Befallen Destiny
Enter the Characters-Part One
Disclaimer: Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, the wonderful manga artist that brought you to the 'Universe of the Four Gods.' (P.S.-I am just borrowing the characters! ^^*)
Chapter One…
*~Flashback~*
"Once upon a time, there lived a girl who, along with her best friend, found a book of ultimate power and mystery…"
"That was you Obaasan! When you were a little girl like me!" A child no more than seven years old spoke, unable to contain her excitement.
"Well, I was a little bit older than you sweetheart." The grandmother smiled warmly at the child, "As I was saying, they stumbled upon a book. This book was no ordinary one. This book was a gateway between two worlds…"
The pair were sitting beside a glowing fire, the grandmother in a rocking chair, the child on a futon. Darkness engulfed what the firelight did not touch. The light, to the child, was a haven. Soon the lull of her grandmother's voice and the warmth of the fire enveloped her in sleep…
*~End~*
Befallen Destiny
Fushigi Yuugi
*~Present~*
"Ne, Midori-chan! Wait up!"
A girl in the mass crowd stopped and turned. She wore the standard black school uniform for the newly reformed Jonan Academy, which had just changed the dress code to organize the age classes. Supposedly color coordinating each age group from lower classmen to upper classmen was going to help organize the masses coming in and out of the school. Many were none too pleased with this sectionalized change.
The girl that spoke also wore the same class color, for they both were in the same classes and had numerous teachers together. She had long blonde hair that reached the small of her back and often had the very tip decorated with a colorful bow. Her bangs did not cover her eyes, but heightened her irises of deep sea blue. Her face always seemed to smile with inner radiance, yet at times she seemed to be older than her fifteen years.
She finally caught up with the other girl and said, " I knew it was you. With your shock of red hair and that black uniform, you are like a beacon of a lighthouse!" She laughed with her giggling manner, which soon turned to snorts of laughter. Even though it wasn't very amusing, Midori began to laugh hysterically. Whenever Umi-chan laughed, anyone in the close proximity would find himself or herself laughing right along with her, even if it was the most serious thing in the world.
Midori-chan did have a bright red hue to her hair that was uncommon with most of the students of Jonan High. Her hair was short and ended at chin-length. It curled inward at the tips, hugging her face. Without bangs her deep forest-green eyes seemed large and always wondering. She had an innocent air about her, so that when she was happy, her face reflected a radiance that made others forget their problems, and when she was sad or hurt, tears would flow unchecked.
"Am I that noticeable?" Midori asked, face flushing a red that matched her hair.
"Hai, but don't worry, no one is being blinded by your ultraviolet radiance!"
"Thanks a lot Umi-chan…" Midori glared at her friend for an instant, but then changed it to a smile, "Hey, do you want to go to the library with me to see if we can find out anything about our history assignment?"
"Sure! Might as well get a head start on it anyway. I have a feeling that our teachers are going to give us a workload of assignments soon…eck….", Umi replied with a look of disgust.
"I hope not…I don't know how I am going to manage with that much work and still be on the track team…"
"My Okasan is ready to kick me off the track team…. It is so not fair!", Umi pouted and shook her hair, "Besides, you are smart and an asset to the team!"
They began walking again, along the long sidewalk. They had walked down this path many times and knew it by heart. By now, the crowds of students had long passed. The cherry trees that lined the sidewalk were full of bursting buds, and their fragrance was sweet and inviting. A breeze teased their hair, causing the strands to drift softly around their faces. The two passed an ancient shrine, where Midori placed a cherry blossom at a tiny figure of Buddha. The trees sighed with the breeze and the sun warmed their skin.
They finally arrived at the national library, which happened to be only a few blocks away from the Academy. Having burnt down many years ago, the city had endorsed the rebuilding of the library. It was a colossal archive of documents and books that awaited anyone who needed any amount of information.
Upon entering the massive library, the girls were welcomed with a cool draft of air conditioning and the darker atmosphere of the inner walls. They stood in the center of the huge entrance hall and glanced around until their eyes fell upon the vending machines down a left corridor. Looking at each other, they finally felt their parched tongues and took an abrupt left toward the machines.
Artificial lights emitted from the machines, shining upon Umi's and Midori's faces. Taking out a dollar coin, Midori reached across to put the money into the coin slot, but stopped suddenly. Umi glanced with question at Midori but began to gape ungracefully. Winding around Midori's arm, a red, feathery tentacle appeared as a somewhat transparent phantom.
It was a tense moment. Midori stared at the tentacle with a sense of wonderment and anticipation, while Umi was trying with all her willpower not to scream. The tentacle suddenly shot back, climbing the stairs with increasing acceleration. Both of the girl's hair was whipped forwards in a gust following the tentacle that slowly died down to a whisper.
A cry of a bird echoed through the hallways, and ended up at the top of the steps. Total silence followed.
Picking up her bags, Midori began to walk forward. Her eyes were blank, a lifeless body tugged along by strings. Afraid to speak, Umi grabbed her bags but in a futile attempt, she began to tug Midori in the opposite direction of the stairs. It was as if Midori had the power of ten men; Umi couldn't even make her slacken pace.
In a continued trance, Midori pulled Umi up the steps and into a room marked "Confidential, Authorized access only." Walking with stiff steps, they came upon a region in the room that had ancient books lining the shelves. Midori reached up and pulled a deformed and decaying red book. The Chinese on it's binding was barely visible, and Umi could not identify the ancient characters. Midori held onto the cover of the diminutive book and without warning, ripped open the book to the first page.
Midori's body suddenly went limp and the barely noticeable red hue enlacing her body disappeared. A crimson light burst from the fluttering pages and enveloped the girls' screams…