Final Wish

Disclaimers: Fushigi Yuugi as we all know is the intellectual property of Watase Yuu. I'm not making money out of posting this fic. Believe me, why the hell would anyone want to buy this thing? The characters don't belong to me either.

Author's Notes: This is just fan speculation. This isn't really how it ends, but we all know what happened to Takiko Okuda, don't we? This is just my take on the whole thing. Plus, this is my first FY fanfic. IN YEARS. Takiko-centered, of course. No pairings, too late for that.

She lay on her bed, taking deep and painful breaths. A drop of sweat trickled down from her forehead, trailing to her cheek and then on the pillow that her head rested on. Slowly her dark eyes glanced around. She was back in her room. It looked the same as always. Her bed in the middle, the small table and chair where she put all her books and school things. The little bookshelf by the side of the room. The walls were bare except for the one picture of her mother that hung.

She looked at it for a moment longer, her mother was a lot younger then. Now that she thought about it, she looked so much like her. Both had the same ebony colored hair that fell up to their back. They had the same lively, expressive eyes. She remembered how the strength slowly drained from her mother, as she lay sick and dying. Yes, she died only a few days ago. It killed her. It killed her that she was not able to say her final goodbye. That she was not able to tell her mother just how much she loved her.

Though she was back in time for the wake. She found herself in her room, her father did not know she had returned as she only woke up to find herself back home only a few moments ago. She had no strength to get up and go downstairs.

I will be back in time for the wake! She told her father as she faded away from this reality, clutching the book. I will summon Genbu! Protect the country of Hokkan and bring mother back to life!

Those were her exact words.

She was able to come back from the book, from the country, which hailed her to be their sacred priestess. Genbu had chosen her to summon him. After so much, she was able to. Did it matter that these people were scornful towards her from the very beginning as at first the priestess was considered to be a bad omen? After she had wished for peace to come back to Hokkan, all she could keep thinking about was how happy she was that Kutoh would never bother them again. How she had done her job well enough. It was her second wish. The only thing she might've wanted for herself. She wanted to go back home – Back home with the man she loved the most, Rimudo, who was also her seishi, Uruki. When they return, she would then wish to bring her mother back to life. Just as she had planned.

But summoning Genbu to fulfill her wishes was harder than she thought. Every time she would summon her god, she would feel weaker and weaker by the moment. As if her very life was draining from her. She found it hard to breathe, to move. Something was happening to her. The inside of her body felt like she was on fire and she was in a great deal of pain. She couldn't figure out what it was as she didn't know what would happen after she summoned Genbu. No one told her, perhaps her father tried – but she didn't remember.

Her second wish was not fully granted. Rimudo was not allowed to return to her world with her. It broke her heart, seeing herself disappear, Rimudo calling out for her and reaching for her hand. She tried, but she only went right through – they stared at each other. Their expressions horrified, as they knew one cruel truth. After she was gone, they would never see each other again.

One wish remained.

If she failed herself and her own desire, she would not fail her mother. Her promise to her father.

Slowly, she sat up. Every breath, every move felt like a thousand needles plunging into her skin and through her body. She let out a short, choked cry – but she did not fall back. She frowned, panting. The pain was worse than before. She looked down at her hands, seeing now that they were anything but normal. Her skin was coloring differently now – it remained smooth, but now – they were the color of a blackish kind of green. She blinked slowly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. But she was in too much pain. Her thoughts were clouded and only one remained clear. It was time to make her final wish. It was time to bring her mother back to life, regardless of what would happen to her.

Mother, it's not your time yet!

She shut her eyes tightly, pushing herself to get up from bed. But before she could, she heard the door open. Slowly, she looked up – seeing her father, staring at her in awe.

"Takiko…" his expression changed from relief, to sheer and pure horror as he saw what was happening to his daughter.

"I'm back, father…" She breathed heavily, she stumbled and fell back sitting on her bed. She frowned and shook her head, once again trying to get up. She refused to give up. Not until everything was over. She had one wish left. She would not waste it – she will not let deaths go in vain.

"You were able to finish the story… To summon Genbu."

"My last wish will bring mother back to life." She continued. "Just as I promised you."

Einosuke was silent, watching her daughter. From inside of him, he felt a sickening sensation – which made his stomach turn. His brows met as he saw her, forcing herself to get up to make her final wish. He looked at her skin; she was suffering, changing before his eyes. He knew what would become of her. After that much research he was no stranger to it. Genbu was devouring her, slowly. It would be done as soon as she finished making her wish.

There was no turning back for Takiko.

"Takiko… Don't do it."

"When mother comes back." She managed to shoot one weak glare towards her father, but she was withering. She could no longer speak loudly as she did to him back then. "I'm going to take care of her. Make sure this doesn't happen to her again. You can go work on whatever it is that you want to!" she coughed. "Never again. I won't lose mother again!"

"Takiko, you don't understand! – Calling out Genbu again will! –"

"I don't care!" Takiko managed to answer, she winced and let out a painful cry as she was now standing up. Though her legs threatened to give way. "I… don't care. I promised that – that –"

Tears fell from Einosuke's eyes, falling to his knees. He shivered as he cried, all his regrets and his sorrows pouring out of him through his tears. He lost his beloved wife, and now he was losing his only daughter. The gods had finally punished him for meddling with something he should've never tampered with in the first place. The wager was made and he'd sacrificed his family, his daughter – without knowing.

Takiko saw her father, her face softening – she reached out slightly. "Father…?" she winced and screamed, taking a step back. Her whole arm was now dark green in color, the smooth skin was crumpling a bit. Genbu was going to be finished with her in a moment. Waiting for her final call.

Einousuke started to look up, the tear marks evident from his crying. His hand was shaking, reaching into his pocket. Pulling out a small gun – he had purchased this only a few weeks before he got back. He didn't exactly know what to do with it. He was planning it for future protection he supposed. He looked at his daughter who was probably too distracted from the agony she felt to realize what he was going to do.

"Takiko." Einousuke said – aiming the gun to her. He was breaking in the inside. "Forgive your father."

"Father! Please help me!" Takiko screamed, in total agony – she had lost all the visible strength that she once had. And for the very first time, she called out for his help.

But he had pulled the trigger. The loud bang was heard, followed by a thud to the ground. Einousuke fell back, moving away from the lifeless body of his daughter. She was now returning back to normal. Her skin was fair once more, her eyes stayed open – blankly looking up at the roof. She actually looked peaceful as he looked at her. Her suffering was over. She no longer felt pain. That could've been the only thing he'd ever done for her. The gunshot wound, the bullet had directly hit her heart. She was dead within the first shot.

Einousuke stared in fear, panting as he cried out loudly. Staring at his shaky hands, he dropped the gun.

"What have I done…?" he asked as if unbelievingly. "My Takiko…"

It took him a few moments; he calmed himself – his hands dropping to his side. He now looked lethargic, staring blankly at his dead daughter. He realized that he had enough. He deserved to die – maybe more than they did. He brought this upon them. This book. This cursed book that destroyed his family, destroyed his life. He hated himself; he knew he couldn't live with what he had done.

He picked up the gun. Now putting it to his head, he looked at his daughter for one last time. "Don't worry, Takiko. We'll be joining mother soon…"

A gunshot was heard. His body fell to the ground. Nothing followed.

Miaka woke up with a start, sitting up and taking breaths. Her eyes were wide, glancing around the room. Her vision was blurry – the things around her didn't seem to process until a few moments later when everything cleared up. She blinked slowly, shivering as she pulled the blanket up to her. Her heart pounding wildly on her breast, she looked and saw that she was inside a room. They were in an inn.

She was in Hokkan with the others. They were about to go to get the Shinzaho. It was only a day after they got there and she'd fallen asleep. It was now morning as she heard Nuriko's voice coming from the outside.

"Miaka! I've got your breakfast ready!" The shichiseishi opened the door and entered, carrying a tray of food. "I hope you've got a good appetite today! I got a lot of –"

Nuriko paused, blinking once as he thought he heard soft crying coming from Miaka's bed. He turned to see her, tears falling from her closed eyes. She sobbed, her shoulders shivering. Nuriko immediately put the tray down and rushed to her side.

"Miaka!" he sat beside her. "What's wrong?"

Miaka shook her head, wiping her eyes as she looked up at Nuriko. "Nothing… I – I had a dream… A Long one."

Nuriko looked concerned. "A Dream?" he asked. "What was it…?"

Miaka turned her glance outside the window of her room. The clouds were gray and it was still snowing, she shook her head again as she could not stop the tears from falling. She didn't bother to wipe them away anymore. "I don't remember… I don't remember what happened but… It was a sad, long dream…"

OWARI

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