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A Fushigi Yuugi OVA
Ripples in the water
OVA8:Suzaku Seishi Chiriko
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"Youre a shichi-seisi?" H-chan asked in mild disbelief
 as she stared down at the child, still menacing her
 with an evil glare. The effect of this glare was all
 but lost with Tasukis subsequent noogie-ing.
 "Remember how beautiful Suzaku no miko was supposed
 to be?!" he chckled. "What a %$#@in' CROCK!"

"Aho!" H-chan swiped at him.

The boy looked up at her, an expression of horror
 dawning on his face. "Youre...youre Suzaku no miko?"

H-chan nodded, trying to hide a smirk that was slowly
 forming on her face.

"Gomen nasai!" The kid bowed. "Im Chiriko!"

"I know..." H-chan smiled, slightly confused still.
 "Umm...so whats a cute little kid like you-"

"AAAARRGGHH!!" Chiriko yelled, knocking H-chan down 
with suprise. "Dont CALL me that!"

K-chan wavered out of her drunken stupor enough to
 look over and giggle. "What a cute lil'-"

"AAAHHH!" The child screamed again, turning bright
 red. 

Chichiri surveyed the situation. Over a period of 
time, he had found his place in this small group of
 misfits:the peace keeper. He looked over the weary
 seishi, and decided that what everyone probaly needed
 was a good nights sleep. He superdeformed and walked
 over to Chiriko. 

"DA!"

"Augh!" Chiriko stared down in suprise at the
 chibified blue-haired monk. "Who are-"

"Im a shichiseishi no da!" He went to his normal size,
 to Chirikos further astonishment. "Im Chichiri,
 welcome to the Suzaku Shichiseishi no da!" He pulled
 out his kasa, and brought out a huge pile of
 blankets. "Its time for us all to sleep no da. Were
 going to Konan in the morning no da!"

"Konan?" Chirikos eyes gleamed with dreams of the
 imperial city. What great things he could steal
 there...He smiled up at the man and got a blanket.
 "Arigatou gozaimasu!" He curled up underneath and was
 almost instantly asleep. 

"Good night, Chiriko...you too, H-chan no da!"

"But, Im not sleepy..." she yawned as Chichiri threw a
 blanket on her. She immediatley fell into a deep sleep.

He surveyed the rest of the seishi. Tamahome and K-
chan were both slumped onto the ground, passed out.
 Chiriko was sleeping, and H-chan was also prone on
 the ground. Tasuki was-

"Tasuki?" Chichiri hissed. The bandit jumped down
 friom a tree branch over head, dark coat making him
 merge with the darkness. A fang glinted through the
 shadows, as did a glint of red. "Oy, Chichiri, Id
 better keep an eye on Chiriko..."

Chichiri shook his head. "The blankets will take care
 of him no da. He'll sleep utill I wake up."

Tasuki whistled. "Damn, Chichiri. You thought of
 everything."

"You sure you dont want to sleep down here no da?" He
 gestured to the pile. "Most of theese arent magic no
 da..."

Tasuki just laughed. "No, I like to stay up. Oyasumi
 nasai, Chichiri." He sprang back up into the tree.

"Oyasumi nasai, Tasuki." He curled up in one of his
 blankets, and soon an absoulte peace had drifted 
ofver the tiny camp. One would almost smile at the
 scene...a fox-faced monk, blue bangs reflecting the
 moonlight, "da"ing and kicking like a sleeping dog...

But if one only knew of his dreams...

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"Houjun!"

(oh god, not again, not again...) Chichiri strained to
 bring himself out of the dream. There it was, Hikou,
 flailing in the water...that hopeless look on his
 face...and his cries-

"HOU-JUUUUNNNN!" Chichiri strained to hold to his
 frriend, not let him go, but it was as if he was in
 mollasses, totally stuck-

But as long as he held Hikous hand-

*SPATCH*

The log, as usual, came out of nowhere. The spike
 gouged into his eye, cusing an explosion of red and
 forcing him to let go of Hikous hand. He watched in
 shock, out of one eye blurred with tears, as Hikou
 slipped into the water, sill screaming his name.

Chichiri slid back onto the bank, staring at his hand.
 "Hikou..."

All of a sudden, he was alone again. Just in the
 darkness. He reached up to his scar...the mask!
 Damned mask! He picked it up and cast it aside. 

"Hikou...HIKOU!" He screamed, holding his face in his
 hands.

"Chichiri! Dont cry, Chichiri..." 

"Nani?" A par of arms encircled him, holding him
 tightly. He looked donw to see the top of a brown
 head of hair...A pair of tearfull brown eyes turned
 up to him. "I wont let you be sad, Chichiri..."

"H-chan!" Chichiri said. "Doushite?"

She knelt down beside him and picked up the mask. She
 stared at its face for a second, then held it out to
 him. He just stared at it with a slightly stupefied
 expression. 

"You dont understand, H-chan, you dont understand what
 I did to-" He was cut off by her diving torwards him,
 clutching him in a desperate, tearful embrace.

"I dont care! I dont care at ALL!" She sobbed. "I just
 want you to be happy!"

"I can never be-"

"Someday..." H-chans voice was trembling, with anger
 and sadness and something else he couldnt identify.
 "someday youll lose this mask for good!"

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"Aa!" H-chan woke up with a sudden jolt of adrenaline.
 she threw the blanket off and stood straight up.
 "Nani? Nani YO?!?"

She rubbed her head, staring at all the sleeping
 campers. Her tiredness rolled back over her like a
 wave. "Hmm...I must be going mental..." Her eyes
 strayed across the grass, where Chichiris mask was
 laying. "He mustve rolled out of it.." 

She walked over and knelt to pick it up. 

"Hikou!" a voice whimpered beside her.

"Chichiri-san?" She looked over to see tears pouring
 out of Chichiris good eye, his mouth moving. He was
 trembling, and sniffling. 

"Chichiri-san!" She stood for a second, weighing her
 options. She could just go back to sleep, she was so
 tired...but Chichiri-san was in pain! She couldnt
 sleep if Chichiri-san was in pain...She knelt beside
 him, wrapping her arms around him. "Chichiri..." she
 whispered. "Dont cry, Chichiri..."

Slumped against him, she soon fell asleep.

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"H-chan...why? Why do you care?"

"Because...because I-"

"DA!" Chichiri started out of his sleep.He felt a
 weight on his chest...H-chan was slumped on him, arms
 loosely wrapped around his sides.

"H-chan no da!" (how strange...)Chichiri reached up
 and gently rolled her on her side. His mask fell out
 of one limp hand.

"H-chan...you must have seen-am I that loud no da?" He
 laughed. But she was still sound asleep.

"That cant be comfortable no da." He sat up,
 reaaranging her until she was lying flat on her back.
 He gently laid a blanket over her, then stood up and
 gathered his fishing rod. (Better she sleep no
 da...plus, she dosent seem to be too good luck on
 fishing trips no da!)He rearranged his mask and
 wrinkled his face. "Ill aske her about this later no
 da.."

"Chichiri-sama?" 

"Ohayu, Chiriko!" He smiled down at the little boy,
 who was fidgeting nervously. "What are you doing up
 so early no da?"

"Um, just up. Can I go fishing with you?"

"Well, sure no da!" The two retreated torwards the
 lake.

A few seconds later, H-chan rolled over, giving a tree
 a good solid kick. Tasuki tumbled down.

"%$#@!" He stood up, glaing at the sleeping miko. "You
 stupid OINUUU!!" He looked down, and noticed she was
 wrapped in Chichiris blankets. Intrigue!

"OHAYUUUU!!" He screamed in her ears.

"AAHH!" She sat straght up, flailing her arms.
 "Waaahhh! Tasuki! What the hell-"

"What the hells up with you?" Tasuki smirked. I just
 wanted to congratulate you on sucessfully roping a
 man."

"Nani?"

"All wrapped up in the evidence..." Tasuki feigned a
 look of innocence. "The monk and the miko? Who woulda
 thought?"

"TASUKI!" H-chan turned red. "He was trembling-"

"And you had to warm him up?" Tasuki laughed. "Smooth,
 oinu."

"Iyah!" H-chan pulled the blanket up over her head.
 "Where is Chichiri?"

"Your 'Da-Ring' is off fishing with Chiriko. He must
 like em young!"

"AAHHH!" H-chan smacked him across the face, now 
bright red and swaetdropping. "Im sorry I ever bought
 you earrings, you stupid JERK! Im going to sleep!"

He smirked, rubbing his sore jaw. "Well, I think your
 friend over there wants to talk to you anyway." He
 jerked a thumb over to where K-chan and Tamahome were
 sharing a pitcher of something boiled over a stove. 

"G-gomen Tasuki." H-chan blushed. "I overreeact
 sometimes..."

"I didnt even %$#@in notice that." Tasuki grwoled as
 H-chan walked over to K-chan. She sat beside her
 friend, stared over at her for a second, and poked
 her in the forehead. 

"Wahhh..." K-chan fell back. "Never, oh, never
 again..."

H-chan laughed. "Learning the evils of alchohol, ne K-
chan?"

"Yeah, yeah...ne, Tamahome, can you leave for a
 second?"

Tamahome rolled his eyes. "Girl stuff, huh? Im
 gone..." he wandered off in the forest.

"whicha!" H-cham murmured.

"Dont start...anyway, I figured out how you can get
 Chichiri!"

"Oh no...not another one of your stupid plans?" H-chan
 hissed. "Remeber your plan to get me attention from
 Robbie James?"

"Thats was a long time-"

"You wanted me to get his attention-from bargain
 basement generic face creem!" H-chan was livid at the
 memory. "My face swelled up like a ba-LOON! It took 2
 days for the swellintg to go down!"

"But H-chan!" K-chan was practicaly begging.(There was
 nothing she liked more than trying to hook H-chan
 up.)"Its fool proof! Please! I PROMISE!"

"Alright, fine...so whats your great idea?"
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"What a nice clear day on the lake no da!" Chichiri
 said happily as he sat, twirling his fishing rod and
 casting it deep into the water. Chiriko laid beside
 him, stretched out on the grass. "It is a nice day..."

"So, Chiriko, how do you know Tasuki no da?"

"I met him in Keitou no college."

"Were you, um, the deans son no da?"

"I was his tutor..." Chiriko laughed. 

Chichiri laughed too, a little embarrased. "Youre
 smarter than me no da!"

"I doubt that, Chichiri-sama..." He looked up at him
 with a look of adulation.

"Ah..." Chichiri tired to change the subject. "Why are
 you trying to be a bandit no da?"

"Umm..." Chiriko tosed a rock in the water. "Well,
 when you superdeform, do people coo and tak about how
 cute you are?"

*splash* "Sometimes no da..." Chichiri began to haul
 in a huge fish. 

"well, what if you were superdeformed all the time?"

The fish landed on the bank. "I see no da. Most people
 dont bother to look beyond apperances no da..." He
 began to recast.

"Do they look beyond masks, Chichiri-san?"

*splash!* The rod fell into the water. Chichiri had
 fumbled it into the pond. He scambled to get it. "Da!"

"Oh, sorry!" Chiriko leaned over and caught it as it
 bagfan to float downstream. "I didnt mean-"

"Its okay nan no da. (Can a kid be too smart for his
 own good no da?) "Lets head back, we have to pack no
 da!"

"Hai, Chichiri-sama!"
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"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!?" H-chan stared at K-chan in
 openmouthed derision. She had made some stupid plans,
 but this...this was about as stupid as it GOT.

"All you have to do is kiss Tasuki! As soon as 
Chichiri sees, he'll freak out and BAM! Hes yours!"

H-chan rolled his eyes. "How much are you paying
 Tasuki?"

"20 gold ryou."

H-chan sighed. "It just dosent sound like a good idea,
 K-chan! I mean, your plans ALWAYS screw up! Plus,
 this isnt high school. Hes a grown man! He isnt going
 to be roused by some petty-"

"Oh, C'mon!" K-chan beggeed. "He knows it dosent mean
 anything! Worst case scenario, you unruffle Chichiri
 and get to kiss a good looking bandit."

"Good looking? are we talking about the same GUY?!?!"
 H-chan stuck her tounge out. 

"Come on...look at him! If it wasnt for
 Tamahome...hee..."

"Thats it, Im gone. Ill do it, just shut up!" H-chan
 stomped off. In theese battles, K-chan always got the
 best of her. She just didnt want to get in an 
argument...

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Tasuki lay on the grass, idly playing with one of the
 earring on his ear. It was a nice quality earring, a
 nice present. So, why did she buy it? The girl had
 guts, he would give her THAT. Smacking him like that,
 just for makin fun of Chichiri...one would think she
 would at least have enough sence to be afraid of
 him...but instead, he was NICE to him?

"Its just cause Im a seishi..." he growled.

"What is?" He looked up to see H-chan slightly
 flushed, staring down at him.

"Oinu! Hey! Whats up?"

"Whats up?" H-chan smirked. "You know whats up. You
 talked to K-chan?"

He sat up. He didnt remember a %$#@in THING about last
 nights converstaion, besides K-chan eerily giggling.
 He must have promised her SOMETHING...better to just
 fake it.

"Yeah, we got this whole damned thing set." He gave an
 uneasy grin.

"Good. She sat beside him. "Your face okay?"

"Didnt hurt a bit."

To the left, there was a rustling in the bushes.
 Chichir and Chiriko came out, waving and carrying a
 huge fish. "H-chan no da!"

"Showtime." H-chan whispered. "Tasukiiii!" she
 squealed and glomped onto him.

"N-nani! Wha the %$#@!?!" Tasuki yelled.

"I thought you said you planned this out!" H-chan
 hissed through a clenched grin.

"We did-"

"H-chan no da?" Chichrii sounded puzzled. Time to go.

"Good." H-chan hissed again. "TASUKI, youre so SWEET!"
 She then kissed him on the cheek.

H-chan wrinkled her nose.(god, dosent this guy bathe?)
 Tasuki froze in shock, and Chichiri clamped a hand
 over Chirikos eyes. "ite!"

H-chan stood straight up, bright red. "I...didnt mean
 a thing...its all...OH, DAMNIT K-CHAN!" She dashed
 off into the forest, chased by Chichiri. "H-chan no
 da!"

K-chan stepped over the forgotten fish, and tossed a
 bag of ryou. It bounced off Tasukis chest.

"Money..." K-chan smirked. "Money well earned."

END CHAPTER 8!