The Way It Was Meant To Be-Chapter 2(rating for the chapter-PG)
~Cherished Memories~
The water was cool and felt wonderful as it ran down her face. Miaka stared at herself in the mirror and wondered why she had suddenly began to feel so strange. Un-answering green eyes stared back at her and she sighed.
~What am I asking myself? Do I miss the book that much? Oh Suzaku, please hear my prayers. I just want to know if all of my friends are safe and happy...~
She turned away from the mirror and took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. She was feeling stranger by the second. Her stomach still hurt, but now she felt as if she was burning up. The water had helped for a moment, but the heat was slowly making it's way to the rest of her body. All of those sleepless nights she had recently been experiencing had finally begun to take their toll on her body. That must be it.
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The day had passed surprisingly fast. The orange sun had now begun it's descent behind the distant, snow covered mountains and the first stars sparkled shyly in the evening sky. Nuriko had spent much of that day sitting by the quiet pond, thinking of memories from the past that still haunted him. Laying in his own blood, cold yet still warm at the same time was something he would never forget. Still, it was nothing compared to his dreams of Miaka dying in front of him, and him being helpless. He was born to protect his beloved priestess, but in his dreams, he could do nothing to save her from certain death. These dreams had invaded his sleep for a long while now, and he grew tired of them. What was it that was holding him back? Why couldn't he get to her? To save her...to hold her in his arms and comfort her like he had done so many times before. Maybe that was his problem. Maybe Suzaku was punishing for the un-pure feelings he had kept hidden deep inside of him. He had sadly come to terms with his feelings. He knew they would remain unrequited, but they still had caused a war to rage in his mind and heart. He was walking silently to his room, avoiding dinner and any unwanted conversation. Sometimes it was best to be by ones self.
He entered his room, and shut the large, wooden door behind him. It shut with a loud intensity that seemed to echo into his thoughts. He knew what he must do, though he was ashamed to do it. He walked towards the bed, then sat down and crossed his legs before bowing his head respectively.
~Great Suzaku, please hear my words and grant them with your love. I am your warrior, but I believe my feelings for the priestess have betrayed you. I am in love with Miaka as a man...as Nuriko, her celestial warrior. I beg you, Suzaku, I must see her once again. I do not care what happens to me, but I must tell her how I feel. I cannot live like this, and if this wish should result in my death, I care not. I give my body and soul to you completely. Do with them as you wish, but I must see Miaka once more.~
He had said the prayer silently for fear of anyone hearing his confession. When he finished, he gently brushed violet bags from his eyes and let warm tears stream down his face. He had wanted to cry for so long now, but the tears had never come. He smiled as he felt them run across his lips.
~I am a disgrace as a warrior and a man. I couldn't even control my feelings. I fall head first in love with the first girl who showed me attention...~
The tears continued to flow freely down his face and he found himself quietly chuckling.
~...I deserve to die~
He had just lain his head onto his pillow when he heard a loud knock. He jerked up and instinctively wiped the tears from his face. Who would be knocking on his door? Everyone else should be eating right now. Without another knock, the door silently swung open. A smiling face stepped into the dark room. The door creaked shut.
"Nuriko, you may want to get up. We will be having a visitor soon, ya know." Chichiri's voice sounded high pitched and as happy as always. Nuriko found himself wishing he had a mask to cover his tear stained face.
"Great, is that stupid bandit visiting the palace again?" He attempted to sound chipper, not sure if Chichiri could see his face or not. The thought of the bandit visiting again made him feel even a little worse. He dearly loved the fiery haired, loud mouthed fellow warrior, but the last time he had visited he had talked about Miaka a lot....which had made Nuriko feel even worse.
Nuriko cringed as he heard Chichiri walk towards the bed. He would find out. Oh gods, he would see that he had been crying. What would he say? What could he say? He could never reveal his secret love for the priestess.
"You don't have to hide anything from your friends. That is the beauty of friendship, ya know." Chichiri stopped before he reached the bed and turned. He walked silently back towards the door and opened it without moving his hands. He paused momentarily before he walked out.
"And it's not Tasuki, ya know." With that, the door thudded shut once more, leaving Nuriko in silent darkness. The monk was strange, but his words had rung with a certain truth.
Nuriko grunted as he slid out of bed. He smoothed his hair and clothes then wiped his face once more. May as well humor Chichiri since he thought the arrival of this certain visitor was so important. Nuriko's all too familiar cocky attitude began to surface once more. Whoever it was, they had better be worth his time. He was in the middle of feeling very sorry for himself, and hated the fact that he had been interrupted. He sighed and walked out the door, at least it would be over soon enough, and then he could get back to what he had been doing.
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"So, Taka, what have you been into these days?" Yui stared at Taka with blatant fascination. "Miaka never tells me anything."
"Oh, I um...I've been working for an insurance company downtown. You know the tall blue building." Taka found himself turning red beneath Yui's stare. He took another sip of wine from his glass and continued. "I make good money, and I'm moving up in the business." He felt proud of himself as he saw Yui smile.
"That's good, you'll be able to buy Miaka a ring soon, won't you?" Her words hid a silent question behind them.
"I really don't think so, Yui. We have been having problems lately." A little annoyed at the thought of their recent fights, he sat the glass down with a loud thud. "She's just been acting so damn strange. I don't know what to do."
Yui acted surprised, but she felt herself smile inwardly. She had never gotten over her fascination with the warrior, Tamahome, and was delighted to be spending time with his reincarnation. She kept the conversation casually flowing between them, remembering Miaka was in the restroom. Her secret smile grew. She had known Miaka would act that way when the book was mentioned. Yui knew more than anyone, even more than Miaka herself, how much Miaka had missed being there in that strange land. She felt a little bad about bringing it up, and almost went to check on her, but stopped herself. Keisuke and Testsuya had left right after Miaka, and were now drinking beer and relaxing in front of the television.
~That leaves only me and Taka, and I have so much to talk to him about. Forgive me, Miaka~
Yui had felt something when she had brought up the subject of the book with Miaka. She felt an unspoken need emanating from her. A need that screamed her time in the book wasn't over. Yui knew this from the way Miaka talked. Thier conversations together always ended with the talk of past memories. Those memories that Yui longed to forget, but she knew Miaka cherished them. Not all of the memories were bad. There was one in particular that Yui could not...no...would not erase from her mind. It was sitting in front of her.
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Miaka moaned and slid to the floor. She closed her eyes tight and clutched her stomach. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Her body was burning and her vision had begun to blur. It was almost like that first time she had been drawn into the book, only much, much worse. Tears leaked from her closed eyes and stained her cheeks. Why was she in so much pain? The heat was growing stronger, and she gave into it. She released her hold on her stomach and relaxed her body. In her mind, she saw flames dancing around a large object.
Priestess, your wish shall be granted...give yourself to me.
She knew that voice. It was Suzaku himself. Was he taking her back to the world of the book? She did as she was told and opened her mind. She felt the heat grow even more around her body, then screamed as she began to fall. She whispered one last word.
"Taka..."
{cliffhanger..bwahahaha! A big thanks to all of you who took time to write a review. Even the ones who are confused. It will all tie together eventually, baby. Hehe. Well, I will post the next chapter very soon...but I would still like a review on this one. Inspiration! As always...I do not own Fushigi Yugi. Until next time then}