Aozora ni Chikatte- Swearing to the Sky


by: Asurahime



Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to me, it belongs to Watase Yuu and those other rich Japanese corporations. The song "Aozora ni Chikatte" belongs in the Wild ARMs soundtrack arranged by Michiko Naruke.

Warning: Tasuki x Miaka, which counts for all of my fanfics for Fushigi Yuugi.


^~~=~~^


Chikyuu ga maruito kizuita mitai ni

Sunao na kokoro mou ichido omoidashite mite...


"Eiken! If ya want this girl back, then ya hafta challenge me fer the boss' seat ya fat bastard!!" shouted Genrou as he quickly ran off into the night with a red-haired, emerald-eyed girl thrown over his shoulder. He didn't really want to kidnap such a seemingly scrawny brat, but it was an easy way out and he was outnumbered. Gracefully making his way to his secret hideaway, Genrou didn't even look back to see that his prisoner was crying out for someone named 'Hotohori' and 'Nuriko'.


"Hotohori, Nuriko!! Save me!!" cried the girl, reaching out for her friends, even though it was apparent that the violet-haired man and the emperor were being confronted by both the bandits and illusion wolves. When she saw that the bandit camp was no longer visible, she dropped her hand and began to struggle against her captor. "Hanase!! Let me go! Let me go back to my friends!"


Genrou shrugged off the girl's attacks and concentrated on making it to his destination. "Che, I've never seen such a disagreeable or strangely-dressed girl in my whole damn life!"


Miaka looked back at him, with fire in her eyes. "I am getting really tired of this you know!? And sorry for being disagreeable! But if you didn't notice, you just kidnapped me!!!"


Bursting out into laughter, the red-haired boy ran faster than before and stopped in front of a deserted shack at the side of a mountain. Opening the door, he threw his prisoner to the floor and shrugged off his overcoat. "Ya don't have ta worry about screamin', 'cause no one will hear ya. The only ones who know 'bout this place is me 'n my best friend."


Minareta keshiki ga hikari no be-ru ni

Tsutsu mareta nara tokimeki ga rizumo o kizamu yo...


"Now, let's have some fun, ne?" whispered the bandit, wanting to test the girl by scaring her. He looked at her face and found himself starting to drown into her beautiful green eyes. Moving in to kiss her, the last thing Genrou expected was a straight right hook landing squarely on his cheek. =What in the hell!?=, thought the boy, surprised out of his wits.


"So! Just because I'm a girl, you already think that you can just take advantage of me, can you!?" shouted Miaka, getting into a boxing stance which looked more pathetic than terrifying.


=Damn, this one sure is feisty...= Genrou sweatdropped and prevented himself from laughing at the strange actions of the girl. Is this one baka or what!? Turning away, he waved his hand as if telling the kidnapped Miko to calm down. "Che, enough with the strange face already. I only kidnapped ya so that I can get back my leader's seat." he said as he closed his eyes and mockingly smiled. "Besides, I don't even like women... and why in the hell are ya doin' and ya aren't even listenin' to me!!"


Miaka had peeled his shirt halfway off of his body in search of any characters. Jumping back in surprise, she held out her hands in front of her as if to ward off the boy. "Sorry! I was only looking to see if you had a character on your body!!"


=Character? She wouldn't be talking about the character on my arm..... would she? Suzaku no Miko.....= Genrou immediately got on her face, just like the uncouth bandit he pretends to be. "What in the hell do ya mean a character on my body!? I would know if I had one, so stop snoopin' around! Bakayarou!!"


Ikutsu mo no ayamachi ikutsu mo no namida

Koete yukeru futari de nara...


"Tasuki..... is dead?" whispered Miaka, not quite believing her own words, but the shattering reality of the coffin before her only made the words taste all the worse.


Genrou laid a careful hand on his boss' coffin, unsure of what to do. It seems that it had just been yesterday that he was a follower, but now... he's a leader. Glancing at Miaka from the corner of his eye, he cannot quite accept the fact that it had been because of her than he had control once again. Even after the fact that she has wasted every single last one of his talismans and was an irritatingly dense person..... Genrou had to admit that he admired her greatly.


Just a few hours before, she has shown her honesty and her innate sense of reason. Although it had been a futile move to throw herself at Eiken to regain the tessen, Miaka had done such so that she could keep her word to him. And that mirage.... the man with cerulean hair and violet eyes... who was he?


"How will we summon Suzaku now....." whispered Miaka to herself, trying to hope against hope that there was a way to bring the dead seishi back to life. Oblivious of everything around her, her eyes grew misty with the threat to pour tears. When she was about to cry her eyes out, she heard one of the bandits talking about a village where a woman can resurrect the dead. Jumping blindly at the sudden hope, Miaka seized the man by his shirt and brought his face alarmingly close to hers. Even though he was able to hear her clearly in his current position, the priestess condescended to scream whatever she was saying on his face. "WHAT?!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER, OLD MAN!! Now we can finally revive Tasuki!! But first...", the girl held up a rice bowl. "Can I have some rice?" This caused everyone to fall flat on the ground in dismay and slight irritation.


Genrou bit back a sudden urge to cry out that Tasuki was actually alive and standing in front of them, but his obligation to his people and his master held him steadfastly in place. All he can do is try to discourage her... "Ya dun even know whether or not this damn fiasco is goin' ta work. Ye're tellin' me that ye're gonna go ta that place without even knowin' if ye're gonna find what ye're all lookin' fer?"


Hotohori and Nuriko exchanged glances and turned their attention to Miaka, who was smiling despite what the fiery-haired bandit said. As Genrou walked out of the building and stood looking at the sunset on a cliff, he felt a warm hand being placed on his shoulder. To his utter and complete surprise, it was Miaka. "It makes no difference... As long as we have that hope, I'll cling to it. Because where are we going to be if we don't take any risks? You wouldn't have gotten your leadership back, and I wouldn't have found someone I love so deeply..."


In hearing those words, Genrou faced Miaka, who didn't look back at him and remained facing the sunset in the direction of the land of Kutou. He does not understand what agony racks her heart and what gives her the unwavering determination to take this journey, but he does know that he feels obligated to protect her. "Why do you do this? I thought you were just a stupid little crybaby when I first saw you, but now.... I'm not so sure that I understand what you're thinking."


"So you can speak properly and without swearing every few words, eh Gen-chan?" smiled Miaka as a tear ran down her cheek. Making no move to wipe it away, she turned around and got ready to leave the bandit outpost. "There are many things that you don't know about me... and there are even more things that I don't know about you.... but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends, Genrou. I'll be back with the person to revive Tasuki... Take care until then."


She walked down and Hotohori helped her get back up on to his horse, then she turned back and waved. "Everyone, take care!! Bye Gen-chan! Bye Kou-chan!! We'll be back!!"


At the top of the cliff, Kouji inspected Genrou's face and saw slight misgiving in his eyes. Smirking slightly, he knew what was going on inside the amber eyed bandit's mind even more than Genrou did. "Ne, Genrou... ya really wanted ta go with 'em, didn't cha? Ye're are a total baka." He said jokingly before walking back to camp, leaving Genrou to his private thoughts.


"Ah, shut up Kouji. Do ya really think that I would turn my back on ya guys? Besides, I told ya many times before that I hate women!!" replied Genrou with a low voice, belying his calm exterior. In truth, the girl affected him much more than he allowed himself to admit...


The blue-haired bandit's smirk became wider, and as he retreated back into the hideout, he added one last addition. "You say that, Tasuki... but I know, you know, and everyone else knows that what ya just said was total BS. Everyone here is totally capable of taking care of themselves and each other... as long as the iron fan isn't pointed towards us." Then, he disappeared.


Genrou/Tasuki dropped his feigned aloofness and turned back to watch the three figures melt into the vast land before him with a feeling of great uncertainty in his mind... and the almost irrepressible desire to follow.


Shiawase ni naruyo aozora ni upon my soul

Watashi o matte iru dareka ga iru...


"Miaka!! Get down! These people are dead!!" cried Hotohori, seeing that one of the ghouls was getting ready to lay their fingers on the sick girl. Quickly reversing his sword, the emperor held it with both of his hands and rapidly slashed upwards, severing his oppressor neatly in half.


Nuriko wasn't doing much better, for several of the monsters have gotten hold of his legs, restricting any sudden movement. "Hotohori-sama! Miaka! They won't stop coming!!"


A voice suddenly pierced the throng like a resounding vibration of a bell that has been tolled. "I really hate this! Monsters like you disgust the hell out of me, and you should stay on the ground where you belong!!" Then, Genrou made his entrance and unfolded his iron fan.


Miaka's watery eyes widened at the bandit, amazed that he would follow after them and arrive at just the right time. "Genrou..."


Smirking slightly, Genrou raised his tessen into the air. "Minna, get down!!" As the three companions got down, the specters turned to face the fiery haired thief with evil in their minds. "Rekka Shinen!!"


A torrid flame-blast dispatched of the ghouls, one after another as they were burned into gray ashes to the ground. Miaka, Hotohori, and Nuriko could only stare in awe at the raw power of fire which flowed like a steady stream of crimson from the iron weapon. "Sugoi... that's amazing..."


"Ha! I thought that you might need some assistance, and I guess I got here just in time." Genrou grinned crookedly and walked towards the others. Nevertheless, he inwardly flinched when his sharp gaze noticed that Miaka seemed to be more flushed than normal. He shrugged it off as nothing as he walked closer to the three.


Nuriko stood up and blinked, his eyes weren't deceiving him and he was definitely seeing that red-haired bandit once again. "Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Mount Reikaku getting drunk and making sure your people stay in line?" he asked.


A pair of glazed emerald eyes focused on the thief. "We haven't had the chance to find Tasuki yet, Gen-chan... but we're soon going to find a way.... just wait..."


Genrou bit his lip when he saw how faint the priestess seemed. It was no use hiding it... Miaka was sick and he could just feel the aura of death vibrating from the entire town. Moreover, the girl got sick because he would not tell the truth of who Tasuki is... talk about doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Sighing, Genrou knelt on one knee and smiled, showing his little fangs as he undid the white bandage on his right forearm. "Aho... you should have know before... I thought that it would have already been damn obvious," he brought up his arm, exposing his character which was still glowing crimson from the battle with the wraiths and his connection with Suzaku no Miko.


Miaka looked up, her eyes growing wider just before she dropped into a faint caused by weariness. "Tasuki...."


Hontou no jibun wa wakari ni kui kedo

Ai to iu na no kagami ni utsu seba mieru hazu...


"Ah... they're finally leaving..." sighed Chichiri from a tree.


"I can't believe that we're over here having to fuckin' wait while Miaka's putting herself in danger!! Chichiri! I could just knock you off this tree for doin' that!" yelled Tasuki, actually threatening to jump from the branch he is perched on and launch himself at the mage's throat.


The mage looked at the bandit with a slightly irritated look behind his permanently-smiling mask. "Ano... you aren't very happy aren't you, Tasuki?"


"HAPPY?!! I'M F*CKIN' PISSED OFF!! How can we just abandon her like that?!! It wasn't damn right of us to leave Miaka back there to fend for herself! What would that stupid baka do if she suddenly gets caught!?" shouted Tasuki, baring his fangs and hitting the tree trunk with his tessen repeatedly. "What would gatherin' the Suzaku Seven have been for if she's captured... or worse!??"


"You're really very violent, na do da... Are you always like this, no da?" asked Chichiri, his eyebrows coming together in curiosity and confusion. Tasuki should know better... he has obviously seen the Priestess fight before, but the younger boy seems to still be extremely worried about her. "What else could we have done? Every wrong move we make threatens her life, no da. If you care greatly about Miaka as I know you do, listen to me. As long as we keep away from her for now, she'll be safe." He took off his mask to show a face in deep concentration.


"How do you know that?"


"I doubt that they will kill Miaka... No, I'm certain of it. The Priestess of Seiryuu won't let anything happen to her."


Tasuki calmed down and looked his fellow seishi with wide amber eyes. There was just something about the other's words which brought him to a standstill and made him look away. Why was he acting like such a belligerent fool... even if he has always been a belligerent fool. The question should be why does he care so much this time? There was just something about Miaka which is different from other girls. Something which caught his eyes. Is it her manners? Her optimism? Her beauty? ......... Or was it because he gave up everything and followed her? "....... I don't know.... anymore. Nevertheless, if anything happens to her... I know that I will never be the same again."


Atarashii jikan ga ima mo sugite yuku

Kizutsu itte mo tomaranai de!!


"Chichiri! You stupid bastard! What's the idea tyin' me up her and scaring the shit out of me!?" screamed Tasuki after seeing 'Nakago' drag Miaka towards him. What he wouldn't give to have his hands around the mage's throat at that moment.....


Chichiri's eternal-smiling mask simply smiled even wider as he released the bandit from his current predicament. "It wouldn't have been so convincing to everyone else if you weren't terrified for real, no da? The others wouldn't have listened to me, daa."


"Demo, Chichiri... everyone else was at the other side and no one could have come past here.... So there really wasn't any need for you to tie up Tasuki, you know?" said Miaka. However, Tasuki noticed that her voice was softer than normal... in fact, it almost seemed to be breaking into sobs. It was as if she was crying inside....


After sitting down, the three of them discussed how to get Yui and Tamahome and themselves out of there. The Priestess was strangely silent as the bandit and the mage did most of the talking. Unfortunately, she could not suppress a pained yelp when Tasuki closed his fingers around her wounded arm. "Aiiee!! Itai..."


"Miaka! Daijoobu desu ka?" asked Chichiri.


"Oi... there's..." Tasuki held up his fingers and saw a bright crimson stain on them. A small drop ran down his hand and fell on the Priestess, but it was nothing compared to the river of blood which flowed from the re-opened wound. His amber eyes opened to their full extent and he gently raised Miaka's bleeding arm to eye-level. "It's broken badly.... WHO IN THE HELL DID THIS TO YOU!??"


The words were spoken softly, but the ominous forewarning in Tasuki's poison-edged voice scared Miaka. Despite the fact that Tamahome who did this to her, she would not want anything to happen to him. She loved him too much. "No... No, Tasuki. I hurt my arm when I escaped from the dungeon." To throw his curiosity and rage off, she handed him a handkerchief to bind her arm with, but a letter fell out and her gaze became focused on it. =Tamahome.... you said that you would come back to me... Tama... home.....=


Tasuki continued to stare at her as Chichiri re-transformed into 'Nakago'. "Take care of her Tasuki, I'll go and find Tamahome and her friend."


The bandit nodded in acknowledgment, but his gaze never wavered from the red-haired priestess. He sighed and started to bind her arm, the sight of the seemingly endless crimson flow caused a tight band to wrap around his heart. =Miaka... do you actually think that I'm stupid enough to think that someone didn't do this to you? Sure, you can say that the ground broke your arm, tore your clothes, and scratched your skin all at once. Or would you prefer to say that you did it on your own?= "All right, this should be enough until we can get Mitsukake to take care of you... "


Miaka clenched her hand, trying to think quickly so that she can escape before her guardian notices. Getting an idea, she pointed to the distance. "Tasuki look!! Nakago is doing a strip show!!" With the blink of an eye, the girl had the older boy bound back into the pole, having caught him off-guard. "Forgive me... Tasuki..."


"What in the--Miaka!!!" shouted Tasuki when he finally realized what Miaka had done. He became tense with fear and rage, but it was not enough to break the ropes which held him down. "You can't go alone!! Miaka!!!!!"


But she was gone...


Nakayoku shiyou yo! Dakishimete million souls

Anata o mitsumete iru dareka ga iru...


"Tamahome..." whispered Miaka as she clutched her wounded arm, eyes wide with fear and desperation as her true love stared down at her with violet eyes as dark as a starless night sky and just as lifeless. Blood seeped through her fingertips from her wound, contrasting with her white shirt and pale skin. =How could this have happened? He said... he... loved me... and his note... but then... no... NO!! This... just... it can't be happening!!!=


//Wo ai ni, Miaka... Ore wa anata ga hontou ni suki da...// These words... mean nothing as the fragments of torn paper floated to the ground from the hand that ripped them. Each rend ripped another painful wound into the girl's heart, for the same hands which wrote such heartfelt words became the hands which was tearing her soul apart.


=Is there no longer someone waiting for me?= "Iyaaaaaaa!!!!" cried the priestess, her physical wound forgotten, but the emotional torment she was suffering was causing her to black out. The last thing she saw was a flying shadow which took her away from all this pain and protected her from further harm. Then she drowned in the merciful darkness within her mind. =Suzaku-sama... will you tell me if people live with the same bewildering feeling inside? I may no longer be able to experience it after this.... to love someone, or to be loved by someone... I thought I knew... but now I don't.=


"Suzaku no Miko..." Tamahome's gaze blazed as they rested on the fire-haired shadow bearing the Priestess of Suzaku away from his grasp. "Ima, ore wa anata ga... korosu."


Kotoba o nakushita toki hohoemi kara

Saikou no messeeji...


"Miaka! Shikarishite!! Me o akete!" yelled Tasuki at the unconscious priestess, not paying any heed to the trickle of blood forming on his brow. Regardless of the fact that he almost gained a concussion from the dark man's weapon, the seishi was glad that it hit him instead of the girl. It meant that he arrived just in time to save her even if she had a long head-start on him. =Why does this girl always have to cause so much strife without meaning to?=


Chichiri rushed over to his two companions and took the Priestess from Tasuki, a worried frown creasing his face. However, the grimace deepened when he saw who attacked Miaka and Tasuki. "TAMAHOME!! What do you think you're doing!?"


That settled everything for Tasuki, after everything that everyone said about Tamahome's willing sacrifice to protect all of Konan, this dissipated what respect he had for the man. Shaking with pure rage, the seishi hissed out his anger while cradling Miaka to him. He promised her that he would protect her, and even if she loved this man, that was in the past and Tamahome hurt her. Proper retribution must be attained. "The one who injured Miaka's arm... was it you, Tamahome!?"


"Not only her arm, you just had to tear her feelings apart... No matter who it is..." Tasuki stood up and walked towards Tamahome, his hands clenched in anger, eyes like lamps in the darkness, and fangs bared. "I will not forgive you!!"


"I am not asking for you to forgive me." smirked the dark warrior, slightly amused by the other's rage. "So what? What are you going to do about it?"


"Kick your ass!!!"


Shiawase ni naruyo aozora ni upon my soul

Watashi o matte iru dareka ga iru...


"Tasuki...." whispered Miaka, tears falling as she sat next to the uncounscious bandit. She could not believe what he had done and how far they have come since their first meeting. What hurt even more is what Tamahome did to Tasuki. Practically half of the seishi's body was indiscernable from bruises, bandages, blood, and wounds which wound around the boy. This wouldn't have happened if he defended himself, but Tasuki didn't--for her sake.

"It's all my fault."


"There is no question about that." rasped a thin, pained voice. Tasuki opened his good eye and focused it on his Miko with a soft gaze. "All of this is because of you."


Miaka's eyes filled with tears once again as she collapsed on the bed next to the bandit, sobbing her heart out and causing him a slight bit of pain by putting pressure on his chest. "Tasuki... if you want to get revenge on me, then you can hurt me when you get better. I don't deserve to be Suzaku no Miko, and I have lost Tamahome." At the sound of his voice, the priestess' cries tripled with grief. "At least you.. at least you can.. blame me for what... happened to.... Oh Tasuki, I'm sorry!!"


The crimson-haired seishi smiled gently at the girl who was weeping on him, trying to fight back screaming in pain as she hugged him tightly. He raised a hand and forced her chin up to look at him straight in the eyes. Then he marveled at how soft her skin was, feeling himself quickly drowing in twin pools of bright emerald and diamond. "Miaka, when did I say that I blamed you for everything that has happened? I simply made a statement that I went through that because of you. This seishi have promised you that he will protect you, and that is what he did. I would go through that all over again if necessary."


"But... Tasuki..."


"My dear," murmured the boy as he sat up and held the girl so very close to him, resting his chin on her soft auburn hair. "In war, people get hurt. There is no changing that, and you must understand that it was all for the best. We'll find a way to get your lover back."


Miaka clung to the wounded teen tightly, instinctively remembering that Tamahome held her just in this exact way some time ago. However, she never had such a sense of security and.... something else.... in his arms as she did right now with Tasuki. All she wanted to do was stay there forever and not let go... "I don't want to see you hurt anymore..."


Tasuki pulled away and looked down at her with intense amber eyes. "Miaka, I already told you that--"


"I no longer want to see the people I care about risk themselves over me. I lost Tamahome, I don't want to lose you too!!" cried Miaka, half-screaming as she closed in the distance between them. "I don't know why, but everytime I see others hurt because of me, I just wish for the ground to swallow me up or to lose myself in the sky and never come back."


"This may not be the best time to say this, but you do know that I believe I'm in love with you, right?" whispered Tasuki, his own tears starting to form, but he forced them back. He had just realized what such a complex emotion love was, but was not about to hide it within him for so long that it will gnaw at his heart forever. "I know that you may not accept me and are still in love with Tamahome."


He snuck a glance at the now-still figure still clutching him tightly as he stroked her hair and moved on. "You may also always bear some dislike for me because of the way I treated you when we first met, but I can't help the fact that I still love you. You may never love me back, but I consider it worth the risk now as to any other time. If you wish for us to simply remain friends, then that is more than what I believe I deserve."


The priestess raised her head and slowly backed away from him to stare out of the window in the bright expanse of blue sky and lush green earth past the boundaries of Konan. Tasuki... loved her... why? She still loved Tamahome, didn't she? But.... words said can be taken back, and words written can be erased or torn. However... a solemn vow can never be broken if there is an entity which watched over them at all times. "Tasuki... I.... love you as well... but I am afraid of what might...."


To her surprise, Tasuki was right behind her, supported on his crutch as he looked at her with eyes filled with nothing but pure, unconditional love. There was not a trace of wanton desire or fleeting lust in them... just a delicate light of emotion which brought a true smile to her lips and a lifting of her burdened spirit. "I will always be with you to protect you, Miaka... even if we are far apart, I will still be there."


Miaka averted her eyes to prevent him from seeing the confusion in them. "Tamahome..."


"I am not Tamahome."


He was right, he wasn't Tamahome... He was a person who was desperately in love with a girl that he would risk everything on Heaven and Earth to keep her safe. "What must I do to convince you?"


"You already have." said Miaka, turning around as she placed her lips upon his in a kiss which was rivaled the sweetest of anything anywhere. It was enough, for it fascinated both of them beyond comprehension. "Just make a promise."


"A promise to you..."


"No, if you must promise something..." Miaka turned towards the window again. "Swear it to the sky."


Tasuki raised his face to the sky and opened his lips. "No matter how many mistakes, now matter how many tears, I will get over it if the two of us are there."


"Although my true self is hard to understand, if I am reflected in the mirror called Love, I can surely see." replied Miaka, entwining her fingers into Tasuki's as they finished.


With a heart-felt kiss to seal the pledge of love for all time.



Nakayoku shiyou yo! Dakishimete million souls

Anata o mitsumete iru dareka ga iru......



~Owari~



^~~=~~^

Yoru ni obieteta omoide wa iranai, hitori ja nai sa

Kyoo kara wa


Subete ga koko de hajimaru sa

^~~=~~^



Aozora ni Chikatte- Swearing to the Sky


~*~


The Earth is round and seems to become aware

The obedient heart once again remembers


The familiar scenery in a vale of light

If I hold on to it, my heartbeat will tick in rhythm


No matter how many mistakes, no matter how many tears

I will get over it if the two of us are there


It becomes happiness in the blue sky upon my soul

There is someone waiting for me


Although my true self is hard to understand

If I am reflected in the mirror called Love I can surely see


The new time period will also pass by today

Even if you're wounded, don't stop


Become good friends! Hang on to it tightly million souls

There is someone gazing at you.


When you are at a loss for words, from a smile

There is the greatest message...


It becomes happiness in the blue sky upon my soul

There is someone waiting for me


Become good friends! Hang on to it tightly million souls

There is someone gazing at you......



This is for M.L. Shosei, who hit #1577 on my site and being the 2000th person to peruse through it. Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu. And thank you for everyone who read this whether you liked it or not, doumo arigatou gozaimashita.


~Asurahime