A Second Chance
Woot! Well, I don't own Fushigi Yugi. I may own some merchandise, but I don't own the copyrights and stuff. If I did, I wouldn't be righting fan-fiction. I would have them all bound and gagged in my basement. Except Tamahome and Hotohori. Tamahome would be in a shallow grave along the river bank and Hotohori would be in my bed. Nude.
^_^
Trust me. He would be.
Anyways, this is a rather fun story, I thought! Yes, it is major spoilers for Eikou Den and Suzaku Hi Den , but I've played a bit with the timeline. You know, when things happen...Oh, silly me...^-^
Here's the summary: Right after the others leave for the first Shinzaho (in the book/Eikou Den it happens after Tamahome and Miaka get back together. I still say that Hotohori should have aimed for his heart), Hotohori meets Nuriko's friend Houki in the halls, and they go for a walk in the country, where they run into Tendou. (Tendou is Hotohori's older half brother who is in love with Houki - he lived in her village, his true identity a secret because Hotohori's pretentious, overbearing, dominant, manipulative yet loving mother wanted Hotohori to take the throne. Big whoop. Being the only full-blooded son, he would have anyways.) *Ahem* Continuing with the summary - Houki kind of tells Tendou off because she has a place now in the harem, and Hotohori learns about his brother. Yay. So they go back to the palace, only Tendou shows up with this evil monk , whose name is Gentokuin. He's a jerk. So, Tendou tries to kill Hotohori, but Houki grabs hold of his blade and more or less true love prevails and he refuses to kill his brother. Yay. So now Gentokuin chops Tendou down and is going to kill Hotohori, but Tendou gets up and kills Gentokuin first . Double Yay. Then Tendou dies. Crap. Not nice. That really distressed my Hoto-sama. *sigh* He started shouting out "Aniki" and I was crying....*I am SUCH a wimp for whenever he's distressed, okay?! *argh*
My version: Same..but: Tendou is chopped down, so Hotohori gets pissed about this and kills Gentokuin! By some miracle, the doctors get there in time to save Tendou's life. Since there has to be an emperor, Hotohori tells Tendou be the emperor and hurries to catch up with the others. ^-^ Heh heh. He doesn't have to make a stop to be called Mr. Scary Face or fight Soi because they all think that he's playing emperor, all nice and safe in Kounan, so I'll pick up where he gets off the ship in Hokkan.
^-^
Oh - I'm also omitting the whole "Miaka" speech that Nuriko gives to Tamahome. I don't care, quite frankly, and it's OBVIOUS that his heart lies with Hotohori.
Basis for the above observation: Eikou Den. I mean, geez. They all get reborn and guess what? The reborn crossdresser and emperor kind of have a thing going. See? See? I told ya so!! ^-^.
~*~
Part 1: Hokkan
Hotohori walked down the gangplank, leading his brown stallion, thinking of the fortunate turn of events. Tendou was a good man, and now he and Houki would be happy. And so could he! He was finally free of the palace and royal duties. He could be himself with no questions asked. He didn't have to worry about an now, heir, either. So he could choose his own person to love without that particular problem.
He took in a breath of the chilly air and smiled to himself before mounting his horse. Now to go to the nearby capitol and search for the other seishi.
*
When he had gone maybe five miles, Taiitsukun appeared in front of him, scaring the horse and causing it to rear, but his horsemanship allowed him to stay firmly seated.
"Hotohori! How dare you turn your face away from me!" She said to him grumpily.
"I cannot bear ugliness!" He replied, letting his temper show. Raised to be mild and calm, he didn't have to be that way anymore. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to find out what YOU'RE doing here!" She answered, floating close to his face. "You can't leave Kounan! You're the emperor!"
"Not anymore! Shu Tendou is the emperor, along with his wife, Houki. I am simply Seishuku Saihitei, Suzaku Shichi Seishi no Hotohori. I am going to catch up with the others."
Taiitsukun sighed. "I should have known that you two boys would be as stubborn as your father - and I had hoped that you, at least, would not be nearly so impetuous!"
"Well, I haven't been for eighteen years," Hotohori protested.
"Fine, fine...heredity being what it is..."
"Do you know where Miaka and the others are?" he asked.
"Yes. They are in the capital, and are headed for the Shinzaho. If they can find it."
"Wouldn't it be on Mt. Black?"
She pulled back in surprise. "How did you know that?!"
"That's where the shrine to Genbu is," he said, as if everyone shared this logic. "Then I shall simply go there are wait for them."
"..." She watched him ride off, shaking her head. "This is not good - the boy is going to rewrite the story on his own, and he doesn't even realize it..."
*
"So when do you think that Tamahome will be back?" Miaka asked Nuriko as he bandaged the wound from his skirmish with Ashitare.
Nuriko shrugged. "How should I know? I just hope that Tama-kins is okay..."
He stared off into space, and Miaka smiled. "Thinking about his majesty again, Nuriko?"
"Yes." The violet-haired seishi looked at her and smiled. "Who knows what kind of trouble those harem girls will get into...they're all madly in love with him, you know...but I am the only one who is truly right for his majesty!"
Miaka sweat-dropped and laughed. "But you're both men!"
Nuriko laughed and put his forehead on hers, looking into her eyes. "Yes, but I maintain that I have the soul of a woman, Miaka! You know that true love has forced me to stray from the path of true manliness..."
They both laughed at his usual speech, and Nuriko stood up. "Come on, Miaka. Tama-kins has been gone for quite a while. Let's go look for him, okay?"
She jumped to her feet, smoothing down the pink jacket. "Yeah! And let's find a street vendor with really, really good food!"
Nuriko laughed, shook his head, and they started off in the direction that Tamahome had gone.
*
Tamahome walked morosely down the avenue. What did Yui mean: "just a character in a story book"? Was Miaka hiding something from him?
"Tamahome!" A cheerful, friendly voice called from behind just as a snowball the size of an elephant smacked him in the head.
"Oopsies, I think I made the snowball a little too big!" Nuriko said, standing over the snow-buried Tamahome, wagging a finger playfully. "What do you think, Miaka?"
Tamahome lept to his feet. "Nuriko! Now you made me lose my train of thought!!"
"You mean your train of thought has been derailed?" Miaka asked, then laughed until she noticed that they were staring at her with blank expressions. "Oh, yeah...you don't know what trains are...eh heh..."
"So, Tamahome, what'd you find out? Oh! He didn't hurt you, did he?" Miaka asked, going into hysterics.
"NO HE DIDN'T!" Tamahome shouted angrily, spittle flying as Miaka cowered behind Nuriko.
Nuriko made a soft tsking sound in a motherly fashion. "Honestly, Tama- kins! Let's just go to the Inn! On the way over here some guy warned us that it's going to start snowing soon."
Tamahome sighed. "Sure."
Miaka cheered. "Yay! I'm hungry, anyways!"
Nuriko face-vaulted. "But I just fed you!!"
Tamahome laughed. "Come on, Miaka. We can go to Mount Black tomorrow, and feed you now."
"Mount Black?" Miaka asked, grabbing hold of his arm and hugging him.
"Yeah, that's where the Shinzaho is." He let her drag him off to the Inn, Nuriko following them slowly.
He turned his face to the south and sighed to himself. //I wonder how Hotohori-sama is doing?//
*
Hotohori sighed, looking at the face of the snow-covered mountain. It would certainly be a long, tedious climb, but he knew he could do it easily if he left the horse with the people who's farm he'd just passed. He could easily pay them to stable the animal and climb it in the morning, then set up a camp and wait for the others.
*
The farmer gratefully took the generous money from Hotohori, who then looked at the mountain again, hoisted his gear and spare sword - for he'd given the ki-infused deity-sword to Miaka but could do the same to any other sword easily enough - onto his shoulders, and began the climb.
*
It was dusk and a swirling flurry of snow had been steadily beating down on him when he finally came into sight of the great doors blocked by a huge rock. He frowned. //We'll have to have Nuriko move this...// he mused to himself, then noticed a sheltered outcropping of rocks that seemed like a good place to make camp. He went over to it, his footsteps immediately filling with snow, making it look as if he had never even passed that way.
*
Nuriko, noticing Tamahome's morose, short-tempered behavior, came up behind him as he was drinking at the bar.
"Tama-kins-iepoo!!" He said, and Tamahome flew face-down into the bar. "Oh, that's funny! I just meant to give you a little tap on the head!"
"Yeah, but for you a tap is like a punch for any normal person!" Tamahome said angrily.
Nuriko brushed him off and sat down next to him. "So, what's on your mind?"
*
Hotohori sat in front of the fire, warming his hands and sharpening his sword, having infused this one with his ki, too. He'd had the strangest pain earlier, in his shoulder, as if he'd been pierced by claws or a blade, but when there was not continued pain or any sign of blood, he passed it off as a sore muscle. And yet, the thought lingered that something was not right, so he kept his sword close, and well-prepapred.
Well, at least it was just his shoulder today. A few days ago, his whole arm had felt strained for no apparent reason. Maybe he'd been stuck inside too long, and the tension and worry about the others was just knotting up inside.
He held the blade up to the flames. It was progressing nicely. The blade had already been keen, well-balanced, and of the best craftsmanship, but under his care, the blade could do serious damage to enemies. Which was probably a good thing, if the other side showed up as well.
He sighed, letting his thoughts wander...Why had he been so friendly to Houki? He wasn't attracted to her, that was certain. But still, she...
//She looks like Nuriko,//, his mind whispered to him gently. //She isn't Nuriko, though, is she? Isn't that why you came all the way out here?//
//No,// he tried to tell himself. //I'm not interested in men...//
//Men, no. Nuriko, yes.//
He sighed. He'd been having this conversation with himself ever since the fake Miaka had told them that Nuriko was not a woman.
Rubbing his temples in frustration, he tried to work it out.
//Why can't I admit it?// He wondered. //And why won't I?//
He stared into the fire, remembering all the times in the past that Nuriko had made him laugh and smile. Kind of like Miaka did, but...different. It was a different kind of laughter. Warmer, kinder, more caring.
Feeling almost wistful, he wondered if Nuriko really loved him the way he had claimed to, or if dressing like a man was making him act more manly...
And the way Nuriko treated him like a person, a friend...It hurt to see Nuriko sad. He remembered feeling guilty for a week the time that Nuriko had come back to the palace - alone - to tell him that everyone had taken off.
Hotohori frowned, then slashed viciously at the air with his sword, angry with his own trail of thoughts. Why did he think of Nuriko so often? Why did he see Nuriko in Houki? Why was this so important to him?!
~*~
Ta-da! ^-^ New ficcy! Yay! Me so happy no da! :-D
PLEASE READ & REVIEW!!! ^__^
Woot! Well, I don't own Fushigi Yugi. I may own some merchandise, but I don't own the copyrights and stuff. If I did, I wouldn't be righting fan-fiction. I would have them all bound and gagged in my basement. Except Tamahome and Hotohori. Tamahome would be in a shallow grave along the river bank and Hotohori would be in my bed. Nude.
^_^
Trust me. He would be.
Anyways, this is a rather fun story, I thought! Yes, it is major spoilers for Eikou Den and Suzaku Hi Den , but I've played a bit with the timeline. You know, when things happen...Oh, silly me...^-^
Here's the summary: Right after the others leave for the first Shinzaho (in the book/Eikou Den it happens after Tamahome and Miaka get back together. I still say that Hotohori should have aimed for his heart), Hotohori meets Nuriko's friend Houki in the halls, and they go for a walk in the country, where they run into Tendou. (Tendou is Hotohori's older half brother who is in love with Houki - he lived in her village, his true identity a secret because Hotohori's pretentious, overbearing, dominant, manipulative yet loving mother wanted Hotohori to take the throne. Big whoop. Being the only full-blooded son, he would have anyways.) *Ahem* Continuing with the summary - Houki kind of tells Tendou off because she has a place now in the harem, and Hotohori learns about his brother. Yay. So they go back to the palace, only Tendou shows up with this evil monk , whose name is Gentokuin. He's a jerk. So, Tendou tries to kill Hotohori, but Houki grabs hold of his blade and more or less true love prevails and he refuses to kill his brother. Yay. So now Gentokuin chops Tendou down and is going to kill Hotohori, but Tendou gets up and kills Gentokuin first . Double Yay. Then Tendou dies. Crap. Not nice. That really distressed my Hoto-sama. *sigh* He started shouting out "Aniki" and I was crying....*I am SUCH a wimp for whenever he's distressed, okay?! *argh*
My version: Same..but: Tendou is chopped down, so Hotohori gets pissed about this and kills Gentokuin! By some miracle, the doctors get there in time to save Tendou's life. Since there has to be an emperor, Hotohori tells Tendou be the emperor and hurries to catch up with the others. ^-^ Heh heh. He doesn't have to make a stop to be called Mr. Scary Face or fight Soi because they all think that he's playing emperor, all nice and safe in Kounan, so I'll pick up where he gets off the ship in Hokkan.
^-^
Oh - I'm also omitting the whole "Miaka" speech that Nuriko gives to Tamahome. I don't care, quite frankly, and it's OBVIOUS that his heart lies with Hotohori.
Basis for the above observation: Eikou Den. I mean, geez. They all get reborn and guess what? The reborn crossdresser and emperor kind of have a thing going. See? See? I told ya so!! ^-^.
~*~
Part 1: Hokkan
Hotohori walked down the gangplank, leading his brown stallion, thinking of the fortunate turn of events. Tendou was a good man, and now he and Houki would be happy. And so could he! He was finally free of the palace and royal duties. He could be himself with no questions asked. He didn't have to worry about an now, heir, either. So he could choose his own person to love without that particular problem.
He took in a breath of the chilly air and smiled to himself before mounting his horse. Now to go to the nearby capitol and search for the other seishi.
*
When he had gone maybe five miles, Taiitsukun appeared in front of him, scaring the horse and causing it to rear, but his horsemanship allowed him to stay firmly seated.
"Hotohori! How dare you turn your face away from me!" She said to him grumpily.
"I cannot bear ugliness!" He replied, letting his temper show. Raised to be mild and calm, he didn't have to be that way anymore. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to find out what YOU'RE doing here!" She answered, floating close to his face. "You can't leave Kounan! You're the emperor!"
"Not anymore! Shu Tendou is the emperor, along with his wife, Houki. I am simply Seishuku Saihitei, Suzaku Shichi Seishi no Hotohori. I am going to catch up with the others."
Taiitsukun sighed. "I should have known that you two boys would be as stubborn as your father - and I had hoped that you, at least, would not be nearly so impetuous!"
"Well, I haven't been for eighteen years," Hotohori protested.
"Fine, fine...heredity being what it is..."
"Do you know where Miaka and the others are?" he asked.
"Yes. They are in the capital, and are headed for the Shinzaho. If they can find it."
"Wouldn't it be on Mt. Black?"
She pulled back in surprise. "How did you know that?!"
"That's where the shrine to Genbu is," he said, as if everyone shared this logic. "Then I shall simply go there are wait for them."
"..." She watched him ride off, shaking her head. "This is not good - the boy is going to rewrite the story on his own, and he doesn't even realize it..."
*
"So when do you think that Tamahome will be back?" Miaka asked Nuriko as he bandaged the wound from his skirmish with Ashitare.
Nuriko shrugged. "How should I know? I just hope that Tama-kins is okay..."
He stared off into space, and Miaka smiled. "Thinking about his majesty again, Nuriko?"
"Yes." The violet-haired seishi looked at her and smiled. "Who knows what kind of trouble those harem girls will get into...they're all madly in love with him, you know...but I am the only one who is truly right for his majesty!"
Miaka sweat-dropped and laughed. "But you're both men!"
Nuriko laughed and put his forehead on hers, looking into her eyes. "Yes, but I maintain that I have the soul of a woman, Miaka! You know that true love has forced me to stray from the path of true manliness..."
They both laughed at his usual speech, and Nuriko stood up. "Come on, Miaka. Tama-kins has been gone for quite a while. Let's go look for him, okay?"
She jumped to her feet, smoothing down the pink jacket. "Yeah! And let's find a street vendor with really, really good food!"
Nuriko laughed, shook his head, and they started off in the direction that Tamahome had gone.
*
Tamahome walked morosely down the avenue. What did Yui mean: "just a character in a story book"? Was Miaka hiding something from him?
"Tamahome!" A cheerful, friendly voice called from behind just as a snowball the size of an elephant smacked him in the head.
"Oopsies, I think I made the snowball a little too big!" Nuriko said, standing over the snow-buried Tamahome, wagging a finger playfully. "What do you think, Miaka?"
Tamahome lept to his feet. "Nuriko! Now you made me lose my train of thought!!"
"You mean your train of thought has been derailed?" Miaka asked, then laughed until she noticed that they were staring at her with blank expressions. "Oh, yeah...you don't know what trains are...eh heh..."
"So, Tamahome, what'd you find out? Oh! He didn't hurt you, did he?" Miaka asked, going into hysterics.
"NO HE DIDN'T!" Tamahome shouted angrily, spittle flying as Miaka cowered behind Nuriko.
Nuriko made a soft tsking sound in a motherly fashion. "Honestly, Tama- kins! Let's just go to the Inn! On the way over here some guy warned us that it's going to start snowing soon."
Tamahome sighed. "Sure."
Miaka cheered. "Yay! I'm hungry, anyways!"
Nuriko face-vaulted. "But I just fed you!!"
Tamahome laughed. "Come on, Miaka. We can go to Mount Black tomorrow, and feed you now."
"Mount Black?" Miaka asked, grabbing hold of his arm and hugging him.
"Yeah, that's where the Shinzaho is." He let her drag him off to the Inn, Nuriko following them slowly.
He turned his face to the south and sighed to himself. //I wonder how Hotohori-sama is doing?//
*
Hotohori sighed, looking at the face of the snow-covered mountain. It would certainly be a long, tedious climb, but he knew he could do it easily if he left the horse with the people who's farm he'd just passed. He could easily pay them to stable the animal and climb it in the morning, then set up a camp and wait for the others.
*
The farmer gratefully took the generous money from Hotohori, who then looked at the mountain again, hoisted his gear and spare sword - for he'd given the ki-infused deity-sword to Miaka but could do the same to any other sword easily enough - onto his shoulders, and began the climb.
*
It was dusk and a swirling flurry of snow had been steadily beating down on him when he finally came into sight of the great doors blocked by a huge rock. He frowned. //We'll have to have Nuriko move this...// he mused to himself, then noticed a sheltered outcropping of rocks that seemed like a good place to make camp. He went over to it, his footsteps immediately filling with snow, making it look as if he had never even passed that way.
*
Nuriko, noticing Tamahome's morose, short-tempered behavior, came up behind him as he was drinking at the bar.
"Tama-kins-iepoo!!" He said, and Tamahome flew face-down into the bar. "Oh, that's funny! I just meant to give you a little tap on the head!"
"Yeah, but for you a tap is like a punch for any normal person!" Tamahome said angrily.
Nuriko brushed him off and sat down next to him. "So, what's on your mind?"
*
Hotohori sat in front of the fire, warming his hands and sharpening his sword, having infused this one with his ki, too. He'd had the strangest pain earlier, in his shoulder, as if he'd been pierced by claws or a blade, but when there was not continued pain or any sign of blood, he passed it off as a sore muscle. And yet, the thought lingered that something was not right, so he kept his sword close, and well-prepapred.
Well, at least it was just his shoulder today. A few days ago, his whole arm had felt strained for no apparent reason. Maybe he'd been stuck inside too long, and the tension and worry about the others was just knotting up inside.
He held the blade up to the flames. It was progressing nicely. The blade had already been keen, well-balanced, and of the best craftsmanship, but under his care, the blade could do serious damage to enemies. Which was probably a good thing, if the other side showed up as well.
He sighed, letting his thoughts wander...Why had he been so friendly to Houki? He wasn't attracted to her, that was certain. But still, she...
//She looks like Nuriko,//, his mind whispered to him gently. //She isn't Nuriko, though, is she? Isn't that why you came all the way out here?//
//No,// he tried to tell himself. //I'm not interested in men...//
//Men, no. Nuriko, yes.//
He sighed. He'd been having this conversation with himself ever since the fake Miaka had told them that Nuriko was not a woman.
Rubbing his temples in frustration, he tried to work it out.
//Why can't I admit it?// He wondered. //And why won't I?//
He stared into the fire, remembering all the times in the past that Nuriko had made him laugh and smile. Kind of like Miaka did, but...different. It was a different kind of laughter. Warmer, kinder, more caring.
Feeling almost wistful, he wondered if Nuriko really loved him the way he had claimed to, or if dressing like a man was making him act more manly...
And the way Nuriko treated him like a person, a friend...It hurt to see Nuriko sad. He remembered feeling guilty for a week the time that Nuriko had come back to the palace - alone - to tell him that everyone had taken off.
Hotohori frowned, then slashed viciously at the air with his sword, angry with his own trail of thoughts. Why did he think of Nuriko so often? Why did he see Nuriko in Houki? Why was this so important to him?!
~*~
Ta-da! ^-^ New ficcy! Yay! Me so happy no da! :-D
PLEASE READ & REVIEW!!! ^__^