Chichiri soberly regarded his companion across the table. Tasuki looked even more miserable than before, the kesa and a shirt borrowed from Chichiri hanging off her slender shoulders, head bowed and amber eyes hidden by the flaming hair. The story he had just heard was incredible, but, being a mage himself - and knowing the tricks destiny was wont to play with the Seishi's lives - he was more than ready to accept it as the truth.

"So, the bad news is, we've got a powerful sorceress out there somewhere no da. The good news is, since it's a spell, either I'll be able to remove it, or Taiitsu-kun will na no da."

"Hontou?" Tasuki raised suddenly hopeful eyes to meet his, the amber shimmering beneath barely-suppressed tears.

"Hai, no da!" Chichiri nodded firmly, then steadied himself against the table when the room spun slightly. *Oops no da. It's been awhile since I had sake, no da. I think I overdid it a little na no da.*

Tasuki bounced to her feet and practically jumped over the table to hug Chichiri. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou," she babbled, almost incoherent. "You have NO IDEA what I've gone through in this fucking body!"

Chichiri gingerly removed Tasuki from around his neck long enough to draw breath, rather surprised by the outpouring of thanks. Tasuki wasn't normally so voluble with his emotions. *Then again, Tasuki isn't normally female, either,* he reflected wryly. "Demo, Tasuki, how did you get into Hinansho no da? Why didn't you go back to your hideout no da? I mean, I know Kouji would have laughed no da, but at least you would have been safe there na no da!"

Tasuki's eyes suddenly became shuttered, and Chichiri was startled at the sudden tenseness of her body. She slowly disentangled herself from the hug she'd been giving him, and made her way back to the other side of the table. Once seated, she took a healthy pull on the sake flask, then lowered her eyes to the table and her hands to her lap. Although he couldn't see them, Chichiri had the distinct impression that she was wringing her hands - a most un-Tasuki-like action.

"There's been another group of bandits operating in the area for the past six months," she began, her voice flat and dull. "Kouji and I figured they were comin' from this city. They didn't start out as much of a problem, so we just gave 'em the usual warning to back off, but they became more and more of a problem."

She raised burning eyes, and Chichiri was startled again at the strength of the hatred within them. "We had the mountain passes pretty much covered, so they started attacking farms - Chichiri, they were burning the crops, raping the women - and the KIDS…" her voice broke, and she shuddered, closing her eyes. "We found entire families tortured and burnt to death - and they were leavin' OUR mark at the scenes."

Chichiri felt his own anger rising within him, as he thought out the implications. The Mt. Leikaku bandits were infamous in the area, but they NEVER hurt their targets more than was necessary to subdue the guards, and Tasuki and Kouji kept a tight reign on activities such as rape and looting. And as every peasant in a fifty mile radius knew, a good deal of the wealth stolen by the Leikaku bandits had an odd habit of ending up in the pockets of those who needed it most.

And now, another group, committing these horrible acts, was claiming membership with the Leikaku bandits, undoing all of Tasuki and Kouji's hard work to improve their reputation. At the very least, it would mean trouble for the bandits - at worst, it would force Empress Houki to order the army into the area to exterminate the bandits. Honouring a former Shichiseishi only went so far, and rape and torture were far beyond that line.

Tasuki had lowered her eyes again as she continued. "Anyway, I was on my way back, when I ran into a group of these guys." Her hand went to her back in an automatic gesture, reaching for her tessen, and she shuddered when it met nothing but air and fabric. "I was still confused - I didn't have a chance. They brought me back here to be their, uh, slave girl. I don't think they knew who I really was - I think they would have just killed me if they'd known, or maybe used me against Kouji. I've been here for almost a month. I finally escaped this morning, and then those guys cornered me in the alley - and you know the rest."

Tasuki reached for the flask again, while Chichiri considered. Given the bruises, scratches, and even burn marks on Tasuki's body which he'd seen in the alley, some of which looked weeks old, Chichiri didn't think his friend had been treated very well at the hands of the bandits. In fact, he had a horrible feeling that Tasuki's soul had been hurt very, very badly - maybe past the point of fixing. Given what Tasuki had told him of their treatment of the peasant women - *No, don't go there. Just don't think about it. Not right now.* Chichiri's inner voice instructed. *We'll deal with it later. Right now, you've gotta stop him - her - from falling over.*

Chichiri looked up to see what his subconscious had already realized - Tasuki was incredibly drunk. "Tasuki!" He exclaimed. "How much of that have you had no da? You look ready to pass out na no da!"

Tasuki looked up at him through bleary eyes. "I ain't had that much!" She protested. Or at least, that's what Chichiri thought she said. The words were so slurred it was hard to make out.

"Oi! I think your tolerance is a lot lower as a female no da!"

Tasuki seemed to take stock of herself, attempting to stand and ending up slumped over on the floor. "Yeah, I think I'm plucking fastered," she said vaguely, staring up at him. "In fact, I think I'm gonna go to sleep now." She started to tilt over to one side.

Chichiri jumped out of his chair and caught her before she could hit her head. "Oi no da! Time to get you upstairs no da!" He pulled her to her feet, but she staggered and could hardly stand.

Sighing, Chichiri scooped her up in his arms, amazed at how little she weighed. "Oi, put me down! I c'n walk!" she protested, but her arms came up to wrap snugly around his neck and she nestled into his chest. "Yer warm," she commented sleepily, her cold nose nuzzling his neck.

"And you're drunk, no da!" Chichiri replied, heading for the stairs. Mindful of the fact that he was more than a little out of it himself, Chichiri was very careful to watch his footing on the way up to the second floor, clutching Tasuki to him tightly. *She's so soft,* he thought absently, eyes on the floor ahead of him. *Smells good, too. It's been a long time since I've held a woman like this…*

He caught himself and stopped short in the hallway, shocked at the way his thoughts had been going. *Oi, this is Tasuki I'm thinking about! My best friend! My MALE best friend!*

* Not very male right now,* some inner voice whispered to him. *Very, very not male, in fact, if that mass of softness against your chest is any indication. Tasuki makes a very well built female…*

*STOP IT,* he chided himself, continuing on to the room he had purchased for them both. He swung open the door with one hand, trying desperately to ignore the soft bottom he brushed against in the process. Entering the room, he dumped Tasuki on the first of the two twin beds, and quickly pulled the light blanket over her sleeping form. She didn't even stir, except to snuggle deeper into the blanket and kesa. "Mmm, Chichiri," she murmured, but did not wake.

Chichiri exhaled noisily, and plopped down on his own bed. Removing his sandals, he tucked himself into the blankets, and composed himself for sleep. *In the morning I'll try to change him back, and if that doesn't work, I'll take him to Taiitsu-kun's. He'll be back to normal soon, so I might just as well stop thinking about him this way!*

But sleep was elusive that night, and what little he got was plagued by dreams of a red-haired beauty.
 
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