Lonely Angel
Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
Author Note: I've been working on this story for quite a while, but I'm coming to a difficult part to write, and I'm afraid of getting stuck, so I'm hoping to get some inspirational feedback from you wonderful reviewers. However, it would be greatly appreciated if all criticisms were constructive. Any flames will be ignored. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the story!
A Trip to the Library
A young woman, just like any other, walked across the street, satchel in hand. Only she wasn't like any other, and not just because she was in downtown Tokyo, and not Japanese. Her name was Nozomi Elendi, and she had a very unusual past indeed. Six months previous to today, she graduated from a boarding school called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nozomi had no living family, and was raised by her father's closest friend after the death of her parents. What set her apart the most from those around her was her light brown hair with golden highlights and clear eyes of indeterminate color, but at Hogwarts she blended in impeccably as a very accomplished and intelligent witch.
On this particular day Nozomi was heading to the National Library to pick up some entertaining reading material. To fill up her days, she volunteered at several nursing homes in the area, and her evenings were filled up with the needs of homeless dogs and cats (and sometimes such exotic things as chickens and lizards) at the local animal shelter. However, Nozomi happened to be a restless sleeper, and needed something to read to get her to sleep. A nice romance usually did the trick, but if that failed, she had to bring out the big guns; a nice, long, boring history book was guaranteed to have her snoozing within fifteen minutes. She had the history book back at her seaside cabin; her mission today was a romance or other similarly brainless, feel-good book.
Her mind was not on the books on the shelves though, or even the one she was holding mindlessly in her hand, it was on one of the most poignant conversations she had had with her only friend from Hogwarts.
Flashback
"Sean attacked you again? Why do you put up with that Nozomi? Why don't you defend yourself? I don't understand why you don't learn jinxes like every other student in this school. Do you like to get hurt?!"
"You know how I feel about attacking people, Rose. I don't do it with my fists, and I'm not going to with my wand either."
"But don't you get mad at all?! I'd be furious if someone did that to me! Why do you put up with it so calmly?"
"I don't care if he attacks me, I don't care what happens to me."
"And that's yet another thing I don't understand. I've seen the real person you hide beneath that 'I don't care' attitude; I know you're not like this. So why hide it? Why act like you don't care?"
"I don't."
"You know, sometimes, Nozomi, it's not worth it, being your friend. For two years I've hoped to bring you out of that shell you've built up, and sometimes I think I've made a breakthrough, but then you push me away again. If you keep this up, you're going to live your life alone."
"I am alone."
"No, you're not. You only think you are. Not only that, but you're graduating in a few weeks, and you still don't know what you're going to do after school, do you?"
"I decided last night."
"And? Taking the ministry up on any of their offers?"
"No. I'm going back to the muggle world. Back to Japan."
"I see. Is this the final push? Are you getting rid of me for good now? You know what I say? Good riddance!" Rose began to walk away in a fit of temper.
"Rose." Unwillingly she stopped. Nozomi pulled something out of her robes and walked towards her, forcing Rose to look at her. "Here's a two way mirror. So your owl doesn't have to be out of commission for three weeks every time you want to talk."
Without another word, Nozomi walked away.
End of Flashback
Though she had never said so to anyone, she did feel one emotion, only one. Sadness. At first it was so painful, she could barely stand it, but now it was down to a sharp ache deep in her heart. Most people felt like she was overreacting to her grandfather's death. But to Nozomi, she had lost not only the only family she had ever known, but the only person to accept her for who she was, and love her unconditionally.
'Rose just doesn't understand. She's normal, she fits in. I've never fit in anywhere. There's just no place for me. When jii-chan was alive, I belonged. But when he died, he took that with him. Without him, there's just no place for me. I've tried making my own niche since school ended, but it just isn't working. All I want is somewhere where I can be myself.'
It was after she had checked out her books that something noteworthy happened. Out of the corner of her eye, just as she was about to leave, Nozomi saw something red move. To her left was a very dark staircase. The message was clearly: No Patrons, Employee's Only. However, Nozomi had this little thing generally referred to as a certain disregard for rules, and she had always been taught to follow her intuition, and right now, either it or her curiosity was screaming at her to go up the stairs. Not to mention if she looked closely she could see a faint red trail leading up the stairs, and of course that had to mean that she hadn't imagined the movement in that direction. Getting a firmer grip on her satchel, she boldly walked up the stairs. Surefire way never to get questioned – act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't.
The stairs led to a room full of rare manuscripts and books, or so the sign on the mysteriously unlocked door said. Nozomi couldn't resist walking in and taking a look. After all, she'd come this far, right? She was just admiring one with a particularly unusual cover when a loud thump scared the living daylights out of her. She whipped around, her satchel nearly upsetting a whole shelf of books in the process. Sighing in relief when it was only a book that had fallen to the floor, Nozomi replaced the one she had been looking at before bending over to look at the one that had fallen. It looked like it had originally been in Chinese, but had been translated into Japanese by someone Nozomi had never heard of. The title was Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, or in English, The Universe of the Four Gods. The cover was fairly plain, but it was Nozomi's favorite color of red, so she decided to forgive it for that horrendous offense and look inside. On the inside was a very plain, but oddly detailed portrait of a phoenix done in traditional Chinese style. Now officially intrigued, Nozomi began to read.
For an old book, it certainly had a modern approach to writing, it almost sounded like one of those 'reader participation' books, rather like a choose your own adventure. It was talking about a girl who went to another world, obtained the power of Suzaku, and had all her wishes granted. Then came the strange part, it warned that the first page was an incantation, and as soon as the first page was turned the story would begin and become real.
Having dealt with the magical world, Nozomi did know that that was possible, but she highly doubted that she would find a portal to another world in a muggle library. Surely the Ministry of Magic or whatever Japan's equivalent was would have seized it long ago. So, having decided that it was an ancient Chinese scholar's idea of an impressive opening, she turned the page, eagerly awaiting the words that would soon engulf her, and make the story as real to her as if the first page spoke true.
Engulf was the correct word, for that was exactly what happened, though it wasn't the words on the page that did so. It was an odd red light that temporarily blinded her. When her sight returned, she was no longer in the dark room, surrounded by fascinating books. She was in a field in the middle of nowhere at what looked like high noon. Taking a moment to calm herself, she accessed her situation. Obviously the Ministry had overlooked this little bit of magic, and she wasn't in Kansas anymore. Not that she'd ever been to Kansas, but it's the principle of the thing, right? Not a soul was in sight, from what she could tell, but if she looked closely, there seemed to be a very faint path, leading either north or south, depending on which way you went.
She was just debating the merits of either direction when an unexpected hand tried to sneak around and grab her from behind. Thanks to Nozomi's long history of Aikido training, however, the key word in that sentence is 'tried'. With instinct born of long practice, she grabbed the offending hand, and flipped its owner so he landed on his back in front of her. While the man lay there slightly stunned, his partner in crime made a grab for her. He too, found the action to be a mistake, and ended up in the same position as the first. They proved to be very persistent young men, and got up each time to try and grab Nozomi again, who coolly thwarted their every attempt.
Just as all three involved thought that this game of cat and mouse could go on forever, a fourth entered the game. Another young man showed up, and with a forceful tone, demanded in Japanese that they cease their attack on the young lady. Eagerly, for this man looked like he was used to giving a good fight, the two attackers turned to confront him. It seemed their judgment was not the best today, however, for the new man wasted no time in proving that he was Alpha Wolf beyond a doubt. After receiving several broken bones each, the two ran off with their tail between their legs. Figuratively, of course.
"Are you alright, miss?" The young man asked with concern in his voice.
"Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. I don't suppose you happen to know what those men wanted?" she replied in the same language as the young man. Politely, she didn't mention the strange red character on his forehead that meant 'ogre'.
"You didn't know? They're slave traders."
"Well, then thank you again, it seems I owe you a favor."
"Forget the favors, I'd rather have cash." He said with a slight hint of enthusiasm in his voice at the mention of money.
Nozomi gave a derisive laugh. "Well, I have money on me, but somehow I doubt you would consider it sufficient compensation for your efforts." At the man's confused look, she reached into her satchel for her little change purse, and pulled out a combination of Japanese yen and money from the magical world. "Needless to say, I'm not from around here. What's your name?"
A little startled by the sudden question, he answered without thinking. "Tamahome, everyone calls me Tamahome."
"Well Tamahome, my name is Nozomi. If I ever get a chance to repay you, I will. In the meantime, if you need anything, I hope you'll think of me. Now I have one more question."
"Yes?" asked a very confused and befuddled Tamahome.
"Which way is it to the nearest city?"
"South, to Eiyo."
"Thank you again, Tamahome. I hope to see you later." With that, Nozomi walked south with the unconscious poise of an athlete along the path she had noted earlier. Tamahome looked curiously after her for a while, before heading off in an entirely different direction, which happened to be a shortcut to Eiyo.
Nozomi walked contentedly onward. At first the path was so faint that she had to be very careful not to stray from it, but as she walked, it got clearer and clearer. Obviously she was getting closer to high traffic areas.
Though the weather was pleasant, and she was not at all cold, Nozomi decided to conjure up a cloak for herself, so she could get rid of her satchel. She wanted to have both hands free should any other slave traders decide to test their skills on her. Bringing out her wand, she brought out a nice white cloak, one that conveniently hid her modern clothes, and had plenty of pockets to deposit her belongings from her satchel. Her wand went in the most accessible pocket, then came her Discman and travel pack of CDs, her indispensable triple action pepper spray for when she got really mad, her newly acquired romances, the essential birth control pills she took for cramps - she had three month's worth, as she had gone to the pharmacy before the library - and the little change purse full of her money. Vanishing her satchel, she started off again with a renewed sense of confidence.
Not long after her wardrobe change, Nozomi entered the city of what she assumed was Eiyo. The marketplace was alive with activity, there were so many people squished into the tiny streets that there was barely room for all the kiosks selling food and decorative items. Catching only tiny glimpses of the items for sale, Nozomi gradually made her way through the streets. Looking around at the people, Nozomi was glad that she traded her satchel for the cloak, because now, no one saw anything odd about her appearance. Everyone was wearing traditional Chinese robes of all kinds.
Catching a glimpse of what lay in front of her, Nozomi was fascinated to see elephants wandering the streets with their trainers, entertaining a captivated crowd of onlookers. Forcing her way closer to the spectacle, she saw that it was only a small part of an amazing parade.
Tapping a woman close to her on the shoulder, Nozomi asked, "Excuse me miss, what's going on here?"
The woman examined her in surprised disbelief before saying, "It's the annual parade for the emperor. See?" she asked, pointing, "There's his carriage way back there."
Thanking the woman, Nozomi edged her way closer to the parade, for some reason she wanted a front row seat. Politely but irrefutably inserting herself between two young men, she got her wish, just a few moments before the emperor's carriage was to appear. Looking left, she saw Tamahome a ways back. She considered going over to talk to him, but decided she wanted to see the emperor more.
Though she wasn't looking at him, the man on her right was giving off extremely agitated vibes. Subtly glancing at him, she happened to notice that he had a death grip on a sword, and was shaking quite badly. Guessing what he was so nervous about, she took out her wand, and conjured up a sword of her own, conveniently hidden by her enormous cloak. After replacing her wand in its pocket, she too kept a firm but gentle grip on her sword.
Sure enough, as the emperor's carriage came by, the man raised his sword, and charged the emperor, screaming "DIE!" as he went. To the immense surprise of everyone present, he didn't get far. His scream was cut short as he felt his sword collide with something far too soon and far too hard to be either the emperor or one of his guards.
It was a young woman, a strange looking young woman indeed. She wore a long white cloak, but she had the oddest color of hair and eyes anyone had ever seen. She had stopped the man's sword with one of her own, and was currently holding a perfect defensive stance. Angry that this odd petite youngthing had prevented his assassination attempt, the man began to fight with her. It appeared though, that the young lady in question had been well taught, for she blocked all his attacks with an ease that only comes from years of dedicated practice.
Nozomi was having the time of her life. She had used swords before in her Jujitsu and Aikido practice, but never real swords, and not for many years had she had a live partner to practice with. There was an elegance about sword fighting that appealed toher and made it more like fun than a method of defense. She could tell that her partner was having trouble controlling his anger, men usually got angry when she only defended. Something about it seemed to toy with their egos. Apparently this man was no different; as the fight went on, his attacks got faster, but also far clumsier. Still Nozomi was having little trouble blocking, even at the increased speed and decreased predictability of movement.
The man cursed under his breath at his opponent's calm demeanor and mastery of her weapon. She was barely moving herself, moving her arm only as much as necessary to place her sword in the correct position to deny him the attack he was desperately trying to execute. He was getting more and more tired from the exertion, and she wasn't even breathing hard. His frustration level was mounting in spite of all efforts to remain as calm as his adversary, and he knew his attacks were getting ever more clumsy. Even so, he kept trying to go faster, thinking that was the key to defeating the stranger. When she didn't seem fazed, even by his fastest attacks, he decided to pull out his final card.
The crowd around the fight stared on in astonished silence. They were astonished not only that someone had tried to kill their beloved emperor, but also by the woman who had undoubtedly saved his life. She was now fighting the would-be assassin with a skill not often seen in a woman. The guards were just as stunned as the spectators. All movement had stopped around them; no sounds could be heard except the breathing of the assassin and the clang of the swords as they flashed in the afternoon sun. Time seemed strangely suspended as the fight went on. It obviously could have ended long ago, if only the woman would attack, but it seemed she would only block. That was yet another strange thing about her, with such skill, why did she not end the fight quickly?
As the fascinated crowd watched, the man forced her sword to the side and without warning, rushed towardher faster than he had gone yet, with his sword pointed straight at her heart. Expecting to see even a slight hint of panic in the woman's face, everyone was surprised when she calmly as ever, stepped into the attack, then swerved to the right at the last minute, and knocked the man unconscious with the butt of her sword. There hadn't been the slightest excess movement; everything had been accomplished with the utmost simplicity. Bending down, the woman retrieved the man's sword, and handed it to the nearest guard. "I'm assuming you want to keep this?" She said in a voice that showed all too clearly that she was as calm as she had appeared. Silently the guard nodded and took the proffered sword into his custody. Another guard rushed to pick up the unconscious man, and quickly secured his hands behind his back to be taken to the palace jail.
It was as Nozomi was walking away from the scene that something very odd indeed happened. The same red light that had transported her to this strange world surrounded her once again, only this time she didn't go anywhere, she just emitted this brilliant light, practically blinding everyone present, including Nozomi. Silently she contemplated the oddity of this occurrence.
'I'm already in this world, and there's no other portal that I can see. Theoretically, there's no reason why I should be glowing again. And I don't appear to be going anywhere, so don't mind me, I'll just stand here, beaming like a demented lighthouse.'
As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and the guards were surrounding her, calling her a witch, pointing their newly sharpened spears at her. She was on the verge of an intellectual argument about the wisdom of purposefully doing something that would make them think she was a witch in front of at least 25 armed guards and hundreds of witnesses when a commanding voice halted all movement.
