Hello all! Back with a new story and this is for Fushigi Yuugi! This story is about my character Michiyo Hamano and my friend's character Sakura Kurenai and their adventure's in the Universe of the Four Gods. :) I've very excited to write this story because for once I've actually plotted out all of this fic and can't wait to get it written! I hope that you all will enjoy it as well!
This fic is also featured on my Deviantart page so if you happen to see it there please don't send me a message saying someone stole it. I posted it in two places and I'm aware of it. ^-^
Thank you and enjoy! I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Chapter One: Enter
It had been nearly 15 years since the book was last opened. Sitting on the shelf in the library and hidden from the public. The last adventure spent away in the pages was not the first, nor the last. And each adventure spent within the pages is different. The story is never told the same twice.
This is the story of two high school girls who stumble across the book and begin their own personal story.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
The final bell run throughout Nabara High, students began flooding out of classrooms and into the halls. It was the weekend and students eagerly exited the school to head towards the malls and other shopping areas. The mixture of yellow, blue, and peach colored uniforms mixed in the hallways as students grouped together to leave.
At Nabara High, each year was identified by a different color. First years wore yellow and white uniforms, second years wore blue and white and third years wore peach and white. Girls and boys of matching colors flocked to each other, hardly anyone outside their own year mixing together.
A girl with sky blue hair pulled into two high ponytails raced through the hallways, teachers yelling for her to slow down but she ignored them. She raced around a corner, nearly slamming into two third year boys but managed to dodge around them. She slid to a stop in front of the last classroom in the farthest hallway, her yellow skirt flipping up slightly.
"Sakura!" She screamed as she ran into the room, jumping onto a third year girls back. "It's the weekend!" She bounced up and down, shaking the third year girl with her as she did. "Let's do something fun! Please?"
Sakura pushed the girl away, with a little difficulty considering she was taller than her despite being a first year. "Michiyo! Calm down." She said, fixing her red-brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail on the right side of her head. Once that was done, she fixed the flowers that she had placed in her ponytail that morning.
"Sorry." Michiyo said, laughing slightly. "It's just the first weekend I don't have any homework or practice!" She said, jumping up and down. Any given weekend, Michiyo usually found herself swamped with homework and topped with her martial arts class. Not having anything to do in a weekend was a miracle and one she quickly took advantage of.
"I hear you." Sakura said, laughing as she packed her things up. "But unlike you, I do have some work this weekend. I need to stop by the library really quick before we do anything else this weekend." She said, watching Michiyo sigh heavily over that thought, but followed anyways.
Both heading off to the National library where the quick trip soon became an hour visit. Michiyo slumped over a table and moaned softly, as to not annoy anyone else but get the point across to Sakura. "Aren't you the one who normally spends hours in the library anyways?" Sakura asked, setting another book down next to Michiyo's head.
"Yes, on days when I'm trying to avoid studying and school. Not on days when I'm free for once." She pushed herself up from the table and walked over to one of the shelves. "Besides, I've pretty much read everything any library has to offer anymore."
"Then go wait for me outside. I'll just be another minute." Michiyo glanced at her, hearing that line before. "I promise this time. I just need to check these books out." Michiyo sighed, grabbing her bag and headed towards the exit, gliding her hand across the books as she left.
With her eyes glued to the floor she didn't notice the guy as she rounded the corner and walked straight into him, knocking all the books he had onto the ground. "I'm so sorry." She quickly began picking up his books and helping him.
With the last book picked up, the guy nodded thanks and took off down the hall. Michiyo turned to leave, her foot kicking a book a few feet down the hallway. She quickly grabbed it and turned to tell the guy he had missed one. "Hey, you left one-" She stopped, stunned by how quickly the guy disappeared. "Guess he didn't need it that badly then."
She glanced at the title of the book and decided that she could just go put it back on the shelf instead of giving it to the librarian. She knew this place inside and out and wouldn't take her long to do that. She grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder as she started up the stairs to the books section.
"Michiyo? I thought you were going outside?" Michiyo stopped mid-way up the stairs, surprised to see Sakura was actually ready to go. She back tracked a few steps to meet Sakura half way and held the book out for Sakura to see.
"I found this on the ground and I figured I could go return it instead of having the librarian do it." Leaving out the embarrassing details of how she completely spaced off and ran straight into a guy. She pressed the book, close to her chest and began back up the steps, backwards this time to face Sakura.
"I thought you were so eager to leave?" Sakura said, guiding Michiyo as people came down the stairs so she wouldn't hit them. People stared at the two as they went up, but Sakura was used to Michiyo's unusual behavior so something like walking backwards on stairs was nothing to her anymore.
"I thought you were going to take longer. And even though we could go, I already decided to do it so I'm sticking to it." Once at the top, Michiyo spun around and half skipped down the hall. "It's not too far off anyways. It should just be around the corner if I remember correctly."
Her memory did prove to be correct; it also proved to make her forget it was a restricted part of the library. Sakura told her to leave the book by the door, but Michiyo had no such plans. Instead, after checking to find the door was unlocked and scanning the area to make sure no one saw them both girls slipped into the room.
"If we get caught, I'm saying you kidnapped me and I don't know you." Sakura said, sighing as Michiyo scanned the shelves in the small room to find the spot for the book. Michiyo merely laughed, finding the books location and slipping it back onto its shelf.
"Okay, we can go now." She said walking back towards the door. Of course, she only made it a few feet before something new caught her attention. Ignoring Sakura's protests to leave she reached onto the shelf and grabbed a different book. "Sakura, come look at this book."
"The Book of the Universe of the Four Gods?" Sakura said, grabbing the book and reading the title on it. "It's pretty old and looks to be about old China." Flipping the book open, Michiyo moved next to her to read along.
"This is the story that changes to fit whoever reads it. The story is virtually the same, but will fit each person individually in many aspect." Michiyo said, pulling the book closer to her. "Face the challenges held within the book and your wish will be granted at the end."
"What does that all mean? Wishes and all that?" Sakura asked pulling the book back towards her. She scanned down the page and stopped at the last sentence on the page. "The journey begins from the moment you turn the first page."
"Sounds exciting!" Michiyo said, gripping the book tighter. "If only this wasn't just a book." Sakura nodded, thinking about what mystery journey's lied within this book. "Just think of all the fun we could have!"
"Yeah, but it's just a book so nothing-" Sakura cut her sentence short as the book began glowing red, slowly at first and soon building up and blinding both girls. Michiyo reached out to grab Sakura but her hand couldn't find the other girls arm no matter how much she searched.
The light dimmed down after a moment, giving away to a new scene. The closed room in the National Library was gone and instead there was now a wasteland that stretched on for miles. The books and shelves were gone and instead there was few trees that covered the area around them. But the scene wasn't the only thing new.
Only one of the girls sat alone in the middle of this wasteland.
"Sakura!" Michiyo stood up, nervously fiddling with her bow. "Sakura where are you?" She yelled out with no response. "What is this place? Where did the library go?" She walked a few steps forward, glancing around for any signs of which way would be best to travel.
"Never seen clothes like that before." Michiyo spun around to face a man with dark blue-green hair pulled back into a braid. She dropped her hand from her bow and frowned at the guy. "Isn't that a little short for a girl to be wearing?"
"It's a school uniform and it's how it's supposed to look. I don't get to decide the length." Michiyo said, irritated at the man's behavior. She was being just a bit over cautious though because men who usually talked about their school uniforms were perverts she met on the street.
"No need to get so upset. Just curious." The guy walked closer to Michiyo, this time eyeing her hair. "And your hair is a pretty unusual color." He reached out so fast and grabbed one of her pony tails and pulled it slightly. "Wow and it's all real."
"Ouch, yes it's real! Why would I fake it?" Michiyo said, slapping the guys hand away. "You know it's quite rude to pull a girls hair. And you shouldn't talk about unusual colors since your hair is no better." She said, reaching out and pulling at his bangs.
"Hey knock it off." He grabbed Michiyo's arm and held it above her head, leaving her standing on her toes slightly. "You sure are a feisty girl. What's your name?"
"I'm Michiyo. Michiyo Hamano." She said, still glaring at the man and trying to pull her arm free with no luck. "And what should I call my attacker?"
"You can call me Tamahome." He said, releasing Michiyo's arm and letting her drop back to the ground. "I saw you wondering around out here and thought maybe you could use a little help finding your way around."
Michiyo nodded, rubbing her wrist and glancing around. "I actually don't know where I am. I'm afraid I'm lost." She turned back to face Tamahome to find his hand held out to her face, a large smile across his face.
"Well, for a small fee I would be more than willing to help you."
"But, I don't have any money." Before Michiyo could say anymore, Tamahome turned and began walking away. "Hey, don't just walk away from me! Let me explain!" She said, running after Tamahome.
"If you have no money, you're useless to me. I've got to make a living you know. Can't do things for free all the time." Tamahome said tossing his hands behind his head. Michiyo caught up to him, grabbing the back of his shirt.
"Then can you at least tell me if you've seen another girl with clothes like mine?" Tamahome glanced over his shoulder and shrugged slightly. Michiyo released his shirt, frustrated with the lack of help she was getting. "Fine, be that way. I can find her on my own!" She turned and began heading off in the opposite direction of Tamahome, muttering to herself the whole time about how much she couldn't stand guys like him.
Tamahome must have been skilled in stealth because even with all of Michiyo's martial arts training she failed to hear him sneak up behind her. With one arm, her grabbed her around the waist and spun her around onto his shoulder. "You may not have any money, but I can't leave you out here. You were heading further into the wasteland and you would have died if I left you."
"Um…Thanks…" Michiyo said, realizing she let her hot-headed temper get in the way of her judgement again. This, though, did delay her in realizing that she was sitting over Tamahome's shoulder and he had a perfect view of her underwear. "Put me down! Put me down!" She flailed her body, pushing against Tamahome to try and get down.
Tamahome quicky dropped Michiyo, confused by what he did exactly. He watched as she spun away from him, covering her face. "Um, is everything alright?" He asked, moving closer to Michiyo.
"I'm fine! I can walk there myself!" She moved away from him rather quickly, still covering her face. And even with Tamahome's warning, she still managed to run into one of the few trees around them. She slid to the ground, head leaning against the tree.
"Looks like you could still use some help." Tamahome said, laughing softly. Michiyo looked up to find Tamahome standing next to her, his hand outstretched. She took his hand with a soft thanks, dusting her skirt of. She walked quietly beside him, embarrassed by what she had just done.
Michiyo couldn't help but find herself staring at the back of Tamahome's head. Perhaps she had judged him too quickly. He didn't seem like he was going to harm her and was willing to help. Maybe she was just being to tense, but with the new surroundings that was understandable. She turned her attention from Tamahome towards the sky, biting her bottom lip.
Please be okay Sakura…
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.
Miles away at the base of Mount Reikaku, Sakura was screaming for Michiyo's name. She wrapped her arms around her chest, the cool mountain air chilling her as she walked along. She wished she had brought along her jacket to school this morning despite the warm weather that would have made it impossible for her to wear it.
"Michiyo! Where did you go?" She called out again, hoping her friend hadn't gotten separated from her. It was sunny and couldn't be any later than mid-day, but with all the trees around it felt like it was night. And the rocky path of the mountain was hard to navigate as she slipped quite often in her school shoes.
She stopped walking, sitting on a larger rock next to her. She sighed, wishing for so many things she knew she wouldn't have had with her today. Better shoes, a coat, flashlights. These were all things she wouldn't have had on her, but that didn't stop her from wishing. She sat for a few more minutes before forcing herself to get moving again.
She headed up the mountain, hoping that she might have a better view of where she was from up higher. A logical way to think but the mountain was determined to stop her. The trail got steeper and thinner in main places, often the two combined. Only experienced climbers could handle this with ease.
For Sakura, that meant even more sliding and holding onto dear life as she tried to move up the hill. There was obviously a beaten path up the mountain, but it was hard to make out with the little light available.
She rounded a corner, face with the worst challenge yet. The path was no wider than her feet and was next to one of the steepest drops she had seen so far. "Just my luck." She reached out, grabbing a rock that was sticking out of the wall as she stepped carefully onto the ledge.
It was slow to cross, but it was the safest way to cross. There were a couple of spots where she lost her footing for a moment and had to regain herself before she could continue again. When she finally reached the other side, she dropped to the ground with exhaustion. "Why do movies make it look so easy?"
She took another moment to catch her breath, proud of herself from being able to do that. She wasn't usually the type who took risks so this little adventure was amazing for her. She pushed herself back up to her feet, feeling confident that she could conquer anything this mountain had now.
Of course, that's when life likes to smack you down again.
She took a few steps forwards, but leaned too far to the hill side. The rocks and dirt below her slipped from under her feet, causing her to fall a few feet down the hill. The only thing that stopped her from sliding even further was a small tree that hung from the side of the cliff.
"Someone! Help!" She cried out, despite not seeing anyone since she landed on this mountain. It was useless to cry for help, but she didn't know what else to do. She wasn't going to be able to hold on forever nor would the tree be able to support her forever. If either gave in she was sure to fall to her death.
Her hand slipped slightly, making Sakura shriek. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see how far she was going to have to fall. Her hand slipped again, barely holding onto the tree at all. She tense, prepared to fall any second now. She finally couldn't hang on any longer, releasing the branch and prepared to drop.
Only, she never got more than an inch further. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a red-haired boy. He was leaning over the edge with his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. "A second later and you would be a gonner!" He said, pulling Sakura up slowly.
Once back on the path, Sakura leaned against the man and stared down at what could have very well been her end if he hadn't shown up. "Thank you so much." She said with only a grunt in response. The man pushed himself away from her and stood up.
"Well, as much as I hate women I couldn't let you just die."
Sakura stared blankly at the guy. His behavior was rude, but he was such a handsome man she could overlook that. "Well, thank you either way. And, could I perhaps get your name?"
"They call me Genrō." He said, smiling brightly at Sakura. "And you?"
"I'm Sakura. Sakura Kurenai." She said, smiling back at the guy. "Have you seen another girl with clothes similar to mine by any chance?" She asked, remembering Michiyo again.
"Can't say I have." Genrō replied, crossing his arms across his chest. "Finding you out here was unusual. Not many people dare to venture up these mountains. We're all bandits up here."
"Even you?"
Genrō smiled. "I'm the worst you could have run across." He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "But you looked just so pathetic that I would have felt horrible for taking advantage of you." He released her and began walking up the hill further. "If you don't want to get lost or die, I suggest you follow close to me. I may not like girls, but I won't sit by and watch people die."
Sakura followed behind Genrō, completely confused by his demeanor. Did he hate her? Pity her? She couldn't make out the guy at all, but he was her best shot at getting up the mountain at least. She wanted to ask him more questions, but she froze up. She wasn't the best at talking to people; she usually left that for Michiyo.
But it appeared she was going to have to get over that fast. Or she might not ever figure out where she was or how to get home. This Genrō guy was her best chance at finding her friend too and she was going to take advantage of that. And being cute was another factor that made her follow him.
Don't worry Michiyo, I'm coming for you…