Thank Suzaku, It Was Just A Dream

Author's Note: OK, OK! I know its always my friend I'm posting here but its so good. My best friend Ian still made this one. After this, I promise I'm going to make my own…J

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi or its characters… DagnabbitJ

"Hey!" The warden woke Tasuki in the middle of the night. He was dirty, unshaven, and his clothes were torn. "Wha'?" He squinted and stood up. "You're bailed out." The warden opened the gate. Tasuki walked out limping. "Good evening old friend." Chichiri said. "OK, so after three years without visit you bail me out. That's nice of you." He said. "Whoa! Nice uniform, adviser yet?" Tasuki asked. "Yeah." They walked down the corridors and down the garden back to his room. "Hotohori wants you to be commander in chief." Chichiri said. Tasuki looked at the uniform on the bed. "Commander? I've been bailed out to be commander? This is some kind of joke right?" He said. "C'mon! Be happy you're outta there." Chichiri pushed him to the bathroom. After he was cleaned and shaved, he wore the uniform. "Why of all, me? There are a lot of people out there, why me?" Chichiri shrugged. "The emperor will tell you." They marched to the conference room.

Tasuki slowly opened the door and everyone in it stood up. "Commander in Chief Tasuki… Tasuki…" The announcer pondered on the surname. "Forget it." He smiled and walked ahead. He knelt in front of the emperor and his empress, Empress Kourin. (Or so he thought) Nuriko looked at him. He looked much mature than before. A redhead child came running to her. "Ma!" Tasuki looked at the child. It was… "Tasuki." Hotohori stood up. "I am giving you full authority of the military group. Unknown to you, there have been invaders just a few months ago. I trust you on this Tasuki. I know nobody can do it better than you." He said. "You have my word, your majesty." Everyone left the room except for Nuriko, the child and Tasuki. He was about to exit when, "Tasuki?" Tasuki turned around. "Wouldn't you want to hold your son before you leave?" She asked. Tasuki slowly walked to the throne and looked at the child. "Who is he?" The boy asked. "He's daddy." She gently told him. "But isn't daddy…" The child curiously looked at Tasuki. "No, he's your real daddy. Go say hello." She put him down and the child walked to Tasuki. The child tripped and Tasuki caught him on time. He carried him and stared. His eyes and mouth came from Nuriko, and the nose from him. "You're my daddy?" He asked. Tasuki smiled. "Yeah. How are you little boy?" He asked. The boy looked at Nuriko. "Go answer him, Tasuki." Tasuki looked at her. The child was named after him? "I-I'm happy." The child replied. "Why?" He asked. "Because I finally know how I will look like when I grow up." The little Tasuki giggled. Nuriko walked to them. "What did Hotohori say when he saw him? Tasuki asked. The boy was already drooling and sleepy. "I told him what happened." She replied. She petted the child's head. "He suggested I tell him once you see him, and he told me to name him after you." She narrated. Tasuki closed his eyes and gently leaned his cheek on the head of Tasuki Junior. "Too bad I won't see him grow up." He said. Nuriko looked away.

"Don't talk like that." She said.

"I'm sorry. " He gave the sleeping child to Nuriko.

"I gotta go." He started walking.

"Promise me you'll come back." She said.

"I'll try." He exited through the door.

The battle began. Nuriko stayed within the four walls of their room. She watched the morning sky turn from blue to red. "He's coming home alive, don't worry." Hotohori assured her.

"How's Houki?" She asked.

"She's alright. Don't worry." He gave her a shawl.

"When's the big day?" She asked, still looking out the window.

"After the war has finally ended." Hotohori sat beside her.

"Did he actually think we were married?" He asked her.

"Looks like it." Her chin rested on her hand.

"You and your confused mind." She looked at him and smiled.

"Part of me does Nuriko, just how you feel. We're both confused." Hotohori told her. Nuriko looked outside again. "When is all of this going to stop?" She sighed. Hotohori stood and looked outside. "Not very long." He laughed. "If Tasuki didn't get a hold of himself, he could've burned everybody. He's an army himself." He gave Nuriko a pat on the shoulder. "He's going to be fine." He told her again. The sky was dark already and it wasn't even afternoon. The groans of pain, the shouts of anger, and the whines of horses can be heard from outside. The palace people grew accustomed. The defense was very good. Nobody within the palace walls had been touched, yet. The fight continued through the night, and through the morning. Nuriko only waited. Everyday the shouts and groans grew fewer, yet no galloping of horses can be heard nearby. Tasuki was doing his job. A week, two weeks, three weeks, a month, the fight goes on, until one day. "Surround the walls, don't let anyone in! Understand!" "Yes sir!" Marches could be heard around, the invaders are coming. Nuriko held little Tasuki closer. He was crying. "Ma!" She hushed him. "It's going to be alright." "STAND BACK!" A familiar voice shouted. "We're gonna burn these assholes to hell!" It was Tasuki. He's alive. The roar of the flames can be heard; the groans of defeat were expressed. The heat reached the inside of the palace. Burnt bodies can be smelled. This went on for days, until the groans were no longer heard. The war has finally ended.

The gates were opened and the warriors or what was left of them marched in. Nuriko counted, 576 warriors out of 10,000 were left. Out of 576, Tasuki was not one of them. She ran through the crowd of warriors welcomed by their wives, their families, and friends. "TASUKI! TASUKI!" She called out. She reached the closed gate. There was still no sign of Tasuki. She fell in front of the gate, her head bowed down. "Tas-uki…" She cried. A loud bang came to the gate and everyone silenced. "LEMME IN, BASTARDS!" Somebody yelled. The gate was opened and through the dust emerged the commander in chief. (A.N. nice entrance, Tasuki…J) Tasuki looked at Nuriko. "You crying?" He asked and stood her up. "I thought…" "You thought wh…" He felt pain within him. Blood shot through his mouth. He fell to the ground. "Call Mitsukake, HURRY!" She yelled. Someone scurried away.

He lay in bed. Mitsukake stood up. "He's internally bleeding, I can't do anything about it." He told Nuriko. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "You can't say that! You were given a gift! You can do something. You're lying to me!" She angrily shouted. "It's not that easy Nuriko." He told her. "I really can't." He left. She fell on her knees. "Nuriko?" Tasuki called. He sat up as if nothing's wrong. "I have something to give you." She went to him. "I found this before I entered the palace. I know it wouldn't happen anyway, but at least a symbol of friendship." He recovered the ring from his pocket and slid it on Nuriko's finger. "Take care of little Tasuki. Don't make him go into battle under any circumstances, never. I don't want you to lose him." He ordered. "Don't talk that way." She looked at the ring. If she were still herself, the boy, his best friend, then they would've died together. But things happened differently; she's a she, and was not allowed to join, under the emperor's orders, and for the sake of her son. He smiled at her, the smile that went back three years ago. The smile that meets her everyday, the smile that will lastly be the seen at that moment. "I love you Nuriko. You know I wouldn't do this if I don't." He caressed her face and wiped away the fear that attempted to fall. He bent down to kiss her but he stopped. "I forgot. You're married." He said. Nuriko pushed herself up and did it herself. His lips finally felt cold, his eyes closed, and his whole body pale. She opened her eyes. "Tasuki? Tasuki? No, Tasuki, not-not now. Please give me this chance, Tasuki? TASUKI!" She cried.

She walked to her room. She closed the door and lay in bed. She smoothed her hand on the side where Tasuki used to lay sleeping that day. She reminisced on the days that they had after she changed. He was always there, no matter how hard he tried to tell her he wouldn't be there, he's still running back to console her. He tried to tell her, yet she didn't listen. She was already missing him. She stood up and went to the window, the window where he entered that night when she and Hotohori were in bed, hurting each other out of love, that night that she promised to meet with him. Yet he didn't stop, no matter how hard he tried to forget her, by the time he has gone, she has completely fallen for him. She needed him. She closed her eyes and removed her clothes she's going to sleep without them tonight.

She groped through the darkness. It is dawn. Her hand searched through the covers. He wasn't there. He's all gone. She thought. Somebody came in through the window. "Who is it?" She asked. It opened the drapes and pounced on her. He kissed her. "T-T-T-Tasuki?" She asked. "Missed me?" He asked her. "Don't scare me like that!" She giggled. She took his clothes off. "You're late!" She said. Thank god it was just a bad dream. He grabbed her hand and slid in it a ring and he smiled at her.

Author's Note: As you have read in the chapter before this, the ending paragraph of this story was like the starting paragraph of the story before this, if you just read it again (just the start), you'll see it… but this time Nuriko really realized how much she really loved Tasuki. Actually when I got this story from my friend the story 'Forever' and this one is in only one paper… I just wanted to cut it so it's nice.