A/N This was a challenge fic given to me by my friend Peeweeki and is also a birthday fic for her. She wanted a Tasuki/Soi fic that had all these things in it:

Chichiri's staff

A basketball

A book about penguins

Flowers

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is the property of Yuu Watase. I own nothing and never will own anything to do with her wonderful work.

­­Chrysanthemums and Orchids

"That's it Mitsukake! Now throw it through the net!"

Tasuki looked up from his tent doorway to where Miaka was (unsuccessfully) trying to teach the other seishi how to play a strange game from her world-basketball, she called it. She'd tried to get Tasuki to play but when the former bandit threatened her with his tessen she got the point. The other seishi were more enthusiastic though and joined in the game. Chichiri had even transformed his staff into a "basket" for Miaka to use.

Soi looked at the sunset. The rich golds and reds soothed her soul yet stirred something…something deep within her fragile heart had woken within her. The lightning seishi looked down at the book she held in her hands. Yui-sama had given it to her when she set out for Bei-jia. These strange creatures the book spoke of fascinated her. These "penguins" could swim in the sea, yet they were birds. Sighing she put the book down. Her thoughts were too cluttered to think about these creatures. Long ago she had believed that Nakago was the only one she could love. He had saved her after all.

How wrong she was.

Nakago had no desire for love. Every time she had tried to show him her affections he had thrown her back. All he had wanted her for was her seishi powers and her bedding techniques. At last she had realised what all her fellow seishi had seen. He was using her.

She had stood humiliated, a fool and she would no more.

Which is what led to her leaving like this. The Suzaku seven were travelling to Bei-jia to look for the shentzo-pao there and this was a perfect opportunity to destroy them. Soi could travel in safety through the kingdom of women and so was the perfect warrior to bring about their destruction.

Soi sat in her tent as she thought on this. A while ago she would have wanted the chance to destroy them, but now she was not so sure. It was all his fault.That obnoxious bandit with fiery hair had irritated her from the moment she saw him. Yet over time he seemed more admirable. She heard the story of how he'd fought against Tamahome when he'd been poisoned against them.

"It was truly a pity he wasn't one of Seiryuu's" she thought with a wry smile. Such ferocity would have made him a match for even Nakago. That fight showed her something else though, something Nakago had never possessed. Tasuki had honour.That's when it started. Her dreams began to be filled with images of the bandit. Where once there had been only Nakago's rough kisses and painful caresses, now there were soft touches and feather-light kisses that warmed her on the coldest nights. Her heart began to shy away from the cold general and at that moment she realised.

Her heart only wanted one thing.

The one thing it could never have.

She wanted Tasuki.

Tasuki rubbed his head as he trudged up the hill. Tamahome had mis-judged his throw and the basket-ball had hit the fire seishi on the back of his head. He looked back at the charred remnants of their camp. He may have taken things a little too far but at least Tama-boy won't miss again.

He reached the top of the hill just as the sun began to set. The tall bandit looked over to the horizon when he froze. Soi was here. The lightning seishi was sat at the other side of the hill by a simple tent and fire. For a moment he thought of calling the others but stopped. She seemed sad. Her long purple hair was loose and flowing in the evening breeze while her normal armour was gone to be replaced by a simple white robe. She looked softer, kinder, lovelier than anyone he'd ever seen.

Slowly he drew closer to the girl. Every nerve of his brain was screaming for him to leave but his body no longer listened to him.

Soi turned around abruptly to see the seishi the occupied her dreams standing there. She cursed Seiryuu silently as she discreetly reached for her sword. She expected Tasuki to attack but he merely stood there, watching her through half-lidded eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt yer." She stood up as Tasuki walked over to her. She narrowed her eyes as her chi began to build.

"Stay away from me Suzaku-scum" She snapped. "How dare you approach me!" Lightning began to build in the sky as her anger grew. The nerve of this man infuriated her. First he haunted her dreams and now he dared to approach her! Tasuki grabbed her hands in an attempt to calm the irate seishi. He could have burned her in a second but instead he did something neither of them anticipated.

Soi froze as Tasuki's chapped lips brushed against hers. Her entire body warmed as how sweetness raced through their bodies. She could almost see their powers -blue for Seiryuu, red for Suzaku- battling for dominance over the two of them. Lightning flashed in the sky as the rain that fell turned to steam and hissed as it hit the fiery ground.

When neither of them could bear no more they separated. Tasuki pressed his forehead ahead against hers. Soi was a contradiction in herself. Powerful yet delicate, enigmatic but alone. She was a brutal warrior and a beautiful woman at the same time but was the woman Tasuki had fallen for.

Soi looked into his amber eyes and smiled gently. Nakago would obliterate her if he knew of this yet she didn't care. Even if she never saw him again she wanted one night to love and be loved in return. Wordlessly she guided him into her tent and joined him, her heart never happier.

"Tasuki! Tasuki where are you?" The lightning seishi woke up to the piercing voice of Nariño. The filtered sunlight shone through the thin tent fabric onto her beloved's sleeping face. She twisted around to look better and gasped at the sunlight shining on his hair and face, making the orange highlights appear to be gold. She kissed him gently to wake him up. He groaned and nestled closer to her. Soi pushed him gently.

"Tasuki no baka, you need to go. If they find you here…" she trailed off as he snored louder. Soi resignedly slipped out of his embrace and went to find her armour.

The other Suzaku seishi were getting closer to her tent. She would have to leave soon. A large hand entwined with her own as she turned to the fire seishi. He enfolded her into his arms as if he could keep her there forever.

Tasuki breathed in her light scent. She smelled of Chrysanthemums and Orchids, a clear link to the country of her birth. Soi fit perfectly into her arms and he almost cried with the irony of their situation. Almost.

Soi let herself have one moment to enjoy this. Her heart leapt for joy at the beauty of these feelings. It would be so much harder to let them go but Soi knew she would carry this love with her forever.

Before Tasuki could stop her she disappeared into the ether, leaving no trace behind of her presence.

Tasuki fell forwards onto the cold ground. The other seishi had spotted him and ran up to berate him for staying away all night. They stopped abruptly.

"Hot drops of rain falling onto the unfeeling earth," Tasuki thought miserably as he tried to stop crying, "Just like last night…Soi, where are you?"

Nakago surveyed the young warrioress that stood before him. She had changed in the weeks she had been gone and he didn't like it.

"Why have you not destroyed the Suzaku seven?" he asked, confused at the change in her chi.

A non-committal shrug was her reply.

He lashed at her with his whip and smiled at the trail of blood that surfaced. He nodded towards the door."We'll talk later." He went to find Suboshi and the Seiryuu no miko. Some things were more important. The mystery of Soi would have to wait.

Soi stood on the balcony of her room gazing at the stars she represented. Her heart begged for her beloved and she was glad to comply. She took a cleansing breath as the flame haired seishi filled her thoughts and stretched her chi to reach him. He was alone. Her ethereal form caressed his lean frame as he stared vacantly into the fire. Her chi flared as she disappeared back into her body.

Tasuki stared at the flickering embers. "Suzaku must really hate me," he mused. "Why the hell would he make me fall in love with a damn Seiryuu seishi who I will probably end up killing or will probably kill me!"

"What the fuck did I do to deserve this?" He yelled at the heavens. The other seishi stared at him. He threw some more twigs on the fire and swore at his own stupidity.A faint breeze caught his attention. Tasuki started as ghostly fingers ran across his skin in a loving embrace. He turned to the west as a soft breeze blew from across the sea. Tasuki smiled.

The breeze carried the scent of Chrysanthemums and Orchids.