Disclaimer: Please see the Prologue of Suzaku's Oracle for a blanket disclaimer.
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Warnings: Rated PG-13 or Fiction T. Language (Tasuki's a main character, what do you expect?) and adult situations.
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Notes: 7-4-14 Thus far we've seen Aneko experience seven significant dreams, visions, and premonitions. (Yes, I counted. I keep track of things like this to make sure I don't miss anything!) I think its pretty clear how important dreams and visions are going to be throughout OFG. Chichiri was quite right in chapter fourteen when he surmised that her premonitions were her power. Aneko can experience them in several ways, though most often in her sleep when her mind is most receptive to suggestion. ~Sapphire
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Oracles of the Four Gods
"Suzaku's Oracle"
By: Sapphire
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Part Nineteen ~ Nightmare Reality
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Aneko woke with a start. There was something very wrong. Her skin tingled with awareness of lurking danger. And her dream… What had it meant?
She glanced around, but both Tasuki and Chichiri were nowhere to be seen. She wished she knew where they had gone. Her dream hadn't been a normal dream by any stretch of the imagination, and it haunted her still. Something about it reminded her of the terrifying vision she'd experienced the other day. Chichiri was fairly certain that other had been one of her premonitions. Could this be one, too?
That was a frightening thought. On the other hand, unlike the vision the other day, this one had occurred in a place she knew: right here in the Imperial Palace. If it had been a vision, then someone was going to die. Quickly getting to her feet, slipping on her shoes, Aneko headed for the palace pavilions, just as she had in the dream.
Making her way hastily though the park to the formal gardens, Aneko felt the urge to hurry. As she reached the pavilions, she began to run, pushed on by the growing fear inside her. As she rounded a corner, she felt an ominous presence ahead. It gave her chills, but she ran toward it. A door at the far end of the corridor struck her as familiar, though she knew she'd never been in this part of the palace before. The door had been left slightly ajar.
"Odd," she thought, "the doors in this place are always shut, no matter if the rooms are empty or occupied." Hurrying over, she peered inside. A massive, hulking man with blond hair, dressed in a dark cloak, was standing over a small, frightened child. Glinting in the light streaming through a window was a sharp, jagged, deadly looking dagger in his hand. The man suddenly raised the dagger, prepared to strike at the child.
"No!" Aneko shouted as she pushed through the door and lunged at the man, latching her right hand onto the thick wrist that held the weapon. The man turned on her and shook her loose, sending her roughly back into the wall to his side. Aneko hit hard and fell to the floor, stunned by the impact. She watched as the man turned on the child. The child, a little boy, was terrified. With a fierce determination, Aneko rose and threw herself upon the man again, thwarting him once more from harming the boy.
With a grunt, the man grabbed Aneko's shoulder and plucked her off of him. He glared at her through two slits for eyes. His stare frightened Aneko more than any dagger could. Suddenly, a yellowish glow surrounded the blond giant. Without warning, a rope of strange yellow energy lashed out at her, winding around her, encircling her body. With a flick of his eyes, the man was able to control the energy holding her captive, and she could feel it tighten around her. The glowing bands began to constrict her chest, making it hard to breathe. Tighter and tighter, the energy was slowly crushing her. Aneko watched helplessly as the man turned toward the child once more.
"No!" Aneko managed to call out with a gasping breath. "Leave the boy alone!" With those words, Aneko felt the comforting warmth of Suzaku's presence begin to burn inside her. She welcomed it readily, trusting Suzaku to help her. The skin on the upper left side of her chest was tingling, and it was impossible to miss the bright red glow through the light fabric of her white blouse. Aneko was surprised, but only for a moment. A presence, not Suzaku and not herself, but another, seemed to be with her. It was reassuring, and filled her with confidence. Aneko felt strong, so much stronger than she ever had before. With a yell, Aneko broke free of the constrictive bands of yellow energy. Without hesitating, she ran toward the boy, following the perimeter of the room.
She barely noticed two bright flashes out of the corner of her eye before she felt her body wracked with pain. Her blue eyes darted to the man and saw two more flashes flying at her from the man's hand. They felt like high voltage electricity as one hit her in the shoulder, and the other caught her side. She fell to the floor, stunned.
The man, determined to carry through with his deadly intentions, turned from her. The boy whimpered pitifully in fear. The sound cut to Aneko's heart. He was just a child. She couldn't allow herself to give up and resolved she would save him, even if she died trying. Forcing herself to keep moving, she got up off the floor. Then, it was as if she were another person entirely as she stepped forward toward the giant man.
"Get away from that boy," Aneko demanded forcefully, the words coming from someone other than her. It was a little startling, but she didn't have time to think about that. She took another step closer. The massive brute spun, facing her with glaring rage. "I said, get away from him." She took another step toward him. The man's eyes glowed yellow, his face was twisted and distorted, appearing inhuman. He stood his ground, obviously not seeing her as a worthy threat.
"A dangerous mistake to make," the thought, not her own, flitted across her mind as she took another step. A flash was sent flying at her. Her body dodged out of the way as if it moved of it's own accord. Blood pounding in her ears, she felt herself lunge at the man, grabbing hold of the dagger's handle, and wrenching it from the mammoth hand. Her adversary turned, trying to throw her off, but she clung tight. With a swift motion, she raised the dagger above him and forced the blade downward, sinking it into his thick neck. A surge of power shot through the steel blade, searing up Aneko's arm and throwing her backward with the intensity of the jolt.
Aneko forced her eyes open, despite the blackness trying to drag her down into unconsciousness. The small boy was huddled along the wall beside her, leaning into her side where she sat hunched against the wall. He was clinging to her desperately, knowing she was trying to protect him. Somehow Aneko found strength in the small boy's dependence upon her and she shakily rose to her feet and took an unsteady step forward. The boy latched onto her leg, trying to hide himself behind her.
"Don't give up! We're not beaten, yet," the thought, almost a voice, came to her mind. It was reassuring, that voice. Aneko's eyes followed the monster intent on murder, watching as he slowly raised both his hands and held them out before him. A wide swath of the yellow electricity shot toward Aneko. She crossed her arms in front of her defensively just as she was hit by the blast. The force of it pushed her backward, though she tried to hold her ground, until she was pinned up against the solid stone wall. The intensity of the steady current held her there and the boy, still clinging to her, was trapped by her own body. The yellow glint of the assassin's eyes told her they were both about to die.
"Nooo!" Aneko shouted as she felt the electricity sapping the foreign strength and Suzaku's power both. "Help! Someone!"
"Aneko!" Out of nowhere Tasuki and Chichiri burst through a second set of doors leading from the pavilion's courtyard. The bright light of day silhouetted the dark shadows of their forms.
"Tasuki! Chichiri! Help me!" Aneko begged, feeling the intensity of the yellow electricity increase. Time was running out.
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To be continued…
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End Note: Aneko has always been an active dreamer (the other oracles as well). Most of her dreams (and those of the other oracles) tend to rehash her own experiences. This is a weak manifestation of her power, though unnoticed because it's normal for people to dream about things they've experienced. Other weak manifestations go unnoticed, explained away as intuition, instinct, or even dejá vu. ~Sapphire
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