The front yard of the Sukunami residence was ripe with the smell of the fresh plum blossoms, the garden littered with their dusty pink petals. The deceptively warm wind that blew into Hikone from the south, did nothing to offset the ominous presence of the dark clouds looming on the horizon. Silence hung thick in the air, like a dense, soupy fog, until Miaka Sukunami opened the front door of her home. Her green eyes peered anxiously up at the sky and she let out a brief sigh of relief when she realized it hadn't yet begun to storm.
"Are you sure you have to go into work? Couldn't someone else take care of it?" She glanced dubiously over her shoulder at her husband Taka. He shook his head as he draped a rain jacket over his sports coat.
"You know I have to go. Masuyo is on vacation in Tokyo this weekend and Tetsuya and Yui are still on their honeymoon."
He smiled down at his wife to reassure her while accepting the compact umbrella she handed him with a grateful smile. To ease her worries further, he planted a loving kiss against her forehead.
"Don't worry, Miaka. I'm just going to make a quick dash to the office. I'll be back before you know it."
Her rosebud lips pressed together in a tight line, a tell-tale sign she was upset, but she didn't press the issue further. She knew as well as he did that there had to be someone at the office when the IT repair guys showed up to let them into the building.
"I'll be home soon, I promise," he said finally. Miaka managed a small smile and held the door open for him.
"Alright, go on. But drive safely okay? You're no Tetsuya behind the wheel!"
He laughed aloud at her mock disapproving frown and grabbed her around the waist. He planted a lingering 'goodbye' kiss on her lips before planting her feet back on the ground.
"I'll be home soon," he promised gently as he set her feet back on the floor. "I love you."
"I love you too," Miaka replied softly and watched him from the door as he got into his perfectly practical compact car and reversed down their driveway to the street. Taka's car quickly disappeared around the bend of their cul-de-sac with the unmistakable sound of a revving engine.
Miaka sent one last pensive look at the dark clouds rolling overhead, then headed back into the house and locked the door behind her.
Don't be silly! she chided herself. It's just a thunderstorm. How many of those have you seen in your life Miaka? Honestly!
Even so, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling churning in the pit of her stomach. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, she grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl and stared at it thoughtfully.
She'd woken up that morning with an overwhelming sense of foreboding, and couldn't for the life of her explain its source. It was just there, from the very moment she opened her eyes. She'd put it off as nothing at first, but it'd only become more pressing as the day wore on. When Taka had gotten the call to go into work, her heart had leapt into the back of her throat. Some deeply rooted instinct told her she had to stop him from leaving, but he'd brushed her concerns aside with a curious look. She had to admit, if their roles were reversed she didn't think she would have listened either. It all sounded so ridiculous!
Miaka glanced anxiously at the door, willing Taka to walk through it drenched head to foot from the rain with his briefcase in-hand. The house remained silent but for the steady patter of rain on the roof. She jumped at the sound of a loud crack of thunder cutting through the silence like a knife. She shot the storm clouds an annoyed glare through the window and tossed the apple back into the fruit bowl. With her stomach tied up in an endless string of knots, she couldn't find the energy to feel hungry anymore.
Taka turned down the car radio and 'tsked' disapprovingly at the sound of hail on the roof. The storm had gotten worse, far worse than he thought it would be. As he neared the city the conditions had gone from bone dry to his car being pelted with bullet-sized hail. He was already regretting taking the call. Being home with Miaka in a warm, dry, haven filled with love sounded more than a little appealing at the moment.
Uttering a resigned sigh, Taka checked the controls of his rapidly moving windshield wipers. With a grunt he realized they were already moving at the fastest setting, and doing very little to improve his already limited visibility. The rain and hail were so thick it was almost impossible for him to see the road ahead. It was like driving into a dense, white, wall of water. It was doubtful the IT guys would even show up in such weather. Besides, fixing a computer system wasn't worth risking his life for, especially not with Miaka to think about. They'd only just started their lives together.
Just as he decided to abandon his plan to go to the office, Taka noticed a dark shape looming ahead on the road. He squinted, trying to make out what it was through the sheets of rain pounding against the windshield. He cautiously hit the brakes, hoping he wouldn't hit whatever it was and gasped when he realized his brakes had no traction on the slick road. With a jerk of his wheel to the right, he swerved to avoid whatever was on the road and inadvertently threw his car into an uncontrollable spin. The car lurched to an unnaturally sudden stop and then changed course, moving back towards the dark shape on the road!
"You can't be serious!" Taka gasped, his eyes growing wide as he realized the car was moving on its own accord. Snapping off his seat belt he tried to force the driver's side door open but it wouldn't budge. No matter how hard he pounded his shoulder into it refused to pop open, almost as though it was sealed shut by some invisible force. There was nothing he could do but sit and wait.
When the car finally stopped, the driver's side door blew open, sending a sudden gust of wind, rain and hail into his face. Shielding his eyes from the worst of it, Taka cautiously stepped out onto the road. Through the sheets of rain was able to make out a figure standing on the road ahead of him, dressed in a black, hooded cloak.
"Welcome, warrior of Suzaku," the figure greeted with a voice that sounded unnatural in every way.
Taka brows furrowed and he took a hesitant step backwards. Who was this guy? He'd left the world of the book and his life as a Suzaku warrior behind more than a year ago, but he didn't need his warrior's instincts to tell him this guy meant bad news.
He and Miaka had worked hard to build a peaceful life in her world, with no responsibilities to beast gods or anyone else. They were a regular man and woman now, and he had no intention of letting this shadowy figure, whoever he was, take that hard earned happiness from them.
"What do you want?" he shouted back over the deafening thrum of hail and rain pounding against the hood of his car.
"For you to die," the figure responded with an unnaturally calm tone that set Taka on edge. His hands clenched into tight fights and he levelled a glare at the figure before him. He may not be a Suzaku warrior anymore, but he'd be damned if he went down without a fight.
"You think you can kill me so easily? Bring it on!" he challenged, widening his stance and bracing his body for the impending fight.
His opponent did not appear to move, but the air around him suddenly electrified, changed with an unseen energy powerful enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His entire body tensed in preparation, but he knew there was precious little his human body could do to survive such awesome power.
The vibrant purple glow of his opponent's chi enveloped him. It was as beautiful as it was deadly and he was utterly helpless to stop it. His body was broken and thrown backwards with blinding speed into the unforgiving pavement. A wicked flash of lightning forked across the sky and the loud rumble of thunder that followed shook the earth.
As his body lay prostrate and bleeding atop the pavement, rain rapidly drenching his clothes, Taka's thoughts went to Miaka. What was going to happen to her? Was this mysterious figure after her too? He prayed to Suzaku for her protection. Whatever happened to him, she had to survive.
"Please Suzaku, keep her safe," he uttered before his eyes closed and he was enveloped by the endless dark.