Wow! Miaka's life may possibly be at risk! What to do? And what about Karen is she not really what she thinks she is? Again, some major spoilers to Fushigi Yuugi may be in this.
Ayashi no Fushigi Yuugi: Chapter 4"Suzaku no Miko…" Yui read. "… Was buried beneath the collapsed structure." "What?" Yui looked down at her right leg. It was bleeding. "W-what?!" Yui gasped.
"I hurt. My leg is injured. But at least I'm still alive." Miaka opened her eyes and looked up. Miaka gasped and her eyes widened.
Tamahome was above Miaka, holding up the collapsed structure.
"This can't be…" Yui was shocked. She continued to read. "Suzaku no Miko's clothes… were colorfully dyed… by the blood of her injured leg." Yui gasped. "Suzaku no Miko's experiences… I experience too."
"Hurry, remove the debris!" Hotohori shouted.
"Emperor, please stay back!"
"I can't do that!"
"Hotohori is right! We have to get Miaka and Tamahome out of there!" Karen clenched her fists. "Damn, I have to help Miaka! But…I can't let them know that I'm a Tennyo. That would just make everyone's situation more complicated and my main goal is to get my Hagoromo, but Miaka will…!" Karen's eyes widened in shock. " Wait a second! The pain, there isn't any like before… Does that mean that Miaka isn't seriously injured!?"
"The men were all knocked out before."
"There's nothing we could do."
"Hey, hey… I'll take care of it myself." Hotohori said.
"Emperor!"
"Hotohori, I'll help." Karen jumped to his side.
"Good! Now, let us hurry and remove the rubble."
Miaka looked up, sadly at Tamahome. "You can't keep this up. Stop!"
Tamahome's character started to glow red and then the glowing died down. Now, his character was more visible. "Stupid, I said I'd protect you. So, no matter what… I'll protect you." Tamahome struggled to keep the structure from crushing him and Miaka.
"Miaka! Tamahome!" Hotohori shouted from outside of the wreckage. "Oh my." Hotohori and Karen started to remove the rubble, small piece by piece.
The girl who was watching Miaka earlier from the pillar walked up. "Leave this to me please." Korin walked up behind Karen and Hotohori.
Tamahome was struggling. His strength was slowly deteriorating. "Shit. I can't hold it anymore."
The gap between Miaka and Tamahome started to become smaller.
"Ta-Tamahome." Miaka whimpered.
Suddenly, Korin lifted a large part of the collapsed roof, effortlessly. With one hand she tossed it behind her. Korin easily lifted the large pieces of debris and tossed it behind her.
Hotohori just stared at Korin with shock.
"Wow! That woman is strong! Maybe even as strong as me!" Karen smirked. "Maybe she is one of Miaka's Seishi."
Korin removed the debris that Tamahome had been holding up, freeing Tamahome and Miaka. "By golly, they're alive." Korin tossed the last of the debris behind her. "You have the devil's own luck."
Miaka stared at Korin, her eyes wide. "Who's that?"
Korin patted the dust from her sleeve.
"Are you two okay?" Hotohori asked, concerned.
"Emperor, I'm not okay." Tamahome moaned.
"Tamahome, you protected the Suzaku no Miko very well."
"Don't I get a reward?"
Miaka became angry. "It wasn't done well at all! You're my protector but if you died, then what?!"
Tamahome smiled.
"W-What?"
"I do whatever I want to do. Sooner or later, you'll have to reward me, Miaka."
Miaka blushed. "T-thank you."
"Anyway, that hurt a lot."
"Of course it did! You aren't super strong, the girl who saved you is." Karen looked at Tamahome. "You should be glad that you didn't break your back." She then smiled. "Thank you for saving Miaka."
"Tamahome… When you did that… the feeling in my heart was overwhelming." Miaka sat on the steps, watching Tamahome being tended to. "He went that far to save me. Was it because I'm Suzaku no Miko? Or…?"
Karen walked up to Korin and looked at her.
Korin tried to ignore her and looked to Hotohori.
"Are you a princess of the realm?" Hotohori asked.
"Yes."
"The power… could it be…" Hotohori looked at Korin. A red marking was on Korin, by the collar of her dress. Hotohori reached out and walked closer to Korin, so that he could see if she did have a character on her collarbone.
Korin brought her arms up, shielding her chest. "What are you doing?!"
"Uh… well… no… You have… right here." Hotohori stuttered.
Korin smiled. "Ah! You mean this?" Korin moved her collar, making the red character just below her collarbone. "My name is Korin, also known as Nuriko."
"You're one of the seven Seishi." Stated Hotohori.
Miaka ran up to Hotohori and looked at Nuriko. "The third seishi is a woman?"
"A very flat one, if you ask me…" Karen grinned.
"What did you say?" Nuriko glared at Karen.
"Nande mo ne yo. (Nothin')" Karen smiled.
"The third Seishi is a women." Miaka murmured.
Tamahome started to laugh.
Hotohori turned to Tamahome. "Tamahome, what is it that you find so amusing?"
Tamahome grinned. "No nothing."
Miaka ran over, closer to Nuriko. "It's good that it didn't take to long to find you. Thanks for helping us." Miaka held out her hand to Nuriko.
Nuriko completely ignored Miaka's friendly gesture and walked past her to Tamahome. "I wanted to help this man." Nuriko smiled and bent over, giving Tamahome a kiss on the lips.
Hotohori, Miaka, and Tamahome's eyes widened.
"No Tamahome!" Miaka cried out in shock.
"Ara she's aggressive." Karen miffed.
"Suzaku no Miko washed the blood from her clothes."
Miaka had taken off her shirt and skirt. She was holding her skirt that she just had washed. "It's finally gone. Blood is hard to remove." Miaka sighed. Miaka suddenly changed her train of thought and frowned. "Now to think of it, why did Nuriko do that to Tamahome? It pissed me off." 'But she's a Seishi of Suzaku. And to go home… I need all the Seishi. So I have to be nice to her. All right! I'll go over and see Nuriko as soon as I wash my underwear." Miaka took off her bra. Suddenly, the door swung open.
"Miaka!" Tamahome yelled.
"Ah." Miaka froze.
Tamahome looked at Miaka, realizing that she was almost completely naked and turned bright red.
"Aah! PERVERT!!!" Miaka yelled and covered herself with her arms.
"Ah, ah!" Tamahome somewhat averted his eyes. "You're wrong! All wanted was for you to hide me!" Tamahome pleaded. *DoGa!* Tamahome was laying, face downward on the floor.
"What is all this?" Karen had knocked Tamahome down by "thumping" him on the head with her right fist. "Tamahome if you wanted to see some boobs that badly, you could've just asked me and I would've flashed yah."
"Karen-chan!!" Miaka cried.
Karen held her hands up in defense. "Just a joke, a joke." Karen then turned to see Nuriko next to her.
"Oh, Miaka-san. Pardon me." The Seishi smiled. Nuriko had a strip of cloth with her that she then used to lasso Tamahome by his feet (and Tamahome is still on the floor). She smiled. "He hesitates to be alone with me." Nuriko turned to the door. "Sa. Tama-chan, let's go. Ohohohohoho." She left, dragging Tamahome behind her.
Miaka clenched her fists. "What is with that woman!?" Miaka growled.
Karen had a blank look on her face for a second and looked to the doorway and then to Miaka. "Did I miss something?"
"A Maid? You two want to serve me?" Nuriko sat looking at Miaka and Karen somewhat surprised.
"R-right." Miaka said, trying to keep a straight face.
Karen shrugged. Miaka wanted to do this, so I thought that I should help out." Karen smiled and looked at what Nuriko was sitting on. "Having fun?"
"Get off me!" Tamahome was wrapped up from his shoulder to his ankles, squirming underneath Nuriko. "No more."
"That will be fine." Nuriko stated coolly.
"I'll take care of you." Miaka frowned.
"Me too!" Karen piped in.
"There's one thing."
"Yes?"
Nuriko pulled Tamahome into a hug. "Don't disturb Tama-chan and I please."
"I wouldn't think of it." Miaka growled. Miaka and Karen stood there. Miaka thought to herself about Tamahome while Karen watched Nuriko torturing Tamahome.
"Miaka, fix my hair."
"Y-yes." Miaka started to fix Nuriko's hair.
"Miaka, isn't my hair pretty?"
"Y-yes." Miaka continued to fix Nuriko's hair.
"You hurt me! Don't tug!" Nuriko threw some water into Miaka's face.
Later on…
"Miaka, there's some dust." Nuriko pointed to the walkway. "Wipe it off." Nuriko started to walk away.
"Yes." Miaka started to wipe the floor with a rag.
"If you leave any dirt, I won't feed you."
"What about me?" Karen asked.
"You're fine." Nuriko said sharply.
"That doesn't seem to fair…" Karen said lazily. "Are you jealous that Miaka has boobs and you don't? Is that why you're making her do all the work?" Karen snickered.
Nuriko pretended not to get angry and dumped some dirt on the floor behind Miaka. "This is still dirty?"
Miaka turned around to see dirt all over the area of the floor that she just cleaned. "What are you doing!?"
Karen walked over to Miaka. "I think I pissed the Washboard Queen off."
Nuriko glared and then smiled. "Oh dear!" She cried as tossed a table at Miaka and Karen. "My hand slipped!" Nuriko turned her back to the girls before she saw if the table hit them.
Karen quickly stood in front of Miaka and caught the table with ease. Miaka was shocked.
"Tama-chan, let's leave them and go eat."
Miaka looked at Nuriko, frightened. "What a bitch she is."
Tamahome glared. "Don't tease Miaka," Tamahome scolded Nuriko.
"Tama-chan why are you angry with me?" Nuriko asked innocently.
"I…! You…!" Tamahome shouted at Nuriko. Still wrapped up tightly, he was hopping around on his feet.
Nuriko covered her mouth. "Do you hate me?" she gasped. "You hate me? Are you saying that they're better than me?"
Tamahome sweat dropped. "I didn't say that I hate you."
Karen watched with an apathetic look on her face. Miaka clenched her teeth.
"Really? You don't hate me?" Nuriko cried excitedly. "Ureshii ja (I'm happy)! Do you love me, right!?"
"I didn't say that!" Tamahome countered.
Nuriko hugged Tamahome. "Ureshiiii…iiiiihiihiiiiii!!"
"She so vain!" Miaka grabbed the table from Karen and threw it with all her might at Nuriko's head.
Nuriko saw this coming and turned so that the table hit the back of Tamahome's head instead. "That hurt!"
"Tama-chan!" Nuriko cried.
Karen blinked at Miaka, "Did you intend to hit Tamahome?"
"Grrrrrrrrrr!"
Karen sat next to Miaka. "Miaka, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Miaka said curtly.
"Don't tell me that you are upset because of Nuriko." Karen poked Miaka in the cheek with her pointing finger.
"I'm not!"
"You are."
"Not!"
"Are."
"No, I'm not!" Miaka crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.
"Well, I'm going to go to my room." Karen stood up and started to walk away. Then, she paused and turned back to look at Miaka. "Miaka do you want to comes with me?"
Miaka smiled. "No, that's ok. I want to look at the scenery a little more."
"Alright then. Ja~!" Karen jogged away, leaving Mika behind.
Miaka sat there, thinking to herself. 'Nuriko makes me so mad! She has Tamahome wrapped right around her finger! That baka!'
"Miaka!"
Miaka turned to see Tamahome, still wrapped up, crawling like a caterpillar towards her. "Tamahome!"
Tamahome unties himself and stood.
Miaka tried turned away from Tamahome. "What is it? Did Nuriko not pamper you enough?"
"I got away while she was gone."
"Good for you. You have a pretty girl to love you."
"Do you seriously mean that?" Tamahome stared at Miaka with a straight face. "Do you think I'm happy about that?"
Miaka's face saddened and hers eyes started to water. "But… But…" Miaka buried her face into her knees.
Tamahome turned and started to walk away.
Realizing that Tamahome was leaving, Miaka jerked her head around to look at him. "Tamahome!" she cried. Miaka stood to chase after him, but fell due to her injured leg.
Tamahome bent down and smiled softly. "Baka, you are putting too much stress on that leg."
"The man was worried about the cut on the Suzaku no Miko's leg. As he nursed it, his eyes were serious and bright."
"Don't move." Tamahome commanded as he wrapped her leg.
"Uh-huh."
'Miaka…' Karen looked from behind a building seeing distance from them.
"I can't believe that you let her leave!" Alec cried.
"What was I supposed to do, Alec? Tell her!? She would hate us for not telling her when it happened, for hiding this from her so long!" Shiori screamed back at her husband.
Alec's eyes widened. He drooped his shoulders in defeat and sat down on the couch, holding his head in his hands. "We lied to her for so long."
Shiori sat next to her husband and put her arm around him. "I know…"
"But what could we have done?"
"We could've told her the truth. But, even so, I don't think that she would believe us. She will just have to find out for herself." 'Karen! I love you!'
Karen gasped and clenched her chest. 'What was that? I feel restless. Is something about to happen…?'