My way of celebrating Chichiri's birthday. Not much, and it's not my best. On the plus side, it's not my worst either.
Chichiri and the rest of Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase.
What a beautiful night!
The night truly was beautiful as the young priest walked on. The sky was painted a stunning navy blue by the lack of the sun, the full moon bathing everything in an ethereal light. The breeze was cool, a contrast to the sticky, humid air of the day. As he walked, he noted how the moonlight filtered through the trees, casting pretty patterns on the ground. He stopped for a moment, taking in the sights, the sounds, the feel of the night, then, remembering his task, continued onward.
Fang-Zhun knew what he was about to do would be life changing. He realised that, once he started to follow the girl, his destiny would overtake him. He would no longer be Fang-Zhun, travelling priest, disciple of Tai Yi-Jun; he would become Chichiri, Celestial Warrior of Suzaku, guardian of the god's priestess. He knew that he would rarely get the chance to simply enjoy the night for it was, to have the company of the trees and the breeze, to travel wherever he saw fit. I'm going to miss this, No da,he considered.
He knew that he could die a lot earlier than he had planned. Yet, Fang-Zhun had no fear. He had no fear of death, had been taught not to fear it by his teacher, the oracle herself. He smiled to himself, remembering his days as a novice. He marvelled at how much he had improved at his art, how he had mastered spells that would have seemed impossible back then. He was safe in the knowledge that he was ready for his destiny. I'm not afraid of anything, he thought.
Fang-Zhun wasn't wearing his mask; it seemed pointless to wear it in the dark with no one else around. He mainly only used it for when he had company, which wasn't very often, or in daylight. He knew that his face made people…uncomfortable, at best. He touched the mask that was hidden under his shirt, knowing that he would come to depend on it for a while. He brought his hand up to his face, brushing his fingers lightly across the jagged ivory scar that covered the space where his left eye used to be. He remembered how he got it; the excruciating pain, the absolute misery as he helplessly watched his best friend being swept away by the same flood that had destroyed everything else he had. His heart felt the same crushing pain it always did whenever he thought about it. He found that it hurt less and less as time went on. Like the wound that he got from the experience, his heart was healing, slowly but surely. It still hurt him, though. He always wondered how it was that his left eye, as hideously scarred as it was, could still cry just like his right eye. How is it, he mused, that I lost my whole eye, yet I can still cry like I could before?
He never knew how it was possible. He remembered when he lost his friend, how he simply sat and cried, the endless tears and pouring rain running into the blood that was flowing down his face. He remembered first seeing what had become of his face, and wondering how the hell he was still able to cry about it all. He shook his head and brought himself back to reality. This is no time to get emotional! No da! I have to find the priestess! No da!
Coming up to the main part of the forest, he realised that his journey was coming to an end. He felt the chi of the girl that was described to him, Miaka Yuki. He could hear the gallop of a horse on the main trail, and the voices of the riders floated down to him.
"…But there's no need to worry. Tamahome's stuck on you," the man (?) riding the horse said to the girl sitting behind him. Fang-Zhun breathed in sharply.
There! he thought, The Priestess of Suzaku! No da!
Seeing their horse trip, he watched as the Priestess looked for something on the ground and was startled by a man who had appeared before he. Whilst they spoke, Fang-Zhun took the time to circle around behind the girl. Suddenly the torch the mysterious man was carrying blew itself out. Fang-Zhun looked around, sensing the presence of Qu-Dong soldiers, knowing that she was in danger. And so, taking a deep breath, he put on his mask and dragged her into the shadows. And thus, his destiny overtook him.