smiled at Nuriko remorsefully. "I had to see if you had the strength to make the ultimate sacrifice, Nuriko. I wanted to know if you could kill one friend to save all the rest..."

"You BASTARD!!" screamed Nuriko. "How could you do that to me?! You fucking, myopic, self-centered BASTARD!!" Chichiri's eye widened at the stream of invective that would have done Tasuki proud. "Do you have any idea of what you just did to me? YOU BROKE MY HEART!! It broke my heart to have to decide to kill you, but you didn't care! You used me just to 'find something out'! How DARE you play with my heart!"

Nuriko put his face in his hands, weeping hysterically. "I thought we were friends, brothers, but it's just fine with you to play with my deepest feelings as a fucking test! I hate you! I'll never forgive you for this - never!"

Chichiri crouched beside Nuriko, his heart beating rapidly in remorse. Nuriko was right - he was stupid to think that it was necessary to test Nuriko's courage or conviction. He was supposed to be the compassionate seishi - but then he went ahead and hurt the one person who stood steadfastly beside him in one of the most frightening battles of his life. He felt tears form in his eye as he knelt before the sobbing figure of his friend.

"Nuriko..." he pleaded softly. "I was wrong and stupid to do that to you. I promise that I will never do such a thing again." His voice broke. "Do you think that you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" He reached out and touched Nuriko's shaking shoulder.

"Sure I can." Nuriko lifted his calm, perfectly dry face from his hands and flicked the end of Chichiri's nose, laughing at the stunned look on the monk's face. "Look here, you're not the only trickster in the group. Two can play at mind-fuck, just you remember that!" He reached out and grabbed Chichiri by the torn edges of his shirt. "But I hold you to your promise - if you ever pull a stunt like that on me again, I really will kill you!" Then he leaned forward and kissed Chichiri on the tip of his nose.

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Author's Notes: I would like to say hello to anyone reading this fic for the second time, and welcome to those of you who have never read it before.

I want to thank each of you for reading - this is my first ever multi-chapter fic, and only the second fic I have ever written. I agree that the beginning is harsh, so I appreciate you all giving it a chance - it will lighten up in subsequent chapters, although dark elements will make an appearance from time to time.

I'd like to say that the last scene in Chichiri's flashback was inspired by a stunning piece of fanart I picked up on the web -I can't quite make out the artist's signature, but I think it's something like Willow 2001 - whoever you are, thanks! And boy, are you talented!

Thank you again.

Roku-chan

P.S. To my sister CG - Alright. Tasuki is still my favorite, but I think I'm falling in love with Chichiri now, too. Hope you like him as I see him - verrrrry powerful.... and sexy!

P.P.S. Music - one of the most appropriate matches I've made for this entire story - the music starts at the beginning of this chapter. The eerie ominous wind-and-waves sound actually inspired Tamahome's nightmare scene. The lyrical bridge goes with Chichiri's happy memories, then segues into tragedy. The music ends at the oni's entrapment within the scroll.