FUSHIGI YUGI

The Everlasting Story

_Chapter Two_

The girl slowly opened her eyes, the bright afternoon sun piercing her sight. She squinted her eyes, drowsily sitting up. She rubbed her forehead, remembering that weird dream she'd had last night. Megumi sighed and brushed the bangs out of her eyes, seeing from the things around her that it wasn't a dream. Her eyes widened in fear, not sure what to do.

"This can't be… I-I don't understand!" She called out. Megumi was surrounded by wilderness, sand and desert grass under her. A few stones lay here and there, but any life wasn't seen, except for a lizard she saw a few feet away. "I don't get it. Wasn't I just in my attic? Was I sleep walking and now I'm dreaming?"

Megumi stood up, caustiously looking around. The wind rustled, dead leaves floating on the wind as her long auburn hair whipped through the air. She put her hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. As she looked far ahead, she saw a small sign of life; a horse and cart and a man to direct it.

She walked ahead a few steps, seeing a dirt road in her path. She smiled, "Great! Roads do head into town after all. Maybe I can find someone to help me and tell me where I am!" Megumi grinned and followed the path to where it took her, passing dead trees and rocks and desert scrub.

The auburn haired girl stepped on a sharp rock, it's end cutting her bare foot. She winced in pain and dropped to ground, clutching her foot. It didn't hurt enough to stop her though, and it was only a small cut. More of a scratch really. She nodded, stood up and continued her pace toward civilization.

Megumi ran as fast as she could, her red robe and sash whipping across the wind. She was careful where she stepped, so as to not cut or scratch her foot again.

~~~

It was about another twenty minutes before she reached the cart, deciding to hop on and take a ride. "Maybe this'll be a ride to where I want to go!" She thought to herself as she made herself comfortable against the boxes and crates. As she rode along, she saw that they were beginning to pass houses and shacks with people in their front yards. They were talking, working, and visiting with each other, all ages and sizes, and they all seemed to be wearing the same type of strange clothing.

"Hmmm, it looks like they're all wearing ancient Chinese clothes." Megumi thought as she ducked down, careful for them not to see her and tell the driver. And just as she turned her head the other way, she saw she was on a hill, overlooking a city. There were so many people, all shapes and sizes; so many buildings, shops and homes, and barns. And a wall, a long, big stone wall that protected a magnificent and glorious palace.

Megumi widened her eyes and mouth, it was all so amazing. "Wow!!! It looks like Ancient China!!! Just like how Mrs.Yui Kajiwara told me it would look… It all seems so real, could I really be dreaming?" She said out loud. Just as she finished yelling, the horse and cart stopped.

Megumi sweat dropped, looking at the driver who had turned around to face her. He had short, red hair and was wearing a blue kimono and black sash. "Hey kid! What the hell are ya doing in the back of there?!"

"He's pretty cute!" Megumi thought, and then shook her head. She jumped out of the cart, trying to escape her punishment she felt would be coming. "Sorry!" She apologized and proceeded to leave.

The man looked at her curiously, "Wait a second, is that?" His eyes widened. "Miaka!!!"

Megumi slid down the hill as fast as she could, as she heard a faint voice from behind her calling her mother's name. Megumi stopped short and turned around which was a big mistake. As she called out for her mother, Miaka, she twisted her ankle, gasping in pain as she fell backwards. And then, everything went black…

~~~

"Is she dead?" A little girl's voice whispered.

"No, course not. She's just asleep." Another girl answered, sounding a bit older.

"Maybe she's dreaming! About kitties!"

Megumi blinked her eyes, focusing on what she saw. Three little girls who were looking down at her curiously, encircled her as she lay in a soft bed. "Look! Look!" The smallest one squealed, "She's waking up!"

Megumi sat up, winced in pain and quickly fell back down. Her back hurt so badly; it felt like it had been torn from inside. "Don't sit up! You'll hurt your body!" Another girl spoke frightfully.

"Where am I?" Megumi spoke softly, hoping to get an answer.

The oldest of the three girls laughed and nodded, "You mean you don't know? You're in the capital of the Konan Empire."

Megumi didn't know what to say. She didn't understand at all.

"Miss Lady, why do your clothes look so weird?" The smallest one about the age of three spoke up. She tilted her head cutely, expecting an answer. "Mishou, don't be so rude." A man came up behind them, patting the little girl on the head. He sat down in a chair next to Megumi's bedside, pulling Mishou up on his lap. The little girl laughed, "Daddy, who is this lady? Is she Tai's new wife?"

"You're the man from before! Who was driving the cart, aren't you?" Megumi questioned.

The man nodded, "My name's Shun`u Kou. And these are my kids," He pointed from biggest to smallest, giving each name, "Kei, Meeray, and this one on my lap is Mishou."

"I'm Daddy's girl!" She laughed and patted Shun`u's face. "And this is my Daddy. Him, this man here! The one holding me! See? See?"

The man laughed, "She heard you. My son Tai is out in the field doing some work. He should be home soon. And my wife, Lei is the kitchen making supper and taking care of the baby, Mai. …Are you hungry?"

Megumi shook her head, "Not really. Would you tell me what happened?"

"I thought you were someone else. But why did you turn around when I called Miaka?"

"That's my mother's name! Do you know her?!"

Shun`u was surprised. "I figured you were from Miaka's world, but didn't know you two were related! You must be Taka's kid, right? You took a pretty bad fall. Lei managed your back though, it had a few scrapes in it from when you fell backwards. She also got your ankle a bandage. You sprained it pretty bad."

"Oh, so she decided to wake up?" A woman walked in behind them all, carrying a small baby girl in her arms. "She was beat up pretty bad. You'll find your clothes on the floor to your left. I mended the tears in them. And we got you a day outfit of your own; the one you're wearing now. We can't have you running around the house and around town in night wear, you know."

"How long has it been?" Megumi half smiled.

"About two days. You took a big hit to the head as well." The brunette woman smiled. "But you should be well by tomorrow. How's your back?"

"All right, I guess."

"Shun`u's told me of all his adventures with your mother and the others! So amazing!" Lei grinned.

"Adventures?"

"What're ya talking about?" Shun`u asked her. "Didn't your mom and dad tell ya?"

"Tell me what?"

"I don't believe it. I don't understand." Shun`u spoke in an astonished tone. "They didn't tell ya all about the great Tasuki?!

"Tasuki? I don't know that name but now I see who you are! I thought I knew you from somewhere! You're that guy in the picture, aren't you! You're an old friend of Mom's and Papa's!" Megumi smiled.

"I guess ya might say that." He answered plainly.

~~~

"There ya go, Mishou. Would you like some more?" Shun`u asked his daughter, holding a basket of bread.

"L'es, please!" She nodded. Mishou held out her hands to her father as he handed her a small piece. She smiled, "Thanku Daddy!"

The whole family sat at the dinner table together, eatting and enjoying their meal. All were there except for Tai, who still hadn't come home from the fields. He had said they could start without him; he didn't care. Megumi took a bite of her beef stew, looking around the table. The whole family was having fun, visiting and sharing their thoughts and comments.

Shun`u sat next to his wife who was holding and feeding Baby Mai little bites of the bread. And the three older girls were sitting next to each other in a row, talking, laughing and having fun with their food and each other. "So, Miss," The eldest girl, eleven years old, spoke up. "Where exactly do you live?"

Megumi looked to the empty chair on her right, wondering who's seat it was. She'd never been at such a large family's house for dinner before. And they still had one missing, or that's how many they said were left.

"Miss?"

Megumi shot her head up, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to doze off like that."

"It's all right." Kei smiled. "I was just asking where you came from, unless you'd rather keep it to yourself." She spoke politely.

Megumi sweat dropped. "Oh! I'm so sorry everyone! I haven't even given you my name yet or anything! I must be such an annoying burden to you all."

"Oh, not at all." Lei, the mother of the household, smiled. "We appreciate your company. Don't we, Shun`u?"

Shun`u held the spoon for Mishou and put it in her mouth as he smiled, "Of course we do. We gotta take care of ya. You did take a pretty bad fall."

Megumi nodded, "Thank you. My name's Megumi. And I'm not from this world at all. I live in Tokyo, Japan. I-"

An opening and shutting of the front door interrupted her sentence as a boy entered the room, appearing to be the age of fifteen. He had short reddish brown hair and dark brown eyes and was carrying a small satchel on his side. He walked over to the table, picked up some bread from the basket and tossed it into his satchel. "Sorry, Mom, Dad. But the guys want me to go with them to the pond. We're gonna go fishing and I thought I might…" He drawed his sentence short as he saw the auburn haired girl across the table.

He blushed, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know she was awake already."

"It's all right." Shun`u laughed. "This is Megumi. Megumi, this is Tai, my first born son."

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am." Tai smiled at her, and held out his hand.

"Likewise." Megumi nodded, and put her hand in his.

Tai blushed as he took her hand and kissed the back of it, trying to appear as a polite gentleman.

"Oooh! Tai's gotta new girlfriend! Tai's gotta new girlfriend!" The two older girls, Kei and Meeray, teased.

The boy growled, "Oh, you two shut up! No one ever told you to speak up!"

"Tai, why don't you take Megumi with you and show her around town?" Lei asked him as she fed the baby a small piece of bread. Mai giggled, placing the bread in her mouth and sucked on it. "And you might as well take some bread and cheese along with you to snack on."

"I wanna go!" Mishou yelped and jumped out of her seat. She ran over to the counter top and pulled down her long silk scarf, draping it over her head. She then ran back to her father, tugging at his arm and pleading, "P'ease, Daddy? P'ease?"

Shun`u laughed and patted her head with the silk scarf draped around it. "Well, seeing as you're all ready to go, you did put your scarf on…"

Mishou's eyes became hopeful.

"Sure, why not? Tai, take Mishou here with you! And while you're out, take some money and bring home candy for the girls." He handed Tai some loose change from his pocket as Mishou jumped up and down, laughing and giggling.

"Aw, sheesh! I thought I was going fishing, but now you've turned it into a shopping time!" Tai grumbled and pushed the money down into his pocket.

"How come I don't get to go?" Kei spoke up.

"Yeah! Me too!" Meeray agreed.

"You two still have your plates to clean." Their mother told them. "And you have to wash the dishes when you're done as well."

"What? That's not fair!" Meeray complained.

Tai sweat dropped and grabbed Mishou by the hand, dragging her away. He looked at Megumi urgently, motioning for her to come. She nodded, quickly leaving her place at the table to follow them.

Tai walked out of the door, still dragging Mishou along. She laughed and tugged at his sleeve, happy to be coming along with them. Megumi closed the door behind her and turned around, already seeing Tai and Mishou a long way down the road. She frowned and ran after them, trying to keep up with the boy's pace.

"Excuse me? Could you please slow down? My ankle still hurts a bit you know!" Megumi spoke angrilly as she ran along his side.

"You don't understand!" He retorted.

"What are you talking about? What wouldn't I understand? Would you PLEASE slow down?!" Megumi yelled back. She wasn't the least bit happy for him paying no attention to her hurt ankle.

Tai stopped, looking in her direction. "Look! I'm trying to get us away from the house as fast as possible! I don't want my other sisters following. It's bad enough that I have to take this little one here along!" He pointed at Mishou who happily hung on his arm. "Yeah! But ya gotta love me! That's what Daddy says. He says, You gotta love Mishou, even though she is a royal pain in the-"

Tai covered the little girl's mouth, stopping her before she finished the quote. "Your ears are too big."

She stuck her little tongue out at him, stretching her ears with her fingers. "Neah neah!"

The boy just rolled his eyes, giving up the fight.

"I see." Said Megumi.

~~~

Megumi, Tai, and Mishou walked down the path and into town. Tai still held Mishou's hand tightly, making sure she wouldn't get separated from them in the large crowd. Megumi followed them a couple feet behind, trying to keep up. There were hundreds of dozens of citizens out today and the crowds were huge. She looked around at all the shops and buildings, full of bright colors and homey atmospheres.

"Tai, your hometown is so neat!" Megumi spoke to him.

"Uh, thanks." He answered.

"You seem so unenthusiastic; about your home, your family, and everything. If I were you, I'd be thankful for everything you've been blessed with." Megumi stated annoyingly.

"Well, I'm not you." Tai spoke angrily.

"No wonder your sisters annoy you! You deserve it, you spoiled kid!" Megumi shot back at him. "You can at least show me some respect! What did I ever do to you?!" Megumi turned in his direction, seeing he wasn't there anymore. She looked around panically, frightened a bit. "Wait! Don't leave me all alone!!!!"

She spotted Mishou and Tai across the crowds, looking at a stand full of candies. She quickly ran over to them, fuming. "Tai!!! What is your problem?!!"

"Look, I don't have time to deal with this, Miss Megumi. I'm late as it is. The guys are probably wondering what happened to me." Tai handed the merchant the change as Mishou began digging through the bag of candy. "There, are you happy?"

"Thanku!" Mishou giggled, placing a gumdrop in her mouth.

"Arrrghhh!" Megumi growled, crossing her arms. Tai grabbed Mishou's arm and dragged her along, going through the crowds again. He turned back around to Megumi, who slitted her eyes and glared at him. "Are you coming or not?" He asked her impatiently.

Megumi stuck her nose up and puffed, "Well, if you're going to be so rude about it!"

Tai rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this. You can either come or not. It's your choice." And with that, he continued his way through the crowds until he was out of sight.

"Ooooh!!!! He makes me so mad!!!!" Megumi growled.

A man's eyes overlooked the girl from the shadows of a building behind the crowd. He was barely noticed or seen except for his light hazel eyes and sketched face in the darkness. He gazed at the auburn haired girl with intense admiration, fascinated with her every move.

~~~

Megumi found herself lost, Tai and Mishou completely out of sight. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so rude to him?" She spoke to herself, "Well, he did deserve it, the spoiled brat." She stuck her nose up, trying to forget about the rude boy's comments.

She walked through the crowds aimlessly, heading directly into nowhere important. It was hopeless trying to find Tai and Mishou. "But who would want to? I hate him." Megumi growled.

The girl sighed in frustration, wanting to give up when she felt a strange feeling in the back of her head. She winced in pain and felt herself being tugged to the ground by her own body. She put a hand to the back of her head, trying to rub the pain away. "Ow, my head… Hm? What's that smell?" She thought, just as her stomach growled.

Megumi quickly stood up and looked around, seeing a small wagon to the side that had meats and fish. A tall man was unloading the crates and packages, lifting and carrying them into the shop that was nearby. She smiled brightly, practically leaping for joy.

Quickly running to the wagon, she saw that the man was still inside the shop. She didn't know whether to make an offer for the food or to grab it when he wasn't looking and run. She didn't have any Chinese currency though. And she was so hungry too.

Megumi took a big breath and cautiously and slowly walked over to the wagon. She shot a look around, to see if anyone was watching her. No one. She bit her lip, slowly reaching for a small fish. "Ooh, why didn't I just go with Tai to the fishing place?!" She screamed to herself. Megumi made up her mind, grabbed the fish and darted for it. That is, until she heard a man yelling from behind, "You, stop! Thief!"

"Thief?!" Megumi screamed inside her head. She stopped dead in her tracks, not knowing that the man was gaining on her."W-what?! …Oh no, I am!" She couldn't speak any sooner as she felt a strong hand around her wrist.

"You little brat! What do you think you're doing?!" The man growled.

Megumi squeaked, "I-I'm sorry! I was just so hungry! Please, Sir, I-"

"Oh no you don't! You got any money?" The man held her wrist tightly, making sure it hurt.

"Please, Sir! I'll give it back! Just let me go! I-I don't have any money!" Megumi squinted, trying to pull away.

"Well, then I'll just have to take it out of your hide, you miserable beggar!" He reached into his side pocket, pulling out a small dagger.

Megumi's eyes widened, "Please no! No, Sir! Please, I beg of you! …Someone, please help me!!!"

To be continued…