The Search
Disclaimer: The characters, plot and world of Fushigi Yuugi all belong to Watase Yuu and her assorted affiliates, as much as I'd appreciate owning them.
Allie, I will be using Nuriko/Hotohori (Ryuuen/Makoto) and I agree with you totally about Houki. Of course I'm going to get Tobias and Akira back together. I'm evil, but I'm not that evil.
Tobias stared at the blank television.
"You see, then Betty said 'no, Jesse the nurse really loves Catherine!' And I was so surprised, because..." his grandmother droned on. It seemed that she thought Tobias needed a full summary of the conversation he'd missed out on.
Mia, upon walking into the room behind her grandma, started to make stupid faces, imitating old Mrs Henderson. Her brother giggled.
"Yes, that really is funny, isn't it?" the old woman asked.
"Uh... yeah," Tobias said. He smiled at Mia, who was now pretending to fall asleep. "Grandma, what about we watch TV?" he suggested.
"Not today," she said. "I have a great plan."
"What is it, Nan?" Tobias asked, feeling a sense of great foreboding.
"We're going to pretend we're in the days before electricity!" the twins' Grandmother exclaimed. She was bursting with excitement.
Mia pretended to cry. "This sucks," she mouthed to Tobias.
He nodded at her. "Sounds like a great idea," he said to his Grandma, pretending to be interested.
"Isn't it just? Betty suggested it, she's such a dear," the old woman gushed. She giggled. "Oooh, I'd better turn the power off!"
"Yeah, we wouldn't want anyone to cheat and have a hot shower," remarked Mia snidely.
Tobias looked like he was about to faint. "No hot showers?" he asked.
"Of course not, Toby," old Mrs Henderson scolded. "No power at all."
Tobias felt a sudden urge to yell out 'noooooooooooo!'. He decided to control himself, however. "Oh... alright then." I hope Mia's brought Shin... he thought.
"I've got the clam. It's in my bag, front pocket" she whispered, as though reading her brother's mind.
Tobias let his shoulders drop from their tense position. He could escape with Shin and no one would be any the wiser.
A few hours later, Tobias and Mia were sitting, listening to their grandmother talk on and on (and on and on and on) about her husband, who had died a few years ago.
"And do you remember the time when he bought that hat, and..." she said. Tobias rolled his eyes at Mia, and she pretended to cough to hide her giggle.
"Um... can I be excused?" Tobias asked suddenly.
"That's fine, dear."
Tobias went down the pink flowery hallway to his bedroom. He found Shin, as Mia had said, in the flap at the front if her bag. He grabbed the clam, and held it in his hand, wondering where he could go.
He decided, and his blue symbol flashed into life on his left pelvis. Tobias hated having it in such a questionable place, it was plain embarrassing to have blue light glowing from his abdomen. Putting this thought out of his mind, he concentrated, and soon he was in a world of his own imagination.
At first he wandered about his own ideas, lost in the worlds he had invented for himself. The worlds where there was no hate, and no breaking up and no one ever left without contact. He loved these places, for they were like his very own books, always with a happy ending.
Tobias suddenly stopped flying, which was one of his favourite illusion- world activities, to think. He snapped his fingers, laughing the unnecessary and flamboyant act. The world changed around him to one of his own room at his house.
His idea had been a good one. He wanted to practice what he was going to say to Ryuuen, and had figured that there could be nothing better than talking to the teenager himself.
He smiled at the illusionary Ryuuen. It was hard but not impossible to think he was real.
"Look, Ryuuen, I've been thinking lately," he said.
"So have I," Ryuuen commented in a feminine voice. "Oh, wow, I'm doing it right now."
"I didn't want you to say that..." Tobias said in a suspicious tone.
"I did," Mia said. She had appeared next to Tobias suddenly. "When I saw the clam on your bed, I knew what you were doing. I think you need help here. I'm going to speak for Ryuuen."
"That's... weird, Mia," Tobias said in confusion. "But it'll do."
"Wait for a few minutes." The image of Mia disappeared.
Tobias sat and waited, amusing himself with seeing what he could do to his room (the blue walls looked quite good). After about ten minutes, Ryuuen spoke again.
"Hello," he said, in his own voice this time.
"Hi... Well, as I was saying... Ryuu-chan, I really have been thinking about us, and our relationship..." Tobias said. He'd forgotten exactly what he had planned to say.
"And?" Ryuuen prompted.
"I think that you deserve better. I don't love you, I'm sorry. I still love Akira, and you shouldn't have to put up with that," said Tobias sincerely.
"I understand," the illusion of Ryuuen said in a sad tone. Tobias wished his expression would change, the blank look was unnerving.
"Hey, did you know you just made me cry?" Mia asked. Her disembodied voice simply added to Tobias' feeling of surreality.
"I did?" Tobias inquired. "I'm sorry."
"No, it was beautiful. It was sweet and noble and just exactly the right thing to say. I think more guys should be like that," Mia explained.
"I'll write a book on great dumping speeches," said Tobias dryly. "Anyway, I haven't finished." He cleared his throat.
"Ryuu-chan, I really still want to be your friend... and if it wouldn't hurt you, can I ask you one favour?" Tobias asked.
"Yes," Ryuuen seemed to say.
"I... I have been wanting to go... and see him for a long time now... and you know Japanese... and I was wondering if you would consider coming?" admitted Tobias.
"I... I would, yes. I'd do it for you, Tobias, because I want to make you happy," Ryuuen said. "If it makes you unhappy to be with me as a partner, then I'll be your friend. If you want me to help you, I will."
"Whoa, Mia... uh... you really know Ryuuen," remarked Tobias, shocked.
"You mean I know myself," stated Ryuuen.
"What?" Tobias then computed the information, and his eyes went wide. "Mia, that was downright low!" he yelled. Tobias pulled himself from the illusion to see his sister and ex-boyfriend standing there. Ryuuen was looking at the ground, but Mia had a confident "Look, I just won" smile on her face.
"I appreciate your sentiment," she said. "You didn't think I could *really* do that, did you?"
"You are the biggest cow in the world sometimes, did you know that?" Tobias asked Mia affectionately. She giggled in an evil manner. Tobias turned to Ryuuen, whose face had a few silent tears running down it. "Oh... Ryuu- chan, I'm so sorry. I really don't want to hurt you..."
"You didn't hurt me on purpose. I think you are wonderful. I... I love you, Tobias, but you don't love me. I can live with it. And... Tobias, I'd be happy to come to Japan with you. Like I said, all I've ever wanted to do is make you happy," Ryuuen said. He laughed suddenly, his rose-coloured eyes crinkling at the edges. "Anyway, I'm not doing anything in the holidays, gives me something to look forward to."
Tobias grabbed Ryuuen around the middle and hugged him tightly. He had started to cry this time, his salty tears running into the shorter teenager's hair.
"Hey, don't kill me," Ryuuen complained. "I can't breathe properly."
Tobias let him go. "Sorry. I do like you Ryuuen... maybe I even love you, but it's friendship. I love you as a friend, and the second most wonderful person I've ever met in my entire life."
"Second? What about me?" Mia asked, pretending to be insulted.
"You're equal second," Tobias said. "Although you can be really annoying."
"Thanks." Mia folded her arms and turned away from Tobias. "I'm not talking to you," she said in a childish tone, and then started to giggle. "I just can't do that!" she cried.
"Yeah, you suffer from this rare disease that stops you from being able to shut up. It's called verbal diarrhoea," commented Tobias. "Anyway, as I was saying Ryuuen, I really appreciate your love. I honestly don't deserve it."
"You do," Ryuuen said. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He smiled sadly. "Maybe I'll find my own Hotohori some day..."
"Hotohori? Wasn't he one of the Suzaku?" Mia asked.
"Yes. He was the Emperor of Konan. He was noble, kind and beautiful," clarified Ryuuen. "Nuriko loved him."
"You remember him that well?" Tobias asked. "I can understand how you feel then... Tomo may not have loved Nakago in the way I love Akira, I think he was incapable of that, but his feelings were intense..."
"Same with Soi's," Mia said. "She really did love him though..."
"Why should Tomo have been incapable of love?" Ryuuen asked, intrigued.
Tobias bit his lip. "He was never loved by anyone. No one had ever even treated him with kindness in his life. The man who had given him his name hurt him, and then the people in his opera troupe. Even Nakago hurt him, though it wasn't physical."
Ryuuen looked shocked. "All I can remember Nuriko thinking about the Seiryuu is that they must have been true personifications of evil. But they weren't, were they? They were confused, hurt and broken human beings," he mused.
Tobias and Mia nodded in agreement.
Seiryuu Girl: Sorry if Ryuuen was a little too sappy. I didn't mean him to be. And I did take liberties with Tomo's powers, but seeing as I am the author nothing's going to stop me doing that ^_^;.
Disclaimer: The characters, plot and world of Fushigi Yuugi all belong to Watase Yuu and her assorted affiliates, as much as I'd appreciate owning them.
Allie, I will be using Nuriko/Hotohori (Ryuuen/Makoto) and I agree with you totally about Houki. Of course I'm going to get Tobias and Akira back together. I'm evil, but I'm not that evil.
Tobias stared at the blank television.
"You see, then Betty said 'no, Jesse the nurse really loves Catherine!' And I was so surprised, because..." his grandmother droned on. It seemed that she thought Tobias needed a full summary of the conversation he'd missed out on.
Mia, upon walking into the room behind her grandma, started to make stupid faces, imitating old Mrs Henderson. Her brother giggled.
"Yes, that really is funny, isn't it?" the old woman asked.
"Uh... yeah," Tobias said. He smiled at Mia, who was now pretending to fall asleep. "Grandma, what about we watch TV?" he suggested.
"Not today," she said. "I have a great plan."
"What is it, Nan?" Tobias asked, feeling a sense of great foreboding.
"We're going to pretend we're in the days before electricity!" the twins' Grandmother exclaimed. She was bursting with excitement.
Mia pretended to cry. "This sucks," she mouthed to Tobias.
He nodded at her. "Sounds like a great idea," he said to his Grandma, pretending to be interested.
"Isn't it just? Betty suggested it, she's such a dear," the old woman gushed. She giggled. "Oooh, I'd better turn the power off!"
"Yeah, we wouldn't want anyone to cheat and have a hot shower," remarked Mia snidely.
Tobias looked like he was about to faint. "No hot showers?" he asked.
"Of course not, Toby," old Mrs Henderson scolded. "No power at all."
Tobias felt a sudden urge to yell out 'noooooooooooo!'. He decided to control himself, however. "Oh... alright then." I hope Mia's brought Shin... he thought.
"I've got the clam. It's in my bag, front pocket" she whispered, as though reading her brother's mind.
Tobias let his shoulders drop from their tense position. He could escape with Shin and no one would be any the wiser.
A few hours later, Tobias and Mia were sitting, listening to their grandmother talk on and on (and on and on and on) about her husband, who had died a few years ago.
"And do you remember the time when he bought that hat, and..." she said. Tobias rolled his eyes at Mia, and she pretended to cough to hide her giggle.
"Um... can I be excused?" Tobias asked suddenly.
"That's fine, dear."
Tobias went down the pink flowery hallway to his bedroom. He found Shin, as Mia had said, in the flap at the front if her bag. He grabbed the clam, and held it in his hand, wondering where he could go.
He decided, and his blue symbol flashed into life on his left pelvis. Tobias hated having it in such a questionable place, it was plain embarrassing to have blue light glowing from his abdomen. Putting this thought out of his mind, he concentrated, and soon he was in a world of his own imagination.
At first he wandered about his own ideas, lost in the worlds he had invented for himself. The worlds where there was no hate, and no breaking up and no one ever left without contact. He loved these places, for they were like his very own books, always with a happy ending.
Tobias suddenly stopped flying, which was one of his favourite illusion- world activities, to think. He snapped his fingers, laughing the unnecessary and flamboyant act. The world changed around him to one of his own room at his house.
His idea had been a good one. He wanted to practice what he was going to say to Ryuuen, and had figured that there could be nothing better than talking to the teenager himself.
He smiled at the illusionary Ryuuen. It was hard but not impossible to think he was real.
"Look, Ryuuen, I've been thinking lately," he said.
"So have I," Ryuuen commented in a feminine voice. "Oh, wow, I'm doing it right now."
"I didn't want you to say that..." Tobias said in a suspicious tone.
"I did," Mia said. She had appeared next to Tobias suddenly. "When I saw the clam on your bed, I knew what you were doing. I think you need help here. I'm going to speak for Ryuuen."
"That's... weird, Mia," Tobias said in confusion. "But it'll do."
"Wait for a few minutes." The image of Mia disappeared.
Tobias sat and waited, amusing himself with seeing what he could do to his room (the blue walls looked quite good). After about ten minutes, Ryuuen spoke again.
"Hello," he said, in his own voice this time.
"Hi... Well, as I was saying... Ryuu-chan, I really have been thinking about us, and our relationship..." Tobias said. He'd forgotten exactly what he had planned to say.
"And?" Ryuuen prompted.
"I think that you deserve better. I don't love you, I'm sorry. I still love Akira, and you shouldn't have to put up with that," said Tobias sincerely.
"I understand," the illusion of Ryuuen said in a sad tone. Tobias wished his expression would change, the blank look was unnerving.
"Hey, did you know you just made me cry?" Mia asked. Her disembodied voice simply added to Tobias' feeling of surreality.
"I did?" Tobias inquired. "I'm sorry."
"No, it was beautiful. It was sweet and noble and just exactly the right thing to say. I think more guys should be like that," Mia explained.
"I'll write a book on great dumping speeches," said Tobias dryly. "Anyway, I haven't finished." He cleared his throat.
"Ryuu-chan, I really still want to be your friend... and if it wouldn't hurt you, can I ask you one favour?" Tobias asked.
"Yes," Ryuuen seemed to say.
"I... I have been wanting to go... and see him for a long time now... and you know Japanese... and I was wondering if you would consider coming?" admitted Tobias.
"I... I would, yes. I'd do it for you, Tobias, because I want to make you happy," Ryuuen said. "If it makes you unhappy to be with me as a partner, then I'll be your friend. If you want me to help you, I will."
"Whoa, Mia... uh... you really know Ryuuen," remarked Tobias, shocked.
"You mean I know myself," stated Ryuuen.
"What?" Tobias then computed the information, and his eyes went wide. "Mia, that was downright low!" he yelled. Tobias pulled himself from the illusion to see his sister and ex-boyfriend standing there. Ryuuen was looking at the ground, but Mia had a confident "Look, I just won" smile on her face.
"I appreciate your sentiment," she said. "You didn't think I could *really* do that, did you?"
"You are the biggest cow in the world sometimes, did you know that?" Tobias asked Mia affectionately. She giggled in an evil manner. Tobias turned to Ryuuen, whose face had a few silent tears running down it. "Oh... Ryuu- chan, I'm so sorry. I really don't want to hurt you..."
"You didn't hurt me on purpose. I think you are wonderful. I... I love you, Tobias, but you don't love me. I can live with it. And... Tobias, I'd be happy to come to Japan with you. Like I said, all I've ever wanted to do is make you happy," Ryuuen said. He laughed suddenly, his rose-coloured eyes crinkling at the edges. "Anyway, I'm not doing anything in the holidays, gives me something to look forward to."
Tobias grabbed Ryuuen around the middle and hugged him tightly. He had started to cry this time, his salty tears running into the shorter teenager's hair.
"Hey, don't kill me," Ryuuen complained. "I can't breathe properly."
Tobias let him go. "Sorry. I do like you Ryuuen... maybe I even love you, but it's friendship. I love you as a friend, and the second most wonderful person I've ever met in my entire life."
"Second? What about me?" Mia asked, pretending to be insulted.
"You're equal second," Tobias said. "Although you can be really annoying."
"Thanks." Mia folded her arms and turned away from Tobias. "I'm not talking to you," she said in a childish tone, and then started to giggle. "I just can't do that!" she cried.
"Yeah, you suffer from this rare disease that stops you from being able to shut up. It's called verbal diarrhoea," commented Tobias. "Anyway, as I was saying Ryuuen, I really appreciate your love. I honestly don't deserve it."
"You do," Ryuuen said. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He smiled sadly. "Maybe I'll find my own Hotohori some day..."
"Hotohori? Wasn't he one of the Suzaku?" Mia asked.
"Yes. He was the Emperor of Konan. He was noble, kind and beautiful," clarified Ryuuen. "Nuriko loved him."
"You remember him that well?" Tobias asked. "I can understand how you feel then... Tomo may not have loved Nakago in the way I love Akira, I think he was incapable of that, but his feelings were intense..."
"Same with Soi's," Mia said. "She really did love him though..."
"Why should Tomo have been incapable of love?" Ryuuen asked, intrigued.
Tobias bit his lip. "He was never loved by anyone. No one had ever even treated him with kindness in his life. The man who had given him his name hurt him, and then the people in his opera troupe. Even Nakago hurt him, though it wasn't physical."
Ryuuen looked shocked. "All I can remember Nuriko thinking about the Seiryuu is that they must have been true personifications of evil. But they weren't, were they? They were confused, hurt and broken human beings," he mused.
Tobias and Mia nodded in agreement.
Seiryuu Girl: Sorry if Ryuuen was a little too sappy. I didn't mean him to be. And I did take liberties with Tomo's powers, but seeing as I am the author nothing's going to stop me doing that ^_^;.