Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yu Watase and not me. I'm only doing this for fun so please don't sue me.
Author's notes: Hey people, I'm back! Sorry for waiting so long. The good news is that you don't have to wait for anymore updates since I've finished the story. I was going to post up ch. 16 earlier, but decided to wait until I finished writing the last chapter. What's the point in making you all wait, right? A bit of warning for this chapter though. Some of the scenes don't quite have the same sequence of events as the one you'd find in the anime. I thought I'd change it up a bit. Thanks to: chibi-ken14: So sorry for the cliffhanger. Thanks for writing another review. And I'm glad you don't think the last chapter was so sappy near the ending. Niaka: Thanks! And I totally agree with you. Tasuki is way better than Tamahome, not that I don't like the other guy, mind you. Bandit no miko: Thanks for the review and the encouragement. Glad you're enjoying the story.
Chapter 16
Mei worriedly looked at Tamahome when she and the seishis exited the tower. Mitsukake held one of the blue-haired seishi's arms for support as the latter stiffly walked out the building. She did not know the extent of Tamahome's injuries considering Tasuki had scorched him from the head down to the toes and not to mention the accidental lighting bolt she sent his way.
"I'm really sorry, Tamahome," Mei offered. "You startled us. We thought you were one of the monsters the rumors talked about."
"Ha! Serves him right," Tasuki exclaimed with a sneer. "That'll teach you to freakin' sneak up on people like that."
"I don't believe this!" Tamahome shouted angrily. "I'm the injured party here and you're blaming me! Besides, what the hell were you doing with Mei up on the tower in the first place." The seishi's angry frown was suddenly replaced with a comical expression as he remembered the scene he and the other seishis came upon moments before.
Tamahome pointed at the two and haltingly said, "Wait … you and her … you were …"
"Kissing!" chirped Chiriko with a huge grin.
"Ha! I knew there was something funny going on with you." Tamahome stopped smirking at Tasuki then turned to the green-haired girl. He sighed as he shook his head. "Mei, I thought you had better taste in men."
"Hey, watch it!" threatened the bandit.
Chichiri hurried to intercede, but found that he did not have to as Mei gently held back the hot-tempered seishi. "Come on, Tasuki. He was just kidding," she said. Mei hugged his arm and sweetly smiled up at him.
The other seishis were again in awe when they saw Tasuki blush slightly and obediently hung back as Mei had wanted.
"It's like watching rain douse a fire," commented Mitsukake quietly.
Amber eyes narrowed threateningly as Tasuki aimed a glare at his friends. But before he can voice out his warning, the group heard someone shout to catch their attention. Everyone turned towards the approaching figures and tensed when they saw their worried expressions.
"We've got trouble," Tamahome's former master said.
"Tatara's missing from Byakko's shrine," his wife added.
********
"So, this Tatara person," Meis was telling Tasuki. "Is he a Byakko seishi?"
Their group cautiously walked along one of the corridors in the temple. She, Tasuki and Tamahome had separated from the others to search the western side of the building.
"Uh-huh," Tasuki said quietly as he peered around a corner. "Come on, the coast is clear." He took Mei's hand and pulled her along. "Stay close."
"And the old guy and his wife are also Byakko seishis?"
Tamahome nodded at Mei's question.
"Didn't you know that?" the redhead asked in return.
Mei shook her head. "Uh-ah. My sister awakened me just after Byakko was summoned by their priestess, so I didn't really know who the seishis were. I probably would have sensed Byakko's power around them if I still had some of my powers. But as a mortal I can only perform spells that I've learned."
Tasuki had pulled her to a stop and looked down at her with furrowed brows. 'Did she just said had been around as long as Tatara and the others?' he asked himself silently. Outloud he said, "Just exactly how old are you, Mei?"
Mei looked taken aback for a moment. "Why? How old do I look?"
"About seventeen."
She gave him a smile. "Then that's how old I am."
"Yeah, but you just said you've been around for at least eighty or ninety years. You don't look it. I mean, just look at that old hag Taiitsukun."
"You're so silly," Mei said with a small laugh. "If goddesses aged with each passing year, then Taiitsukun would look like a corpse by now."
"Doesn't she already, though."
"Sshhh," Tamahome suddenly said. "I hear someone coming."
Tasuki placed Mei behind him as the three hid in the shadows, unnoticed as a group of monks passed by. When all was clear, they quickly ran down the hallway the men came from and cried for joy when they encountered Miaka. But not before Tasuki rescued her from being strangled by a wall statue. Mei and the redhead watched as Tamahome embraced the priestess and apologize to her. He then went on to reassure her of his undying love and devotion.
"Urgh, please," Tasuki commented. "Don't make me gag."
The blue-haired seishi glared at the bandit. "Look who's talking. Just minutes ago you were gushing over how much you loved Mei and how you would never leave her."
"I was not!" denied Tasuki, his face red. Mei was not sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.
Miaka's eyes widened when she saw the two holding hands. She rushed over to Mei, her mouth opening and closing, but no sounds came out.
"Miaka, what's wrong?" Tamahome asked in concern.
"I think she lost her voice," Mei told the seishi, while her eyes inquired the priestess if that was the case.
Miaka nodded hurriedly.
"Mei," Tasuki said. "Can you do something about it?"
"I'll try," she answered with a less confidence that Miaka did not want to hear.
The former demi-goddess concentrated on a healing spell then lifted her hand towards the priestess. Miaka's mouth opened in a silent scream as Mei's hand began to glow. Everyone was beginning to get worried when suddenly the hallway was filled with Miaka's scream. Mei withdrew her hand a smiled weakly at the other girl's narrowed eyes.
"Hee, hee… er… sorry," offered the green-haired girl.
"You could have done that with a little less pain, you know?" Miaka said in a flat tone. Then her face broke out into a big smile. "Hey it worked! I can talk again."
"So," the priestess continued slyly. "When were you gonna tell me about this?"
"About what?"
"This!" Miaka grabbed Tasuki's and Mei's entwined hands and lifted it in front of them.
The two looked at each other, both faces glowing. "Well … ah …" Mei began.
"I can't believe it! All this time and you didn't tell me that you were in love with Tasuki! I bet you told Nuriko."
"Well … he kinda already knew … on his own."
"What?!" exploded Miaka.
"Hey!" interrupted Tasuki. "Can we freakin' talk about this later. Right now we have more important thing to do."
Miaka grew serious. "That's right. Yui! She took the shinzaho of Byakko from Tatara. And he's gone after her by himself."
Everyone heard a faint sound of explosion and took off in that direction. The group followed Miaka into another hallway and abruptly stopped inside a huge chamber when they say Tatara fighting a monster.
"Yui!" Miaka called out when she spotted her friend.
A child-like monk quickly told the Seiryuu priestess to stay back. Mei looked at Yui and saw the girl hesitate, a look of concern on her face. 'She's not completely against us,' Mei thought with surprise. 'There still might be hope.'
"Yui, please don't do this," pleaded Miaka.
"Miaka …," Yui said, her voice uncertain.
"No, priestess," the floating seishi said. "Leave them to me. Go. Nakago is waiting for you to go to the rooftop."
"Who are you?" yelled Tamahome.
"I am Miboshi of the Seiryuu seven. And this will be all your resting place."
Mei did not miss the fearful tremble that ran down Yui's body. 'She doesn't want this,' she mused silently. 'Why doesn't she realize she still cares for her friend?'
"Miboshi," a new voice commanded. "Take care of them all right now. Come, Priestess."
"Nakago!"
Miboshi took advantage of the general's sudden appearance to take Tatara hostage while they were all distracted. "Stay back. One move and he dies."
The blond seishi took hold of Yui and led her towards the back wall. Again, Yui hesitated, she clearly did not want to leave Miaka. In the end the blond girl had little choice, but to follow Nakago as they disappeared through the wall.
'Maybe it's not too late,' Mei told herself, looking at the spot where Yui had gone through. 'I've got to find a way to talk to Yui and make her understand. I know I can somehow reach her.'
Mei detected movement form the corner of her eyes and saw Tatara use Miboshi to block the monster's fatal attack. The rest of the seishis chose that moment to arrive and huddled around the weakened Byakko warrior. While everyone was talking, Mei quietly slipped out of the room in search of Yui. The former demi-goddess briefly looked back and prayed that Tasuki will be safe while she try to save the Seiryuu priestess.
'Maybe I can even get back both of the shinzahos.' The encouraging thought gave her the courage to ran faster towards the rooftop.
Author's notes: I know this chapter was pretty short and uneventful, but it is important in setting up the final chapter. Well, on to the next one then ^_^.
Author's notes: Hey people, I'm back! Sorry for waiting so long. The good news is that you don't have to wait for anymore updates since I've finished the story. I was going to post up ch. 16 earlier, but decided to wait until I finished writing the last chapter. What's the point in making you all wait, right? A bit of warning for this chapter though. Some of the scenes don't quite have the same sequence of events as the one you'd find in the anime. I thought I'd change it up a bit. Thanks to: chibi-ken14: So sorry for the cliffhanger. Thanks for writing another review. And I'm glad you don't think the last chapter was so sappy near the ending. Niaka: Thanks! And I totally agree with you. Tasuki is way better than Tamahome, not that I don't like the other guy, mind you. Bandit no miko: Thanks for the review and the encouragement. Glad you're enjoying the story.
Chapter 16
Mei worriedly looked at Tamahome when she and the seishis exited the tower. Mitsukake held one of the blue-haired seishi's arms for support as the latter stiffly walked out the building. She did not know the extent of Tamahome's injuries considering Tasuki had scorched him from the head down to the toes and not to mention the accidental lighting bolt she sent his way.
"I'm really sorry, Tamahome," Mei offered. "You startled us. We thought you were one of the monsters the rumors talked about."
"Ha! Serves him right," Tasuki exclaimed with a sneer. "That'll teach you to freakin' sneak up on people like that."
"I don't believe this!" Tamahome shouted angrily. "I'm the injured party here and you're blaming me! Besides, what the hell were you doing with Mei up on the tower in the first place." The seishi's angry frown was suddenly replaced with a comical expression as he remembered the scene he and the other seishis came upon moments before.
Tamahome pointed at the two and haltingly said, "Wait … you and her … you were …"
"Kissing!" chirped Chiriko with a huge grin.
"Ha! I knew there was something funny going on with you." Tamahome stopped smirking at Tasuki then turned to the green-haired girl. He sighed as he shook his head. "Mei, I thought you had better taste in men."
"Hey, watch it!" threatened the bandit.
Chichiri hurried to intercede, but found that he did not have to as Mei gently held back the hot-tempered seishi. "Come on, Tasuki. He was just kidding," she said. Mei hugged his arm and sweetly smiled up at him.
The other seishis were again in awe when they saw Tasuki blush slightly and obediently hung back as Mei had wanted.
"It's like watching rain douse a fire," commented Mitsukake quietly.
Amber eyes narrowed threateningly as Tasuki aimed a glare at his friends. But before he can voice out his warning, the group heard someone shout to catch their attention. Everyone turned towards the approaching figures and tensed when they saw their worried expressions.
"We've got trouble," Tamahome's former master said.
"Tatara's missing from Byakko's shrine," his wife added.
********
"So, this Tatara person," Meis was telling Tasuki. "Is he a Byakko seishi?"
Their group cautiously walked along one of the corridors in the temple. She, Tasuki and Tamahome had separated from the others to search the western side of the building.
"Uh-huh," Tasuki said quietly as he peered around a corner. "Come on, the coast is clear." He took Mei's hand and pulled her along. "Stay close."
"And the old guy and his wife are also Byakko seishis?"
Tamahome nodded at Mei's question.
"Didn't you know that?" the redhead asked in return.
Mei shook her head. "Uh-ah. My sister awakened me just after Byakko was summoned by their priestess, so I didn't really know who the seishis were. I probably would have sensed Byakko's power around them if I still had some of my powers. But as a mortal I can only perform spells that I've learned."
Tasuki had pulled her to a stop and looked down at her with furrowed brows. 'Did she just said had been around as long as Tatara and the others?' he asked himself silently. Outloud he said, "Just exactly how old are you, Mei?"
Mei looked taken aback for a moment. "Why? How old do I look?"
"About seventeen."
She gave him a smile. "Then that's how old I am."
"Yeah, but you just said you've been around for at least eighty or ninety years. You don't look it. I mean, just look at that old hag Taiitsukun."
"You're so silly," Mei said with a small laugh. "If goddesses aged with each passing year, then Taiitsukun would look like a corpse by now."
"Doesn't she already, though."
"Sshhh," Tamahome suddenly said. "I hear someone coming."
Tasuki placed Mei behind him as the three hid in the shadows, unnoticed as a group of monks passed by. When all was clear, they quickly ran down the hallway the men came from and cried for joy when they encountered Miaka. But not before Tasuki rescued her from being strangled by a wall statue. Mei and the redhead watched as Tamahome embraced the priestess and apologize to her. He then went on to reassure her of his undying love and devotion.
"Urgh, please," Tasuki commented. "Don't make me gag."
The blue-haired seishi glared at the bandit. "Look who's talking. Just minutes ago you were gushing over how much you loved Mei and how you would never leave her."
"I was not!" denied Tasuki, his face red. Mei was not sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.
Miaka's eyes widened when she saw the two holding hands. She rushed over to Mei, her mouth opening and closing, but no sounds came out.
"Miaka, what's wrong?" Tamahome asked in concern.
"I think she lost her voice," Mei told the seishi, while her eyes inquired the priestess if that was the case.
Miaka nodded hurriedly.
"Mei," Tasuki said. "Can you do something about it?"
"I'll try," she answered with a less confidence that Miaka did not want to hear.
The former demi-goddess concentrated on a healing spell then lifted her hand towards the priestess. Miaka's mouth opened in a silent scream as Mei's hand began to glow. Everyone was beginning to get worried when suddenly the hallway was filled with Miaka's scream. Mei withdrew her hand a smiled weakly at the other girl's narrowed eyes.
"Hee, hee… er… sorry," offered the green-haired girl.
"You could have done that with a little less pain, you know?" Miaka said in a flat tone. Then her face broke out into a big smile. "Hey it worked! I can talk again."
"So," the priestess continued slyly. "When were you gonna tell me about this?"
"About what?"
"This!" Miaka grabbed Tasuki's and Mei's entwined hands and lifted it in front of them.
The two looked at each other, both faces glowing. "Well … ah …" Mei began.
"I can't believe it! All this time and you didn't tell me that you were in love with Tasuki! I bet you told Nuriko."
"Well … he kinda already knew … on his own."
"What?!" exploded Miaka.
"Hey!" interrupted Tasuki. "Can we freakin' talk about this later. Right now we have more important thing to do."
Miaka grew serious. "That's right. Yui! She took the shinzaho of Byakko from Tatara. And he's gone after her by himself."
Everyone heard a faint sound of explosion and took off in that direction. The group followed Miaka into another hallway and abruptly stopped inside a huge chamber when they say Tatara fighting a monster.
"Yui!" Miaka called out when she spotted her friend.
A child-like monk quickly told the Seiryuu priestess to stay back. Mei looked at Yui and saw the girl hesitate, a look of concern on her face. 'She's not completely against us,' Mei thought with surprise. 'There still might be hope.'
"Yui, please don't do this," pleaded Miaka.
"Miaka …," Yui said, her voice uncertain.
"No, priestess," the floating seishi said. "Leave them to me. Go. Nakago is waiting for you to go to the rooftop."
"Who are you?" yelled Tamahome.
"I am Miboshi of the Seiryuu seven. And this will be all your resting place."
Mei did not miss the fearful tremble that ran down Yui's body. 'She doesn't want this,' she mused silently. 'Why doesn't she realize she still cares for her friend?'
"Miboshi," a new voice commanded. "Take care of them all right now. Come, Priestess."
"Nakago!"
Miboshi took advantage of the general's sudden appearance to take Tatara hostage while they were all distracted. "Stay back. One move and he dies."
The blond seishi took hold of Yui and led her towards the back wall. Again, Yui hesitated, she clearly did not want to leave Miaka. In the end the blond girl had little choice, but to follow Nakago as they disappeared through the wall.
'Maybe it's not too late,' Mei told herself, looking at the spot where Yui had gone through. 'I've got to find a way to talk to Yui and make her understand. I know I can somehow reach her.'
Mei detected movement form the corner of her eyes and saw Tatara use Miboshi to block the monster's fatal attack. The rest of the seishis chose that moment to arrive and huddled around the weakened Byakko warrior. While everyone was talking, Mei quietly slipped out of the room in search of Yui. The former demi-goddess briefly looked back and prayed that Tasuki will be safe while she try to save the Seiryuu priestess.
'Maybe I can even get back both of the shinzahos.' The encouraging thought gave her the courage to ran faster towards the rooftop.
Author's notes: I know this chapter was pretty short and uneventful, but it is important in setting up the final chapter. Well, on to the next one then ^_^.
