DISCLAIMER: Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Watase Yuu, Flower Comics, Shogakukan, Bandai, TV
Tokyo, Movic, Studio Pierrot, etc. U.S. rights are held by Viz Communications and Pioneer.
~*~*~*~*~*~
What's Hidden
Chapter One - 'Disappearances'
by Daeryn
~*~*~*~*~*~
Four groups of seven stones surrounded the tall man. Each had a different symbol carved
into it, but were otherwise exactly the same small smooth rocks. One group faced the
North, another to the East, the third looked South, and the last pointed West. The man
took a deep breath and examined the stones again. He had to be sure they were perfect,
otherwise there was no way the spell would work. And if it didn't work... he could never
try again. He might not even survive. The spell had not been tried for centuries because
of the immense risk. It looked surprisingly easy down on paper. A simple blood spell,
but it was far from that. So much power was involved that even the greatest magician in
the world could easily fall victim to it. And while this man was far from the greatest
magician, his will was strong. He had to succeed. If he failed at this, his life would
mean nothing. If he was unsuccessful, it would be a proven fact that he was a failure.
But he had focused the last twenty years of his life building up energy for this single
ritual. Every fiber of his being was focused on success. Failure was something he never
wanted to admit.
He clasped his hands in front of his face and squeezed his eyes shut. He mumbled a few
phrases and then reached down to his belt, his eyes still clenched shut. He pulled out
a dagger and nicked his left index finger. After repeating a few more phrases he placed
the dagger back on his belt. The man opened his eyes and pointed his left hand out in
front of him.
"Let thy powers become mine!" He screamed and then squeezed a drop of blood out of his
finger. The drop fell about two feet before it hit an invisible barrier, flashed black,
seperated into 28 pieces, and flew into the woods around him.
He let his hands drop to his sides and waited silently.
*****
Tasuki stopped short as he saw a tiny black something heading straight for him. He barely
had time to react as it slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying back. He rolled on
the ground, cursing, and clenching at his aching stomach.
*****
Something was wrong.
Chichiri scanned the halls of Taiitsukun's palace with a frown. Suddenly he felt something
approaching him. Fast. He turned around only in time to see the black dot imbed itself in
his stomach. He was thrown into the nearby wall and collapsed on the ground with a grunt.
A nearby Nyann-nyann gave him a puzzling look and then went to find Taiitsukun.
"Chichiri-san? Nan desu ka?" Taiitsukun frowned at the prone seishi as she appeared in
thin air.
"I don't know Taiitsukun-sama," Chichiri groaned in pain. "Something...is taking all my
energy..." he managed to gasp out before shrieking as torrents of pain filled his veins.
Taiitsukun narrowed her eyes as she watched Chichiri writhe on the ground. More and more
Nyann-nyanns were gathering around, wanting to help, but not know how. Soon Chichiri began
to glow with a strange black light. Wisps of the black energy left his body and started
accumulating into a ball above his stomach. Chichiri's eyes were losing focus and he no
longer had the strength to moan.
"Oh no," Taiitsukun gasped. Suddenly Taiitsukun recognized what was happening. Taiitsukun
had not seen it in centuries, but this was definitely it.
As fast as she could, Taiitsukun's mind scanned the world for all the strong powers she
could find, hopefully she could reach all the seishi. She found Tasuki's energy, though
it was very weak.
Next to Taiitsukun, Chichiri lay unconscious. No time left.
Taiitsukun could sense another power, though it wasn't recognizable she latched onto it.
With a nod of her head she sent Chichiri, Tasuki, and the third power into another world.
"As soon as he is done, I'll bring them back."
*****
The balls of black energy began to return to the man. He didn't move as they lowered into
the stones at his feet. Though every muscle in his body ached, he refused to collapse.
Yet, finally, every bit of magical energy that was in him dried up. Soon the majority of
his life energy was gone.
"It is done," he thought. "You did it Areku. You did it." And with a faint smile at his
lips he fell to the forest floor, unconsious.
*****
Ruuyo Kiore wearily wiped her sweaty forehead on her long sleeve and re-dipped the washcloth
in the bucket of water. She was nearly done scrubbing the floor. Then she'd finally be
able to rest.
"You're not done, yet?" came a haughty voice from behind her. Kiore attempted to ignore
her sister, Kajin, and concentrated on the stain in front of her. "I do have to start
making dinner, you know."
"I'm nearly finished," Kiore replied with a smile plastered onto her face. Kajin sighed
and sat down to watch Kiore.
"How long does it take you to do this anyway?" Kajin whined.
"Gomen nasai Ka-chan," Kiore replied sarcastically. "Maybe if you hadn't spent the entire
afternoon fixing your hair, and helped instead, it would be done already," she added
underneath her breath.
"Humph! Mother will not be happy when she hears how you talked to me!" Kajin disdainfully
replied. After a short pause Kajin smirked and added just loud enough for Kiore to hear,
"Stupid pig. Being so fat probably keeps you from moving fast enough." Kiore's breath
caught in her throat. She immediately turned from her sister so Kajin couldn't see the
tears that trimmed her eyes. Kajin was obviously pleased with the reaction. She definitely
knew was buttons to press when it came to teasing her younger sister. Kiore's weight had
always been a problem, something Kajin simply couldn't understand. She didn't really want
to understand.
"Just leave me alone Kajin," Kiore said softly. Kajin snickered and stood up. With a few
graceful strides she was in front of Kiore.
"And why should I?" Kajin demanded, the evil grin never leaving her face. "You sure aren't
so full of yourself right now. I guess you can dish it out, but can't take it, eh Chubby?"
"Please," Kiore begged, trying to hold back the soft sobs.
"Don't mess with me Kiore," Kajin added. "You're nothing. You'll always be nothing.
You'll never compare to me. Never." Kiore closed her eyes and tried to compose herself,
but Kajin's words cut deep.
"Kajin-," Kiore begged as she stared at the floor, her fists clenched.
"You know Kiore," Kajin pondered. "I really don't see how you can be a part of this family.
You just don't fit in. Father is successful farmer, Boshi and Takeshi are both celebrated
warriors. Tell me Kiore, what are you." Kiore took a deep breath and stood. Silent tears
ran down her cheeks but she didn't sob.
"I'm just glad I'm not you Kajin," she stated simply.
"Oh please!" Kajin laughed. "I'm the prettiest girl in the village. Every boy wants me to
be their wife. A boy has never looked twice at you." Kiore slowly lifted her head to stare
into Kajin's eyes. Though the older sister was easily 5 inches taller than Kiore she was
still a little scared by the fire that shone in her eyes.
"I'd never want to be like you," Kiore replied without taking her eyes off of Kajin. Then
the short brunette reached down for the bucket, and before Kajin knew it she was covered in
soapy water.
"How dare you!" Kajin shrieked, flailing her arms about. Suds flew across the room and
Kajin's long, perfectly silky purple hair hung in damp strands around her beautiful face.
Kiore wiped the tears away from her face and turned to leave. "Where do you think you're
going?!" Kajin demanded. Kiore turned and smiled sneeringly.
"I have to get some more water...Ka-chan," Kiore spat. Kiore quickly flicked away the tear
that had spilled over onto her red cheek before her sister could notice. As Kiore exited
the house she could here her sister calling for their mother. She knew that she would be
in huge trouble, but she just couldn't stand it when her sister mocked her. Her already
hot face burned even more as she began to cry. A flood of tears pushed forward with a
vengeance.
Once she reached the well where she drew water, Kiore fell to the ground and hugged herself
as a fit of sobs racked her body. Kajin's words echoed in her head. "Stupid pig...You're
nothing." Every day Kajin mocked her. And every night her brother's joined in on the 'fun'.
Her parents hardly spoke to her because she was such a disgrace to the family. A girl...
a girl that would probably never marry.
Why couldn't Kiore have just been as beautiful as Kajin? Then her mother would love her
more and not see her as a burden, and no one would make fun of her. Slowly the tears
stopped flowing and the sobs ceased. Kiore wiped away the remaining tears with her sleeve
and attempted to compose herself.
She reached for the bucket so she could refill it. If she finished her work, maybe she
wouldn't be in such trouble. A sudden fit of dizziness hit her and she had to lean back
against the well again.
"Woah," she steadied herself. "Head rush..." But the dizziness didn't stop like it was
supposed too. Kiore felt something surround her and pull from within. It was strange,
but she felt like she was being clasped by a giant hand and carried off somewhere. She
couldn't quite place it. Confused, she looked down to see her body glowing a faint reddish
light, and slowly disappearing. "What in the-" Kiore began before she fully disappeared.
*****
It was like nothing he'd ever felt before.
He was numb, yet everything hurt.
He had no energy left. He couldn't even wrap his arms around around his stomach. He
simply lay there limply, in immense pain. His could feel himself losing consciousness.
It would be over soon. He knew.
But then he felt himself being pulled. Not physically, but rather his life force, the
little that was left, was being pulled. Somewhere.
~*~*~*~*~*~
to be continued...
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tokyo, Movic, Studio Pierrot, etc. U.S. rights are held by Viz Communications and Pioneer.
~*~*~*~*~*~
What's Hidden
Chapter One - 'Disappearances'
by Daeryn
~*~*~*~*~*~
Four groups of seven stones surrounded the tall man. Each had a different symbol carved
into it, but were otherwise exactly the same small smooth rocks. One group faced the
North, another to the East, the third looked South, and the last pointed West. The man
took a deep breath and examined the stones again. He had to be sure they were perfect,
otherwise there was no way the spell would work. And if it didn't work... he could never
try again. He might not even survive. The spell had not been tried for centuries because
of the immense risk. It looked surprisingly easy down on paper. A simple blood spell,
but it was far from that. So much power was involved that even the greatest magician in
the world could easily fall victim to it. And while this man was far from the greatest
magician, his will was strong. He had to succeed. If he failed at this, his life would
mean nothing. If he was unsuccessful, it would be a proven fact that he was a failure.
But he had focused the last twenty years of his life building up energy for this single
ritual. Every fiber of his being was focused on success. Failure was something he never
wanted to admit.
He clasped his hands in front of his face and squeezed his eyes shut. He mumbled a few
phrases and then reached down to his belt, his eyes still clenched shut. He pulled out
a dagger and nicked his left index finger. After repeating a few more phrases he placed
the dagger back on his belt. The man opened his eyes and pointed his left hand out in
front of him.
"Let thy powers become mine!" He screamed and then squeezed a drop of blood out of his
finger. The drop fell about two feet before it hit an invisible barrier, flashed black,
seperated into 28 pieces, and flew into the woods around him.
He let his hands drop to his sides and waited silently.
*****
Tasuki stopped short as he saw a tiny black something heading straight for him. He barely
had time to react as it slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying back. He rolled on
the ground, cursing, and clenching at his aching stomach.
*****
Something was wrong.
Chichiri scanned the halls of Taiitsukun's palace with a frown. Suddenly he felt something
approaching him. Fast. He turned around only in time to see the black dot imbed itself in
his stomach. He was thrown into the nearby wall and collapsed on the ground with a grunt.
A nearby Nyann-nyann gave him a puzzling look and then went to find Taiitsukun.
"Chichiri-san? Nan desu ka?" Taiitsukun frowned at the prone seishi as she appeared in
thin air.
"I don't know Taiitsukun-sama," Chichiri groaned in pain. "Something...is taking all my
energy..." he managed to gasp out before shrieking as torrents of pain filled his veins.
Taiitsukun narrowed her eyes as she watched Chichiri writhe on the ground. More and more
Nyann-nyanns were gathering around, wanting to help, but not know how. Soon Chichiri began
to glow with a strange black light. Wisps of the black energy left his body and started
accumulating into a ball above his stomach. Chichiri's eyes were losing focus and he no
longer had the strength to moan.
"Oh no," Taiitsukun gasped. Suddenly Taiitsukun recognized what was happening. Taiitsukun
had not seen it in centuries, but this was definitely it.
As fast as she could, Taiitsukun's mind scanned the world for all the strong powers she
could find, hopefully she could reach all the seishi. She found Tasuki's energy, though
it was very weak.
Next to Taiitsukun, Chichiri lay unconscious. No time left.
Taiitsukun could sense another power, though it wasn't recognizable she latched onto it.
With a nod of her head she sent Chichiri, Tasuki, and the third power into another world.
"As soon as he is done, I'll bring them back."
*****
The balls of black energy began to return to the man. He didn't move as they lowered into
the stones at his feet. Though every muscle in his body ached, he refused to collapse.
Yet, finally, every bit of magical energy that was in him dried up. Soon the majority of
his life energy was gone.
"It is done," he thought. "You did it Areku. You did it." And with a faint smile at his
lips he fell to the forest floor, unconsious.
*****
Ruuyo Kiore wearily wiped her sweaty forehead on her long sleeve and re-dipped the washcloth
in the bucket of water. She was nearly done scrubbing the floor. Then she'd finally be
able to rest.
"You're not done, yet?" came a haughty voice from behind her. Kiore attempted to ignore
her sister, Kajin, and concentrated on the stain in front of her. "I do have to start
making dinner, you know."
"I'm nearly finished," Kiore replied with a smile plastered onto her face. Kajin sighed
and sat down to watch Kiore.
"How long does it take you to do this anyway?" Kajin whined.
"Gomen nasai Ka-chan," Kiore replied sarcastically. "Maybe if you hadn't spent the entire
afternoon fixing your hair, and helped instead, it would be done already," she added
underneath her breath.
"Humph! Mother will not be happy when she hears how you talked to me!" Kajin disdainfully
replied. After a short pause Kajin smirked and added just loud enough for Kiore to hear,
"Stupid pig. Being so fat probably keeps you from moving fast enough." Kiore's breath
caught in her throat. She immediately turned from her sister so Kajin couldn't see the
tears that trimmed her eyes. Kajin was obviously pleased with the reaction. She definitely
knew was buttons to press when it came to teasing her younger sister. Kiore's weight had
always been a problem, something Kajin simply couldn't understand. She didn't really want
to understand.
"Just leave me alone Kajin," Kiore said softly. Kajin snickered and stood up. With a few
graceful strides she was in front of Kiore.
"And why should I?" Kajin demanded, the evil grin never leaving her face. "You sure aren't
so full of yourself right now. I guess you can dish it out, but can't take it, eh Chubby?"
"Please," Kiore begged, trying to hold back the soft sobs.
"Don't mess with me Kiore," Kajin added. "You're nothing. You'll always be nothing.
You'll never compare to me. Never." Kiore closed her eyes and tried to compose herself,
but Kajin's words cut deep.
"Kajin-," Kiore begged as she stared at the floor, her fists clenched.
"You know Kiore," Kajin pondered. "I really don't see how you can be a part of this family.
You just don't fit in. Father is successful farmer, Boshi and Takeshi are both celebrated
warriors. Tell me Kiore, what are you." Kiore took a deep breath and stood. Silent tears
ran down her cheeks but she didn't sob.
"I'm just glad I'm not you Kajin," she stated simply.
"Oh please!" Kajin laughed. "I'm the prettiest girl in the village. Every boy wants me to
be their wife. A boy has never looked twice at you." Kiore slowly lifted her head to stare
into Kajin's eyes. Though the older sister was easily 5 inches taller than Kiore she was
still a little scared by the fire that shone in her eyes.
"I'd never want to be like you," Kiore replied without taking her eyes off of Kajin. Then
the short brunette reached down for the bucket, and before Kajin knew it she was covered in
soapy water.
"How dare you!" Kajin shrieked, flailing her arms about. Suds flew across the room and
Kajin's long, perfectly silky purple hair hung in damp strands around her beautiful face.
Kiore wiped the tears away from her face and turned to leave. "Where do you think you're
going?!" Kajin demanded. Kiore turned and smiled sneeringly.
"I have to get some more water...Ka-chan," Kiore spat. Kiore quickly flicked away the tear
that had spilled over onto her red cheek before her sister could notice. As Kiore exited
the house she could here her sister calling for their mother. She knew that she would be
in huge trouble, but she just couldn't stand it when her sister mocked her. Her already
hot face burned even more as she began to cry. A flood of tears pushed forward with a
vengeance.
Once she reached the well where she drew water, Kiore fell to the ground and hugged herself
as a fit of sobs racked her body. Kajin's words echoed in her head. "Stupid pig...You're
nothing." Every day Kajin mocked her. And every night her brother's joined in on the 'fun'.
Her parents hardly spoke to her because she was such a disgrace to the family. A girl...
a girl that would probably never marry.
Why couldn't Kiore have just been as beautiful as Kajin? Then her mother would love her
more and not see her as a burden, and no one would make fun of her. Slowly the tears
stopped flowing and the sobs ceased. Kiore wiped away the remaining tears with her sleeve
and attempted to compose herself.
She reached for the bucket so she could refill it. If she finished her work, maybe she
wouldn't be in such trouble. A sudden fit of dizziness hit her and she had to lean back
against the well again.
"Woah," she steadied herself. "Head rush..." But the dizziness didn't stop like it was
supposed too. Kiore felt something surround her and pull from within. It was strange,
but she felt like she was being clasped by a giant hand and carried off somewhere. She
couldn't quite place it. Confused, she looked down to see her body glowing a faint reddish
light, and slowly disappearing. "What in the-" Kiore began before she fully disappeared.
*****
It was like nothing he'd ever felt before.
He was numb, yet everything hurt.
He had no energy left. He couldn't even wrap his arms around around his stomach. He
simply lay there limply, in immense pain. His could feel himself losing consciousness.
It would be over soon. He knew.
But then he felt himself being pulled. Not physically, but rather his life force, the
little that was left, was being pulled. Somewhere.
~*~*~*~*~*~
to be continued...
~*~*~*~*~*~