Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 2: The Seven Stars of Suzaku

Upon waking from an almost dreamlike state, Youjin saw his surroundings and groaned. "Okay, time to go back to sleep…" he thought, looking at a steep mountain in the distance. So he did so, but when he opened his eyes a second time he noticed that his surroundings were the same.

"This isn't good," he whispered, standing up to take a look around. The only thing he saw that caught his eye was that mountain…he shrugged and started walking. "Might as well take my chances, I guess."

He hadn't taken more than three steps when he heard an unusual sound – almost like a whistle. And it grew louder by the second. A high-pitched scream followed it…and where there's a scream…

There's a person.

That person happened to land right on top of Youjin, and pushed him to the ground.

"Damnit," he cursed. "This just isn't my day…"

"Sorry," said the person who had fallen from the sky…a girl, with short-cropped reddish hair and blue eyes.

"Erm, that's okay…just watch where you're falling next time," Youjin muttered. The girl sat up. "Hey…! I've seen you before!"

"You…have?" she asked. Then she remembered… "That was a few months ago, right? And your name's…Youjin, I think…is that it?" Youjin nodded.

"Airashii Nisou!" he shouted. There hadn't been a day since then that her name didn't pop into his head…he couldn't forget her angelic face…her soft, silky hair…her graceful presence…

"I can't believe you remembered my name!" she said with a giggle. "I don't know whether to be flattered or scared…"

"N-no, I'm not obsessed or a stalker or anything, it's just…" Youjin blushed. "Well, you're the kind of person that's hard to forget." Nisou smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you," she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she stood up and looked around. "What's this place?"

"Beats me," Youjin said, also standing. "But I was on my way over there to get some answers." He pointed at the mountain, which was dotted with large structures that –Youjin hoped- belonged to beings that looked like humans.

"Jeez!" Nisou shrieked. "It looks like ancient china!"

"Hey!! What the hell are you doing here?! "

Youjin and Nisou turned…and gasped.

~*~

"Did you feel that?"

"…feel what?"

"That…that thing I just felt a minute ago…"

"Genrou, I think you're hallucinating. Eat anything funny-looking lately?"

"I'm not hallucinating…I can't believe I consider you my best friend!" Kouji smirked.

"Well you've gotta admit," he said, preening himself, "It don't get much better than me."

"Kouji…"

"Yeah?"

"Shut your damn mouth."

"Jeez, what bit you in the ass?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Fine then." They sat in silence for a few minutes. The one called Genrou ran a hand through his fiery red hair and sighed.

"What was that strange feeling…?"

He felt a third presence in the quiet room and stood up.

"Genrou…?"

"Who's there?" he demanded with a scowl.

"Tasuki, relax, no da…" The flame-haired man smirked. Only one person talked like that. "It's just me, no da."

"Chichiri! Long time no see, buddy!" The young monk materialized before the two bandits, maskless, but with a smile.

"I know," he said. "Three years, no da…"

"So how've ya been?"

"Tasuki, we don't exactly have time for small talk, no da…"

"Uh-oh…what's wrong?" Genrou –or Tasuki, as Chichiri called him- asked.

"You felt something a few minutes ago, didn't you?" Tasuki nodded. "I did too…and so did the others, no da."

"Uhhh….others?" Chichiri just smiled.

"I have a feeling that the reason for this is soon to appear, no da," he said. Tasuki opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door burst open. Two burly guards stood there, each of them holding up a scruffy-looking teenager dressed in strange clothing.

"Boss!" said one of them, who held up a young girl. "We found these kids outside the gates!"

"What do you want us to do with 'em?" the other one asked. Tasuki frowned…he didn't like intruders. But there was something strange about these two…

"Drop the kids…we'll deal with 'em." He ordered.

"Whatever you say." And the two kids were promptly tossed onto the ground in front of Tasuki.

"Damnit…! Now we're dead for sure!" said one of the teenagers, a young boy. "Nisou, are you okay?"

"I am now," his companion, the girl, muttered. Then, after looking at Tasuki she added, "But I have a feeling it won't last long…"

"Relax, kid. I just wanna know who the hell you two are," Tasuki told them.

"Uh…I-I'm Youjin…and this is Nisou," Youjin stuttered.

"Nice to meet ya," Tasuki said. "You two are dressed kinda funny…not from around here?"

"I don't think so," Youjin muttered. "Where exactly is here?" Chichiri and Tasuki frowned and looked at each other.

"Maybe that's…" Tasuki trailed off.

"Could be," Chichiri agreed. "But we would be better off discussing this as a group, no da."

"As a group? Chichiri, what the hell are you talking about?"

"As a group," Chichiri repeated. "All of the Suzaku shichiseishi, no da!"

"Shichiseishi…? What's going on here?" Youjin wondered.

"All of us?! But Nuriko…Chiriko…Mitsukake…Hotohori…they're probably just kids! And how would we expect to find Tamahome?!" Tasuki snapped. Chichiri took him by the arm and led him away from Youjin, Nisou, and Kouji.

"Tasuki, did you sense that boy's aura?" he asked, nodding his head towards Youjin. Tasuki nodded.

"It did feel kinda familiar, but…you can't be suggesting that…that…"

"That he's Tamahome," Chichiri said. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. And besides that, the others aren't much of a dilemma, no da."

"Can I ask a question?" Youjin asked, raising his hand.

"Fine," Tasuki said with a sigh.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Uhhh….Chichiri! Since you seem to have all the answers…you answer the kid's question!"

"And stop calling me a kid!" Youjin snapped. "I'm sixteen, damn it! I'm not a kid!" His words were ignored.

"Tasuki, have you tried to use any of your powers yet?" Chichiri asked. "I mean, have you tried today?"

"Nope," Tasuki admitted. "Actually, I haven't picked up that tessen in quite a while…want me to give it a try?"

"If you wouldn't mind, no da."

Tasuki walked to the wall and grabbed his tessen from a shelf on it. He then lifted it above his head and shouted,

"Lekka…SHINEN!" To his surprise, a flame sparked on the end of it. "Hey, it worked!"

"Hey Genrou, mind explaining what the hell's going on?" a very agitated (and almost forgotten) Kouji asked. "And what's that thing on your arm?"

"What thing on my…the symbol! It's back!" Tasuki shouted happily.

"Tasuki, do you have any idea what this means?" Chichiri asked, a severe, serious expression on his face.

"No clue."

"It means that we have someone to protect, no da…a new Miko."

~*~

"Where is Youjin? He should have been home by now…" Miaka thought, fearing the worst. A horrible thought stuck out in the back of her mind. "…maybe he's in the book after all…"

With a sigh, she went to the phone. "Who can I call? Keisuke's out of town…I really don't want to bother Yui about this, but it looks like I have no other choice…" She dialed a number where she could reach Yui and waited for an answer.

"Moshimoshi! Kajiwara residence!" chirped a young voice. It was the voice of Yui's eldest son, Suboshi, lovingly named for the warrior that protected her with his life.

"Hello Suboshi, is your mother home?"

"Yeah! Hold on! MOM!!! It's Miaka-san!" the seven-year-old shouted.

"Alright Suboshi, I'll pick it up here!" Miaka heard a click and Yui said, "Hi Miaka."

"Yui…hi," Miaka whispered.

"What's wrong? You sound upset…"

"It's Youjin…he went for a walk and hasn't come back…and that was three hours ago!"

"Oh, Miaka…he's probably okay. You shouldn't worry about him so much…" Yui instantly regretted those words. After all, Youjin was all she had left to worry about… "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way-"

"You're probably right, but…I had a visitor today."

"Oh, Miaka…was it that Imaimashii man again? I thought he had stopped proposing after your seventh refusal-"

"N-no, Yui…it was Taka."

"It was who?! That's impossible!"

"I know, I know, I thought so too. But he was right there, Yui! And he told me that something was going on with the book."

"You mean the…that book?" Yui sounded very worried now…what if something was going on in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho? What if they would be involved?

"Yes, and he said that Youjin night be involved…and then he was gone. Oh, Yui, I'm so scared! What if Youjin gets hurt?" Miaka was shouting now, and Yui held the phone away from her ear.

"Miaka, calm down! Come over here and we can figure this out," Yui told her friend.

"That's right," Miaka thought. "Yui has the book…" She nodded quietly. "I'll be right over."

~*~

"So there's a new Miko somewhere?" Tasuki asked. Chichiri nodded and said,

"I think that's the point of all this…we might need to ask Taiitsukun, though, no da."

"And go all the way to Mount Taikyoku?! That's a long way, Chichiri…it'll take a long time to get there…"

"Or, I could come to you." The –well, face it, she's an ugly old woman- appeared before the people in the room…and in turn, all except Chichiri screamed. "Calm down, all of you!" Taiitsukun snapped. She turned to Chichiri and said, "You were right about a few points, Chichiri."

"Which points would that be?" the young monk asked calmly.

"There is need for the Suzaku warriors to gather…all of them." She cast a glance at Youjin.

"So you think he's…" Tasuki began. Taiitsukun nodded.

"I have a strong hunch that he is. And you were right about another thing, Chichiri. There is a new Suzaku no Miko…and she's already here."

"I don't know about you," Nisou muttered, "But I am totally lost on all of this."

"So am I," Youjin agreed.

"You two aren't the only ones," Kouji added.

"Sorry," Nisou apologized. "I guess I just assumed that you were in on this too, since you were already here and you seem to know these guys…"

"Nah. Genrou's my best friend 'n all, but I'm not involved in any of this Suzaku crap," Kouji explained with a grin.

"The best course of action would be to gather the warriors in a safe location and restore them," Taiitsukun was saying to Chichiri and Tasuki.

"Do you want us to bring them too?" Chichiri asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. But we'll need to test the boy to see if he's really who we think he is."

"Of course, no da," Chichiri and Tasuki agreed.

"Uhhh, where are we all gonna assemble?" Tasuki asked.

"I'll take you there to wait for the others," Taiitsukun told them.

The room began to glow as Chichiri, Tasuki, Youjin, and Nisou were transported to a remote area in the Konan Empire to await the arrival of the four other Suzaku warriors.