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, as well as the plotline, DO belong to me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission.
Important Warning: This chapter is rated "M"--restricted from those under age 17--for strong adult themes. Readers are cautioned that this chapter contains violence, abuse, adult sexual situations, and extremely crude language. Younger and sensitive readers are urged to avoid this chapter.
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Chapter 15. Into the Abyss
She ran through the underbrush, cursing as she chased the spooked horse in the rapidly dwindling daylight. Branches and brambles tore at her face and clothes, but she rushed on, heedless of their stinging barbs, heedless of anything but the need to accomplish at least one fucking thing in this nightmare afternoon! She had wept and cursed everything in sight, even the bright sunlight that mocked her with its façade of normalcy. Now, as the afternoon sunlight deepened into twilight, she cursed it again, feeling her tenuous grip on sanity slipping with the fading light.
She didn't want to go mad again. She didn't have time for that shit.
Finally forced to stop, she gasped great gulps of air as she bent over with exhaustion. She swiped angrily at her tear-streaked face, too winded to even curse anymore. Part of her wanted to just curl up on the ground and scream and cry until the world went away. "Did that already!" she gasped as her breath came back, remembering her panic and despair escalating at the lake. "Didn't fucking help, did it?" No, the world had come back as always…but it stubbornly refused to return Houjun to her. She forced herself to accept reality. "You want something done, you gotta do it yourself."
It had taken her a while to reclaim her sanity at the lake. She knew that she had to come up with a plan, but it was damned hard with her brain shrieking like a klaxon, 'He's gone, he's gone, he's GONE!' Her first thoughtless impulse had been to run back to Shun'u's farm and beg for help. But she knew that Shun'u was the only effective male there, having heard him mutter under his breath about the non-presence of his father. "Livin' with all them females all them years musta eaten his brain, cuz he don't do nothin' but his chores, then fades inta th' woodwork every night. I ain't turnin' out like that, I can tell ya!" Right now, Joss would have given one of her limbs to have Shun'u back again with his cocky, confident, down-to-earth attitude.
But that would be selfish beyond even the wildest imaginings of her damaged sanity. She knew damn well who had taken Houjun, and she knew that they wouldn't hesitate a heartbeat at killing a young boy who dared to confront them. Nor would she be able to force Shun'u into the background once he knew that Houjun was in danger. No, she refused to let him take that risk; she would just have to come up with a plan on her own.
She'd decided to concentrate on the immediate problem at hand and retrieve the horses. She was going to have to travel a long way, and if that meant learning how to control Houjun's horse, so be it. Except that Houjun's mount had refused to cooperate. It'd been badly spooked by the evil aura that had saturated the area when Houjun had been taken. Joss had been able to capture the docile shaggy pack pony, cello and all, but, she had been singularly unsuccessful in capturing his horse. The stubborn beast would let her approach within a few yards, then suddenly lay its ears back and bolt off deeper into the woods. "Couldn't be due to that aura of panic and rage I'm sending out, now could it?" she grumbled to herself before turning to backtrack to retrieve the pony from where she had tied it to a tree. She stumbled in the dimming light and cursed again. "Goddammit, Suzaku, you think that maybe one fucking thing might go my way? That's all I ask: one lousy fucking break!"
At that moment, she heard the muffled thump of hoofbeats. She almost surged out of the brush, but something held her back. It wasn't Houjun's mount; the sound was of many horses approaching the path that she had just exited. She edged back cautiously behind a tree, peeking out to see who crossed the trail.
A group of horsemen cantered into sight, their ragged and colorful clothing identifying them as bandits. Joss almost ran out joyfully to meet them--she should have remembered Hakurou and the Mount Reikaku bandits!--but at that moment, they burst into laughter, crude, cruel and taunting, making her hesitate. A heavy-set young man trotted delicately into sight, his clothing so richly decorated that it bordered on the absurd. The other bandits moved aside for him, obviously deferring to him as their leader.
Joss swallowed and crouched down. Whoever this "leader" was, he certainly wasn't Hakurou. His oiled hair was slicked back and tied in a limp ponytail, and his pasty face was plastered with heavy makeup. She held her breath as he trotted near her hiding place, then released it as he turned to face his men, triumphantly brandishing a handful of jewels.
"Fine sport, my dears! A rich merchant taken down right under the nose of that upstart brat Hakurou! Won't he gnash his teeth when he finds out!"
"Er, Keiron, I mean Leader, how's he gonna find out?"
"When he discovers the body of that whining fool sprawled across the main path on his beloved mountain."
Another one of the bandits laughed coarsely. Joss caught her breath when she realized his clothes were spattered with blood. "Eh, and din't he squeal like a hog at th' butcher's block? 'But I thought the Mount Reikaku bandits din't kill nobody!' he cries just afore I cut 'im! Now he knows his mistake, takin' us fer them soft-headed pussies. He'll know ta watch out fer th' Mount Kaou bandits in his next life!"
The bandits burst into another round of crude laughter, Keiron's high-pitched titter forming a sharp contrast against their loud guffaws. Joss remained very still, hoping that the intruders would ride off with their spoils before they discovered her presence. She had no doubt as to her fate should they come upon her.
At that moment, more hoofbeats thudded on the path. Joss watched as the legs of two more horses pranced into view, and recognized the distinctive white stockings of Houjun's horse. "Here, Leader, found us another horse. Din't think that mark 'ad more'n two horses wit' him, but guess it's jus' our lucky night!"
Keiron dismounted and walked over to Houjun's horse. He briefly examined Houjun's ash staff that had been strapped to the saddle, then disdainfully threw it into the underbrush. Pulling open the saddlebags, he examined their contents, then threw them aside as well. "Useless!" he hissed. "This creature has nothing of value on it." Suddenly his beady eyes narrowed even further. "In fact, I believe that this horse has nothing to do with our dear departed merchant at all. You!" he shouted at one of his men. "Search the area and see if there's anyone around who may be willing to…barter for his horse," he smirked.
Joss drew back, looking fearfully around her for small twigs that might snap and betray her presence if she backed away. At that moment, a high-pitched voice rang out.
"Let me do it, Onii-chan! You said that I could be a real Mount Kaou bandit now!"
Joss paused, realizing that a small, slim figure was mounted on a pony in the center of the group. It was clothed in bandit trousers and tunic and wore a turban-like head scarf wrapped around its features.
Keiron suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "Ah, my dearest one, please don't ask that of your Onii-chan. His heart breaks with worry over you wandering in these woods alone, my treasure."
"But Onii-chan, you promised!" The young voice changed to a winsome wheedle. "I won't go far, I swear it! I'll stay within calling distance. Pleeease, 'Nii-chan--how else can I learn to be a bandit?"
Keiron hesitated, his repulsive features softening into a silly, indulgent smile. "Oh, very well, ReiRei, you know that I can refuse you nothing! But be sure to answer when I call you, or Onii-chan's heart will stop with fear!"
The child nodded, then trotted towards Joss' part of the woods, the other bandits giving the small figure a respectful berth. Keiron signaled to the group, and they rode a short way up the path. Joss noted that although they appeared to leave the child to his mission, they stayed within calling distance. She had barely started to back away from her hiding place when the child was suddenly upon her, bright hazel eyes staring into hers.
Joss gasped in dismay, but the child raised a hand in warning before untying the headscarf. Joss was stunned to see that she was confronting a little girl who looked to be no older than eleven, her dark hair bound up in two buns on either side of her head. Her sparkling eyes crinkled in mischief as she held a finger to her lips.
"Don't make a sound," she warned in her childish chirp. "I knew that you were here right away." She preened herself with childish vanity. "I'm a better bandit than any of Onii-chan's men!" Her gaze darkened. "But those men…and…and my Onii-chan--they'll do terrible things to you if they find you. So stay here real quiet, and I'll lead them all away."
Joss was shocked by the worldly knowledge of this small child. What atrocities had she witnessed in her short life? She couldn't help but reach out to the girl, although she was well aware of the risk she was taking. "Do they…hurt you there? Do you want to go away with me?"
The girl's hazel eyes widened in surprise. "No one hurts me; Onii-chan would never allow that!" She glanced back over her shoulder and sighed. "But sometimes…sometimes the things they do make me sick! So maybe I will leave one day, but right now, Onii-chan is the only family I have."
At that moment, her brother's voice sounded from a spot not far off. "ReiRei!" His oily tones held a note of panic. "Where are you, my dear one? Onii-chan is getting worried!"
ReiRei held a finger to her lips and backed away swiftly. Joss saw her run out to rejoin her brother. "I'm all right, Onii-chan! I just wanted to make a real good search of the area, just like a real bandit would!"
Keiron's face broke into another simpering smile. "You make your Onii-chan so proud, my treasure! And did you find anything?"
"Yes! Two rabbit holes and a pretty rock!" Joss was amazed by how childish the little girl sounded. There was no sign of the perspicacious youngster who had confronted her. At that moment, there was a soft snapping sound beside her. Joss cursed her bad luck; it was just a falling acorn, but it was enough to betray her presence.
Keiron's head snapped up, and he stared into the underbrush with suspicious eyes. "Maybe I should make another search of the area myself." Joss' heart leapt up in panic.
"No!" ReiRei stamped her tiny foot. "If you don't trust me, then I don't wanna be a bandit in your gang! You don't love me, Onii-chan!" She began to wail in a childish tantrum. "My brother doesn't love me!"
Keiron's attention was immediately diverted to his little sister. "Oh, don't say such cruel things to your Onii-chan, my dearest! Onii-chan loves you more than gold! You are his most precious treasure!"
Joss was caught between laughter and nausea. But ReiRei's diversion was effective: the bandit leader trailed after the wailing girl, offering more and more ludicrous claims of heartfelt devotion as the child cleverly led him away from Joss' hiding place. Soon all of the bandits were remounted, leading Houjun's captive mount and following the sniffling girl as she demanded proof of her brother's love in the form of a fabulous meal back at their Mount Kaou stronghold.
She sat still long after the last hoofbeats faded away, her heart hammering from the near-disaster of that strange encounter. If it hadn't been for that little girl, she would be dead right now--dead or worse. If she were going to do Houjun any good, she had to stay alert and get out of this area where ruthless bandits roved the mountain paths. Houjun, thought Joss, then crept carefully from tree to tree until she approached the place where Keiron had thrown the ash staff. She dashed out into the open and grabbed the staff.
Suddenly, she heard the rapid tattoo of approaching hoofbeats. "Damn it! They're coming back!" Joss panicked, seeing that she couldn't reach the tree cover before being spotted in the open. She turned and fled up the path, running for her life. The hoofbeats pounded towards her, and she knew the rider was in hard pursuit. Leaping off the path, she plunged into the trees, her ears filled with the pounding rush of blood and her own gasps for air. The hoofbeats stopped, but she didn't slow down, crashing through the underbrush, knocking against tree trunks in the dim bluish twilight.
Suddenly a hand grabbed at her shoulder and pulled her back. Joss couldn't help it: she screamed in terror as she swung Houjun's staff up in a last-ditch attempt to defend herself. The staff was caught in an iron grip, so she released it and pushed wildly against the shadowed figure, all the while screaming curses in blind panic.
The figure held her tightly but not painfully, and she finally realized that he was shouting her name, trying to get her to hear him above her own wild shouts. "Joss! Joss, stop it, it's me! Joss, don't be afraid, Joss, please hear me!"
The next thing that registered in her mind was the feel of velvet beneath her wildly flailing hands--and tshe lost it. "Doctor!" she wailed as she had that previous time…but this time she couldn't stop. "Doctor, Doctor,Doctor!" she howled, clutching frantically at him as she released all of her grief, fear, and horror. She knew she should be telling him all that had happened but couldn't seem to stop crying long enough to get the words out.
She felt herself lifted and pulled into his body--God, he was so strong--and then his hands were all over her, stroking her back and hair with short jerky caresses. As her gasping sobs began to calm, she heard him muttering under his breath, a steady rhythm of words in some strange guttural language, something that sounded like either a string of curses or a prayer. She burrowed deeper into him, as if she could crawl inside him, where he would keep her safe forever.
His jumble of alien words gradually changed to English, and she began to make out broken phrases as his lips moved in her hair. "…thought I'd left it too late…thought I'd be too late again…Rassilon, I thought I'd lost you!" Raw emotion stripped the velvet from his voice, leaving it rough and husky as he gasped his own panic, releasing the terror that had haunted him through the long and frantic ride that had brought him to her. He clutched her desperately, grasping her almost painfully as if he needed to reassure himself of her reality in his arms.
Joss wanted nothing more than to hold him and be held, to reassure him that everything was all right--but it wasn't all right, it was terribly, obscenely wrong, and she had to stop crying so that she could tell him! "Doctor," she finally choked, "they've taken him! They've taken Houjun!" and the shock of hearing the words spoken aloud made her burst helplessly into tears once again.
"No, hush, don't cry, Joss! We'll get him back, I swear it! The important thing is that you're all right."
"Important?" Joss gasped through her tears, shocked. "I'm not important; Houjun is the one you're supposed to be worried about!"
"I'm worried about both of you; you bothmatter a great deal to me, Joss! However, I know that they won't kill Houjun…not yet anyway. Magus has some purpose for which he intends to use him. It was you that I was frightened for; Magus' people would kill you without a second thought if you stood in their way. I don't know how you survived…I'm just thankful…" His voice broke.
Joss gripped him tighter, listening to that strange arrhythmic hammering in his chest. She felt almost dizzy with conflicting emotions: shame at doubting his loyalty to Houjun, panic over Houjun's fate--and a strange spreading warmth at the realization of her importance to the Doctor. Was it possible to be in love with two men at the same time? 'You're an idiot, Joss!' she scolded herself silently. 'Concentrate on getting Houjun back alive before you start planning a harem!' That thought was so ludicrous that her sobs turned into choked laughter, enabling her to regain control of herself at last.
The Doctor gave her a final squeeze, then pushed her back to meet her eyes, smiling a crooked, wry smile. "That's the spirit, Joss! One thing at a time, and before you know it, we'll have him back."
Joss flushed at the realization that the Doctor had read her thoughts. So then he knew that she… Suddenly she didn't care. Life was too short and too dangerous not to let the people you loved know how you felt about them. She pulled on his hand as he turned to lead her away, forcing him to face her.
"I do, you know." She lifted her chin resolutely. "It's not the same as with Houjun, but it's just as strong--and just as real." She tried to make out his expression in the twilight. Would he pretend that he didn't know what she meant?
The Doctor paused a moment, his eyes shining darkly in the last light of the day. "Yes, I know," he replied in his soft, velvety voice. He pulled her to his side, and they began to make their way through the darkness together.
****
He slowly swam up towards consciousness, forcing his mind to part the mists. He could feel his nausea increasing and his throbbing headache pounding harder--but something inside him urgently commanded him to wake up, wake up, Wake UP! Grimacing around the pain, he forced his eye open, only to see--
Nothing. He was buried in darkness, drowning in shadows. Blinking a few times, he felt his eye open and close, but still the darkness refused to yield. He forced down his panic. No, he was neither blind nor dead; he just needed to gather his wits and find out where he was. He could hear his own panting breath, feel the slight chill of a draft upon his face, smell the acrid, bitter odor of something burning near him. Just as he registered the scent, he became dizzy and nauseous, feeling every separate throb in his aching head. 'Don't faint!' commanded some inner voice. At that moment, he felt the draft brush past his face, and the acrid odor went away. His head cleared, and he realized that it was the smoke that was making him sick. If only he could get away from it.
He tried to move, but something held him fast by his wrists. However, he found that he was able to turn his head, so he tilted it away from the smoke, inhaling the damp, musty air of the intermittent drafts. His strategy worked: the headache backed down to a bearable level, and the nausea almost disappeared altogether. Rolling his eye towards the source of the smoke, he was grateful to see a dim, blurry glow of light nearby. He concentrated until the glow came into sharp focus: it was from a brazier that was heating a bowl of strange herbs and producing the noxious fumes.
His memories returned with his lucidity: Joss; the woods; the heavy, oppressive feeling turning into choking, asphyxiating evil-- His heart leapt in dread. What had happened to Joss? "Joss?" he called, his voice a rasping croak. No answer, but that didn't surprise him, since he was unable to detect her ki anywhere nearby. He fought down his fear and anxiety. He had to get out of here if he was going to rescue her, and his mind was shrieking that he had to get out now!
Muttering a spell under his breath, he widened his one pupil until he could see with catlike night vision. He was in a dark, high-ceiling room, but it was no room that he had ever seen before. However, he sensed the familiarity of his surroundings and recognized the grey stone of the damp and mildewed walls. He was back in the school of the warrior-magicians, once again a prisoner in that grim and mysterious place.
Panic and revulsion caused him to unthinkingly hiss out a transmigration spell. His body started to move but was slammed back in place by whatever held his wrists. "A holding spell," he thought, as a wave of dizziness swept over him once more. He fought it back, concentrating on the spell at his wrists, a spell enhanced by the iron manacles fastening his wrists to a beam of wood, which was in turn bolted to the wall. He couldn't disperse the spell directly, but perhaps he could adjust it. Grimacing in concentration, he forced the spell back in small increments: pushing it to hold only four of his fingers, then three, then two, then one. At the same time, he worked his hands through the manacles, folding his thumbs inward and straining against the unyielding bracelets. He gritted his teeth at the painful scrape of the iron, at the same time grateful for the lubricating action of his own blood.
Now his hands were nearly free, except for his little fingers still held fast by the imprisoning spell. He felt the spell slipping past his control to advance once more, so he dropped his center, using his weight to yank hard on both hands. He gasped in pain as both fingers broke under the strain--but he'd managed to slip completely free! Wiping his bloodied hands against his trousers, he stumbled through the room, only to be brought up short by a heavy wooden door. It refused to yield to simple pushing, so he focused his ki around the red haze of pain and transmigrated to the other side.
Darkness again, this time unbroken by the glow of lamps. He stumbled forward and tripped over a stack of rolling, roundish objects. Turnips, by the smell of them. He knew where he was now: the root cellar of the gakkou. To his relief, he found the staircase and climbed rapidly up to the ground level of the school. He pushed hard at the heavy door, almost sobbing in relief, and slammed the door open--
--right into a soft, heavy object that flew back from the assault. Houjun stared in horror at the crumpled figure of the student that lay in the dim corridor. He ran over to the sprawled and groaning youth, pulling him gently upright. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to…" He broke off as he recognized the tan underclassman mask and the dark hair with steely highlights tied up into a high ponytail. "Maboroshi!" he gasped.
Maboroshi blinked, then started in shock at the sight of Houjun. Houjun knew that he must be a terrifying sight in this cloistered place, with his bloodied hands and unmasked face. He raised a hand to touch his face--yes, the mystical mask that Taiitsukun had given him was still in place, but to the young student's eyes, he must look like a wild bandit: dirty, bloody, panting for breath. Maboroshi skittered back, his eyes darting wildly as he looked for a means of escape.
"No, Maboroshi, don't be frightened! It's me, Hou…er, Shouryuu."
"Shouryuu?" Maboroshi's green eyes were wide behind his mask. "But you're supposed to be--"
"Dead, yes, I know," Houjun interrupted, staring anxiously up the deserted corridor. "I can't explain everything to you right now; I have to get out of here before they find me!" He looked back at Maboroshi and repressed a shudder at the familiar avid stare from the underclassman. He tried not to think about the fact that with his exposed face and rumpled clothes, he must appear nearly naked before his one-time admirer. However, he couldn't afford to offend Maboroshi, or the boy might raise the alarm.
"Maboroshi-kun," he tried to keep his voice low and controlled, "have you seen either Magus or Kurayami?"
Maboroshi frowned in confusion. "Magus-sensei is in his study, but I haven't seen Kurayami-dono all afternoon. Do you want me to get them? I should tell them--"
"No!" Houjun winced as Maboroshi flinched back. "I'm sorry, Maboroshi-kun, I don't mean to shout, but I need to… May I borrow your robe? I need to get outside without attracting notice."
Maboroshi scowled. "Why? Where are you going? Are you trying to leave me again?"
Houjun shook his head in confusion. What was Maboroshi talking about, 'leave me again'? He repressed a sigh. Here he was trying to escape with his life but ending up caught in an argument with an obsessive adolescent. The only thing he could do was to keep Maboroshi from doing anything foolish until he'd made it safely out of the confines of the school.
"Maboroshi, please. I have to get out of here, and I don't have the time to explain everything to you. It's very complicated."
"Are you going to rejoin your friend Bomen-san?" The youth's voice was thick with sarcasm. "Do you miss him so much already?"
Houjun stared. He'd forgotten that episode with Maboroshi and the Doctor; so much had happened in the interim. His hands were beginning to throb, the broken fingers swelling, but he tried to focus around the pain. What had happened to make Maboroshi speak of the Doctor with such contempt? Was it because the Doctor had rebuked him for trying to read another's ki?
It suddenly occurred to Houjun that he didn't feel the usual insidious scratching at his mind that signaled Maboroshi's attempts to read his ki. He would have thought that now of all times, Maboroshi would be attempting a mind-scan, considering his senior's wild and unfamiliar appearance. But the boy stared blankly at him…
…stalling him, Houjun realized at last. He saw Maboroshi flush and glance over Houjun's left shoulder--his blind side. Houjun whirled to face whatever or whoever Maboroshi was looking at, then felt a sharp pain as something connected hard with the back of his head…
...and knew nothing more.
****
Cold. Darkness. Pain.
She shuddered, then relaxed as she felt the familiar brush of velvet against her cheek. Arching her back to alleviate the dull pain in her spine, she felt the ground roll beneath her. Still on horseback, then. Still riding, the hours of light and darkness flowing into one another until she no longer knew how much time had passed. Had they been riding for two days--or three? She wasn't sure; the borders of her world had shrunk to this small space on the horse's back, even through the depths of night. The Doctor had tied her to his own body with a silk sash, keeping her from falling off whenever she fell asleep. He himself had kept moving, never sleeping, never stopping except to change horses at the small rough inns along the way, urging her to freshen up or eat but never taking any sustenance or rest for himself.
She heard the Doctor's voice murmuring softly, speaking to someone, asking something. Forcing her eyes open, she focused on the grey light of pre-dawn. Small, rough houses nestled in rolling foothills, resting on the lower slopes of a high misty mountain. This village was larger and richer than Kawagishi Village, the nearby slopes golden with wheat fields while the lower fields were checkered with rice paddies. However, Joss felt as if an aura of sadness lay over the prosperous-looking grounds.
Or perhaps she was picking up the aura from the middle-aged woman clad in miko's robes who was shaking her head regretfully at the Doctor's queries. Melancholy lay heavy on her fine-boned but careworn features, lines of sorrow crossing her brow and resting near her lovely mouth. Something about her made Joss snap wide awake, feeling as if she knew this woman. It might have been her faint resemblance to Ruiko-sama, but Joss couldn't help but feel there was something else--something that nagged at her subconscious.
"I am very sorry," the woman repeated. "But we are not a large village; we do not have an inn. To provide you with a fresh horse, I would have to ask one of the villagers to give up a workhorse, and we need all the animals we have to work the fields."
"But couldn't you use the horse I'm leaving here after he has rested?" The Doctor's voice was at its most charming and persuasive.
The miko sighed and shook her head. "That is not a plowhorse, Sumisu-san," she replied, taking in the slender legs and trim frame of the horse the Doctor had obtained at the last inn. "Nor do I believe that any of our farm horses will carry you as fast as you need. Perhaps you should rest your horse and yourselves," she added, looking keenly into Joss' bloodshot eyes, "and continue your journey tomorrow. I will be happy to give you a place to stay. My home is open to the weary traveler."
"Thank you very kindly, Midori-sama, but our need is urgent, and speed is of the essence! Are you sure there isn't any way--?"
"Midori-sama!" gasped Joss in shock. "Are you the miko--the woman who--?" She rapidly unfastened the silk sash that tied her to the Doctor and slid to the ground. The Doctor followed her, frowning in confusion.
"The Shrine of the Four Gods; the failed exorcism!" Joss choked out broken phrases, while the miko went white with shock.
"How did you know?" the woman gasped. "No one outside our village--unless Magus-sensei…"
"No!" barked Joss. "We have nothing to do with him! But Midori-sama, we need your help."
The miko held her hand up to her heart, and the Doctor leapt to support her. Joss flushed guiltily, but Midori-sama waved away their concern. "I'm fine," she protested. "The pain in my heart does not come from illness, but from guilt." Her eyes lifted to meet Joss' gaze, holding a world of sadness in their depths. "You see, you have reminded me that I'm guilty of murder. I'm responsible for the death of an innocent young man."
"No, you're not!" argued Joss. "It was a plot--a set-up! Toumo was the innocent victim of a conspiracy against Hou…er, Shouryuu."
"It is not Toumo of whom I speak, but the young magician who sought to save him." Midori-sama's eyes filled with tears, while the Doctor held up his hand and shook his head, mutely warning Joss to keep silent. "I…the blood…the death of Toumo…I was distraught! I should never have gone back into the shrine; I should have waited until I had recovered from my injuries. But I went in anyway, and the magician Shouryuu was standing there. He was white and trembling, but I…all I could see was Toumo's trusting smile. I started looking for his ki--and I couldn't find it! I lashed out at Shouryuu, accusing him of terrible crimes, of the destruction of Toumo's soul! He ran out of the temple, and I never saw him again. It wasn't until a little while later, praying with Oshou-sama, that I found Toumo's ki. It had been hiding in the dark corners of the temple, frightened of what had transpired, of the violence of his death. But we guided it to the paths of heaven--and only then did I realize that I had condemned Shouryuu to the paths of hell."
The miko sobbed. "I heard the next day that they'd found the young man's mask next to the river, for he had drowned himself out of guilt. It was my words, my harsh condemnation that drove him to take his own life…and I will carry the stain of his blood on my hands to the grave."
"No, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor's voice was at once urgent and soothing. "He didn't die, Midori-sama. We are his friends, and we can assure you that he survived! But we took him away to protect him from those who wished to harm him, and allowed everyone to believe that he was dead."
The miko's teary eyes met Joss' gaze, filled with disbelief and dawning hope.
"Yes, it's true!" Joss reassured firmly. "But Midori-sama, they found us and took him away again! He's the reason that we are in such desperate need; we must get to him before it's too late!"
"Kurayami-san." Midori-sama's voice was flat. "She masked herself and her ki, but I could sense evil in that temple: evil that I mistakenly attributed to Shouryuu. She's behind this, isn't she? "
"We believe so, Midori-sama, but there may be others as well. We need--"
"Do not ask again; there is no need. I will get you a horse, even if I have to pull the plow myself! Life so seldom gives us second chances; I will not fail him again!"
True to her word, Midori-sama soon had a sleepy, irritable farmer leading a large and sturdy horse into the square. The farmer grumbled at the sight of the exhausted, small-boned horse he was getting in temporary trade but yielded to the unaccustomed fire in the village priestess' eyes.
The horse was soon saddled, and Joss reluctantly turned over the care of their shaggy pack pony to Midori-sama. "He's too tired to travel any more, but we will be back for him," Joss promised.
Midori-sama took the pony's lead rein with reverent seriousness. "I will look after him for you. And until you return, I will be praying for your success. Suzaku keep you in his care!"
"Somehow I think that he's doing just that," murmured Joss as they rode out of the village towards the rising sun. "Either that, or life is suddenly full of giant coincidences."
"Perhaps you're right--but Suzaku's involvement has its limitations."
"What limitations does a god have?"
"I suspect that we are about to find out," muttered the Doctor darkly.
****
"Wake up! Come on, open your eyes!" The voice was urgent and angry--and definitely outside his head.
He didn't need to open his eyes to know that he was back where he started. He could feel the cold grip of the manacles on his swollen, aching hands and smell the sickening odor of the sedative herbs. All his escape attempt had netted him was an additional throbbing ache at the back of the head--that, two broken fingers, and the informing of his captors that even drugged and weakened, he still possessed the ability to slip his bonds.
"Aren't you ever going to wake up?" The voice had turned petulant.
Houjun felt his face grasped in a strong grip. He remained limp and unresisting, wanting to keep his consciousness hidden until he had a chance to survey his situation. Stealthily, he sent out his ki to make a quick and subtle reconnaissance. There was no one else in the room; just him and his captor. Suddenly, he was distracted by a puff of warm breath on his cheek. Before he could react, he felt something warm and wet trace his lips, then thrust into his mouth.
With a muffled cry of revulsion, he instinctively tried to transmigrate. The manacles slammed his body back in place, but the violent back-and-forth motion flung his assailant halfway across the room. Houjun opened his eyes, meeting the furious glare of Maboroshi as he picked himself off the floor.
The youth strode over to Houjun and slapped him across the face. "Don't think you can trick me again! Don't think you can go on laughing at me!"
Houjun turned his head and wiped his bleeding mouth on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? What's wrong with you, Maboroshi? I thought that we were friends."
"Friends!" Maboroshi's voice dripped with contempt. "How many times do you think I'll fall for that one? You've never felt friendship for me! I was just someone to be used and laughed at until you didn't need me anymore!"
"That's not true." Houjun forced down a twinge of guilt, remembering his irritation with Maboroshi in the past. "I've never laughed at you, nor used you. I did think of us as friends."
"Then why did you leave me behind?" The raw anguish in the boy's cry shocked Houjun into silence. Maboroshi took his silence for an admission of guilt, and his expression grew furious once again. "You can stop lying to me; I know all about it! She told me! She told me how you had laughed about my gullibility, how you had mocked me while you were riding into town with her. She told me how you had killed that simpleton so that you could fake your own death and escape with him--that man, Bomen-san or whatever he calls himself!"
The boy continued to rant, pouring out the bitterness of his perceived betrayal. "You never cared about me at all! All you wanted me for was to cover for you and your lover--so as far as I'm concerned, you deserved to be betrayed! I did the right thing when I…" Maboroshi stopped as awareness flashed through Houjun's eyes.
Houjun forced back the shock and anger. No, it wasn't Maboroshi he should be angry with, nor should he be shocked. Anyone cold enough to sacrifice innocent Toumo would hardly hesitate to play on this boy's paranoia and sense of inferiority. Just now, Maboroshi had betrayed the guilt that was helping to feed his rage. If only he could reach the boy…
"Listen, Maboroshi," Houjun tried to keep his voice gentle and reasonable, "these are all lies. They've played us against each other for their own purposes, whatever those might be. But you don't have to fall into their trap." Houjun concentrated as he stared into the boy's tearful, angry gaze, trying to reach him with his ki, trying to show him that he was being truthful. "I don't blame you for telling them about Bomen-san. They must have backed you into a corner the same way they trapped me. But we can escape the trap together. We can leave and never come back."
Maboroshi blinked and lifted his hands towards the manacles--then suddenly flinched back as if he had been burned. "You did it! I felt your ki--you tried to manipulate me. Like you've always manipulated me!" His infuriated expression shifted, becoming sly and sneering. "But I'm not as stupid as I used to be, Shouryuu-senpai. She taught me how to defend myself against mental manipulation."
"Except for hers!" Houjun snarled, frustrated at the stubborn obtuseness of the boy. "She's the one who's doing all the manipulating here--she and Magus, and you're nothing to them but a tool, a means of getting to me!"
The boy's face darkened with rage. "You lie! You lie like you've always lied, because you can't stand to be bested! Well, I have news for you, Shouryuu-senpai. You're nobody next to me! I have a great destiny before me: she showed me!" Maboroshi's hand strayed to his right hip and stroked the area near his groin.
Houjun closed his eye, mistaking the significance of Maboroshi's action. He shuddered at the thought of any kind of intimate interaction with Kurayami. "Congratulations," he rasped. "You two should be very happy together." He opened his mystical eyes and stared at Maboroshi. "So answer me this: why do you need me? Why not let me go, and I'll leave you to your great destiny?"
"Fool!" hissed Maboroshi. "It isn't like that between me and Kurayami-dono." Suddenly he smirked. "Besides, my tastes are different--very different." He moved up so that he was practically nose-to-nose with Houjun. "I have a story to tell you, Shouryuu-senpai. Once, on a day not so very long ago, you treated me with the contempt that you've always shown for me. But on that day, I swore that you would one day kneel before me." He moved even closer so that his lips nearly touched Houjun's. Houjun turned his face away from Maboroshi's warm, fetid breath.
Maboroshi's voice was a silken whisper. "So do you think that day has come, Shouryuu? Perhaps I am now the senpai--and you are the kouhai!"
He grabbed Houjun by the jaw and forced his face around, plunging his tongue into the depths of his mouth.
Houjun struggled wildly, overcome with revulsion at the feeling of that warm, wet thing invading him, twining around his own tongue. He choked as Maboroshi's saliva ran down his chin, wondering if he would smother to death under this mindless assault. Finally Maboroshi pulled back, and Houjun drew in an explosive breath of air. But Maboroshi was on him again in a second, pushing his tongue against Houjun's clenched teeth and rubbing his body against his captive. Houjun fought down nausea as he felt Maboroshi's arousal pushing hard against him. Rage flooded through his being, and he struck back with another abortive transmigration attempt, flinging the boy back.
Maboroshi got to his feet and approached him again, his eyes glowing with rage and lust. He reached out a hand to Houjun--
"Stop it!" Houjun's voice rang with such authority that Maboroshi paused. "Stop this idiocy at once, Underclassman!"
Maboroshi stared at Houjun for a moment--then began to laugh, a soft, sibilant cackle that raised the hairs on Houjun's neck. "Did I…" he stopped and cackled again. "Did I never tell you, Shouryuu-senpai, that I've always found your scolds to be very…arousing?" He approached close and muttered a spell as he touched the manacles, trailing his fingers from the iron bracelets to Houjun's shoulders. Houjun felt his body pinned back at the shoulders and knew that he was now unable to transmigrate at all.
Maboroshi surveyed Houjun with satisfaction. "That will do for now," he purred. "But please feel free to bark more orders at me, Shouryuu-senpai. I very much…enjoy it." He pressed his body hard against Houjun once more. Houjun willed himself to stand still, realizing that any reaction only encouraged Maboroshi.
Maboroshi groaned with pleasure as he moved his hand to Houjun's trousers. He squeezed hard, eliciting a gasp of pain from his senior. "It doesn't have to be like this," he whispered. "I could bring you pleasure, more pleasure than you could imagine, Shouryuu. I could make you forget him."
'Him?' thought Houjun, dazed under the assault. 'Oh, the Doctor.' Suddenly his mind cleared. The Doctor--the Doctor and Joss. They had to be coming for him; he only had to hold out until they arrived. 'If they're still alive,' whispered the traitorous part of his mind. No, they had to be alive; he wouldn't allow himself any other possibility.
"You're not paying attention!" whined Maboroshi, frustrated at Houjun's non-response to his rough caresses. He tugged at the string at Houjun's waist, then plunged his hand down his trousers.
Houjun gasped at the violation, feeling himself grasped intimately and roughly, the clumsy hand stroking along his length. Bile crept up into his throat as rage reddened his vision; Maboroshi had no right, he had no right!
Just then, Maboroshi cried out in disappointment. "What's wrong with you? Why won't you respond?"
"Would I respond to a dog humping my leg?!" Houjun snarled in rage.
Maboroshi hissed and struck him hard in the face. "Still on your high horse! Don't you understand? You're my whore now, and I'll have you on your knees!" His greenish-yellow eyes narrowed in sadistic amusement. "Why should I care if you feel anything other than pain? You're the one who's here formy pleasure, whore!"
With that, he hissed out a spell. The crossbeam that held the manacles dropped to half its height, sending Houjun crashing to his knees. He gasped in agony, wondering if he had any kneecaps left, when Maboroshi's slippers swam into his blurred view. His head was yanked back hard by his ponytail, and Maboroshi's voice sounded above his head as he fumbled with his trousers.
"I have something for you, Shouryuu-senpai," he sing-songed, then cackled in that weird way again. "Here you go!"
Shouryuu turned his face away from the boy's swollen flesh, once again feeling himself overtaken with rage.
"No, you don't!" hissed Maboroshi, dragging Houjun's face back by pulling on his ponytail. "You'll do as I say from now on--and I say that you'll take me in your mouth and suck me off while I fuck your mouth, and when I come…when I come, you'll swallow and thank me kindly for the privilege!"
"You've forgotten something, Maboroshi," Houjun snarled.
"What's that, whore?"
"I still have teeth!"
"You bitch!" Maboroshi drew back and hit Houjun hard across the face again.
At that moment, another voice echoed in the chamber, raspy, androgynous and filled with amusement. "You boys and your games. Can't you even try to keep your minds on business?"
Maboroshi stood stunned, as Houjun fought to focus on the small figure that glided toward them in the dim lamplight. He recognized the long black hair, the rosy lips curved in amusement--and the snakelike yellow eyes gleaming behind the gakkou's black mask.
"So you're here at last," he rasped, feeling blood trickle into his mouth from his nose. However, Kurayami's attention was focused on Maboroshi.
"Maboroshi-kun," she purred, "cover yourself. You have no idea how foolish you look right now."
Maboroshi flushed and fumbled hastily with his trousers. Kurayami turned her attention to Houjun and smiled, showing her small, pointed teeth. "Please excuse me for my tardiness. I was caught up in my duties at the school, duties that have increased in the past few weeks due to our unexpected loss of staff."
Houjun glared from his kneeling position. "Please excuse me for my lack of sympathy. You should have considered that consequence when you planned that loss of staff."
A raspy laugh. "Well said, Shouryuu; I can see that you still have some fight left in you--and that pleases me."
"Why? That's the question, isn't it? What do you want from me? And how does this…" he jerked his chin contemptuously in Maboroshi's direction, "…fit in with Magus' plan?"
"It doesn't." The rosy lips curved wider. "That fool Magus would never tolerate the abuse of his favored senior student. So it's a fortunate thing for Maboroshi that Magus has no idea of his actions, nor of your presence here," she glided forward, locking gazes with Houjun, "Right. Under. His. Nose."
Houjun clenched his teeth. So the Doctor had been correct: Kurayami did have a different agenda than Magus. However, it was still unclear what that agenda might be. "So what's the point in bringing me back? It's difficult to believe that you have spent so much time pursuing and capturing me merely for the purpose of making me into Maboroshi's plaything."
"Maboroshi's plaything?" Kurayami's laugh was throaty, chilling. "Oh no, Shouryuu. I brought you back here to make you into…mine."
At that, Houjun felt it for the first time since his capture - cold, insidious, snaking around his insides like an icy serpent…
Terror.
****
The two travelers stood breathless before the shimmer in the rolling foothills, a shimmer that persisted despite the dying daylight. They had released their horse and proceeded on foot for the last mile, slipping stealthily among the hills to escape detection.
"I can't see anything." Joss squinted at the shimmer that resembled a mirage brought on by rising heat waves.
"It's a simple cloaking device, fairly unsophisticated--but then again, good enough for this world's level of technological development." The Doctor fumbled in his pockets. "Obviously, Magus has not been expecting anyone with any knowledge of psi wave patterns to come dropping by. Lucky for us." He triumphantly produced a slim silver wand.
"And that is?"
"My sonic screwdriver. A time lord's best friend!" He depressed a button, and the wand produced a high-pitched, nearly super-sonic whine. To Joss' amazement, the shimmer dissolved, revealing a large, three-story complex sprawled across a depression in the hills.
"Holy Ker-fuck, Batman, that thing's amazing!"
"Language," rebuked the Doctor absently as they hurried toward the huge wooden door that marked the entrance.
"How come you scold me, but you let Shun'u get away with--?"
"Shhh!" cautioned the Doctor as they crept into the huge entry hall.
Joss stared up at the high vaulted ceiling supported by grey stone arches, the marble floor nearly as large as a soccer field. "This place doesn't look very ShiJin to me. Looks more psuedo-Imperial Russian, mixed in with a little Celtic castle and a touch of sci-fi fantasy."
"Yes, it's very familiar," muttered the Doctor, holding up the sonic screwdriver as he peered down the multiple corridors that led off the entrance hall. "It's hard to get a reading in here; everything seems to be heavily shielded." He moved toward a smaller corridor to the right that led deep into the back of the complex.
Suddenly his head snapped up. "People are coming!"
They looked around frantically for a place to hide, but the hall was wide open and free of concealing ornamentation. "Damn this minimalist style!" cursed the Doctor.
The tromp of footsteps came closer, and the Doctor spotted movement coming around a curve in the largest corridor. "Go!" he hissed, shoving Joss toward the small, dim corridor. "I'll draw them off while you keep searching for Houjun."
"But Doctor," Joss protested.
"Go!" he hissed once more, then shot out, running across the wide open hall towards the farthest corridor on the left. Joss heard young voices raised up in a shout of surprise, followed by the sound of many pairs of running feet. She didn't have a choice; she turned and ran up into the dimness of the small corridor, holding Houjun's ash staff across one shoulder.
The Doctor led his young pursuers on a merry chase, ducking in and out of side hallways, resting briefly in unlocked rooms before darting out to try to find his way back to Joss. On his last foray back into the entrance hall, he slipped on the marble floor and was grasped by a strong hand and frog-marched to an ornate door at the end of the main corridor.
The student knocked at the door and entered, giving a polite half-bow to the dark figure behind the massive desk. "Magus-sensei, we have captured an intruder in the entrance hall of the gakkou."
The tall man rose up from behind his desk and walked over to stare down into the Doctor's innocent blue eyes. "Hello," greeted the Doctor politely. "I'm from the Konan Board of Higher Education, and I've been conducting a surprise inspection of your school."
"As tiresomely facetious as ever," rumbled the deep, melodious voice. "I've been expecting you…Doctor."
****
****
Glossary of Japanese terms
Onii-chan - Elder Brother (familiar, affectionate)
-dono - a suffix denoting great respect, analogous to 'my lord' or 'my lady'
senpai - upperclassman
kouhai - underclassman
****
Author's notes: (12-14-03) So…(sigh) the first big drop into the abyss. If you're relieved that it's over, don't be--because it isn't. We haven't even gotten to the "horror" aspect yet. Oh, and a quick note to Jack on Joss' future status as a "permanent" companion to the Doctor: for that to happen, both she and the Doctor would have to survive this adventure,and I'm not giving out any guarantees. Oooh!
And yes, I did digress a little in the first part, bringing in ReiRei from Genrou Den (many thanks to Tasuki no Miko for her online translation of Genrou Den), but I couldn't help it: I love ReiRei. For Jack and Drox, who are not familiar with Fushigi Yuugi, ReiRei was a temporary companion for sixteen-year-old Shun'u, and she was definitely a match for him in all ways!
There was also the brief cameo for Midori-sama, the priestess from the exorcism. It may have seemed unnecessary to some, but I love to tie up as many loose ends as I can, and I often wondered how she felt when she heard that the young magician had drowned himself.
Ack, I've been so caught up in this chapter that I almost forgot to credit the people who answered the "quiz" questions from the last chapter! Congratulations to Fire Pendant for getting the "Lord of the Rings" quote: it was the high elf named Gildor, not Haldor, but you came close enough...a Joss plushie for you! Doctor plushies go out to Kryssa and J. Liha, who both nailed the Doctor's trick on the yo-yo as "Rock the Baby," and a miniature Doctor pin for Tenshi, who might be right as well; I am regrettably not familiar with ALL of the yo-yo tricks out there. And don't you wish that Joss plushies and Doctor plushies REALLY existed?
Now for some news: my life has just taken a not-unexpected curve, and the stuff is hitting the fan for me big time this week as my research lab is moved at last. In spite of the inevitable chaos at work, not to mention that "little" holiday around the corner, I've set myself a near-impossible goal. I want to post the climactic Chapter 17 of "Bridge" on 1-7-2004, the two-year anniversary of the debut of "White Stones in the Moonlight."
Why? Well, it's because there's a particular author I want to best, someone whose previous works will diminish when compared to the best chapter I have written to date, and that author is:
Roku Kyu.
No, don't be afraid, I haven't developed raging multiple-personality disorder...yet. :P
Seriously, I've always tried to set goals for myself that have nothing to do with review numbers. I've felt that I should try to get better, more polished and exciting with every chapter in every story I write. There are times when I doubt myself, times when I feel that I've hit a "plateau"--but rarely, only once in a very, very long while do I get that feeling that I would describe as "slam-dunk!" The last two times were in "White Stones": the oni-destruction chapter, and of course, the last full chapter with the whole ensemble and the mystical comet.
I have that same feeling with Chapter 17 of Bridge. I feel that this is the climax that the whole fic is building up to, and now I have to deliver on my promise. - -;; As I said before, I'm going to TRY to get it posted on 1-7-04, but I don't know if I can kick out two chapters in three weeks, perhaps the busiest three weeks of my entire year. At any rate, I'll give it my best effort.
Now, since I mentioned reviews earlier: I would like to send my most heartfelt thanks to the reviewers of this, my most difficult-to-read fic to date. You have been so supportive, taking lots of time out of your personal lives to give me perhaps the longest and most comprehensive reviews that any fanfic author has been privileged to receive. I am abjectly and completely grateful, and I would like you to know that I cherish every last word, even the critical ones!
So, to my wonderful, thoughtful readers and reviewers, I'd like to wish you a very blessed holiday season. I know that it's a belated wish for Eid and Hannukah, but hopefully I'm on time for Christmas, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, and any other celebration I've forgotten to mention!
Love to you all,
Roku
