Disclaimers: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
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Narrator's POV
The seishi watched helplessly as Tomite clawed at the ice around their frozen miko, trying desperately to get it off of her. Finally, Hikitsu approached the distressed seishi. he began quietly, the only way to get Takiko-san out of there is to get Miboshi as far away from here as possible. Once he is far enough away, the spell will where off and she will be freed. As he talked, nobody asked how these things, although most of them wondered. But we have to hurry. She probably can't breath because of that ice. As Hikitsu softly spoke to him, Tomite stopped clawing at the ice that covered his beloved miko and listened to him, trying to get a hold of himself. Then, the two seishi stood, and faced Miboshi along with the rest of their friends.
Before long, the fight had begun. Uniyami amazed everyone by showing surprising speed for someone her age and hacking away at the demons with her staff. Before long, like Tomite, the seishi that hadn't seen her fight had deduced that the staff was a weapon, not something that she needed to walk. Hatsui showed that he was a master of hand-to-hand combat and punched and kicked through anything that got in his way while Iname stayed out of the way and put one of his magical shields around anyone who looked like they might be in trouble. Tomite had managed to scramble up a tree and was shooting any demons that he could from above while Hikitsu's ice snakes froze everything in their range.
The Genbu Seishi worked quickly, moving towards Miboshi the entire time. The fight had become a race. A race against time. If they didn't defeat Miboshi soon it could mean Takiko's life! As the seishi defeated more and more of the demons, they advanced on Miboshi, forcing him farther and farther away from the clearing where their miko remand frozen.
Miboshi wasn't a stupid man. He may of been ale to defeat two of the Genbu Seishi when they where scared by the disappearance of their companion and unready to face him, but he couldn't win against five of the Genbu Seishi when they where ready to fight him and prepared to kill him so that they could save their precious miko. He knew that if he didn't run, they would kill him. And their stupid, weak, little miko was probably already dead. And if she was alive... If she was alive then she was most likely beyond their, or anyone's, help. He smirked at that thought, and ran...
The seishi watched as their foe ran deep into the forest. Then, they turned and ran back to the clearing where their miko was frozen. Once there, they watched as she thawed. The process was painfully slow, but at last she was free of the ice that had surrounded her. Once all the ice was melted into a puddle of cold water around her, Takiko fell forward and Tomite scrambled to catch her. She's so cold!' he thought. He hugged her closer to him, trying desperately to make her warmer, hoping beyond hope that she was still alive.
Takiko! Takiko! Good Genbu, open your eyes, Takiko! He yelled. She was fine. She had to be fine. Any moment she would open her eyes and she would sit up in his arms and laugh at him for being so scared. She would say that he was an idiot for falling for her joke. She would say that she was fine. Because she had to be fine. She was the Genbu no Miko, the girl of legends who would save Hokkan from sure destruction. Genbu wouldn't let her die. He couldn't let her die.
The others watched at Tomite held Takiko tightly, silently hoping, like Tomite, that she would wake up. Finally, Hatsui silently walked over to them. Slowly, he squatted, and felt for a pulse. Then. he put his ear close to her slightly open mouth and listened carefully to see if she was breathing.
Nobody said anything while he worked. Out of all of them, Hatsui knew the most about medicine and healing. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds, he pulled his head away from her mouth with a frown on his face.
S-she's okay, right?Inami asked slowly.
She's alive... But barely... He answered.
Y-you can help her, can't you?! Tomite asked, his loud voice echoing all around them. Hatsui looked at the boy who was holding the miko sadly. He knew that what he was about to say would hurt Tomite. Perhaps even devastate him. But, sadly, it was true and he had to tell him.
Tomite asked again, desperation filling his voice and showing on all of his features. He's just a boy. He's only 16. He shouldn't have to go through all this, Thought Hatsui regretfully, wishing that he didn't have to say it.
He finally said in a quiet voice. I can't. My power as one of the Genbu Seishi can only heal physical wounds, not things like this. Tomite looked shocked. He looked down at Takiko's still face in his arms and thought, She looks like she's only sleeping. But... She's dying in my arms and there's nothing I can do about it. A since on helplessness and dread filled him and he slowly caressed Takiko's cold cheek.
We need to get her a doctor, Hatsui said. He looked at Hikitsu. Do you know where the nearest village or town is? He asked. Hikitsu nodded and replied, Uruki's home village isn't very far. It's only a few miles. Tomite and I have been there. Tomite nodded miserably and mounted his horse, pulling the still unconscious Takiko up in front of him. The others followed suite and also mounted after quickly getting all their things together. Then, they set off.
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Takiko's POV
I slowly got up and looked around. I was in a strange place. A thick fog was everywhere around me, pressing down onto me and making me feel confined although I knew I wasn't. Also, because of the fog, I couldn't see anything around me. But the strangest thing was that I had a extremely strange feeling that I wasn't even on Earth anymore. I wasn't in either world, that much I could tell. But where was I? Determined to find out, I slowly began to make my way through the fog.
I don't know how long i walked. I had no way to keep track of the time and I never seemed to get tired. After a while of nothing but that stupidly thick fog, I began to wonder if I was just going around in circles. At that, I began to run and call out the names of my seishi, hoping to find them. They could help me. They would know the way out of this place.
Suddenly, the fog in front of me parted and I could see. It almost seemed magical. But... There was no such thing as magic... Right? In front of me, there was small gap in the ground. I looked down but couldn't see the bottom. All that was there was darkness. Then, I noticed that the gap was slowly growing smaller. I scrambled away from it, afraid. That was when I saw what was on the other side of the gap.
There was a beautiful garden with lush green grass and the prettiest flowers and other plants that I'd ever seen. The garden seemed to stretch forever. Or at least, I couldn't see an end to it. And I could see people over there. They where walking or floating in the garden. Some where tending the plants, others where laughing or playing. Some where just simply talking with each other. But the strangest part was that I knew many of the people. I could see my mother, Yoshie Okuda, who had died in a car accident a few years ago. And I could see Kuro standing with a girl who had long black hair that was pulled back in a braid.She had pale skin that was as white as the snow and a long graceful neck. She wore a simple dress looked elegant and her curvy form and she had big hazel eyes that were framed by long eyelashes. Could that be... Yind...' I thought. The girl certainly fitted Inami's description of Kuro's wife. My eyes moved to the baby that the girl was holding. And is that... Their son?' I wondered.
I moved to join them in that wonderful garden and was about to jump lightly over the small gap when something stopped me.
Stop Takiko! Was that my father's voice? But... But it couldn't be. I turned and saw another opening in the fog. But this one I couldn't go into, even if I tried. Inside it, I saw my father. He was sitting over the book that I had been sucked into, --what was it called? Oh yes-- the Shi Ji Ten Chi Sho. Don't go to that place! If you do, you'll die! He yelled, looking down at the book.
I'll... die? I whispered, more to myself than to him.
Yes! So you can't go there! You just can't!
But...' I looked back at the garden. Maybe... Maybe dying won't be so bad... Then... Then I'll be with Mother... Then... I'll never feel sad or hurt again...
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~End of Chapter 25~
If I don't get the next chapter out soon, it's because one of my best friends is in the hospital. I don't think that it'll delay any updates, but if it dose, that's why. Please review. More coming soon. (hopefully)
