Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. Sukunami Youjin, Airashii Nisou, Rinrin, and other new characters belong to me. ^_^
Notes: This is my first attempt at a FY fanfic. Please be nice. ^_^ Oh, this comes after the OAVs, sooo…you might be a bit confused if you haven't seen them. Anyways, on with the fic!
Uhh, I don't know what really happened to the book…I'm just saying that Yui held onto it for some reason…also, this takes place nineteen years (?!) after the OVAs, and in this storyline, seven years ago Taka died in a car accident. (T_T) Yui married Tetsuya when she was nineteen, and Keisuke is married also…some of this may come up in the story. The part of the story in the Universe of the Four Gods is 3 and a half years after the OVAs…it will all be explained in time…I don't know how yet, but it will be. ^_^
Started: May 16, 2001
Finished: soon ^_____^;;;
Chapter 1: Legend of the Gods"Mom! I'm home!" an adolescent voice cried, and a door slammed shut.
"Youjin?"
"Who else?" The young boy met his mother in the doorway and grinned. His mother smiled back.
"That's the smile you got from your father," she pointed out, comparing the grin to her husband's. But then the smiles faded from both of their faces…how long had it been? Youjin had only been eight when his father had died…now he was fifteen, almost sixteen. Time flew by in the blink of an eye…
"Uh, yeah, I have some homework to do, so…" Youjin said, blinking his hazel eyes.
"Right…after you do that, your room needs cleaning, too," his mother pointed out. He smiled a little and went into his room, closing the door behind him.
Miaka went and sat on the sofa. "Has it really been seven years?" she asked quietly. "Taka…why did it have to be you?"
Youjin studied diligently, hearing his mother's repeated preaching about the importance of school. Finally, when he couldn't stand to look at his books for another minute, he slammed them shut and looked around his room. It was starting to become a bit messy…all right, so 'a bit' would be an understatement. When it came to cleaning, he had always been somewhat lazy.
His mother said that he got that from his father, too. He could hardly stand looking at his mother anymore, seeing the pain of memories in her eyes. She loved his father so dearly, and Youjin looked so much like him. It was almost as painful for him to see her sadness as it was for her to see his father in him.
Reluctantly, he picked up a few stray papers, gathered them into a single stack, and put them neatly on his desk.
Something went through him just then. Something he had never felt before…but it was so familiar to him. How could he not recognize it? It was so close…
Then, gone.
"I can't do this right now," he muttered, feeling a bit restless. It just didn't seem right at the moment. He grabbed his jacket and left his room, intent on taking a walk.
"Where are you going?" his mother asked as he reached the door.
"I'm going to take a walk…is that alright?" Miaka nodded.
"But be back soon," she added as he left.
~*~
"Mother…I don't want to see you sad anymore," he thought, frowning. He didn't bother to pay attention to where he walked on the busy streets of Tokyo. Thus, he ended up running into several people that night that one wouldn't want to meet up with. One in particular…
"HEY! Watch where you're-oh, so it's you." Youjin looked up and cursed silently. It was a classmate of his, Yotarou Akutama, who happened to be twice his size and equally as mean.
"Akutama," Youjin whispered. "S-sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry here…" he quickly slipped past the large bully, who grabbed the neck of his jacket and lifted him an inch off the ground.
"I don't remember saying that you could go, Sukunami," Akutama sneered.
"Hey! Let go of me you-" but he stopped himself, before he could say something that he would regret. "Put me down!" He kicked at the air, hoping to connect with Akutama's shins at least, but it was hopeless. If nothing else, Akutama was good at what he did, and what he did was pick on others.
"Damnit…how do I get out of this?" Youjin thought as Akutama laughed in his face. "Someone help me…" Then his body started to glow with a warm, reddish light. Akutama let go of him in surprise and he fell to the ground. Akutama backed away nervously.
"What…what the hell are you?!" he shouted, and turned to run. Youjin never saw which way he went, or anything else for that matter, before blackness flooded his mind.
~*~
When he awoke, the street was a little less crowded. Most of the pedestrians were drunkards now, and it had gotten very late.
"What was that?" he asked aloud. All he remembered was seeing red…and Akutama was scared out of his wits…but then what happened? Had he just passed out on the street? "Ohhh boy, I'm in big trouble," he muttered, standing up. He almost fell down again though, when all the blood rushed to his head. He felt dizzy, and steadied himself before taking a few cautious steps.
He walked back home with only one thought in his mind: what was that red light?
"It's late," Miaka said when he opened the door.
"I know, I'm sorry." What could he tell her, that he passed out on the street? "I…met up with Akutama and had to find a place to hide out for a while," he explained. It wasn't completely a lie.
Miaka stood up and looked him in the eye. Youjin always knew that he had her eyes, and it was a bit strange. Miaka put a hand on his head and ran her hand through his blue-green hair with a sigh.
"You look more and more like him every day…and act like him, too," she whispered. Youjin turned his eyes towards the ground, unable to look at his mother.
"I'm sorry, mom," he said. "I really am."
"Y'know…if your father were here…"
"Mom, please don't…" Youjin asked. He hated the 'if your father were here' stories…they always made him feel so low and incapable of anything.
"I'm sorry, it slipped," she apologized with a smile.
"Bad habits are hard to break," Youjin added, uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He glanced at a clock on the nearby wall; it read 11:37. "I didn't know it was so late," he muttered. "I should be getting to bed, I guess."
"That would be a good idea," his mother agreed. Youjin sighed and went into his room…still messy.
"That's right, I never got around to cleaning up…" he thought; and, being unable to sleep, he started to get organized.
When he sat down on his bed he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He lifted his pant leg and saw a large purple bruise on his shin. "That must've happened when Akutama dropped me on the ground." He frowned. That red light… "Don't think about it, Youjin…just go to sleep."
~*~
Rolling out of bed was one of the most difficult tasks that Youjin had to accomplish that morning. Then, remembering the fact that it was a Saturday, he groaned and went back to sleep.
"Talk about weird…" he muttered when he finally got up, thinking about the events of the previous night.
"Youjin? Are you awake?" his mother cried from the next room. "I'm making breakfast!" Youjin jumped out of bed when he smelled the sweet aroma of bacon, and he ran into the kitchen.
"Thanks, mom!" he said cheerfully as they both say down to eat.
After devouring breakfast in record time, he decided to go for a walk…this time, hopefully he wouldn't meet up with Akutama…
"That red light…I can't get it out of my head," he thought. "What was it?"
~*~
"It seems like such a long time ago," Miaka muttered, staring quietly at her coffee. "Eighteen years…eighteen years ago, I was pulled into that book…and I met you." She sighed. "Taka…Tamahome…I love you. I can never forget you…"
She stood up and started to pace, and then, a warm feeling surrounded her. She smiled.
"Taka…" she whispered.
"Miaka…"
Then she screamed.
"No, no, it's okay! Don't be afraid!"
"W-w-w-w-wha…" she stuttered. A figure appeared before her, almost transparent, but still visible. "Taka?!"
"Yeah, it's me."
"B-b…but…"
"Miaka, I had to warn you that something's up. I don't know what it is, but I think it has to do with…with the book…the Universe of the Four Gods," Taka explained.
"Taka, what is it?"
"I wish I knew…but it might involve Youjin." Miaka gasped.
"Youjin…Taka, what if he gets pulled into the book?!" she shouted, reaching out to grab his hand, but she went right through him. "Sorry," she then apologized, feeling foolish. "I forget sometimes…"
"It's been seven years since then," he told her.
"I know, I know," she whispered. "And it's so hard without you here…"
"Miaka, I miss you so much…" The phone rang. Miaka turned around and looked at it.
"I should get that," she said, turning to face Taka…but he was gone. Miaka ran to the phone and picked it up. "H-hello?"
"Sukunami-san?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to bother you…this is Airashii-san…I met you before, when-"
"Yes, when we first moved in here a few months ago," Miaka said. "Is there something I can do for you? You sound upset…"
"Well, yes, I'm worried. My daughter, Nisou, has been missing since last night. I was wondering if you had seen her?"
"Nisou, that sounds familiar," Miaka thought. "Airashii Nisou…neighbor…very pretty girl, I believe…that's right! Youjin commented on her when we first moved in here!"
"Have you seen her, Sukunami-san?"
"No…I'm sorry, Airashii-san, I haven't seen her." Miaka paused. "How long did you say she was gone?"
"She had been in bed with a headache, but when I went into her room to see if she was alright, she was gone."
"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't help you…"
"But if you see her…" Airashii-san trailed off.
"I'll be sure to let you know." With that, she hung up the phone. "I have a feeling…that something will happen soon…" She sighed. "And I don't think it will be good…"
~*~
Youjin looked at his watch and sighed; he had been gone for two and a half hours. "Jeez…I guess that time flies when you're at the arcade…maybe I should be getting home now."
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and started walking home. Things hadn't been going well at all for the last few weeks…he didn't want to see his mother's sadness again…he couldn't face any of the students after Akutama's humiliating pranks…
"Maybe it would be better if I left," he thought. "…if I took a break from everything. That way, things might be better for all of us…"
He tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and landed flat on his face, cursing to himself a few times. "I'm always so clumsy…!" Picking himself off the ground, he saw people around staring at him. He brushed himself off, turned a deep shade of red, and continued walking.
"Things have to get better some time…"Youjin continued walking, slower now, trying to think of an excuse for where he had been for almost three hours.
"Things will get better…"
Suddenly, even though the winter had been cold and would only get colder, he felt a strange, soothing warmth, like nothing he had ever felt before. It was so familiar…for an instant, he thought he knew what it was, but then it was gone…
"This happened yesterday," he thought, frowning. He felt strange warmth in his head and touched his forehead; it was hot. Maybe he was running a fever?
People were looking at him strangely. Pointing and whispering. What was wrong with those people?
There was no chance to even muster up a scream when Youjin saw it: a great red bird that, though he had never seen it before, looked familiar.
And then he was swept away.
