A/N: This is an AU based on Fushigi Yuugi. FY is an animu/mango by Yuu Watase and I own nothing. Not even Love Live.
For those familiar with FY: Character abilities are retained in accordance to their respective celestial symbols. The storyline is generally, but not exactly, similar to the original series, and a lot of references will also appear as needed. Possible OOC alert on Mews members to fit their role in this mysterious play (pun intended). And yes, other pairings will appear in the long run.
This is going to be quite long (aka a slow burn festival, sorry) , and I don't know if I can keep your attention span going with how I write. But in any case, thank you for taking your time to read and I hope you find some enjoyment with this.
For my dearest child and spirit nyanimal Rin Hoshizora's birthday 11.1.15
For The One I Love
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Rin loved to look at the stars.
Since young, Rin had been told that the stars each held a meaning, a purpose on someone's life. "Your destiny is written in those stars, my child," her father always said. Fascinating, her younger self thought, but her mind can't completely wrap up on how her life was defined by the millions of stars in the velvet sky. Every time she looked at the glittering dots of light that decorated the night, Rin wondered in vain about how and when will she fulfill the fate that these stars had sealed out for her.
She lived a normal life at the most. The youngest of three sisters, Rin was the closest to her father and had since tried to follow the footsteps of the old man in the mastery of martial arts. Her father willingly trained her, saying that one day she will need to protect those whom she loved and cared for the most. That one day, Rin will meet the person whom she was destined to fight for. The one whom she would not think twice to give up her life for.
The Priestess of Suzaku.
Legend told that a girl from another world will come to save their land when hope already seemed farfetched. It was a legend that was believed, and wished, to be true among the people of Konan whose faith remain strong to the guardian deity Suzaku, the vermillion bird of the south. When the time comes that fate deemed it needed, the Priestess of Suzaku shall arrive; and together with her celestial warriors, the Seven Stars of Suzaku, they shall defend their country and fight for the empire that stood tall with all their might.
Rin found it easy to believe the legend. After all, the mark of a Suzaku warrior was in her forehead – 鬼 – Demon, the symbol of a constellation under the beast god of the southern skies. It always appeared every time she needed it most, giving her the power bestowed graciously by Suzaku. She was a living proof, one among the chosen seven, and it only but concealed her destiny as a part of the legend even more. It was a permanent seal that entailed her to fulfill the duty that was given to her right on the day she was born. It was a fate that she can no longer escape.
But Rin still had her doubts.
It all sounded so grand, the power and the life she must live. She wasn't sure, for she didn't know if she can carry the hopes of the people and if she wanted the responsibility itself. Protecting someone from a different world than hers, giving your life for the sake of the only person who can bring the light of hope back to a falling country—
It was frightening.
"It is not a matter of want, Rin. Always remember that," her father told her. "Your life is for the priestess. Only she can help you realize your true destiny."
If this, being a Suzaku warrior – the protector of the girl foretold from a century-old legend was indeed Rin's one true destiny, then maybe there was some way that she could forge it. She never wanted any of this. Protecting someone was one thing, but saving the land of Konan was another.
She wished, on a night where the southern stars shone more brightly than any other, that the girl of legend would never cross paths with her. She wished in her heart to never fulfill the stars' fate for her.
No matter what it took, Rin wished to never meet the Priestess of Suzaku.
Chapter One: The Girl of Legend Pt. 1
The only daughter of the Nishikino family went back to reading the book lying in front of her. This wasn't her favorite book, no. Who would even consider a thousand-page book on human anatomy a favorite? Not Maki, that was for sure. If not for her father, the great doctor Satoru Nishikino, owner of the biggest and most capable hospital in Tokyo, Maki wouldn't even touch a single page of the dreaded and unwanted book.
"Read lots of books about medicine," her father always said to her. One day, Maki Nishikino will hold the title that both her parents already have, even if that wasn't what she wanted all along.
"I'm going to be a musician. A pianist," Maki declared to herself. Right now, that dream was as vague as someone explaining the nervous system of a cat to an uninterested student. But Maki wasn't giving up. Not just yet.
Eyes tired and her mind the same, she finally closed the thick book, a hand heavily lifting the front cover to shut the millions of unnecessary words out of her sight. Maki got this book earlier today from their mansion's library, all because of her father's orders as usual. And so, deciding to put her wits to rest for the day, she brought the human anatomy bible back to the large room located on the east wing.
The library was one of the few places that Maki appreciated the most inside their lifeless house. Lots of books of different topics and genres were available at the palm of her hand, and it was only when she went to the library could she feel at ease. It was like the books were there as her friends, ready to tell her a different story every time, any time.
While Maki was about to return the book back to where it used to sit on the shelves, a strange red light caught her peripherals. It was coming from underneath a door at one corner of the library, glowing as if it was peeking and trying to call her attention.
And it did, as Maki promptly approached the unfamiliar door that she probably hadn't noticed once with how it camouflaged itself on the dark corner.
"Was there always a door here?"
Curious, she turned the knob slowly and found herself looking at nothing but a pitch black room that smelled like old books that never saw the light of day for years. A hand instinctively tried to find a light switch on the wall beside the doorway, and, fortunately, Maki landed a finger on one.
"Woah."
It was like an extension of the already enormous library that she had grown to know. She guessed there were about ten more shelves in that unfamiliar room, and probably about a thousand of untouched books that were waiting for someone to open their fading pages again.
Good, more books for me to read.
Still, the red light remained glowing in Maki's sight, dismissing her musings as she dragged her feet to where the mysterious brightness was coming from. There was a book, an old bundle of papers stitched together firmly by a string emitting a bright red light that felt warm in her eyes. Maki had read hundreds of books that distorted reality with its words, and as a logical and rational seventeen year old deemed to stick to the laws of science, she knew that books were not supposed to – and cannot, in any way – produce its own light unless it had been tampered with, like adding some sort of odd feature to capture a child's attention.
Ah, maybe it was a children's book? But since when did a children's book give off such a bright red light? That didn't seem healthy, neither did it seem right, Maki thought to herself.
None of it made any sense, to be honest.
If taking this book was a way to give Maki an answer, then that was what she would do. Hesitantly, she extended her arm towards the book, her fingers shaking faintly as it passed through the strange light wrapped around the curious object. She easily pulled it off from the row of dust-covered books, the light around it disappearing when it lost contact of the shelf. Maki was taken aback for a bit when she saw the title written in Chinese characters.
The Universe of the Four Gods.
Deciding to check first what it was about, Maki clipped her fingers onto the cover of the book. But before she could open it completely, her name suddenly echoed inside the room.
"Maki-chan?"
"Mama," she gasped. Great timing as always, her mother. "I was just- I was looking for some new books and I found this room, so I checked it out," she lied. Telling her mother that she was drawn here by a glowing red light from the book she was holding might not be a good excuse, she thought.
"This is the restricted area, Maki-chan. Most of what you can find here have been with the family for generations," Yuuki Nishikino, the lady of the household, explained to her. "Did you find a book anyway, dear?"
Maki gave a glance on the book in her hand, but at the last second she just shrugged. Something in her felt like the book wasn't an ordinary one, and she would like to keep it to herself like a privileged secret only she can know.
"No, there weren't anything interesting so far."
Yuuki just hummed and gestured her dearest daughter outside the room. "Dinner will be ready in a few, sweetie. Your papa won't be able to join us until later but I had the chef cook us his specialty tonight."
Of course her papa can't. But, "You mean tuna penne pasta? With lots of tomatoes?"
"It's you and your papa's favorite, of course."
Maki immediately returned The Universe of the Four Gods book in the small space where it used to be, sighing as she turned to walk to where her mother was waiting for her. The mysterious Chinese book can be dealt with some other time.
Dinner sounded nice for the tomato-loving teenager.
"Maki? Are you still awake?"
The door to her room creaked open so gently, revealing a man in glasses with a similar crimson hair that she had.
"Papa."
Satoru Nishikino welcomed himself inside his daughter's room, a habit he never died out of despite always being away for the most part of the day due to work. He may not be beside Maki all the time, but he made sure to check on the young girl whenever he had the chance, even if it was already during the wee hours of the night.
"I just got back from the hospital. Sorry I wasn't able to come for dinner," he apologized.
Maki shook her head lightly, expressions missing in her features.
She was used to it already.
"You missed out on our favorite pasta again."
"So I heard. I presume you've finished all of it?"
"Of course," she slipped a giggle. Satoru smiled back in relief, noting how refreshing it was to see his daughter look a bit more comfortable around him.
"Can't sleep again, huh?" he asked. Maki only nodded.
"Your mama said you went to the restricted area in the library."
Shoot. Was she not allowed in there? Her father seemed ready to scold her for something she didn't have any idea of in the first place. If anything, that room should have had at least a sign to keep out or a label that it was a restricted area. She could've taken the clue right away if there were any.
"I- I'm sorry, Papa. I didn't know there was a room there and—"
"Why are you apologizing?" Satoru snickered as he fixed his glasses on his nose and sat on Maki's bedside. "It's okay, Maki. You're free to roam around anywhere. It's your house."
Maki half-smiled. That should mean that she could go back on that part of the library and take The Universe of the Four Gods book with her, right? And maybe a few other interesting ones too if she found some.
"Read all the books you want but make sure to keep your list of medicine manuals in check. Okay?"
Oh, who was she kidding. "Yes, Papa. I will."
Wryly, Satoru stared back at his only daughter. He knew that tone very well. It was a disapproving tone, a tone that even he himself used to have when he was still at Maki's age. However, even so, he was still firm in putting his full trust on Maki. He was sure that the young girl would make the right choice, just like he did.
Or so he hoped.
"Well then, I'll be turning in for the night. Go get some sleep now, you're getting circles under your eyes," he said as he stood up from where he was seated, shaking off the thoughts. He patted a warm hand on Maki's head. "Good night, my princess."
"Un. Good night, Papa."
It was weird, Maki thought, how she seemed to still be deeply attached to her father despite him being the sole reason of her agony about being a doctor. Her father may be too pressed on pushing her to follow his footsteps ever since god knows when, but beneath all that she knew that he was still her papa who once carried her on his shoulders. Her papa who never failed to make her smile when she had a bruise from falling, calling her his princess until the tears were gone.
It sometimes, if not always, made her feel that she can't disappoint him with her choices. But her strong feelings – her love for music – still flickered a pang of dislike towards the man who couldn't seem to understand her true passion no matter how well she can be as a pianist.
Maki heaved a deep sigh.
I need to stop thinking of these things.
As she was finally about to tuck herself in the comfort of her sheets, the image of the mysterious book flashed into her mind yet again. This book was disturbing her on a totally different level; that even during her wonderful dinner and her much-needed bath time before bed, it was all that Maki's head could ponder about.
"It's my house, huh…" she whispered to herself as she glanced on the digital clock beside the bed.
3:43 AM.
Ever so subtly, she snuck her way across the halls of the Nishikino manor and found herself inside the library on the east wing. It didn't matter that she was just clad in her pink pajamas and her slippers. She was just going to grab the book real quick and take it back to her room where she could read it in peace.
The door to the restricted area opened for the second time that day, and the same red light that captured Maki's attention was shining brightly again. It was beginning to creep her out, but her curiosity was far greater than her budding fear right now among anything.
"This better be worth it."
In one swift move, Maki removed the book from the shelves, losing its vibrant red once again just like earlier. She made sure to leave the door closed before she went back, gripping tightly on the book she kept secure between her arm and her chest.
Nothing happened, so it seemed, as she made her way back to her room unnoticed. Not like anyone was ever going to notice; her room was a good twenty steps away from her parents' own. Still, it was the first time that she sneaked around the huge house at night, and it all felt so silly and fulfilling considering how she never had the guts to do that because she was afraid of being scolded had she gotten caught.
It's your house, Maki. What are you even afraid of, she reiterated in her mind.
The Universe of the Four Gods was now in her grasp and... it wasn't doing anything weird. Quite frankly, it just looked like some plain old book that probably existed for more than a century or so with how the covers were withering out. Maki contemplated whether to read it while lying in bed or if she would sit on her study table like she always did, but she just instantly decided to read the first page right now while she was still standing beside the door.
The curiosity in her was burning too hard already.
"Thus, the girl of legend opened the door to another world."
Ah, so this one was a novel? An ancient Chinese novel translated to Japanese, probably. A small note written at the bottom of the cover said that a certain Einosuke Okuda provided the translation, so there was that.
Regardless, the characters written exquisitely in brush and ink were making Maki feel more and more eager to read. She rarely came across books fully printed in such.
So she continued.
"This is a story of a girl who single-handedly gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku and gained the power to make all her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation, and the one who reads it through shall be given these powers and have their wishes granted, just like the girl in the story. Because, the story begins and becomes real as soon as the first page is turned."
Maki paused and broke her eyes off the book, blindly turning the first page. "What does that even mean?" she asked herself.
Suddenly—
Red.
The blinding red light was coming off again from the book, and it was shining recklessly right on top of Maki's hands, right in front of her very eyes. She wasn't sure what to do, but her hands didn't seem to have any plans of letting go of the book.
Her body suddenly felt like it was being sucked. Pulled, dragged, forcibly being taken by something that she didn't understand. Desperate, Maki tried to hold on to the nearest thing she could grab – the jacket that hung on the coat rack that stood the closest to her. It wasn't the best decision, she realized seconds after, because it didn't do any help against the pulling sensation that she felt.
She screamed. Or maybe she was only trying to, she didn't know anymore. All she processed at the time was the bright red light, the feeling of being flushed, and the sight of her room slowly disappearing from her eyes.
Moments later, her room was back to being embraced by darkness.
No sounds coming from anything, no light to illuminate the four walls of her only refuge.
Nothing.
The Universe of the Four Gods lay on the floor closed.
And Maki was nowhere to be found.
.
A/N 2: So if you're familiar with Fushigi Yuugi, you probably know how all of these would go down. But as mentioned earlier, the original storyline is only the pattern. A lot of plot points, the meetings of the priestess and her warriors, as well as the conflicts vs Seiryuu camp – most of it will be altered for convenience to fit how -this- story would go. It wouldn't be as fun to imagine these guys as FY characters if we don't shake up some things a bit, right? Lol
I'm not sure how frequent this will be updated, but please do share your thoughts if you have the time. So far a couple of chapters already have an outline and the character meetings are already drawn in my head. I just need to write my arse off so this AU can progress. Wish me a lot of luck haha
Also, Fushigi Yuugi = Mysterious Play. In case the pun didn't work :))