Disclaimer: I am honoured to be writing this, but for once there's something I don't have besides Miaka and Nuriko…(Hotohori's voice)
Thanks for the reviews! I love reviews, it makes me know that this fic is read!
-
"Chichiri, locate Nuriko. We are going!" Hotohori growled, dragging the poor magician over. They had all felt it. The pain. It was only felt when a Seishi is in great danger.
-
Nakago and Soi were playing chess. They had rather enjoy the mountain, but they were worried about the prospect of getting lost, so they stayed in, also to accompany Tomo, in a way. When they heard Hotohori's worried yell…
"Nuriko is in danger? I only saw Miboshi with the blood…do you mean…" Soi asked, snapping out of the Chess Trance. Nakago also came to his senses; they had both concentrated too much into the game.
"Miboshi is in pain? I did not hear…" in truth, they had felt Miboshi's cry of help coursing through their hearts, but they had pointedly ignored it.
Immediately, they ran towards Chichiri. Chichiri frowned. "Miaka and Tomo are not coming? Miboshi, yes, but them? I don't understand no da."
"My apprentice, Miaka is the Suzaku no Miko. No danger would come to her as long as she's here. And Tomo will accompany her when she gets well. She needs someone to cheer her up, now that Taka isn't here."
At the mention of Taka, Miaka's eyes welled up with tears.
-
Keisuke scowled at the couple as they walked away. "Kourin, you are turning your back on your own brother! How could you!"
"She does not remember. Only with Nuriko personally here, would she remember herself fully," the deep, raspy voice said. Keisuke turned to the one who had tried to help. And he nearly got a heart attack.
-
"Wait a minute, you have absolutely nothing that she's wearing, Yui! I remember her going for a total makeover that morning!"
"What, a total makeover when Hikari's sick?" Yui asked, looking disgusted. Miaka…
"No, really, I asked her to go. She looked horrible after worrying so much about Hikari."
"Oh, Taka, you really could let go money for someone? You must be hit in the head!" Yui laughed. Tetsuya nudged her. After scanning the page in ten minutes, Hongo Yui did not feel like smiling anymore.
Taka wondered why the atmosphere of the room had gone so dark all of a sudden. "What does it say?" he pressed. Tetsuya shook his head.
"You wouldn't want to know, Taka. I'll guarantee you wouldn't like it," Yui replied. "Taka, which makeover shop did Miaka go?"
Taka was suspicious. He grabbed the red book from Tetsuya's hands and slowly translated it in his mind. The book fell from his hands. "Miaka went to the place nearest to our new home. Care to come along, Yui?" he asked, head lowered.
"I would like to."
-
"You!" Keisuke gasped in shock, hand covering his mouth. The speaker growled his response.
"Yes, it's me. You've got a problem, Mister? You look like you are from the world of the miko. Are you Nuriko's friend? If so, listen to me and don't interrupt. If not, then scram."
"I am Nuriko's friend."
"Good, find me some clean rags. She had broken three ribs, and lost a lot of blood. Bring me some medication, if you could."
With that, the man crashed his mouth onto Nuriko's lips.
-
Chiriko felt a wrench in his heart. His brush dropped on his painting.
"Don't tell me…"
Miiya looked at Chiriko. "What? What had happened?"
A tear found its way down Chiriko's cheek. "Where are you now, Nuriko?" he whispered softly. "I could only pray for your safety. Please don't die, big sister…"
-
"No da. Nuriko's chi is fading, no da."
They saw blood everywhere. It was like chancing on a horror movie scene. Blood was splattered all over. Nakago frowned. "The blood is still fresh. Soi, do you feel anything strange?"
"Wheel-prints are stained with red…she was hit by a carriage. Also a horse. Why would she do that?" Soi asked. "She was known to be very conscious about the road."
No one seemed to know why. Chichiri had a feeling that Miaka might know.
"So she could be damned dead for all we damned know!" Tasuki yelled.
"Hai, no da. Unless someone else had brought her to another place…no da."
-
Nuriko opened her eyes. She saw the figure looming over her. "As…hit…are? Why…"
The wolf man planted a kiss on her forehead. "I have transferred some of my energy to you. You will live longer, hopefully," he said, smoothing her fringe back. "That friend of yours, he's been acting strange. Is he from the miko's world?"
"Yeah…he had appeared out of thin air…it's so…funny…"
"Nuriko, don't talk. Let me do the talking."
"But…there's so…much…so…long…"
Keisuke was relieved. Nuriko had recuperated enough to come out of her coma, even to talk. Hopefully, she will not remember about the reason she ended up like that…and strangely, Ashitare is treating her like Nuriko, not Miboshi. "How…"
-
"I got it, no da. Nuriko's alive, no da. I got her chi, no da."
"Does that mean she could walk, talk and damned eat again?" Tasuki asked. I still got nightmares…
"Yes no da. Not really healthy chi, so not really walk talk and eat…no da."
Nakago grabbed Chichiri's hand. "Pop us there."
"DA!"
"Let go of my fellow Seishi's hand!" Hotohori roared. He turned to Chichiri. "Where is it? Nakago, if you are not going to let go…"
Nakago let go of the monk's hand, leaving a red mark. Chichiri caressed it softly. "It is on the outskirts of this town…in the forest perhaps…"
The men stalked off, as a group. Only Soi stayed behind. "Are you alright, monk man? Do you need a doctor? Nakago nearly beoke my hand once with that strength of his…" she said gently, comforting Chichiri.
"I need a rest, no da. All this popping about gets tiring sometimes, no da."
"Are you friends of a boy named Nuriko?" a man said. "He booked two rooms."
"Hai, no da. Just what we need, no da. Rest, no da. Thank the heavens for Nuriko, no da."
-
Ashitare slipped out of the room. "She's asleep."
Keisuke eyed the wolf man. "How did you know that's Nuriko at first sight?"
"I look at the soul, not at appearances, Keisuke. Nuriko is Nuriko. The scent of lavender had always haunted me when I am young and I did not remember. It stayed with me when I met Nuriko and did remember. Nakago is another thing entirely. I smell his scent around the town I reside in a long time ago. I hate him. This is one thing that hadn't changed."
Keisuke stared at Ashitare. "You look the same. Exactly as I imagined you."
"One could not change much from their previous life, could they? You are an amusing one."
"What are you doing there? You should be lounging around here, if this is your home."
Ashitare managed a bitter laugh. "As fate would have it, I owned a carriage and a horse…the only things I had…"
Keisuke's eyes narrowed. "So you are the one…"
"Yes…I had nearly damned killed Nuriko again. It makes my heart stop just to think of it…"
"Kourin's husband?"
"The pregnant woman? I am supposed to fetch her to Kutou with her husband. I admit, I was running late. Then the lady just crossed the street like so…and for some reason, Nuriko got the brunt of my rashness. And I do not only take care of her because she was hit by me," Ashitare said. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He was not happy with the fact that he had nearly killed his only friend in two lifetimes. "It was not a debt."
"Then why…"
"Did you get it, Man from another World?"
"No, obviously not."
"I'm in love with her since childhood."