Suzaku no Saiai


Part III

Fushigi Yuugi is owned by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan, Studio Pierro, Bandai
Visual, TV Tokyo, and Movic. No disrespect was meant by the use of their
characters. Please don't sue me; I'm a poor college student, so it won't do you
any good. Kourin and Jin Feng are my original characters. Feel free to use them,
but let me know at jscaife@austin.rr.com.


"You should hurry to get back to Konan as quickly as possible," Chichiri advised.
"If Suzaku has need for Kourin-sama, he will not rest until she arrives." And the
sooner the two of you get out of here, the lower the chance of one of you
strangling the other! he thought wryly.
"Do you still have my horse or do I need to borrow one of yours?" Nuriko asked.
"We have to share a horse?" Kourin inquired in shock. "Sorry, I'll walk, thanks."
"Hey, what happened to 'let's be friends'?" Nuriko said exasperated, grabbing her
arm.
"I won't sit that close to any male regardless of whether he's my friend or not," the
girl replied cooly.
"Well, aren't we Miss High and Mighty!" Nuriko snapped. "There's only one horse
available, so you'll have to accustom your tender sensibilities to being close to
me or I'll throw you across the saddle."
Kourin glared at him for a moment, and it seemed that she would spit out another
fiery rejoinder. To everyone's surprise she meekly bowed her head and
mumbled,"Wakatta, Nuriko. Gomen nasai."
The strange pair travelled until dusk fell. It had been a silent journey over the
deserted countryside of Hokkan. Kourin had ignored her companion completely
as if he were merely an annoying stranger she had picked up along the road. The
only real interaction had been when Nuriko had forced a wool cloak on the girl to
keep her from catching a chill. In the dark winter night the young seishi
desperately searched for an inn. He doubted that Kourin was up to camping out
in the harsh climate, and he wasn't enamored of the idea himself. Finally, a small
inn appeared out of the darkness.
"Kourin, we're going to stop for the night," he said softly. "We need to get a hot
bath and some food for you, so you don't get sick."
No response came from the wollen wrapped bundle pressed against his back. He
cautiously twisted around and lifted a fold of the cloak to reveal Kourin's
peacefully sleeping face. Her breath feathered over his face in soft gusts, and
Nuriko smiled gently.
"I don't want to wake her up because she looks so gentle asleep," he murmured
to himself, "but I need to get her warmed up."
He carefully dismounted and gathered the sleeping girl in his arms. Tentatively,
Nuriko rapped the solid wooden door with his foot. A robust, middle-aged woman
answered. "Greetings, traveller. How may I be of service to you?"
"My...my wife and I need lodgings for the night," Nuriko choked out.
"She's certainly a sweet looking thing," the innkeeper admired, peering into the
cloak. "Are you newly weds?"
Nuriko blushed deeply and silently praised the gods that Kourin was sleeping.
"We...we...were married yesterday, and we're heading back to my father's
business in Konan."
"Really?" the woman wondered aloud. "Young man, isn't Hokkan a long way to
come for a bride?"
"It was a business alliance," Nuriko improvised. "Her father weaves some of the
best wollens in the four kingdoms, and my father is a cloth merchant. We can get
a lower price with the union of our two families. Beside the girl's half Hin, so her
father threw in a very generous dowry as well."
"Half Hin, ne?" the innkeeper mused. "There's not many that would take one so
accursed like that..."
Nuriko shrugged. "I find her peculiar looks attractive and the dowry and business
arrangements more attractive still."
The innkeeper grinned broadly. "You're a young man after my own heart! Come
in, come in! I'm sure I can find a private corner for you two."
Kourin woke to a feeling of delicious warmth and a wonderful smell. She lazily
stretched, realizing how hungry she was. She absentmindedly took in her
surroundings while deliberating on leaving her warm nest. Nuriko was sitting in
an armchair in front of the fireplace gazing deep into the flames. His eyes were
shadowed, and his whole posture suggested defeat and melancholy."
"Nuriko?" Kourin queried hesitantly. "Daijoubu ka?"
Her voice seemed to return his energy, and the purple-haired young man turned
to her instantly. "Kourin, you're finally awake. Come have some dinner.
Afterwards I'll have the innkeeper prepare you a hot bath. Doesn't that sound
nice?"
"Don't ignore my question, Nuriko," the girl implored. "You seemed so sad."
"Betsu ni, Kourin," Nuriko said softly. "I just feel like the other seishi wanted to get
rid of me. I had died! I wasn't supposed to be here, so they sent me off with you."
"No, that's not it!" Kourin accused him. "There's something else, too."
"I just feel like something is missing inside of me," the young seishi whispered
painfully,"something that was once very important."
"Missing something?" Kourin asked nervously from her position on the bed.
Nuriko continued as if he hadn't heard her quiet words. "I've done things today
that I never would have done in the past! Kissing a girl and then trying to blow it
off as a 'misunderstanding'! I'd never even kissed a girl before today, Kourin. For
the first time my yang energy is stronger than my yin energy, and I'm becoming
fully a man, but I'm losing a part of myself in the process."
Kourin hopped out of the bed and walked over to kneel on the floor at the young
man's feet. "I know...what's gone," she whispered softly, lifting her head to meet
her companion's painfilled eyes. "For the first time since her death eight years
ago, your imoutosan is gone."
Nuriko gripped her shoulders tightly, and Kourin could feel the circulation leave
her upper arms. "How do you know, Kourin?!" Nuriko rasped terribly. The girl
stared at him in shock, and he shook her impatiently. "Tell me! How do you
know?"
Kourin forced herself to keep her voice steady, and she unflinchingly met his
gaze. "I'm the one who finally set her free."
Nuriko threw her from him with a sharp cry. "You had no right to do that! She was
mine! Kourin-chan belonged to me!"
"She was a person, a human being," Kourin protested. "She didn't belong to
anyone!"
"You don't understand anything!" the purple-haired young man spat back.
"Kourin-chan and I were almsot the same person! I was devestated when she
died, and her memory was all I had left!"
The air around his companion began to crackly dangerously, and she began to
manifest a golden aura. "I left you your memories of her, Nuriko," Kourin said
darkly. "I just freed her soul, so that she could find rest in the afterlife and be
reincarnated." A sparkling ball of yellow chi glowed malevolently in her hands.
"You say you're a man, Nuriko," she sneered, "but you need to let go of the past
and GROW UP!"
Nuriko stepped towards her menacingly, but the blazing chi stopped him. "I'll
have the innkeeper send up a hot bath for you," he said, the rage barely
concealed under his neutral words. "There's dinner on the table, and there are
some fresh clothes for you on the chair. I'll be downstairs if you need me for
anything."
After Nuriko left, Kourin let her chi dissipate and sank exhausted into a nearby
armchair. What had she done? She had promised herself never to use her chi in
anger, but what had she just done?
A sharp rapping broke into her train of thought, followed by the door swinging
open."I'm just bringing up the hot bath" a cheery, unfamiliar voice rang out. A
stocky, middle-aged woman appeared pulling something around the edge of the
door. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the despondent girl huddled in the
chair, and she let go of the heavy washtub and wiped her large, capable hands
on her apron. "What's the matter, dearie? Did you and your husband just
experience your first argument of married life?"
Kourin lifted her head and dropped it again. "My...my husband, I suppose he is,
isn't he? We don't love each other though. It was a business arrangement
between our fathers."
"Was there someone else back home that you were in love with?" the older
woman prodded gently.
The girl opened her mouth to deny any such previous romantic attachment, but
words tumbled unbidden to her lips. "He had long, flowing, dark hair a shade
lighter than the night, and his eyes were beautiful dark pools. He was a master
swordsman and a soldier, but with me he was always gentle and kind. I loved
him with all my heart, and he loved me in return. He asked my father for my
hand, but Otousan refused, saying that no daughter of his would marry a rootless
mercenary and wander through the world without a place to call her own. Shortly
afterwards, Otousan arranged my marriage to Ryuuen. I think he was afraid that I
would run away and follow my heart."
The older woman smiled at her gently. "It will all be for the best, my dear. I was
married off to my husband when I was a child of thirteen, but we were content
together, and when he died I inherited this inn. He gave me the means to be
independent. Besides, child, Hin blood will breed true nine times out of ten, and if
your Otousan hadn't sent you away,you would have followed your heart and
disgraced your entire family."
"Is to love and desire love in return so bad?" Kourin smiled wryly.
"Of course not," the innkeeper soothed,"but love will come in time with your
marriage and a new life." She stood up briskly. "Now, ojousan, how about a nice
hot bath to restore your spirits?"
Kourin soaked in the near scalding water until all the warmth was gone. The
innkeeper had bustled in and out the entire time to 'keep an eye on her' and
make sure she ate some supper. Kourin stepped out of the tub and wrapped
herself in a huge, fluffy towel. "Where did my clothes go?" she asked in
confusion?
"Oh, those things" the innkeeper replied. "I took the liberty of taking them
downstairs to wash, strange garments. Your husband picked out some clothes
for you while you were sleeping." She shook out some complicated looking outfits
that had been laying on a chair. "See, aren't they pretty? This dark burgandy
should look lovely on you!"
"Anou..." Kourin searched for words, "I don't know how to put those on." She felt
her face burn in embarrassment. "I've always dressed in clothes like the ones
you took away, so..."
"Your mother must have let you run wild," the innkeeper tsked disapprovingly. "I'd
be happy to help you dress, dearie."
Meanwhile, downstairs Nuriko had just finished his third 'Nuriko special' and was
ready to order a fourth. Kourin's words still rang in his head. "She was a person,
a human being! She didn't belong to anyone!" He felt hopelessly betrayed by the
young woman he had sworn to protect, but part of himself also knew that it wasn't
really her fault. Nuriko sighed; he had handled the situation badly, and once
again within the span of twenty-four hours he was going to have to apologize.
"Bartender, I'll have another one of the same," he called out.
"Sir, don't you think you ought to slow down a little?" the bartender asked.
"It's the only way to get her off my mind" Nuriko replied, slightly slurred.
"Oh, woman troubles," the bartender grinned sympathetically. "Who is she, your
girlfriend?"
"Acshully, she's my wife." Nuriko let the alcohol take control. "You see..."
By the time Kourin came downstairs to find her 'husband', Nuriko was riproaring
drunk, and his story had been passed around the entire room. One of the men
looked up as she approached and shouted, "Here comes the bitch now!"
The men raised their tankards to cheers of "the bitch, the bitch", and Kourin
scanned the crowd furiously until she found the object of her wrath.
"Nurko," she growled, "I'm going to kill you!"
As she picked her way purposefully through the crowd, one man grabbed her
arm. He pulled her towards him, and his ale soaked breath made her gag. "If
your husband don't want you, why don't ya be nice to me, girlie? Everyone knows
that those Hin bitches are so hot between the legs that they'll burn up if they don't
get a man."
The girl turned livid and spat, "Don't ever talk about me or my mother like that
again!" She yanked away from his lecherous grasp and waded through the sea of
men. After five minutes of evading more lecherous men and crude comments
she found herself face to face with Nuriko. He was clearly tanked off his hiney, to
say the least. He stared up at her blurrily before managing, "Kourin, what are you
doing here?" and then relapsing into a drunken stupor.
Kourin slapped him across the face with all of her strength. "That is for making
me look like a whore in from of your drinking buddies!" She slapped him again.
"That is for blaming me for your sister's disappearance!" She slapped him
viciously one final time and burst into tears of frustration and rage. "And that is for
making me 'marry' you in the first place!" She waited for a moment as if expecting
and answer, but Nuriko only stared at her in shock. "You said that you protect
me, that we'd be friends, but if this is how you protect me, I'll just take care of
myself!" Kourin turned and ran from the room wanting nothing more than to hide
from the prying eyes of the men.
Nuriko looked up at the bartender with an uncomprehending gaze and slurred,
"She wash mad, washn't she?"
The bartender sighed heavily. "I'd say she was mad, my friend. I pity you come
morning."
Several hours later Nuriko woke up with a terrible crick in his back and a burning
in his face. He squinted around the dark room blearily and gingerly rubbed his
cheek where it had been pressed against the rough wood surface of the bar. He
was completely alone in the darkness, and his liquor-fogged mind struggled to
remember why he was there at all. A spark of an idea glimmered in his mind, and
the young man clumsily made his way up the stairs to his room.
Kourin was dreaming again, but Suzaku did not greet her at the gate to the
subconcious. Instead Hotohori came towards her with a gentle smile on his
beautiful face.
"Kourin, I've been longing to see you again," he spoke huskily. "I had to know if
you were real or nothing more than a figment of my lovesick imagination."
"It's only been a few hours," Kourin protested softly. "Surely you aren't so
lovesick that time drags for you?"
"You don't understand, Kourin," Hotohori whispered as he leaned towards her. "I
thought I loved Miaka, but she loves Tamahome. I never had a chance to win her
heart, but maybe you are the one meant to be my empress. Is the the reason that
you bear my sign?" He carefully caressed her neck with his hand and briefly
replaced his hand with his warm, soft lips. "Hurry to Konan, Kourin! I don't know
how long I can last without you by my side. Farewell...for now." Hotohori's tall,
elegant figure began melting away into the sudden mist.
Kourin reached out blindly, desperately trying to find her companion's comforting
warmth. The dreamworld was no longer welcoming and friendly, and a flash of
terror ran through her."Hotohori, don't leave me! Onegai, Hotohori! Come back!
Take me with you!" the girl cried frantically.
Nuriko looked up from his spot by the fire at the girl's cry. He tried to convince
himself that it was the least that she deserved for her earlier behaviour, but his
heart ached to see Kourin in such obvious distress. He pulled a chair to the side
of the bed and gently grasped the trembling girl's flailing hand.
Suddenly, Nuriko was there with her, holding her hand and reassuring her.
"Kourin, daijoubu, daijoubu. I'm here; you're not alone."
She threw herself onto his chest and began to sob uncontrollably. "He left me
here all by myself, and it was so scary."
Nuriko gently stroked the frightened girl's hair. "I'm sure Hotohori didn't want to
leave you. Something must have happened so he had to return."
However, Kourin's thoughts had already turned from her 'abandonment' by
Hotohori. "Nuriko, I'm so sorry! Gomen nasai! I said some terrible things, but you
still came to rescue me!"
Nuriko grimaced before he replied. "I deserved most of the things you said,
Kourin. I ought to be the one apologizing."
Kourin pulled away from him and looked down clearing her throat awkwardly. "Do
you realize how many times we've had to say 'I'm sorry' in less than twenty-four
hours? It seems that no matter what we do, we're always hurting one another."
Nuriko shrugged eloquently. "So we fight a lot now. That will change when we
begin to feel more comfortable together."
The girl looked up at him with resolute eyes. "I don't think so, Ryuuen," and he
shivered at the mention of his real name. "I think that once we get to Konan we
shouldn't be around each other anymore."
Her companion grabbed her shoulders and got up in her face. "What do you think
you're saying, Kourin?! I made an oath to protect you on my honour as a seishi!
Only I can revoke that oath!"
She looked at him dispassionately and seemed to compose herself before
continuing. "That's exactly what I'm asking you to do," Kourin said softly.
"And if I won't?" Nuriko demanded belligerently.
"I'll find a way to make you want to take it back."

Questions? Comments?
c 1997 jscaife@austin.rr.com