Till Life Do We Part Let's see, I believe this makes it fanfic #2. ;) I wrote this while I was sitting at my coffee table, bored out of my mind. I don't know what I think of it exactly. ^_^ The plot for this story doesn't feel quite original, but I haven't read any other FY fics like it, so I suppose it's all right. It's a sweet Yui/Suboshi pair up and there's very subtle anti-Miaka hints throughout the fic, since I don't like her that much. XD As always, Fushigi Yuugi is the brainchild of Watase Yuu and I don't own any part of it, except for perhaps Tasuki. *cough* I'll rate it PG-13 for now, although there might be some lime later on. ;) Enjoy the fic! Reviews are very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

This fic takes place some time after the 2nd OVA; therefore, beware of possible spoilers. There's mild use of Japanese terms, so check the bottom of the fic for definations. By the way, I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors you may find... I think I caught most them anyway. =P Also, sorry for the slightly cheesy title... that was my weak attempt at wittiness. =P

Thoughts are in italics.
****Astericks indicate scene change****
Japanese term^ (Please refer to the list on the bottom)

- Ryouko

Till Life Do We Part

-Part One-

The moonlight shimmered on the dark pool. Her reflection wavered as the drops of water slid down her face and into the lake.

Yui pushed back her short blond hair and sighed. Any other girl would be thrilled to be in her place. In two days, she was going to marry Noku. Everyone said she was insanely lucky for finding such a great guy and they were so happy for her when she announced their engagement. Yui knew she'd be a fool to turn down Noku's proposal. He'd stayed and comforted her after her horrible breakup with Tetsuya and she'd come to think of him as a truly wonderful person. It seemed only natural to accept when he proposed to her. Yui knew she was lucky to have him in her life.

So why was she crying by herself two days before the wedding?

"Why indeed..." Yui muttered to herself and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm such an idiot."

She stood up and began walking back to the apartment. Noku would be worried about where she had gone.

********

"Yui! There you are!"

Yui smiled slightly and returned Noku's hug.

"Sorry, I just went out for a walk..."

Noku's face scrunched up. "At two in the morning?"

"Well, you know me..."

Noku sighed and pointed to the table.

"Well, I figured you might be a bit hungry, so I made us a little snack."

Yui sat down at the table and smiled at the plate of small sandwiches and the little candle in the center. He could be so sweet at times.

"Ah, arigatou, Noku," she said as she took a big bite. She pushed the plate over to him. "Here, have some too."

Noku sat across from her, but ignored the sandwiches. Yui could feel his eyes on her and finally looked up.

"What is it?" she asked warily.

"... I love you, Yui," he said with a smile.

Yui choked on her sandwich and coughed. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and quickly looked down.

"Thanks. I mean, I love you too."

She could still feel his eyes on her and she twitched in her seat uncomfortably.

"Yui, is anything wrong? Are you upset with me about something?" Noku asked softly.

Yui blinked. "No, of course not, Noku! It's not your fault. I mean, it's no one's fault. I mean, there's no fault at all--"

Noku nodded understandingly and reached over for her hand. "You're nervous about the wedding, aren't you? Don't worry, I know we're going to be very happy together. Ai shiteru, Yui..."

His large tanned hand seemed to engulf her small pale one in his strong grip. He squeezed it gently and played with her fingers.

I know we're going to be happy together. He loves me...

She let her gaze drift upwards to his concerned loving face and smiled. Noku's eyes shone softly in the candlelight and they held the promise of a sweet and comfortable life.

Yui remembered another set of eyes she'd known a long time ago. She stared at Noku's gray eyes until they slowly changed into fierce green orbs glowing with passion and love.

I love you... Yui-sama!

Yui let out a small noise.

"I love you too... I love you..." she whispered.

Noku swept her into his arms and she buried her face in his chest.

I love you too... Suboshi...

*********

"Yui, I can't believe you!" Miaka screeched.

Yui laughed as they made their way down the street. The downtown market was especially crowded today and people bustled back and forth all around them.

"It's just a dress. I totally forgot to buy it before now... Oh relax, Miaka-chan, your face looks like a tomato!"

Miaka was fuming and making strange little noises.

"JUST a dress?! A wedding gown is like the single most important piece of clothing you'll ever buy! You should've called me up ages ago! Gah!"

"Well, we're shopping for it now, right?"

"Hmph."

Yui sighed and dug around in her purse. A moment later, she emerged holding a box of Pocky^.

"Ne, Miaka. This should make you feel better."

"Ah! Arigatou!" Miaka squealed and ripped open the box. "Itadakimasu..." she whispered softly.

Then Yui spotted it. It was hanging in the window of the bridal shop across the street. From here, she could see the small jewels twinkle on the light blue confection. She poked Miaka.

"You see it?"

"Ahhh!" Miaka cried out, causing some fellow pedestrians to stare at her oddly. "It's so gorgeous! Let's go!" She grabbed Yui's arm and started running. Yui laughed and tried to keep up with her.

"Miaka, wait, we can't cross yet," she said as they stopped at the sidewalk. Miaka looked around and rolled her eyes.

"Look, there aren't any cars coming. Let's make a break for it!" she grabbed Yui's hand again and dragged her onto the street.

"Miaka! Miaka, WAIT!" Yui called out as her friend made her way across the intersection. She nervously looked up and down the street and gasped as she saw a motorcycle careening towards them like a red bullet. Yui tried to pull Miaka back and she let go of Yui's hand in surprise. Miaka fell onto the pavement and groaned as she rubbed her nose.

"Miaka! MIAKA!" Yui shrieked as the motorcycle raced towards her. Miaka looked up and gasped.

With as much force she could muster, Yui hurled herself at Miaka, knocking her 6 feet across the street, and landed face first onto the ground. The screeching of rubber on pavement filled the air and Yui looked up to see the rider's horrified face before the pain smacked into her like a lighting bolt. She drifted off into a world of black.

*********

"....... Ugh," Miaka groaned as she flickered her eyes open. "Where am I?"

Taka rushed to her side. "Miaka? Are you all right?"

"My head is killing me... what the...?" she reached up and felt the swath of bandages that were encircled tightly around her head.

Taka moved her hand away. "You hit your head hard on the pavement after Yui pushed you out of the way. Then you passed out," he said softly.

Miaka gasped. "Yui!" She tried to sit upright, but her face twisted in pain and she leaned back down.

Taka tucked her back into bed. "Don't move, you need to rest..."

"Where's Yui?! I need to see her!" Miaka yelled and angrily pushed Taka's hands away.

The doors opened just then and masked doctors wheeled a cart into the room. Miaka tried in vain to see who it was under all the tubes and machinery and gasped when she saw a flash of blond hair.

"Yui, no..." Miaka whispered and watched as they moved her best friend to the space beside her. Noku trailed behind with a tense, panicked look on his normally cheerful face.

"She'll be okay, right?" he asked anxiously and took a seat beside her.

One of the doctors peeled off his mask and sighed. "To be totally honest, we're not sure. She's gone through one hell of an ordeal and we're lucky she's still alive. She's in stable condition right now, but she's sunk into a deep coma. There's really no way of telling when she'll wake up..."

Noku buried his face in his arms. "Not years... she can't be asleep for years..."

The doctor hesitated. "It's... possible. But she seems to be quite strong, so it's very likely that she could wake up well before that. In the meanwhile, you all could try talking to her. I can't guarantee that she'll hear you, but there's a chance she might."

"Thanks..." Noku whispered faintly and stared intently at Yui.

Miaka moaned and painfully pushed herself up to get a closer look. Yui's face was an frightening bluish white and crisscrossed with numerous scars. Her thin hair clung tightly to her scalp and one of her hands was shaking. Miaka reached over and grabbed it.

"Yui-chan..." she whispered. "I'm so sorry... please wake up... please... Yui!" She cried out and pressed her friend's limp hand to her cheek. It was as cold as ice.

Noku put his head on Yui's shoulder. There was complete silence except for Miaka's quiet sobs. Taka looked down at the small frail girl lying peacefully on the bed.

Yui...

To Be Continued (?)

********

So, how was it? Not too horrible, I hope? I'll gladly continue it if I get enough postive feedback, so if you liked it, "be a responsible reader and write a review." ^_~ Or you could feel free to email me at juri@wish-cafe.net, if you'd like. Thanks for reading.

********

Japanese Terms Index

Arigatou - Thank you.
Ai shiteru - I love you (deeply).
Itadakimasu - Let's eat! -- Miaka's favorite phrase, other than screaming "Tamahome!!"
Ne - Sorta like the Canadian "eh."
Pocky - A quite yummy Japanese snack. They're thin breadsticks dipped in flavored coating. Mmm.

-chan : Name ending for close friends, younger siblings or children.
-san : Polite name ending for everyone else.
-sama : Very respectful name ending.