Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Doctor Who are the property of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.
However, all original characters in this story DO belong to me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission.
****
Chapter 12. Spirit Wolves and Miracles
"I'll give you me."
Joss' words echoed in the suddenly silent woods, even the branches of the trees seeming to hold still in apprehensive attentiveness.
However, it was too much for Houjun. "No!" He leapt from his horse, completely forgetting the stasis spell. Shun'u let out an involuntary wail, sounding eerily as if he were joining Houjun in vehement protest of Joss' offer. Houjun rushed forward to reach Joss but found himself thrust back by arms of incredible strength. He looked up confused into the blue-green glare of the Doctor, who had also dismounted.
"Get back!" hissed the Doctor. "Get back and take up the spell again, or everything that she's fighting for will be lost! You must help Shun'u, and you must trust Joss; she knows what she's doing!"
Houjun hesitated, his expression tormented and furious as he hovered between his fear for Joss and his duty to Shun'u. The Doctor took him firmly by the arm and led him back to Shun'u, forcing him to remount his horse and look down at the pale face of the boy, streaked with unconscious tears of pain. Houjun closed his eyes and sought for the trailing edges of the spell, pushing aside his panic at what was about to occur.
Eiken squinted his already tiny eyes, observing the byplay between the two men with interest. Joss sought to distract him with another caress of his tunic, making his face split apart in a leering grin. "Oh-ho-ho. So the snotty bitch's come down from her high horse ta barter wi' me, eh?" His piggy eyes narrowed until they were mere slits in his doughy face. "Why should I do anythin' for ya, ya bitch? If I wanted yer ass, why shouldn't I jus' take it?" He grabbed her right arm and jerked her against him.
The Doctor started forward, but Joss held up her free hand in a restraining gesture. She covered the hand on her arm with her left hand, then squeezed Eiken's hand with a subtle move that nevertheless made the bandit shout in pain. Joss released him immediately and caught the wounded hand in her own, stroking it with caresses both soothing and oddly erotic.
"Of course, you could take me by force," she purred. "But then I would be just another piece of…nothing special. However, if I were grateful to you--if I owed you--then you could taste of the delights that up until now were reserved only for the Emperor himself."
Eiken's eyes were beginning to glaze over with lust, but he struggled to make sense of the woman's words with what little brain he had left. "Ya don't look like nothin' special ta me. Ya sure as hell don' look like nothin' the Emperor would want. Too old, fer one thing."
"Shows what you know!" snapped Joss. She immediately regained control and adopted a seductive attitude. "Of course, I'm a little older than the rest of Saihitei's harem. That's because I was the last--and favorite--concubine of the old emperor…and the first concubine of the young emperor."
"Ya mean that yer the one who took his--?"
"Let's just say that the future Empress has a high standard to live up to; very high." Joss' voice was a low and sensuous purr. She could sense it; she had Eiken hooked.
But the bandit still remembered her initial attacks against him. "Tell ya what." He leered at his own cleverness. "Jes' ta make sure ya ain't got no cute tricks planned, I'm havin' my buddies stay here an' watch. Then when I'm through with ya, they can have their turns; I'm a nice guy that way."
The other three bandits looked slightly sick, obviously not wanting to follow Eiken down that path. But it was Joss' voice that rang out, cracking like a whip through the quiet forest.
"I said that I was an Imperial concubine, not a common brothel whore!" Her tone was haughty and contemptuous. "I don't do multiples, and I do not perform in public. This offer is for you alone, Eiken...but perhaps you don't possess the wit to appreciate it. Would you take a delicacy from the Emperor's plate and swill it down with sour beer?"
Eiken stared at Joss, obviously impressed by her high-bred manners. His eyes glazed over again as he contemplated taking a woman previously reserved for the most powerful man in Konan. He absently wiped a line of drool from his thick lips with one hairy wrist. "Aw right, then," he said thickly, tugging at his trousers as his excitement grew. "Show me whatcha got."
Joss closed her eyes momentarily, fighting back a sudden urge to vomit. 'Don't do it,' she rebuked herself mentally. 'Don't toss your cookies, or he'll catch onto you and everything will be lost.' She opened her eyes again and fixed him with what she hoped was a cool, composed look. "First you have to let the men and the boy go; that was our agreement."
"What, dontcha wanna let yer boyfrien' watch?" chortled Eiken, amused at the furious twitch in Houjun's jaw as he struggled to maintain the spell while having to listen to Eiken's crude remarks. The Doctor had remounted and sat very still in his saddle, but his eyes glittered with a cold light.
Joss merely stalked past Eiken to join Houjun at Shun'u's side. She gazed up at him, her eyes desperately seeking to catch his gaze, but he kept his own eyes averted as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "Please," she murmured softly. "You have to understand; he called me 'Nee-san.'" She choked back a sob. "He's my little brother now. I have to save him--you have to save him! So go now, before Eiken changes his mind…GO!"
Houjun jumped in surprise at her sudden shout. The Doctor spurred his horse towards them and seized Houjun's reins. He pulled Houjun's horse and Shun'u's pony after him. "Hyah!" he shouted, his voice grim and harsh as he forced them to canter out of the ambush, disappearing around a bend in the path.
Joss blinked back tears as she listened to the hoofbeats fade into the distance. She pulled herself together and turned to face Eiken's lustful smirk with a steady gaze. "So shall we find a place where we can have some privacy?"
****
Houjun tried to hold the stasis spell in place as he was jostled by the horse's rapid pace, but his concentration kept slipping. Shun'u moaned a few incoherent protests, at one point crying out, "No, no, nooooo," his vocalizations matching the magician's furious thoughts. Once they had gone a respectable distance and rounded several turns in the path, the Doctor pulled up the horses and flung himself out of the saddle. His expression was tight and unreadable as he strode up to Houjun's side.
Houjun gasped and let the spell drop again. "Doctor, we can't--you can't ask her to--!"
"Hold the spell!" snarled the Doctor, his voice almost unrecognizable with rage. "Hold the spell and keep going; keep going down the mountain!" He thrust the magic mirror into Houjun's hand. "Follow wherever the symbol grows brighter and don't STOP!" He caught his breath. "I'm going back to get Joss, so be sure to get Shun'u as far away from here as possible."
"Doctor, let me come with you!"
"No! You're the only barrier standing between this boy and death! You must do as Joss asked you and get him to safety; you must--" The Doctor hesitated at Houjun's furious expression and decided to try another tack. "Houjun, trust me. If ever there was a time that you needed to trust me, it's now. I will bring her back, I promise you, but every second that you delay me here is another second that she is in that creature's clutches! So do as I tell you now!"
Houjun grimaced in frustration but nodded and spurred his horse, pulling Shun'u's pony down the mountain path. The Doctor turned and began running quietly back up the mountain, muttering vehement curses under his breath, curses that would have withered the very leaves on the trees had they understood ancient Gallifreyan.
In spite of his considerable experience in running, he was frustrated at how long it was taking him to reach the ambush site. Every second that he delayed was another second in which Joss was forced to…. He shut down that agonized train of thought as he began to recognize landscape features near the ambush. The Doctor slowed his pace, leaving the path and slipping stealthily from tree to tree. It was ominously quiet near his target destination. He finally stepped out from behind the last tree, only to see…
...nothing. The area was deserted; Eiken, Joss, and the bandits long gone.
The Doctor pounded his fist into his thigh in frustration. Just as he was about to let loose with another blistering Gallifreyan curse, he felt a strong hand pulling back his head and the cold, steely edge of a blade pressed to his throat.
"Now whadda we got here?" inquired a silky, amused voice.
****
Joss followed Eiken's bulky form as he dragged her deeper into the trees. To her surprise, he'd chosen to make a forced march to another region that was a good distance away from the ambush site. Joss didn't know whether to be glad that their jaunt was buying her time or worried at the fact that she wouldn't be at the place where the Doctor and Houjun would look for her when they came back for her. If they came back for her. After all, it wasn't as if she were a vital component of the Doctor's mission. Even if Houjun felt differently, he couldn't leave Shun'u to rescue her. No, she might as well face it: she'd gotten herself into this situation, and she was going to have to get herself out again. She sucked in some air, feeling somewhat breathless at the unexpectedly rapid pace that Eiken was setting. She'd tried to slow them earlier by stumbling, but Eiken had jerked her arm so hard that he nearly pulled it out of its socket. Joss knew that she couldn't afford to get injured if she hoped to pull some fancy kung-fu moves on the bastard dragging her along, so she gamely kept up with him.
The three bandits trailed them at a distance, following Eiken's orders. "I still don' trust this bitch," he had confided earlier in a growl. "So you guys stay close, an' if she tries anythin' cute, you better jump in or I'll have yer hides tacked up on my chamber wall, got it?"
They had nodded glumly, the kind bandit shaking his head. "I don't care even if she's the Emperor's whore," he muttered in an undertone to his companions. "She don't deserve ta be pawed by that pig. He's gonna hurt her, ya know, jus' 'cause he can!"
"Yeah, but what're we s'posed ta do?" protested another bandit. "Th' boss said that we hadda stick together an' obey rank!"
"We can't do nuthin'," agreed the third bandit. "Life jes' sucks sometimes, that's all."
Just when Joss thought that she was about to collapse, they stopped in a small clearing. The three bandits took up position at the edge, fading back between the trees. Joss looked back at their forms, half-hidden in the shadows. "I said I don't perform for audiences!" she snapped. She struggled to keep her voice steady, knowing that the slightest tremor would give her away.
"They can't see nothin' in this light. They're jes' there ta make sure ya ain't got no cute tricks planned, yer Royal Hind-Ass!" Eiken chortled at his own joke.
Joss anxiously looked back at the bandits, calculating whether she could take Eiken down and get away before the others realized what was going on, when suddenly she was rocked back by a blow to one side of her head. Her vision blurred for a moment--then Eiken was all over her, his thick lips slobbering over her mouth as his hands tore at her tunic and groped for her breasts.
Joss struggled for air, her mind screaming in horror. She hadn't expected him to move so fast, she'd underestimated his speed and strength, and now she was in trouble and he was all over her, and she couldn't defend herself because it was too late! She couldn't breathe, and she was getting dizzy, and now he was pulling at her trousers, and oh, God, wouldn't somebody, anybody help her?
At that moment, the clearing resounded with an unfamiliar battle cry. "Rekka Shin'EN!" A gout of flame exploded and shot past them, scorching Eiken. The bandit shouted in pain and released Joss, dropping to the ground and rolling to try to extinguish his smoking clothes. Joss fell to her knees, desperately gasping for air while pulling her torn tunic together with shaking hands. Her eyes were wide with shock, both at her near rape and at the inexplicable intervention, so it was a few moments before she focused on a tall figure standing over them both.
It was a young man, slightly older than Houjun, impossibly handsome and self-possessed. His thick, dark hair was caught in a long ponytail, leaving only a few trailing strands to hang in front of silvery-grey eyes that caught the dim twilight and glowed mysteriously in the darkness. 'Wolf's eyes,' thought Joss, her shell-shocked mind fixing on small, unimportant details. Suddenly another figure strode into her line of sight and stooped beside her. Even in the twilight, she recognized the cut of his coat and his long wavy hair…
"Doctor!" wailed Joss, releasing her control now that she knew she was safe. He caught her in a fierce embrace, crushing her against his chest and stroking her hair with hands that were shaking violently. She sobbed out all her fear and horror, weeping into the velvet coat. She felt him tremble beneath her desperate grasp and realized that he was as frightened as she by what had nearly transpired--and that thought strangely helped her to regain control. She was overcome with the need to comfort him, so she gasped, "'S'all right! I'm all right now…we're all right…" while releasing his lapels and sliding her arms around his back, pulling him close. And it was all right, because they hadn't left her, they had come back for her as she knew they would, and she knew that she could trust them to the ends of the earth. She frowned as she felt the Doctor's heartbeat flutter oddly beneath her ear; could he be having palpitations?
"Eiken, ya filthy pig, get up!" The authoritative voice echoed around the clearing, its smooth tones making even the mountain accent sound princely. The stranger stood with his legs apart, pointing a large metallic object that looked like a giant folded fan at the scorched bandit.
Eiken staggered to his feet, whimpering and clutching at his singed backside. Joss briefly hid her face in the Doctor's coat, until a wave of rage overtook her. She'd be damned if she cowered and cringed before that filthy beast! It was his turn to cower, and she was determined to witness every last minute of his humiliation. She pushed away from the Doctor and turned to face the two men, lifting her chin proudly, although she still clutched the Doctor's hand in a death grip. The Doctor slipped out of her grasp briefly and removed his frock coat, wrapping Joss securely in its warm, sandalwood-scented folds and pulling her firmly to his side.
"Boss, why'd ya do that?" Eiken blubbered and whined, all his bravado gone now that he was facing the wrath of the true leader of the Mount Reikaku bandits. "I wasn't doin' nuthin'!"
"Shut up!" snarled the boss. "Don't ever make th' mistake of thinkin' that I'm as stupid as you, Eiken! I know goddamn well what you were doin'! You were breakin' every rule I've tried ta pound through yer thick skull for the last few years!"
"Boss?" murmured Joss in an aside to the Doctor.
"Yes," the Doctor's voice was equally hushed. "I was fortunate enough to encounter him as I was running back to get you. He asked me what I was doing on 'his' mountain, so I told him everything. And now--" He broke off as Eiken continued to whine.
"I din't break no rules! Th' woman offered ta come wi' me. She was the one who came onta me!"
Joss flushed in humiliation. Eiken's words were technically true, and if this were a court of law--
"Yeah, an' why'd she offer that? Yer tryin' ta tell me that she was overcome by yer good looks an' fine manners?"
The three other bandits burst into sniggers but were silenced by a glare from the boss. "Ya got nothin' ta laugh about, since you three assholes are in serious shit with me, too! What th' fuck were ya thinkin'? Holdin' up people who were tryin' ta get a sick kid ta some healer, makin' th' woman offer herself up ta this pig so that he'd let th' kid go? What th' fuck's wrong with y'all?"
"But Boss, ya said that we hadda obey rank!"
"Oh, fer cryin' out loud, was every last one of ya dropped on yer heads by yer mothers? Ya think that maybe between th' three of ya, ya could come up with at least one brain? Yer not s'posed ta follow someone when they're breakin' my rules!" The young man sighed in aggravation and turned to meet gazes with the Doctor. "I'm surrounded by idiots!" he complained.
The Doctor smiled but kept diplomatically silent, squeezing Joss' arm so that she would do the same.
The bandit leader turned back to his abashed subordinates. "Okay, geniuses, lemme put this in short sentences so as ta not overwork yer tiny brains. I'm th' boss, I set th' rules, an' th' rules stand whether or not I'm there with ya! As for this pea-brained asshole, jus' ta make sure that ya don't get confused by him again, I'm bustin' him down ta lowest rank!"
Eiken let out a wail of dismay. "But Boss, I been part o' yer gang fer over three years now!"
The wolfish eyes glittered coldly. "So ya think ya'd learn th' rules by now, dontcha? Ya better count yerself lucky, Eiken, that I don't flame yer ass to a cinder right here an' now! Ya know goddamn well that we don't steal from th' poor, and we sure as hell don't molest women or hold children hostage! But just ta make sure ya get th' rules through the thing in yer ass ya call a brain, you can do all th' chores around th' stronghold fer th' next two weeks! Th' new orphan kid could use some time off, anyway. You three geniuses can take 'im back there before I decide that I really am pissed enough ta torch every last one of ya!"
The three bandits jumped up and grabbed Eiken's arms, hustling him off in the opposite direction. But Eiken looked back at the bandit leader one last time, his features contorted with lust, a sick longing for…
Joss shuddered. How could the handsome young bandit leader tolerate such a look from that animal? Maybe he didn't see it.
"Yeah, look all ya want, Eiken. Ya ain't gettin' any closer ta havin' th' tessen while I'm alive--unless yer gettin' it this way! Rekka Shin'EEEEN!"
A gout of flame shot out of the iron fan, leaping towards the four bandits, who yelled and ran panic-stricken into the woods. The bandit leader laughed merrily. "Buncha assholes! Shoulda singed 'em a little more, I think!"
Joss finally realized that the object of Eiken's lust was the mystical, flame-shooting iron fan that the bandit leader now held carelessly against one shoulder. She shook her head at the thought of the disastrous circumstances that would be set in motion if Eiken ever did get his nasty paws on the fan. Luckily, the bandit leader seemed to have everything under control.
The man turned and faced Joss and the Doctor, smiling charmingly at the young woman. "I'd like ta 'pologize for that pig's actions; he ain't at all what I intended for th' gang ta be! I'm known as Hakurou, and I'm th' boss of th' Mount Reikaku bandits, who, if you'll believe me, are mostly decent guys. That one, though…" his eyes darkened, "...I'm gonna hafta keep a close eye on 'im, not ta mention beat th' shit outta him at regular intervals."
The Doctor was mildly curious. "Why do you keep such an unsavory specimen in your gang, Hakurou-san? I would think that he's more trouble than he's worth."
"'Cause I ain't quite ready ta kill 'im in cold blood," Hakurou answered bluntly. "If you had a vicious dog that you weren't ready ta put down, wouldja set 'im loose to run in th' woods an' maybe jump out atcha one day--or wouldja keep 'im chained up under yer eye so's ta keep 'im under control? Eiken's a nasty piece o' work, but at least the gang discipline keeps 'im toein' th' line most of th' time. If I cut 'im loose, he'll just join up with th' Mount Kaou bastards, an' then he'll be free ta do some real damage!" Hakurou sighed. "Not ta mention, he did a favor for my dad once--a life favor, but my dad died b'fore he could pay 'im back. So now I'm stuck with th' debt, but I ain't necessarily gonna put up wi' Eiken's shit forever, and I make damn sure th' bastard knows that!"
The Doctor nodded in agreement while Joss marveled at Hakurou's intelligence and good looks. What was it about this world that produced so many gorgeous, heroic men? Of course, the Universe of the Four Gods also had trolls like Eiken populating it, but it was still nice to know that a young woman could run across a Hakurou or a Houjun…
"Houjun!" gasped Joss, flushing guiltily at forgetting about the young magician while ogling Hakurou. "He's--"
"Half-mad with worry about you, and frantically trying to get Shun'u to safety," replied the Doctor, who also seemed to have momentarily forgotten about their urgent mission. "Hakurou-san, as I told you earlier, we are desperately trying to find a healer who is not far from here. Have you heard anything about someone with near-miraculous healing powers?"
"As a matter o' fact, I 'm jus' returnin' from a trip ta' sniff out news aroun' my mountain, and I heard some people talkin' 'bout somebody who was helpin' out with a sickness in a little village at th' base of th' mountain. Seems that they had some kinda feast or celebration, an' they didn't roast th' pig enough, and lotsa people got sick, includin' their own healer. So they sent for this guy from another village, and s'posedly he's practically a miracle-worker from th' way they're talkin'. But here's th' thing: he's no old jija; he's practically a kid 'imself."
The Doctor's eyes gleamed with excitement. "He sounds like just the person we're seeking! Hakurou-san, could you tell us--?"
"Better'n that, I'll show ya the right road ta take, 'cause these mountain paths interconnect and get kinda confusin' as ya go further down. So listen, I found those assholes' horses tied up back there, an' I figure it'll be just punishment for Eiken if ya take his horse. So let's ride!"
****
Houjun stood, staring in frustration at the crossing of several paths. All paths appeared to lead down the mountain, staying fairly close together, but he could only assume that they diverged at some distant point. He didn't want to waste time choosing the wrong path, then having to backtrack to try yet another path, and perhaps repeating the process over and over again. He felt Shun'u weakening, his ki force growing fainter, and he knew that he had to make the right choice now!
Suddenly he heard hoofbeats cantering rapidly down the mountain towards him. Cursing to himself, Houjun quickly pulled the horses and Shun'u into the shelter of the trees. The Doctor and Joss had both been unmounted, which meant that at best, those hoofbeats belonged to some innocent travelers but at worst, they belonged to the bandits, coming to take revenge upon himself and Shun'u. He wiped sweat from his eyes and readied a defensive spell, feeling as if he were stooping to pick a flower while carrying a hundred-pound weight on his back. He knew that he held only the most precarious control over his powers at this point, but--
In a flash, a stranger on horseback burst into view, startling him. Houjun's mind cried out bandit!, his control slipped, and before he could stop himself, the defensive blast of ki exploded at the horseman, knocking him off his horse. Immediately thereafter, a second horse galloped onto the scene, its rider shouting, "Houjun, stop!"
Even in the twilight, he recognized the Doctor; therefore, the smaller figure mounted behind him could only be--
"Joss!" Houjun gasped the name with relief and gratitude.
"Joss…" mumbled a small voice from the trees, followed by a choked sob.
"Houjun, take up the holding spell!" snapped the Doctor, dismounting and kneeling by the fallen horseman.
Joss had dismounted as well, but she ran up to Houjun, sensing his distress. "I'm all right," she reassured him. "Everything's all right!" Her eyes glistened with tears in the dim light, and she was wrapped in the Doctor's coat--Houjun felt a burning rage take hold in him. Those bastards!
"No, Houjun, I'm really all right," pleaded Joss, reading the fury in his mystical eyes. "Tell me about Shun'u." Gently, she led him back to his duty.
"Getting weaker," muttered Houjun, suddenly feeling useless and helpless. He hadn't been there for Joss, and now…now he couldn't look her in the eye.
"Houjun?" Joss was confused by his averted gaze.
At that moment, the stranger sat up with a groan, the Doctor supporting him with an arm around his shoulders. "What th' fuck jus' hit me?" asked Hakurou, shaking his head.
"I'm terribly sorry, Hakurou-san, but I'm afraid you startled my young friend. He was guarding the injured child and used his talents to defend the boy and so--"
Houjun bowed apologetically, feeling his vision waver from the effort of holding the spell.
Hakurou whistled in admiration, catching Houjun's eye while taking in his pale, strained appearance. "All I gotta say is that if he can do somethin' like that while he's in that condition, he's welcome ta join my gang anytime! We could use somebody with his talents."
Relieved that the bandit leader had taken no offense at Houjun's attack, the Doctor proceeded with introductions and explanations. Hakurou responded by pointing them down the correct path, and issued an open invitation for any of the travelers to visit his mountain at any time as his honored guests.
The Doctor drew the bandit aside and spoke softly with him, at which point Hakurou nodded and replied, "Well then, we never saw ya, an' I'll make sure those idiots ya met earlier keep ta that story as well! Better be on yer way, now--an' I'll say some prayers for th' little one here!" He gestured at Shun'u's small form in the sling and bowed a farewell from horseback. Joss blew him a kiss as he rode off up the mountain trail.
It took an hour of careful negotiation down the dark mountain path before the weary travelers spied the glow of lamplight spilling from the houses and inns in the good-sized town at the base. The Doctor looked around, once more appearing to sniff the wind. He drew his horse close to Houjun's.
"Houjun, it's time for us to don our turbans and veils again. There are far too many strangers in this place, and any one of them could give information unknowingly."
"What about me?" asked Joss from behind the Doctor.
"I'll give you a robe, but the women of the Kel do not need to wear veils. It's only the men."
"I think I like the Kel already," murmured Joss approvingly.
The strangely garbed party rode into the town and began to query about the whereabouts of the powerful young healer. Luckily, it was at the second inn that they encountered a garrulous and friendly man who knew the most recent place that the healer was said to have visited. The Doctor thanked him profusely for the detailed directions that led them to the darker, poorer outskirts of the bustling town.
The group stopped within a circle of small hovels. A few scrawny dogs tied to the doorposts with string yapped a sleepy challenge, but the inhabitants did not come to their doors to inquire their purpose.
"Not borrowing trouble," muttered the Doctor, tipping the mirror to the dim light leaking from the window of the smallest, poorest shack. His head jerked up and he strode towards the lamplit shack, knocking firmly on the door. After an extended wait, a frightened young woman dressed in coarse rags cracked open the door, drawing back in fear from the turbaned and veiled stranger.
"Bandits!" she gasped. "Please spare us; there is nothing here! Only a sick child."
"No, no need to worry," reassured the Doctor. "We're not bandits. We're merely travelers who have a sick child of our own. Would you allow us to see the healer?"
Her weary eyes flashed once in fear, then inexplicably cleared. She stepped aside, waving the strangers into her tiny home. Joss followed the Doctor, once more marveling at his ability to gain people's trust with only a few words, while Houjun remained outside, leaning against Shun'u's pony with his eyes closed.
Joss and the Doctor skirted around a hole in the floor that held a small cooking fire flickering weakly beneath a battered teapot. The woman lifted a curtain that covered the doorway to a second smaller room. They could see a small form breathing easily from a straw mat on the floor, while a very large figure reclined beside it, its long limbs extending off his own straw mat to trail in the dust of the dirt floor.
"He's very tired," the woman explained, her voice soft with gratitude. "He has been helping out in the village all week, and just when he was going to leave, my son took ill. He turned his horse around and came back here to help us, although we had nothing to pay him with. Now my son is recovered, but the healer nearly collapsed from exhaustion, so I begged him to share my poor hospitality."
"You are a very good woman," murmured the Doctor in his foreign accent. "I hate to disturb him, but our need is very urgent. Could you tell me his name?"
"Myou," replied a deep voice from the floor. The figure sat up, even that contained motion suddenly unfolding his large form so that he seemed to fill the entire room. "Myou Juan-- but you may call me Juan. Now what seems to be the problem?"
****
Houjun slumped against the pony in a near-trance state. He felt as if he'd always been here and would forever be here, holding weakly to some clouded spell as he grasped futilely for the ki force of an innocent child as it trickled slowly away…
'He's here!' whispered his mind, jolting him awake at the same moment that the lamplight from the tiny house shone into his eyes. The light was almost immediately blocked by a tall, thin figure who strode up to him purposefully--and for some reason, Houjun felt a jolt of recognition shoot through his being, at the same time realizing that he had never met this person before. He would've remembered the coal black hair, flowing thickly from the crown of the man's head, cut short so as to not require a ponytail, and the kind yet weary blue eyes. The man seemed to be his own age, but he was incredibly tall, his lanky form still holding the thin lines of adolescence beneath his simple tunic and slightly too-short trousers.
The stranger seemed to feel the inexplicable connection as well, for he stopped in his tracks, staring at the veiled visage of the shorter man. "Have we met--?" he began, but at that moment, the Doctor appeared beside the healer.
"Myou-san, if you please, the child is in great danger!"
The young physician rubbed at his reddened eyes, then bent over the small quiet figure in the sling, muttering, "Let me see here." One look at Shun'u's sunken features snapped the healer into full alertness. "Dear Suzaku!" he cursed softly. "What happened to him?"
"He fell out of a tree," explained the Doctor tersely. "Fractured skull: that's the worst injury, but he has multiple contusions and also a fractured ankle."
"When did this happen?"
"Nearly twelve hours ago."
"Twelve hours!" The healer stared down at the boy with shock tinged with respect. "He should have died by now! I don't understand--" He glanced up at the veiled men, noting the pale, sweating forehead of the quiet one.
The Doctor chimed in again. "My friend here has a few, er, talents in slowing things down. Yet even with those abilities, I'm afraid that things are deteriorating."
Myou Juan rubbed his forehead distractedly, muttering to himself. "Was it last night that I--no, early this morning? After midnight? Damn it, the hours are running together in my head!" He looked up at the anxious, hopeful glances of the men and the woman. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can help you."
The woman's eyes immediately filled with tears, and she choked back a sob. Myou Juan felt the familiar helpless rage at others' suffering, his burning need to help people in distress, no matter the cost to himself. He shook his head and committed himself to the precarious path of helping these people and the boy they obviously loved, although he knew that it would be at the risk of his own life.
"I'll be honest with you. There's nothing in the normal methods of a healer that I can do for him: nothing that you haven't done already and with considerable skill, I might add. But I myself have some talents as you say. The problem is there's a limitation on my abilities: I can only use them once each day. And I'm afraid that I've already used them sometime early this morning, at some hour past midnight that I can't recall at the moment."
The tears spilled over from the woman's eyes. "How many hours?" she whispered, her accent as foreign as her companion's. "Is it twenty-four hours between treatments, or is it a sunrise-to-sunset time interval?"
Myou Juan admired her logical question, formulated even through her obviously severe emotional distress. "It's not sunrise-to-sunset; I've tried that before. But I'm not certain if it's a full twenty-four hour interval…I just don't know," he admitted, slightly embarrassed at the fact that he never really tested it before.
"Of course you've never tested it," reassured the Doctor. "After all, you would hardly be randomly healing people at decreasing time intervals merely for the purpose of testing your abilities." He winced as Juan jumped, startled at having his thoughts answered aloud. "I'm terribly sorry, bad habit of mine…but please, isn't there anything you can do?"
"Well, perhaps if...if your friend--"
"Ri-san," interjected the Doctor.
"If Ri-san can continue to slow the progress of the injury, perhaps he can hold the boy stable until my abilities return."
The Doctor gazed anxiously at Houjun's pale and sweating countenance. He sensed the deterioration of Houjun's own physical well-being under the relentless stress of holding the spell for hours. "How long?" he asked softly, watching Houjun carefully.
"Maybe three--maybe four hours."
Houjun closed his eyes in despair. The Doctor detected a change in his heartbeat, an increasing irregularity--and he hated the decision he was forced to make. "No," he replied sadly. "He can't do it. Hou…Ri-san, I'm sorry, but it's time that you let go. You've done everything you can, more than anyone else could have done, but--"
"No!" Houjun gasped for breath. "I can do it, Doctor; I have to do it! Please don't try to stop me! I just have to hold on a little longer."
Joss bit back her sobs. Somehow she knew that Houjun was risking his own life to save Shun'u. She didn't want him to--no, he had to--like him, she couldn't stand the thought of Shun'u dying when they were so close to saving him, but she couldn't stand the thought of Houjun dying, either! Oh God, if the choice was hers, would she let a child die to save the man she loved? What kind of person was she?
'A very human person, Joss,' the Doctor's voice sounded quietly in her mind. 'But there's no point in self-castigation; the choice is his, not yours.'
Houjun turned his eyes to the healer. "I can do it," he pleaded, somehow knowing that he had to convince this man. Blue eyes met brown, and some unspoken message seemed to pass between them.
"Very well. If you can do it, then so can I."
Scant minutes later, Houjun was seated by the tiny cooking fire as Juan settled Shun'u carefully upon a straw mat. He checked the child's pulse and heart rate, lifted the bruised eyelids and peered into his eyes. "No better," he muttered, "but luckily, no worse as well." He pulled herbs from a pouch at his side and poured them into the steaming water in the teapot. The woman of the house had retreated to the second room to watch over her sleeping son and to give the healer the room he needed to treat the new patient. The Doctor and Joss had set up their own camp in the woods outside the circle of hovels, the "hospital" being too small to accommodate four adults and an injured child in the central room.
After a few minutes, Juan poured some of the herbal infusion into a small wooden cup and handed it to Houjun, who accepted it with a confused look. "I thought this was for the boy."
"It will help stabilize your breathing and heart rate." Juan mock-frowned at his companion. "Drink it. The boy lives only as long as you stay conscious, am I right? So do as I say; I'm merely looking after my patient."
Houjun fumbled with the veil, trying to keep his face covered while lifting the cup to his lips. The infusion was fragrant and slightly sweet, and sent strength flowing back into him with every sip. He carefully withdrew the empty cup from beneath his face veil and smiled gratefully at Juan, realizing too late that the other man could not see his smile.
Juan stared keenly at Houjun. "Ri-san, you are not a member of the Kel Tagelmust. I've never seen any man of the Kel handle a face veil as clumsily as you."
Houjun flushed in embarrassment. He repressed the automatic denial, knowing that Juan would see through his lie. What was it that the Doctor always said? Oh yes: stick to the truth as much as possible when seeking to deceive. But then again, it might not be necessary to deceive Juan. The healer seemed trustworthy, his ki unclouded and strong, yet the Doctor had cautioned against giving out too much information. "There are many reasons a man may wish to pass unnoticed," he finally replied to the healer. "Not all of them involve evil-doing or shame."
Juan seemed satisfied with this answer. "I thought as much," he replied comfortably, pouring another cup of the infusion for himself. "Not only are you hopeless with the veil, but I recognize your accent. You grew up along the Kouga River, didn't you?"
Houjun nearly jumped. This healer was coming far too close to the truth of his identity. His mystical eyes must have darted around nervously, for Juan suddenly let out a hearty laugh and patted him soothingly on the arm.
"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." He leaned over and checked Shunu's pulse once again.
"But how did you know?"
"I'm good with accents; I travel through most of the villages in Northern Konan, and I've studied the speech patterns for my amusement. But I also have an advantage in your respect: I myself grew up in a village along the Kouga, so I recognize another river boy when I hear him."
Shun'u suddenly whimpered, so Houjun drew together his scattered thoughts and concentrated on the spell once more. The boy sighed, then quieted. Houjun looked up to find himself the object of another intense stare from Juan.
"Amazing. If only I could do what you can do."
"And if I could do what you can do, he wouldn't be suffering at this moment. My talents are…limited."
"As are mine. I suppose that it's a waste of time to play the brag game, then."
Houjun laughed in delight. It had been such a long time since he'd played the challenge game that was popular among the river boys. He held out his cup for a refill of the infusion, then tentatively threw out the first challenge. "This infusion is good. But if I made it with my herbs, it would cure the blind."
Juan laughed, taking up the challenge. "Your turban and veil are very mysterious. But if I wore a turban and veil, I would be so mysterious that all of the women of this village would line up for my favors!"
They continued with the game, pausing only to check on Shun'u or to trickle some of the infusion down his throat. Houjun was surprised to find that the diversion acted like a mental brace, increasing his psychic grip on the spell instead of distracting him. He and Juan took the boasts to higher and higher levels, resulting in ever more ludicrous claims of domination over the world, the heavens and even the gods themselves.
Finally Juan made his last boast. "And with my godly strength, my domination over the lands, the seas and the four gods, Suzaku, Byakko, Seiryuu, and Genbu, I would inspire everlasting passion in the breast of the Controller of the Universe, Taiitsukun herself!"
Houjun burst into howls of laughter, causing Juan to lift an eyebrow in confusion even as he grinned at his companion's merriment. Finally Houjun was able to choke out, "Have you ever seen Taiitsukun?"
"No," admitted Juan. "But I've heard stories of her powers and--"
"Well, I concede the match right now! You win, Juan: you win Taiitsukun in all of her passionate glory! I wouldn't think of challenging you for her hand!"
Juan was a quick study, giving a rueful smile. "So she's that ugly, huh?"
"Oh, yes. Think of the ugliest person you've ever seen, cross that with various amphibian species, and you have a vague idea of how truly frightening she is!"
"You've certainly had a wide range of experiences," murmured Juan, shooting another assessing glance at Houjun. "Not many people can claim to have met the Oracle of the Four Gods."
"I travel a great deal." Houjun changed the subject. "So what is your home village like? Do they celebrate the Moonlight Festival in high summer?"
"They did." Juan's voice was suddenly soft with memory. "My village no longer exists, Ri-san. Just under two years ago, the entire village was destroyed when the Kouga River overflowed its banks after a particularly violent late season monsoon. I happened to be staying in a distant town while helping out with an epidemic, so I escaped harm, but my family and friends were not so fortunate."
Houjun's throat suddenly tightened with grief. So Juan had lost his family in the same flood that had claimed his own loved ones. It was strange, this sudden onrush of memories. In his not-so-distant past, he'd spent every free moment brooding about the flood and the tragedies that had surrounded it. However, for the past few weeks, the joys and demands of adventuring with the Doctor and Joss had pushed his personal pain to the back of his mind. Now the pain resurfaced with breathtaking speed, yet it was somehow different: duller, perhaps. The tragedies still made his heart ache, but his insides no longer roiled with stomach-churning guilt. Could he finally be healing?
Juan went on reminiscing quietly. "I lost everything and everyone I loved in that flood. I don't think I could've survived the pain if it hadn't been for a girl I knew; she and her family. They had also escaped the worst of the flood while visiting distant relatives. I'd been wandering through the village, turning over bodies, looking for my little brothers and sisters and parents. I think that I must've been half-mad with grief, when Shouka appeared out of nowhere and took me by the hand, leading me out of that stinking hellhole. Her family took me in and gave me a new home in a village near Mount Reikaku. We chose to move to the mountains, because none of us could bear the sight of the river after all it had taken from us."
Houjun blinked back tears. He'd never really thought about the hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who had suffered in that same flood. It was strange to hear his life story issuing from the mouth of a stranger, except…Juan hadn't killed his own best friend, had he? Houjun forced down the bitterness with an effort, trying to recall the Doctor's words of comfort. "Makes all the difference," he whispered to the flames,"all the difference."
"You too?" The healer's question was brief. Houjun nodded, unable to speak at the moment.
"So you know what it's like," continued Juan, almost dreamily. "Feeling as if you'd failed them, wondering why you deserved to survive. I don't think I could have survived if it weren't for Shouka. She's my whole world now. As soon as I earn enough money to buy her the house she deserves, I'm going to marry her, and we're going to be happy for the rest of our lives. But I know one thing for certain: I know that I can't ever live through that kind of pain again. If anything ever happened to her, I think that I would just lie down and die."
"No!" Houjun startled Juan and himself with the vehemence of his reply. He softened his tone. "I'm not predicting that something is going to happen to your betrothed. What I mean to say is that we can't ever give up, no matter what how terrible and painful life may seem. I know the kind of pain that you are speaking of, Juan; believe me, I know. I think it's all right to run away from such pain, at least for awhile--but it's not all right to give up entirely. Just when it seems that things are hopeless, people can come into your life and make it worth living again." Houjun thought about the Doctor and Joss, and yes, even Shun'u. "Never give up," he whispered to himself.
At that moment, they heard Shun'u suddenly choke and gasp, his tiny form convulsing beneath the rough blanket. The two men rushed to his side, Juan flinging aside the blankets and pressing his head to Shun'u's rapidly jerking chest. "His heart," he hissed in concern. "He's in crisis!"
Houjun closed his eyes and desperately reached for some spell, something, anything! It was no use. He'd held off death as long as possible, but now Death had come to claim its due. Black despair washed over him and for some reason, he felt as if he were losing part of himself along with this child. Strong arms suddenly seized his shoulders and propelled him out the door of the house.
"There's only one thing that can be done!" panted Juan. "But I need privacy. I don't know if this is going to work and I don't know if it's dangerous to others, so please, Ri-san, close the door and wait outside!" Juan turned and raced back to Shun'u's helplessly convulsing form. Houjun did as commanded and pulled the door shut. Within seconds, another set of strong hands caught him and turned him around. He looked into the Doctor's panicked blue gaze.
"Shun'u--is he--?"
"In trouble. In very big trouble. There's nothing more I can do, Doctor. It's up to Juan now, but--why couldn't I have held on longer? It's only been one, maybe two hours. Oh, gods, why couldn't I--?"
"You've done everything you can, Houjun, more than anyone else could've done. You've surpassed what is humanly possible, so don't blame yourself…Hush!" The Doctor drew Houjun into a fierce embrace, letting the young man stifle his sobs against his robe.
Houjun felt a warm weight against his back and another pair of arms surround him from behind, and he knew that Joss was holding onto him as well. He lifted tearful eyes towards the little house and saw--
"Green," he muttered, surprised. Joss just sobbed, but the Doctor turned to follow his gaze. Yes, there it was: a soft green glow shining from the edges of the oiled paper windows, a muted radiance that suddenly sharpened and intensified. Bright green rays of light shot from every thin opening in the walls of the shack, piercing the darkness, making the three witnesses gasp and squint their eyes in pain--and just as suddenly disappeared, leaving the circle of houses in darkness once more.
Houjun, Joss, and the Doctor stood blinking in the darkness, waiting for the dancing spots before their eyes to fade, when the door of the tiny house creaked open slowly. The tall form of the healer filled the doorway, ducking his head as he passed through...then sagged wearily against the doorjamb. The Doctor hurried forward and caught Juan, holding him up in spite of being considerably smaller than him. Joss took in Juan's weary, defeated posture, and began to weep brokenly.
"No," muttered Juan, forcing his eyes open with an effort. "Don't cry--just go in…" He dropped his head again, as if it had cost him the last of his strength to utter those few words.
Houjun and Joss hurried into the house, dropping to their knees before the small, quiet form beneath the blanket. Joss touched Shun'u's forehead, gently brushing the red-gold bangs from his closed eyes--from the dark-lashed, unbruised eyes. She took in the golden glow of his skin, the gentle rise and fall of his thin chest. "Oh my God," she gasped and started crying again. "Oh God, thank you, thank you, Suzaku, oh thank God!"
Houjun silently joined her in her prayer of thanksgiving, raising one hand to his face and basking in the sense of connection once more blessedly flowing between himself and this child.
****
Houjun handed a cup of the fragrant infusion to Juan, who leaned back against a tree, eyes half-closed in weariness. Joss kept fussing over the still sleeping child who had been gently moved to their campsite some distance into the woods, away from the quiet circle of small houses. She kept finding ways of touching Shun'u: adjusting his pillow, brushing his bangs, smoothing his blanket, as if she needed to reassure herself of the reality of him lying there whole, healthy--unbroken.
Houjun smiled at her maternal solicitude. No matter how much Joss pretended to dislike Shun'u, it was obvious that she cared about him deeply. It was yet another facet of her character that touched him: her outer toughness masking a soft and tender heart. He heard Juan sigh and turned his attention back to the exhausted healer. "Is the infusion all right?"
"Yes, it's fine. The tea helps; that, and a chance to rest."
"I'm certain you've heard this many times before, but I'm in awe of your abilities. In awe and abjectly grateful. If there's anything I can ever do for you in return; anything at all--"
"This tea and a comfortable place to sleep is thanks enough. This has to be the first time that anyone has ever given me a bedroll that actually fits me! Wherever did your friend find it?"
"Oh, the D…Sumisu-san has mysterious ways of his own." Houjun luckily remembered the Doctor's latest pseudonym.
"Sumisu-san, huh? Where has he gone, anyway?"
"Into the woods to…meditate." Houjun hedged his answer, having earlier spied the Doctor peering into the magic mirror and carrying on a whispered argument, apparently with himself. Once he became aware of Houjun's confused regard, the Doctor had waved cheerily and taken off deeper into the woods for greater privacy.
Juan yawned widely and stretched. Houjun was apologetic. "I don't mean to keep you awake, Juan. We have a tent set up over there if you would like to retire now."
"In a while," was the comfortable reply. Juan turned a bemused glance on his veiled companion. "You may think this is odd, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that we know one another. A very strange feeling, since I've never seen your face." Houjun flushed uncomfortably but was saved from answering by Juan's continued musings. "I have an even stranger feeling than that, however." His blue eyes turned towards Shun'u's recumbent form. "I keep getting the feeling that I'm going to be doing a lot of this in my future."
"Healing people?"
"No--healing him: this boy in particular." Juan shrugged at the confused look in Houjun's eyes. "Like I said, it's a strange feeling, not a logical thought. And there's another overlying feeling, an inexplicable sense of--"
"Connection?"
"So you feel it as well. Must be real, then." Juan tried and failed to stifle another huge yawn. "However, right now I'm so tired that I'm not sure if I can testify to the reality of my own name. I guess it's tent time. I'll take the boy in with me to watch over him. For a few hours after each healing, I retain a fragile connection with each of my patients; it helps me monitor their condition even if I'm asleep."
Once Shun'u and Juan were settled in the tent, Juan dropped off almost immediately. Houjun watched over the two sleepers for a few moments, then returned to the campfire. Joss moved over to make room for him, smiling a little tentatively as he wearily dropped down beside her. "You must be totally wiped out."
"Mmmmm, a little. It's strange: ever since Shun'u's crisis, I feel as if I've been re-energized."
"You're still riding the adrenaline rush, that's all. Me, too, for that matter. Once it wears off--" Joss made a diving motion with her hand.
"Adrenaline rush?"
"Oh yeah, forgot that you don't know about that. Adrenaline is a substance your body releases into your blood when you're under extreme stress. Fight-or-flight response. It gives you a temporary burst of energy, enough for you to either overcome or get away from whatever is stressing you."
Houjun was impressed. "Does everyone in your world know so much?"
Joss laughed. "Nah, we just know different things than you do. I'll bet that any child in this village knows more than I do about what plants are safe to use for medicine and which ones can kill you or just make you itch. In my world, we know a lot about the human body because we're made to learn it in school."
"So you do go to school? Is it common among the women in your world?"
"Well, there are lots of different countries in my world, hundreds of different cultures, so not everyone has the same values--but in the most modern and advanced societies, it's as important for a woman to receive a thorough education as it is for a man. Where I live, women are expected to go to school at least until they're eighteen, and it's encouraged for them to keep going until they're twenty-one or twenty-two or even older."
Houjun thought it over. "It makes sense. When I think about it, many of the most intelligent people I've known in my life have been women. It doesn't seem right that we don't utilize their intelligence to the fullest extent here in Konan. It's not that we don't respect women; it's just that we--"
"Put them on a pedestal so that they can be both admired and kept out of the men's way." Joss' tone was mildly sarcastic. "Yeah, we were pretty much the same way in my country until the women fought a long battle to wrest the power from the almighty males. It's not a complete victory, and we still have many battles ahead of us, but at least we can get a complete education and qualify for the same jobs as the men."
A veiled and turbaned figure suddenly appeared on the other side of the fire, the flickering flames reflecting in his dark and mysterious eyes.
Joss patted the ground beside her. "Come and join us, Doctor."
The Doctor reached up and unhooked his face veil, yet in spite of the revealing gesture, his expression remained dark and unfathomable. The flames continued to flicker in his eyes as he turned his gaze to meet Houjun's.
"I have something to tell you. I must leave you now."
****
****
Glossary of Japanese terms:
Rekka Shin'en! - "Divine Explosive Fire of the Gods!" (the tessen spell)
Jija - old man, grandfather
*
Author's Notes: (7-10-03) First of all… Happy Birthday, Bridge! One year old today!
Next: yes, I owe you all an apology for leaving you with a cliffhanger, then failing to return for over a month! Bad Roku! But really, it wasn't my intention to be gone for so long…blah, blah, blah, Real Life, you know my same old refrain. Things aren't looking any better for the rest of the month, either; about the only thing I can promise is that I will keep working on my fanfics as diligently as I can, and I am not abandoning any of them.
Okay, to add to my list of sins, I then went ahead and gave away the "rescues" in the chapter title. Well, maybe not, if you're not familiar with "Genrou Den," the novel about Tasuki's early years. Once again, a big thank you to Tasuki no Miko for her online translation of Genrou Den, which serves as a valuable resource for my background research of Tasuki and the Mount Reikaku bandits. "Spirit Wolf" is Hakurou, the "old boss" of the Mount Reikaku bandits. If you want to see a picture of this handsome guy, I have it on my author page: the cover of Genrou Den.
Now for some fun references. First, for the Doctor Who fans: a sneaky reference to the Third Doctor (and sometimes the Seventh). The thing is, to find this reference, you have to understand the Japanese pronunciation of English names. Next, for the Fushigi Yuugi fans: did anyone catch a referral to Kouji? Not to mention Mitsukake's premonition of how many times he's going to have to put Tasuki back together again in the future: after the "kodoku battle," OVA 2, and of course, White Stones. And finally, the conversation between Joss and Houjun which connects into the end of Chapter 3 of "Hidden Paths." I just love continuity!
Oh, a quick note to Jack: I did so have Doctor Who references in Chapter 11! What about all the Ace stuff? Not only her TV storyline, but also her New Adventures arrival at Benny's wedding in "Happy Endings." But you're very astute; of course, the final scene in Chapter 11 had to close with a crash zoom on Joss, in the best cheesy "Doctor Who" cliffhanger fashion.
I want to thank all of you Bridge fans very warmly for your patience and loyalty. I will promise you one thing: the best is yet to come.
Till next time!
Ja ne!
Roku
