Title. Downwards
Part. three
Part Title. In the Garden
Warnings and Disclaimer. First part.
Notes. Okay, I lied.  No meeting new peoples.  Sorry.  ^^;  This part is rushed, I apologize.  Ohwell.  Read and review!

/ thoughts /    [ dreams ]       ( flashbacks )

::*~~*::

            The three of them sat down at the Mountain Pack’s table after getting their dinner.  Tasuki and Kouji both had plates of chicken legs and breasts, but Chichiri only got a salad.
            One of the occupants at the table raised an eyebrow once he saw the genki journalist.  “Not here for an interview, are ya, Chichiri?”
            “No, no da!” Chichiri chirped.  “Just eating.  I don’t always go around looking for stories, no da.  Sometimes they just happen.”
            “Right, right, whatever...” 
            “Hey, where’s Eiken?” Kouji asked, looking around the table.
            “Kitchen duty,” someone informed him.  “Got in trouble for stealing ‘something’ from the nurse.” 
            “He’ll never learn, will he?” Kouji replied, shaking his head.
            “Learn not to take things from the nurse?” Tasuki chimed in, smirking.  “Or learn to just not get caught?”
            “Both.”  Kouji smirked as well.
            “Hey, is there a curfew around here?” Tasuki asked.
            “No one obeys it,” the bandit replied, sipping on his soda.  “Just don’t get caught, you’ll be okay.”
            “What’s the best way not to get caught?”
            “Go out the window, no da,” Chichiri answered.  “I’ve seen lots of people do it, no da.  Smarter than going through the halls, no da.”  Nod.
            “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Tasuki said, flashing them both a smile.

            After dinner was over, Kouji, along with Chichiri, showed Tasuki a few more things around the school before parting ways with the photographer for the night.  The roommates headed back to their room thereafter.
            “Whoa, it’s near ten ‘o’clock,” Tasuki stated, looking at his watch. 
            Kouji nodded.  “Almost time for curfew, unfortunately.  At the beginning of the year, the curfew is always ten, aside from Saturday(which is eleven).”  He sat down heavily on his bed.  “But near the middle of first semester, they make it later.”
            Tasuki fished his guitar out from under his bed.  “Huh, odd system.  They made it just for people to settle in, I take it?”  He opened the case and picked the instrument out, grapping its strap as well.
            “Somethin’ like that.”  Kouji laid down, stretching.  “Kinda ridiculous, most of us don’t even go by it, anyway.”  He closed his eyes, yawning.  “And they don’t tend to enforce it.  Only even someone gets beat up after hours do they do anything about it.”  He opened his eyes when he heard the door opening.  “Where are you goin’?”
            Tasuki looked over his shoulder, his guitar flung over his back.  “Just wanted to walk around, play a little.”
            Kouji cocked an eyebrow at his friend.  “Don’t you think they’ll hear you?”
            “They may, but then they’d have to go through that damn maze to find me.”  Tasuki grinned.  “’Sides, I can always claim I didn’t know about the curfew.  You’d back me up, right, buddy?”
            Kouji grinned and chuckled.  “You’ll fit right in with us, Tasuki.”
            “Keep the window open for me, all right?  Be back in a bit.”  With that, he walked out the door, closing it behind him.  It was ten minutes before ten, giving him more than enough time to get to the hedge maze before anyone started to patrol for people who were breaking the curfew(he didn’t know if people honestly did that or not, but it was worth taking chances).
            It only took him four minutes to find the hole in the wall Kouji had first showed him.  He checked to make sure the coast was clear and then removed the guitar from his back, sliding it in first.  He made sure it was out of the way before crawling in himself.
            Once on the other side of the wall, he picked up his instrument, flinging it over his back, and walking in a little ways more into the maze.  True, he more than likely was going to get lost, but he had all night to find another way back out.  He was more of a night owl, anyway. 
            He cut some more corners and turns before coming into a rather large space, rectangular in shape.  Along the sides were benches, and in the middle was a fountain.  The statue in the fountain was that of a Phoenix, stretching out its wings in all of its glory.
            “No wonder they call it Suzaku University,” Tasuki mused to himself, taking the guitar off his back and sitting down on one of the benches.  He sat cross-legged, setting the guitar in playing position in his lap, before snapping off one of his necklaces.  The ‘charm’ on one of them was his favourite pick, which he took off and set the necklace to his side.  He began strumming the guitar, playing whatever came to mind.
            Tasuki lost himself in his playing, like he normally would, listening to the falling of the water in the fountain, using it as a back beat for his notes.  He wasn’t sure what he was playing, it sounded rather new.  And he would most likely forget whatever it was in the morning, but he didn’t care.  He was playing it now, and the moment was all he needed.
            After minutes of mindless playing, Tasuki felt as if he were being watched.  He continued playing for a bit, thinking himself paranoid.  It was when he felt a presence in the opening that he stopped playing and turned to look. 
            A figure stood next to one of the entrances to the opening, looking at him intently.  With the sun already set, Tasuki was having a tough time adjusting to the light and seeing whoever it was.
            “I thought I was the only one that new about this place,” a familiar voice spoke, timidly.
            “Nuriko?” Tasuki asked the person, somewhat anyone other than the Mountain Pack knew about the maze. 
            The person stepped away from the entrance and approached him carefully.  As Tasuki’s eyes adjusted, he noticed that it was, indeed, the girl he had met that morning.  Her hair was down this time, coming to at least her knees, a silken blue kimono wrapped tightly about her slim body.
            “Did you find this place by yourself?” Nuriko asked.
            “Nope, Kouji showed me.”  He crossed his arms over his instrument, looking up at the heart-shaped face.
            “Oh,” Nuriko said, sounding a bit disappointed.  She sat down on Tasuki’s right, sighing.  “I was kind of hoping no one else knew about this place.  I like coming here by myself.”
            “How long have you been going to this school?”
            “Freshmen year.”  She brought her knees up to her body, wrapping her arms around her legs. 
            “Seems like a good school,” Tasuki said.
            “It is, it is,” Nuriko admitted, before sighing again.  “Just not always...”
            “Are you feeling any better?”
            The cheerleader paused.  “A little.  Miaka helped me a lot...  I can’t help but still feel bad, you know?”  Another pause.  “Have you ever fallen in love, Tasuki?”
            “Once, but nothing like what happened to you.”
            “What did happen?  Did she just dump you or something?”
            Tasuki hesitated.  “...she had to move away.”  He sounded edgy on the ‘she’, he knew, but he didn’t want to give too much away...
            “Have you talking to her since then?”
            Tasuki nodded.  “We write to each other all the time.”
            “Long distance relationship?”
            “Nah, neither one of us could handle that.”  He picked up the guitar again, starting to play a soft melody.  “’Sides, she’s got a new boyfriend now.”
            “Oh...”  Pause.  “You miss her?”
            “Not in the same way I used to,” Tasuki replied, only half-paying attention to the guitar notes.  “It’s more like losing your best friend now.”
            They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound their breathing and Tasuki’s guitar.  Nuriko stared at Tasuki while he played, making the red-head somewhat nervous under the intent gaze.
            “Where’d that scar come from?” Nuriko asked softly.
            “Huh?” was Tasuki’s only reply, as he stopped playing. 
            “The scar on your neck,” Nuriko said, going over the indention underneath his jawbone with a feather-lite touch.  “Looks too new to be born with.”
            “Yeah, it’s new,” Tasuki said, subconsciously rubbing the scar with his hand.  Nuriko was the first person all day to notice it – he normally kept it hidden with his thin hair pulled over his shoulder.  Out of all the subjects he had gotten into today that he wanted to avoid, this was the worst. 
            “Accident?”
            “...something like that.”
            “Car wreck?”
            “Yes,” he answered quickly, hoping she’d believe it.
            Nuriko stared at him for a silent moment, looking him over.  “I know you’re lying, but that’s okay.  You don’t have to tell me what happened.”
            Tasuki was silent.  “...thank you.”
            Nuriko nodded.  “What were you playing, when I first came by?” she asked, thankfully changing the topic.
            Tasuki shrugged, resuming his play.  “Don’t know.  It just came out.”
            “Is that how you normally play?”  Tasuki nodded.  “I wish I could play something.  I was never very good at music.”
            “We all have thing we’re good at.”
            “Are you planning on staying out here all night?” Nuriko changed the subject again.
            “No.  You?”
            “I was planning on going already...”
            “Okay.”  He snatched up his necklace, placing his pick back onto the string.  “Hey, Nuriko?”
            “Yes?” she replied, standing up.
            “Umm...”  He rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.  “Do you know the way out of ‘ere to the guys’ dorms?”
            Nuriko smirked.  “You really do need to learn your way around this school, before you get lost any more than you already have.”  She approached one of the exits to the clearing.  “Come on,” she commanded, snickering a little.
            Tasuki stood up, placing the guitar over his back.  “Coming, coming...”