A Twist of Fate, a fushigi yuugi fanfic

I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. The anime, manga, original story, original characters, etc all belong to Yuu Watase. I do, however, own any of the characters I create and bring into the story: such as Eiko Hikari and Mai Kazue.

Warning: This story starts out soft and nice, but turns dark and serious. Hint for the "T" rating…it may even become an "M" simply because of how dark it turns…I don't entirely know yet.

Chapter One: A New Beginning?

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My name is Eiko Hikari. I'm sixteen years old and currently a sophomore at Jonan Academy with my best and closest friend, Mai Kazue. I never thought the two of us could actually get into such a competitive school, but through years of hard work in junior-high and untold amounts of stress and worry, we both made it in. I'm glad too, I don't think I would be able to do it without Mai. At first I thought only one of us would get in, but then the practice exam results came in and we were pretty equal. Mai was of course better in most subjects than me, but hey, I wouldn't expect anything less of a scientist's daughter.

Nah, I love Mai. She's so close to me. Our parents said that ever since we were infants, the two of us were inseparable. Whatever one did, the other followed. However, that normally meant that I was the one doing the following as Mai has a nature about her born for leading.

At Jonan, I attend a rigorous schedule with all of my core classes as well as others such as studying my fourth foreign language. I already know Chinese, English, and French and am currently studying German. However, what I know is nothing compared to Mai. Each summer, she travels to a different country for a month with her family and always comes back either having learned a new language or started the process. I've lost count at how many languages she knows once she reached her seventh.

Anyways, outside of my classes, I am a member of the volleyball team and the track team. On the track, I was one of the fastest runners out of both the boys' and girls' teams and was the fastest on the girls' with no competition really. I don't know, I guess I was just made for running. Which is not what someone would guess if they hung out with me. Yes, I am small and any weight I have on my body is muscle, but once I entered high school, I also grew some obvious curves and a bust that made some of the boys suddenly realize that I was a female and not a boy like I grew up acting like.

It was true, growing up, I tended to act more as a boy than a girl and could always be found roughhousing around with the boys. Mai would always tell me I should act more like I girl, but I normally stuck my tongue out and said that I would be who I was going to be. At those times, she would merely roll her eyes and say I was hopeless, but I could always tell she was smiling on the inside and carried a certain type of hope for me.

Though I'm not the best at volleyball as I am on the track, I am good enough to be the Vice Captain. The Captain, Atsuko Ryoko, and I have never been good friends and have always had a rivalry going on. One time, when I asked her why she felt such the need to compete with me, she merely laughed haughtily and walked away, as if I already knew the answer to the question. However, I finally stopped her in her tracks when a boy I had been crushing on since the seventh grade, Keiichi Naoki, ask me out at the beginning of my sophomore year.

Keiichi is a year older than me and drop-dead gorgeous. I had first met him in seventh grade in the library. He told me that he was going to Jonan and about his life dreams and goals, most of which I thought were impossible to achieve at the time. After that, we normally bumped into each other around school and would exchange short greetings, but he always seemed to be surrounded by his friends. I tried to get him alone on a couple of accounts, just to talk to him like we had at the library the first time we met, but never succeeded, so I gave up in the end and just watched him from afar. It was because of Keiichi that I began to act more like a girl. I didn't realize it at first, but slowly signs began to make themselves obvious and blunt before my eyes.

Mai used to always tease me about my little crush and would do anything and everything she could to push my buttons, inwardly happy to see me starting to act a little more girl-like because of it all. But, when Keiichi asked me out, all teasing stopped and I could tell she felt a little jealous. However, after a month of us going out, she said she wasn't jealous of me, but, rather, she was jealous of Keiichi since, once we were boyfriend and girlfriend, she felt like Keiichi would always be spending time around me and that she would be left out in the cold. I bopped her on the head for that one and merely told her that nothing could separate us.

Ya, I have a pretty good life. I have a best friend who is always there for me no matter what, a boyfriend whom I have deep feelings for and who has feelings for me back, or so I hope, and I am a student at the most competitive high school in the area. What more could a girl ask for?

"Hurry up, Eiko! We're going to be late for the movies!" Mai's voice rang out from the other room. Eiko sighed and nodded her head.

"I'm coming, hold on!" She then grabbed her bag and quickly ran into the other room before leaving the bookstore with Mai.

"I swear, if you were any slower, Keiichi would dump you and look for another girl." Mai said, shrugging her shoulders slightly before giggling and running when she saw the look on Eiko's face.

"Take that back, Mai!" Eiko yelled as she chased after her childhood friend. She began to laugh as the chase persuade. In all honest, Eiko wasn't trying very hard to catch Mai, and she was sure that Mai knew that. She was known to be the fastest girl in the school, so if she really wanted to get Mai, she could do so easily. As they arrived at the movies she saw Keiichi and smiled, waving before she slowed her pace as she stopped in front of him. "Hi, Kei!" Eiko said, giving her loving boyfriend a huge hug before pecking him on the lips.

"Gross, get a room you two!" Mai teased before walking up to another boy standing next to Keiichi, Seiji Yoshiaki. She smiled at him before giving him a peck on the lips.

Yes. Mai had a boyfriend as well. It was a couple of months after Keiichi and I had been going out and Keiichi introduced the two. He explained to Mai that Seiji had had eyes on her ever since she first started at Jonan, but was too shy to go up to her and ask her out directly. So, Keiichi offered to have the two meet and asked me to get Mai to come to the front of the school an hour before school started. At first I had been suspicious, but agreed to it, which I was glad I had once I found out the reason why.

Since then the two have been almost inseparable and, like Keiichi and I, seem to be in love. I was glad when the two began to go out. It meant that Mai wouldn't feel so left out anymore from when I was around Keiichi and she would have her own drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend that all the girls could be jealous of..

It's true. Keiichi and Seiji are the two most popular and sought out boys on campus, and they have been since they were accepted into Jonan and year ahead of Mai and me. And the worst part, they know it. There are times when Mai and I have to bop them over the head to control their egos, but we both still love them deeply and think we are the luckiest girls in the world. To the pair of us having Keiichi and Seiji as our boyfriends are worth all the hateful glares from the other girls at the academy.

"Look who needs to get a room now." Eiko teased Mai back only to duck behind Keiichi as her friend tried to swat at her head. "Missed me. Missed me. Now you gotta kiss me." She chirped up from behind Keiichi, grinning and sticking her tongue out at Mai a little.

"Sometimes I still think you're a child, Eiko." Mai said before shaking her head and turning her attention back to Seiji.

"I'll take up that offer on a kiss." Keiichi's voice rang out in Eiko's ear and she quickly realized he had already moved to face her. She looked up at him and blushed slightly before they kissed for a brief second.

"So, shall we get our tickets for the movie or stand outside all night?" Seiji asked, smirking softly as he wrapped his arm around Mai's waist.

"Yes, let get the tickets." Keiichi said before wrapping his arm around Eiko's shoulder and leading her to the ticket booth. Once he had the tickets he gave her one before walking inside and waiting for Mai and Seiji. Which didn't take long.

The four then got their drinks and popcorn before heading into the theatre to watch the movie they had planned a week in advance to see when it came out. The theatre they were in wasn't too crowded, so the four got spots in the highest row in the center and was able to enjoy the movie.

Eiko leaned against Keiichi, using his jacket as a blanket from the cold air of the theatre. She was half distracted from the movie from the way Keiichi subconsciously rubbed her arm a little, but she didn't mind.

Mai was also leaning against Seiji with her head on his shoulder. Her arm was wrapped around his torso a little. The armrests that could be pulled down between the two pairs were currently up so that they could snuggle closer.

However, Eiko and Mai both froze halfway through the movie when each heard a voice.

"Priestess…find me…" Eiko froze as she heard someone calling. However, when it appeared Keiichi didn't hear it, she figured she was just imagining it. That is, until the voice rang out again. "Priestess…come find me…"

Eiko looked around a little. "Find you?" She whispered.

"Is something wrong, Eiko?" Keiichi asked, glancing down at Eiko when he noticed she was no longer leaning against him and was looking around the theatre some.

Eiko looked back to Keiichi and shook her head before settling back against him. "No…" She whispered. Though now Eiko's mind was completely distracted as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Did someone really call out? Someone only she could hear?

However, Eiko wasn't the only one to experience a strange moment. Just as Eiko heard someone call for her, Mai heard a different voice call out to her. "Priestess…I await your arrival…hurry."

She glanced around, but didn't see a body that belonged to the face. "What the-?" Mai started but shook her head and leaned back against Seiji before he noticed anything, not wanting him to question her or notice that something was wrong.

After the movies, the couples parted ways after making plans to get together the following day for a picnic and Eiko and Mai walked back to their houses together. Each seemed to be lost in thought and hadn't realized they had reached Eiko's house until they nearly ran into Mrs. Hikari.

"Oh, mother." Eiko said, shaking her head to clear it. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Mai, when we all go out for the picnic." She said before giving her friend a hug and walking inside. She then went and plopped down on her bed before quickly falling asleep, not even getting a chance to change into her pajamas.

"Priestess…pleas hurry and find me." The voice rang out again.

"That voice…" Eiko said as she looked around her dream world. "Who's there?" She called out, blocking her eyes as a bright red light filled the area before she found herself in front of strange looking man with red wings. "Who are you?" Eiko asked as she stood in front of him.

"Priestess…there isn't much time. You must come find me, before it is too late." The man replied, his eyes seeming to carry a sense of sadness and urgency, as he held out a hand towards her.

"To late for what?" Eiko replied, reached her hand out instinctively. However, as their hands grew closer the bright red light filled the area and soon where the man stood a huge red phoenix was before it disappeared and left her in the dark.

Eiko sat up quickly in her bed after her dream ended. "What was that all about?" She wondered aloud before noticing her room was filled with the same bright red light that had been there in her dream before the man appeared. Eiko got out of her bed and went to where the light source was coming from; her school bag. Inside was the book she had bought from the bookstore before meeting up with Keiichi and Seiji alongside Mai. "The book…it's glowing the same bright red." Eiko gasped as the book opened up in front of her and she stared at its pages. "What's going on…?" Before she could finish her question, she was surrounded by the red light and suddenly felt like she was begin thrown into a vortex of some sort. "Mai!!" Eiko yelled out before she was once more surrounded by a bright red light…

Mai hugged her friend before walking the rest of the way to her house, which wasn't far. Once she got home she went up to her room and changed before going to bed. The evening had been fun and, with the exception of the one strange occurrence, nice.

However, despite how she hoped her dreams would be normal, they were far from once she shut her eyes and fell asleep.

"Mai." Eiko's voice rang out before she giggled.

"Eiko. What are you doing here?" Mai replied, confused at why her friend was standing in her room so late at night.

"No particular reason. I guess I just wanted to see you. We've both been spending so much time with Kei and Seiji that we haven't gotten some time alone in a while." Eiko replied, shrugging softly as the scene changed into a ark and Eiko went and sat down on a swing before swinging lightly. "Come swing with me, Mai." She said before giving off another giggle.

"You're acting weird, Eiko." Mai said, but went and sat down on the swing next to Eiko. "It's not true we haven't gotten time together. We get time together all the time at school and afterwards before we meet up with Seiji and Keiichi." She added, looking at her friend.

"That's not time together since we are always studying during those times. If it's not studying it another thing." Eiko replied, standing up and shaking her head. "We just need a place were we can be the friends we are, before it's too late." She added as she stood there.

"What are you talking about? You're making no sense, Eiko." Mai replied before covering her eyes as a bright red light began to encompass Eiko's body. "Eiko?" She called out, standing up and taking a step towards her friend.

"It's too late, Mai…" Eiko said before turning to face Mai, a couple of tears falling from her eyes.

"Eiko…you're making no sense…" Mai repeated, shaking her head before gasping as Eiko disappeared along with the red light with a simple 'goodbye' and was replaced by a strange man with a blue dragon's tail. "Who…who are you? Where's Eiko?!' Mai demanded. However, the man merely looked at her before disappearing.

Mai bolted up in bed. "Eiko!" She suddenly felt very worried for her friend and decided to call her, despite the time of night.

In Eiko's room, her cell phone rang on the floor next to her bag. In the middle of her room, the book was shut and still glowing a faint red, almost seeming to pulse.

Mai grew worried when Eiko didn't answer her phone. "It may be late, but her cell phone always wakes her up." She said before deciding to go see he friend directly. Mai got dressed and headed over quickly, knocking on the Hikari residents' door frantically. "Mr. Hikari? Mrs. Hikari? I'm sorry to bother you, but it's important that I see Eiko right away!" She called out as she continued to knock on the door until Mr. Hikari came and opened it.

"Mai…it's late. Can't you wait to see Eiko tomorr-" Mr. Hikari was cut off as Mai walked past him and hurried up the stairs to Eiko's room. "What the? Mai, come back! I'm sure that whatever you have to say can wait till the morning. We shouldn't interrupt Eiko while she's sleeping." He said, trying to reason with the girl that he currently viewed and crazy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hikari, but this can't wait, as much as you may believe it can." Mai said before quickly opening the door, only to find an empty room. "Eiko?" She called out softly, worried when she didn't see her friend. All that greeted her was an empty room, a slightly messy bed, and Eiko's school bag on the ground with her cell phone lying next to it and a glowing book. "The book…it's the same red that Eiko was surrounded by in my dream." Mai said as she shut the door and locked it before Mr. Hikari could stop her. She then carefully made her way over to the book, ignoring Mr. Hikari's calls and yells on the other side of the door. "What is this book?" Mai wondered as she picked it up and opened it. However, as she opened it, the light emitting from the book changed to a bright blue and suddenly Mai felt herself being pulled in. "Eiko!" She called out, wondering if whatever was happening to her now had happened to her friend as well.

Eiko groaned as she woke up slowly. Below her was cold stone and above her...Eiko froze when she saw all the spears pointed at her. "Uh…Mai…" She called out weakly, afraid for her life and wishing her friend was here. Wherever 'here' was.

"Hold on!" A strong voice rang out.

Eiko turned to see who it was and gasped at what she saw and where she saw she was. "It's can't be!" She said, in complete disbelief.

Mai groaned deeply as she sat up only to see various swords and weapons pointed at her threateningly. "Huh? Where am I?" She wondered aloud, suddenly wishing she hadn't picked up the book.

"No one is to lay a finger on her." A strong, demanding voice said as Mai turned to see who it was.

"Who?" She started as she stared at the one who spoke. "Just where am I?" Mai wondered aloud as she continued to stare at the stranger.

Miaka had been living a happy life with Taka after everything ended with the Universe of the Four Gods. Sure, she missed everyone there, but every time she saw Taka's and her child she remembered all they had done to make sure that Taka and her could live a happy life for the rest of their lives.

"Mommy, when will daddy be home?" A small voice rang out.

Miaka smiled and looked down at her son. "Soon, dear. Daddy just went out to get some things for dinner." She explained before bending down and picking her son up. Miaka then smiled when she heard the door close behind her. "Speaking of the devil, he's home." She said before giggling as she set her son down and saw him go racing off to greet Taka.

Taka smiled as he set down the groceries before picking up his son. "Hey. You've been good for your mom while I was away, right?" He asked before ruffling his son hair and looking at Miaka when she came to greet him as well. Taka smiled softly at Miaka before giving her a soft peck on the lips. "You're just as beautiful as ever." He commented before placing their son down and going to pick up the groceries he had set down.

However, as he did, Taka froze and felt a strange pulse seem to flow through him. "What's going on?" He wondered aloud before he glanced up at Miaka only to see horror filling her eyes. "Miaka?" Taka asked, worried.

Miaka gasped as an all too familiar red light began to surround Taka. "No…" She said, shaking her head as she tried to reach out for him. However, it was as if a force field was blocking her from him and it stopped her from reaching him, despite how close he was to her. "Taka." Miaka added, tears beginning to fill her eyes. Not again.

"Miaka?" Taka asked before the red glow became apparent to him as well. "What's going on?

"It's time for you to return, Tamahome: Celestial Warrior of Suzaku." The voice rang out clearly.

It was a voice that Taka was familiar with. "Suzaku?" He asked out before his world was surrounded in the bright red light and he could no longer see Miaka. However, as he felt himself pulled into the vortex that lead to the one place he knew, it seemed like his memories were being erased. What was going on? Memories of Miaka, of his son, were disappearing and seeming to be only a dream before they left him completely. As if none of it ever happened.

When Taka awoke in Konan, he was Tamahome. All memories of his life after Miaka and Yui came to the Universe of the Four Gods were gone and if someone were to say their names to him, he wouldn't know who they were talking about. Tamahome was currently only interested in gaining money for his family.

"No…no!" Miaka yelled out as Taka disappeared. "Not again!" She added as she cried, not even noticing her son for the moment.

"Priestess of Suzaku.." A clear, strong, familiar voice rang out.

When Miaka opened her eyes once more she stood before the God, Suzaku. "Suzaku…why did you take Taka again?" She demanded, tears of sorrow mixing with ones of hatred.

"Priestess of Suzaku. You know as well as I that your love for Taka has managed to slip past the boundaries on many accounts. However, it is time for Taka to return to the world in which he was created and which he was created for." Suzaku replied.

"But why?! We completed the story. The Universe of the Four Gods is closed and done!" Miaka replied, fisting her hands.

"For you, yes, but a new story is about to begin and the pages are wiped clean. There is a new Priestess of Suzaku and Seriyuu and soon a new Priestess of Genbu and of Byakko will follow in the years to come. The Universe of The Four Gods is complete for you, but will continue to live on." Suzaku explained as he stood before Miaka.

"But why Taka? Wasn't taking him from me before enough? We were promised a life together!" Miaka yelled in frustration. "I'll bring him back. I'll get Taka back!" She finished before the bright red light disappeared.

Miaka opened her eyes to see that her son was kneeling beside her, worried. "Mommy?" he asked softly, almost crying. "Where's daddy?" He added.

"Shh, sweetie. I promise to bring, daddy back." Miaka said as she hugged their son tightly. She silently vowed to Taka that she would come for him and bring him back as soon as she found the book.

How wrong she was…

TBC

So, how do you like it so far? Let me know. I want to see if people really like this story or not or if I am just pulling my own teeth at writing this. I really hope that people like it.