Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the anime known as Fushigi Yuugi; it belongs to the wonderful Yuu Watase-sama! I do not expect to gain any profit from writing this, so I better not get any flames about that! On with the story!
Last Time:
"Then let's keep going. We're almost there, I promise." This time, to prevent another incident, Hikou grabbed his friend by the arm and forcefully drug him along. Houjun followed without a struggle, but that was expected. He wouldn't fight anymore, Hikou was certain of that. And it wouldn't be long now... just a little further...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After ducking against her horse's neck to avoid a low tree branch, Kouran righted herself quickly, flicking her long lavender locks back over her shoulder. 'Wow, I really can't believe my parents were gullible enough to let me ride out tonight!' she thought, looking up at the starry night sky. 'I'll probably get into trouble later, but that's all right. As long as I get to see...' a hot blush consumed her cheeks as her inner musings shifted to a certain individual. 'Chichiri... Maybe tonight I'll show him the stars. If we can find a clearing in the woods, and just lie down and stare up at the sky...' The thought of being that close to him further reddened her complexion. Kouran turned her mind towards other things, glancing ahead at the path before her.
That is, until something moved a little ways off of the trail that made her glance aside. She lightly tugged at her horse's reins, halting their progress.
'Chichiri?'
She peered closer and nodded, recognizing the attractive face in an instant. She frowned. 'He's walking alone in the woods at this hour? I'm sure he wouldn't do something that foolish.' She didn't seem to realize that she was doing just that. 'There has to be someone out there with him...' But she certainly couldn't see anyone else. She frowned deeper, watching him carefully. There was definitely something wrong with this picture. The way he walked...it was so stiff, too perfect to be natural. His feet, though they touched the ground, almost seemed to glide over the forest floor. The grass made no sound beneath him. A chill in the air whispered foreboding in her ear, rearranging the locks of lavender hair that fell over her shoulders and sending a shiver up her spine.
Climbing down from her horse, Kouran carefully picked her way through the woods, moving around trees and avoiding thorn bushes in her efforts to reach him. As she drew near him, a stab of uncertainty seemed to pierce her already disturbed conscience. She hesitated, but he didn't even seem to realize she was there. The young man continued walking as if she were no different from the trees scattered around them. She frowned, reaching out and lightly grasping the off-white garment of his sleeve. "Chichiri?" A light tremor was in her voice as she spoke, and her fear only grew when he didn't so much as blink at the mention of his name or the touch of her hand.
"Chichiri?" she said more urgently, tugging at his arm now with both hands. "What's the matter with you? Answer me, Chichiri!"
Finally, he seemed to acknowledge her and stopped walking. His eyelids came down, hooding his mahogany orbs momentarily; he shook his head a few times to rid it of some of the haziness clouding his mind. He looked around and gave a little start, surprised to find himself in the forest and not in the safety of his home.
"What...? What am I doing out here...?" Feeling a presence beside him, he turned to see Kouran standing there, looking concerned. "Kouran-san? What are you...why are we out here no da?"
"I don't know," she admitted, relief evident in her voice. At least he wasn't acting like such a zombie anymore. "I was riding to our meeting place when I saw you walking here alone in the woods...and...you seemed... well, you seemed very strange, Chichiri."
Now it was his turn to look confused. "I seemed strange no da? What was I doing that made me look...?" He shook his head, clearing away the last remnants of fogginess. But he couldn't quite shake off the feeling of unease, as if something were horribly, horribly wrong. "Never mind, let's just head back to the cottage. I have a bad feeling about this..."
Kouran nodded, still holding tightly to his arm. She was afraid of what might happen if she let go. As they turned to head back to Chichiri's home, they noticed a strange light pulsing nearby. Both paused where they were as they watched its luminous power increase. Chichiri hesitated, wondering if he should cast a barrier or if he and Kouran should simply run for it, but before he could reach a decision the light flared, and enveloped them both.
Chichiri blinked, warily surveying the new eerie environment. He unease was only increasing, and he was starting to catch vague memories of the time that must have passed between when he was in his house and when Kouran found him. He brushed them aside for the moment and focused on the present situation. They were in a stone tavern of some sort, the walls an ebony black with swirls of deep purple splashed over their surface. Kouran trembled slightly, holding onto his arm now with both hands, pressing close to him, his touch bringing some security to her suddenly very frightening world.
The prince blinked, looking around until his eyes landed on his friend. Hikou stood there calmly, a faint glow emitting from his body. His mahogany orbs widened – since when had Hikou known sorcery? "H-Hikou? What's going on? Where are we? What is this place...?" His voice took on a serious tone, dropping the usual phrase that followed most of his words. He tried to take a step towards his friend, but the girl beside him grasped his arm tightly, making movement extremely difficult. He glanced down at her, then back up at his comrade, a question in his eyes. "H...Hikou?"
Snickering, his childhood friend turned to face him fully, a mist encircling his body and changing him back into his original form. His simple robes shimmered and were replaced by well-tailored, almost garish garments. Far more disturbing, however, were the large, translucent wings sprouting from his back. The smirk never left his face. "Why, Chichiri. Don't you know?" he asked in a mocking tone. "This is hell. And now that you are sixteen, I can properly fulfill the prophecy of the curse that Tenkou-sama placed on you, all those years ago. And there's nothing those pathetic sprites who tried to hide you can do about it...." his lips parted in a grin. "Houjun-sama."
"'Houjun-sama'?!" Kouran's face spun to meet Chichiri's bewildered ones, though his eyes were focused ahead on his friend. 'Sprites? Faeries? How can this possibly make any sense...' Something in the back of her frightened mind sparks an old memory, and her eyes widen visibly. 'Houjun...he was...betrothed to marry me at one time. This must mean...that this is Houjun. Chichiri is Houjun. Then, then that means...?'
Chichiri's thoughts were completely different from the thoughts of the princess. What was happening to them? And why was Hikou acting this way? This was not how his friend would act. This was all wrong... it was just all wrong! "What!? You can't seriously believe that I'm some kind of prince, can you? I, I know I can't, I can't possibly... Hikou what's going on? What's wrong with you?"
"You were never told, were you?" Hikou turned slightly to the side, folding his hands into the long flowing sleeves of his robes. "When you were an infant, Tenkou-sama placed a curse on you. Those three idiot faeries tried to save you from your fate by raising you in the forest until you had passed the age of sixteen. They thought the prophecy couldn't be fulfilled." His smirk widened. "But Tenkou-sama has ways of finding things that disappear. And now that I have found you, I – will – kill you!" He cupped his hands together, blue energy quickly accumulating in his palms. Quick as a flash, he threw the magic directly at the pair.
Kouran cried out and closed her eyes tightly. Chichiri pulled her against him, while at the same time grasping the prayer beads that hung from his neck. A dome-like barrier formed around them just as the blast struck, saving them from the powerful magic but not from the aftershock. The floor shook violently beneath them, causing the two to lose their balance and pulling them to the floor. The pair immediately found themselves in a tangle on the floor, with Houjun at the bottom of the pile.
Hikou lowered his hands; he seemed very pleased. "That was an impressive barrier you set up, Houjun. But it won't hold out for long. I'll find a way in, don't you worry."
Kouran gasped, her hand lightly clutching the material of her protector's white shirt.
"He's right, you know."
The girl's head jerked up; she stared into the young man's eyes in surprise. "Chichiri...?"
He looked down at her, fires of both anxiety and betrayal burning in his mahogany orbs. "Kouran, I'm going to try and use a spell to transport you out of this place. Look for the cottage and warn the faeries. Tell them where I am. They should be able to get here on their own."
"B-but if you can do that, then we'll escape together!"
He shook his head. "I don't think they'd make it that easy for me to leave. Besides, if you're near me, then you're in danger, and I won't let that happen." She opened her mouth to protest, but Chichiri cut her off. "We don't have that much time to discuss this!" Already the barrier trembled, already starting to weaken. Kouran's head jerked upright as the dome flickered violently around them; Hikou was already preparing a good-sized chi blast to send their way the moment it vanished.
"I'm sending you now!"
Finally undoing his kesa, he threw it over her, taking her up into it and out of danger. 'At least I know she's safe...' His eyes widened as the barrier disintegrated, leaving him no alternative but to grasp his robe and tumble out of the way of another chi blast. Righting himself on his knees in a crouch after re-securing his kesa, he stared at his opponent, panting hard and frowning deeply.
Someone whom he had trusted with everything, who he had spent so many years with, out of the blue, hated him and wanted him dead. Or, or had he wanted him dead from the very beginning? Had Hikou really just been tricking him all along? But how could that be possible?! Hikou was – had been – his friend... he was sure of it...!
His breath hitched in his throat, and he was yanked from his reverie as he dodged, avoiding yet another flash of dark energy. He gasped, silently berating himself for his foolishness. 'I won't have a chance to even think about those questions if I don't start paying attention and defending myself.' Reaching into his kesa, he extracted his staff. The rings ornamenting the top jingled as he positioned it horizontal to his body, clasping his prayer beads with the other hand as he silently began to chant a spell.
---
Kouran appeared somewhere in the forest, collapsing to her knees from the weightless travel she had just experienced. But she didn't stay there long. The instant she caught her breath she was on her feet again. "Chichiri! I have to find those three faeires...but where do I start?! I've never even been to the cottage before..."
Inhaling, she straightened herself, still trying to calm her hands from shaking by clenching them at her sides. "Well, standing here isn't going to do me any good. I have to try and find them! We need to get back to him before it's too late!" She chose a direction and, praying to the gods she was right, took off in a dead sprint, her simple yukata tugging at her heels as she ran. 'Please... please hang on, my love!'
---Scowling, Hikou quickly whipped up another attack, sending it full-force at the prince. Chichiri's eyes flew open in concentration.
"Ban bukyuu chou hou na hobaku...KA!!" Bright crimson energy exploded from his form, colliding with the force of Hikou's attack, canceling both out with a loud boom. Winds gusted past the young prince, scattering his kesa about and cyan bangs to and fro across his face as he peered through the light to the faded form of his best friend.
After it had nearly settled, Hikou straightened in the gloom, staring down at his enemy. He hadn't been expecting the teenager to be so strong. As he eyed him longer, the servant of the devil noticed the emotion that coursed through Chichiri's bright eyes; he noticed the pain that this battle was causing him. Squinting a bit, Hikou briefly tapped into the other's life force and found amazing strength warming every inch of his body. He was much more powerful than Hikou had expected.
He froze with a sudden realization. This could have been over long ago. Houjun could have simply finished him off without the need of teleporting the girl away from this place. But he hadn't. He sent her back while he himself stayed to confront his opponent. But he didn't sense any hatred simmering in the other's shining aura. He only sensed a longing to know, to understand... to forgive.
Hikou's expression softened a little. "Why...?"
"That's what I've been trying to ask you this entire time," Chichiri replied in his kind voice, setting his staff so that it was upright in his hand. "Why are you taking orders from this Tenkou? Who is he and what have I done to deserve death?"
Hikou lowered his eyes to the floor, saying nothing. The silent conflict going on within him was raging. He knew he should tell him; he had a right to know. And besides, Chichiri was his best friend for gods' sakes!! He grinned humorlessly at that thought. Best friend, hm? For he last few minutes, he had been trying to kill Chichiri! What sort of a "friend" was that? He didn't deserve such a title.
Not being one to give in too easily, Chichiri took a few steps forward, knowing they were at a ceasefire. "Hikou, please tell me. We're...we're still friends aren't we? We are, right?"
Hearing that familiar, gentle voice even after what he had done – after what he was doing – was becoming unnerving. He didn't deserve a second chance from someone he had only moments before tried to destroy. Sensing that the prince was drawing closer, Hikou lifted his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything a darker form appeared in front of him.
Alarmed, Houjun stepped back. "Who are...?"
Hikou's irises shrank. "T-Tenkou-sama...!"
Smirking, the demon's long hair blew outwards as he raised a hand in Chichiri's direction; before the young prince had a chance to react he was blown backwards into a rock wall and held there by an invisible force. Pain exploded through his body; his skin stung as the ferocity of the attack pounded all over his pinned form. His face was stretched back in a tight grimace, but he held back an outburst that would have shown his obvious distress. He wouldn't give his enemy that kind of pleasure. A small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his tightened mouth; seconds later he mentally cursed, realizing that he had lost grip of his staff.
Chuckling softly and enjoying the sight of the writhing form before him, Tenkou stepped forward to get a better look at the child he had sought out for 15 long years. The clawed hand reached out to roughly grasp the prince's neck. The demon lord jerked the young man's chin up sharply, earning a grunt of pain from the prince.
Smiling coldly he turned the head so that Chichiri's closed left eye faced him in full. He calmly traced an invisible line with his fingernail over the smooth flesh of the eyelid, moving in a straight line towards the bridge of his captive's nose as if drawing out a design on the flesh.
Panic gripped him as his mind cleared, and Hikou pushed himself up, rushing over to the two. "Tenkou-sama! Please don't do it! I beg you, please: spare his life!"
The demon lord lifted his head just slightly, eyeing his servant with his piercing cat-like stare. There was obvious amusement in his eyes. "My revenge is nearly complete. For fifteen long years I have awaited this moment, and now you tell me that I must not touch him?" He temporarily released the prince's face with a small shove; leaving him to cope with the pain he was still experiencing. "Do not forget, Hikou, you consented to aiding me in this venture. Have you changed you mind? Have you become friends with your prey?" His tone was amused and almost kindly, but there was an icy layer at the bottom of the words that sent an invisible shudder down Hikou's back. The young man stood rooted in his place, unable to break eye contact with his demon master.
"Y-yes," Hikou agreed, his voice shaking almost uncontrollably. "Houjun... he, he is... I th-think..."
Lifting his hand parallel to his face, the scarlet jewel inserted into the golden headband around the dark lord's forehead glowed almost pink. Instantaneously a similarly colored aura orbited the demon's hand.
Sensing the inevitable torture, Chichiri struggled against his invisible bonds, desperate to reach his friend. "H-Hikou...!"
"Stupid boy." Tenkou's smiling face suddenly contorted into a look of pure rage. Hikou was too terrified to move. "You aren't allowed to think!"
Scarlet fire burst from the floor beneath the young man, enveloping his powerless form in a dome of searing heat and unbearable pain. His wings burst into flame; his flesh boiled away at the touch of the hellish flames. Hikou had time for one scream, just one, before his body went up in a cloud of blood and smoke. Tenkou looked on impassively as the inferno died down, the red and orange tongues of heat gradually melding back into the floor, until they too were gone. Only an empty patch of scorched stone and showed the signs of the slaughter. Only one, blackened feather was left to tell the tale of a servant called Hikou, who had been foolish enough to love a human.
Tenkou picked the single feather up between his clawed fingers, coolly grasping it in his palm and grinding it to dust. "Humph," he thought aloud, opening his hand once again to allow the charred particles to drift mournfully to the ground. "Thoughtless bastard left a stain on the floor."
---
Panting heavily, Kouran raised her hand to her forehead, brushing back her lavender bangs and scanning the surrounding forest. "I'm beginning to wonder if I did go the wrong way..." She turned in a complete circle, trying to decide where to run next.
It was getting late and it was hard to tell where the path was anymore. Scrapes and scratches from brambles and thorns had torn at the delicate skin on her legs. The small wounds burned slightly, but she hardly noticed them. Adrenaline coursed through her slim frame, and all she could think about was her young lover. "Please Chichiri... please be safe," she prayed, a small sob choking her speech. Picking up her courage once more, she darted forward, praying that the gods would guide her down the right path.
---
Not too far away, Tasuki, Kouji and Nuriko were still out and about searching for the prince. After Tasuki's encounter at the edge of the woods with Hikou, and after hearing the redhead's description of the prince's actions, they feared the worst.
Tasuki, with his tessen held overhead and blazing brightly to light their way, led the way while all three called out to their adopted son.
"Chichiri! Houjun-sama! Chichiri!" Nuriko anxiously cried, cupping his hands to his mouth to increase the volume of his feminine voice.
"'Ey 'Chiri! Where th'hell are ya?! Answer us, will ya?!" Tasuki yelled, having no difficulty in carrying his voice.
"Kid! Where are ya?!" Kouji shouted into the treetops, hoping the wind would help carry his voice to the prince. "Where could he 'ave gone?" he whispered, more to himself than the others.
Nuriko let out a squeak of surprise as he heard a rustling in some nearby bushes. Kouji had already drawn his sword and Tasuki shifted into a fighting position, tessen raised at the ready. But instead of the wild animal they had feared, a girl popped out of the brush, falling to her knees after tripping on a tree root and panting heavily with exhaustion. All three relaxed visibly, but didn't completely let their guards down just yet.
Nuriko stepped out from between the two, making his way over to the young woman and kneeling next to her. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Looks like you've been doin' a lotta runnin', miss," Kouji added, about to sheath his sword when noticed the tears on the hem of her yukata and the scrapes on her sandaled feet. What he also noticed was a light dusting of salty water that decorated her cheeks. The girl had been crying. "H-hey..."
"What'cha runnin' from?" Tasuki questioned, letting his now extinguished tessen rest against his shoulder.
Still unable to control her breathing, Kouran looked up into the face of the one before her, and then the two behind her... or was it "him"? She couldn't tell with the first one, though she could definitely tell the other two were male. "Looking...three faeries...Chichiri's in trouble...!" She managed to gasp out, causing the trio's eyes to narrow in unison.
Nuriko grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to be gentle as he gradually forced her to look up at him. The other two clustered closer, eager for news of the cyan-haired child they had raised. "Where? Where is he?!"
---
Chichiri saw it all through one squinted eye, but had been powerless to do anything. The pain still coursed through his body, but he barely felt it anymore. All he could do was stare numbly as the flames died down, leaving nothing of his friend behind. He had been standing there, just a moment ago, trying to fight for Chichiri's life... and then... and then...
The pain in his soul flared and merged with a rising, pounding anger. His outstretched hands clenched in rage. "T-Tenkou, you...!!" He winced, feeling the pressure around him increase against his battered body. Hot tears stung his eyes, threatening to fall. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He hadn't even been able to help Hikou, and now the man was dead. Hikou was dead. Tenkou had murdered him! Tenkou had murdered his best friend! His best friend, who had always been there for him, even at the very end, even when facing down a demon lord...And he hadn't been able to thank him, or at least say good-bye, or... or... The tears fell, now, but it wasn't from the pain in his body. "Damn you...!"
Tenkou flashed his teeth in a vicious smile. "We are already in hell, you fool." He turned slowly, taking a few steps back from the paralyzed form still held to the wall. Facing him, the demon lord raised his hand once again, taking aim. "My revenge is complete now." They were the only words he said. Then, he fired.
The attack headed straight for Chichiri, forming into a vicious, deadly point as it went and flying straight into his left eye. The flesh exploded in a blaze of crimson; he could only scream out in pain as the warm blood poured from the wound, moving swiftly down his face to fall, dripping, against the cold stone floor.
But all too soon an odd tiredness filled his being, and the injury seemed to go numb. He wanted to escape the pain – he had to escape the pain! – and this was absolutely the only way to do it. His breath escaped in shallow gasps, and he felt his good eyelid falling shut. But even those simple feelings seemed to disappear in the cascade of crimson fire; soon everything became a single numbness. Even his mind blanked, as he slowly seeped into blissful, peaceful darkness...
'Kou...ran...'
His head sagged to the side, and Tenkou allowed the battered form of the prince to fall limply to the floor, his precious blood flowing across the bridge of his nose to drip down and pool at the demon lord's feet.
But it wasn't over just yet. As expected, Tenkou soon sensed the presence of two, three... no, four auras approaching. He turned to see who would appear next, an almost excited grin lighting his wicked features. With a puff of green smoke the three faeries appeared, with Kouran tucked protectively between Tasuki and Kouji. The girl looked anxiously around, desperate to find Chichiri.
The demon lord was blocking their view of the young, dying prince, but Tenkou himself was easy to spot. Tasuki's amber orbs locked on the demon's own eyes. He gritted his teeth in a ferocious growl and readied his tessen. "Where is he, Tenkou?! What the hell have you done with him?!"
"You wish to know?" he asked calmly, his left hand grasping the material of his black robe.
"Tell us now!" Kouji ordered, unsheathing his blade. Nuriko's hands clenched into fists and he stood beside the dark-haired faery, ready to fight if the need arose.
Letting out a small chuckle, the dark lord directed his gaze to the stony floor of the cavern. "Very well. Here is your precious Houjun-sama." He swept back his robes, unveiling the blood-covered form of the fallen prince.
Their breaths hitched in their throats at the sight, Nuriko's hands flying up to his mouth to stifle a cry. All Tasuki and Kouji could do was stare in disbelief, willing the image to disappear. This wasn't true. This couldn't be true!
In a few moments Kouran's terrified scream broke through the air. She ran to her fallen love, kneeling down beside him and crying out his name over and over.
Satisfied by their reaction and drinking in their silent rage and remorse, Tenkou vanished from the area with a small flash of flame, the echo of his dark laughter echoing off the stone walls.
Kouran didn't even notice his exit; all her attention was focused on the fallen man. She carefully turned him over, lifting him up into a sitting position so his limp body leaned against hers. Kouran stroked his bloodied bangs away from his face, pressing her palm against the still-bleeding wound. "Chichiri!" she whispered, brushing the blood out of his face and running a hand along his cheek. He was so cold. She wrapped her arms around him in a desperate attempt to warm his dying body, resting her cheek against his forehead and rocking them back and forth slowly while small sobs wracked her body. "Chichiri...Houjun please! You can't leave me alone! Come back! Come back! Chichiri..."
The trio of faeries stood quietly in shock, still unable to move, still unable to believe what was happening. "W-what...do we do now?" Nuriko finally stuttered, his hands shaking as he tried to lower them from his face.
Kouji, always the practical one, managed to snap out of his daze. He glanced at the other two, a grim frown on his face. "Well, for starters, let's get those two outta here. I don' like this place." The tanned faery glanced around, looking in all directions uneasily.
"Yeah, yer right." Tasuki lowered his tessen, Kouji doing the same with his sword and Nuriko with his wand. Placing all three items together, they concentrated their energies together, transporting them out of the dreadful place and reappearing in a part of the royal palace at the capital.
The two lovers reappeared in a bed on the far side of the room, Kouran still holding the wounded prince tightly even while they slept. Nuriko waved his wand, covering them in a warm blanket.
"We...have to go tell their majesties. And get a doctor in here quickly," he said sadly. None of them wanted to say what they were thinking – none of them wanted to admit that a doctor might not do much good, now.
So instead the others just nodded, exiting the room and closing the door behind them. There they split up, Tasuki running to fetch a physician while Nuriko and Kouji headed the opposite direction. Dread tugged at their hearts as they drew further down the stairs; this would not be easy to break to the royal family.
They had failed.
And Houjun... Houjun was going to die.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: ::wipes her eyes:: Oh this is just awful!! ::blows nose loudly:: I was really starting to hate myself when I finished this chapter...Poor 'Chiri!! Poor Kouran!! Poor Hikou!! Poor faeries!! ::huggles them all:: Please, please, no flames!! I got one more chapter to go, minna! No hurting the authoress!! ::puts on a safety helmet just in case::