Disclaimer: Da, no da. No I do not own FY, no da. Lying is against the rules for being a monk, no da. So it's true, no da.
I am a bit busy, so it came a bit late, but never mind! Thanks for the reviews!
Listening to Winner.
Miaka and Tomo were gone. "Where the hell did they both go?" Tasuki asked, making his way through the blood and grime in the house. "They have all freaking disappeared! With a hell lot of injuries!"
Miboshi raised a hand meekly, which is very unNuriko like. "I think we should put off finding Nuriko for now. It is unlikely Nuriko would be raped because her body is here and she is a boy at the forest, so let's just find the Suzaku no Miko first."
"Ahem."
"Soi, go to the more secluded parts of the house to find them. Now," Nakago ordered. Soi bowed, out of habit, and strode off. Nakago was clearly worried about Tomo.
"Ahem."
Hotohori had disappeared.
"Ahem."
Chichiri was trying to locate their chi.
"Ahem."
Tasuki was cursing.
"Ahem."
Chichiri nearly contemplated going fishing, as locating the chi of their miko failed.
"Ahem, Chichiri, I am coughing with a lot of patience here. Call all of them to attention, please. And tell Miboshi to not pounce on me."
Chichiri's eyes widened. "DA!"
Everyone turned to see the newcomer at Chichri's surprised outburst. Hotohori, who had returned from the pond with no results, had to cover his eyes. Tasuki let out a string of curses, clutching his heart. Nakago had to take comfort in looking at one of Hotohori's mirrors. Soi had not returned and Miboshi was restrained by Chichiri from slapping the Creator immediately.
"Taisukun! You nearly gave me a heart attack! All the people who are close to that old hag are freaks!"
WHAM!
"Don't hit me on my head with my own fan!"
WHAM!
"OW!"
Taisukun jumped into business immediately, after taking one hard look at Miboshi sternly. "Miaka and Tomo are safe in my palace. What in the world are you thinking, Hotohori? Tomo only specialize in manipulating people and casting illusions! When the demons decided they did not want to climb all the way up to get Nuriko, they came here instead! They are healed by Nyan Nyans and are recuperating in my palace!"
"I was taken away by Soi. I have failed in my duty to the miko…"
"Aww, don't get depressed, Hotohori-sama, there's a lot of other things you can be happy about! What's past is past, you know!" Miboshi said, smiling and patting him on the back. Miboshi realised what he was doing and retracted his hand in disgust. "Eww! I touched the Emperor of Konan!"
"Chichiri, pop them over to my place. I've got something to say to them, and here is not the right place to talk. Bring the Seiryu Seishi too."
"No Da!"
-
They reached a town. "This certainly isn't Suzaku Town! We've got to go back!" Nuriko said, tugging at Keisuke. "Onii-chan!"
"Nuriko, let us get this straight: one, I am tired, two, I'm hungry and thirsty and three, I am not your Onii-chan!"
"So we have to stay here over tonight?"
"Yes."
"Fine, you will get what you need and I will go get what I need. Here's some money. Money was never a problem ever since I'm born. It just increased when I met Houki," Nuriko said as she handed Keisuke a full money pouch with one quarter of the total amount of money on her.
Just then, a girl with vivid purple hair walked past. Nuriko turned to see an exact, albeit older, version of her walking the streets. "It kind of looked like Houki…" Nuriko thought. She shook her head and went to browse at the clothing shops on the streets. She squealed when she saw a kimono she particularly liked.
-
Taisukun held her conference beside Miaka's and Tomo's bed. "Miaka, your brother had fallen into the book, instead of Taka as planned. Now we've got to think of how to bring your husband in and take out Keisuke. One strategy is to send him back into your own world, pass the ring to Taka and let Taka take his place. But that would take a lot of time."
"If Taka could find another connection…" Miaka started. "Then…"
-
Nuriko came out of the store and booked two rooms in a nearby inn. She bathed in the river beside the inn and she changed her clothes into her feminine ones again. She whipped out a mirror and redid her make-up beautifully. "Just where did Keisuke go?" she wondered as she stepped into the same street where they had separated from.
She saw Houki's look-alike on the same street again. She seemed to be waiting for someone. Nuriko saw that she had a big stomach and politely made way for her. The lady disappeared into the same inn Nuriko had gone to an hour ago.
Nuriko shook her head again and searched for Keisuke.
-
"I do think that everyone thinks also that Taka would not find the connection that quickly and so take as much time to get here to help find the Shinzaho. Do you want to find the Shinzaho first? Later, after we found it, we will discuss it again."
Tomo was sound asleep in her bed. Miaka was busy stuffing herself. The rest simply looked bored, except for Chichiri, who replied, "You are right, no da! We will start as soon as we know where the Shinzaho is situated, no da!"
-
Knock! Knock!
Yui got up to answer the door. Tetsuya already knew who it was.
"Taka?"
"Yui! Do you have a connection?"
"I am thinking of one! You will just have to wait patiently, Taka. How about bouncing ideas off me?"
"Miaka is dying there and you expect…" Taka sighed, and calmed down. "Okay. Let's try to think of what Miaka is wearing, okay?"
-
"Search, search and search…no Onii-chan. Where did he go?" Nuriko wondered, as she paced the same street once again. "I seem to like this street a lot."
She saw a familiar figure, standing by the road. "Oh, she's there again."
The look-alike began waving to someone across the road. That someone had noticed her and waved too. Nuriko had a sense of déjà vu washing over her. Only one person could wave like that…only one…
The look-alike started crossing the road. Nuriko tensed up. She knew what was going to come next. And she did not like it.
-
Keisuke was more than happy to buy a lot of souvenirs from the Universe of the Four Gods. Especially if the money was not his…Keisuke frowned. He was starting to sound like Taka. No, the feeling is more than that. It was creeping up on him…it was a felling of dread.
He decided to find Nuriko and discuss the feeling that had come over him with her. Strangely, the back of his mind told him that Nuriko would not feel up to talking to him. His suspicions of something dreadful happening were confirmed when a scream pierced the noisy atmosphere.
The street was suddenly quiet. Keisuke grabbed his things and ran in the direction of the scream. He had to. He knew that he had to.
-
Nuriko heard the horses again. It was like a nightmare coming true. A nightmare from a past lifetime. He heard carriage wheels this time. The history was going to repeat, except that the victim would have bones crushed under those heavy wheels made of wood…it will always happen, always in front of Nuriko's eyes…
Nuriko knew that there is still time. Still time. "The last time I failed to save you, Kourin. Suzaku damn me if I fail to save you again!"
She ran like lightning. The carriage is coming in the pregnant lady's direction. Five metres, two metres, one metre…so close…Nuriko gathered all her energy to push the lady to the end of the street, into the waiting arms of that someone she was waving at.
Nuriko had barely time to lift her head to see the carriage, before she was trampled and crushed by both the horse's hoofs and the carriage's wheels.
-
Blood burst through Miboshi's shirt and he cried out in indescribable pain. Taisukun and the Seishi were taken by total surprise. Miboshi, in Nuriko's body, lay on the ground, writhing, a pool of blood around him. It was growing bigger by the second. "He is bleeding profusely!" Hotohori said, grabbing Taisukun.
"It is obvious, Hotohori." Taisukun replied, emotionlessly.
"Nyan Nyans, heal Miboshi!" Hotohori ordered.
The Nyan Nyans shook their head. "This injury is coming from another person. We have to heal the source first." Taisukun explained. Miaka stopped eating.
"Do you mean…Nuriko?"
-
Keisuke ran to the scene. Nuriko was lying in blood. It was everywhere. Dropping his things, he ran to Miboshi's body (dressed somehow in a kimono and having make-up on him) and knelt beside him. "No…" He cannot believe it.
Nuriko had died so early in his previous life. It would be so unfair…he was given a second chance to live…Keisuke gathered Nuriko into his arms and was greeted by a comforting warmth, not yet gone. Nuriko was still alive. She is still alive.
"You have to teach your son not to push a pregnant woman. If I hadn't caught her…" a man said, his arms around a pregnant lady. Keisuke recognised her as Nuriko at first sight, except without the beauty mark.
"Kourin!" He yelled. "Kourin, save her!"
"Your son cross-dresses, do you think we would help him?" the man said for the woman. The woman lowered her head; it was she who screamed when she saw the boy get crushed under the wheels of the carriage.
"You will help him, you hear?" a low, raspy voice growled. "He had saved your wife." The man turned around to see…
"No I won't. Come, Kourin, you are coming home."
-
Nuriko knew that her life was ending. Someone was bending over her a moment ago. She had tried to find his hand, to feel him…to know he was real. "Kei…" she said weakly, when the warmth disappeared. Keisuke had left her.
Shouting, a lot of shouting. Somehow, it all petered out to nothing, when the pain hit her. She wanted to scream, but it was useless, her voice had gone.
Nuriko thought of her sister and that voice came back. "Kourin…Kour…in... Kour…" she had no more strength to move her lips any longer. It was a miracle that she had lasted this long anyway…she thought to herself.
-