Fields of Gold

Chapter Two: When I Couldn't Hold You

By Minako-hime

Author's Note: I hope you all like this story. I suddenly got the urge to write this story, and I don't know where the urge came from at all. Well, here goes the second chapter. I wasn't planning on this story being more than one chapter, but I guess I'll make like Watase-san and just let the story flow and see what happens. Here we go! And lyrics are in italics!

Disclaimer: Oh, and who can forget these stupid things? Why do we have to write these? Okay, if anyone is interested in suing me for writing this, I encourage you to look at this little bit right here. I don't own Fushigi Yuugi! If I did, I wouldn't be spending on manga just for this series. This is all for the personal enjoyment of myself and others. It is the flow of creativity in us all that must come out. Okay, enough with the corny stuff and on with the story! Oh, and the title is not mine! Hehe! This is a songfic based on the song "Fields of Gold."

As Yui dragged me along the streets of Tokyo, clutching my arm with a death-grip, I kept trying to break away from her grasp. I don't like surprises, so shoot me. In my case, surprises always turnout to be bad. Always. So I fear them intensely, and I tried desperately to get away from her. Finally, I broke free and grabbed a "No Parking" sign, holding it like it was my salvation. "Yui, please, just tell me what it is! I'm scared of surprises!"

"Miaka, there's no need to be scared. This is completely harmless. You're in Tokyo; you're not in Konan or Kutou anymore. I know you'll like this. Just trust me," she told me, trying to be soothing and prying my fingers off the pole, one by one.

Despite her attempts, I held fast to the sign and continued to shake like a leaf. Yui finally got the hint, and she let me go, but I knew that she wouldn't give up without at least getting a word in. "I know that you loved Tamahome very much, even more than I did, but you have to live your life without him. Before you lost him, you weren't scared to face anything. You'd just go right in! But now, you're afraid of just living! Do you think this is what Tamahome would want? For you to be a coward that can't even face a surprise from your best friend?" By the time she'd finished her speech, my hands had released the pole on their own, and she was holding me in a comforting embrace as I sobbed into her Jonan school uniform.

When my tears had abated, Yui began leading me down the street again. I just let her pull me along; it was all I could do to just follow. I missed him so much...and there was absolutely no chance that I would be able to see him again. Keisuke and Yui had been trying over and over again to fix me up with someone, but I was never in the mood. I would never been in the mood. No one would be able to make me happy and complete the way Tamahome did. When I fell in love with him, I gave him all of me, as he gave me all of him. It was something I would never be able to give to anybody else. I just hope he still thinks about me. Hopefully he's happier than I am right now...

"Miaka, I'm taking you somewhere really special. I just know you'll love it. Tetsuya showed it to me a few months ago when we first started dating. It's just so beautiful, it'll take your breath away," Yui chatted away, trying to make things less tense. I was hardly listening; I was off in my own little world again. The attention I was paying to Yui at the moment was the equivalent to that of when I was dozing off in class.

Oo...

Fifteen minutes later, I was still so lost in thought that I didn't realize we had reached my house. Wait a second... My house...? Why are we at my house...? "Yui, is this...the surprise...?" I inquired, thoroughly confused. After a moment, the worst thought crossed my mind. "Oh, no! Are we moving?!"

I didn't realize it then, but the look on Yui's face was probably the funniest I've ever seen in my life when she said, "Moving?! Where did you get an idea like that, baka?!"

"Well, what did you expect me to think?! You take me to my house, and there's nothing different about it! I mean, what else could it be?" I answered her, but the frustration was clearly expressed on my best friend's face; she was completely lost in my reasoning. I don't blame her; I don't get it myself sometimes.

About two seconds later, my brother stuck his head out of his brand new car, an irritated expression on his face, a long with that LOOK; you know, the one that says, "I'm gonna eat you alive if you don't stop doing whatever is pissing me off!" Instantly, both of us were quaking in our boots. Keisuke is NOT a fun person when he's mad! "Miaka, Yui, what are you waiting for?! Get in the car before I leave your sorry butts!" he screamed, making us scamper to the new sports car like cockroaches to the safe haven of the darkness.

When I buckled up in the car, I expected the ride to be ten minutes at the most. But as the scenery changed from colorful signs and the cement of buildings to green pastures and farmhouses, I realized this was going to take a while. We probably wouldn't get around to going to the bookstore today. Ranma would have to wait, yet again. "Keisuke, how much longer until we get there?" I asked, slightly agitated. I could see him physically tense up from behind the seat; his shoulders went rigid, and his knuckles turned white as he grasped the wheel more tightly. By the way, I'm glad the steering wheel was not an animal. Otherwise, it would have died in his death grip.

"Miaka!!! We'll get there when we get there! Stop asking me!" Keisuke screamed. Both of us covered our ears to block out the brunt of the noise, hopefully preventing hearing damage. Nonetheless, we still heard a faint ringing in our ears even after Keisuke stopped his little tirade.

Jeez! I'd only asked him once, anyway! I guess he got a bad grade on that huge paper he'd been working on all semester long! The baka didn't have to take it out on me! Yui put a hand on mine; she'd noticed the redness that denoted my anger.

"It's not worth it, Miaka-chan... I want you to be happy when you see my surprise!" she said in a forced whisper. Keisuke's head cocked a tiny bit towards us, but we were silent long before he could make out a single word. "Stop listening in, Keisuke! It's none of your business!" I could always count on Yui to set Keisuke straight. Sometimes, you'd think he was scared of her.

I could imagine his face turning the shade of a beet, but he was obviously turned away, so I couldn't see it. But I could hear the deep, low growl resonating from his throat. Yui and I snickered for a bit, and I could swear I saw smoke leaking from his ears. It was hilarious to watch Keisuke when he was trying to restrain himself.

The rest of the ride was spent in awkward silence, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as we coasted to a stop in a secluded field. "Okay... What are we doing here...?" I asked Yui.

Without warning, she put her hands over my eyes. "Just wait," she said. "I'll uncover your eyes soon, and you'll see something absolutely beautiful. Just be patient and let me lead you." She felt me stiffen upon hearing the words "let me lead you," and she soothed me by whispering, "You know I won't let you fall or bump into anything, Miaka." Why did I still find it so hard to trust my best friend after six months of not being rivals in the race for summoning Suzaku and Seiryu?! Would our friendship never be the same after what had happened between us?

I closed my eyes, still not altogether trusting, but I let her lead me to whatever the surprise was. I felt soft tingling on my legs as I walked; the sensations were like millions of tiny feathers tickling my skin. "What is this stuff tickling my legs, Yui-chan?!" I asked irritably.

"Just a minute, Miaka-chan... Gosh, you gotta learn to be more patient!" Yui said in response to my agitated state. She giggled lightly under her breath, thinking I couldn't hear, but in this close proximity, I could hear a pin drop. But Yui was obviously doing something totally out of her way for me, so I decided to hold my tongue.

Suddenly, we came to a stop, but we had been moving so quickly, I fell like a vaulting horseman that fell from his steed. "Ow!!! Yui! Why didn't you tell me you were gonna stop?!"

"Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away. Anyway, get your head out of the grass and look around!" Yui goaded happily, anticipating a squeal of delight from me.

Yui got just what she expected. What I saw took my breath away, it was so beautiful! Rows and rows of wheat, ready for the harvest, filled my line of vision from where I was standing all the way to the horizon. The softly blowing wind allowed the stalks to move like waves in the sea, and I was soon captured by the hypnotic rhythm of their perfect dance. How could one glimpse of nature's wonders suddenly make everything all right? It was like everything but that ocean of grain was gone from my mind, and I was at the threshold of complete peace and harmony.

Unknown to me, Keisuke stood smiling behind me and looked at Yui, mouthing his thanks to her for cheering up his little sister that he loved so much. How long had it been since he'd actually seen the beautiful little waif in front of him without that hint of sadness she tried to hide from everyone? Although most people never noticed, so much about his sibling had changed since she'd entered that dangerous book because of the unspeakable grief she'd experienced and the inconceivable things she'd witnessed before her very eyes. The innocence he'd loved about her was gone, replaced with a knowledge of the evil in this world that no one her age should possess. When would his precious little sister be happy again? Would the sadness he felt for her ever stop overwhelming him, making him so pale and gaunt that everyone, even his best friend, Tetsuya, worried about whether he was really taking care of himself like he ought? He wondered how long he would last before collapsing somewhere, unable to carry the weight that was wearing him down anymore.

Soon, within the whispering waves of wheat, I saw someone. Tall, handsome, and wearing a ghastly familiar cloak and flowing garments of Chinese origin, I froze, certain of who it was...Tamahome. Could he really be here, standing only twenty feet from me? Had he finally fulfilled our promise? I broke into a run as soon I had the sense to, followed by the surprised gazes of Yui and Keisuke, who did not attempt to stop me. Did that mean they saw him too? Then he must be real! As I approached him, only five feet away now, he opened his arms, waiting for me to join him in a long-overdue embrace.

But, without warning, I found the figure in front of me to be only an illusion, a figment of my desperate imagination and heart, as I passed through him, a rush of air embracing me instead of the warm arms of the person I loved. Turning around, I found the apparition still staring at me, mocking my stupidity and hopeful idiocy. "You're...not Tamahome! How dare...you taunt me like...this...you hateful demon!!! Leave me to my grief!!!!"

After a few screams of heartbreaking torment and anguish, I found myself in the arms of my older brother, who comforted me as best he could with soothing whispers and soft strokes along the contours of my back. As he held me close to him, I could feel his every rib jutting into my delicate skin and the weakness of his tired embrace, and I realized just how badly my condition was affecting him. How long had Keisuke been deteriorating like this because of me? Why hadn't I noticed it sooner, before it became serious?! "Keisuke...you saw him, too...didn't you?"

He tightened his arms around me and whispered into my ear, "Yes, Yui and I both did... I don't know what's going on, but I'll get to the bottom of it... So, don't you worry, okay, Miaka?" My brother was the best anyone could ask for in this world, and I loved him so much. I had never appreciated him like I should have until my adventures in the book world, but now I realize just how wonderful he is. He would follow through on his promise to find out what was going on; if he said it, he would do it. "Thanks, Onii-chan..."

"You're welcome," he replied, moving his gentle hand from my back to the auburn hair atop my head, running his fingers through it tenderly like he did whenever I'd cried as a little girl. His body tensed for only a moment, as if he were in terrible pain, and I became even more worried about him than the time he'd been hospitalized for pneumonia. He was soon a crumpled heap in my arms, unconscious, and I felt myself sinking under the extra weight.

"KEISUKE!!!!!" I screamed in fright, attempting to shake him awake. Shocked, Yui quickly covered the distance between us and helped me set my brother in the cushiony grass. As we frantically pulled out Keisuke's cell phone, the only hope we had of getting him the help he needed, we failed to notice a boy vaulting from a high tree and running as fast as his legs could carry him toward us, his bluish-black hair moving in a mocking mimicry of the wind his motion created.

"Keisuke! Speak to me! Wake up!" Yui called out to him, firmly shaking his body in terror. Her face had become pallid, and her eyes widened as he didn't stir after several desperate attempts to jar him to consciousness.

"What happened to him?! Is he all right?! Let me see him!" this mysterious stranger that bore such an uncanny resemblance to Tamahome yelled to us in utter panic.