The Most Mysterious of Plays
By: Songwind
Disclaimer- I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. Whoo. Big Shock.
Genre- AU, romance, adventure, etc.
Author's Notes- This is based upon a simple 'if'- during Mission Rescue Yui, what if Yui had come back before Tamahome and Miaka had their touching moment? How different would the story have been? Please forgive me if there have already been stories about this, but I have not yet heard of any of them. I pray that this one is original enough for everyone's tastes.
Warning- Romance, and a case of The-Authoress-Royally-Screws-With-The-Story-Itis.
Chapter One: Escape!
This is –not- good.
Miaka looked about uneasily as the strange, blonde warrior led her down yet another huge, unidentifiable hallway. The main color theme was blue, and there were an amazing number of hues of said shade. What was also amazing was that, somehow, the paintings and the tapestries that lined the walls didn't hurt her eyes from all of the same color.
However, she still felt greatly disoriented, and had to pause once or twice in following the blonde warrior to get her bearings straight. She was no longer certain what direction she would need to take to escape, once she had a chance. Nor did she have a clue as to how she would escape.
I can't depend on Tamahome. Never again.
She swallowed as they turned a corner. This time, the hallway had no side doors, but large windows that let the sunlight shine in cheerfully upon both Miaka and the warrior. Typical, how the weather was the opposite of her mood.
Then again, this wasn't some stupid show. This was for real.
There was something different about this hallway- the huge doors at the end of the hallway being one difference- but they had entered through such doors before, each set of wood becoming more and more elaborate in its delicate carvings. Miaka couldn't help but feel nervous about touching such beautiful works of art. Knowing how she could trip over nothing at the drop of a hat, she was glad she hadn't accidentally set one of those doors on fire yet or something.
"Um, excuse me," the young priestess murmured, hurrying to catch up with her escort. "How much further?"
"It is but through those doors, and we shall be within the presence of the emperor," the blonde man said, not slowing the slightest in his pace for her. "This is a great honor, speaking with the emperor. Remember that."
"O-of course it is! I-I mean it's the emperor, right? So what do I gotta do?"
"Do?" The man raised an eyebrow. "What do you think you must do?"
"Well, uh.. I don't know. That's why I'm asking," the young woman stammered. "Y'know, to show I'm the priestess and stuff…"
"Ah. You have only to accept the duties of Priestess of Seiyruu, and you will be free to carry out your duties."
"Oh."
"Please hurry. The emperor has been waiting."
With that, the blonde man ended the conversation. Miaka, feeling even more clueless than before, sent a brief prayer up to Suzaku as well as the god she'd been raised worshipping, hoping that everything would turn out all right despite these new odds.
Soon enough, they found themselves before the doors.
Miaka noticed another difference in this hallway; beyond this door, she could make out music being played, and the sound of someone laughing. All the other doors had led to silence.
It was eerie, how quiet this place was. The palace back in Konan was always energetic, filled with advisors, scholars and harem women racing about, attending to their duties. Here, the servants stayed in the shadows unless specifically ordered to do otherwise. They had passed a courtyard earlier, where a servant had been beaten for stepping into the shade where his master lay.
"This is it?" she whispered.
The blonde warrior nodded, brushing his cape away from his armor, which gleamed in the sunlight from the windows. "Let us enter."
The doors opened, and the two entered.
Miaka suddenly realized she'd made a mistake while attempting to enter Kutou's palace.
No wonder the guards were so suspicious! All those hallways… that must have been the back way to enter the Palace. Oh gee, now I get it…
The door they entered through was a side one, so that Miaka was blasted with sunlight in one eye and granted shade in the other. She winced, peering at where the sunlight came from. The great tapestries of the giant hall were being pulled back by some servants, allowing the sunlight inside. The pulled-back tapestries served a double purpose, allowing people entering from side doors a small respite from the bright light.
The warrior nudged Miaka towards the carpet that led to the throne. Jumping, she looked up at him. When he gestured impatiently, she hurried towards it.
The laughter and music immediately stopped as the two reached the carpet.
"Bow," the blonde man murmured, dropping to one knee.
Miaka obeyed, feeling the eyes of yet another powerful man assessing her. Quickly, she glanced up to see this great emperor of Kutou…
And nearly gagged.
The man was old, perhaps in his late forties, perhaps later. He had a huge, hideous black beard that went down to his abdomen, which had obviously seen better days. His stomach appeared swollen, though whether it was from a disease or from gluttony, Miaka couldn't tell. His clothes were as elaborate as Hotohori's, but for some reason, Miaka had a feeling that they weren't kept as clean.
And as for the man's eyes…
Miaka could not suppress a shudder as she felt his eyes rove over her face, her neck, her… assets, and below. She felt her face heating, though she couldn't really tell why.
"Your Majesty, Emperor of Kutou! I beg an audience with you," the blonde man stated formally.
"Ah, Nakago."
A servant who stood far to one side proclaimed, "The great Emperor recognizes the warrior Nakago. The General and his company may approach within twenty steps of the throne."
"Move," Nakago commanded quietly to Miaka.
The young girl obeyed, feeling slightly dazed. What's with this 'within twenty steps' thing? Hotohori never had anyone do that…
"What have you brought Us, Nakago?" the Emperor asked, looking down at them with a small smirk.
"I bring a young woman who claims to be our very own Priestess of Seiyruu."
"As predicted in the Universe of the Four Gods?"
"That seems to be her claim, your Majesty." Nakago pulled of his helmet, revealing exactly how long his hair was. Miaka's eyes widened- without the helmet, the man was gorgeous!
"Well done, then! Well done!" the Emperor laughed. A few of the other people in the room laughed with him.
"The Emperor shows his gratitude to the warrior Nakago! The General and the Priestess may approach within ten steps of the throne."
This time, Miaka didn't need to be told what to do, though she was loath to obey. Cringing inwardly at being so close to the Emperor- and so far from any of the doors! - she followed Nakago.
"Well done!" the Emperor repeated. "Now we have nothing to fear, even that Priestess of Suzaku! I'll have that child Hotohori whimpering and groveling at my feet in no time at all!"
Miaka bit her lip and tried to hold back- honestly, she did! - but it wasn't long before her mouth decided to work before the mind could intervene.
"Hey, wait a second there, mister!" she snapped, raising an index finger and waving it for emphasis. "You guys may be enemies, but don't go dissin' Konan! You don't know the first thing about Hotohori! Ain't no way he'd ever grovel!"
The great hall became ominously silent.
"Uh… I mean…" Oh nooo, here it comes…
"What?!" the Emperor declared.
"I mean, uh.. that's what I …. Oh look! A flower! How pretty!" she gushed, pointing at it. "Anyway, what were you saying? Something about kids? I love kids!"
The room began to fill with murmurs of speculation, while the Emperor looked at her uncertainly.
"Humph. Odd woman," Nakago said softly. She shot him a glare, hoping it looked like she was angry and not about to pee herself. "Actually, your Majesty, there is one other girl I wanted to bring before you…"
He clapped his hands twice. Again, the room silenced as a nearby set of doors opened.
Four soldiers marched through with a young woman in their midst. The young woman looked greatly confused, and a little indignant; her short hair was mussed, probably from sleep. She wore the same exact outfit as Miaka did…
"Y… Yui?! Is that… really…" Miaka gasped, staring.
The young woman stared back, eyes wide and watering. "Mi… Miaka?" she whispered.
Immediately, Miaka forgot about pretending to be Seiryuu's Priestess. She forgot about Tamahome, forgot about their audience. She threw herself at her best friend, crying, "YUI! Thank goodness you're all right!"
Her bag dropped to the ground as she hugged Yui tightly around the neck. Shocked, the other young woman began to cry and laugh at the same time.
"Miaka? Didn't you return to our world?!" she demanded, hugging the brunette back.
"I had to come back to find you!" Miaka wailed, refusing to let go. "When I got back home, your parents were worried 'cause you were gone! I thought you might've ended up here, so I came back."
"You came back to find me?" Yui asked incredulously.
"Of course I did. We're going… we're going to the same high school, right?" Miaka asked, smiling widely at her friend.
"Yes… that's right… Thank you, Miaka!"
At about that point, Miaka became aware that they had an audience again.
"Who's the real Priestess?" one courtier whispered.
"It must be the blonde one… she's been around for months."
"But then who's the other one?"
"What do we do? We can't have two priestesses, that's not in the scroll…"
And, at about that point, Miaka realized something was missing- namely, her backpack.
She turned without releasing Yui, and felt her blood run cold. Oh no…
Nakago had picked up her pack and opened it, and had unrolled the scroll in there.
He read it for a few minutes, and Miaka felt her heart begin to pound wildly. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for the quickest path out without getting herself and Yui shot full of arrows.
Then he looked up, a smirk on his face. "As I thought." He waved the scroll above his head for all to see. "This… is Konan's Universe of the Four Gods. And that means… that you are the Priestess of Suzaku!"
A soldier burst through the door that Miaka and Nakago had used earlier, kneeling. "Your Majesty! An intruder has broken through the gate! Several soldiers are attempting to contain him, but we can't hold him back!"
Tamahome…?!
Miaka shook her head, then grabbed Yui's arm and began to haul her away from the commotion and towards the nearest set of doors- the ones Yui came through. "Yui, let's go!"
Yui began to follow immediately, and the two were soon sprinting down the hallway. Their shoes made a loud clicking noise, easily identifiable when compared to the slippers worn about the Palace.
"Escape? To where?" Yui demanded as they rounded a corner.
"I don't – EEEK!"
The two collided into a soldier who'd been running towards the direction they'd come from.
"Ow! Hey, you two-!"
This time it was Yui who grabbed Miaka's arm, yanking her the other way. "Come on! I know a hiding place!"
"Wha- okay!"
It took a few turns through the halls, which were once again eerily silent. Their clicking shoes were muffled from the deep carpets, though since they had little traction, the two girls had to fight to keep from skidding and falling.
Soon, they found the hiding spot Yui had mentioned. It looked like the sort of thing people would dress behind, only it was in the hallway as if it were a sort of display. Yui dragged Miaka behind the screen, and the two knelt there, panting for breath.
"Now what do we do, Miaka?" Yui asked, peering around the screen. She ducked back behind it when a soldier came into view.
"We have to get back to Konan!" Miaka said, trying to orient herself. Now I wish I'd told Chichiri about this…
"Konan…?"
"Yeah, that's the country we were in the first time! Look, Yui, we gotta get outta here because if you become the Priestess of Seiyruu, we'll have to become enemies. But you can come to Konan with me- Tamahome and the others would love to have you with us!"
Yui gained a strange expression on her face as she gazed at the screen before them. "Tama…home?" she murmured. She reached up as if to straighten her hair.
Miaka gasped. What the-! She shot her hand out and caught Yui's, pulling it into the light. "Yui! What happened?!"
A long, thin, pink scar ran along the underside of Yui's wrist.
Yui snatched it back, laughing lightly. "Oh that, it's nothing! Just a scar! Three months ago at the library, a bright blue light burst out of the Universe of the Four Gods… I probably hurt myself entering the book."
"Yui…"
"It was crazy," Yui said, shaking her head. "I had no idea what to do, or where I was. I started looking for you, but… well, that man saved me."
Man? Who- oh! "You mean that blonde-haired, blue-eyed man? He doesn't look Chinese."
"Uh-huh… he says he's a foreigner," Yui supplied.
"A foreigner?" Miaka asked, blinking. "You mean a forefather?"
"No!" Yui said, slapping her friend and sweat-dropping.
They fell silent as a group of soldiers began to march past.
"See anything?"
"D'ya hear those weird shoes?"
"Nothing!"
"Remember, General Nakago wants them both alive. Especially Mistress Yui!"
"Right!"
Yui sighed as they rounded a corner, and slumped against the wall.
"We'll never escape at this rate!" she complained.
Miaka started to nod. Then, her eyes went big as she suddenly realized something.
"My bag! Oh, no! I forgot the Universe of the Four Gods! It has the clues to find the other three constellations… oh no… I have to get it back!"
With that, Miaka stood up and began to march out from their hiding place, just as another soldier came running by.
Yui grabbed her and started to drag her back. "Idiot! Don't go now!"
But it was too late- the soldier had noticed them.
"It's you!" he said, readying his spear. "Come quietly, Priestess of Suzaku, and you won't be hurt! Mistress Yu-"
His eyes went wide, and then blanked as he collapsed to the ground.
"What?!"
Ta… Tamahome! Oh, no, I can't…
Indeed, the teal-haired warrior had just elbowed the soldier and was now striding over to the two girls. "Miaka!"
Said young woman ducked behind her friend. I can't!
"Tamahome?" Yui asked, suddenly gaining his attention.
Oh thank you, Yui…
The warrior blinked, then wiped his hair from his face- he was soaking wet, and his hair was no exception. "Uh… Yui, right?" He gave her a friendly smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"You remember me, then?" Yui asked, surprised. A small smile crept onto her face, even as she blushed.
"Well, you are Miaka's friend, right? She was going crazy looking for you after you disappeared…"
A voice just beyond the screen called, "One of our men's down!"
Tamahome grabbed both girls, yanking them entirely behind the screen, and covering them with his body. Yui's face burned a deeper red, while Miaka tried not to breathe in his musky scent. Oh no, why does he have to smell so friggin' nice?!
The voices continued for a while, but finally the soldiers appeared to have marched off to search elsewhere. Again, the Priestess of Suzaku had had her God's luck with her.
It was then that Tamahome realized what he was doing, and released both Yui and Miaka with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that!" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Then he winced and rubbed his leg. "Ow, ow, ow…"
"What's wrong?" Yui asked.
"That foreign guy just messed up my leg, that's all… ow, ow…"
"He did that?! I'll go talk to him!" she declared, standing.
"Yui, where are you going?!" Miaka asked, reaching for her friend.
"I'm going to get that Universe of the Four Gods back, and I'm going to tell everyone off."
"What if they capture you instead?"
"That won't happen. Nakago won't refuse me! He can't!" Yui said with a wink. Then she marched off.
It was then that Miaka realized that Tamahome was watching her with narrowed eyes.
Oh, boy…
Yui soon found Nakago, who was chastising his troops for not having found her or Miaka yet. "What do you mean, you haven't found Mistress Yui yet?"
You bastard. You lied to me about Miaka. I trusted you. How could you… No, Yui. Leave it alone. It might just be what he thought. She did come for me, she did. Well, here goes. I sure hope he does listen to me…
"One girl in a palace can be hard to find," Yui commented wryly, coming out from behind one of the many pillars that held up the great Palace.
Nakago turned, his face a mask of concern. "Mistress Yui. Where were you? I cannot approve of you spending any time with the Priestess of Suzaku!"
You can disapprove all you want. Like that ever stopped me.
"I want the Universe of the Four Gods, Nakago."
"You may have it when you become our Priestess, Mistress-"
"Stop calling me that! I told you a long time ago that I'm no Priestess!" Yui glared at him. "I'm not going to be your Priestess. I'm going with Miaka. I'm going to Konan. I'm going to go home. Now give me Miaka's copy of the Universe of the Four Gods."
To her indignation, Nakago didn't seem at all worried or angered by her outburst. To the contrary, he looked amused as he pulled the scroll out from his cloak. "Very well, Mistress Yui. But please, remember what happened three months ago. That young lady was not as worried about you as you would imagine. Of course, you may do as you please, but…"
Yui snatched the scroll out of his hand and began to run back towards Miaka and Tamahome.
"If you change your mind, Mistress Yui, then please come to the shrine of Seiryuu," Nakago called, still smirking.
Yui didn't respond.
"Why can't you accept my protection?" Tamahome demanded.
"Because Yui's my best friend."
"That has nothing to do with it!" the warrior said, crossing his arms and frowning. "You're the Priestess. Remember? You, Priestess. Me, Warrior. Me protect you. Ring a bell?"
Miaka sweat-dropped. "What's with the Tarzan reference? That doesn't happen for thousands of years!"
He blinked. "What?"
"Never mind. Look, the priestess shouldn't be so freaking dependent on her warriors, okay? Besides, your family was in danger. You should prioritize, Tamahome." Hey, look, I used a word from my English-Japanese dictionary! Hee! Studying pays off! Ack! Miaka, wrong thing to think about! Think about your situation…
"And you should be careful. There's only one Miaka, you know. We can't replace you!" Tamahome said.
"And Suzaku can't replace you. Where would we be if you can't come to the ceremony because of your family or something?"
"Miaka, I'm here to protect you, remember?"
"It shouldn't have to-"
Tamahome reached for her, but she pulled away. "Damn it, Miaka, I-"
"Miaka!" Yui called from the other side of the screen, waving the scroll.
Tamahome yanked away from his priestess, grumbling and crossing his arms. Miaka, grateful for the interruption, leapt to her feet and hurried towards her friend.
"Yui, thank goodness! Are you all right?"
"Of course I am! Nakago's going to let me go."
"You're kidding! He doesn't look like a guy who gives up."
"Heh. Doesn't matter, does it? After we leave, we'll never see him again," Yui said, smiling.
"Right."
"So how are we supposed to get out now?" Yui asked. "Nakago's not going to stop me, but he's not going to help, either. He's not ordering any of his troops to stop…"
"Chichiri's right outside," Tamahome said. "He can teleport us outta here."
"Really?" Miaka asked, relieved. Wow, so he did come after all… Now that's a cool Seishi… wait, didn't I just give a speech about not needing Seishi? What an idiot!
"Now we just gotta get outta here," Miaka declared.
"Just?" Tamahome complained, standing and wincing.
"Oh no, your leg…"
"Don't worry. I just can't run very fast, that's all."
"We're not going to let you get hurt, you know!" Yui said, stamping her foot.
Miaka smiled. Oh Yui, you always were protective…
Tamahome, on the other hand, looked a little vexed at being told what to do by a girl who was three years his junior. However, he didn't protest as Yui took one of his arms, and Miaka the other. Looking about carefully, they edged out from behind the screen.
"Which way, Yui? Do you know the quickest way out?" Miaka asked as they helped Tamahome along the hallway.
"It takes a few minutes either way. The only way we can get out quickly is through a win- EEEE!"
Tamahome had shoved them both to the ground just as a spear landed in the opposite wall. Despite his sore leg, he went into defensive stance. "Damn it!"
"It's the Priestess of Suzaku and her warrior! They're kidnapping our Priestess! Kill them!" one of Kutou's soldiers bellowed.
Not good, not good, not good!
Another spear was aimed, and Tamahome had to leap up in a scissor kick to evade the attack. Then he leapt forward, attacking mostly with his arms and hands.
One soldier went down with a punch in the face. Tamahome then grabbed up one of the discarded spears and knocked another one upside the head. When the soldier retaliated by trying to stab Tamahome, the warrior dodged and brought the blunted side of the spear up between the man's legs. The soldier soon decided he had better things to do than fight, like rolling about the floor whimpering. A third soldier had to be stabbed to stop.
The fourth soldier, having seen the way Tamahome fought, decided on another tactic of fighting entirely.
Namely, running away yelling for help.
Tamahome watched him go, panting.
"Tamahome!" Miaka said, relieved. She and Yui had edged off to one side of the hallway during the fight, to avoid being trampled.
The young man turned, his Seishi mark on his forehead glowing brightly. He gave a peace sign. "Come on, let's go!" He said, striding over the defeated soldiers.
Miaka and Yui nodded. Yui turned and started down the hallway immediately, but Miaka paused when she noticed movement.
One of the soldiers on the ground- the first one- had grabbed one of the spears.
He was only three feet away from Tamahome.
"Tamahome!" she shrieked, pointing.
But it was already too late- the soldier had already begun to swing his spear. The side of the spear crashed against Tamahome's bad leg with a resounding thwack!
Tamahome went down, crying out in pain.
Yui turned. "Tamahome!" she cried.
Miaka rushed forward as the soldier staggered to his feet.
"Heh, heh… it looks like I found a weak spot," the soldier panted. He aimed his point at both Seishi and Priestess of Suzaku. "And now, warrior and Priestess, you will die!"
Miaka cringed, grabbing Tamahome's hands and yanking him back with her. This only served to make him fall on top of her. Again, he winced and bit his lip to keep from whimpering from the pain.
The spear aimed, then it raised in the air…
…And dropped as the soldier was knocked unconscious from behind.
"Huh?" Miaka and Yui looked up.
"Chichiri!" Miaka said, smiling in relief.
The blue-haired monk, however, was not smiling. "Now's not the time for you two to be fooling around, no da!" he told Miaka and Tamahome. "This is a rescue mission, and it's not over yet, no da!"
Blushing, Miaka pushed Tamahome off of herself and sat up. Yui watched the newcomer cautiously.
Chichiri, meanwhile, took a quick look at the other soldiers- who were all still unconscious- before looking over Tamahome. "Ouch. Broken leg. Definitely snapped bone, no da. We'll need the Nyan-Nyans for this." Then he looked over at the two girls. "You an' your friend okay Miaka? No da!"
"Yep! Chichiri, this is Yui. Yui's my best friend! Yui, this is Suzaku Seishi Chichiri! One of my warriors!"
Yui nodded cautiously. "Hi," she offered.
"Nice to meetcha, no da. But now's not the time." He pulled off his straw hat, his kasa, and dropped it to the floor. "Okay, we got just enough power to get you guys outta here and to some treatment, no da. Let's get Tamahome through first."
"What are we doing?" Yui asked, confused.
"Just watch, Yui," Miaka said, helping Tamahome to his feet. The warrior was blushing and mumbling about being able to take care of himself.
Chichiri gripped Tamahome's shoulder for a moment, saying, "Don't be alarmed when you get there. We'll be right behind you, no da!"
"Why would I be al-"
Tamahome's feet slipped into the inside of the hat. They touched the straw. Then they kept going.
And kept going.
Yui's eyes widened as Tamahome continued to disappear. Soon, only his head and shoulders were visible.
Then he was gone.
"Tamahome! What-"
"It's okay, it's just magic. No da," Chichiri said. He offered the hat to her. "They're after you since you're their Priestess. You go next. No da."
Yui looked at the hat uncertainly, then at Miaka.
"It's okay!" Miaka said. "I'll be right behind you!"
"Okay…" Yui swallowed, then stepped into the hat.
A moment later, she too was gone.
"Miaka, you're the last."
"Right." Miaka took a deep breath, then took a step-
-and found herself falling through darkness.
End Chapter One.