Disclaimer: I only own Kourin, as in the currently living (but dying) one,
not Rokou's younger siblings.
Author's notes: Oh, God . . . I got Fushigi Yuugi vol. 7. . .we're almost to . . .*that* part. The equivalent of episode 33. Oh God, I don't want book eight to come out. I mean, I know it happened, I know it's inevitable. . .but for some reason, I feel like if I don't read it, Nuriko won't die, none of them will die. That they'll summon Suzaku and all live happily ever after. Nuriko will have time to get used to his newly rediscovered masculinity, Hotohori will get to raise his son, Mitsukake will become a successful doctor, Chiriko will grow up to be a great scholar. I know they'll die anyway. I need to keep reading, for them, for the characters that live But, and for myself.
Jeez, I feel so silly, getting so worked up over characters that don't even exist. But I guess that's part of the magic of Yuu Watase.
~**~
"Why must you go to Hokkan?" Rokou asked after a long silence. "What's over there that you need so badly?"
"A few months ago, a plague hit our village. Badly, and suddenly. It was like one day, everyone was fine, happy and healthy, and the next, everyone was dying. Within three weeks, it was practically a ghost town. There were maybe five people left, and they were all like me - slowly dying of something else.
"My entire family died in those weeks. My mother, my siblings, my aunts and uncles and cousins - everyone. Well, except for my father and an uncle - my father is in Hokkan, and my uncle is living comfortably somewhere in Konan, where they're both from. I don't think either of them realizes I exist.
"I always wanted to meet my father. My mother is an astrologer, so she always read my father's stars and told me how he was doing. She said he was a very good man. Now I want to find him for myself.
"What about you? Why are you traveling to Hokkan?"
"It's almost Ryuuen's twenty-ninth birthday. Ten years. . ." Rokou wiped away tears. "Ten years since I learned about his death."
Kourin looked at a loss for words. "I. . .I'm so sorry. . ."
"I miss him so much," he said tearfully. "His ghost came to visit me two years after he died, but since then. . . I just want to see him again, to be with him, to hug him! But I can't. He's dead now. . ." Then she did something he never expected: she hugged him. "What?" he gasped.
"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. "I know I'm not Ryuuen, but still. . .you need someone, I need someone. So why don't we just have each other?" Rokou didn't respond. He didn't need to. For hours, they just sat there and held each other, crying.
~**~
In the next few weeks, they traveled steadily to Mt. Black, where Nuriko lay peacefully. They acted as if that night never happened, never speaking of the words they exchanged or the events that had transpired. Everything was the same, with one exception - they now regarded each other as friends. Instead of traveling stone silent as they had been previously, they chatted and laughed.
Unfortunately, Kourin's health steadily deteriorated. Several times they had to stop because she couldn't continue. At those times, Rokou was scared - scared that she wouldn't be able to make it to her father in time, and that he would lose another person he cared about before he was ready.
~**~
Rokou was happier than he had been in a while. Mt. Black was less than a day's ride from the inn they were at, and Kourin seemed considerably healthier than she had as of late. He was telling her this animatedly as she stared tiredly into her cup.
"Rokou. . ." she said softly, interrupting his chatter.
"Yeah?"
"I think tomorrow. . .we should split up. Go our separate ways." She looked at him. "I need to find my father, and you need to get to your brother's grave. We would just drag each other down."
Rokou thought silently for a moment. "You're right," he said finally. "We can have breakfast together, then we'll leave separately." Quietly, he got up and went toward his room.
"Where are you going?" she called after him.
"I'm going to bed. Suddenly I don't feel like talking."
Once in his room, Rokou got into his bed, but was completely unable to fall asleep.
~**~
The next morning, Kourin was already waiting for him in the dining room. "Good morning," she said softly, and nodded to the plate across the table. "I ordered this for you."
"Don't you need something for yourself?" he asked her.
"No," she replied. "I'm not feeling too well. I don't know if I could keep it down."
Rokou nodded in understanding. He ate silently as she sipped water. He hadn't felt this distant from Kourin since they had first started traveling together. He didn't like it.
"Are you finished?"
"Yeah. . ."
"Then let's go."
They walked to the stables and saddled their horses, as they had every morning, minus the chatter there had been previously. Kourin mounted. . .and fell off. "Kourin!" Rokou cried. She didn't get up. Rokou ran over to her.
She cursed softly under her breath. "Shit," she said, breathing heavily. "I can't get there if I can ride." She coughed blood onto the hay-strewn floor.
Rokou paused, feeling the fear well up inside him again. *No,* he thought. *There's nothing to be frightened of. I have to help her!* Carefully, he lifted her up and placed her on his horse, then mounted behind her.
"What are you doing?" she asked wearily.
"I'm taking you to see your father," he replied.
"No. No, take me to Ryuuen," she said, and shuddered.
"But you. . ."
"Just do it!" she yelled hoarsely. She twisted around and glared so fiercely Rokou could only swallow and do as he was told.
And he did as he was told. He rode as fast as he could without knocking the girl off. He could feel her muscles spasm and her grunts of pain, and it was almost more than he could stand. Several times he was tempted to stop, to throw her off so he wouldn't have to see her, hear her, *feel* her go through this. But he couldn't do that to her.
Finally, they arrived. She rolled off the horse onto her hands and knees, vomiting blood into the snow. With a huge effort, she raised her head and looked at the grave marker.
"Father. . ." she whispered. She began to crawl towards it. Her legs gave out, but she continued to pull herself along. "Father," she cried. "I'm here. I found you." She began to sob. "I'm home." And she collapsed, unable to lift herself at all.
Rokou, who had been staring in shock, found himself and ran over to his niece. Gently, he lifted her. "Kourin," he said, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Rokou. . ." she choked, smiling slightly. "Uncle Rokou. . .thank you. I couldn't have made it without you." She coughed again, the blood gurgling in her chest. And she died.
End notes: That's it. Kourin is gone. As 11:09 PM PST, February 6, 2003, the character of Kourin has died. And it makes me sad, it truly does. Part of the reason it took me so long to write this chapter (other than my bad habits) is because I simply didn't want to do it.
Many of you are probably wondering how Nuriko has a daughter. Well, it's simple: wait until I write the next chapter and you'll find out. Yes, I am that cruel to my readers.
Author's notes: Oh, God . . . I got Fushigi Yuugi vol. 7. . .we're almost to . . .*that* part. The equivalent of episode 33. Oh God, I don't want book eight to come out. I mean, I know it happened, I know it's inevitable. . .but for some reason, I feel like if I don't read it, Nuriko won't die, none of them will die. That they'll summon Suzaku and all live happily ever after. Nuriko will have time to get used to his newly rediscovered masculinity, Hotohori will get to raise his son, Mitsukake will become a successful doctor, Chiriko will grow up to be a great scholar. I know they'll die anyway. I need to keep reading, for them, for the characters that live But, and for myself.
Jeez, I feel so silly, getting so worked up over characters that don't even exist. But I guess that's part of the magic of Yuu Watase.
~**~
"Why must you go to Hokkan?" Rokou asked after a long silence. "What's over there that you need so badly?"
"A few months ago, a plague hit our village. Badly, and suddenly. It was like one day, everyone was fine, happy and healthy, and the next, everyone was dying. Within three weeks, it was practically a ghost town. There were maybe five people left, and they were all like me - slowly dying of something else.
"My entire family died in those weeks. My mother, my siblings, my aunts and uncles and cousins - everyone. Well, except for my father and an uncle - my father is in Hokkan, and my uncle is living comfortably somewhere in Konan, where they're both from. I don't think either of them realizes I exist.
"I always wanted to meet my father. My mother is an astrologer, so she always read my father's stars and told me how he was doing. She said he was a very good man. Now I want to find him for myself.
"What about you? Why are you traveling to Hokkan?"
"It's almost Ryuuen's twenty-ninth birthday. Ten years. . ." Rokou wiped away tears. "Ten years since I learned about his death."
Kourin looked at a loss for words. "I. . .I'm so sorry. . ."
"I miss him so much," he said tearfully. "His ghost came to visit me two years after he died, but since then. . . I just want to see him again, to be with him, to hug him! But I can't. He's dead now. . ." Then she did something he never expected: she hugged him. "What?" he gasped.
"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. "I know I'm not Ryuuen, but still. . .you need someone, I need someone. So why don't we just have each other?" Rokou didn't respond. He didn't need to. For hours, they just sat there and held each other, crying.
~**~
In the next few weeks, they traveled steadily to Mt. Black, where Nuriko lay peacefully. They acted as if that night never happened, never speaking of the words they exchanged or the events that had transpired. Everything was the same, with one exception - they now regarded each other as friends. Instead of traveling stone silent as they had been previously, they chatted and laughed.
Unfortunately, Kourin's health steadily deteriorated. Several times they had to stop because she couldn't continue. At those times, Rokou was scared - scared that she wouldn't be able to make it to her father in time, and that he would lose another person he cared about before he was ready.
~**~
Rokou was happier than he had been in a while. Mt. Black was less than a day's ride from the inn they were at, and Kourin seemed considerably healthier than she had as of late. He was telling her this animatedly as she stared tiredly into her cup.
"Rokou. . ." she said softly, interrupting his chatter.
"Yeah?"
"I think tomorrow. . .we should split up. Go our separate ways." She looked at him. "I need to find my father, and you need to get to your brother's grave. We would just drag each other down."
Rokou thought silently for a moment. "You're right," he said finally. "We can have breakfast together, then we'll leave separately." Quietly, he got up and went toward his room.
"Where are you going?" she called after him.
"I'm going to bed. Suddenly I don't feel like talking."
Once in his room, Rokou got into his bed, but was completely unable to fall asleep.
~**~
The next morning, Kourin was already waiting for him in the dining room. "Good morning," she said softly, and nodded to the plate across the table. "I ordered this for you."
"Don't you need something for yourself?" he asked her.
"No," she replied. "I'm not feeling too well. I don't know if I could keep it down."
Rokou nodded in understanding. He ate silently as she sipped water. He hadn't felt this distant from Kourin since they had first started traveling together. He didn't like it.
"Are you finished?"
"Yeah. . ."
"Then let's go."
They walked to the stables and saddled their horses, as they had every morning, minus the chatter there had been previously. Kourin mounted. . .and fell off. "Kourin!" Rokou cried. She didn't get up. Rokou ran over to her.
She cursed softly under her breath. "Shit," she said, breathing heavily. "I can't get there if I can ride." She coughed blood onto the hay-strewn floor.
Rokou paused, feeling the fear well up inside him again. *No,* he thought. *There's nothing to be frightened of. I have to help her!* Carefully, he lifted her up and placed her on his horse, then mounted behind her.
"What are you doing?" she asked wearily.
"I'm taking you to see your father," he replied.
"No. No, take me to Ryuuen," she said, and shuddered.
"But you. . ."
"Just do it!" she yelled hoarsely. She twisted around and glared so fiercely Rokou could only swallow and do as he was told.
And he did as he was told. He rode as fast as he could without knocking the girl off. He could feel her muscles spasm and her grunts of pain, and it was almost more than he could stand. Several times he was tempted to stop, to throw her off so he wouldn't have to see her, hear her, *feel* her go through this. But he couldn't do that to her.
Finally, they arrived. She rolled off the horse onto her hands and knees, vomiting blood into the snow. With a huge effort, she raised her head and looked at the grave marker.
"Father. . ." she whispered. She began to crawl towards it. Her legs gave out, but she continued to pull herself along. "Father," she cried. "I'm here. I found you." She began to sob. "I'm home." And she collapsed, unable to lift herself at all.
Rokou, who had been staring in shock, found himself and ran over to his niece. Gently, he lifted her. "Kourin," he said, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Rokou. . ." she choked, smiling slightly. "Uncle Rokou. . .thank you. I couldn't have made it without you." She coughed again, the blood gurgling in her chest. And she died.
End notes: That's it. Kourin is gone. As 11:09 PM PST, February 6, 2003, the character of Kourin has died. And it makes me sad, it truly does. Part of the reason it took me so long to write this chapter (other than my bad habits) is because I simply didn't want to do it.
Many of you are probably wondering how Nuriko has a daughter. Well, it's simple: wait until I write the next chapter and you'll find out. Yes, I am that cruel to my readers.