Pure Snow

Umm...well so i realized what a meanie i was to leave this story hanging when i had like one chapter left

to write, so i decided i might as well finish it for peace of mind. :] thanks for all the encouraging, often

threatening reviews reminding me to get my ass in gear. luv ya guys. Sorry if there are any inconsistancies in

this story but I haven't even read my own story in like more than a year. Oh yea and I know i did write a few

chapters back that Miaka and Hotohori were planning a visit..uhh..yea..forget about that ;

major thanks to:

Uh-Oh

Shadow Nightress

Bunnychan

unspoiledrini

SweetKawaiiAngel

Shikai-sama

Azure Angel Venus

Mary Bachiu

Sailor Star Scream

lalu

Bluejello

woah

Serenity Raye

Lilmakochan

Chibi Chibi

Z.Z Zarah

Squirrel

Thanks for the threats. This chapter's for you.

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"Usagi!" Tasuki called out in the debris, fighting the urge to cough from the particles of dust that invaded

his lungs. His eyes strained to cut through the curtain of dirt thrown up in the air. He struggled to free

his leg from the piece of brick pinning it to the ground. He finally threw it off but not without leaving

a wide gash down his left thigh. Ignoring the stinging pain, he stumbled up and began his search. "Usagi!" he

screamed again. He opened his mouth to scream again when suddenly a blast of ki caught him by his left side,

and he was sent hurdling through the air.

He landed awkwardly on his right side, but luckily remembered to keep his head up so it did not strike the ground.

When his vision cleared, he looked up to see Nakago glowering above him, but what captivated his attention the

most was the package Nakago had in his arms. Usagi laid there, blood trickling from her forehead, but luckily

looked safe enough. "Usa-" he started to breathe, but Nakago delivered a swift kick to his ribs.

"Nobody ever steals my key to immortality," Nakago said steelily before commencing an all out assault.

Tasuki tried his best to ward off the swift kicks, but found himself overwhelmed by the sheer power and

speed of them.

Usagi..he had to save Usagi from the arms of this monster, but he could not extract himself

from the rain of blows Nakago delivered. Power...if only he could have the power. His eyes moistened, not

from the pain his body was undergoing, but rather from the frustration that he lacked the power to save

the woman he had come to like, no, love, he realized. She caused things in him, changes, that he had not

thought possible. Despite the troubles she caused, she gave his life a completeness he had never had before.

He couldn't give that up to anyone, especially someone as undeserving as Nakago. 'Suzaku...please give me the

power..' he pleaded, 'please..it doesn't matter what the cost is. I need to complete this task.'

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'Suzaku...please give me the power..please..it doesn't matter what the cost is. I need to complete this task.'

Nuriko looked up from his task of applying make-up.

Chiriko put down the scrolls he was laboring over.

Tamahome stopped his fighting training.

Mitsukake halted while wrapping a bandage around the wound of a patient.

Hotohori faltered mid-speech in a meeting with his council members.

Chichiri broke the incantation he was chanting.

Miaka put down the roasted leg of cow she was about to sink her teeth into.

Altogether, the servants of Suzaku heard the desperate prayer of their comrade. Altogether they halted their

activities and struggled to channel their power to their friend in hopes of lifting him from his bind.

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Tasuki began to feel their power coursing through him, the power of Suzaku. He grinned, and gave them a whisper

of thanks before unleashing a surge of Ki that blew Nakago back. Nakago seeing the Suzaku seishi was now a

threat, put down his package. He would not come all this way to have his precious key to immortality damaged

by a simple fight with this insignificant flea. True, he had gained some power but Nakago would soon crush him

and be on his way home.

"Nakago, I don't know why you came here, but there's no way you're leaving with Usagi, at least not on my watch,"

Tasuki growled, "I'll kill you like I should've killed you before you had the chance to lay one dirty finger on her."

Nakago smirked. "We'll see about that. You might've gained a bit more power from your pathetic little friends,

but I will show you your power is still nothing compared to mine."

Gritting his teeth, Tasuki realized his tessen was useless with Usagi so close to Nakago. He might hit her if he

wasn't careful. "Let's take this outside the village," Tasuki proposed.

Nakago stared at him before delivering a sinister laugh. In instant, Nakago was on him delivering vicious punches

and kicks which Tasuki even with his increased speed and power could only partially block. After giving Tasuki

a final kick which although blocked slid him several feet away Nakago chuckled again. "This environment is quite

suitable for me, however. I am as adept in short distance fighting as I am in long distance although I supposed the

same could not be said of you. No enemy, accommodates another enemies wishes for their convenience, you naive fool."

He charged again, his hand glowing with the ki he gathered there. His eyes widened in shock as he felt flames and

the combined ki of the Suzaku shichi seishi piercing a hole through his stomach. Tasuki had readied his tessen

behind his back for Nakago's next attack and had pulled it out as soon as he was in close enough range so that

none of the flames would escape to where Usagi lay. This range however was also close enough to have allowed

Nakago to drive his fist through Tasuki's chest. "You.." Nakago breathed in shock, "you.." Finally, Nakago fell

forward, emptied of life.

Tasuki satisfied that Nakago was dead, fell back as well. Staring up at the blue sky, almost as blue as Usagi's

eyes, imaged flashed in his mind. He thought of the life he had had before Usagi, the life he had with her, and

the life he had so wished he could live with her in the future. He closed his eyes and let himself dream. On their

future together, on their children, on their house, on how they would age together, and he breathed his last breath

with a smile on his face.

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'Usagi..' Usagi thought she heard someone whisper her name. She woke up with a start. "Tasuki?" Where was she? She

had been in the restaurant..he had proposed to her..and then..? She scanned around her but saw only the remains

of what had been the restaurant. Suddenly a feeling of dread entered her, settling itself as a heavy lump in her

stomach. She could see dark figures on the ground yards away. It couldn't be...it couldn't be...but as she willed

those figures to be a figment of her imagination, a wind picked up clearing the air a bit, but enough for her to

see that it truly was. Nakago had come for her. And now he and Tasuki lay on their own blood dead. She could feel no

life force from either one of them. Tears flooded her eyes. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. No, this was

impossible. Tasuki wasn't dead. He must just be resting. But the lack of life force screamed at her otherwise.

But..surely there was a way to change it. There was always a way to change it. Standing up, she walked over to him.

Her handsome Tasuki. Even in death covered by blood and wounds he was indescribably lovely. She knelt down by him and

brushing his unruly red hair from his closed eyes, she gave him a final kiss tasting the blood on his lips. His lips

were cold at first, but she kissed them until they had become warm with her own body heat. And she knew what she had

to do. "Pluto, I have a request to make."

"Princess, I'm so sorry. This future was not clear to me. I did not know it would turn out this way," Pluto's

voice responded.

"No," Usagi replied. "It's alright. At least, I want you to make it alright. I need for you to reverse time

and make it so that none of this happened."

"But, princess, it will be like none of this ever happened. No one will remember anything including yourself. Besides

it is against the rul-!"

"If you don't I'll kill myself, I swear I will!" Usagi suddenly burst of viciously. Calming down, she plead again, "Please.

What are rules if they're not meant to be broken?" She offered a timid smile.

"..I understand. I shall make it so."

As Usagi felt her body dematerializing from his world, she laid down next to the body of her dead lover and

whispered in her ear, "If things had been different, I would have loved to spend the rest of my life with you, Tasuki."

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'If things had been different, I would have loved to spend the rest of my life with you, Tasuki.' Tasuki sprang

up from his sleep as he felt like those words were whispered in his ear. Where had that come from?!?! he wondered.

Well no time to worry about silly dreams. In the morning he had to get back his title as leader of the Mt. Reikaku

bandits, and for now it was time to get his badly needed rest.

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Usagi stood alone in the park. This had been the place, she had been attacked by the monster, 'saved' by Nakago,

and taken to his world. This had been where it all had started, and now this is where it all will end. Slowly

she felt all her memories of the event fading away. Instead of struggling to grasp the fleeting memories, she

let them ebb from her. Where was she going? Oh yea, Rei had told her to keep safe and in crowded places. She was

going to the mall...of course she couldn't help it if she bought a couple things here and there, since she was at

the mall already.

Usagi grinned and raised her eyes up to the sky. It was a shock of clear blue with only wisps of clouds lazily

dragging themselves along. It was a beautiful day out, but what was this sense of loss that pervaded her soul?

Well, nothing to patch up emptiness like a shopping trip. Her mind nagged her that a simple shopping trip might

not do the trick, but she pushed it to the depths of her unconsciousness and pulled out her wallet to check her

money supply.

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Pooie! Fanfiction.net gets rid of astericks..if anyone knows how to overcome this problem. I would love to know ;)