Don't own Fushigi Yuugi, it belongs to the wonderful and talented Yuu Watase!
Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
The Mysterious and Elusive Cure Found
Ling sat under a tree, fearing the worst when she went back to Nakago and told him she had failed. The punishment would be harsh, and she was terrified. She remembered once when she had first gone with him and lived inside the palace, she had chores that she was to do every day without fail.
If she was five minutes late or even got one minute detail wrong she got a very severe whipping. She hadn't gotten one after about a month or so, but the memory lingered in her head, and like the child she was she was afraid.
Angrily she punched the grass on her side. If it had not been for that stupid Genbu no Tenshi the Suzaku no Tenshi would have been dead and a rotting corpse right now! She would already be on her way home triumphant, and Nakago would have been proud of her.
Well she amended, not proud, but he would have been satisfied, and she wouldn't be getting punished that was for damn sure. Hours passed as she tried to think of a way to get out of having to go back. If she could find the girl again she might be able to kill her quickly enough that no one would notice. Not even the Genbu no Tenshi was that fast.
"Have you lost your way, child?" A soft effeminate voice asked her from behind. She turned slightly to see a tall, man with long black hair, he looked like a female almost with his small eyes and makeup. But something about him was very familiar.
"Go away, can't you see that I am thinking?" She growled and then turned away from him.
"Thinking about the beating you're going to get when Nakago finds out you failed, Ling?" She froze and her heart stopped. How could he possibly know that? Her mind shouted.
A cackling laugh came from behind her, and suddenly it dawned on her why he was so familiar to her.
"That's not funny Tomo, " She said standing to face him. The illusion disappeared and now Tomo stood before her, with the always odd makeup and clothing he seemed to favor. The crown with the ugly long feathers adorned his head. She hated those things. Sharp when the wanted to be, some of the toughest stuff to break out of.
"Ah but Ling, I had to follow you, to make sure you're dong as you should." He laughed again. "Nakago sent you to follow me?" She asked. That was odd what did he think she was going to run away or something?
He placed his hand on her head and mused her blue hair. "You are still yet young, and I think he knew you would fail the first time. He is so manipulative, its wonderful." She caught the dreamy look in Tomo's eyes and almost gagged. She hated Tomo sometimes, he was so unusual and the things he said around her sometimes confused her. It hadn't been until very recently she had understood half of what he meant when he talked about Nakago.
"Are you going to take me back" She asked pushing his hand from her hair and straightening the strands back to where they went behind her large ears.
"No, actually, I don't want to see you get whipped again, especially when killing this one girl is so easy."
She growled deep in her throat, struggling to control her anger. She stamped her foot on the grass and then went to do an about face. " I only failed because of that green haired bitch! If she hadn't gotten in the way I would have easily finished her and that annoying red head off." His face was amused as he grasped his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"And if I were to say…give you another chance, would you take it?" She nodded "Yes! I would kill her without hesitating." She then stopped herself and her arms dropped to her sides. "Why are you helping me?" This was so unlike Tomo, she thought. He shrugged, "I feel bad for you, you can sometimes be quite pathetic. It's a weakness I have I suppose. Do you want my help? Or are you to proud to take it?" Ling looked down at her dirty slippers and torn clothes thinking for a moment. Asking Tomo for help meant she would be in debt to him. Tomo didn't forget these things she knew, he was still holding something over Soi's head, although no one else knew but Ling.
And even she didn't know exactly what it was, but it had to do with her having disappeared for a short while. She tightened her fists and made her decision, looking up at the much taller man.
"I will gladly take your help Tomo, and this time I will not fail. I will kill the Suzaku no Tenshi!"
"An Inn! Thank Suzaku above!" Miki yelled and then wiped more of the sweat from her head. "What'd ya stop for? Keep movin' " Genrou said shoving Miki forward through the bushes. She glared at him over her shoulder, but did as he said, trying not to argue with him for Rocki's sake.
She heard Rocki come out of the denser part of the woods and sighed. For the past week Rocki had been very quiet, even more so than usual. She knew why, but she wouldn't bring it to Genrou's attention. He was so dense sometimes, it amazed her how he made it through the day sometimes.
"Food, water, and a bed! This is heaven, surely!" Miki cried as she burst through the door. Genrou stayed behind on the steps and waited for Rocki. "You're takin' forever lately," She shrugged coolly and walked past him without a word. He was beginning to hate this, at first he had welcomed this less talkative Rocki, but now he was starting to annoyed. She barely spoke two words a day to him, treated him like he wasn't there and even ignored him when he told her to do something. She was doing it on purpose and he knew she was still probably pretty angry about him lying to her.
Well she had the same damn pants to get glad in that she got mad in, he didn't have to explain himself to anyone, including her. She was not his boss and nor would she ever be no matter what Suzaku said.
"You two stay here, I'm going into town." He said then left the two of them there alone. Rocki harrumphed and turned to the counter not saying anything more to him. "Still looking for the cure for his 'Boss's' Ailment." She mumbled. Miki walked up next to her and said. "What ya don't believe him?" Rocki glared down at Miki. "I'm kind of wary of trusting him. He did lie to me about something extremely important."
Miki shrugged, "But he did take care of ya, he just didn't tell ya who he was…"
The glare she received for that remark cut off any hopes of convincing Rocki otherwise. Wisely, the little girl laid down on the bed and pretended she was asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was at that same moment that Genrou was walking down the street of the bustling village thinking of Reirei's last words to him.
"...Hey... When... the Miko appears... you'll work... for her like you...should..."
"I won't." He had said holding back the tears that were starting to flood his amber eyes.
"......You have to... But then....... come back right away...to...the mountain..."
"Alright...alright...Don't worry... I'll protect Mt. Leikaku to the end... So... stay here forever...... Stay with me......" She had passed on then and he had avenged her using the Tessen for the very first time against the demon who had originally owned the Tessen.
But, he mused, that the Miko and the angel were tow different people entirely, and Hakurou, who had known much about the legend, had not mentioned anything about Tasuki protecting the Tenshi. Only the Miko. Even though she had landed on him, he doubted for some reason, that he was supposed to protect her. After all he hadn't done a very good job so far. She'd almost been killed by the Tenshi named Ling.
Was he really a Suzaku Seishi? Was his job really to protect that fragile, loud mouth, weepy girl? And why had she needed protecting? Why hadn't Suzaku given her powers of her own, to defend herself? Well other than that screechy-ass voice of hers which did nothing but shatter glass, and bust his ear drums.
He arrived at what he'd been told was the village doctors house and knocked on the door. When he heard a voice yell come in, he entered cautiously for some reason. He felt as if he was being warned by some unknown force. But against what?
He peered inside and found nothing out of the ordinary. Furniture and some tables lined the walls. There was a large pot cooking over a fire place and oddly smelled of something strong, but not unpleasant to his sense of smell.
He finally found the owner of the voice. A young woman sat in a chair sewing something. She had long black hair and pale skin, with thick, sooty lashes that laid against her cheeks as she bent down. She was beautiful, and normally these types of things wouldn't affect him in the least, but there was something abut this woman that was alluring. She looked up and smiled at him, making him all the more intrigued by her and he shut the front door behind him.
"Ohyahou, my name is Liquin. Can I help you sir?" Her voice was even better he though his senses starting to dull slightly.
"Uh…"He started almost forgetting the whole reason he came, but then he remembered his senses and thoughts not completely gone from her presence.
"Oh, I was wonderin' if you were th' quack for this village?" She nodded placing her sewing down on a table beside her and standing up. She was dressed in a very plain, peasants dress, but there was not a speck of dirt on her anywhere.
"If by quack you mean doctor, yes I am." She came closer to him, and he felt more numb than before.
"Oh, Uh, that's right. I was also wonderin if ya knew of any kind of cure for this disease a friend of mine has." She thought for a moment and then said. "Well lets go over his symptoms and get you some tea. You must be tired after traveling all the way from Mt. Leikaku."
He nodded and followed her meekly, like a puppy, only vaguely registering that he hadn't told her he was from Leikaku.
*~*~*~*
Rocki twirled the ends of her light brown hair around her fingers for the umpteenth billionth time that day, wondering when Genrou was going to get back. Sure at first she had been glad he was gone, peace, quiet and tranquility. But as the hours wore on she was starting to get worried.
Although she knew Genrou, no Tasuki, she amended was a big boy and that he could handle himself, sometimes he had no common sense about anything.
He might be in trouble, she imagined…but then she would know if he was or not…right?
They were linked together, Fang had said. Drawn to each other. She could call him when she was in trouble, wasn't he able to do the same? But then again, what if he didn't realize he was in trouble?
She sighed and stood up from the table where she had her drawing pad and journal set down, making the chair screech against the floor. Miki looked up from where she had still been pretending to be asleep and sat up as well.
"Ne, Rocki-san what's wrong?" She inquired in that child like way of hers.
"I don't know…but for some reason I think Genrou's in trouble. He's been gone for too long, even if he had found a cure for Hakurou-san, he would have been back to tell us by now." Miki shrugged, and began to worry as well, only of different things.
"What if Genrou left, left?"
Rocki's head snapped around to Miki in utter befuddlement. "Well…I hate to say It Rocki-san, ya have been awfully mean to him. An' ya know how ornery he can be. "
A bolder sat in the pit of Rocki's stomach as she contemplated that thought for a moment or two. Oh Suzaku she had been really mean to him. She had ignored him and said awful things to him. Had even mocked his profession countless times. What if he had left? What if he had gotten tired of her childish displays of anger.
She wanted to scream, wanted to cry, do anything. But If Genrou didn't want to be found she wouldn't find him. She clutched her chest trying not to pass out, as her body went numb and knelt down on the ground.
"Rocki-san, oh please don't cry, I don't think he really did leave us. I'm sorry…" She said getting off the bed and stroking Rocki's back as if she were the older one.
The door swung open then and Miki looked up at Genrou who was leaning against the door, his cheeks red and his eyes blurred. "I fuuunned it!" He dragged out and slurred his words and he picked up a stunned Rocki by both her arms and starting swinging her around as if he was trying to dance with her. He stopped when he realized she had tears running down her cheeks.
"Whatsa matter? Ya should be happy! I fund a Cure for th' big guy. Smile Rocks." He said pinching her left cheek.
"You are so very drunk." She mumbled as she pulled her head away to get away from the smell of sake on his breath. There was something else too, but she couldn't tell what it was over the sake.
"Yes I am! But I was so happy that I found a cure for Hakurou, that I couldn't help myself." He said dipping her down as if he was trying to dance again.
Miki laughed nervously and mumbled something about getting something to eat before she ran off and shut the door behind her.
"Hey wait don't leave me here with him!" She yelled in vain.
Rocki sighed and then looked at the drunkard holding her. He really was a dense bakka she supposed, but she was glad he was back and unhurt even. A miracle by their standards. She smiled faintly and then remembered his reason for getting carried away.
"Genrou where did you find a cure for Hakurou-san?"
"There was a pretty lady, an' she gave me tea and then I told her about it all an' she said she'd have a cure that I jus needed to wait a day or so till it was dun."
Rocki frowned and the pessimist in her screamed to be released at that moment. It all seemed too convenient for her tastes. But she wouldn't voice an objection just yet, he was happily drunk., and she didn't want to spoil it for him.
She squirmed and tried to get away from him, but he wouldn't let her go.
"Genrou, seriously, let go of me. You're making me dizzy, and if I'm dizzy I just know you have to be." He stopped moving her around like a flimsy rag doll but didn't relinquish his hold on her, so she prodded again.
"Let go Genrou. You're drunk and need to lie down, now come on stop joking around." She squirmed more and resisted the urge to punch him in the stomach for fear he might regurgitate all over her. His fingers were threaded through hers and so she dug her nails into the back of his hand, hoping the pain might snap him out of it.
It didn't, and she looked up at him, starting to fight back even more. For some reason he didn't look like himself. He looked….like he was in a trance! She yelled his name and then Miki's hoping someone would hear but before she could yell again he shoved her down onto the ground straddling her hips and wrapping his much bigger hands around her small throat as tight as he could.
'Somethings wrong…Genrou's not himself…" She kicked at him and struggled to get air into her lungs praying something would snap him out of what ever was wrong with him.
She gathered all the air she could before she let out the loudest yell she ever had in her entire life.
The energy she put into it knocked Genrou off of her and into the wall behind him. She sat up gasping for air and holding her now bruised throat. She could hear footsteps running up the stair case and heard Miki's frightened voice in the mix. She looked over at Genrou who was now passed out completely lying on the ground. But what she saw near his head frightened her more. It was a black worm of some sort. Dead, as it was no longer moving. It had come out of his mouth, leaving a trail of slime like substance behind on his lips and the floor. The stench that it emitted was what she had smelled earlier on his breath covered by the Sake.
Miki and several of the men burst through the door, some of the men holding weapons. She knew what it must have looked like, with her clothes and hair askew, but she summoned the last little bits of her voice saying.
"Someone controlled him. I think Ling is here, Miki."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End Of chapter nine! Gotta leave you a bit in suspense as to what's really going on. I let you ponder on it by yourselves, lol. Anyway for those of you who don't know who Reirei is I recommend you look up Genrouden. She is a canon character, she was in Tasuki's prequel novel. it's a good read, I really hope you read it, because there are copies on the internet that are translated. Specifically by a young woman named Tasuki No Miko. All the credit goes to her for that part, because without her the story wouldn't be going the way it is now. (And I have the old ass fan fiction to prove it, lol) Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and I hope I'll be able to update again before the Holidays really get going.
Ta ta for now!
Whitney-chan
