Disclaimers: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.

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Narrator's POV

Tomite's plan was dangerous, and he knew that. He also knew that he would not make it through the battle alive. But he had to get Namame out of this alive, and he was willing to sacrifice his life for that. While Namame made for the palace, Tomite had to keep the Kutou soldiers from him. They could see that he was injured and would probably try to kill him, especially since he was one of the Genbu Seishi. It was Tomite's job to keep them away from him – to stop them from killing him.

Tomite didn't have any arrows, but he still had one weapon left. So, as the first of the Kutou soldiers lunged for Namame, he lifted up his hand and began to make his Ring of Restriction'. The ring closed around Namame's attacker, quickly cutting him in half. When his companions saw this, many of them turned towards Tomite, while the others kept the Hokkan forces at bay.

He's one of the Genbu Seishi! One yelled, Tomite couldn't pick out which one. He, using the last of his strength, made as many Ring of Restrictions' as he could, but the spell was an unfamiliar one and he still couldn't do it very well. The Kutou soldiers who had bows raised them, and fired...

Meanwhile, Namame had gotten to the infirmary. As soon as Tomite had made that first Ring of Restriction', he had known what his plan was. But despite how much he wanted to stop him, he knew that he couldn't. If he tried, then they would probably both die. So he kept running, despite the horrible guilt inside him, If Tomite died, and he was sure that he would, it would be his fault. He would have killed one of his dearest friends.

Namame stumbled but kept going. He couldn't stop; not then. He had to keep going. The infirmary was just ahead. He had to get to it. He had to get someone to go help Tomite. Before it was too late. Before the worst thing happened.

Iname, who was at the infirmary because he had been helping a wounded Hokkan soldier get to it, was quite surprised to see Namame stumble into the infirmary. He had many scraped on him and his face was incredible bloody, His hair was messy and had flecks of dried blood in it. In short he was a mess.

Namame! What happened?! He yelled as he rushed up to him, catching him as he fell from exhaustion and lose of blood.

The blue haired seishi whispered.

What? What about Tomite?

Iname... You've got to go... save him...

W-What? What's wrong with him? Iname asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

He.... Fighting... Wounded.... Barely walk.... West side of battle.... Outnumbered... Got to save him... Namame said, his consciousness fading quickly. Iname quickly gave him to one of the healers and ran outside, sword drawn. Namame's message may have been scrambled, but Iname read it loud and clear. Tomite was wounded, probably somewhere in the leg since he could apparently barely walk, and was fighting someone, probably Kutou soldiers. He was outnumbered and on the west side of the battle field. Iname had to save him before it was too late. As he mounted a horse and turned towards the west side of the field, he could only hope that it wasn't already too late.

Please don't let him be dead. I would have felt it if he were dead. Wouldn't I of? Oh, Genbu, he can't be dead. We already lost Hikitsu. We can't loose him to. We just can't...' Iname thought as he road towards the west.

It was then that he saw it. A giant pillar of green light shot towards the sky in the direction that he was going in. Tomite...' He didn't know how he knew that the pillar was caused by Tomite, he just did. He urged horse horse to go faster, pushing the beast to it's limit...

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Tomite's POV

The arrows flew at me, and I knew that it was the end. But I had saved Namame, my dear friend, and that was enough. I had fallen soon after I had made my Ring of Restrictions', my wounded leg no longer able to hold me. I watched the arrows from where I was on the ground; watching what would kill me. When the arrows were a mere inches from me, I saw, to my amazement, a green, almost see-through wall come between the arrows and myself. It was one of Iname's barriers. But my fellow seishi was too late. One of the arrows had gotten to me before he had and it had pierced my chest. The pain was horrible at first, but it soon settled to a dull pounding in my chest.

Iname ran up to me. Tomite! No, Tomite! He yelled.

Iname... What.... What are you doing here? I asked.

Saving you; idiot! What were you thinking?!

I had to.... save Namame. I... I got him hurt... And in trouble.... And I had to save him....

Idiot. That doesn't mean that you go get yourself killed. We need you!

Do you? I'm not so sure...

What? What are you saying, Tomite? Of course we need you!

I'm.... I'm just a pathetic.... a pathetic excuse for a... a seishi...

NO! No... You aren't. Of course you aren't! You're the best of us all! We couldn't have summoned Genbu without you! You were that one who found Takiko! Without you, she would have ended up as a slave or dead!

Takiko..... Iname.... Tell... Tell Takiko... that I'm sorry...

For what? What could you possibly be sorry for?

For... Everything.... For... Being such a bad seishi... A bad lover.... For dying...

No! You're not, nor a bad lover! Takiko could never love anyone other than you, even if she tried! And you're not going to die! Don't even think that way! You and Takiko are going to live here, in this world, remember? You're going to live here together! Tears began to run down Iname's cheeks. I – we – need you.

No... I will die.... It's my time, Iname.... So... Please... Once I'm gone... Do one last thing for me....



Take care of Takiko. And... Tell her that I love her.... I'm not quite sure if I ever made it quite clear enough how much I love her....

I... I'll tell her... Iname replied, finally seeming to accept that I was beyond help. I tried to smile a little, for him. Then, I closed my eyes and waited the few short moments that it would take for me to die. At that moment, I was thinking of only one thing. A mental picture was in my mind, it was of a girl with long, flowing, black hair, dark brown eyes, and a beautiful, full mouth.



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~End of Chapter 37~

You can sue me now. I've made yet another really short chapter. And I even made Tomite die! Sorry! Believe me, I'm just as sad to see him go as you are. But I sort of had to. You see (warning: what I'm about to say is a spoiler, but so is what will be the end of this fic) if I didn't make him diem Takiko would have wished to stay in the book world, and it is a known fact that she didn't, despite all the Genbu fics in which she did. Sorry folks. More coming soon! Please review!