* * * * *

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Legal Stuff: Do I own Fushigi Yuugi? Hell, I can't remember. Do I? Come on think, THINK! Oh yeah, I remember! No. No, cause if I did, I'd have, you know, the money and the fame, so...nope definitely not mine.

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Author's Note: My information on the names of the Byakko Seven and the locations of their symbols comes from "Byakko no Shijin Tenchisho" at http://garuby.com/byakko/

I suggest you take a look there; it's quite nice.

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*   *   *   *   *

In The Beginning...

A Fushigi Yuugi Prequel

By: 18th Angel

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Chapter Six

Two Warriors?

*   *   *   *   *

*   *   *   *   *

      Down the hall, Takao was still snoring quietly. In a few hours, Megumi would go wake him up and tell him what was happening. In the meantime, all she could do was hope for the best and continue reading. Suzuno hadn't found any new warriors yet, but she still had two months until Toroki became too weak to assist in summoning Byakko. Hopefully, she would have found them all by then.

      With Doulin in their group, the Priestess of Byakko and her Warriors headed south, still on the lookout for the next Celestial Warrior.

*   *   *   *   *

      "...And now Toroki has to stay in bed and he can barely move or else the poison will spread again. If we can't find the other three Warriors in two months he'll die."

      "That's awful." Doulin said. "And if he dies, you can never go home?"

      Suzuno nodded. "We need all seven Warriors to summon Byakko. For a while we thought you were Subaru, but..."

      "Sorry." Doulin said sympathetically. "I've never even heard of this Byakko. Actually, I'm kind of an atheist."

      "It's okay." Suzuno said. "I'm glad you decided to come with us anyway. You certainly made Tokaki's day."

      "What's with that guy?" Doulin asked. "Most of the time, he's the world's biggest creep. But then...he can be really sweet sometimes. I mean; he's the one who convinced me to come with you. I was...kind of rude to him when he first asked though." She sighed. "I accused him of...trying to take advantage of me, just like my boss was."

      Suzuno smiled. "I know Tokaki acts like a total pervert, but he's not as immoral as he seems. If he asked you to come with us, it's because he cares about what happens to you."

      "Yeah..."

*   *   *   *   *

      "So are you going to talk to her or not?" Tatara asked. Tokaki had been watching Doulin throughout her entire conversation with Suzuno.

      "Huh?"

      "You haven't taken your eyes off Doulin since she came down that mountain, Tokaki." Karasuki said. "We just want to know when you're actually going to talk to her. Tatara here thinks you'll do it today, but I've got money saying you don't have the guts."

      "How can you make a bet like that?" Tokaki asked. "She's a person, not some...game!" He paused. "That sentence didn't just come out of my mouth, did it?"

      "We aren't betting on Doulin." Tatara said.

      "Yeah." Karasuki agreed. "You're the game here."

      "I'm just not sure she wants me to talk to her."

      "And that's a problem for you?" Karasuki asked, somewhat surprised.

      "Yeah." Tokaki replied, sounding just as surprised as Karasuki. "For the first time in my life...yeah."

*   *   *   *   *


      Everything hurt. Toroki lay as still as possible, trying not to move. After nearly a week of trying, he had learned that the more you tried not to move, the harder it became to remain still. He heard movement next to him. Turning his head sent pain shooting through him. Opening his eyes took him to new realms of agony. But when he saw who was sitting over him, he immediately smiled as widely as he could. He refused to let Jianna know how much pain he was in; it would only upset her.

      "Hi..." He whispered. "How long have...you been here?"

      "Just a few minutes." She said. The dark circles under her eyes told a different story, but Toroki let it slide.

      "Any word...from Suzuno?" He asked.

      "Not yet." Jianna shook her head. "But I'm sure we'll hear something soon." She added quickly.

      "You don't...have to lie...to me...Jianna." He said. "I know...I'm in...a lot of...trouble."

      "No." She said. "No. You're going to be fine. They're going to cure you."

      "...Jianna..." He said. "I need to look...in the...library."

      "But you have to stay in bed."

      "This is...important...Please..."

      She nodded. "I'll find a way, I promise. If we have to, we'll bring the library to you."

*   *   *   *   *

      "Hi there."

      Doulin looked up from the dying campfire. Tokaki stood over her, his usual cocky grin plastered on his undeniably handsome face. Doulin sighed. She had been dreading this moment since she decided to follow the travelers.

      "What do you want?" She asked.

      "Just thought I'd give ya some company." He said.

      "I'd prefer to be alone." She said, trying to keep her tone civil...and failing.

      "Did I do somethin' wrong?" Tokaki asked.

      "Look." Doulin turned around to face him. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, I really am. But I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

      "And what idea is that?" He asked, plopping down next to her.

      "The idea that I'm somehow indebted to you because you helped me out."

      "It ain't like that at all." Tokaki insisted.

      "So you understand, then?" She said. "I'm not going to get 'involved' with you just because you helped me see what I had to do."

      "Of course not." Tokaki agreed. "You're gonna get 'involved' with me because of my charm, wit, and strikin' good looks."

      "I don't think so." She said, standing up.

      "Take you're time." He called after her. "I'm a patient man."

      Doulin made sure he could see her shaking her head. But she couldn't help smiling, so she kept her back turned as she left the fire circle. No need to encourage the half-wit.

*   *   *   *   *

      "Welcome to Huran, an unfashionable suburb of Sairo." Karasuki said. "Home of thieves, rouges, and other assorted scum."

      "You should work for their tourism department." Suzuno said. "Why exactly are we here?"

      "Well after our last...disappointment, I thought we might skip ahead to Amefuri, then come back to Subaru later."

      "Sounds good." Suzuno said.

      "So who's Amefuri?" Doulin asked, curious.

      "One of the Warriors of Byakko." Karasuki said. "According to the scroll, he's some kind of thief."

      "Well there's certainly plenty to choose from around here." Tatara said, moving closer to Suzuno, an action that did not go unnoticed. "We'd better be on guard."

      Tokaki smiled broadly. "Well you just take care of Suzuno, big guy." He offered Doulin his arm. "Milady, allow me to escort you through this dangerous...area..." He trailed off as Doulin brushed past him.

      Tokaki was silent for a while. "I think she's warmin' up to me." He finally said.

      "You are so far out of your league it's not even funny." Karasuki said. "It's just sad."

      "Just you watch." Tokaki said. "She's gonna fall in love with me. It's just a matter of time."

*   *   *   *   *

      Koulie was hungry. Well nothing new there. From age six, he couldn't remember a time when hunger didn't loom just over his shoulder. If not immediate hunger, then the promise that once whatever food he had managed to grab was digested, he would be hungry once again.

      Right now it was the first, and more immediate, hunger that plagued him. Normally he would have done what he usually did, make his way to the nearest restaurant and see if he could convince the cook to give him something. But after a few weeks of that routine, Koulie felt like something a bit higher class. Something that required paying, which required money.

      He didn't like stealing. When he had to, he tried to only take from people who could afford the loss. He already had just such a group of people in his sights. Three men and two women. With one exception, they all wore clean, expensive-looking clothes. The girl with the pale green hair was clad in a faded, dingy dress. If these people had a servant, then they must be loaded.

      Koulie grinned. His hand drifted absently to his neck until it rested over his mark. The symbol had been glowing faintly all day. It was a good omen. If he had to use his special skills, he knew they wouldn't fail him. Not today. All he had to do was follow the travelers and wait until they produced something valuable. Koulie hoped it wouldn't be too long. He had his heart set on crispy duck by lunchtime.

*   *   *   *   *

      "So Amefuri's a thief?" Tokaki said. "Any specific description or do we just start grabbin' shady characters and strip searchin' them?"

      "You'd like that wouldn't you?" Doulin said. She dropped her voice an octave or two, doing an over-the-top imitation of Tokaki's voice. "Attention, we's lookin' for someone! All the female thieves line up in front o' me."

      "I don't talk like that." Tokaki said. "Do I talk like that?" He looked around.

      "Um...No comment." Suzuno said.

      "To answer your question." Karasuki took the Universe of the Four Gods scroll from his pack and unrolled it. "According to the scroll, Amefuri will appear out of nowhere and take something of great value from us."

      "Well that's a great tip." Tokaki said. "Ya know, that scroll of yours is gettin' more and more useless every day."

      "Just keep an eye out for anyone trying to steal from us."

*   *   *   *   *

      Doulin dragged her feet, trying to keep up with her companions. It was too damn hot. At times, she could have sworn she actually saw the air in front of her rippling from the heat. As if a haze was rising up from the ground. The itchy, threadbare dress that had failed to keep her entirely warm in the north now kept her way too hot. And it was still itchy.

      "I don't mean to whine." She said. "But does that scroll say anything about whether we'll be inside or not when this guy steals our stuff."

      "It is a little hot out here." Suzuno said sympathetically.

      "Somehow I doubt it." Karasuki said. "But I'll see if says anything about..."

      "Anything about what?" Tatara asked.

      "Hey, what's wrong buddy?" Tokaki asked.

      "It's gone!"

      "What's gone?" Suzuno asked.

      "The Scroll! IT'S GONE!"

*   *   *   *   *

      "Too easy." Koulie whispered to himself. None of them had even noticed him. At first he had thought that their pretty servant girl had seen him, but she never said anything. Maybe he was just paranoid.

      He paused a moment to examine his prize. He had just grabbed the first thing his hand fell on in the bespectacled man's pack. Now he was a bit disappointed. It was just a scroll. A nice scroll, no doubt about that, but it wasn't even written in a language he recognized. He didn't know how much he could get for it at the local pawnshop, but it certainly wouldn't be enough for crispy duck.

      He wouldn't have heard the people yelling if it wasn't for his gift.

      "The Scroll! IT'S GONE!"

      Koulie didn't waste time wondering if they would notice him. He just ran, pushing his way through the crowd. He knew immediately that he had made a mistake. He was attracting even more attention now.

      "Damn it." He muttered, rubbing the glowing mark on his neck for luck. It looked like he would be needing his powers again.

*   *   *   *   *

      A chorus of yells arose from somewhere down the street. They all turned to see a thin, scruffy-looking man pushing his way through the crowd. In his hand was the Scroll.

      "You gotta be kiddin' me!" Tokaki groaned.

      "Well, that was easy." Karasuki said.

      As one, they took off, pushing through the crowd to catch up with the thief. Tokaki reached the man first, just as he ducked into a narrow alley. Tokaki followed, but when he rounded the corner, the thief was nowhere in sight.

      The alley ran for at least a hundred feet between two buildings. The thief couldn't have reached the other end already; and the only other exits from the alley were a few windows, the lowest of which was three stories up. The guy had to be somewhere in the alley.

      "Okay!" Tokaki called. "Fun's over! I ain't lookin' for trouble, but I can't let ya have that scroll!"

      Tokaki, it's me, Karasuki. Tokaki jumped slightly when Karasuki's voice echoed in his head. Don't talk, if you have anything to tell anyone, just think it and I'll deliver the message. For now just listen. He's right in front of you.

      Tokaki almost opened his mouth, but he caught himself just in time. Where? I don't see anything!

      I don't know. I just feel his energy in that alley with you. It's strong; he must be Amefuri.

      "Listen pal." Tokaki called. "I know you're in here. Just come out where I can see ya. I just wanna talk to ya."

      We're at the other end of the alley, Tokaki. See if you can flush him our way.

      Oh, and how am I supposed to do that? I can't even see the guy!

      I don't know. Be creative.

*   *   *   *   *

      Koulie's legs ached from staying crouched in the alley for so long. When the hell was this big dope going to give up? He obviously knew that Koulie was here, but how long could he keep looking before he got tired of not finding anything?

      "Damn it, would ya just come out here so we can deal with this like normal people?"

      Fat chance. I'm not anxious to mix it up today. Especially not with you.

      Good choice. Tokaki may look stupid, but he's got a mean left hook.

      Koulie jumped. He couldn't help it. The only voice a man was supposed to hear in his head was his own. The other man's voice ringing, not in his ears but in his mind, unnerved him to no end.

      As soon as he moved, the big guy, Tokaki, was on him. Or at least he made a move in the direction of the movement. He stopped when he saw, or rather when he didn't see, Koulie.

      "What the hell?"

      Before the words were even out of Tokaki's mouth, Koulie was off, sprinting for the opposite end of the alley. The rest of the entourage was waiting. They saw him coming but, like Tokaki, had no idea what to make of the sight before them. He grinned. Maybe he would make it out of this after all.

*   *   *   *   *

      "Get him!" Tokaki called from down the alley.

      Doulin strained her eyes. There was something moving toward them; she could almost make out the shape of a man running. But the outline she saw was blurry. And through the man's shape, she could see Tokaki, blurred and distorted.

      "GRAB HIM!" Karasuki yelled.

      Doulin made a grab, but she missed. She felt the thief's shoulder slam into her as he barreled through their human wall. She spun around in time to see the hazy shape running away. She immediately gave chase.

      "Get back here!"

*   *   *   *   *

      Koulie heard the servant girl yelling at him, but he wasn't going to stop for her any more than he would have fought that Tokaki guy. He glanced over his shoulder and realized that she was gaining on him.

      Silently, Koulie cursed his luck. He couldn't use two powers at once. In order to outrun the girl, he would have to make himself visible again.

*   *   *   *   *

      Doulin had almost caught up with the thief when suddenly she could see all of him again. It ranked among the strangest things she had ever seen. The distorted view of the road seemed to bleed away, like water beading off an aquatic bird, revealing a painfully thin man with long, stringy hair. His clothes were in even worse shape than hers. That was all she registered before the man's shape blurred again, this time from speed. He was moving so fast that his limbs actually blurred.

      Doulin put on a burst of speed, but it wasn't enough. With his new, inhuman speed, he was getting away. She couldn't run anymore, her lungs screamed for air. "Damn it!" She yelled. "JUST SLOW DOWN!" It was as if something snapped deep inside of her. Not a physical wound, it was an explosion within her soul.

      Suddenly, the voices around her dimmed in volume and began to slow down. She was still running. Dimly, some part of her mind registered that although the world around her had slowed down, she had not. The thief was now moving at near-normal speed, nothing she couldn't catch up with. In seconds, she had caught up with him. She did the best thing she could think of. Hooking one foot in front of his legs, she sent the skinny thief sprawling.

      As soon as Doulin tripped him, the thief seemed to lose his powers of speed. His fall occurred at the same speed as everything around them, dramatically slow.

      Even before the thief hit the ground, Doulin began to feel light-headed. She tried to regain her balance, but she was too weak. As she fell, she heard the sounds around her return to their normal speed. The last thing she heard was the sound of footsteps behind her.

*   *   *   *   *

      Tokaki had just made it out of the alley when the world around him suddenly ground almost to a halt. He put everything he could into running to catch up with the others, but his legs refused to move faster than tree sap in winter. Even with the dramatic slowdown, he passed Suzuno, Tatara, and Karasuki easily. Ahead of him were the mysterious thief and Doulin, both of whom were somehow moving normally.

      Doulin overtook the man and tripped him. Suddenly, she swayed slightly, as if struggling for balance. As she did, the world began to revert to normal. Tokaki managed to reach Doulin just in time to catch her as she lost consciousness.

      Tatara was the first to reach them. "Is she all right?" He asked.

      "I think she just fainted." Tokaki said. "Take care of him!"

      Tatara nodded. He grabbed the thin man and hauled him to his feet.

      "What the hell did that bitch do to me?" The man demanded.

      "HEY!" Tokaki left Doulin in the care of Suzuno and Karasuki, who had just arrived. He leaped up and grabbed the skinny thief from Tatara, slamming him against the nearest wall. "That's not how we talk about ladies, asshole! Now; I believe you have somethin' that belongs to us!" He pulled the helpless man back towards him slightly before slamming him back into the wall. "I'd like it back, please!"

      "Tokaki. Let him go."

      "Don't worry, Suzuno. I can handle this guy." Tokaki replied.

      "Will you just calm down for two seconds!" Karasuki said.

      "I just said..."

      "Tokaki, look at his neck." Suzuno said. For the first time, Tokaki noticed the white glow emanating from under the collar of the thief's shirt. He released the man, who sank back against the wall.

      "You gotta be kiddin' me."

*   *   *   *   *

      "How's Doulin?" Tatara asked.

      Suzuno shut the door to Doulin's room quietly. "Still asleep." She said. "I think she'll be okay."

      "So just one question now." Tokaki said. "What are we gonna do with him?"

      The thief sat in the center of the room, bound to a wooden chair with an assortment of thick vines.

      "I was going to let Suzuno talk to him." Karasuki said.

      Suzuno sighed and stepped up to their captive. "Um...hi." She said.

      The thief didn't respond. He simply gave her a look of pure venom.

      "Listen...I know this is going to sound strange, but...can I take a look at your neck." Suzuno said.

      "If you decided to, do you really think I could stop you?" He asked, tugging against his restraints for effect.

      "I guess not." Suzuno said. She reached over and gently pulled down the man's shirt collar. She smiled when the mark came into view. It was a Kanji all right; 'Rain Net', sitting on the right side of the man's thin neck.

      "You're Amefuri!" She exclaimed.

      "Who?"

      A collective groan went through the room. Suzuno sighed. Things would be a lot easier if at least a few of her Warriors would just 'fess up to it right from the start.

      "Isn't that your name? Or your nickname?"

      "My name is Ran Koulie. I don't have any 'nicknames'. And this..." He inclined his head toward the mark on his neck. "...is just a birthmark."

      "Yeah." Tokaki said, pushing aside his long bangs to reveal his own symbol. "This crowd knows all about 'birthmarks'."

      "What do you people want?"

*   *   *   *   *

      Koulie sat and listened while the man with blue hair and glasses explained. Koulie had heard of the Priestess of Byakko and her Warriors, of course. In fact, whenever his fortune took a good enough turn that he felt like giving thanks or, as happened more often, a bad enough turn to incite him to pray for assistance, Byakko was usually his god of choice.

      But the crew in front of him didn't fit the image of Celestial Warriors. A nerd, a muscle head, and some kind of creepy gardener. They certainly had some power, no doubt about that, but there wasn't much about them that seemed holy. And as for their 'Priestess'...well she was cute, okay beautiful. But she didn't have the regal air that one expected from a legendary Priestess. In all ways he could see, she seemed like a perfectly normal girl.

      "So what do you say?" The gardener asked. "You with us?"

      "No."

      "What?" The Priestess seemed truly devastated. "What do you mean 'no'?"

      "You don't want anything to do with me sweetheart." He said. "I am absolutely no good. Even if I didn't betray you, which isn't likely, something bad's sure to happen if you hang around me too long."

      "You wouldn't betray your Priestess." The man with the glasses said.

      "You want to bet I wouldn't. Give me a week; I'll take everything you have and leave you all tied up naked in a field somewhere. Including you, Priestess."

      The other man smiled. "No you won't." He said. "You're not that kind of person."

      "Are you sure, Karasuki?" The Priestess asked.

      "It's in his mind. He only steals to stay alive; he'd never rob us blind like that. And I don't think he'd betray us either."

      Damn! How had the man known what he was thinking? Suddenly, Koulie remembered the voice that had echoed in his head back in the alley. This guy was some kind of mind reader.

      "Well...fine." Koulie said, a little miffed that they had called his bluff. "But you still don't want me around. People don't fare well around me."

      "I'll take the risk." The Priestess said. "I need your help. Someone I care about is sick, dying. I need your help to save him."

      Koulie sighed. "You're going to regret this."

      "Trust me pal." The big guy with white hair muttered. "Some of us already do."

*   *   *   *   *

      Doulin awoke slowly. Moonlight filtered through the window. She must have been unconscious all day. She looked up and was surprised to see Tokaki sitting by her bed.

      "Hey." He said. "Welcome back."

      "Did we get the scroll back?" She asked.

      "Thanks to you." Tokaki said. "And our scruffy little friend might be hangin' around for a while too."

      "You mean?"

      "Warrior number five." He said.

      "That's wonderful." Doulin said, sitting up in bed.

      "Doulin, what did you do?" Tokaki asked.

      "I...don't know." She said. "I just...I wanted him to stop, I couldn't let him get away. And then...everything...slowed down."

      "Doulin..." Tokaki said. "Remember when I asked you about...strange marks on your body?"

      "Yeah."

      "You never did answer the question."

      She was silent. "Well...I do have...some kind of mark. It's um...here." She pointed to a spot on the side of her left breast, covered by her dress.

      "Can I send Suzuno in here to take a look?" Tokaki asked.

      Doulin was genuinely surprised. "You're not going to volunteer for the job?"

      "Nope." Tokaki grinned. "When I get a glimpse of those lovely melons, it's gonna be 'cause you want me to."

      "Keep on dreaming." Doulin said. "And send Suzuno in."

*   *   *   *   *

      Suzuno was only in the room for a minute or two. When she emerged, Doulin was with her. Both were smiling broadly.

      "Attention, everyone." Suzuno said. "I'd like you all to meet Subaru."

*   *   *   *   *

      In an unexpected turn of events, the Priestess of Byakko had found not one, but two of her Celestial Warriors. The Master of Stealth, Amefuri, and the Mistress of Time, Subaru.

      With time running out, the Priestess and her Warriors set out in search of the last Warrior, Kokie.

      Megumi sighed happily and laid the book down for a moment. This was a wonderful turn of events. There was only one Warrior still to be found. And despite what the book said, by Megumi's calculations there was plenty of time left before Toroki became too sick to summon Byakko. She rushed into the study.

      "Takao!" She cried. "They have six Warriors! They only need one more!"

      Her face fell when she saw Takao. He looked like a man who had just lost his best friend...or worse.

      "That doesn't matter now." He said. "Even if they find all seven...We can't let her summon Byakko."

*   *   *   *   *

To Be Continued

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