Alternate Fushigi Yuugi

By nightelfcrawler

Warnings: Tasuki's foul mouth

Okay so... in chatting with an rp partner, we ended up discovering that we had been a part of the same fandoms some 10+ years ago. She ran a website that hosted some of my old fics... which made me drag out some old dvds that I'd saved my webpages on... and lo and behold, I found these old fics hanging around still and decided heck why not bring them back. So here they are, a trip down memory lane! These were written in the late 90's and early 2000's when I went by too many psudonyms to remember. I actually forgot who I was until I physically saw the fics listed and went 'oh crap I remember those!'. Ahh memories.

Be warned... these were my first attempts at writing and are likely riddled with grammar, spelling and other noted errors. I've read through them, blushed furiously that I used to write like this, and decided to put them up anyway as-is with no revisions. So please enjoy, but don't bother correcting or whining, they shall be ignored!

Echos of the Past

note: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not intend to make a profit off Fushigi Yuugi, it belongs to Watase Yuu, so don't sue me.
This is intended to be an alternate reality story, a 'what would have happened if' scenario. There are spoilers for the whole series, and possibly OVA's as well, so be forewarned.

"'Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko and Yui all sat at the supper table discussing their plans for finding the remaining Seishi. Unfortunately, there was little word of where they could find them, but Nuriko had heard of a rumor that might be connected with one of Suzaku's chosen.'"

"The way I heard it is, there was a rumor of a man with a red symbol on him having lived in the village. But apparently he vanished some time ago. I don't know much more than that, but I hearing the story made me wonder if checking the town out might not hurt."

The others nodded in acquiesce, knowing that finding the Seishi may not be an easy task, so any clue might aide them in discovering their whereabouts.

"Very well then," Hotohori said standing, "We will go to this village and try to find out what we can. There are clues in the Shijin Tenchi Sho that can help us to recognize the Seishi, and perhaps this hint is enough to start on."

So the three Seishi began preparing for their journey to the village in the northern section of Konan. The court officials were not too keen on letting the emperor go out on the journey, but he insisted that he must go along as was his duty as a Seishi. Finally they assented, and reluctantly agreed to allow him to go.

"'And so Suzaku no Miko and her three Seishi set out on their journey, traveling north during the day when the weather was warm and pleasant. They spent several days traveling before arriving at the small village.'"

Yui looked around, finding the village very quaint and cute. They checked into a hotel and stabled their horses, then set out wandering around the town. Nuriko and Hotohori were both wearing simpler clothing, as not to attract too much attention as members of the court. The four wandered through the town, marveling at the shops and the friendly atmosphere.

Finally, Hotohori walked up to an elder and began asking for information on their possible lead on the Seishi. Soon he nodded and thanked the elder, then headed back towards them. "He said that, yes, there had been a man living here with a symbol on him, but he disappeared about 6 years ago. He admitted he didn't know much about the story, and recommended that we speak to another in a bakery shop just down the street."

So the group headed down the street and entered the bakery, the fresh smell of baked breads tantalizing their taste buds. Hotohori stepped up to the counter and asked for the owner, and soon a jolly man with a potbelly and rosy cheeks came out from the back wiping his hands.

"Hello! What can I do for you today?"

"We were wondering if you could give us some information on a rumor that we heard of a man who had a character on his body who lived in this area."

The baker looked surprised, and paused wiping his hands taking a long look at each of them, and noting Yui's odd clothing. "I see." He said finally nodding his head. "Alright, just give me a moment to clean up and I'll be right with you." He disappeared in the back, and they milled around admiring the food. When he returned, he led them into a smaller homey room in the back and seated them at a table. A plump friendly woman with a smile served them some tea and pastries. After they were well settled in, the man sat down and sighed. "So, you want to know about the man with the character?"

They nodded. "We heard that he had lived in this town for a while and were hoping you could tell us where he might be now."

"You are Suzaku no Miko, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, but nodded and smiled at her. "I thought as much. Well, I cannot tell you where he is now unfortunately, but perhaps knowing a bit of what happened here 6 years ago might give you more of a clue. But be forewarned, he might not even be still alive."

The others looked slightly shocked at this new development. One of the Seishi dead? No, it couldn't be possible could it?

The baker took a breath and began speaking. "About 6 years ago there was a horrendous flood in this area, and many people were killed. It was at this time that the young man disappeared as well. He had been raised here, and was very close friends with another young man since his childhood. They also had a girl whom they were very close with too. It was said that they were so close they could be considered brothers and sister. In fact, I am not sure which one of the boys had the character, he didn't flaunt it at all, and no one treated him any differently.

"Anyway, they were very good friends and were always seen around town together, laughing and having fun. They were known as the "threesome" and they supported each other in whatever they did.

"Unfortunately, you can guess what happened. They boys grew up and one of them fell in love with the girl, and vice versa. They announced their wedding date, and began the preparations just as the floods began to take the rivers.

"Now, no one knows the truth as to what really happened, but I happened to see the girl the day the dam broke, running away from town in tears. Unfortunately, we found her body several days later..."

The baker paused for a moment to take a long sip of his tea. His eyes had wandered drifting, then settled on the four. "I never did see the two boys again. The flood washed away half the town and it's population, and many bodies were never found." He trailed off. Then he shook his head. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news to you, Suzaku no Miko-sama, but since the two boys bodies were never found I can't tell you if they are still alive. It may be that they survived, but then I don't understand why they never returned here." He looked at them apologetically.

Feeling rather shocked and surprised, the group exchanged glances with one another. Finally Nuriko spoke. "Perhaps there may be some clue... somewhere around town that might tell us something."

The others nodded, still shocked at the thought that one of the Seishi might be dead. They were unsure what to do if that happened, and Yui began to feel a dread in her chest. She might never get back home.

The baker politely wished them luck, and they departed the shop. They wandered around town, asking the residents questions occasionally, then made their way out of the town, to the raised fields to the north of town. They looked around, marveling in the view, and made their way to a willow tree overlooking the river's bank which lay up ahead to eat some lunch.

To their surprise as they neared the tree, there was a dagger stuck deep into the trunk, and it was obvious that the only way it could have gotten it that deeply imbedded into the wood was through human hands. It was a simple blade with a ornate dark metal hilt, but very sharp.

"Hmm, I wonder how this got here." Nuriko murmured, trying to pull the knife out of the trunk using her super-human strength. Then it let go with a sudden jerk, and unfortunately Yui happened to be standing just behind Nuriko when it released.

Yui screamed as Nuriko's elbow hit her in the chest and she fell backwards, feeling no ground beneath her foot, then suddenly, the frigid river bit into her like needles of ice, piercing and sharp. She struggled desperately to get her head above the water, since she wasn't a strong swimmer, but the current was too strong for her to handle.

As she struggled, she suddenly felt strong arms grab her around her waist, and she was forced to the surface suddenly. She was out of it, feeling numb and cold, the warm body hugging her close was the only stable thing in the chaos of the water, and so she clutched the person tightly.

She was vaguely aware of a louder rushing sound, and then they were falling with nothing beneath them. She gasped in a mouthful of water as they hit bottom again, and she lost consciousness at that point.

The others meanwhile, had turned in shock at Yui's scream just in time to see her fall into the icy water and disappear. "YUIIIII!" Hotohori screamed, and was about to dive in after her when another figure shot by him and plunged into the water. "Quickly, downstream!" Nuriko screamed and dashed downstream as quick as her gown would allow her to run.

They passed a tall waterfall, it's spray from the powerful updraft wetting their faces and showing them how frigid the water was.

Suddenly, Tamahome cried out "LOOK!"

Crumpled beneath the edge of the pool created by the falls, were two figures lying in the rocks. A strange man was attempting to drag Yui up onto the dry ground, but was obviously too weak to do it, and therefore in danger of being dragged back into the river.

The three Seishi dashed down, and Nuriko grabbed onto the stranger's hands, pulling him up, while Tamahome picked Yui up gently, and laid her down on the grass.

Desperately, Tamahome shook Yui, his face pale and worry crowding his eyes. "YUI! YUI! WAKE UP YUI!"

But she didn't move.

Hotohori knelt down next to the strange man with Nuriko. He was retching water out of his lungs, and shivering fiercely, but seemed to have made it alright. Nuriko put a worried hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright? My god, that was a brave thing you did!"

The man just moaned something incoherent, his head still bowed as he coughed water up.

Meanwhile, Tamahome was desperately trying to bring Yui around, and not succeeding.

Letting Nuriko handle the stranger, Hotohori joined Tamahome, and ordered him to move aside. Kneeling over her, Hotohori immediately began trying artificial respiration on Yui. After several minutes, Yui gave a sudden lurch, and began coughing water out of her mouth. Relieved, Hotohori helped her cough it out, and Tamahome hugged her fiercely to him.

Coughing and shivering, Yui felt someone embrace her tightly. She could hear his voice asking her worriedly if she was alright, and she nodded numbly.

Meanwhile, Nuriko was helping the stranger to sit upright. Finally, he managed to sit up and she caught a glimpse of his face. Not wanting to embarrass him, she smartly kept quiet and glanced over at Yui.

Finally, Yui was able to look up after calming down. The man who had rescued her was sitting with Nuriko, watching with a pained expression on his face. "Are you alright?" Yui choked out worriedly, trying to avoid staring at his left eye.

His good eye focused suddenly, and the strange expression left his face. "Yes, I'm fine no da." He chattered. "Just need to warm up a bit no da. Are you alright na no da?"

Yui nodded mutely as she examined the stranger. His limp blue hair was falling over his face, and dripping down his cheek. He seemed fairly handsome, if it weren't for the sharp scar that ripped across his left eye and over his nose. He wore the patterned sash of a Zen Buddhist monk, and prayer beads as well.

He managed a smile in her direction and spoke, brushing his hair out of his face. "You should really watch where you step Suzaku no Miko-sama no da. One could get seriously injured in this river na no da."

Yui blinked at him in surprise, hearing the conviction in his voice. He removed his cloak, and proceeded to wring it out. He then stood shakily, and fastened his cloak around him again. "I'll be back no da."

Nuriko jumped to her feet suddenly. "Hey wait one minute! Who are you anyway?" But the strange monk was already gone from sight into the woods.

Sighing, Nuriko wondered who this mysterious man was, and shook her head in confusion.

They had managed to start a fire and were tending to it when the monk returned. He came in with a broad smile on his face, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a staff. "I'm back no da. I brought something to eat na no da." He tossed a basket filled with fresh bread and some dried tea leaves. He then lay his staff down and took his hat off, then proceeded to pull a fishing pole out from the recesses of his hat, startling the group. "I'll go and catch us some dinner no da."

They watched in amazement as the monk seated himself by the pool's edge and started fishing.