A/N: warning for this chapter, if you don't like a lot of angst skip the first half, actually skip next chapter too. Come to think of it, why the hell are you reading this story at all if you hate angst? Other than that go right ahead and read. Music for this scene is, obviously, Mizu-Kagami Chichiri's serious character song. Instrumental or with lyrics version is up to you. As usual Fushigi Yuugi isn't mine but Mirai is. I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story….
I was running, running through an endless labyrinth of trees. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to get there as fast as I could. Suddenly the trees stopped and I was standing on a narrow riverbank, staring down into the water below.
"W-what?" I stammered "Why am I here? And where's Mirai?" A sudden thought hit me and I threw myself to the floor staring into the cool blue depths.
She's not…she didn't fall in again, did she? I thought in panic.
Just as I was about to dive in, the water suddenly shimmered before my eyes shifting into a face. An all too familiar face.
"Hikou!" I exclaimed in shock "How …Why are you…What…"
" I had to warn you." My best friend's soft voice told me. "I had to tell you…Kouran wanted me to tell you…" he trailed off his voice shaking with suppressed pain.
"Tell me what?" I asked urgently "What did Kou-" my voice caught on the name and my heart threatened to break all over again, but I plunged on knowing that I had very little time to hear the message my friend was delivering. "What did she want you to say?"
"She wanted me to tell you that…that the girl is in danger." Hikou said haltingly, his every word now trembling with sadness and bitter regret.
"Mirai…in danger?" I asked, still too stunned by Hikou's sudden appearance in the water to pick up on the pain in his voice.
The shadowy form of my best friend nodded. "She will die if you don't save her," he said shortly. "You must bring her to safety if you do not wish to lose her."
"How?" I cried, my words starting to get frantic "Tell me how to save her!"
"Take her to the monastery." Hikou told me "Take her and the monks there will heal her. She'll show you the way, just hurry…there isn't much time."
"I will…I promise." My eyes stung as I finally realized that this really was my best friend come to warn me. "Thank you…"
Hikou's image nodded slowly as he started to fade away. "I'm sorry, Houjun…" he whispered "I never meant to take her from you…"
"Wait!" I shouted, pressing myself flat on the ground and reaching my hand towards the water "Don't leave me again, please! Come back! We'll work it out, please, just don't leave me…" Tears were coursing openly down my face now, splashing into the rapidly vanishing image of my best friend. "Don't leave me…" My voice had become a mere whisper and I closed my eye against the pain that was flowing through me. "Not again…"
"I'm sorry," the shadow repeated, voice dark with bitter sadness "I can't. I'll tell Kouran…I'll tell her you love her and that you would have wanted to see her…"
"No! Hikou, please, I won't let you go this time!" I screamed in sheer agony "Please…"
It was too late though, the image had already faded, and I was slowly returning to consciousness.
"Hikou!" I cried out one last, despairing time. "Hikou…"
I pressed my face into the cool grass beneath my face, clenching my fists and keeping my eye shut tight, and sobbed. The tears came fast and strong as I lay there, breathing in the smell of the morning. I brought my knees to my chest and curled up into a tight little ball. He came back to warn me…after all I'd done he still came back…
"Gods, if I could only have gone with you…" I whispered brokenly "If I'd been pulled under with you…if I'd been pulled under with you, you wouldn't be alone. I'd be with you and I could see you again… I could see her again too… and- and we'd be together again…Oh gods, I miss you!" My grip tightened so much that my fingernails dug into my palms, drawing blood. I felt a tiny hand brush over my face and became aware of the soft voice telling me it was alright.
"Shh…gonna be okay." it said gently "Jus' cry it out…"
I looked up into Mirai's sympathetic green eyes and sobbed even harder. Here she was, burning with fever and all she wanted to do was make me feel better. "I miss him…" I said before I could stop myself "I miss him so much…"
"S'okay…" she repeated, brushing my bangs off my face "It'll all be right 'gain soon, kay."
I sat up with my knees under me and looked at Mirai. I took a deep breath, intending to calm myself down but I only managed to collapse into another fit of sobs, my face buried in my hands.
"Gonna be okay…" Mirai whispered soothingly "Hang on, my Houjun, be alright. Shh now…" She wrapped her good arm around my shoulders and gently kissed my left temple, right above the bandage around my eye. I lost it completely then, pulling the tiny girl into my arms and sobbing uncontrollably. " It hurts!" I cried, my voice soft and childlike now "It hurts so much, I just want to die! Oh gods, he came back to warn me…" I was crying so hard I was trembling and I felt like I would fall away into the darkness gathering at the edge of my brain if I let go of Mirai.
"Shh…gonna be alright." she continued to whisper, her small hand gently rubbing my back. "Let it out…"
I hugged the girl to me, pressing my face into her shoulder as the tears continued to run down my face like a river of grief and loss. I don't know how long I stayed like that, holding Mirai and sobbing, but I managed to calm myself down eventually and I pulled away from her. I looked into those green eyes and smiled a watery little smile.
"You really are my angel." I said weakly "Do you know that? D'you know how much I love you?"
Mirai nodded slowly. "Lots." she answered faintly "More n' the sky an' the sun an' the rain put t'gether…" With that she fell forwards onto my chest, unable to keep conscious any longer. I snapped back to reality in less than a second.
"Mirai, I'm so sorry…" I whispered, my heart racing as I thought of Hikou's warning "I didn't mean to…Oh, Suzaku, how am I going to get her to the monastery now?"
A faint red light shone over us and Mirai's eyes fluttered open. "Go that way," she said weakly "Straight through th' trees… an' then through th' village… right over th' hill…s'there…" Her eyes slid shut again and I sprang to my feet, sending a prayer of thanks to Suzaku as I ran.
A/N: well I think that's quite enough dramatics for one chapter, ne? anyways as usual tell me what you thought (or don't it's up to you guys really ~.^) no glossary today, and see you next chapter.
~Tenshi Kitsune~