Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros

Author Note: This chapter is dedicated to my very first reviewer! Anarya Of Lorien, thank you so much for your input! I've tried to make the paragraphs shorter for you. And I hope you like fluff, because that's what this chapter is. I'll come out with the next one soon, I just need to adjust a few things, and make sure there are no grammatical errors. Anyway, on with the story!

Love Unfolds

The gardens were beautiful, especially by the soft illumination of moonlight now scattered over the well-kept greenery. Flowers let off a subtle fragrance that drifted across Nozomi's eager nostrils, relaxing every muscle in her body. She always felt at home when she was away from the busy cities and the stresses of modern day life. In the backyard of her cabin, she had created a little haven of privacy for herself, much like the garden she and Hotohori were currently strolling through, only not nearly as well tended. Personally, she preferred to have it slightly overgrown and wild. All the same, she detached herself from Hotohori's arm to smell the various flowers.

Jogging toward another unusual flower she didn't know the name to, she surprised herself by nearly falling in a pond, unseen in the dim light. Instinctively it seemed, Hotohori was there to catch her almost as soon as she had begun to fall. Even though the light was too scarce to see the pond, she could clearly see Hotohori's smile at her enthusiasm. "Careful, the flowers will still be there, even if you walk instead of run."

Nozomi knew she sometimes got a little silly over nature, so she was perfectly able to laugh at herself. "I know, I was just excited. Beautiful gardens do that to me. But no harm was done; I had you to save me from falling."

Hotohori's smile turned more serious as he set her on her feet, and regretfully removed his hands from her waist. "And I will always be there to save you, just as you were there to save me today. How did you know what that man was going to do, by the way?"

"I had a very strong urge to get to the front of the crowd, so I could see better, I wanted to see you, to tell the truth. He was shaking so badly, I could tell something was wrong even without looking at him. When I did, I also saw that he had such a strong grip on his sword his knuckles were white. It was a lucky guess, really." She explained. How glad she was now that she had noticed and correctly interpreted the man's intentions. She was glad she got to meet Hotohori. But he wasn't the only one who was curious. "How long have you been emperor?"

Hotohori looked at her, not having expected the question. "Ever since I was 14."

"Both, or just your father?" she asked with concern. No one should have that much responsibility and pressure at that age.

"Just my father at first, but my mother is gone now too."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"Many, but none that I'm close to. All of them wanted to be emperor when father died, so the competition prevented any feelings of regard."

Nozomi could practically feel the loneliness surrounding him. Knowing what it's like, not having any family left, or none that would own you, anway, she wanted to cheer him up. She wanted him to know that it would be alright and that no matter how alone and lost he felt, there would always be people who could care for, and help him. Slowly she looked down, gently took both his hands in hers, and then looked straight into his golden brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hotohori. If it's any comfort at all, I'm sure both your parents would be proud of who and what you have become. Not only are you obviously an excellent emperor, but even a stranger like me can tell that you are the kind of person the rest of us strive to be, but never quite reach."

Hotohori was unspeakably touched by this little speech, and hardly knew what to say. So instead he asked another question about her. "What about you? What are your parents like?" Maybe he would find out from her what regular families were like. He had almost never seen his parents when they were alive, and when he had, his father was always distracted, and his mother was constantly ashamed of him.

"I never knew my parents. By the time I was three months old, both of them were dead. My father's closest friend took me in when they died and raised me. I grew up calling him Grandpa, because during his life, my father had looked up to him like he would a father." Even though Nozomi was keeping her voice pleasant and conversational, Hotohori could feel and sympathize with what it must have been like to grow up having never known your parents. "But, Grandpa always told me that they named me Nozomi, because I symbolized their hope for the future. I always liked that story. Especially since Grandpa always ended it by telling me that my parents loved each other and me very much." Those words were spoken with an inner contentment that surprised Hotohori.

Nozomi pulled out the small change purse she had shown Tamahome before. "I have a picture of them, would you like to see it?" Curiously, Hotohori nodded, and gently took the strange piece of paper Nozomi handed him from the black bag. On it was a portrait of a man and a woman, who were instantly recognizable as Nozomi's parents. She was a seamless blend of both their features. She had the straightness of her mother's hair, but the color of her father's. Her eyes and complexion were exactly like her mother's, but the shape of her face took after her father. Both of them looked like they were deeply in love, having that glow of radiance that only newlyweds seem to have.

"They look very happy." He said in response, while handing the picture back to her. As she slipped it back into her purse, she had a wistful smile on her face. She explained that yes, they were very happy when they were together. And her grandpa had always told her that as people, they were the best you could ever come across. He had only met her mother once, but had been immediately impressed with her kind and gentle nature.

Hotohori listened to her talk about the parents she never knew, but his attention was divided between what she was saying, and consciousness of the fact that she still held one of his hands.

They were both silent for a few minutes afterwards, each lost in their own thoughts. Seemingly by mutual unspoken consent, they had migrated to a bench overlooking the lake and sat down, still connected by the gentle touch of Nozomi's hand in his. Looking down at their intertwined hands, Nozomi quietly said, "If you ever want or need to talk to someone about anything, I'll always be willing to listen."

Slowly, Hotohori lifted a hand to brush a stray hair out of her face. Hotohori thought that he had never seen anyone look as beautiful as she did, sitting there with the moon creating a soft halo of light around her head, showing off her creamy complexion, and slender figure. Her eyes seemed to be pools of light, emitting a heartwarming glow all their own. More than ever now, Hotohori knew she was the one. The protectiveness he was feeling toward her was incredible, like nothing he had ever experienced before. He gave her a heartfelt thank you, and assured her that he would talk to her if he ever needed to. Why wouldn't he? It was the perfect opening for him to spend as much time with her as he liked. After looking at her intently for a few moments more, cherishing every second, he reluctantly remarked, "It is getting rather late, shall I show you to your room?"

She noticed the inconsistency from before, when he said the maid would do that, but choose not to comment on it now, instead she agreed immediately. She would much rather have Hotohori show her to her room than the maids anyway. And he was right; it was more than time for her to be getting to bed. That didn't mean she wanted to, though. She was too transfixed by the sight of his long black hair -finally released from that rather silly bucket hat he was forced to wear as a symbol of his exalted status - shining in the moonlight, his eyes looking more like sparkling gold than brown. The man was handsome, there was no denying it.

Standing up and stretching a bit, Nozomi released Hotohori's hand to again slip her arm through his. Retracing their steps through the beautiful garden, they walked along the perimeter of the palace, soon reaching a door that Hotohori stopped at. "This is your room. If you need anything, just wait for a guard to walk by, and they can direct you." Nozomi thanked him, and began to walk into her new room. "Nozomi," Hotohori's voice halted her progress. "Please don't be afraid to tell me if you need anything, no matter what time of day or night. The offer you made me goes for you too, if you ever feel like you need to talk, I will be very glad to listen. Goodnight."

Nozomi smiled at him, a truly grateful smile that spoke her thankfulness better than words, and bid him goodnight. Once her door was securely closed, as securely as you could close a shoji door anyway, Nozomi smiled to herself. Some instinct told her that if she allowed it, the handsome 18 year old could prove to be a big distraction to her duties here. That same instinct told her that as innocent and gentlemanly as he appeared, a distraction is exactly what he meant to be.