Chapter 12: Introductions
(This chapter is dedicated to otaku-no-miko, for being such a great reviewer. Thanks for the names!!! Now, I'm spoilt for choice!!! Anyway, for the rest of you readers, do not despair!!! For, I will be dedicating chapters to each and everyone of you!!! And this chapter goes to lucky Kristen!!! Note: All are picked at random.)
Hikari:
I sighed as I looked out of the window. Another bad dream... After the 'Tasuki and Amiboshi' incident a couple of hours ago, I tried to get some rest. It was useless. I had the nightmare about Ling's family. Again. It just doesn't end...
I laid my head on the soft pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling. My limbs were spread out like a starfish.
'Everything is so quiet,' I thought silently.
I closed my eyes, concentrating. Out of boredom, I decided to play a little game with myself. I tried to see if I could sense everyone's ki.
'Let me see... Nuriko, Hotohori, Tamahome, Amiboshi...'
Suddenly, I jolted up from my carefree position.
'What the...'
For some strange reason, I could feel an unknown life force. An evil one too... But I didn't know what it was. I hurriedly got out of bed and left the room, searching for Chichiri.
Chichiri:
"Mitsukake? You sure you want to stay up? You can go to sleep first. I'll watch after the kids you know. Besides, apart from a few scratches, they're perfectly fine," I said as a stroke a little brunette's hair.
"It's okay. Besides, these kids might have nightmares... Chichiri? What's the matter?" Mitsukake asked worriedly.
"I... There's another presence..." I scanning the room frantically. "Wait here and look after the kids!" I instructed him and bolted out of the room. That presence must be after Miaka!!!
Suboshi:
I yawned. 'What does that blonde bastard want now?!' I cursed silently. It was in the middle of the night and here he was, calling for an urgent meeting. On my way to the meeting room, I bumped into Soi.
"Hey, I thought you and Nakago should be doing that 'thing' at this hour..." I joked. Soi shot me a dirty look. I smirked looking at her clothing. It was just a normal plain night gown. Okay, it wasn't really normal. It was...
"What are you staring at?!" Soi demanded.
I blushed and turned away. The night gown was EXTREMELY translucent!!! Gosh, I could see her boobs!!! They were so big... I snorted. Lady Yui won't be caught dead wearing that! At least I think so...
I followed Soi, allowing her to lead the way to the meeting room. All the Seiryuu seishis were there, except for Amiboshi. I grabbed an empty chair and sat on it. The last person to enter was Lady Yui.
"What's all the fuss about?!" Yui demanded, irritated at being woken up in the middle of the night.
I gulped as she took the seat next to me. "Lady... Yui?" I stammered.
"Nani?!"
"Nothing!!!" I blushed furiously. Yui wore nothing other than the short white blouse and her underwear. The top buttons were undone.
Okay... Maybe I was wrong... Demo, Lady Yui shouldn't expose herself too much!!! It's dangerous!!! Especially with the emperor around...
"SUBOSHI!!!" Nakago's loud voice boomed throughout the room.
I was snapped out of my daydreams. "What?" I snapped at Nakago. I knew Amiboshi would have scolded me if I did that but hey, he's not here was he?
Nakago cleared his throat. "Well, since I've gotten everyone's attention, I would like to introduce a 'lovely' lady who will be joining us from now on. You will be obeying her orders as well as mine. In fact, she's currently with us right now..."
I looked around confused. There was no one besides the seishis and Lady Yui. Was Nakago out of his mind?
Yui:
I looked around. There was no one.
'I definitely don't have time for jokes!' I thought angrily. 'Here I am, deprived of my sleep and Nakago wasting my precious time!'
I folded my arms, not noticing that MY shadow was slowing creeping up my legs.
'Something is tickling my feet!' I was getting more and more irritated by the minute. I looked down and screamed.
MY shadow was now advancing upwards, covering me in its darkness. Half of me was missing, no, covered by my own shadow!
"Lady Yui!" Suboshi cried out. He struggled in his chair. He was acting as if he was tied to the chair.
I shot a look at Nakago. "Nakago! Unhand me now!" I ordered. I screamed even more as the shadow moved up and up... What was going on?! At this rate, I'll be covered in my own shadow!!! I looked desperately at my seishis, but no one came forward to help me. No one... It was like at that time when I was...
Raped.
"Hanase!!! Help me, now!!!"
No one moved.
Are all my seishis, destined to protect me, leaving me behind now? Why?! Why won't they help me?! Why won't anyone move?! What was going on?!
'Why isn't Miaka helping?' a deep seductive voice whispered in my ear. I froze. Who, no, what was that? Was it...
Masaka!
My own shadow is talking to me?
'Why?' my shadow asked again.
I struggled to think of an answer. My mind was blank. All I could think of was to escape the clutches of my shadow, which now had stopped advancing upwards. Only my neck and head were visible. The rest were underneath the shadow.
'Is it because she is cuddling up with her beloved Tamahome?' the shadow asked.
'Tsk, tsk... I pity you. The friends you have... Sad little miko... All alone...'
Rage and hatred filled me. I felt hot. No, it wasn't hot in the room but I was hot, filled with a burning desire to drown Miaka in a pool of her own blood. See her die in my arms, tortured, die a slow painful death.
Die, die, die, die....
I gasped as my shadow detached itself from me and began to materialize.
The seishis, except for Nakago, all collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. It was as if they were being strangled and glued to the chair by an unknown force for the past minute.
I looked at the black hooded figure standing before me.
IT laughed, it's voice crackling.
"Nakago chose his miko well. Fit enough to summon HIM. So easily agitated," IT said evilly. " Filled with hatred, I love it! Seiryuu no miko, Yui, it's a pleasure to be working with you!" IT laughed again.
Two pale hands shot out from underneath the black cloak. The hands removed the hood to reveal a pale looking woman. She had long black hair and wore a gold head band with ancient carvings on it. Her lips were red, dark red, like blood. Her nails were long and painted black.
"Who are you? How do you know about me?" I demanded.
The lady smirk. "Watashi wa....."
Meanwhile, at the Konan palace, the Suzaku seishis were having troubles of their own.
Hikari:
I had just bumped into Chichiri a few minutes ago. We both went up to the third storey, where all the bedrooms were. Hotohori, whom we met along the way, joined us as well.
"Chichiri? Does it seems to you that we're not moving at all?" I asked.
"Nani? What do you mean?" Chichiri asked bewildered.
"As in, how many flights of stairs have we climbed?" I asked panting. I was getting tired from all that running.
"Anou... Ten?"
"Right. And what storey are the bedrooms located?"
"Third, why do you ask?" Hotohori replied as he wiped beads of sweat off his forehead.
"How many flights of stairs should we be climbing?"
"Six?"
Realisation dawned.
"You mean we're running up and down in circles? How is that possible? An endless flight of stairs?!" Hotohori exclaimed, irritated.
I nodded.
"Listen, let's just retrace back our steps... What happened to the stairs?" Chichiri asked timidly as he pointed to the flight of stairs behind us.
"The stairs... Is it me or has it gotten longer?"
"This must be a joke!!! Stairs don't stretch!!!" Hotohori exclaimed. To prove it, he began walking downwards. But for some strange reason, no matter how many steps he walked, he still remained the same distance from us.
"What is going on?" Chichiri asked as he looked at me worriedly.
All three of us stared at each other. Just then, a scream filled the air. It sounded like...
"YUKIKO!!!"
The three of us rushed down the stairs. Strangely, no matter how fast we were or how much distance we covered, we never reached to the bottom of the stairs.
Frustrated, Hotohori pulled out his sword. "Stand back," he ordered. Hotohori slashed a nearby wall. To everyone's amazement, there was another layer of wall just underneath it.
"Gee, I didn't know palace walls are that thick," I commented.
"They aren't!" Hotohori slashed another wall, only to reveal another layer beneath it.
What was going on???
Miaka:
I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. I stood rooted to the spot as fear filled me. Hotohori darted out his tongue. Tamahome took a step closer. No matter what I tried, my feet refused to budge. 'Someone help me!!!' my mind screamed.
"Suzaku no miko, Miaka... It's your turn!!!" cackled Tamahome as he wrapped his tongue around my neck. His grip got tighter and tighter.
"Can't... Breathe..." I gasped for air. Placing my hands on his slippery wet tongue, I tried with all my strength to remove it. But all my efforts were in vain.
Just when all was lost, Yukiko came along. She froze when she saw me. Then, she opened her mouth to scream.
"Yuki... Ko... Go... Get help!!!" I screamed at her. But Yukiko didn't move. She just stood there, her mouth hanging in the air.
"Nani? Why... What are you?!" Yukiko asked as she took several steps back.
Hotohori turned to face her, sniffing the air. "Ah... Sweet scent of a woman... Stained and dirty.... That's what makes blood even thicker..." Hotohori smacked his lips, looking lustfully at Yukiko.
"No... Don't!!!" Yukiko whimpered as Hotohori pushed her and pinned her to the floor.
Meanwhile, back in Kutou, Nakago continued his meeting with the Seiryuu seishis.
Soi:
Smirking, the lady revealed her identity. "Watashi wa Motoki. I am the powerful sorceress who came from a far away place. I have made a deal with Nakago. I will be helping you on your quest to defeat the Suzaku seishis. In return, I want..."
I held my breath as I waited for her to continue her sentence.
"Hikari."
Nuriko:
I yawned. Usually, 'playing' with Tamahome and Tasuki, (as in beating the crap out of them) was fun. But tonight... Something seemed wrong. It was as if guilt was tugging at the strings of my heart. There was something I needed to know urgently. But I just couldn't figure it out. What was it that was disturbing me tonight?
"Hey Nuri..." began Tasuki when I punched him in the face.
"Don't scare me like that baka!!!" I shouted at him. Somewhere in the background, Tamahome laughed. I smiled, seeing Tamahome laughing and smiling again. I meant, it was hard on him... His family being killed in front of him and all... Although it was late in the night, I found both of them drinking sake in Tasuki's room and decided to join them.
"Oh, that reminds me..." Tamahome said as he tried to control his laughing. "I need to ask Hikari and Amiboshi... On why they were at my house this morning..." Tamahome burst out laughing again due to drinking too much sake. Thank Suzaku I only drank two cups so far unlike the both of them, gulping down pitchers of sake one after another.
"Hhmmm? Hikari and Amiboshi you say? I thought Amiboshi wasn't allowed to go out?" I asked thoughtfully.
Tasuki nodded vigorously.
"What do you mean by that anyway?" Tasuki asked, his speech slurred.
"Oh," Tamahome cleared his throat. "Hikari... And Amiboshi... My dad," Tamahome began to sob. "Said that both of them came to my house this morning to inform him of his arrival to the palace. And, he said that a Seiryuu seishi attacked them but Hikari saved everyone...." Tamahome was crying like a little child now.
Grinning, Tasuki walked over holding his iron fan.
'WHACK!!!!!!'
"What cha do that for baka?!" Tamahome shouted rudely at Tasuki whose face was now as red as a tomato from all that drinking and laughing.
"Awww... Cheer up, Tama!" Tasuki burst out laughing upon seeing the large bruise on Tamahome's forehead.
I stood up.
"Where are you going?" Tasuki asked me.
"To find Hikari. I've got a bad feeling about this..." With that, I left the room.
Narrator:
Somewhere in Konan, a little thirteen year old brunette was looking at the stars.
"Oh no... This can't be good..." Shaking his head, the brunette walked over to his large shelf filled with countless of scrolls. Pulling out a long old scroll he looked at it in distress.
"So I'm right. The stars are really showing a bad sign... About the Suzaku no miko... She must be in danger!!!" He hurriedly left the room. Grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling a note with his paintbrush, he ran to the stables. He walked towards a small pony, the only animal that he knew how to ride. Slowly guiding it out of the stable, he couldn't help but to glance at the stars again. Stars were never wrong. And he wasn't wrong in his reading too. Something bad was going to happen.
Silently praying that Suzaku would look after him and his family, he bid his mother farewell, he climbed on his little brown pony and galloped away, heading towards the capital, where the palace was located.
Narrator:
An old frail woman woke up from her sleep. She knew she felt something. Glancing out of the window from her bed, she saw a thirteen year old brunette galloping away on his beloved pony. She was sure that she heard him biding him farewell. Mothers were sensitive to their children. She not only heard it, she felt it.
Placing her skinny hand over her heart, she prayed to the great Suzaku for protection over her little boy. A tiny drop of tear rolled down her cheek.
"Farewell my son. May Suzaku bless you as you fulfil your destiny as a seishi..." the woman whispered softly for she knew that his chances of survival in fulfilling his destiny as a seishi were slim. Too slim in fact. He was too young, not even of proper age. He just had to go...
"Take care... I'll be waiting for your return..."
"Suzaku seishi..." She closed her eyes as an image of her youngest son filled her mind.
"Chiriko..."
Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew that that was the last time she would ever get to see her son alive again.
Narrator:
Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. He knew it was not filial of him to leave his poor frail mother alone without giving her a proper goodbye. No, it wasn't right. Demo, he placed all of his trust into the hands of his older brother to take care of their mother. Wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, he focused on his destination. He had to get there in time. He just HAD to!!! There was not much time to lose.
Glancing back for the very last time, he whispered his mother's name. For some reason, he thought he heard his mother's voice. 'It must be the wind...' he thought to himself.
"Wait for me, Suzaku no miko..."
"And..."
"I love you, okaa-san..." he whispered softly, his voice barely louder than a mouse squeaking.
For some strange reason, he knew he would never get to see her face again.
Author's note: A cliffhanger!!!!!!!!
If someone paid me a dollar for ever single time I said I didn't own Fushigi Yuugi, I would be living on a resort with all the riches in the world by now.
So, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi now... But next week, vengeance will be mine!!!!!!!
BWA HA HA!!!!
Okay, enough of the crap. Firstly, I would like to thank all my readers. You guys are soooooo good to me!!!!! And, let's invite a new reviewer to the list, Cassper!!! Thank you all!!!!
And no, I won't be telling who died in the later chapters or how they die. So wait in agony my readers!!!! BWA HA HA!!!! I know I'm mean but I have to keep the air of mystery to attract more readers don't I? And, I'm sure we all know who is the little brunette boy don't we? No second guesses. So, how was his introduction? I knew Kristen wanted a good introduction for Chiriko. Such a coincidence that this chapter too is dedicated to you!!!! So tell me what you think about his introduction okay?
A point I wish to highlight: In many stories, I couldn't help to notice that Chiriko got very little parts. So, I'm trying my best not to ignore him in my story. So if I do, please do inform me!!! Arigatou minna-san!!!!!
List of Japanese words :
Okaa-san – Mother