Friends: Tasuki, Chiriko and the other Suzaku Seishi

While the focus of this site is the relationship between Tasuki and Chiriko, it would be silly of me to not take a closer look at those characters' relationships with their other friends and companions. So this section came into being. Below I'll examine the friendships and bonds formed by the other Suzaku Seishi and Miaka with my two favorite characters.

Miaka

Tasuki: Tasuki's relationship with the Miaka is somewhat, well, complicated. Miaka sees Tasuki as a good friend and as a constant rescuer of her own reckless and often ignorant butt. She's attached to him...but not quite in the way that Tasuki is attached to her. I'm hesitant to call his feelings for Miaka "unrequited love," because I'm not sure that's what it is. Tasuki loves her, but not in the way that Tamahome does. I think his desire for inclusion makes him feel like a third wheel when it comes to Miaka and Tamahome, so he pines for her attention in a way that could be seen as love.

Chiriko: I've never really seen the friendship between these two as anything special. Miaka, of course, cares for Chiriko, and he respects her, but it never really grows beyond that into something deeper. Actually, Miaka, being Miaka, takes Chiriko for granted through most of the series. It isn't until his sacrifice in episode 44 that Miaka notices what a brave and noble kid he is. After that, I think she values her friendship with him a little more, but again, it's almost a superficial bond. And God bless Chiriko, he's one of the very few characters that doesn't fall all over himself trying to get closer to her.

Tamahome

Tasuki: Tasuki would never admit it, but Tamahome is probably his best friend. They have a mutual admiration of each other's physical prowess, for one thing. (Evil) Tamahome's total annihilation of Tasuki in Kutou won begrudging respect from Tasuki, who is extremely confident and never thought anyone could take him down. That event, too, created an automatic bond between the two, as Tasuki could always fall back on making Tamahome feel badly for hurting him under Nakago's influence. This banter turned into a true and strong friendship, one that survived even as Tamahome was seemingly no more. Tasuki values Taka's friendship just as much (or even more) than the "true" Tamahome's.

Chiriko: As with Miaka, Chiriko was rather ignored by Tamahome until Chiriko gave everyone a very good reason to notice him, but I think this was kind of one-sided. I think Chiriko, for his part, holds a great amount of respect for Tamahome, the person who is closest to, and the fiercest guard of, Miaka. And in the OVA, it was Taka being in danger that riled Chiriko enough to nearly kill Nuriko's older brother.

Hotohori

Tasuki: Tasuki finds it really, really difficult at times to talk to or otherwise interact with Hotohori. When they first met, Tasuki had no clue who Hotohori was, and he was shocked that he turned out to be the Emperor of Kounan. Since Tasuki is very vulgar and brash, changing his tone appropriately for royalty was, obviously, kind of tough. Beyond that, though, Hotohori is probably the one person Tasuki openly respects. Even though he's an outlaw and all, he's still fiercely loyal to Kounan and its Emperor, and he's a formidable force in battle as well, so Hotohori earns an unusual amount of reverence from Fang-Boy.

Chiriko: For being, as one could mistakenly label Chiriko, "just some kid," Hotohori recognizes a lot of potential and gift in the youngest Seishi. He immediately recognized Chiriko as the young bureaucratic genius he is, and he often looks to Chiriko for advice and ideas throughout their war campaign against Kutou. I wouldn't really consider the two of them friends, as Hotohori has difficulty making friends, and Chiriko is a little young to be a true confidante to him, anyway. But they definitely share the same wavelength, on an intellectual level.

Nuriko

Tasuki: I think these two just like beating on each other, honestly. They share the same kind of back-and-forth that Tamahome and Tasuki do, but it's more like "Nuriko, you're so gay" and "Tasuki, you're such a tactless moron." But underneath that interaction, Tasuki and Nuriko just enjoy each other's company. They share an unspoken bond: both of them have the same kind of "feelings" for Miaka, and both of them sometimes feel left out by Miaka and Tamahome being in their own little universe. So they draw on each other to get rid of that loneliness. In other words, they're good for each other.

Chiriko: Nuriko and Chiriko really have precious little time in the series to develop any kind of special bond. Nuriko dies shortly after Chiriko joins the group. But in the little interaction they have, Nuriko seems to like Chiriko rather well. He's got kind of a maternal instinct that makes him good with children...I think so, anyway. And Chiriko very clearly respects and admires Nuriko. It's much the same respect he has for Tasuki and Tamahome--Nuriko is strong and courageous, qualities any young boy would aspire to. Also, in the Fushigi Akugi side story, it was Chiriko who first so eagerly adopted the idea of following Nuriko's lead and dressing in drag. ^^

Chichiri

Tasuki: Tamahome and Tasuki may be best friends, but Tasuki and Chichiri grow into an equally close, albeit more respectful and distant, relationship, due to their circumstances. Of the seven Suzaku Seishi, they are the only ones left living in Kounan. Because of this, they end up spending a lot of time together, so much that they become very close and know each other intimately well. (And no, by intimately, I don't mean it that way. I'm not a Tasuki/Chichiri shipper, though I have nothing against it.) Tasuki can often tell, better than anyone else, what Chichiri is really thinking, and Chichiri practically knows what Tasuki is thinking or doing before he's even done it. It's a quiet, trusting, sincere bond. As quiet as it could be with Tasuki involved, anyway.

Chiriko: He's not as close to Chiriko as Tasuki or Mitsukake, but it's unmistakable that Chichiri cares a lot for the kid. He makes himself responsible for Chiriko's welfare in their journeys outside of Kounan, since Chiriko, the youngest and smallest, needs protection in the group. As such, he probably felt personally responsible when Chiriko took his fatal fall, because he could do nothing to help. It seemed that way to me when Chichiri left with the others--he was trying to get away from the scene.

Mitsukake

Tasuki: Since Tasuki isn't the shiniest apple in the barrel, I got the impression throughout the series that he didn't "get" Mitsukake. He didn't understand that Mitsukake's gift of healing was also a terrible burden, especially when he was forced not to use it. Tasuki watched him essentially kill Shouka with his powers, and watched him let Chiriko die. Both of those events were horribly painful for Mitsukake, which is where Tasuki missed the point. That Mitsukake had to make those choices, and it hurt him just as much as anyone else. Toward the end, however, I think Tasuki finally got it. That there are just some things you have to do, even if it hurts.

Chiriko: Chiriko is unquestionably closer to Mitsukake than to any of the other Seishi. Yes, he does have that special chemistry with Tasuki (or this site wouldn't exist), but Mitsukake is still Chiriko's best friend, and the one he relies on and relates to the most. Mitsukake, the oldest, takes care of Chiriko, the youngest. They're both quiet and unassuming, so they're obviously drawn to each other. Both of them are, in my opinion, under-appreciated within the group (and by fans!), but they appreciate each other. Who needs to be popular as long as you have a precious few close friends, anyway? Mitsukake and Chiriko have the sort of connection where words aren't really needed. They know each other--or relate to each other--well enough to be on the same level without talking about anything.