Suzaku no Saiai
Part VIII
Standard disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is copyrighted by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan,
TV Tokyo, Movic,and Studio Pierrot, and maybe some other people, if I forgot
anyone.^^; Anyway, please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Kourin
and Jin Feng were created by me, but I'm not responsible for their actions in this
fanfic. I can't control them anymore! If you think you might be more successful
controlling them, feel free to borrow them. Just drop me a line at
jscaife@austin.rr.com to let me know.
Nuriko drew away from Kourin guiltily and sweatdropped. "For Suzaku's sake, Jin
Feng! I thought you'd left for the day. Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"
The phoenix woman ignored him and hopped off the vanity to saunter over to
Kourin's side. She patted the girl's head and smiled pityingly. "That trick of your's
with the Emperor was good, Kourin, very good, but you can't beat me." She
turned and walked to the center of the room. "You'll end up with who I want, you
know," she said pointedly. "I can manipulate you from inside your mind."
Kourin wrinkled up her face like a disgruntled four year old and scowled. "Why
don't you go back into my head and leave me alone?!" she demanded. "I've
made it quite clear that I'm not interested in being Suzaku's consort!"
"Now, now," Jin Feng tsked, "you said that you'd merge with me."
"I said I'd consider it!" Kourin interrupted sharply.
"Why are you being so harsh with your lover then?" Jin Feng pointed out. "Don't
even try to tell me that you don't want him to be more hurt in the end or hurt by
Suzaku or something stupid like that! The truth, Kourin, is that you don't love him
at all! You've managed to convince yourself that Hotohori is the perfect man for
you,b ut you're already tiring of him. Look into your heart and see the truth!"
Kourin turned red with anger. "How dare you come and treat me so terribly!" she
cried. "Jin Feng, I hate you! Anta ga daikirai, daikirai!" She took a deep breath
and looked her immortal counterpart square in the eye. "Jin Feng, I banish you to
the furthest corners of my mind. You may not stray from there until the day I call
on you to merge, IF that ever comes."
The phoenix woman stared at her in shock. "I'm impressed, little one. You
shouldn't have figured that out yet," she said before winking out like a candle.
"She told you the truth," Nuriko stated flatly. "You know who you are."
The girl dropped her gaze and studied her hands. "Yes," she stated simply. She
looked back up with a cold, hard gaze. "How did you know, Nuriko?"
"Remember when I began acting so cooly towards you on our journey here?" he
asked. The girl nodded slowly. "I saw Taiitsukun in my dreams, and she directed
me to Jin Feng. Between the two of them they made it extremely clear that I had
to leave you alone and live only to protect you because you were more than
human. That is why I knew: to keep from jeopardizing your damn divine
purpose!"
"I don't like it any more than you do," Kourin said weakly, "but at least you don't
have to give up being who you are to become the consort of a god."
"No, I just have to give up you!" Nuriko exploded. "I've already lost three people
that I cared for, and now I'm supposed to step aside and say, "Sure, take her too,
Suzaku. Really, it's not big deal?!"
"Listen, Ryuuen," the girl said calmly, "your chi is still a little messed up because
most of it is mine. The natural affinity between my chi in both our bodies has
created some sort of physical attraction between us, but we're NOT in love."
"Why aren't you angry yet?" Nuriko asked suspiciously. "Where'd the real Kourin
go?"
The girl shot him a dirty look and leaned back against the pillows. "I simply don't
have the energy to argue with you right now," she sighed. "Anger drains a lot of
chi you know. Besides you don't listen when I yell, so maybe rational argument
will work better."
"I just think that Jin Feng played a good trick on us both, and the real Kourin is
trapped somewhere," the purple haired seishi sighed. "If it weren't for the bond
between us, I'd be out of here right now."
"What bond between us?" Kourin asked curiously.
"Oh, she didn't tell you about that?" Nuriko asked, getting angry again. "We're
bonded because I'm your protector. We can't separate more than about 250
yards to make sure I can't leave you because I tire of your childish whims!"
The girl snapped her fingers. "That's it, Nuriko! That's why you think you're in love
with me!"
"How do you figure that?" Nuriko asked drily. "Your logic fails me."
"Tamahome is in love with Miaka, right? And Taiitsukun implied that Genbu no
Miko's and Byakko no Miko's protectors fell in love with them," the girl explained
animatedly. "In order to be willing to give his life for the woman he is protecting
he must love the woman he serves!"
Nuriko facefaulted from shock. "You really are determined to prove that my
feelings for you are less than genuine, aren't you?" he grinned wryly. "That has
got to be the strangest one you've come up with yet!"
The girl stared at him wide-eyed and opened her mouth to say she'd been
serious. Instead she left herself laugh along with her companion, and for the first
time since they'd met, Nuriko and Kourin were in perfect communion.
After the exciting events of Kourin's first few weeks in hte palace, things returned
to normal, or as normal as they could be with Nuriko and Kourin. Kourin's
recovery lagged; she was far weaker than even the physician had suspected,
and the news that she could not love Hotohori freely weighed heavily on her
heart. Secretly Nuriko worried about her because although the girl outwardly
projected cheerfulness, he could sense the depression inside.
"Kourin, would you like to go outside today?" the purple haired young man asked.
"You're finally strong enough to handle the short journey." "Besides," he added to
himself, "you're wasting away in here, and I've never seen someone so pale."
"Ryuuen, that's very sweet of you, but I'm fine," the girl replied from her chair by
the window.
Nuriko steeled himself to ask the cruel question that had been plaguing his mind.
He had to goad her into action and prevent her from accepting a lifelong illness.
"You're avoiding Hotohori," he accused. "You think that if you hide in here,
clinging to your illness as an excuse, you'll never have to deal with the issue,
don't you?!"
He scanned her face eagerly, hoping for some sign of the girl's former spark and
vigor, but she merely smiled, "You're imagining things, Ryuuen. You know as
well as I that any relationship between the emperor and I ended shortly after our
arrival."
Nuriko stalked across the room and shook her sharply. "What sort of lies have
you made yourself believe, Kourin?! You're not even really Kourin anymore; only
a shell of that bright, dazzling girl is left! Not even Suzaku, your destined consort,
would want you in this state!"
At Suzaku's name the familiar golden fire flashed in Kourin's eyes, which had
been vacant for many weeks. "Leave Suzaku out of this, Nuriko!" she spat. "He
has only ruined my life! What do you want to here? That I still love Hotohori? I do.
Have I been avoiding him? Yes! Do I want to deal with the issue of my bond to
Suzaku? Of course not!"
She stood alone and shoved the young man away, and a golden aura crackled
around her. "You seem to think that I'm too weak to face my destiny, Nuriko!" Her
eyes met his challengingly, and the words, "I'll show you," lay unspoken between
them.
Kourin tried to stride the few steps to the door, but she stumbled, uneasy on her
own feet. Nuriko rushed to her side to offer some support. "Be careful," he
cautioned gently. "You've been bedridden for the last few weeks and haven't fully
regained your strength."
The girl clenched her jaw and pushed him away. "I can do it myself!" she insisted
stubbornly and nearly fell as she tried to take another step forward.
Nuriko caught her again, and his face darkened. "Damn it, Kourin!" the young
man exploded. "Why won't you accept my help when it's clear you need it?!"
"I don't need anyone's help!" the girl snarled. "Stop babying me, Nuriko!"
Something in the young seishi finally snapped. He pushed Kourin to the ground
and looked down at her in contempt. "Maybe Taiitsukun was right," Nuriko said
coldly. "You are still a child; an adult would be able to accept help when it was
needed." He forced himself to turn on his heel and walk away.
"Nuriko, come back!" Kourin pleaded. "Nuriko, please! Ryuuen!"
The young man ignored the feelings of guilt and protectiveness in his heart and
kept on walking. "Gomen, Kourin, but this is for your own good..."
Suddenly, he stopped. "Kuso! That stupid bond'll keep me from getting too far
away!" As he spoke a faint pulse of pain echoed along the psychic tie.
Reluctantly, Nuriko turned around and shook his fist at the sky. "Damn you, Jin
Feng!" the young seishi swore harshly. "I can't help her grow up if I can't teach
her this lesson!"
"You called?" the phoenix woman's melodious voice came from his left.
Nuriko jumped and turned to face the sound. "I thought Kourin banished you!"
"She did," the golden woman smiled, "but during her illness she blocked her own
power away thus disolving any spells she had set. Onna no baka! I just didn't feel
a need to return before."
"Release this stupid bond right now then!" the young man demanded rudely.
"Oh, so you're actually going to try to teach her a lesson?" Jin Feng raised an
eyebrow. "The bond's been gone since the last time I activated it." She shook her
head as Nuriko opened his mouth to protest. "I just wanted to show you that you
can't just leave her because she gets on your nerves. You made an oath to be
Kourin's protector, Nuriko, and you cannot dissolve it that easily."
"But why did you make me do all those things?" the young seishi asked, flushing.
A vivid memory of being forced to kiss Kourin under Hotohori's watchful gaze
arose, and he turned even redder.
Jin Feng hopped off her perch and shrugged. "I'll admit I was just playing with
you two, but, also, I could see you were suffering." She caressed the seishi's
cheek gently. "You have fallen in love with the mortal vessel, but I...in the
thousands of years that I've waited for Kourin, I never thought I could fall in love
with a human man..." She sighed softly. "If you wait about fifteen minutes you'll
find Kourin alone in the rose garden; she'll need you then." Jin Feng smiled at
him, the same blinding smile as her counterpart, and lowered her gaze. "I will
never seek you out again, but will wait for Kourin's call. I played with fire and was
badly burned...sayonara...Ryuuen."
Meanwhile, Kourin had convinced a young guard that there was absolutely
nothing improper in his carrying her to the imperial rose garden. The young
soldier had carefully placed her on a sunny bench and headed off with a
message for his emperor, leaving her alone. She looked up and smiled softly,
reveling in the warm sun on her skin.
Hotohori's gaze widened when he saw her sitting in the pool of sunlight. Kourin
was so pale from her illness that for a moment she seemed to be the source of
the light rather than the sun. Smiling gently, the young emperor plucked a single,
golden rose from a bush and approached. "Kourin," he said quietly. "How I've
missed you!"
The girl turned to face him, and the unselfish adoration in his face caught at her
heart. Would she be strong enough with him looking at her like that? "So you got
my message then?" she asked uncomfortably, looking down at her hands.
Hotohori smiled. "He said you had something important to tell me, Kourin.
Dearest, don't be afraid. One day you will become my empress, and I don't want
there to be any secrets between us." He embraced her, and Kourin's
determination wavered.
"Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about, Hotohori," she whispered, "my
becoming your empress."
Her companion clenched his hands, heedless of the rose's thorns, and a dreadful
premonition came over him. "What is it, darling?" he choked out.
Kourin turned her face up towards his and firmly pushed Hotohori away. "I can't
marry you," she said clearly. "I thought I loved you enough to deal with all the
formalities of a public life, but..." , her voice broke a little, "I only imagined myself
in love with you, and I'd be so unhappy as Empress!"
Hotohori's face turned white, and the beautiful rose fell from his senseless
fingertips. For the second time in less than a year the woman he loved was
pushing him away. "Why, Kourin?" he cried. "Doushite? Is there someone else?!"
The girl shook her head firmly and tried to smile through her tears. "Since I came
here, I've only had eyes for you, Hotohori-sama, but my destiny seems to
inevitably part from yours. I have a favour to ask of you...let me be the one to
choose your empress from the princesses gathered here at the court. At least
then you will have a part of me with you always."
The young emperor struggled to hide the immense hurt caused by Kourin's
words, and, finally, rose stiffly. "Do as you like," he said coldly and walked away,
leaving his shattered heart behind.
Nuriko arrived at the garden's side entrance just in time to see Kourin clutch up a
gold rose from the ground and bury her face in her hands. "She actually screwed
up the courage to tell him," he thought sadly,"but it killed her to do it." Wordlessly,
he went to her side and held the girl as she wept bitterly.
"I really cared for him, Nuriko," Kourin sobbed. "I loved him more than he'll ever
know, but I had to send him away. I had to!"
"Shh, I know," the young man soothed. "Come on, Kourin-chan. Let's go back
and rest."
Half supporting, half carrying the weeping girl, Nuriko left the rose garden behind.
"I wonder if either of them will ever enjoy that spot again..."
Kourin pulled herself together surprisingly quickly, and by that afternoon she had
set out on her mission to find the perfect bride for Hotohori. She brushed off
Nuriko's offer of help and carefully crossed the palace to find the women's
quarters. As she sat on a delicate bench, resting, Kourin felt the hairs on the
back of her neck rise. "Someone's watching me," she thought nervously, "but
why?" She caught a flash of colour to her left and turned, but whoever had been
there had disappeared. The girl stood and continued walking, but the feeling of
being observed remained. Suddenly, there was another flash of colour, and
Kourin restrained the urge to turn her head. "If I pretend I don't notice, maybe my
pursuer will become careless," she mentally grinned.
She straightened her back and continued down the hallway. Sure enough a few
minutes later her pursuer popped out, this time a little closer. The game went on
for several more minutes until Kourin's mysterious observer made a dangerous
miscalculation and came inches too close. Before the other person could flit
away again, Kourin reached out and grabbed her tracker's arm.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" she demanded. Then she took a
good look at her captive and promptly lost her temper. "Nuriko!! I told you I could
take care of myself, and I thought you stopped crossdressing!"
"But..." the captive tried to protest, but Kourin was already stomping down the
hall.
Glossary
? Anata ga daikirai -- I really hate you
? gomen -- I'm sorry
? Kuso -- shit or mild cussing
? sayonara -- Although it literally means 'goodbye', sayonara is mainly used in
situations where one wouldn't expect to see the other person for a long time.
? doushite -- why
c 1997 jscaife@austin.rr.com
Part VIII
Standard disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is copyrighted by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan,
TV Tokyo, Movic,and Studio Pierrot, and maybe some other people, if I forgot
anyone.^^; Anyway, please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Kourin
and Jin Feng were created by me, but I'm not responsible for their actions in this
fanfic. I can't control them anymore! If you think you might be more successful
controlling them, feel free to borrow them. Just drop me a line at
jscaife@austin.rr.com to let me know.
Nuriko drew away from Kourin guiltily and sweatdropped. "For Suzaku's sake, Jin
Feng! I thought you'd left for the day. Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"
The phoenix woman ignored him and hopped off the vanity to saunter over to
Kourin's side. She patted the girl's head and smiled pityingly. "That trick of your's
with the Emperor was good, Kourin, very good, but you can't beat me." She
turned and walked to the center of the room. "You'll end up with who I want, you
know," she said pointedly. "I can manipulate you from inside your mind."
Kourin wrinkled up her face like a disgruntled four year old and scowled. "Why
don't you go back into my head and leave me alone?!" she demanded. "I've
made it quite clear that I'm not interested in being Suzaku's consort!"
"Now, now," Jin Feng tsked, "you said that you'd merge with me."
"I said I'd consider it!" Kourin interrupted sharply.
"Why are you being so harsh with your lover then?" Jin Feng pointed out. "Don't
even try to tell me that you don't want him to be more hurt in the end or hurt by
Suzaku or something stupid like that! The truth, Kourin, is that you don't love him
at all! You've managed to convince yourself that Hotohori is the perfect man for
you,b ut you're already tiring of him. Look into your heart and see the truth!"
Kourin turned red with anger. "How dare you come and treat me so terribly!" she
cried. "Jin Feng, I hate you! Anta ga daikirai, daikirai!" She took a deep breath
and looked her immortal counterpart square in the eye. "Jin Feng, I banish you to
the furthest corners of my mind. You may not stray from there until the day I call
on you to merge, IF that ever comes."
The phoenix woman stared at her in shock. "I'm impressed, little one. You
shouldn't have figured that out yet," she said before winking out like a candle.
"She told you the truth," Nuriko stated flatly. "You know who you are."
The girl dropped her gaze and studied her hands. "Yes," she stated simply. She
looked back up with a cold, hard gaze. "How did you know, Nuriko?"
"Remember when I began acting so cooly towards you on our journey here?" he
asked. The girl nodded slowly. "I saw Taiitsukun in my dreams, and she directed
me to Jin Feng. Between the two of them they made it extremely clear that I had
to leave you alone and live only to protect you because you were more than
human. That is why I knew: to keep from jeopardizing your damn divine
purpose!"
"I don't like it any more than you do," Kourin said weakly, "but at least you don't
have to give up being who you are to become the consort of a god."
"No, I just have to give up you!" Nuriko exploded. "I've already lost three people
that I cared for, and now I'm supposed to step aside and say, "Sure, take her too,
Suzaku. Really, it's not big deal?!"
"Listen, Ryuuen," the girl said calmly, "your chi is still a little messed up because
most of it is mine. The natural affinity between my chi in both our bodies has
created some sort of physical attraction between us, but we're NOT in love."
"Why aren't you angry yet?" Nuriko asked suspiciously. "Where'd the real Kourin
go?"
The girl shot him a dirty look and leaned back against the pillows. "I simply don't
have the energy to argue with you right now," she sighed. "Anger drains a lot of
chi you know. Besides you don't listen when I yell, so maybe rational argument
will work better."
"I just think that Jin Feng played a good trick on us both, and the real Kourin is
trapped somewhere," the purple haired seishi sighed. "If it weren't for the bond
between us, I'd be out of here right now."
"What bond between us?" Kourin asked curiously.
"Oh, she didn't tell you about that?" Nuriko asked, getting angry again. "We're
bonded because I'm your protector. We can't separate more than about 250
yards to make sure I can't leave you because I tire of your childish whims!"
The girl snapped her fingers. "That's it, Nuriko! That's why you think you're in love
with me!"
"How do you figure that?" Nuriko asked drily. "Your logic fails me."
"Tamahome is in love with Miaka, right? And Taiitsukun implied that Genbu no
Miko's and Byakko no Miko's protectors fell in love with them," the girl explained
animatedly. "In order to be willing to give his life for the woman he is protecting
he must love the woman he serves!"
Nuriko facefaulted from shock. "You really are determined to prove that my
feelings for you are less than genuine, aren't you?" he grinned wryly. "That has
got to be the strangest one you've come up with yet!"
The girl stared at him wide-eyed and opened her mouth to say she'd been
serious. Instead she left herself laugh along with her companion, and for the first
time since they'd met, Nuriko and Kourin were in perfect communion.
After the exciting events of Kourin's first few weeks in hte palace, things returned
to normal, or as normal as they could be with Nuriko and Kourin. Kourin's
recovery lagged; she was far weaker than even the physician had suspected,
and the news that she could not love Hotohori freely weighed heavily on her
heart. Secretly Nuriko worried about her because although the girl outwardly
projected cheerfulness, he could sense the depression inside.
"Kourin, would you like to go outside today?" the purple haired young man asked.
"You're finally strong enough to handle the short journey." "Besides," he added to
himself, "you're wasting away in here, and I've never seen someone so pale."
"Ryuuen, that's very sweet of you, but I'm fine," the girl replied from her chair by
the window.
Nuriko steeled himself to ask the cruel question that had been plaguing his mind.
He had to goad her into action and prevent her from accepting a lifelong illness.
"You're avoiding Hotohori," he accused. "You think that if you hide in here,
clinging to your illness as an excuse, you'll never have to deal with the issue,
don't you?!"
He scanned her face eagerly, hoping for some sign of the girl's former spark and
vigor, but she merely smiled, "You're imagining things, Ryuuen. You know as
well as I that any relationship between the emperor and I ended shortly after our
arrival."
Nuriko stalked across the room and shook her sharply. "What sort of lies have
you made yourself believe, Kourin?! You're not even really Kourin anymore; only
a shell of that bright, dazzling girl is left! Not even Suzaku, your destined consort,
would want you in this state!"
At Suzaku's name the familiar golden fire flashed in Kourin's eyes, which had
been vacant for many weeks. "Leave Suzaku out of this, Nuriko!" she spat. "He
has only ruined my life! What do you want to here? That I still love Hotohori? I do.
Have I been avoiding him? Yes! Do I want to deal with the issue of my bond to
Suzaku? Of course not!"
She stood alone and shoved the young man away, and a golden aura crackled
around her. "You seem to think that I'm too weak to face my destiny, Nuriko!" Her
eyes met his challengingly, and the words, "I'll show you," lay unspoken between
them.
Kourin tried to stride the few steps to the door, but she stumbled, uneasy on her
own feet. Nuriko rushed to her side to offer some support. "Be careful," he
cautioned gently. "You've been bedridden for the last few weeks and haven't fully
regained your strength."
The girl clenched her jaw and pushed him away. "I can do it myself!" she insisted
stubbornly and nearly fell as she tried to take another step forward.
Nuriko caught her again, and his face darkened. "Damn it, Kourin!" the young
man exploded. "Why won't you accept my help when it's clear you need it?!"
"I don't need anyone's help!" the girl snarled. "Stop babying me, Nuriko!"
Something in the young seishi finally snapped. He pushed Kourin to the ground
and looked down at her in contempt. "Maybe Taiitsukun was right," Nuriko said
coldly. "You are still a child; an adult would be able to accept help when it was
needed." He forced himself to turn on his heel and walk away.
"Nuriko, come back!" Kourin pleaded. "Nuriko, please! Ryuuen!"
The young man ignored the feelings of guilt and protectiveness in his heart and
kept on walking. "Gomen, Kourin, but this is for your own good..."
Suddenly, he stopped. "Kuso! That stupid bond'll keep me from getting too far
away!" As he spoke a faint pulse of pain echoed along the psychic tie.
Reluctantly, Nuriko turned around and shook his fist at the sky. "Damn you, Jin
Feng!" the young seishi swore harshly. "I can't help her grow up if I can't teach
her this lesson!"
"You called?" the phoenix woman's melodious voice came from his left.
Nuriko jumped and turned to face the sound. "I thought Kourin banished you!"
"She did," the golden woman smiled, "but during her illness she blocked her own
power away thus disolving any spells she had set. Onna no baka! I just didn't feel
a need to return before."
"Release this stupid bond right now then!" the young man demanded rudely.
"Oh, so you're actually going to try to teach her a lesson?" Jin Feng raised an
eyebrow. "The bond's been gone since the last time I activated it." She shook her
head as Nuriko opened his mouth to protest. "I just wanted to show you that you
can't just leave her because she gets on your nerves. You made an oath to be
Kourin's protector, Nuriko, and you cannot dissolve it that easily."
"But why did you make me do all those things?" the young seishi asked, flushing.
A vivid memory of being forced to kiss Kourin under Hotohori's watchful gaze
arose, and he turned even redder.
Jin Feng hopped off her perch and shrugged. "I'll admit I was just playing with
you two, but, also, I could see you were suffering." She caressed the seishi's
cheek gently. "You have fallen in love with the mortal vessel, but I...in the
thousands of years that I've waited for Kourin, I never thought I could fall in love
with a human man..." She sighed softly. "If you wait about fifteen minutes you'll
find Kourin alone in the rose garden; she'll need you then." Jin Feng smiled at
him, the same blinding smile as her counterpart, and lowered her gaze. "I will
never seek you out again, but will wait for Kourin's call. I played with fire and was
badly burned...sayonara...Ryuuen."
Meanwhile, Kourin had convinced a young guard that there was absolutely
nothing improper in his carrying her to the imperial rose garden. The young
soldier had carefully placed her on a sunny bench and headed off with a
message for his emperor, leaving her alone. She looked up and smiled softly,
reveling in the warm sun on her skin.
Hotohori's gaze widened when he saw her sitting in the pool of sunlight. Kourin
was so pale from her illness that for a moment she seemed to be the source of
the light rather than the sun. Smiling gently, the young emperor plucked a single,
golden rose from a bush and approached. "Kourin," he said quietly. "How I've
missed you!"
The girl turned to face him, and the unselfish adoration in his face caught at her
heart. Would she be strong enough with him looking at her like that? "So you got
my message then?" she asked uncomfortably, looking down at her hands.
Hotohori smiled. "He said you had something important to tell me, Kourin.
Dearest, don't be afraid. One day you will become my empress, and I don't want
there to be any secrets between us." He embraced her, and Kourin's
determination wavered.
"Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about, Hotohori," she whispered, "my
becoming your empress."
Her companion clenched his hands, heedless of the rose's thorns, and a dreadful
premonition came over him. "What is it, darling?" he choked out.
Kourin turned her face up towards his and firmly pushed Hotohori away. "I can't
marry you," she said clearly. "I thought I loved you enough to deal with all the
formalities of a public life, but..." , her voice broke a little, "I only imagined myself
in love with you, and I'd be so unhappy as Empress!"
Hotohori's face turned white, and the beautiful rose fell from his senseless
fingertips. For the second time in less than a year the woman he loved was
pushing him away. "Why, Kourin?" he cried. "Doushite? Is there someone else?!"
The girl shook her head firmly and tried to smile through her tears. "Since I came
here, I've only had eyes for you, Hotohori-sama, but my destiny seems to
inevitably part from yours. I have a favour to ask of you...let me be the one to
choose your empress from the princesses gathered here at the court. At least
then you will have a part of me with you always."
The young emperor struggled to hide the immense hurt caused by Kourin's
words, and, finally, rose stiffly. "Do as you like," he said coldly and walked away,
leaving his shattered heart behind.
Nuriko arrived at the garden's side entrance just in time to see Kourin clutch up a
gold rose from the ground and bury her face in her hands. "She actually screwed
up the courage to tell him," he thought sadly,"but it killed her to do it." Wordlessly,
he went to her side and held the girl as she wept bitterly.
"I really cared for him, Nuriko," Kourin sobbed. "I loved him more than he'll ever
know, but I had to send him away. I had to!"
"Shh, I know," the young man soothed. "Come on, Kourin-chan. Let's go back
and rest."
Half supporting, half carrying the weeping girl, Nuriko left the rose garden behind.
"I wonder if either of them will ever enjoy that spot again..."
Kourin pulled herself together surprisingly quickly, and by that afternoon she had
set out on her mission to find the perfect bride for Hotohori. She brushed off
Nuriko's offer of help and carefully crossed the palace to find the women's
quarters. As she sat on a delicate bench, resting, Kourin felt the hairs on the
back of her neck rise. "Someone's watching me," she thought nervously, "but
why?" She caught a flash of colour to her left and turned, but whoever had been
there had disappeared. The girl stood and continued walking, but the feeling of
being observed remained. Suddenly, there was another flash of colour, and
Kourin restrained the urge to turn her head. "If I pretend I don't notice, maybe my
pursuer will become careless," she mentally grinned.
She straightened her back and continued down the hallway. Sure enough a few
minutes later her pursuer popped out, this time a little closer. The game went on
for several more minutes until Kourin's mysterious observer made a dangerous
miscalculation and came inches too close. Before the other person could flit
away again, Kourin reached out and grabbed her tracker's arm.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" she demanded. Then she took a
good look at her captive and promptly lost her temper. "Nuriko!! I told you I could
take care of myself, and I thought you stopped crossdressing!"
"But..." the captive tried to protest, but Kourin was already stomping down the
hall.
Glossary
? Anata ga daikirai -- I really hate you
? gomen -- I'm sorry
? Kuso -- shit or mild cussing
? sayonara -- Although it literally means 'goodbye', sayonara is mainly used in
situations where one wouldn't expect to see the other person for a long time.
? doushite -- why
c 1997 jscaife@austin.rr.com