A Granted Wish
Disclaimer: I don't own the FY characters…drat.
Note: Takes place after the first OAV I think…somewhere in the OAV storyline. *Sweatdrop* It's AU, and may have spoilers for some things…like the OAVs. A lil' Suboshi/Yui ficcie. ^_^ Also, the dialogue is from the dubbed version (cause it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the subtitled) so…yeah.
Prologue
Yui was trapped inside the imprisoning magic that Tenkou had set up around her. Her struggles to escape were meaningless, and all she could do was watch as the Suzaku seishi tried to stay alive. Soon she lost consciousness.
Someone was calling her name.
"Lady Yui…Lady Yui!" Slowly, she was brought back to the world of the living. Someone stood over her, their face blurred. Then, as her vision became more focused, she recognized him.
"Suboshi?" she asked weakly. The boy nodded, smiling. There were tears in his eyes…why was he sad. "You saved me."
"Yes," he said quietly. "I have lived…only for you, Lady Yui. I…I love you."
"Suboshi…why are you telling me this now?" She had heard it from him before. He didn't realize how impossible it was for her to love him back. They were from different worlds…and she would eventually leave him.
Convincing herself time and time again that loving the young seishi was wrong, Yui had nearly made herself believe those words. But was it already too late to let go? She knew, deep in her heart, that she felt something for him…
"I do love you," Suboshi whispered, and then collapsed.
"Suboshi? Suboshi, what's wrong? Suboshi! No!" He…was gone.
She began to cry. "It shouldn't have to be like this," she thought. "This isn't fair…it's not fair!" Silently, Yui wished that love between them was possible…and that some day they would meet again.
~*~ (Actual fic now… ^_^;;)
Shunkaku was an artist. He created works on canvas that no one else would have ever dreamed of…which was surprisingly ironic, since most of his subjects came from his dreams.
There was the young flute player, who resembled himself. His blue-gray eyes were kind and full of life…and he played the most beautiful music.
The general, tall and dark. The only things that Shunkaku ever saw clearly of the man's face were his icy blue eyes…and that was all he painted.
A young girl with shoulder length reddish-brown hair…the phoenix girl. She appeared at first as an enemy, but then, suddenly, she was not. Sometimes he painted her with another man, a teal-haired warrior, but usually she was longing for someone that she could never reach…a tragic love story, he supposed.
Then, there was the dragon girl. She was beautiful, and Shunkaku felt a strange connection with her. She had blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. At first he painted her to look distrustful and hurt, with her hair short. But in his recent works, she appeared much kinder, and her hair was longer.
There was always a blue dragon in the paintings of the blonde-haired girl. He had guessed that she was connected with the other girl, the one with red hair, but he couldn't tell for sure.
He laughed to himself as he worked on his latest painting.
"Maybe I should write a novel about these characters," he muttered. "It would probably be interesting." But he didn't have the skill or the patience to write so much, so he put the idea out of his mind, set down his brush, and went to change for school.
He had just moved to Tokyo a week ago, and he was starting a new school. Needless to say, he was nervous. He didn't even have a school uniform yet…
Shunkaku ended up in the uniform from his last school: a plain white dress shirt and black pants. He grabbed his books and started to run…if he didn't hurry, he would be late.
~*~
There it was: Yotsubadai High School. It was a bit smaller than he had imagined it would be, but made him nervous nonetheless.
He closed his eyes and boldly took a step forward, feeling that, for the first time in quite a while, things would turn out all right in the end.
~*~
Yui had heard the talk…there was a new student transferring into their class. Despite her calm appearance, she was anxious to meet this new person. The gossiping girls that sat in front of her had said that it would be a boy…and one of them, claiming to have seen him in the hallway, said he was cute.
Yui couldn't wait.
The teacher walked in and the class became silent.
"You may or may not have heard, but there is a new student transferring into this class," he said. "I hope you'll all make him feel welcome."
He. So this new kid was a boy. Yui's slight excitement jumped to uncontrollable desire to see who this new student was. She held her breath as the door opened and he walked into the class. Upon seeing him, she gasped.
It was him.
~*~
"Yui!" Miaka yelled, waving her friend to a table for lunch. Other friends sat at the table too, but Miaka made sure to keep a seat empty beside her.
"Hi, Miaka," the blonde-haired girl greeted, bringing her bag to the table. Miaka grinned and looked at her.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well what?" She unpacked her lunch and opened her drink, taking a sip.
"I heard there was a new student in your class…" Yui nearly choked on the soda. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Yui muttered. If Miaka found out who he was… "Yeah, he's…uh…"
"He?" Miaka grinned. "Now I have to know."
"What about Taka?"
"I'm just curious! I want to know who he is!" She didn't have to add that it was a possible chance to play matchmaker for her best friend…
"He's…"
"Cute," another girl answered. "Definitely your type, Yui." The blonde-haired girl choked again and 'hmmph'ed.
"C'mon, Yui, you're so cold to all the guys," the same girl complained. "It's no wonder that you haven't got a boyfriend yet!" Yui looked away from her friends and searched the lunchroom. What was she looking for…?
There he was. He was sitting by himself at a table near the door. He looked lonely, like a lost child…
"Yui?" Miaka asked, tapping her friend on the shoulder. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Yui answered quickly. "Really, it's nothing."
"Probably that new boy again," a girl said, grinning. Yui glared at her for a minute and explained,
"He's all by himself…he looks like he needs some company."
"Okay then, we'll bring him some company!" Miaka jumped up and dragged Yui with her. "So where is this guy?" Yui hesitated. Miaka really didn't have to know…it probably wasn't even who she thought it was. A simple mistake, that's all. A big coincidence.
But…Tamahome had been reborn in this world…could it happen to him as well? Was it possible…?
"Yui…" Miaka scowled at her friend. "You've been acting strangely all through lunch. What's wrong?"
"Miaka, you can go ahead and sit back down…I'll go talk to him, okay?" Miaka didn't seem to believe her friend. "I promise. I'm not going to run off or something."
"Well…okay. But if I see you walking out of here or something you'll be sorry!" Miaka tramped back to her table and scarfed down her lunch, looking at Yui the entire time. Yui laughed and then turned back to the table where he was sitting…still alone. She slowly forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, and soon was at his table, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
~*~
He sat alone. So far, he had made no move to befriend anyone at this new school. Shunkaku just sat quietly, thinking about the girl…
"My name is Bu Shunkaku," he said nervously. "I-it's nice to meet you all." He quickly scanned over the classroom to see what kind of people he would be with for the whole year.
His eyes stopped on…on her.
She had the same hair and eyes and face as the dragon girl from his dreams…but
she was real. Real! Was it possible?
She was as beautiful in
person as in his paintings, and she looked at him with startled recognition.
He went and took a seat in
the back of the room, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. If she was
real…were the others? The phoenix girl…the flutist…were they real?
He looked up from his lunch and there she was, walking through the lunchroom. Walking towards him. Coming his way…
She stopped at the table and smiled nervously at him.
"Hello," she said. "I'm Hongo Yui."
"Hi…I'm-"
"Bu Shunkaku, I know. You're in my class." Shunkaku nodded nervously. His hands were shaking…he put them on the table and hoped that Yui wouldn't notice his nervousness. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He shook his head and she sat down. "You just looked so lonely over here…"
"Yeah, it's hard to get used to this place," he said. "I haven't made any friends yet." Yui smiled at him.
"Well then, would you like to become friends?" Shunkaku just stared blankly at her. "…Is something wrong?" He blinked and smiled shyly.
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just amazing that the first friend I make here is such a beautiful girl…" Silently he thought, "This isn't like me at all…having so much trouble talking to people. What's wrong with me? Is it this girl…?" Yui blushed.
"Thank you, Shunkaku. Would you like to come sit with us?"
"S-sure," he replied, still a bit nervous.
"All right, come on." Yui then cursed herself silently. Miaka…! If she recognized his face…but Yui could explain that he wasn't the same person; that it was just a coincidence.
That voice in the back of her head still nagged at her. What if it wasn't…?
~*~
To Yui's surprise, lunch went by without a hitch. Miaka was a bit startled at first, but when Yui pulled her aside and told her that he wasn't who she thought he was, Miaka was quick to make friends with him.
Miaka soon offered to show Shunkaku around town, volunteering Yui as well. As the lunch bell rang and they all went to their separate classes, Miaka yelled to him,
"Meet us in the courtyard when school lets out!" Shunkaku nodded and went to his class, still stunned by the events of the lunch period.
~*~
It felt like an eternity before the afternoon bell rang. Shunkaku grabbed his books and ran down the hall, eager to meet up with Yui. The whole day had been like a dream…
"Shun-chan!" Miaka yelled as he exited the building. He looked over at her and blushed when he saw Yui. The nickname that Miaka had quickly tagged him with was a bit embarrassing…
"Hi Yui…Miaka," he greeted as they walked towards him.
"So, where should we go first?" Miaka asked.
"I don't know, Miaka. This was your idea," Yui teased. "You think of a place." As soon as Miaka got that gleam in her eye that showed she had an idea, Yui regretted that suggestion.
"Oh, that's right!" Miaka suddenly exclaimed. "Yui, let's wait for Taka. He said he would come by here when school got out." Yui nodded.
Shunkaku took the silent moments following to reflect upon these two girls. Yui resembled the dragon girl from his dreams…Miaka was like the phoenix girl. But they were just fictional characters that he made up, weren't they?
Everything was so strange…
"Miaka!" All three students turned in the direction of the voice. A teal-haired college student ran towards them. Shunkaku couldn't quite make out his features, but from Miaka's yelling, he figured that it was Taka.
"Hi, Taka," Yui greeted him.
"Yui, hi," he replied. Then his eyes went to Shunkaku…and there was a flicker of memory in his mind. The teal-haired warrior…
"M-my name is Bu Shunkaku," he said.
"Sukunami Taka," the older boy replied.
"Yui and I were going to show him around Tokyo…he's new here," Miaka explained to her boyfriend.
"Well then, do you mind if I tag along too? After all, someone's gotta chaperone you kids…" He winked at Miaka, who glared at him for a minute and then burst into giggles.
"Alright then, where to first?" Yui asked, looking at Miaka.
She heard a rumbling sound.
Shunkaku looked around. What was that noise…? "Thunder?" he asked. But it couldn't be. The sky was clear; the sun was shining. Was it a motorcycle? Or what?
"It's Miaka's stomach," Yui explained.
"I'm hungry," the red-haired girl muttered.
"Well, I guess we know where we're going…"
~*~
After finally having her stomach full, Miaka was eager to show "Shun-chan" some of the nicest places in Tokyo. It was still quite odd seeing such a familiar face, but he wasn't the same person she thought he was. After all, he hadn't tried to kill him with those ryuuseisui of his.
Yeah, it was just a coincidence that he looked like the Seiryuu seishi, Suboshi…it must have been.
Upon leaving the restaurant where they had gone to eat, Miaka and Taka put a plan together. They noticed that Yui and Shunkaku seemed drawn to one another, and planned to use that to play matchmaker.
"Oh, Yui, Taka just reminded me that there's, uh, something I have to do," Miaka said, still trying to think of a good excuse that her friend would actually buy.
"What is it?" Yui asked. Miaka winced…she should have seen this coming.
"I promised Taka that I'd help him with something," Miaka explained, still struggling.
"Okay…" Miaka thought that Yui would inquire further, but instead she waved at them. "Have fun, you two." She winked at Miaka as the red-haired girl turned to leave, and turned towards Shunkaku.
"Guess that means it's just you and-" Suddenly she tripped, falling forward into the street, into oncoming traffic. She wouldn't be able to move in time by herself…
Shunkaku gasped, running into the street to retrieve her. He picked her up and ran back to the sidewalk, narrowly missing an oncoming truck.
"Shun-" Yui's breath caught in her throat. Something was different about him…something more familiar.
"L- Yui," he whispered in reply. What had he almost called her…? She gasped.
"Suboshi?" Then, Shunkaku smiled.
"Lady Yui, it's you…" Then, he fell unconscious.
~*~
"It looks like he's waking up." Shunkaku's mind felt fuzzy…his vision was blurred. His head was aching terribly.
His vision slowly cleared, and he recognized the place where he was…his home. His room.
Yui was standing in the corner, staring at a painting of the dragon girl, with the blue dragon behind her.
"I didn't know you painted," she whispered, noticing that he was awake.
"I didn't know either," he muttered in reply. "I guess it was always a hidden talent."
"These are…nice," Yui told him. "You painted the same people every time…"
"They were from dreams," he explained. "I just put them on canvas." Yui looked at one with the blue-eyed general, scowling at it. "You don't like that one?"
"I don't the subject of this one," she corrected. "Nakago…" She said the name with so much hatred…her voice sounded bitter.
"Nakago," Shunkaku repeated. The name seemed to fit the general. Yui's eyes went to a picture with the flutist. "And Amiboshi. Do you remember him?" Shunkaku shook his head.
"I only remember you, L- sorry. Yui."
"Amiboshi was your twin," Yui told him. "You don't remember anything, then? The Suzaku seishi…your family before I came…the other Seiryuu seishi?"
"I don't," he answered firmly.
"Do you want me to explain it to you?"
"I…yes."
"Okay, I will."
"Thank you, Yui."
~*~
It was almost too much to comprehend…he had been born in another world entirely? And he had lived there…along with the others from his dreams…and Yui was a priestess of their beast god. Shunkaku, or Suboshi, was to protect her.
And…and he had loved her.
"It's a lot to learn, I know," Yui muttered. "Take your time and let it all sink in…" She stood up, ready to leave. "Your mother should be bringing you something to eat soon, and I should go."
"L- Yui…thank you," Shunkaku whispered. "It must be hard having to relive all of that."
"Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?"
Shunkaku looked at a table near the door where his new school uniform was laid out, ready to throw on in a hurry.
"Okay. Bye, Yui."
"Bye, Shun-chan." She giggled and winked at him. His cheeks turned scarlet as she turned and left.
~*~
"He…you mean…what?" Miaka asked, the next day before school started.
"He changed," Yui muttered. "I think…I think that he really is Suboshi, deep inside. But…I don't know, everything's gotten so weird."
"And you told him everything?" Yui nodded.
"He had the right to know."
"I know. It's just…"
"You're talking about me?" Both girls jumped.
"Shun-chan! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Miaka whined.
"Er…sorry. Um, I'd better get to class, I think the bell's about to ring."
"I'll come with you," Yui said, catching up to him as he began to walk away.
Miaka stared after them. It was quite evident from their awkwardness in each other's presence that both Yui and Shun-chan had a 'thing' for the other.
Now, the problem: setting them up…
~*~
"And that's the plan. It's really simple," Miaka finished, speaking with Taka as they both walked away from her school.
"Are you sure you want to-"
"They both like each other. They'd make a fantastic couple…I just know it! C'mon, Taka, please help me?" She gave him the irresistible puppy-eyes and he sighed in defeat.
"Just tell me what I'm supposed to do."
~*~
Yui waited at the park at dusk, watching the sunset with uncertainty. Why did Shunkaku want to meet her there…?
She sighed. Things were getting so strange since he showed up…she didn't quite know what to make of anything any more.
"Yui!" she heard, and turned towards the speaker. It was him.
"Hi," she said.
"So…" An uncomfortable silence stretched between them for a few moments before Shunkaku asked, "Why did you ask to meet me here?" Yui was confused.
"What? But in your note…"
"I didn't write a note. You did." Then it dawned on both of them.
"Miaka!"
Yui gripped her purse tightly, angry with her friend for pulling such a trick. Suddenly, a person dressed all in black ran by, snatching Yui's purse and running off with it. Both Yui and Shunkaku chased after the black-clad thief, but soon the stranger dropped the purse and ran off.
"What was that about?" Yui asked breathlessly.
"I don't- hey, look at that!" Shunkaku pointed to a table nearby, with candles and a romantic-looking dinner set up. Yui felt a blush rising in her cheeks.
"Miaka must have tried really hard to set this one up," she muttered. Shunkaku looked at her nervously, feeling his hands tremble.
"Well, we…uh, shouldn't spoil all of her hard work, should we?" He pulled out one of the chairs at the table for her. Smiling, Yui sat down. Shunkaku sat across from her.
"I guess we shouldn't." She studied the food. "I just hope this stuff is edible…"
"Is Miaka really that bad of a cook?" Yui laughed and nodded in reply.
"Well, it looks normal enough…"
"So, what do you say we try it?"
"I suppose it's the least we can do."
Nearby, Miaka and Taka watched them from behind a tree.
"My cooking isn't that bad," Miaka muttered. Taka didn't reply. "Look, they're eating! They're talking…laughing…smiling! This is going so well!" Taka was fumbling with the black turtleneck sweater he was wearing.
"It's a bit hot to be wearing all black," he muttered, pulling off the sweater. Underneath was a short-sleeved shirt, much more comfortable for the early fall weather.
"You did a great job!" Miaka told him.
"Thanks," he replied. They turned back to watch the two students still dining.
"I have a feeling that Miaka's somewhere around here," Yui muttered. "She's probably watching us." Then, she noticed Shunkaku staring at her. "What? What's wrong?"
"N-nothing," he stuttered. "I just…well, you look very nice, that's all." He looked at the table and toyed with his food, his cheeks flushed.
"Thank you," Yui said, honestly flattered by the comment. "Why is my heart pounding like this…?"
Music started to play. Yui rolled her eyes…Miaka was definitely going a bit out of her way to make sure they got together.
Shunkaku stood and offered a hand to Yui.
"Shun-"
"May I have this dance, Lady Yui?" he asked politely, still trembling a bit. Yui took his hand and stood…
And they danced in rhythm to the slow song that Miaka was playing nearby.
"Look, they're dancing!" Miaka said happily, trying to keep her voice down. "But will he make a move…?"
Shunkaku didn't take his eyes off of Yui as they danced…memories slowly came back to him from time to time. Mostly he remembered her…the woman who he died to protect twice. The woman he had loved…the one who wouldn't open herself to anyone. She had changed so much since he had met her…
He had kissed her once, and now he was trying with all his might to resist the urge to do so again. But he couldn't resist for long, and he stopped.
"What's wrong?" Yui asked, her blue eyes filled with concern.
"Nothing," he answered. "I…Yui…" It was so hard…why was it so hard to tell her now? He tried again. "Yui, I…I love you. I've loved you since the day we met…not just in this world, but also back in Kutou. I've always loved you," he blurted out.
Yui was stunned…she didn't know what to say. She didn't even know whether to call him Shunkaku or Suboshi…he was both.
"I…" Shunkaku knew what would happen. She would reject him once more, wouldn't she? He had crossed dimensions; had come to her world…for her. He didn't know if he would be able to stand rejection again.
"I'm sorry," he muttered quickly. "I just…I wasn't thinking when I said that. I'm sorry. Forget I said anything." Yui was firm with her reply.
"No."
"Yui…"
"I never…there was never a chance back then," she answered. "I acted selfishly…I didn't want to get hurt. I knew I would eventually come back here, and I tried to keep myself distant…but I didn't want to hurt you." She paused, and then went on, "I'm sorry for being so selfish. I didn't realize how much I cared for you until you were gone…"
Shunkaku hugged Yui tightly. "Yui…" She lifted her eyes to meet his, and then closed them. He leaned down just a bit, enough to kiss her properly.
From the trees, Miaka squealed happily. "Finally!" she cheered.
Yui smiled. Everything had turned out well in the end…and her wish for happiness between them had really come true.
Eek, sorry for the tacky ending. I had meant for this to be a couple pages…kinda long tho. ^_^;; Anyhoo, I'd love it if you could leave me a review…please? (And while you're at it, why not check out some of my other fics?? Shameless plugs are nice… ^_^)