Author's Notes: Some of this is from right after I wrote chapter 1, some is from just recently... watch for rapid changes in style. Also, watch for lapses in POV. And... lots and lots of crap. Me = bad. Lots shorter than the previous chapter, and I don't know if it accomplishes much at all. I just felt that were I stopped was an appropriate place for me to cut off, and I'm tired. I hadn't written this in ages because I had writer's block, and felt like the premise was trite and overdone. But after seeing a burst in some, um, "interesting" Hikari/reincarnation-centered fics I decided to continue to save face because, um, I had this dumb idea that maybe mine wouldn't be, errrr, bad. And then I got some comments about this. Also, I lost my old notes, so I'm winging this from what I remember intending to do. And my vocabulary in this is pitiful. I am terribly sorry.
Disclaimer: I don't own FY. If you wanna sue someone sue a good fic writer, not me. Me = not worth your sueage. And if the poor quality of my prose makes you want to hurt yourself, um, it was not my fault. Do not read if you value the English language. ;)
Chapter 2
A Beautiful Dream
The pale visitor, as it turned out, did not need to prepare to fight at all. Kazuo was a pitiful fighter, blinded by rage. His punches were reckless, his kicks even worse. Throughout the entire fight, which lasted less than a minute, Kazuo hit the visitor only once, which caused him to cry out in angry victory. The visitor, however, was painfully elusive to him, his limbs slowly degenerating to a trembling mess of fury. All it took was a good knee to the gut and a well-placed punch to put him out of commission.
And then the visitor turned his attention to Aki, who, truth be told, was having an absolutely terrible day. Aki leaned heavily on his spear, shaking violently, his trembling voice stumbling over frantic chants. He felt his knees begin to quake as the visitor took a step towards him. With uncertain steps Aki stumbled backwards, beginning to hyperventilate.
The visitor cocked his head at him quizzically. "Are you... okay?" He reached out a hand to him.
That hand was all that was needed to send poor, poor Li Aki into a dead faint.
.
Hikari leaned away from the boy when he came near her, knife in hand. Sniffling, she tried desperately to harden her face, which did not really work. As he advanced her eyes grew wide and her skin pale, until he began cutting away at her ropes with the knife.
"You ok? They didn't do... anything... to you, did they?" he asked softly, pulling on the ropes to loosen them.
"I... nn... eh... I..." she stammered incomprehensibly, before shaking her head no.
"They're gone..." he murmured, moving one rope aside to check her wrist for bruises.
Hikari made a soft sobbing noise as he touched a raw spot.
"Sorry." He gently eased the rope off the bruised hand.
When he had finished removing the ropes Hikari quivered, leaning against the tree at first, before falling forward on to him, heavy with tears. He cried out and took and awkward step backwards, but caught her none-the-less. He put an uneasy arm around her and patted her shoulder while glancing warily down the road.
"Hey, ah, we should probably get going... can you stand?" He gently pushed Hikari away when she nodded. Then he glanced at the (still unconscious) Li Aki. "We might need a hostage," he muttered with a sigh, gathering up Hikari's ropes and binding Aki's hands and feet.
Hikari stared wide-eyed at the visitor as he bound Aki. Even in his faint Aki's lips continued moving, mouthing various charms and prayers to drive off the demons. As the visitor pulled one of Aki's arms behind his back his eyes opened and he let out a loud, horrible scream. He tried to flail his arms, but the visitor threw all his weight on him, grunting as Aki began to attempt to wriggle free. Suddenly, Aki grew still and began to hyperventilate once more, brown eyes wide with fear.
"Don't kill me... don't kill me... don't kill me..."
The visitor remained firmly on top of poor Aki, grunting. "Shut up..."
Aki wailed and began to chant once more.
"...shut up and let me tie you--"
Aki's chanting grew louder.
The visitor clamped a hand on Aki's mouth, before recoiling in pain after Aki, presumably, bit him. The visitor's face screwed up in pain, before he seized Aki's shoulders and banged him against the ground. "You little bitch!"
Cue hyperventilation.
"Augh!"
Yes, at long last, the visitor did what he should have done ages ago: punched Aki out.
Quickly, he finished binding his superstitious hostage and glanced back at Hikari, who was standing, one hand against the tree for balance, watching both with wide, terrified eyes. The visitor's pale face was flushed from the fight, his dark hair clung to his face in small clumps. Aki, on the other hand, was dusty and somewhat bruised around the face, and somehow seemed to still be muttering chants despite his knocked-out status. Rubbing her raw wrist ruefully she slowly stepped backwards, following the curve of the tree, as the visitor hoisted Aki up on his shoulder, grunting under the weight.
Just when Hikari thought she had escaped the visitor's sight and memory, he turned to her, arching one midnight brow. "Well, come on."
She jumped. "Come?"
"Yes." Flinching, he glanced down the road. "Hurry, hurry." He walked up to the tree. "Can you climb?"
"...climb?" She stared up into its leafy depths. It was a long way up. Which meant a long way down once she reached the top.
"Climb. I need to pull him up." He glanced over his shoulder quickly. "Hurry, hurry..."
Hikari put one hand on the tree. The tree seemed to grow taller and taller the more she looked at it.
"Look, do you want them to get you?" Hikari looked undecided. "Again?!"
She looked up at the tree again. "Too high..."
"I'll give you a boost." He set Aki down. "Come on."
Cautiously, she put a foot on his laced-together hands, and found herself thrust up towards a limb. She grabbed onto it, the bark digging into her hands, dirt small fragments clinging to her shirt, and pulled herself up onto the limb. Leaves surrounded and enveloped her, cool and green.
"Take him..." The visitor held up Aki's limp form.
Hikari shook her head. She was too high up, she'd fall.
"Then just hold him up," he said, glancing down the road in a paranoid fashion. He stood on a rock and held Aki up again and Hikari swallowed her stomach and wrapped her legs around the branch and slid her arms under Aki's arms. She shut her eyes. The world shook and vibrated... she was going to fall...
She opened her eyes again when she felt Aki moving. The visitor had joined her on the branch and was pulling him up.
"Come on. I swept up the ground. We need to keep going up."
Hikari gulped. Up?
"Yes. Come on."
Her eyes wound up in terror as he helped her up to a higher limb, Aki in tow.
.
Miaka's head swam. Hikari? In the book? It had to be a dream... nothing but a dream... She stirred slightly, and immediately recognized the soft, warm scent of Taka's arms around her, holding her and soothing her. He had a gentle hand on her cheek, patting her into wakefulness.
"Miaka..."
She batted away his hand. Why'd he have to wake her? "Taka... no..."
"Miaka." He seized her hand. "I'm sorry..."
"Mmh... lemme sleep..."
"Miaka, I called Tetsuya and Yui... they'll be here in a little bit."
"Why...?" She nuzzled her face into his chest.
"Miaka, Hikari --"
"...I had a funny dream about her..." Miaka giggled. "She went into the book... and... mmh... lemme sleep..."
Taka held her chin and forced her face away from him. "Miaka, it wasn't a dream."
"Mmh... silly... it's a dream... I hid the book with my panties." Yes, it was a rather crude place to put the book. But Hikari would always toy with it when it was on display with the photo of the Seishi. Besides, "She'd never dare --"
"Panties?!"
"Yes, Taka, panties. What I wear. You've --" Suddenly, she realized, that voice sounded far too young to be her husband, and his voice, by no means, cracked. She opened her eyes and saw an extremely red Jun rocking on his heels, attempting to wipe his hands off on his pants. Clumsily he fell over in his attempt to cleans himself and lay half prostrate attempting to scrub his hands clean. "Jun?"
"Miaka, Hikari's in the --"
No, no, no, no. It was only a dream. Change the subject! Change the subject -- "Jun, what were you doing in my panties?!"
Jun's blush deepened to an impossibly dark crimson. "I... I... I... w-wasn't! Hi-hikari! Sh-sh-she--"
"Miaka!" Taka grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him and shook her. "Hikari is in the book!"
No, no, no. Miaka laughed. "Taka, don't be silly!"
He stopped and stared at her. "Miaka..."
No, no, no. "It wasn't a...?"
"No." He held her close.
Miaka shut her eyes. Why couldn't she go back to sleep? Why couldn't it be a dream? A beautiful dream... a horrible dream...
.
Hikari couldn't remember when she had passed out, and had assumed everything had been a dream until a soft voice began calling to her. "Wake up, wake up."
Jun? But what was he doing here? Mama never let him in her room. After all, she was in bed. But there was something strange about her bed. Was it... itchy?
"Hey, wake up..." the soft voice continued. It sounded a little bit like Jun, but not quite. Slightly higher? Softer?
"Un... Jun...? she murmured softly, cracking one eye open. Her eyes met darkness... and then... the faint shape of the raven-haired boy from earlier leaning over her, concern plain on his face.
"It's morning..."
"Morning?" Hikari moaned and rolled over, burying her face in... hay? "Mmh... I didn't know I could sleep in dreams..." Her head began to throb again. "I didn't know I could hurt in them..." She cracked open an eye and glared at the boy. "Did you?"
He set a cup down within eyeshot. "It'll help clear your head." Then he stood and moved out of Hikari's line of vision.
She moaned again and rolled onto her back again, staring at the ceiling. They were in a cave... the roof was tinted lightly blue from the morning sun barely peeking in from a small hole in the roof, The cave was rather small and dank, and the boy was off to one side, inspecting a bruise he left on Li Aki who was (thankfully) gagged and fast asleep. Sitting up, she reached out for the cup, and after some awkward, lazy swipes at it she took it and examined the dark liquid within. It was warm. She sniffed it. Tea? She sipped it cautiously. Bitter. She scrunched up her face in displeasure.
"I'm not drinking this."
The boy turned to glare at her. "You should."
"Who are you?"
"I told you last night."
"...last night?"
"Mido."
"Mido?"
"Yes. Drink your tea."
"No."
"Come on..."
"No."
"Ugh. Just drink it." Mido turned back to Aki with a huff.
The tea was thick and strange. Hikari poked at it with a finger. It... sproinged.
"Just drink it already."
"No." Hikari dropped it and plopped back down into bed. "This is a weird dream..."
"Dream?"
"Yeah... I climbed up a tree and I didn't die... and I got hit on the head with a frying pan... and we snuck around with a dead guy... and my head doesn't hurt in dreams..." Hikari picked at her sweater. How did she get pieces of bark stuck in it? Mama'll kill her...
"It wasn't..."
Author's Notes II: I'll be going on vacation to LA, leaving Tuesday night... I cranked this out fast and roughly so I could put it up before leaving, and if I do the same with chapter 3 and at the same speed, I could possibly have it up before leaving. Unless I've driven you all away (understandable). And, since my notes are lost and I'm winging it, where would you like to see this story go? ^~ I have the basic idea set in stone, but hey... let's be lost together. :D
Oh, and I 3 Aki. He's such a spaz. And the reason for there being only three guards is linked to overconfidence and the fact that those three were the only ones who were well enough to guard. Shall be explained next chapter.