Tasuki sighed with satisfaction as he pounded the last of the tent stakes into the half frozen ground. He straightened, grinning in triumph at the tent, which had taken him two hours and much cursing and swearing to erect. He glanced around, and his cocky grin faded a bit as he realized the others had managed to get their tents up some time ago. Shrugging, he turned away and started hauling his gear off his horse to put it in the tent.

Nuriko was grooming his horse, which was picketed near Tasuki’s. "Finally get the tent up, Gen-chan?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

Tasuki muttered something under his breath, and lugged his heavy bag over to the tent flap. "Anou, Tasuki-kun, we haven’t decided on sleeping arrangements yet no da!" exclaimed Chichiri.

Tasuki blinked at him. "Mitsukake and Chiriko are so deep in discussion, as usual, that they’ll want to talk all fucking night. I dare anyone to tell Miaka and Tamahome they’re not sharing a tent." He shared a grin with the monk at this statement. The two mentioned were currently sitting gazing adoringly into each others eyes. "So unless you want to share with Nuriko or I…" He shrugged. "I figured you’d probably want to be left alone to meditate or something. And besides," he added, glaring at the recalcitrant tent, "I put the fucking thing up, I’m damned well going to sleep in it!"

Chichiri nodded in acquiescence, and Tasuki dragged his bag inside the tent. Once inside, he flopped down on the ground and glanced around the tight confines. He grinned nervously, his mood about 9 parts anticipation to 1 part fear. Tonight would be the first chance he and Nuriko had had to be alone with each other since that day on board the ship. They had shared the occasional brief, heated glance when no one was looking, and a few times been able to spare a moment for a quick, passionate kiss, but circumstances had prevented them from doing anything more. Consequently, the tension had been building between them for several days, each knowing that what was coming was inevitable, even if either had cared to attempt to stop it.

He rubbed his hands together briskly and breathed on them. "Che, it’s fucking cold in this country," he grumbled. He grinned again, with no fear this time, as he contemplated ways that he and Nuriko could "share their body heat."

The object of his thoughts poked his head in through the tent flap. "Oi, Gen-chan, it’s dinner time!" He proclaimed. "What are you doing just sitting in here?" he added, noting that Tasuki had yet to even open his saddlebag.

Tasuki sent him a lustful smirk. "Just thinkin’ about what I’m gonna do to you tonight, Nuri-chan." He spoke softly, mindful of the thin walls of the tent. Nuriko flushed warmly, Tasuki’s ecchi thoughts mirrored on his expressive features.

"I’m looking forward to it," the bishounen murmured in return, his violet eyes raking their way down Tasuki’s body. Tasuki, looking quickly out the tent to be sure no one could see them, placed a passionate kiss on his lover’s lips. Nuriko returned the kiss tenfold, until both men were gasping in the cold air. "We could get started early?" suggested Nuriko, only half joking.

Tasuki grinned back at him. "Better eat while you can, Nuri-chan. You’re gonna need the energy." He pushed past the other Seishi and stepped out of the tent. Nuriko shivered a bit at the heated promise in his tone, then turned to follow him to the fire in the center of the small ring of tents.
 
 

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Nuriko crawled through the tent flap, Tasuki close on his heels. He was shivering slightly, not so much from the frigid cold of the night air as from anticipation of what was about to happen. His blood raced through his veins as Tasuki laced the flap closed, sending waves of fiery sensation through his body. <He hasn’t even touched me yet, and already I feel this way!> he marveled. He stretched leisurely, feeling the soft silk of his inner layer of clothes sliding against his sensitized skin. A fluttery sensation erupted in his stomach as Tasuki turned liquid amber eyes to regard his lover.

"I’ve been waiting for this, Nuri-chan," Tasuki said, his voice husky with the desire that shone clearly on his face. "Sometimes I think I’ve been waiting my whole life."

Nuriko shivered a little harder, and opened his arms to welcome his lover. Tasuki glided up to him, and their lips met in a gentle butterfly kiss. Their mouths grazed each other once, twice, three times, meeting for a brief instant and then pulling away almost before the contact could be felt. Their hands met, and their fingers entwined. Neither had ever felt so close to another human being before. "Ai shiteru," Nuriko whispered, and was echoed by his lover.

As their mouths pressed together more firmly, hands began to unfasten various articles of clothing. As their heavy outer layers came off, Tasuki joined Nuriko in his shivering. However, now both were reacting to the cold. Tasuki grinned. "Let’s get the bedrolls out, and combine the blankets," he suggested.

Readily agreeing, Nuriko helped him roll out the thin mats, spreading the blankets over top. They quickly divested themselves of the last of their clothing, then crawled in under the blankets and cuddled together.

For several moments, they just held each other, each absorbing both the extra warmth and the comfort and love radiating from the other. "Gen-chan," Nuriko began softly, "I just want you to know… I’m not in love with Hotohori anymore. I’m not sure I ever really was."

"Nani?" Tasuki was surprised. "But I thought you were convinced he was the only one for you?"

Nuriko grinned back at him mischievously. "Well, I was proved wrong on that count, wasn’t I Gen-chan?" He dropped a light kiss on the blushing bandit’s nose, then continued. "I loved Hotohori-sama because it was what Kourin would have done. But this…" he gestured at Tasuki and himself. "This is just for me. I love you, not because it’s what Kourin would have wanted, but because it’s what I want."

Tasuki hugged Nuriko close for several moments, unable to speak around the unfamiliar lump in his throat. "Arigatou, Nuri-chan. You have no idea what hearing something like that means to me. I know why I fell in love with you… you’re beautiful, funny, smart, and you pack a hell of a punch!" He grinned at his lover, then sobered. "But I have no idea why someone as wonderful as you would ever want to be with a scruffy bandit like me."

Nuriko’s eyes filled with tears as he realized for the first time how low Tasuki’s self-image was. True, he’d admitted his discomfort with the palace and it’s denizens, but he projected such a brash, cocky attitude that it was difficult sometimes to remember that he was really hardly more than a child, and that he’d had such an unusual life. "Oh, Gen-chan," he whispered. "It’s me who should be asking you that. You’re wonderful. I feel I can talk to you so easily, about anything. You can always make me laugh when I need it. You’re not afraid to stand up to me when you feel that I’m wrong. Hell, you’re not even afraid to stand up to me when you know that I’m right!" A tiny smile graced his lips. "But most importantly, you don’t spend time worrying about whether to treat me as a male, a female, or a freak… you just treat me like… like a friend…" His voice broke unexpectedly, and he found himself crying softly into Tasuki’s shoulder.

For his part, Tasuki was surprised to realize the depth of the hurt Nuriko had shouldered over the years in his guise as a female. The teasing of Tamahome and himself had probably not helped matters, he admitted to himself. He hugged the bishounen closer still, trying to make up for the hurt he had unwittingly caused. "Nuriko, ore wa ai shiteru!"

Nuriko raised his mouth for a kiss, and this time there was nothing light or playful about their embrace. The heated passion between them was enough to raise the ambient temperature in the tent by several degrees, as their tongues clashed fiercely and their hands roamed over warm, supple flesh.

For once, they took their time building up the pressure between them, knowing they had all night to enjoy themselves. Tasuki slid his hands through the waterfall of silk that made up Nuriko’s hair, undoing the casual braid as he went. The softly scented purple locks drifted out to frame Nuriko’s delicate features, accenting the feminine qualities. Tasuki buried his face in the waves and inhaled deeply, enjoying the silky caress against his skin. Nuriko stretched and rubbed against him, the friction of their skin sliding together creating waves of heat in both of them.

Tasuki moved his hands to frame Nuriko’s face, and began trailing wet kisses down the side of his cheeks towards his ear. He licked and sucked at the outer shell of the ear, occasionally darting his tongue out for a deeper foray. The sound of Nuriko’s gasps and moans of pleasure rewarded him, and he gently dragged his mouth down the side of his neck, under his chin, and up to the other ear, to repeat his earlier motions.

Nuriko squirmed in his grasp, and he moved so that he was straddling the other Seishi, the blanket slung over his back, his chest pressed tightly against the bishounen’s. He trailed his lips down the smooth throat, feeling the vibrations of Nuriko’s moans against his lips. He smiled slightly, and continued down to his chest, fingers reaching out to trace around, but not touch, the sensitive nipples. He planted warm kisses all along the planes of Nuriko’s chest, continuing to tease around the nipples with his fingers.

Nuriko gasped at the merciless teasing, arching his back to try to force Tasuki to touch him where he wanted to be touched. Tasuki raised his head and grinned, then finally obliged by lowering his mouth to one aching nipple, his fingers flicking lightly over the other. His warm tongue circled, then prodded lightly at the swollen bud, eliciting a slightly louder moan from his lover. Tasuki glanced over at the thin tent walls ironically. <Well, if anyone didn’t realize what was going on before,> he mused, < they sure will now!> He grinned at the thought, then went back to pleasuring Nuriko.

Nuriko, for his part, was thoroughly enjoying himself. Tasuki’s teasing was putting a fine edge on his already sharp hunger for the gorgeous bandit. He moved one hand to the center of Tasuki’s chest, and levered him up, leaving his mouth connected but giving Nuriko better access to his chest with his free hand. Tasuki raised his head and grinned, then returned to his self-appointed task of driving his lover crazy.

Effortlessly supporting Tasuki’s weight with one hand, Nuriko began to return the favours Tasuki had bestowed upon him, gliding his hand along Tasuki’s muscled torso, but refusing to brush the rigid nipples. Tasuki groaned, sending vibrations through Nuriko’s body. Eventually Nuriko gave in and plucked at the nipples with his fingers.

Tasuki tried to move his mouth lower on Nuriko’s body, but the arm supporting his weight was also hampering his downward movement. Nuriko was lowering the bandit back to rest on his body, reluctant to lose the ability to touch Tasuki back, when an idea came to him. Eyes sparkling, he used both hands to turn the red-head so that he was facing away from Nuriko.

"What the?" began a startled Tasuki, but then he realized where Nuriko was going with this maneuver and complied eagerly. As Nuriko’s strong hands got a firm grip on his hips, keeping his waist area in the air, he lowered his head until he was able to suck gently on Nuriko’s throbbing erection.

Nuriko chose to tease a bit more, rather than taking the direct approach as Tasuki had. He forced himself to concentrate through the warm fuzz of pleasant feelings in his brain. He slowly licked, sucked and nibbled his way down the length of Tasuki’s erection. Tasuki moaned several times as he did this, with the interesting side-effect of his mouth vibrating against Nuriko’s flesh, sending entirely new sensations through the Seishi. Nuriko involuntarily thrust his hips upward in response, nearly choking poor Tasuki who wasn’t prepared for such a move. Tasuki recovered quickly though, and began to suck with new urgency on Nuriko.

In retaliation, Nuriko took Tasuki’s member deep into his throat, caressing the top with the tip of his tongue. He began an in and out motion, letting his teeth scrape delicately along the sensitive flesh as he moved. Tasuki moaned again, and Nuriko increased his efforts.

Slowly, the pace built, until, as they were frantically trying to pleasure one another, it became a sort of game; a contest to see who could get the other off first. Tasuki resisted his orgasm with all his might, digging his fingers into the flesh of Nuriko’s hips. He moaned wildly, certain the still-quiet Nuriko would outlast him by several minutes. Suddenly, the tension he could feel in his lover’s body seemed to snap, and the bishounen pumped his hips once, twice, and then exploded inside Tasuki’s mouth. Nuriko’s arms wavered, and then collapsed, dropping the bandit abruptly, but Tasuki managed to keep his liplock on Nuriko’s erection.

Wanting to return the favour Nuriko had given him previously, he did his best to swallow the bitter liquid as it spewed forth from his lover. But there was too much of it, and he began to choke; besides which, it tasted horrible! Tasuki quickly turned his head to the side and spat it out, then sat up and scrubbed at his mouth with his hand. He twisted around to face Nuriko, a rueful expression on his face. "Nuri-chan… gomen, I meant to…"

Nuriko lay still on the mats, panting for breath. "Daijobu," he managed to gasp, waving a hand limply in reassurance. "Most people don’t like it. I," and he grinned wickedly up at his lover, seeming to have regained some of his energy, "appear to have a taste for it, is all."

Tasuki was uncertain how to proceed at this point. His own erection was still throbbing madly, close to fulfillment but having cooled down a bit from his aborted attempt at swallowing his lover’s seed. "What…" he began, but Nuriko sat up and hushed him with a quick kiss.

"Now I have a special surprise for you, aisuru," Nuriko whispered conspiratorially into his ear; then, with a wink, he set about rummaging through the bags.

"Do I want to know?" Tasuki wondered aloud, settling back on the mat. Nuriko gave a throaty chuckle, then let out a small cry of triumph as his hand emerged from his bag holding a small, sealed container.

"Know what this is?" He asked Tasuki. When the bandit shrugged his ignorance, he continued, "This is the base lubricant that the healers use to make salves." He wrinkled his nose delicately. "I snitched it from Mitsukake’s bag the other day."

"What’s it for?" Tasuki wanted to know. Nuriko merely grinned at him, then cracked open the container, scooping a fingertip worth from the jar.

"Brr," he shivered a little, "that’s going to feel cold."

"But what’s it for?" Tasuki wondered again. Nuriko smiled serenely, and dabbed a bit of the salve onto the tip of Tasuki’s nose.

"This," he answered, and began to rub it liberally around the area of his own asshole.

Tasuki’s eyes widened in sudden comprehension. "Y - you want me… to… to…" he stuttered, amazed at how much trust Nuriko was showing him. Although Tasuki wasn’t all that big, he knew he could hurt the delicate bishounen badly if he wasn’t careful.

Nuriko looked up, suddenly worried. "Don’t you want to? I… I thought maybe you would…" he trailed off uncertainly, suddenly unsure of what he had previously assumed would be a positive reception to the idea.

"No, no!" Tasuki hastened to reassure him. "I just… I never thought…" he stopped, cleared his throat, and then looked Nuriko squarely in the eyes. "Arigatou, Nuri-chan. I’m honoured that you would put that much trust in me."

Nuriko smiled in relief, and scooped more of the salve out of the small jar. This time, he held it in his hands for several seconds to warm it, and then he reached out to smooth it onto Tasuki’s erection.

Tasuki gritted his teeth, nearly coming there and then from the incredible sensation provoked by the feel of Nuriko’s cool hands sliding along the hot skin. He held himself back, determined to honour his lover’s trust by managing a least a FEW thrusts. He smiled sardonically at himself, baring his fangs in wry amusement.

Nuriko leaned in for a quick, reassuring kiss, then lay back on the mats, grasping his knees with his hands and drawing his legs back until he was lying totally exposed. Tasuki’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of that small, round hole, glistening with the salve Nuriko had applied. He moved forward, positioning himself carefully, and gave Nuriko a gentle nudge.

Nuriko locked eyes with him, and nodded. Tasuki pushed forward, ever so gently, feeling the head of his erection make its way past the tight ring of muscles at the mouth of Nuriko’s anus. Nuriko groaned, closing his eyes, and Tasuki froze, afraid he had hurt him. Nuriko opened his eyes again, and pleaded, "Don’t stop, Gen-chan!" The passionate entreaty had the desired effect, and Tasuki allowed himself to slide forward until he was tightly sheathed within Nuriko’s beautiful body.

Tasuki clenched his jaw hard, determined to last as long as possible. He slid slowly out, the forward again, reveling in the feeling of the tight, hot confines of Nuriko’s ass squeezing at his member. He hissed through his teeth as he pulled out again, knowing he wouldn’t last much longer. He leaned forward until his face was a breath away from Nuriko’s, and stopped moving, most of the way out of his lover’s ass.

"Nuri-chan," he whispered, his voice mangled with desire, "Ai shiteru." With that, he plunged back in, crying out as he exploded inside Nuriko’s ass. His seed pumped forth with a violence he was unused to, and he collapsed bonelessly on top of the bishounen.

Nuriko’s arms surrounded him, cuddling him into a close embrace. For several minutes they lay there like that, still connected at the most fundamental level. Finally, Tasuki’s shrinking erection caused him to slip out of Nuriko, and he moved up to a move comfortable position against the other Seishi. As they drifted slowly off to sleep, it seemed that nothing could go wrong with their world.
 
 

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Tasuki came to a screeching halt, causing Chichiri, walking along the path behind him, to slam into his back. "Itai no da!" The blue haired monk exclaimed, backing off. "What’s up, Tasuki-kun no da?"

Tasuki stared blankly into the distance, not even hearing his companion’s words. Somewhere, somehow, something deep inside him was being torn apart. He could feel it, deep in his chest… rending, tearing claws shredding him to pieces. He fell to his knees with the physical pain of it, clutching at his heart.

By this time Chichiri, too, had sense there was something wrong. The eyes of both Seishi were turned westward, though both were looking too far deep within themselves to see the landscape before them. "One of the other Seishi is in trouble no da!" Chichiri cried. "We have to help, na no da!"

"Nuriko." Tasuki’s voice came out in an anguished whimper, and he bowed his head, helpless before the pain in his soul. "Nuri-chan… don’t leave me…."

Chichiri looked on with concern. He’d known of the growing relationship between the two younger Seishi from the beginning, but this went far beyond a mere romance. He could feel the pull in his soul which meant one of the other Seishi was in danger, but Tasuki was suffering from a physical pain far beyond what Chichiri experienced. More than that; he had felt that pain BEFORE Chichiri, a trained mage, knew there was something wrong.

"Tasuki-kun!" He cried out, kneeling next to the bandit. He opened his outer jacket, and whipped off his kesa. He spread the dark blue and white cloth out on the snow-covered ground. "Tasuki-kun! Get onto this, no da!"

Hearing the urgency in the other’s voice, Tasuki looked up listlessly. His eyes widened at the sight of the outspread kesa, and he scrambled onto it. Chichiri stepped on and slammed his staff into the center. The cloth sank into the snow beneath the impact… and kept sinking, taking Tasuki and Chichiri with it.

The next thing Tasuki knew, he was standing knee deep in snow on a mountain top. Ahead of him, he could see Miaka and Tamahome bending over a prone figure in the snow. Miaka was crying, and Tamahome was attempting to offer comfort. Somehow, Tasuki could not bring himself to focus on the third figure, though he knew, deep in his heart, what he would see.

He saw a strange, mangled, wolf-like form near a boulder which had obviously been recently removed from a cave entrance. There were tracks in the snow everywhere… tracks, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. The crimson red stains were everywhere, but most especially around the wolf form and…

And the person prone before Miaka and Tamahome, the Seishi whose mortal danger had called to them all in his time of need. To all of them, but most especially to his lover.

Tasuki stumbled forward, barely aware of Chichiri’s supporting hand on his shoulder. Somehow, the prone figure became less clear the closer they moved… Tasuki wiped at his eyes with one hand, only realizing the blurriness was from tears when they froze on his chill hand. The pain was ripping, tearing at his insides, clawing to get out of him, but he fought it back.

He stumbled to a halt as he reached the figure in the snow, and collapsed to his knees, staring disbelievingly at the pale face before him. <It can’t be,> he thought to himself desperately, shaking his head helplessly. <It just can’t be…>

The face before him stirred, and hope rose in his breast. <Still alive. We can still save him!> Nuriko opened his crystal amethyst eyes, gazing vacantly up into the sky. Slowly, he managed to focus, and found the Suzaku no Miko curled in Tamahome’s arms, sobbing. He stretched out a hand.

"Yamete," he whispered, causing Miaka to look up. "Yamete, Miaka-chan, don’t cry. Not for me."

"Nuriko!" Miaka wailed, then reburied her head in Tamahome’s chest and went back to sobbing uncontrollably.

Nuriko slowly moved his head to regard Tamahome. "Take care of her, Tama. I won’t be here to help protect her…" Tamahome nodded slowly, tears filly his own blue-violet eyes.

Nuriko drew in a slow breath, and Tasuki nearly burst into outright sobs at the horrible bubbling noise it made in his lungs. As if the external wounds weren’t already bad enough to kill any ordinary man, the bishounen Seishi was bleeding internally as well.

Nuriko raised his eyes to meet the anguished gaze of his lover, sighing softly as he saw the pain lying deep within. "Gen-chan," he wheezed, "onegai, live for me. Don’t let this end your life. You’re young. I want you to learn to love again. To be happy."

Tasuki shook his head wildly. "Iie. Yamete. Nuri-chan, don’t say things like that! You’ll be okay. Mitsukake will be here any minute, and he’ll heal you."

Nuriko shook his head, the effort obviously requiring all his strength of will. "Iie, Gen-chan. I don’t think even Mitsukake can heal this."

Tasuki felt the tears sliding faster down his cheeks, but made no further effort to supress them. "Nuri-chan," he whispered, leaning over to be closer to the other Seishi’s face. "Don’t leave me now. Onegai. I need you. I love you. Nuri-chan!"

Nuriko focused a loving gaze once more up on Tasuki’s face, and with the last of his strength, raised one arm to cradle the side of his lover’s face in the palm of his hand. "Gen-chan. Wo ai ni. These last few weeks have been the happiest of my entire life. Arigatou."

He took a painful breath to continue. His voice was no more than a whisper. "Aisuru. I will… never… for…get…" His voice trailed off. He breathed once more…and did not let it out again. His hand relaxed, and his arm collapsed to the ground. He was gone.

Tasuki turned frantically to Chichiri. "Mitsukake. Where’s Mitsukake? Chichiri, you have to go get him!"

Chichiri had removed his mask, and tears were streaming freely from both his scarred and uninjured eye. He shook his head in desolation. "Gomen, Tasuki. Even if I knew where to find him, it’s too late. Mitsukake can’t heal those who are…" he voice caught; he swallowed and forced himself to continue. "those who are already d-dead." He turned away, unable to meet the pain in the those anguished amber eyes any longer. Tasuki helplessly gazed about, searching for something, ANYthing, that could help. Nothing. There was only nothing.

"Iie," whispered Tasuki, bending back over Nuriko’s still form. "IIE," he cried, rising to stand. He threw his head back and screamed at the uncaring mountain face. "IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The sound reverberated off the mountain and was reflected back to him, echoing and re-echoing off the other mountains until it seemed as if a thousand voices cried out at the unfairness of it. Tasuki fell to his knees once again amid the clamour, his legs unable to support him any longer. The Miko and other Seishi regarded him solemnly, not saying a word. They sensed that nothing they could say, nothing they could do, would ease his heart-rending anguish.

Tasuki wanted to die. He wanted, more than anything else in the entire world, to draw his knife and put it through the ache in his heart. He wanted to follow his beloved Nuriko into the afterlife, whatever that may be. But though his hand gripped the hilt until his knuckles turned white, he could not bring himself to draw the blade and end it. His words to Nuriko echoed back at him through time. "You’re a Suzaku Shichiseishi! That’s why you can’t kill yourself!"

He squeezed his eyes shut in pain. It seemed a lifetime ago… and yet in reality, it was only a few weeks time. Only a few weeks to be with the one person who could truly love him; the one person he could truly love. Despite Nuriko’s pleading last words, Tasuki knew he would never be able to give his heart to another. Not after this.

Slowly, the echoes faded, taking with them, it seemed, Tasuki’s pain. He felt numb, unable to feel anything at all, except an overwhelming sense of loss deep within his soul. He stood slowly, his movements listless, his eyes blank. As he turned to face the others, he saw Mitsukake and Chiriko running full tilt up the trail. Too late. Oh, too late.

But the amber gaze held no bitterness. It was not Mitsukake’s fault. He’d obviously gotten here as quickly as he could; the healer was panting for air and barely able to keep himself running. Chiriko wasn’t in any better shape, struggling to keep up with the longer strides of his companion.

He turned away from their cries of anguish upon seeing the felled Seishi; nothing they felt could possibly compare to the pain he would carry with him for the rest of his life. He fixed his gaze on the cave opening; the opening Nuriko had given his life to provide them. From now on, until the fight was over, the only thing important in his life was his Seishi duty of protecting the Miko and calling Suzaku. When that was finished….well, he would decided what to do then when he got there.
 
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