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Chapter 11 – Untranslatable Dreams

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"I'm back!" Nuriko burst into the room, Nikyia right behind her. Miaka lay on a bed in Shouka's house, surrounded by Shouka, Tasuki and Hotohori.

"So what's going on here?" Nikyia joined the group.

"She's already lost her eyesight, her fever's increasing, and she can't move some of her limbs," Hotohori replied

"And no one will heal her?"
"No one can. Except maybe that dirty old man who cares for cats but not humans…"

"There is one other way, you know…" Shouka's voice was quiet.

"But can we afford it? Can we really kill Miaka?"

"Many people prefer to. A few moments of pain in death then to be revived is much less than waiting for it to come from the disease."

"But we can't kill her!"

"Its alright…" Miaka's small voice said from her bed. "It will be easier for us that way…I've still got two other seishi to find.

There was silence for a moment as the others exchanged glances. Hotohori's face proved he was deep in thought. Finally, he spoke.

"Everyone…please leave the room."

"Hotohori?"

His voice was shaking as he said his next words.

"I'm going to kill her."

Shock danced over the others faces, minus Shouka. It seemed she had figured this would happen. One by one, Nuriko, Tasuki and Shouka left the room. Nikyia hesitated, looking back at him, drawing his sword, and Miaka, lying peacefully on the bed. Nikyia rested a hand on Hotohori's shoulder. He jumped slightly.

"Nikyia?" he whispered.

"Do what's right Hotohori…" she patted his shoulder once, smiling up at him, and left. Moments after the door closed, the sound of Hotohori's sword piercing the bed, hit their ears, although rather softly.

"I don't fuckin believe it!" Tasuki shouted. It seemed he had already become used to Miaka as Nikyia looked inside.

"Good. You shouldn't." She pushed the door open to reveal Hotohori embracing Miaka, his sword imbedded just next to her on the bed.

"Those two a couple or somethin?" Tasuki muttered.

Nikyia cleared her throat, ignoring Tasuki.

"Hoto-san…You said you went to a doctor outside the village, right?"
"And the jerk wouldn't do a thing!"

"And he stole my fish! But since it was for his cat I kinda have to forgive him…"

"Always thinking about food…Hotohori, Nuriko, Tasuki. Go back and try and persuade him again. Promise him anything if he'll only come look at Miaka! Do whatever it takes to get him down here!"

"And what about you?"

"I'll stay here and take care of Miaka. If anything happens, I'll come find you."

"But– " Nuriko clapped a hand over Tasuki's mouth and proceeded to drag him out the door. "You've got no reason arguing against her, not that you had a chance of winning."

Nikyia shook her head as Miaka blinked innocently.

"Why do I wish I could have seen that?"

Nikyia smiled. "I'll have them do a dramatization of it when you're better. For now, you get some sleep."

"Yes, it should null the pain a bit, sleeping," Shouka nodded in approval. "You seem tired yourself."

Nikyia tried to stifle a yawn and failed.

"Well, I did sleep all day today and stayed up all night talking with my mother…"

"Your mother lives here? In this village?"

Nikyia nodded. Sleep was becoming unavoidable. Shouka pulled up a chair just in time for the red-haired girl to collapse into a deep sleep in it.

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Nikyia's eyes opened to her standing in a dark alley. Somehow the ivory-handled knife had found it's way to her hand. Looking around, she recognized the buildings not as ones from Ancient China, but from an unfamiliar city, certainly a big one. Slowly, robotically, she began to walk forwards, towards a single, small glowing light. As she walked, the buildings around her changed. They shrunk as the light grew, until she found herself standing in the middle of the palace gardens. However, the gardens were different. The flowers were all dead, as were the numerous soldiers that littered the ground around them. Nikyia looked back into the alleyway she had come from, then towards the palace. It was burning, but there were no screams. Frightened, she took a single step forward. A warmth swarmed around her foot, and instinctively she looked down. Blood was swirling into the hole made in the ground by her footstep. And from the blood sprouted emerald green grass. Another step, to the same effect. Wherever blood had spilled, grass, trees and flowers were growing, more beautiful than any found in Konan. In a few moments time, the soldiers had vanished beneath the soil and the gardens were whole again. Except for one area. Curiosity pulled her forward. Her hand shot up to her mouth to hold back a scream. In the area where nothing grew lay Miaka. As Nikyia's eyes trailed the circle, she found all her friends: Nuriko, Hotohori, Tamahome, Tasuki…Chichiri. All lying there, bleeding…whispering something. Her name. They were calling for her. She had to help them. But before she could move another step, a sharp, distant, cold laughter filled her ears, echoing in her mind. Her forehead was pulsating, it was going to split open. She was going to die with them. She was going-

NIKYIA!!

Nikyia's eyes snapped open. Arafae sat on her shoulder, and she could feel her face dripping with sweat.

"Ar-arafae?" Her voice was shaking as badly as she was.

You were having a nightmare, a particularly bad one it seems…

Nikyia brought her hand up to her head.

A dream…it was just a dream…
 "Miaka?"

Miaka was standing up, trying to find her way around the room.

"Miss Shouka…Miss Shouka where are you? And where do you keep your food?"

Nikyia laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Shouka-?" Nikyia blinked. The woman was sitting in a corner of the room, trembling violently.

"Keep-keep back! Both of you!!" Shouka called quietly.

Instinctively, Nikyia reached out and grabbed Miaka protectively.

"Nikyia? What's going on?"

Lucky she can't see this…Arafae was ruffling his feathers nervously. Nikyia, I'm sensing the strong presence of a demon!

"Miaka!" The door burst open to reveal Hotohori, sword at the ready.

"Hotohori?"

"Both of you get away!! Shouka's been dead for a year!!"

His words took the breath out of Nikyia. Shouka, the kind healer woman, dead? A strong hand gripping her head and Miaka's brought her back to reality.

"Good guess, but too late. These two will taste delicious."

This….isn't good…. Nikyia's eyes clenched tight as Miaka squirmed
NO KIDDING!!

YOU'RE NO HELP BIRD!!

"STOP!"

All sound in the room stopped except for heavy, unfamiliar footsteps and Shouka's breath on Nikyia's neck. Slowly her eyes opened. In the room now stood Tasuki, Nuriko and an extremely tall man.

"Shouka…" His eyes were serious as he spoke, fists clenched tight.

"Ju-an…"

Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tasuki did a double take. Nikyia was left clueless.

"I missed something…" she whispered to the hovering bird as Shouka's transformed hand left her head.

"You've been spreading this plague, haven't you?" Ju-an's voice never wavered from the tone he had used when he first entered the room. "You've become a monster-"

The last word was drowned out by a shriek from Tasuki and Nuriko and the slamming of a window.

"What the hell is going on?!" Nikyia shouted.

"How DARE you accuse me of being a monster!" Shouka seemed to be turning more demonic by the moment. "When I got the plague a year ago, you never came!! I waited…and I suffered, because I thought you would come. But you didn't! And now you dare to call me a monster! After these girls die you will too!"

Silence rebounded off the walls as these words echoed in Nikyia's mind.

Could they…these two…were they…??

"Tasuki!"

"Right!"

Hotohori and Tasuki lunged forwards, tessen and sword ready to attack.

"STOP!"

"NO!"

Nikyia and Miaka shouted together. Miaka went so far as to jump in front of Shouka. Miaka looked back at her older friend, as if requesting permission to speak. Nikyia nodded.

"You can't kill her! I'm not sure if I'm entirely right in saying this but…you loved him, didn't you?" Miaka looked back at Shouka. The demon's eyes were wide. "You died without seeing him again, and you were hurt…betrayed, sad! But you can't hurt someone because of sadness!"

Miaka's words were touching, and, it seemed, dead on. In front of their eyes Shouka's skin smoothed, and the demon marks vanished. She fell to her knees. Only Nikyia noticed the grotesque motions from Shouka's back.

"She's right…Ju-an…I was waiting for you…please…help…me…"

"LOOK OU-"

The words were interrupted as a giant being, the true demon, erupted from Shouka's back. Without a seconds notice, Nikyia wings had spread and carried her away from the demon. Miaka was not so lucky. Tentacles caught her up and lifted her into the air.

IT'S HIM! Arafae's voice echoed in her ears. THE SIXTH SEISHI! I feel it now!

"Ju-an, you can't let Miaka die! You can destroy this monster!!"

More tentacles shot out, grasping Nuriko, Tasuki, and Hotohori. Miaka was inches away from being cut in two by the demon's teeth.

"Mitsukake, the healer! Protect your priestess!!"

Nikyia's words were drowned out to the other seishi, Shouka, and Miaka. Ju-an's eyes widened as her words sunk in. The priestess of Suzaku, the seishi sent to protect her. Ju-an lowered his eyes and began to untie a bandage from his hand. Shouka smiled softly as he did so.

"Thank you Miaka…everything is going to be right." A green light began to circle Ju-an's palm.

"Goodbye…Shouka…" Nikyia whispered from her place above the bed. The green light shot at Shouka and the Shakonki demon. The demon vanished, and Miaka was lowered to the ground. Hotohori managed to catch her. Unfortunately, Nikyia was less lucky as the house, and the bed under her vanished.

WAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!! Arafae was squealing with laughter as Nikyia "Yiped" before falling the few feet to the ground.

"The house was an illusion…" Tasuki stated obviously. The ground was littered with skeletons and townsfolk.

"The plague's over…" Nikyia whispered, pulling herself to her feet.

"I still can't see!!" Miaka whined. Nikyia chuckled and looked towards Ju-an.

"I'll take care of her." The red symbol of "sorrow" was already glowing on the palm of his hand as he knelt to heal her. Miaka quite loudly noted this fact for everyone as her eyesight returned.

One more to go Father. Mitsukake is here…

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TA: not many plot twists here. Ah, well. There be a whopper next chapter! Read on! Read on! No sue! No sue! I don't own any original FY characters, ya know.