Lost in Translation

Disclaimer: We don't own Fushigi Yuugi, all right? Do we need to point it out in every chapter!

Chapter 1: Living a Dream

"Miho, where are you going? This isn't our stop!" called a girl with shoulder-length black hair.

Her friend turned around, just outside the train doors. "I know, Jess, but I need to drop by the library for some major studying. Mid-terms in a week, remember?" She pushed some of her black, chin-length hair behind her ear and adjusted her floppy cat-like hat. She waved to Lisa as the speed-line train pulled away. Turning, she adjusted the bag on her back and ran down the escalator, her uniform skirt threatening a few panty shots along the way.

Miho hummed to herself as she pushed through the ticket-machine-turn style-thing and made her way outside and onto the sidewalk. She looked around, and caught a whiff of car exhaust. Coughing, she turned a corner and jogged off to the library, pulling down her skirt as she went.

Walking into the library, she admired the silence, something totally different from the organized chaotic noise of the outside city. Philadelphia was always a mass of traffic and pedestrian chaos this time of day. She set her bag down at an empty desk and put her hat on it, hanging her short pea-coat-styled jacket on the back of the chair. She sat down, and pulled out her French textbook. "Ouvre vous livre ala page…." She murmured, imitating her teacher. She found a page, and began to read it, making sure her notes were correct and study-worthy.

"Attention. The library will be closing in ten minutes. Please gather your books and take them to the check-out counter. I repeat…"

Miho looked up from her Biology notes. "No way! It's that late already! I've only covered French, English, and half of Biology!" She shoved all her books in her bag, and stood up, bumping someone behind her, causing them to drop their books.

"Oh, jeeze, I'm sorry, here, let me hel-"

But the girl had already collected her books and left. Miho looked around, blinking, and caught sight of a book that lay open on the ground not far away. She assumed it was the girls, and read the first page it was open to as she bent to pick it up. " 'Herein contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven Constellation of Byakko together, and if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant you your wish. For indeed, the moment the page is turned, the story will become reality.'"

Miho stared at the book for a minute before another announcement came on the loudspeaker about closing time. Hurriedly, she grabbed the book, put on her coat and hat, and ran up to the counter, handing the librarian the book.

"Universe of the Four Gods?" the woman commented. "This is the only one of it's kind here…I barely remember putting it on the shelf!"

Miho was handed her book and she ran out, checking her watch as she ran towards the train station. "It's 8:10, good, I'll make the express that runs straight home from here!"

Pushing through the ticket-thing, Miho ran up the escalator and out onto the high speedline platform, sitting on one of the cold metal benches as she waited for the train to come. It was chilly, and there was a strong breeze that pulled at the edges of her uniform's skirt. She adjusted her coat, and stood as the train pulled up to the platform, almost empty. Miho climbed into an empty car, enjoying the silence surrounding her. It was so much more different than the noisy hustle of the city.

She looked at the book in her lap, turning it over and over, admiring the ancient-looking binding. 'Hmm…' she thought, opening it slowly. 'I have time before my stop. I think I'll start this.'

She reread the first page slowly, absorbing it. "A wish? The story will become reality? This is some interesting story. I guess the front pages must have been torn out, the ones that warned none of this was real. Ah well." She turned the page, and suddenly, a bright white light enveloped her, and everything around Miho was blocked from view in the blinding light. "What the-!" And suddenly, everything went dark as the world disappeared around her.

Miho opened her eyes slowly, sunlight making them water with its intensity. "Oh my god!" Miho sat straight up, looking around. She was at the edge of a forest, the trees tall and foreboding. To her other sides stretched scrubland dotted with sparse grass and crossed with a single, winding dirt road that had fallen into a severe state of disrepair.

"Where AM I!" Miho stood up, wandered around in a tight circle, and went back to her original spot, flopping to her knees with watery eyes. She grabbed the Universe of the Four Gods from its place on the ground and opened it. "The story will become reality…" Miho shook her head. "No. No way. This has just got to be some dream. That's it, I fell asleep on the train reading this."

Miho pinched her cheek, hard. Her eyes widened and she winced. "That hurt!" With a sudden sob, Miho began crying pathetically. 'I'm not supposed to be here!' she thought. 'I'm no storybook heroin! I'm just a normal teenager going to school so she can get a good job when she's older! I don't WANT to be here!' She sobbed on, ignoring the tiny creature approaching her cautiously. "I want to go home!" she cried.

Miho jumped when she felt something nuzzle against her knee. She jumped up with a cry of fright, staring at the little furry thing in disbelief. "A ferret? What's a ferret doing here in the middle of nowhere?" she asked nobody in particular.

It looked up at her, sniffing. The creature was an ashy brown with a pale yellow ribbon tied in a bow around its neck. The dark brown eyes were sparkling as it stared at her, waiting for some sort of movement.

Miho sat back down slowly, holding her hand out to the cute little animal. It sniffed the proffered appendage and leapt into it lightly, curling up in a little ball. Miho promptly forgot about her crying and stroked the ferret gently, smiling. "You're a cutie, aren't you?" she said, doing an emotional 180.

She looked up, scanning her surrounding to see if she could find the owner of the ferret. It was then she spotted someone upon the road, calling out a name she couldn't quite hear. "Hey, little one, is that your owner?" she asked, pointing out what appeared to be a girl of about 18 years of age.

The ferret made an odd squeaking sound and leapt from Miho's hand, running for the person. It paused, and looked at Miho, obviously waiting for her to follow. Shrugging, she ran after the small brown ball of fur as quickly as she could.

Stopping at the edge of the road, slightly out of breath, Miho watched as the girl stooped and picked up her ferret happily.

"Ponch, where have you been?" the girl asked. She looked up, and caught sight of Miho, and waved energetically, walking over. "Hello! Are you the one who found Ponch?"

Miho smiled. 'What an odd girl.' "Well, I guess so, though she found me technically. It was a total fluke that we met."

"I see. Well, thank you for bringing her back, even if you didn't mean to." She took a few steps forward, and Miho, acting on her not-so-sudden need to be around another person, held her hand out.

"The name's Miho. Nice to meet you."

The girl blinked her oddly bright blue eyes for a moment, then took the hand offered to her and shook it, Ponch settling upon her left shoulder. "I'm Kokie. If you don't mind me saying, Miho, you're dressed awful oddly."

Miho looked down at her black coat that met her dark green and red plaid skirt, flesh-colored tights, and black ankle boots, all parts of her uniform. "Really?" the hapless girl pouted, her eyes watering again. "I'm not supposed to be here," she said slowly. "I was on the speed line home, reading this stupid book" she held up the Universe of the Four Gods, "and there was this bright light and then I was here and I'm no fairy tale heroin not in the slightest and I need to go back home because my mom's going to worry about me and midterms are in a week so I need to study and I'm tired and my brain hurts from all this thinking and I just wanna go home!" Miho finished pathetically, tears leaking out of her eyes.

Kokie stared at her. "What's a speed line? And midterms?"

Miho looked at Kokie in despair, one last hope glimmering faintly in her mind. "Kokie, where are we?"

Kokie thought a moment before answering. "We're just outside of Bie-Jia's limits. I'd say about two miles away."

"Bie….Jia?" Miho asked, tears welling up in her eyes, making it look like she was going to burst into tears any minute.

Kokie nodded happily, not noticing Miho's plight. "Yes, Haven't you heard of it?"

Miho shook her head slowly. "Noooo…" she said before letting loose and crying again. "I don't wanna be here anymore! I wanna go home to Jess and Caryn and Bonnie and the County library and the speed line into Philadelphia and my school and my parents-"

"Hush now," Kokie said, hugging Miho and cutting off her tirade. "I don't know half of what you were talking about, but I'm sure that things'll work out for you. Here, dry your eyes," she said in a motherly tone, handing Miho a scrap of cloth. "Why don't you travel with me for a while? We can make the nearest city's limits by dusk if we start now. How would a nice bed and some hot food do you?"

Miho sniffed, and looked up at Kokie, who was taller than her, as well as older by at least two years. "Th-thank you, Kokie." Miho stuffed the cloth into her uniform pocket and shoved the Universe of the Four Gods into her school satchel before adjusting the straps so it hung at her side. She followed Kokie as she set off down the road, humming jauntily and talking abstractedly to Ponch, who just squeaked back.

Miho watched them with amusement, her mood brightening slowly as a town formed upon the horizon and drew closer.

TBC

So, how do you like it so far? By the way, Miho is a good old Jersey girl; so keep in mind that she's not used to large, wide opens spaces. Especially because she goes to school in a crowded place like Philly. Also, I KNOW that she can't bring the UotFG with her, trust me. But there's a reason for that that'll get explained. Really it will. And it even makes a little bit of sense.

But anyway, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. I promise, it'll be longer next time, and you find out a little more about Kokie, too! Drop me a review, please! I'm begging!

Neko