Change of Heart
Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own the FY characters.
Notes: This is written with
the idea that Ryuuen saved Kourin from certain death…but got himself killed in
the process. Ages are the same (Ryuuen: 10; Kourin: 9).
Okie doke, here's chapter 3! Chapter 4 may be a bit slow-coming, I have a few other projects I'm working on (Tetraa, my manga, is taking priority) that I'd like to get some serious work done on before summer ends. Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 3: Hearts
Nuriko looked behind her once again. Miaka was still following them. She sighed and looked at Tamahome. He was acting so cold…didn't he care about Miaka at all?
Tamahome's silence began to bother her.
"She's following you, y'know," she muttered. Tamahome frowned.
"I don't care," he snapped. Nuriko was taken aback. She scowled at him.
"Why are you being so cold to her?" Tamahome only shook his head. Nuriko shrugged and continued to follow him.
~*~
"I wonder where they're going," Miaka thought, drawing her blanket tight around her shoulders and head. She saw Nuriko glance backwards and hoped she hadn't been seen.
She rushed through the crowded streets, trying to keep Nuriko and Tamahome within her sights. Finally, they stopped in front of a building and Tamahome ran up the stairs.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Hey, listen up!" he shouted above the crowd that had already begun to gather. "You've all heard of the Suzaku no Miko, right?" A chorus of replies echoed. "Well I'm gonna tell you – she's not from a nearby country, or even a distant one! She's not even from this world!"
"What is he doing?" Miaka asked quietly.
"It's obvious!" Tamahome continued. "The clothes she wears and the things she owns…they're unattainable here! And I'm gonna sell a few of those things to some lucky buyers today!"
"What does he have of mine?"
"Check this out!" Tamahome held up three short, flat sticks.
"He kept all that gum? Every piece?" Miaka was shocked. Why…?
"The bidding starts at one ryo (a/n: hope I spelled that right ^_^;;) each!"
Complaints from the crowd started to rise.
"That's too much!"
"How do we even know it's real?"
"Yeah, you coulda made all this stuff to sucker us out of our money!" From the front of the crowd, Nuriko frowned and grabbed one of the protesting men by the collar.
"Are you calling my friend a liar?!" the violet-haired seishi demanded.
"No, I-I just-"
"We just wanna know that it's real. Give us some proof!" Nuriko grabbed the second man that had spoken. Miaka decided to act.
"Everything that this man says is true!" she shouted above the angering crowd. She cast aside the blanket disguise and added, "Everything he has is stuff that I gave him!" Tamahome watched her from the stairs, shocked.
"Miaka…" Tamahome whispered. Then he grinned and shot through the crowd, standing in front of the Miko. "All right everyone, the line starts here! For an autograph or handshake, you have to go through me!" Miaka frowned and shouted,
"Hey!!! Who made you my agent?!" Tamahome shot her a happy-go-lucky grin.
"It is the Miko!"
"I remember, I saw him with her the other day!"
"So it's all legitimate?" The crowd swarmed over them, overwhelming both Miko and seishi. Somehow, they managed to squeeze through the forest of legs and escape into an open alley. Both were out of breath.
"Miaka," Tamahome began. "Why did you…what'd you do that for?"
"I don't know," Miaka admitted. Then she paused, deep in thought. Nuriko watched nearby. "Tamahome…"
"Hmm?" He turned to look at the young Miko.
"Do I bother you or something?"
"I-I didn't say anything like that…"
"Well then, what do you think of me?" They both looked at each other for a few moments before they were interrupted.
"Hate to break up this touching moment, but we gotta talk to you." The speaker was a tall, shady-looking bald man with a group of lackeys to back him up. Tamahome frowned and replied curtly,
"Yeah? What do you want?" The man scowled at him and said,
"You've got to pay us a protection fee to work around here."
"A protection fee?" Tamahome spat. "You've got to be kidding." The man shook his head.
"Like hell we are. You can pay us, or…" From behind Tamahome, Miaka screamed. A man held her hands behind her back, one of his hands clasped strongly on her shoulder. She tried to wrestle out of his grasp, but was unable to escape from him. "We can take her."
"Let her go!" Tamahome demanded. The man holding Miaka grinned.
"Then pay up."
Nuriko watched from her hiding place. "Maybe I should help…they could be in real trouble." Then she saw the look on Tamahome's face and smiled. "No…he'll take care of it. I know he will. I'll just wait here for if they need me…"
"Hey, let's work out a deal," the bald man said after some thought. "We'll buy the girl from you for 30 ryo."
"30 ryo for her?! You've got to be kidding." Tamahome shouted. "Make it 40!" Miaka was shocked. Was he serious? Would he really just let them take her? She shook with fear and lowered her head.
Tamahome argued with the bald man for a few minutes and the assailant holding Miaka captive asked with a grin,
"Too scared to watch?" Miaka gritted her teeth.
"I'm not scared," she replied. "I'm pissed!" She tore one arm from his grasp and threw a punch upward, hitting him on the chin and making him fly backwards.
Rain began to fall as Tamahome fought off the offending men. Miaka watched from a moderately safe place, too scared to move or blink.
Soon, only one man was left standing. Drawing a knife, he growled and shouted,
"You had your chance! I'll cut her up so no one gets her!" He lunged at Miaka, but Tamahome was quicker. He got between the man and Miaka, throwing a punch at his stomach. He felt pain in his cheek; he had been cut.
The man doubled over and fell to the ground.
"Idiot," he muttered under his breath. "Some things are worth too much to sell."
Nuriko breathed a sigh of relief from the bushes.
"They're still alive. Thank the Gods," she whispered. Then she sneezed.
He turned to Miaka and took a step forward, kneeling down to see if she was okay. He tried to brush a few stray hairs away from her face but she frowned and smacked his hand away.
"What were you thinking?! They'll never let you do business here again!" she cried.
"M-Miaka…" he trailed off.
"And you're bleeding! You could've been killed! Why did you do all of this for me?!" Tamahome stood and began to walk away.
"It's not important," he muttered, his voice shaking slightly.
"Yes it is! Why do you care so much about me?!" Tamahome said nothing. "Answer me!"
"Really, it doesn't matter. Let's get going…the others will be worried about you."
"It does matter, Tamahome! It matters to me, because I- because I love you!" Then, realizing what she had said, Miaka gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"Well I- I'm sorry," Tamahome muttered. "I don't feel anything like that for you. I protect you because you're the Miko." Every word hurt him, almost as badly as they hurt the Miko. "Come on, let's go."
Miaka stood to follow him, reaching out her hand. Every step was torture…she felt as if she were under water, drowning. She felt so hot; so weak…
Finally, she collapsed.
Tamahome heard her hit the ground and turned around. Running to her side, he shouted her name, trying to revive her. Nuriko jumped from her hiding place to help.
"What happened to her?!" Tamahome demanded, frantic.
"We have to get her back to the palace!" Nuriko explained. "She's got a fever…she doesn't look good. Come on, we have to hurry!" Nuriko picked her up and ran, Tamahome following closely behind her.
Now what? Here's a preview for chapter 4, Discoveries!
Miaka wishes to return to her own world. While traveling to Mount Taikyoku to find Taiitsukun, she notices Nuriko's oddly secretive behavior and decides to investigate, only to find the truth about the seishi! *Gasp!* How will she react?? Waiiiit and see! ^_^
Reviews are greatly appreciated and will encourage me to write more!!! ^_^ Or you can send comments by e-mail to Starseeker__1@hotmail.com.