Disclaimer: Just in case ya'll didn't know, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Wahhh!!!! *Shniff*
Author's Note: OMG! I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in so long! Marching band takes up a lot of time, but now that it's done for the year, I'll hopefully have more time to write. Besides, for those of you who actually like this fic, be lucky this chappie's even posted!!! For some reason, the document I had it in would only load these two parts, but it said the right number of words.it was soooo bizarre. I tried to upload it soooo many times, then I decided it must be the document, so I'm remaking it. Bleh...Anyway, hope you enjoy it!! ~R.A.
Chapter 8: Matchmaking: Foundations Laid
Once out of sight of Hotohori, Miaka slowed down and then stopped, leaning against a palace pillar to catch her breath.
Nuriko came up (rather silently) behind her and enveloped her in his embrace. He whispered in her ear, "You did the right thing, Mia-chan. It'll be ok, I know it will."
Miaka looked at Nuriko, and he could see that she was trying not to cry. His heart went out to her. He knew her friendship with Hotohori was important to her, so he wanted to do something to help.
Suddenly, Nuriko snapped his fingers. "Aha!"
Miaka looked at him quizzically. "Ne, Nuri-chan? What is it?"
Nuriko tweaked her nose. "I have just the thing to make you stop feeling guilty."
"What?"
"We," he stated, "are going to play matchmaker for our dear friend, Hotohori."
Miaka grinned, her mind already at work with the possibilities, "That's a great idea! And then we can make sure Tamahome and Keichi get together-not that they'll need much help, though. You're a genius, Nuriko!"
Nuriko smiled smugly and struck a pose, "I know, aren't I?"
Miaka laughed, "You're also impossible, but that's why I love you." She leaned up and kissed him.
Thus inspired, the two put their heads together, brainstorming all the women who could bear up against their high standards for Hotohori. Finally, they decided that the best course of action would be for Nuriko to talk to his friends from his days in the royal harem.
While Nuriko was doing this, Miaka decided that is would be as good a time as any to talk to Tamahome.
And so, the two parted with a kiss and went on their way to "do their duty".
Nuriko walked briskly towards the Harem Wing. Thankfully, the other women hadn't been really mad when it got out that he was a man. The Harem ladies were a pretty open-minded bunch-they had to be to do well in their line of work-so he still had many friends among them. Grinning, he mused that the "girls" would probably be thrilled to help him since he was now officially out of the running for Hotohori.
There was only a pause as he knocked his secret knock on the elegant door before it was opened and Nuriko was all but dragged inside. He was met with a flurry of hugs and questions. Everyone wanted to know what he'd been up to since he'd left the harem to be a full-time seishi.
Laughing, Nuriko greeted everyone before saying, "Would it be all right if I sat down to answer your questions?"
Houki, the unofficial leader of the Harem girls (mostly since she'd been there the longest), nodded and led him to the "sitting room" (an area with mountains of cushions) as she beckoned for some of the younger girls to get refreshments for all.
After Nuriko say, all the others did, too (there were roughly twenty women of varying ages in the Harem). When the refreshments were brought, he remarked, "It seems there are some new faces in the Harem."
Houki nodded, "Yes, his highness's advisors brought in some younger girls; however, it seems that Hotohori-sama hasn't noticed. But we digress- how have you been?"
Nuriko smiled mischievously, "Well, you should all be happy to know that I am no longer going to attempt to secure the Emperor's attentions for myself." Here he paused, and almost laughed at the looks he was getting (Most didn't bode well for his continued good health if he didn't get to the point, and quickly.). Continuing, he said, "That is because I now have my own girlfriend!"
At this announcement, all the women squealed in delight. Houki finally had to order them to be quiet so Nuriko could finish. Chuckling, he said, "Yes, it's true, though you probably won't guess who it is."
A chorus of "Well, who is it?" greeted this statement.
Nuriko leaned back as a look of adoration settled on his face. "Miaka."
The ladies of the Harem squealed (again) loud enough to rock the palace foundations, and Nuriko was smothered in hugs and congratulations.
When everyone had settled down and were seated again, Nuriko leaned forward. "Now, Miaka and I have a little dilemma. See, Hotohori still loves Miaka, and he's sad because he's too kinda to fight me for her. He's willing to give up his last bit of hope so that the two of us can be happy. But, Hotohori is a good friend of ours, and we want him to be happy, too. That's why Miaka and I decided to play matchmaker for Hotohori." Here he paused to see the women's reactions.
While all were nearly in tears at this sad tale, Houki in particular was practically devastated by Hotohori's sadness. (*Bingo!* thought Nuriko) "What can /we/ do?" she asked.
Nuriko gave a little smile, "Well, due to my connections with all of you and with his highness, I know what all of you are like, and also a general idea of what Hotohori is looking for in a woman."
Here, the women gave a collective gasp of wonder, and one of the younger girls asked, "You mean to actually pair one of /us/ with his highness? Why, he barely knows we're here!"
Nuriko nodded, "Yes. And while I haven't totally worked it out yet, I think there's a good chance of it working. But," he looked worried, "I also know that only being able to choose one of you could create some hard feelings, so I wanted to check to see if you even wanted to do this, first."
The ladies looked around, and then they all nodded. Houki spoke for all, "If one of us is chosen, then the rest are free to go home to pursue another path in life. I know /I/ want to do something else with my life if I'm not chosen."
Nuriko heaved a sigh of relief, "Great! Now, before we can approach Hotohori, we have to choose who will be the one /to/ go after him." He scratched his head, "Uh.I guess we could vote? I hadn't really gotten that far."
One of the older Harem women stood up, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think Houki should be the one. She's been here the longest, and I know she loves Hotohori deeply."
"LINA!" Houki exclaimed, blushing. Lina just grinned at her, "It's true. So, what about, ladies?"
Author's Note: Sorry if parts seem a little vague, I don't deal with writing about big groups well. Also, I hope it's not too corny. This part did/is giving me lots of problems-dumb writer's block!
Author's Note: OMG! I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in so long! Marching band takes up a lot of time, but now that it's done for the year, I'll hopefully have more time to write. Besides, for those of you who actually like this fic, be lucky this chappie's even posted!!! For some reason, the document I had it in would only load these two parts, but it said the right number of words.it was soooo bizarre. I tried to upload it soooo many times, then I decided it must be the document, so I'm remaking it. Bleh...Anyway, hope you enjoy it!! ~R.A.
Chapter 8: Matchmaking: Foundations Laid
Once out of sight of Hotohori, Miaka slowed down and then stopped, leaning against a palace pillar to catch her breath.
Nuriko came up (rather silently) behind her and enveloped her in his embrace. He whispered in her ear, "You did the right thing, Mia-chan. It'll be ok, I know it will."
Miaka looked at Nuriko, and he could see that she was trying not to cry. His heart went out to her. He knew her friendship with Hotohori was important to her, so he wanted to do something to help.
Suddenly, Nuriko snapped his fingers. "Aha!"
Miaka looked at him quizzically. "Ne, Nuri-chan? What is it?"
Nuriko tweaked her nose. "I have just the thing to make you stop feeling guilty."
"What?"
"We," he stated, "are going to play matchmaker for our dear friend, Hotohori."
Miaka grinned, her mind already at work with the possibilities, "That's a great idea! And then we can make sure Tamahome and Keichi get together-not that they'll need much help, though. You're a genius, Nuriko!"
Nuriko smiled smugly and struck a pose, "I know, aren't I?"
Miaka laughed, "You're also impossible, but that's why I love you." She leaned up and kissed him.
Thus inspired, the two put their heads together, brainstorming all the women who could bear up against their high standards for Hotohori. Finally, they decided that the best course of action would be for Nuriko to talk to his friends from his days in the royal harem.
While Nuriko was doing this, Miaka decided that is would be as good a time as any to talk to Tamahome.
And so, the two parted with a kiss and went on their way to "do their duty".
Nuriko walked briskly towards the Harem Wing. Thankfully, the other women hadn't been really mad when it got out that he was a man. The Harem ladies were a pretty open-minded bunch-they had to be to do well in their line of work-so he still had many friends among them. Grinning, he mused that the "girls" would probably be thrilled to help him since he was now officially out of the running for Hotohori.
There was only a pause as he knocked his secret knock on the elegant door before it was opened and Nuriko was all but dragged inside. He was met with a flurry of hugs and questions. Everyone wanted to know what he'd been up to since he'd left the harem to be a full-time seishi.
Laughing, Nuriko greeted everyone before saying, "Would it be all right if I sat down to answer your questions?"
Houki, the unofficial leader of the Harem girls (mostly since she'd been there the longest), nodded and led him to the "sitting room" (an area with mountains of cushions) as she beckoned for some of the younger girls to get refreshments for all.
After Nuriko say, all the others did, too (there were roughly twenty women of varying ages in the Harem). When the refreshments were brought, he remarked, "It seems there are some new faces in the Harem."
Houki nodded, "Yes, his highness's advisors brought in some younger girls; however, it seems that Hotohori-sama hasn't noticed. But we digress- how have you been?"
Nuriko smiled mischievously, "Well, you should all be happy to know that I am no longer going to attempt to secure the Emperor's attentions for myself." Here he paused, and almost laughed at the looks he was getting (Most didn't bode well for his continued good health if he didn't get to the point, and quickly.). Continuing, he said, "That is because I now have my own girlfriend!"
At this announcement, all the women squealed in delight. Houki finally had to order them to be quiet so Nuriko could finish. Chuckling, he said, "Yes, it's true, though you probably won't guess who it is."
A chorus of "Well, who is it?" greeted this statement.
Nuriko leaned back as a look of adoration settled on his face. "Miaka."
The ladies of the Harem squealed (again) loud enough to rock the palace foundations, and Nuriko was smothered in hugs and congratulations.
When everyone had settled down and were seated again, Nuriko leaned forward. "Now, Miaka and I have a little dilemma. See, Hotohori still loves Miaka, and he's sad because he's too kinda to fight me for her. He's willing to give up his last bit of hope so that the two of us can be happy. But, Hotohori is a good friend of ours, and we want him to be happy, too. That's why Miaka and I decided to play matchmaker for Hotohori." Here he paused to see the women's reactions.
While all were nearly in tears at this sad tale, Houki in particular was practically devastated by Hotohori's sadness. (*Bingo!* thought Nuriko) "What can /we/ do?" she asked.
Nuriko gave a little smile, "Well, due to my connections with all of you and with his highness, I know what all of you are like, and also a general idea of what Hotohori is looking for in a woman."
Here, the women gave a collective gasp of wonder, and one of the younger girls asked, "You mean to actually pair one of /us/ with his highness? Why, he barely knows we're here!"
Nuriko nodded, "Yes. And while I haven't totally worked it out yet, I think there's a good chance of it working. But," he looked worried, "I also know that only being able to choose one of you could create some hard feelings, so I wanted to check to see if you even wanted to do this, first."
The ladies looked around, and then they all nodded. Houki spoke for all, "If one of us is chosen, then the rest are free to go home to pursue another path in life. I know /I/ want to do something else with my life if I'm not chosen."
Nuriko heaved a sigh of relief, "Great! Now, before we can approach Hotohori, we have to choose who will be the one /to/ go after him." He scratched his head, "Uh.I guess we could vote? I hadn't really gotten that far."
One of the older Harem women stood up, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think Houki should be the one. She's been here the longest, and I know she loves Hotohori deeply."
"LINA!" Houki exclaimed, blushing. Lina just grinned at her, "It's true. So, what about, ladies?"
Author's Note: Sorry if parts seem a little vague, I don't deal with writing about big groups well. Also, I hope it's not too corny. This part did/is giving me lots of problems-dumb writer's block!