Turn to A Friend

By RoseFire

Disclaimer: I don't own the series of Fushigi Yugi so it's pointless to try and stop me from writing this. I don't intend to make any money of this, though if you want to pay me for it, I will certainly not stop you. Please email me and tell me what you think of my story. I would love to hear from you. Besides, how else am I going to know whether to keep writing fanfic stories?

Author's Notes: This is a "what-if" fiction. It mainly focuses on Chichiri and Miaka, but before you panic all you die-hard Miaka and Tamahome fans, they aren't a couple. I started thinking about what Miaka really means to Chichiri and how she feels about him. I hope you enjoy. But if you don't, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Peaceful. There was no other word for it. Chichiri stared up at the night sky. It was a cloudless night. The new moon was out so his view of the stars was vivid and bright. Despite the new mission ahead of him, Chichiri found he could still enjoy the beauties of nature. He knew almost certainly the danger he and Miaka would face as they traveled to Kutou. But in the short time he had known Miaka, he had grown confident of her courage and strength. He inhaled deeply the smell of the palace gardens. All around him was beauty and life. He could hear the faint sound of crickets and the mournful hooting of an owl. A fluttering above his head made him look up to see a bat swooping out of the tree. Beneath the mask he wore, Chichiri smiled slightly. He then removed the mask and felt the cool night air on his real face. Chichiri closed his eye and absent-mindedly began to hum to himself. In his head, he saw the words paint a picture.

In a world where flowers bloom as if watching life

The instant a bird takes flight I feel freedom

If you lend your ear to the wind time will materialize

In the heart that watches the moon silence will alight

Deep inside my heart there is a painful history

Even now it aches and sometimes sparkles

Crossing the river of sadness I become a crystal

Within the transmission of souls hope passes through no da

Look up to the father of heaven admiring his embrace

Fawn on the mother of the earth for her upbringing

There's never only one person in this extended life

Because love is surely here we can live no da

On my right knee is the symbol of a Shichi Seishi

Mastering skills and storing my power

Ascending the mountain of joy I become transparent

If energy is used freely depends on my conscience na no da

Chichiri laughed quietly. The song was much more important than anyone could ever know. It was a song about him, about his life as a wanderer. Not that he hated being one. Even as a boy, he'd possessed a love of adventure and exploring. He'd wanted to know everything about anything, and anything about everything.

"I guess some things never change no da," he thought to himself.

He turned to go when something stopped him. The silence had suddenly been broken by a new, but not unfamiliar sound. Someone was crying. It wasn't very loud. It sounded almost as if whoever was crying was trying hard to control it and stop. Chichiri let his ears guide him toward the sound. As he pushed past a tree branch, he felt his heart skip a beat. Sitting beside the palace pool was Miaka. She was dressed in her robe and sleeping clothes. She seemed to be doubled over with pain. Was she hurt? Chichiri closed his eyes and search out her life force. Nothing. There was no pain, just an overwhelming sadness that threatened to break his heart. He listened to her choked sobs until he couldn't stand it.

"I have to do something no da," he thought.

Miaka sat by the pool, pulling her knees against her chest and the memory of the dream assaulted her again. She was in the Kutou palace. She could see Yui-chan standing over her, looking surprised and fearful at the figure standing between them. She knew it was Tamahome. He looked like Tamahome and sounded like him. But his eyes were so cold and empty as he stared at her with disgust and scorn.

"Tamahome?" she asked.

"Who said you had permission to speak? How disgusting!" Tamahome snarled.

Miaka saw the scene begin to dissolve as her eyes began to tear.

"I'll see to it that you never speak that way again," Tamahome sneered and swung a deadly looking weapon over his head.

It swung toward her and that was when Miaka had woken up. What had it meant? Now, more than ever, she wished for

Tamahome's arms to wrap around her and hold her close. She wanted to feel his warm breath against her face and feel his lips on hers. She buried her head into her knees to smother her cries.

"Oh, Tamahome," she whispered.

"Shh, don't cry now Miaka-chan," a soft voice hushed.

Miaka turned alarmed and tried to stand up. But the movement was too quick and her ankle twisted beneath her, causing her to fall down again. She grimaced in pain and clutched her injured ankle. A figure in the shadows walked toward her. Miaka closed her eyes in fear. Suddenly she felt gentle, warm hands touch her ankle. Miaka opened her eyes to see Chichiri kneeling down by her ankle, rubbing it gently.

"You've got to learn to be more careful, Suzaku no Miko no da," Chichiri said.

"How long have you been here?" Miaka asked.

Chichiri looked up quickly and Miaka saw that he wasn't wearing his mask. The ugly scar slashed over his eye and over his nose was still something Miaka wasn't used to. It made her body shudder and she felt an ache in her heart for him. She must have been staring because she noticed Chichiri looking curiously at her.

"Do you like to look at my face, Miaka-chan no da?" Chichiri asked. Miaka blushed furiously and started to turn away. Chichiri caught her chin and gently turned it back toward him. He pulled her to her feet and helped her walk around the garden.

"There no da," he said calmly, "Does it still hurt no da?"

Miaka shook her head and smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you, Chichiri," Miaka said, "I guess I'll go back to bed."

She started to walk away, but Chichiri caught her arm.

"Why were you crying no da?" he asked firmly.

Miaka became nervous. She didn't want to burden anyone with her troubles.

"Just a bad dream," Miaka said shakily, "Nothing more than that."

"Is that all no da?" Chichiri asked.

Miaka lowered her eyes, but she forced herself to sound irritated.

"I don't see how it's any of your business, Chichiri," Miaka said, "I'm sorry to be so cruel, but I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone to..."

Miaka felt herself being turned around and she saw the impatience in his eye. But she also saw his concern and affection.

"You can't lie to me, Miaka no da," Chichiri said softly, "I can sense your fear and sadness so don't try and hide it."

Miaka stared at him. She felt the tears slowly well up in her eyes. Chichiri raised a hand and caught one as it began to trickle slowly down her cheek.

"You can't keep these things bottled up no da," he whispered, "If you do, you'll lose yourself forever no da. And I don't think I could bear to see that happen no da."

Miaka tried to hold back the sobs that clawed at her throat. But she was tired of fighting and threw herself at Chichiri, sobbing hard. Chichiri was prepared and he held her tight against him, stroking her hair and back gently.

"That's it, Miaka-chan," he whispered encouragingly, "Let it all out. Don't try and hold back anymore no da."

Chichiri's words made Miaka feel safe and secure. She sobbed out all her anger, hurt, frustration, loss and loneliness. She cried for Yui, Tamahome, her friends and her enemies. Miaka felt as though a huge dam had broken in her heart and might have been swept away by the emotional current if Chichiri hadn't been there. Chichiri's shirt clung to his chest as Miaka's tears continued to soak it through. But he didn't mind. She sounded as though she'd been holding this back far too long. Even when he felt her slowly begin to calm down, he didn't let go. He slowly lowered both he and Miaka to the ground. He began to hum his song again, slowly and gently, turning it into a lullaby.

Miaka listened to Chichiri's humming and suddenly realized that she had never been this close to him before. She looked up into his eye again. She found herself strangely but warmly comforted by looking into it. He brushed his fingers across her cheek and Miaka laid her head against his chest again. As Chichiri continued to sing softly, Miaka was surrounded by the visions of nature. She could see and smell the mountains with their snowcapped peaks. She saw deserts with their blistering winds and the strange creatures that could live there. She saw meadows and forests filled with wildflowers and cool air. Was this the world Chichiri knew and loved? For a moment, she felt as though she wanted to abandon it all and follow him. She wanted to give up being the Suzaku no Miko, give up Yui and Tamahome; give up everything. All she wanted was to travel and see these grand places. Breathing deeply, she inhaled into Chichiri's shirt. She could smell him. He smelled of honeysuckle, maple and pine. The scents of the sea and meadow surrounded him like a blanket. Miaka was so warm and secure that she soon drifted into a contented sleep. Chichiri smiled fondly and held her tightly in his arms. He carried her back to her bedroom and laid her down gently. He covered her up and tucked her in. For a moment, Chichiri felt almost like a father. He chuckled softly and started to turn away. But he turned back and stared at the sleeping girl.

"No," he thought firmly, "one more thing to do no da."

He bent down and kissed the girl's head softly. He lingered a moment and then stood up again. He watched as his symbol of Suzaku, sho, appeared on her head. He touched his fingers to it and whispered a spell of forgetting. The symbol slowly faded away and Miaka smiled in her sleep.

"Tamahome," she whispered before she began to softly snore.

Chichiri grinned and left the room. He climbed the roof above her room and sat, watching the stars twinkle.

"What Miaka dreamed," Chichiri thought, "is very disturbing no da. I'll have to make sure I'm prepared for anything no da."

Soon, Chichiri was asleep under the stars.

Miaka hurried down the terrace. She felt light and happy, despite the "lover/sweetheart" doll Nuriko had given her. He was probably right. The doll was only stone and could break easily. She would see Tamahome tonight and then everything would be all right. As she turned the corner, she ran into something. Chichiri gave a surprised shout as he caught Miaka in his arms.

"Oh, sorry, Chichiri," Miaka said breathlessly, "I didn't see you there."

"It's all right, Miaka-chan no da. I should have been watching where I was going no da."

Miaka smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Hey," Chichiri whispered, "What's that for no da?"

"For saying you'd go with me to rescue Tamahome tonight," Miaka said, "I'm glad you're my friend."

"I'm glad also no da. Just remember that you can always turn to me when you need someone to talk to no da?"

Miaka nodded and continued on. Chichiri watched her leave and looked out over to the palace pond.

"I'm always there, Miaka-chan no da," Chichiri thought, "I'll always be a friend you can turn to no da."

The End

Stay cool minna-chan.! From here on in, this will be fun!