Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yûgi the fabulous Yû Watase does. She's just so kind in not suing any of us for the sick and twisted things we make her characters do. No money don't sue!
Chapter 5: Hidden Glimpses
Nina gave Hotohori a hug; she noticed a shadow looming in the doorway, "Hotohori, who's that?" Hotohori looked quickly over his shoulder and didn't recognize the presence. All three could hear shouts and footsteps in the background, but the presence seemed unafraid. Hotohori released Nina from his arms and stood in front of her. Nuriko also moved in front of Nina, between the two, they were a formidable wall.
"Who are you?" Hotohori asked coldly.
Nina poked Nuriko sharply, "Let me see please!"
"Stay back," Nuriko hissed at Nina.
The presence chuckled then spoke, "Is that how you treat a fellow Suzaku Seishi?" A flash of red light followed the words and the presence stepped out of the shadows.
In order to get past Nuriko and Hotohori Nina had to get a running start. She backed herself against the wall and with all her might hurled herself in between Hotohori and Nuriko and skidded to a stop in front of the marked stranger. One gaze and she ran back behind Nuriko. Her breathing grew heavy. Memories flitted across her mind.
A story.
A name.
A face.
It never occurred to her...
Nina regained her wits and turned back to face the marked stranger. Kind eyes and a smirk met her flushed cheeks. "I am Tamahome..." Finally the footsteps and shouts caught up to the doorway. "Y ' Highness, gomen." The head guard was out of breath. "We tried ta stop 'im, but 'e insisted..."
Hotohori turned to the guard, "Thank you for looking out for me, but this man is a Suzaku Seishi." Tamahome let his mark glow in triumphant glee. The guard knelt down as if he expected the worst. "Gomen ne," he murmured.
Tamahome turned his attentions back to Nina, "So I take you to be the Suzaku no Miko."
Nina drew herself up, "Hai."
"The reason I came here was I felt this unexplainable pull and now I know why," he looked at Nina a little too intensely and she squirmed under his gaze.
Nuriko cleared her throat and said, "I think that Nina was on her way to bed." Nina mouthed a silent Thank You to Nuriko and gratefully took the out provided and slipped off to bed. Nina tossed and turned during the night, haunted by the faces of the past.
"Mommy come tell me a story." A young girl with a toothless smile pulled a harried looking woman into her room.
"Can it be a short one sweetheart, mommy's kind of tired tonight."
The little girl hopped into her bed, hair swinging about her face, "Okay Mommy."
The young woman took a deep breath as she smoothed the covers over her daughter, "There once was a book that allowed girls to pass through our time into Ancient China - "
"Really Mommy?"
"Yup. A young girl of fourteen, maybe fifteen had found the book and was sucked into it, becoming the main character of the story-"
"Neat! I wanna do that!"
"Nina, honey if you keep interrupting, then I won't be able to finish the story."
"Okay...go ahead with your story."
"The young girl finds herself in a village with strange people where she meets a handsome man with teal hair and a character on his forehead, his name was Tamahome. He guides her to the Imperial Palace where it becomes publicly known that she is the Suzaku no Miko, destined to bring salvation..."the young woman looks down to find Nina fast asleep buried in her pillows.
As it would happen, the young mother would never be able to finish the story and dreams of a man with teal hair and a character on his forehead would haunt Nina's dreams forever.
Nuriko did not get a chance to tell Hotohori-sama of his suspicsions until days later. He finally got Hotohori alone in his study. "Hotohori-sama there's something I need to discuss with you and probably Nina-sama should be here, actually I -" Nuriko was cut off by a piercing scream coming from outside. The sound reverberated through the halls of the palace. Everyone ran outside to see what was wrong. Guards and seishi in battle stances, nosy servants getting underfoot. Hotohori and Nuriko looked at each other and shared a thought, 'That was Nina!' Tamahome hurried back from the courtyards, "She's not out here, she's gone."
The men of the night who had swiftly taken Nina out of the Konan courtyards brought her directly to Nakago and Ryuen. As soon as they dropped her unceremoniously on the floor they vanished.
Nina looked up to find herself in the unforgiving gaze of her best friend. "Ryuen!" she cried, ready to pounce on him with one of her infamous bear hugs.
The cold gaze made her stop and feel awkward, " Why did you leave me here, Nina? Didn't you value our friendship? Didn't our friendship mean anything to you? I'm always there for you but you are never there for when I need you. Isn't that what friends are for?"
Nina was stunned by his cold manner and the way he questioned her friendship. Tears started to form in her eyes as she finally began to speak, "I couldn't take you, even though I was passed out to begin with. Nuriko couldn't carry you as well as me. What makes you think that I don't care about you? I protected you although I don't remember, but Nuriko told me I connected to Suzaku and released a chi-blast injuring him!" Nina spoke as she pointed at Nakago.
Nakago nodded at Ryuen, "LIES!" Ryuen shouted. "ALL LIES! You did no such thing! Nobody could injure Nakago! I would have never thought you would stoop so low as to lie to me! Get her out of my sight!"
Nakago nodded lightly, "As you wish Ryuen-sama."
Nakago personally escorted Nina to a cell in the dungeons. In the first empty cell he saw he threw her into it, smirking lightly, "Teaches you to anger the Priest of Seiryuu." Nakago locked the key and gave it to a guard. "Stay here," he ordered. "She will be executed at dawn."
The soldier stuttered, "H-H-Hai, Shogun."
At this Nina began to sob quietly, 'To die at dawn.' Sadness enveloped her like a warm blanket. As the first tears dripped down her face, she realized with a strengthening resolve she would get herself out of this...but how? A smirk caressed her lips and her eyes grew determined, she found a fan in her pocket and whipped it out. Thank goodness for Nuriko. She took a sidelong glance at the soldier that was guarding her, handsome in a military sort of way, but nevertheless she grimaced at what she might have to do. She took a deep breath it was now or never. Nina let loose her top garment that she was wearing, although she was dressed in Chinese garb she couldn't bear going without a bra. She sighed, "I guess we're all alone ne? Just the two of us." This caused the guard to look over in Nina's direction.
"H-H-Hai." His attention allowed Nina to shrug her shoulders allowing the garment to show a bit more cleavage.
"Isn't that a pity?" She lazily waved the fan in front of her face and then lowered it so the guard could get a full view. She didn't have much but she was going to flaunt it for all she was worth. She sauntered over to him and put her arms around him and kissed him passionately; quickly she pulled away leaving the guard's head spinning. She dragged her fan up and down his chest, while her hand slipped down his side to grab the key latched to his belt. As she wrenched it from his belt she kneed him in the crotch and let herself out and tightened her garment and ran as fast as she could out of the palace.
Back in Konan a party had already assembled to go search for Nina. Hotohori and Nuriko were the ones to go. On horses they rode along the path to Koutu searching for Nina.
Nina was sure this was the road that would lead her back to Konan, at least that's what the farmer said about two hours back. She let out a cry of frustration and tears unknowingly streamed down her cheeks. It seemed overwhelming; her best friend consumed by hatred of her no less! And she consumed by love of him and then on top of that saddled with the responsibility of the salvation of so many lives! But no, first concentrate on her responsibility of salvation, then...'all of the other things will work itself out and if you're left crying then its not the end ' her mother's voice echoed through her mind. "Mommy," she sniffled the pain still too raw even after two years. She continued walking anyway.
At last after what seemed hours, Nuriko caught sight of a young girl walking along the road. "Hotohori-sama" he called back, "I think its Nina! Hurry up!" Nuriko's horse was spurred forward as he called out Nina's name.
Lost in her thoughts she heard her name being called, at first she thought she was hearing things, but she looked up and saw Nuriko on a horse galloping towards her. "Nuriko! I'm so glad to see you! RyuenhatesmenowandNakagosentencedmetodieatdawn!"
Nuriko chuckled, "Whoa! Slow down, I can't understand you!"
Nina took an agitated breath and said slowly, "Ryuen hates me now and Nakago sentenced me to die at dawn!"
"What? How did you get out?"
" I seduced the guard," Nina smirked openly at Nuriko's wide-eyed stare. "It was disgusting though I never want to do it again!"
Nuriko grabbed Nina and hefted her on his horse and trotted towards Hotohori, "Let's get you back." Nina leaned back into Nuriko and let herself drift off into sleep.
While Nuriko and Hotohori were out looking for Nina, he was having thoughts of his own. His thoughts turned to another time and he distinctly remembered the previous Suzaku no Miko with an overwhelming desire. He remembered his love for her and how he would do anything for her. But this Miko was different, he still cared for her, but only as a seishi could. She was very different from the previous Suzaku no Miko, especially in her nature, fiercely independent, he thought that she would have no problems overcoming the problems that she would be faced with.
He had heard Nuriko and Hotohori return and went down to meet them, hoping to see Nina with them. Still having thoughts about the previous Miko he called out to Nina, "Mi-chan?"
Nina, who had just woken up from her nap in the saddle distinctly heard Tamahome call her Mi-chan, startled she said, "Mi-chan was my mother."
A/N: Another successful chapter completed! I hope this gives you a bit of insight on Nina's character and gives you glimpses of what's to come. I'm sure you can probably guess it by now and I'll get flames and such, but oh well. Thinking back to my earlier chapters I think that my writing has gotten stronger...I hope you guys think so!