Antig's Rambling Pointless Author's Notes:
I wrote this because, well, there is a period time that is skimmed over
the manga I wanted to flesh out. ;; Being a big Yui fan, I thought to
do something in her POV would not only be fun for me (and pretty rare
in the FYff world... at least I hope I'm original ^^;), but would also
close the gaps in the story and her character.
I noticed somewhere in the span of time not covered by Yuu Watase-
sensei, Yui goes from the scared, confused, weak-willed girl in part I
to the beautiful, confident woman she is in part II. I just wondered
what brought about such a drastic change (besides Yuu Watase's
wonderful deus ex machina). So I decided I'd play with it.
Lol. Why not, right? ::glances at her history of language text, kanji
flashcards, and volumes of 14th century literature piled by her
backpack:: I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do. Heh
heh.;;
Please read and review! ^^
------ The actual story begins here ^_~
From the Ashes
Part 1/5 Me.
By Antigone
White.
That was what I saw, all white, blurry shapes that slowly began to gel
into objects before my vision.
I felt dizzy and sick, and I hurt everywhere.
For a second panic seized my heart, and my vision started to go black.
I was back, back in the universe of the four gods. Waking up for the
first time, to look at Nakago's face and have the memories of what
happened hit me in the stomach. To make me retch, and begin to burn in
my own private hell.
All over again... no, god please...
"Yui?" a gentle voice pulled me back to reality, and I blinked up at
the familiar face like I had never seen her before.
"Mom?" I said weakly, and she smiled, the lines on her face relaxing.
The room behind me, white, sterile. I was in the hospital.
"How do you feel, darling?" Her hand pushed sweaty bangs from my face.
"What happened?" While she was explaining to me that I apparently
passed out from exhaustion and Yuuki Keisuke brought me here, I was
trying to get my aching head to piece together what my memory couldn't
supply.
The last thing I remembered was fire. Destruction. Seiryuu... oh god...
"Miaka!" I strained against the pain in my body to sit up, and my
mother hovered over me, hands on my shoulders, trying to push me back
to the bed.
"Yui, please just relax. It's alright-"
"Miaka! Is Miaka okay?" I grabbed her sleeves and looked right up at
her; the wild look in my eyes must have unnerved her.
After all that happened, my mother who never really knew me, now would
understand me even less.
"Miaka-chan? She's fine, Yui, she's at home I think."
I blinked. Didn't she call Suzaku? Wasn't that why I am here?
"What about the fires? How many people are dead?" My throat hurt, my
head... How many, like Suboshi, are dead because of me?
Worried, my mother pressed a cool, manicured hand to my forehead.
"What are you talking about, honey? Did you dream something?"
Dizzy, confused, I shut my eyes against harsh reality.
Did I dream? What did I dream...?
I woke up again, feeling sick.
"Yui-san?" I opened my eyes to Miaka's older brother and his best
friend, Tetsuya. My mother must have left to get coffee, or went to
work, god only knew.
Keisuke smiled gently at me when I lowered my eyes from his gaze.
"How are you feeling, woman of the hour?" Tetsuya asked, and I felt
intense annoyance at the fact that his eyes were masked by those dark
glasses.
"Really crappy," I answered shortly, "how would you feel?"
Far from touched that they came to see me, instead I felt on edge and
uncomfortable. Why were they here, when they had no right to be?
"How is Miaka?"
"Alive," Keisuke told me. "Tired. She's sleeping now, but mom will
make her go to school tomorrow anyway. She wants to see you, I'll call
her now that you are awake."
"Mm-mm," I held out a hand to stop him as he headed toward the door. Both
boys looked at me in surprise. I could say I'm tired, that I didn't
want Miaka to come all the way here when she's ill, I could have said many things,
but I wouldn't have fooled them anyway.
"I don't think I want to see her just yet." I avoided Tetsuya's knowing gaze,
and Keisuke's disappointed one.
"Suit yourself," Tetsuya shrugged. "This way none of her wishes will
come true."
"What do you mean," I demanded, "Suzaku granted all her wishes, right?"
Then I paused, and painfully pulled myself into a sitting position,
"Just what did I miss, anyway?"
I got the full story from Keisuke mostly, with Tetsuya throwing in a
few random points here and there.
Miaka's last wish was for Tokyo to return to it's original condition,
which explains my mother's confusion at my question earlier. Her
second wish to seal Seiryuu... and because of that, Nakago was dead. The
news hit me rather hard, considering. One hand strayed to my ear,
cupping the earring my seishi had given me after I called Seiryuu.
Tetsuya was about to continue his retelling of events, but Keisuke
stopped him, giving me a few moments of silence, as I sat there
wondering why my eyes were filling with tears.
I took a deep breath, preparing myself. "Go on," I whispered.
And Tamahome...Tamahome faded away right before Miaka's eyes.
Just like Suzuno, who couldn't stay in the book, Keisuke said, Tamahome
just couldn't exist in a world that wasn't his own. Left by herself on
the sidewalk, Miaka tearfully told her brother the book wasn't evil,
but wonderful, before she passed out into his arms. In that Miaka and
I would always, always differ. There was nothing wonderful about the
universe of the four gods to me.
"So you see what I mean?" Tetsuya had lingered behind Keisuke to talk
to me alone. He took off the shades, and I found myself looking in
confusion at intense hazel eyes. "I don't believe your 'just yet'
excuse at all. You will avoid Miaka for as long as you can, won't
you?"
His voice was kind, but I hated him for knowing me so well, when he has
no reason to.
"You don't understand!" I said, "It was true, what I said before; we
can never go back to how we were. It's too late. I don't want to see
her if I can't be with her! I don't want to hear her forgive me when it
won't change a thing."
"All through the universe of the four gods, all through everything," he
tossed something on the bed in front of me, but for some reason I
couldn't tear my eyes away from his. "All through the fevers, and
broken bones, the betrayed trust, the loneliness, the death,
everything, she kept going. Because she wanted two wishes: to be with
Tamahome. And to help you." I lowered my eyes, to see cursed book
lying on in front of me. I recoiled.
"For you," Tetsuya said again, quietly. "She was always thinking about
you."
Her strangled screams echoed in my head, "Give Yui back to me! Give me
back my best friend!!"
"I know," I whispered, shutting my eyes, "I know already. Please take
that away from me."
He did as I asked, and paused by the door. "I'm sorry, Yui-san. I
don't want to make you feel bad; you are a brave girl, but don't be
afraid of your best friend. Not when you are all she has left.
After all, her first wish, was you."
I clenched my fists, glared at the door as it closed behind him because
I knew he was right. All she wanted was to be with Tamahome, and have
her best friend back.
It was within my power to give her the latter, and I owed her that
much.
Her two wishes, real wishes, from the bottom of her heart. I
suppose I never really knew her, what she was capable of...
Then again, I guess I never really knew myself, either.
TBC in part 2: Miaka
