xxx HARUKA: TRAPPED xxx

A Fushigi Yuugi Fanfic

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It worked.

Haruka pinched her arm. Hard. And it hurt.

Which meant she was wide awake.

Which in turn meant that her attempt at the old 'use-a-hairpin-to-pick-the-lock trick' worked.

She gently pushed the door, and it cracked open. Peeking out, Haruka made sure there were no sentries roaming around, before opening the door the rest of the way, and finally stepping out onto the corridor.

It was the dead of the night, and Haruka shuddered at the chill that crept up her spine. The length of the hallway was lit only now and then by a few torches, throwing shadows onto the wall, the floor, and just about anywhere it could. It was as if the illusion of doom was intentional. And it probably was.

Reminding herself that she was made of sterner stuff than the average schoolgirl, she padded on.

Haruka's senses were alert for any other irregularity. She would much rather not be caught during her nocturnal excursion. Getting caught would be, needless to say, utterly stupid.

Not too far down the hall, Haruka heard voices. She stopped short and strained her ears, nervousness twisting her guts. But then, she realized that the voices were coming from a room a few doors down from where she stood. A sliver of light spilled out from a slightly opened door. Haruka crept closer, and the voices became clearer. One was male and the other was female. Haruka recognized the male voice as Nakago's. The timbre, the richness… it was his; she couldn't be more certain. The female voice, on the other hand, appeared to be Yui's.

As Haruka reached the door, she was able to clearly understand what the two were saying.

"Yes. In fact, soon, I'm going to put her to use. I believe I've been successful in winning her trust as well as her loyalty. I'll send her to Konan, to Miaka and her Suzaku warriors, as a spy," Nakago said.

"Hm… Yes, yes, a very good plan…" Yui replied.

Right then, Haruka swore she could hear the sound of something shattering –most probably her heart.

Before she could hear any more, she bolted, caring no more if anyone heard her.

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"Ever since Haruka came, you've been acting different," Yui said, sitting down on Nakago's bed, "Are you falling in love with her?"

The warrior flinched.

"No, Lady Yui."

"Then why have you been spending so much time with her?" Yui snapped, "You have been neglecting your duties as a Seiryuu Celestial warrior!"

She stood up to walk towards Nakago. Leaning towards him, she muttered, "Next thing I know, she will be our downfall."

A muscle in his jaw ticked.

"I could assure you that that would never happen, Lady Yui," Nakago replied, looking down at the priestess.

Yui raised a brow.

"Oh?"

"Yes. In fact, soon, I'm going to put her to use. I believe I've been successful in winning her trust as well as her loyalty," Nakago explained, "I'll send her to Konan, to Miaka and her Suzaku warriors, as a spy."

"Hm… Yes, yes, a very good plan…" drawled the maiden of Seiryuu, still staring at the warrior watchfully.

Then suddenly, the sound of footsteps.

Both heads snapped to the door.

Nakago dashed out onto the hallway, only to catch sight of a figure encased in a nightgown, running down the hall as if the hounds of hell were on its tail.

Cursing, Nakago ran after it.

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He found her sitting under the Sakura tree, knees drawn to her chest.

When he lost sight of her somewhere in the maze of the palace grounds, he decided to go straight to the hill where they had their picnic. Something told him that she would be there –and sure enough, she was.

"Haruka…" he called.

Her head snapped up, and he saw that her face was streaked with tears. Her eyes shined gold in the light of the moon, and Nakago thought that even through her tears, she looked ethereal.

But he was quickly deprived of the pleasure of gazing at her face when she quickly tucked it back into her arms, which were folded atop her knees.

He sat himself beside her and stared off into the night.

"Why?" he asked quietly, sadly.

She raised her head to look across the fields before them, the grass turning a deep, blackish-green in the relative darkness of the night.

She sighed.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

When Nakago didn't reply, Haruka went on.

"I thought you were my friend… I thought you were sincere, that you really did like me for me… I thought you were being yourself… For one moment there, I actually believed that you… th-that you…" her voice broke, and she shook her head before continuing, "It was really stupid of me to believe you. I can't believe I was stupid enough to think that I could actually trust you!" A sob. "Everything was just an act, wasn't it? You just wanted to use me!"

Nakago turned to look at Haruka, and his chest constricted at all the pain he saw in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to keep her expression blank –a useless endeavor, considering the tears streaming down her face. Her lips quivered, and Nakago fought the sudden impulse to still them with his.

She trembled, and the warrior's heart received another painful constriction.

Haruka slowly turned to look at him, and Nakago wanted to look away. Her eyes probed into his, and he felt like she was looking past the blue color and straight into his blackened soul.

"Why don't you just let me go? Or just kill me," she whispered weakly, then bent her head as long drawn-out sobs racked her whole form.

Nakago slid his arms around the crying girl and pulled her close, laying her head atop his chest.

He wanted to be able to stop her tears –but how could he, when he was the one who had caused them?

He cursed himself repeatedly for hurting her… For hurting the one person he had begun to care for since that awful day his mother died by his own hands.

He wanted to be able to feel REAL again. He wanted to be able to hold Haruka without the pain, the feelings of betrayal and animosity.

He wanted to just hold her: just that and nothing more.

He just wanted to be with her.

But that was impossible, and he knew that.

Soon, the crying subsided into sniffles and occasional hiccups. Out of exhaustion, the redhead fell asleep in the blonde's arms, and he carried her to her bedchamber as if she was no heavier than a sakura petal.

Nakago laid Haruka on her bed as gently as he could and tucked her in, proceeding to retire to his own.

However, the Seiryuu warrior found sleep elusive that night as he fought to banish the image of an innocent face streaked with tears, and pain-filled amber eyes.

That night, Nakago found himself bothered by an emotion he was heretofore unacquainted with:

Guilt.

xxx OWARI(…maybe) xxx

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Author's Notes:

Sorry if this chapter is kinda… sucky, I guess. I'm really sorry if Nakago seems somewhat OOC in here, and the tone is overemotional.

But don't worry, 'cause I'm getting somewhere with this.

Please just bear with me!

Once again, thanks to all who read and review my chapters. You have hearts of gold!

Domo arigatou gozaimasu!