Disclaimer: You know, if I owned this, I wouldn't be putting this here, would I?

Author's Notes: This is the obvious prologue to the next stage in the Fushigi Yuugi franchise. I'm almost tempted to make this a prologue to a chapter fic, but I don't know how well my conscience would be able to handle my doing the overdone topic of New Miko, the obvious New Miko = Hikari connection, and what is at danger of being a Mary Sue all at once. I started writing the first chapter then I was like "but wait!" and went through the list I just listed and slapped myself.

Hikari

Open. Close. Open. Close.

Nothing happened.

The binding creaked slightly. A few pages rustled softly. That was it.

Maybe if she tried tipping it upside down?

She flipped the book upside down and shook. Nothing happened. No magical people fell out, no magic bird, no magic dragon, nothing.

But Mama couldn't be lying. Mama never lied. Mama told her such stories about the Book, and they just had to be true. They just had to be true. That was how she met Papa, with this book! It seemed like a fairy tale place, full of true love and wonder! She even saw a photo of the place, it had Mama and Papa and six other smiling people! It looked so happy.

But nothing happened when she opened the book.

Open. Close. Open. Close.

Nothing at all.

She felt arms wrap around her from behind. Mama?

"No, no, baby... don't play with this..." Hikari found herself being lifted from behind by the waist as Mama took the book from her and set it on a high shelf with her free hand. "You shouldn't play with the Book," Mama chided, setting her on her hip, "you never know what may happen."

Hikari looked up at her mother with large, sad eyes. Her lips formed into a perfect pout. "But I wanna go into the Book..."

"Not now," Mama murmured, burying her face in Hikari's auburn hair, "not ever..."