Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. I think I'm going to stop writing
these. You can just look back at the earlier chapters.
Thanks to. . .
Renee: I am not mean! It is merely a technique to keep you interested. Obviously, it's working. ::evil laugh::
Lanen: Why does everyone think that that last chapter was such a cliffhanger? Don't give Mits rabies, then he will be unhappy. Then we'll all be unhappy.
Dawn Sweetie: Thanks a lot! Nobody told me that it draws them in yet, except you of course. And I'm glad you like it.
RyogazGal: Ok, you can be a character. I wish you gave me a better description but I'll deal with it. I'm not sure if I'm doing the romance thing but if I am it's not going to be serious. I haven't decided now important they will be yet.
miLady: Again with the "left hanging!" I didn't do it on purpose this time! It was just supposed to be a little plot twist! Geesh! Well, I'm glad you think it got more interesting, that I meant to do, at least.
Author's Note: Well, I'm sorry but I fear some of you may be a bit disappointed. Most of the stuff I hinted at last chapter won't be answered for quite some time. Sorry. Also, all four character spots have been taken. Just so you know if you got one, they went to mini, Otaku Pitcher, Renee, and the last went to RyogazGal. Hopefully, none of you are disappointed. I'm guessing that they will be in chapter twenty at the earliest. I know because I'm currently writing chapter seventeen. I'm just slow at typing and hate doing it. Sorry again.
If you don't know how Yume's thoughts are going to be represented by now, than I doubt that me telling you again will help much. If you're desperate to know, read the beginning of last chapter. It's written there.
Chapter 9: Downtown Adventures!
As we were about to leave, someone knocked on my door. I opened it and sure enough, Tasuki and Tamahome were standing there. "And what do you two want? We were just on our way out, you know," I asked, growing annoyed at all these distractions.
"You're back to normal!" Tasuki exclaimed. Tamahome jabbed him in the ribs and he quickly added, "I mean, Hotohori wanted us to go with you guys. You know, to make sure that nothing happened to you."
"All right then, let's get going," Miaka answered. 'Great, now I have to deal with those two along with Miaka. I can't even bring Shiriko since he's supposed to rest. This should be fun,' I thought as I followed them out of my room.
We walked through the gates of the palace and into the town. Remarkably, Miaka wasn't talking to Tamahome. They stayed away from each other. 'I wonder if they got in a fight last night,' I wondered as I saw Tamahome watch Miaka and Tasuki talking with an envious expression. He was all the way at the back by himself so I decided to be nice (for once) and try and talk to him. "Hi Tamahome," I said cheerfully, walking towards him. "How's it going?"
"How do you think it's going, Yume? Tasuki told me that he told you about my family," he replied, giving me a mean look.
"Figures. Well, I'm sorry about your family. I'm not very good at the whole sympathy thing so I wasn't going to bring it up but since you did, guess I'm screwed," I told him. "I was only talking to you because you were back here by yourself giving Miaka and Tasuki dirty looks. I thought you might want someone to talk to but I guess you don't so I'll just leave you alone."
"No, it's ok Yume. I don't mind. I'm just a little angry and figured you were just going to try and piss me off. Sorry," he responded. He didn't sound sorry but I ignored it. No sense in provoking him. This was as close to a conversation as I've ever had with him.
"Why are you so pissed anyway?" I asked. 'Oh God! Here it comes! We're almost at a civil conversation! Don't blow it, Yume, don't blow it!'
"Well, Miaka has been ignoring me every since she talked to Taiitsu-kun this morning. I don't know why and it is starting to annoy me," he explained. 'And he's telling me this why? I thought he hated me.'
"I'll try to find out for you," I offered. He looked surprised. "Maybe it will prove to you that I'm not a complete jerk."
"Ok, thanks Yume," he replied. "You know, you aren't really that bad."
"Gee thanks. Could ya tell that to Nuriko?" I responded sarcastically. "You aren't as big of a fag as I thought you were, either. I don't know when I'll be able to ask her about it but I'll try and do it soon."
"Hey Tamahome! What are you and Yume talking about back there? Don't tell me that you're actually getting along?" Tasuki asked, looking back at us.
"Yup, for once we are," Tamahome answered.
"Why don't you guys come up here and talk to us? We're getting close to the city and I wouldn't want us to get separated," Tasuki called back to us. We caught up to them and I began to take in the sights of the place. I gasped. "Don't even say it looks like ancient China," Tasuki ordered.
"Fine, I won't. It looks like a picture of ancient China that's in my Global book," I said instead. Tasuki made a funny face and stuck his tongue out at me. I shoved him lightly.
"Children! Behave or do I have to put you in separate corners?" Tamahome asked in a fake parental sounding voice. We pretended to beat him up. Miaka laughed at us.
"Geesh, Yume. I thought Americans were more mature, yet here you are, acting just like a little kid," she commented. I stuck my tongue out at her.
"I'm just having a little fun," I sulked. "No need to use the big 'm' word on me. You can't tell me that you've never had your immature moments."
"Especially when she sees food," Tasuki joined in.
"Ok, ok. Stop flirting already," she responded. Tasuki and I got huge angry faces.
"We're not flirting!!!" we yelled in unison. Tamahome laughed at us.
"Whatever, let's look at the jewelry over here," she said, changing the subject. 'Yea you better change the subject.'
The jeweler guy had all sorts of beautiful products at his booth. There were necklaces with gorgeous gems, beaded bracelets, and so much more. What caught my eye, however, were two unique metal bracelets whose pattern seemed to match the box Taiitsu-kun gave me. "Those are beautiful. . ." I murmured, reaching for them. I stopped myself, however, and looked at the pattern. They had a complex design of blue and white, which seemed to swirl. Even in the shadow, they glowed with a radiant beauty.
"Ah, those are very special bracelets. They are said to possess magical qualities of protection awaiting one with a pure heart," the shopkeeper said in a mystical voice. 'That's probably just his sales pitch,' I thought as he pulled them out. "Would you like to try them on?"
All right, I'll admit it. I was sold. My eyes grew big. "Can I? Please?" I asked.
"Of course." He handed them to me and I carefully held them as though they were a delicate treasure. I put them on my wrist and they shined for a brief moment. "It seems as though they were made for you, miss. They look beautiful on you," the shopkeeper added, giving me yet another sales pitch.
I turned they the others, a childlike expression present on my face. "Can I get them? Please?" I asked in a childish voice. I gave them the sad puppy face. 'This always gets 'em.'
The three of them sighed at my childishness. "How much are they?" Tasuki asked in a sigh like tone.
"Twenty mon for one," the grinning shopkeeper answered.
I gave him my best, most childlike "please" look and he sighed in defeat. "Ok, we'll take them," he said handing the delighted shopkeeper the money. "Now don't say I've never done anything for you." I smiled and hugged him, watching as he blushed.
"Thanks Tasuki! You're the best!" I yelled over my shoulder as I took off for another booth.
"What a weird girl," he muttered.
"Yea but she's fun to watch," Tamahome added.
"Come on you two. Let's go find her before she gets herself in trouble," Miaka sighed, a sweat drop on her face.
Meanwhile, a few booths over, (but still within earshot), I was grinning to myself, admiring my new bracelets. 'They're so pretty. It was kind of weird when they shined. Must have been the way the light hit them. I think the shopkeeper is full of crap. There's no way that these are magical. It does make a pretty decent sales pitch, though,' I thought to myself as I looked for Miaka, Tamahome, and Tasuki. I heard what I thought was their footsteps and decided to give them a little chase. I made sure I put myself in plain view, it would be unfair not to, and used my expert "hallway" skills to maneuver my way through the crowd. I made my way into an alley off the side of the one we were in. I looked out to see if they had followed my and saw a patch of bright orange among the crowd, only a short distance away. I decided that my fun was over and turned to walk back out to the crowd. As I did so, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around and found myself face to face with a young guy, probably not much older than Tamahome. "And what do you want?" I asked, allowing a slight trace of annoyance to be present in my voice. "I do have somewhere to go, you know."
"The only place that you're going is with me," he answered. Under different circumstances, I might have considered this option. He was almost cute. But at the moment, he was just a dirty punk who needed his ass kicked.
"Let me think about it. . .hmm. . .no. Now then, if I were you, I'd let me go, now, before something unfortunate happens to you," I cautioned him. Tasuki and Tamahome should be here soon and I doubt they'd be happy. Even if they didn't get here in time, I was perfectly capable of defending myself.
"Don't tell me you're going to try and hurt me. You don't want to mess up your pretty little dress do you? Now, be a good little girl and come with me." He began to pull on my arm.
"Suit yourself." With my free arm, I jabbed him in the jaw. On impulse, he let go of my arm and grabbed his chin.
"You little bitch! You'll pay for that!" he yelled while holding his chin. I just got in a fighter stance and smirked at him. Kicking his ass should be all too easy.
He tried to grab at me, but I dodged. I landed a front kick in his stomach and when he bent over, hit him over the head. "I tired to warn you but you wouldn't listen. Maybe this will teach you not to pick on us poor, defenseless, little girls," I mocked, walking away. I found the others fairly quickly after that.
"Where've you been?" they asked.
"I was just wandering around," I answered, smiling. They looked at each other like "yea, whatever" and we started back for the palace.
Just then, the guy from the alley followed by some more of his thugs emerged from the alley and blocked our way. The one from before, obviously their leader, pointed at me. "That's the bitch from before. Let's make her pay for her rudeness, boys," he said. They laughed and another walked out to the front.
"This wench was disrespectful to our boss so we're gonna make her pay for it. Now get out of our way or you'll be sorry," he said to Tamahome and Tasuki.
"See look, you're making friends already, Yume," Tamahome teased.
"What'd you do now, Yume?" Tasuki joked. "Being rude seems to be her thing. We can't just abandon her because of it. Guess we'll just have to be punished along with her." They moved in front of me.
"Hey guys, I can take care of myself. It's Miaka that we should be protecting," I stated pushing in front of them. I didn't need their protection but I appreciated the help. We were outnumbered three to one as it was.
We gathered around Miaka to protect her as the gang advanced towards us. "Damn, Yume. What'd you do to get them so angry?" Tasuki asked as he fought off one of the more determined guys.
I kicked another one to the ground and replied, "Their boss tried to get me to go somewhere with him and wouldn't take no for an answer so I kicked his ass. What was I supposed to do?" Tasuki laughed and punched another guy.
We defeated them easily enough and resumed our journey back to the palace. I showed Miaka my bracelets, she wanted a better look, and heard Tamahome talking to Tasuki. "You aren't supposed to buy her jewelry until at least the third date."
Tasuki blushed and replied quietly, "We aren't dating! I just bought her them because she had the puppy dog eyes. They're my weakness, you know that." 'I don't think that he thinks I can hear him. I'll pretend I can't. Though I can definitely have some fun with this.' I began to plot an evil scheme.
Once we got back to the palace, I headed to my room to check on Shiriko. "Hey little buddy, you sure seem better after the rest," I said as I walked into my room. Shiriko jumped up expectantly, obviously bored and full of energy. A bowl of water and food lay next to his bed. "I wonder who left that?" I said, thinking out loud.
"I did. I hope you don't mind me coming in here like this but I wanted to check up on him and knew that you'd probably have a problem getting him food," a male voice from my doorway said.
I turned to find Mitsukake there. "You're right about the food. I don't mind this time but don't make a habit of it, ok?" He nodded.
"Shiriko should be fine if you want to take him for a walk. Just don't let him over do it. He's spirited, a lot like his owner. Well, I have to go." With that, he left. 'That Mitsukake. He's always appearing and disappearing out of nowhere. And he always leaves me something to think about as well,' I thought, grabbing my CD player, Shiriko and his leash. I needed to do some thinking and Shiriko needed to do some walking. 'It's funny how things work out like that,' I thought, leaving my room accompanied by Shiriko.
Author's Note:
Smack: And thus ends chapter nine. I hope it wasn't too disappointing.
Tasuki: Stop trying to act smart! Anyone who knows you knows that you're a moron!
Smack: ::puts head down:: You don't have to put it so bluntly! Just for that, I'm going to do something really mean to you within the next ten chapters!
Tasuki: Bring it on bitch!
Smack: ::points finger and laughs as Tasuki disappears:: Now then, let's move on to Smack's little preview of what's to come:
I stared at my pet. "He trusts you and accepts you," I said mesmerized.
Smack: That's it. Who's she talking to? What's she's talking about? You'll find out next time!
Thanks to. . .
Renee: I am not mean! It is merely a technique to keep you interested. Obviously, it's working. ::evil laugh::
Lanen: Why does everyone think that that last chapter was such a cliffhanger? Don't give Mits rabies, then he will be unhappy. Then we'll all be unhappy.
Dawn Sweetie: Thanks a lot! Nobody told me that it draws them in yet, except you of course. And I'm glad you like it.
RyogazGal: Ok, you can be a character. I wish you gave me a better description but I'll deal with it. I'm not sure if I'm doing the romance thing but if I am it's not going to be serious. I haven't decided now important they will be yet.
miLady: Again with the "left hanging!" I didn't do it on purpose this time! It was just supposed to be a little plot twist! Geesh! Well, I'm glad you think it got more interesting, that I meant to do, at least.
Author's Note: Well, I'm sorry but I fear some of you may be a bit disappointed. Most of the stuff I hinted at last chapter won't be answered for quite some time. Sorry. Also, all four character spots have been taken. Just so you know if you got one, they went to mini, Otaku Pitcher, Renee, and the last went to RyogazGal. Hopefully, none of you are disappointed. I'm guessing that they will be in chapter twenty at the earliest. I know because I'm currently writing chapter seventeen. I'm just slow at typing and hate doing it. Sorry again.
If you don't know how Yume's thoughts are going to be represented by now, than I doubt that me telling you again will help much. If you're desperate to know, read the beginning of last chapter. It's written there.
Chapter 9: Downtown Adventures!
As we were about to leave, someone knocked on my door. I opened it and sure enough, Tasuki and Tamahome were standing there. "And what do you two want? We were just on our way out, you know," I asked, growing annoyed at all these distractions.
"You're back to normal!" Tasuki exclaimed. Tamahome jabbed him in the ribs and he quickly added, "I mean, Hotohori wanted us to go with you guys. You know, to make sure that nothing happened to you."
"All right then, let's get going," Miaka answered. 'Great, now I have to deal with those two along with Miaka. I can't even bring Shiriko since he's supposed to rest. This should be fun,' I thought as I followed them out of my room.
We walked through the gates of the palace and into the town. Remarkably, Miaka wasn't talking to Tamahome. They stayed away from each other. 'I wonder if they got in a fight last night,' I wondered as I saw Tamahome watch Miaka and Tasuki talking with an envious expression. He was all the way at the back by himself so I decided to be nice (for once) and try and talk to him. "Hi Tamahome," I said cheerfully, walking towards him. "How's it going?"
"How do you think it's going, Yume? Tasuki told me that he told you about my family," he replied, giving me a mean look.
"Figures. Well, I'm sorry about your family. I'm not very good at the whole sympathy thing so I wasn't going to bring it up but since you did, guess I'm screwed," I told him. "I was only talking to you because you were back here by yourself giving Miaka and Tasuki dirty looks. I thought you might want someone to talk to but I guess you don't so I'll just leave you alone."
"No, it's ok Yume. I don't mind. I'm just a little angry and figured you were just going to try and piss me off. Sorry," he responded. He didn't sound sorry but I ignored it. No sense in provoking him. This was as close to a conversation as I've ever had with him.
"Why are you so pissed anyway?" I asked. 'Oh God! Here it comes! We're almost at a civil conversation! Don't blow it, Yume, don't blow it!'
"Well, Miaka has been ignoring me every since she talked to Taiitsu-kun this morning. I don't know why and it is starting to annoy me," he explained. 'And he's telling me this why? I thought he hated me.'
"I'll try to find out for you," I offered. He looked surprised. "Maybe it will prove to you that I'm not a complete jerk."
"Ok, thanks Yume," he replied. "You know, you aren't really that bad."
"Gee thanks. Could ya tell that to Nuriko?" I responded sarcastically. "You aren't as big of a fag as I thought you were, either. I don't know when I'll be able to ask her about it but I'll try and do it soon."
"Hey Tamahome! What are you and Yume talking about back there? Don't tell me that you're actually getting along?" Tasuki asked, looking back at us.
"Yup, for once we are," Tamahome answered.
"Why don't you guys come up here and talk to us? We're getting close to the city and I wouldn't want us to get separated," Tasuki called back to us. We caught up to them and I began to take in the sights of the place. I gasped. "Don't even say it looks like ancient China," Tasuki ordered.
"Fine, I won't. It looks like a picture of ancient China that's in my Global book," I said instead. Tasuki made a funny face and stuck his tongue out at me. I shoved him lightly.
"Children! Behave or do I have to put you in separate corners?" Tamahome asked in a fake parental sounding voice. We pretended to beat him up. Miaka laughed at us.
"Geesh, Yume. I thought Americans were more mature, yet here you are, acting just like a little kid," she commented. I stuck my tongue out at her.
"I'm just having a little fun," I sulked. "No need to use the big 'm' word on me. You can't tell me that you've never had your immature moments."
"Especially when she sees food," Tasuki joined in.
"Ok, ok. Stop flirting already," she responded. Tasuki and I got huge angry faces.
"We're not flirting!!!" we yelled in unison. Tamahome laughed at us.
"Whatever, let's look at the jewelry over here," she said, changing the subject. 'Yea you better change the subject.'
The jeweler guy had all sorts of beautiful products at his booth. There were necklaces with gorgeous gems, beaded bracelets, and so much more. What caught my eye, however, were two unique metal bracelets whose pattern seemed to match the box Taiitsu-kun gave me. "Those are beautiful. . ." I murmured, reaching for them. I stopped myself, however, and looked at the pattern. They had a complex design of blue and white, which seemed to swirl. Even in the shadow, they glowed with a radiant beauty.
"Ah, those are very special bracelets. They are said to possess magical qualities of protection awaiting one with a pure heart," the shopkeeper said in a mystical voice. 'That's probably just his sales pitch,' I thought as he pulled them out. "Would you like to try them on?"
All right, I'll admit it. I was sold. My eyes grew big. "Can I? Please?" I asked.
"Of course." He handed them to me and I carefully held them as though they were a delicate treasure. I put them on my wrist and they shined for a brief moment. "It seems as though they were made for you, miss. They look beautiful on you," the shopkeeper added, giving me yet another sales pitch.
I turned they the others, a childlike expression present on my face. "Can I get them? Please?" I asked in a childish voice. I gave them the sad puppy face. 'This always gets 'em.'
The three of them sighed at my childishness. "How much are they?" Tasuki asked in a sigh like tone.
"Twenty mon for one," the grinning shopkeeper answered.
I gave him my best, most childlike "please" look and he sighed in defeat. "Ok, we'll take them," he said handing the delighted shopkeeper the money. "Now don't say I've never done anything for you." I smiled and hugged him, watching as he blushed.
"Thanks Tasuki! You're the best!" I yelled over my shoulder as I took off for another booth.
"What a weird girl," he muttered.
"Yea but she's fun to watch," Tamahome added.
"Come on you two. Let's go find her before she gets herself in trouble," Miaka sighed, a sweat drop on her face.
Meanwhile, a few booths over, (but still within earshot), I was grinning to myself, admiring my new bracelets. 'They're so pretty. It was kind of weird when they shined. Must have been the way the light hit them. I think the shopkeeper is full of crap. There's no way that these are magical. It does make a pretty decent sales pitch, though,' I thought to myself as I looked for Miaka, Tamahome, and Tasuki. I heard what I thought was their footsteps and decided to give them a little chase. I made sure I put myself in plain view, it would be unfair not to, and used my expert "hallway" skills to maneuver my way through the crowd. I made my way into an alley off the side of the one we were in. I looked out to see if they had followed my and saw a patch of bright orange among the crowd, only a short distance away. I decided that my fun was over and turned to walk back out to the crowd. As I did so, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around and found myself face to face with a young guy, probably not much older than Tamahome. "And what do you want?" I asked, allowing a slight trace of annoyance to be present in my voice. "I do have somewhere to go, you know."
"The only place that you're going is with me," he answered. Under different circumstances, I might have considered this option. He was almost cute. But at the moment, he was just a dirty punk who needed his ass kicked.
"Let me think about it. . .hmm. . .no. Now then, if I were you, I'd let me go, now, before something unfortunate happens to you," I cautioned him. Tasuki and Tamahome should be here soon and I doubt they'd be happy. Even if they didn't get here in time, I was perfectly capable of defending myself.
"Don't tell me you're going to try and hurt me. You don't want to mess up your pretty little dress do you? Now, be a good little girl and come with me." He began to pull on my arm.
"Suit yourself." With my free arm, I jabbed him in the jaw. On impulse, he let go of my arm and grabbed his chin.
"You little bitch! You'll pay for that!" he yelled while holding his chin. I just got in a fighter stance and smirked at him. Kicking his ass should be all too easy.
He tried to grab at me, but I dodged. I landed a front kick in his stomach and when he bent over, hit him over the head. "I tired to warn you but you wouldn't listen. Maybe this will teach you not to pick on us poor, defenseless, little girls," I mocked, walking away. I found the others fairly quickly after that.
"Where've you been?" they asked.
"I was just wandering around," I answered, smiling. They looked at each other like "yea, whatever" and we started back for the palace.
Just then, the guy from the alley followed by some more of his thugs emerged from the alley and blocked our way. The one from before, obviously their leader, pointed at me. "That's the bitch from before. Let's make her pay for her rudeness, boys," he said. They laughed and another walked out to the front.
"This wench was disrespectful to our boss so we're gonna make her pay for it. Now get out of our way or you'll be sorry," he said to Tamahome and Tasuki.
"See look, you're making friends already, Yume," Tamahome teased.
"What'd you do now, Yume?" Tasuki joked. "Being rude seems to be her thing. We can't just abandon her because of it. Guess we'll just have to be punished along with her." They moved in front of me.
"Hey guys, I can take care of myself. It's Miaka that we should be protecting," I stated pushing in front of them. I didn't need their protection but I appreciated the help. We were outnumbered three to one as it was.
We gathered around Miaka to protect her as the gang advanced towards us. "Damn, Yume. What'd you do to get them so angry?" Tasuki asked as he fought off one of the more determined guys.
I kicked another one to the ground and replied, "Their boss tried to get me to go somewhere with him and wouldn't take no for an answer so I kicked his ass. What was I supposed to do?" Tasuki laughed and punched another guy.
We defeated them easily enough and resumed our journey back to the palace. I showed Miaka my bracelets, she wanted a better look, and heard Tamahome talking to Tasuki. "You aren't supposed to buy her jewelry until at least the third date."
Tasuki blushed and replied quietly, "We aren't dating! I just bought her them because she had the puppy dog eyes. They're my weakness, you know that." 'I don't think that he thinks I can hear him. I'll pretend I can't. Though I can definitely have some fun with this.' I began to plot an evil scheme.
Once we got back to the palace, I headed to my room to check on Shiriko. "Hey little buddy, you sure seem better after the rest," I said as I walked into my room. Shiriko jumped up expectantly, obviously bored and full of energy. A bowl of water and food lay next to his bed. "I wonder who left that?" I said, thinking out loud.
"I did. I hope you don't mind me coming in here like this but I wanted to check up on him and knew that you'd probably have a problem getting him food," a male voice from my doorway said.
I turned to find Mitsukake there. "You're right about the food. I don't mind this time but don't make a habit of it, ok?" He nodded.
"Shiriko should be fine if you want to take him for a walk. Just don't let him over do it. He's spirited, a lot like his owner. Well, I have to go." With that, he left. 'That Mitsukake. He's always appearing and disappearing out of nowhere. And he always leaves me something to think about as well,' I thought, grabbing my CD player, Shiriko and his leash. I needed to do some thinking and Shiriko needed to do some walking. 'It's funny how things work out like that,' I thought, leaving my room accompanied by Shiriko.
Author's Note:
Smack: And thus ends chapter nine. I hope it wasn't too disappointing.
Tasuki: Stop trying to act smart! Anyone who knows you knows that you're a moron!
Smack: ::puts head down:: You don't have to put it so bluntly! Just for that, I'm going to do something really mean to you within the next ten chapters!
Tasuki: Bring it on bitch!
Smack: ::points finger and laughs as Tasuki disappears:: Now then, let's move on to Smack's little preview of what's to come:
I stared at my pet. "He trusts you and accepts you," I said mesmerized.
Smack: That's it. Who's she talking to? What's she's talking about? You'll find out next time!