Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, or any characters therein. They are the property of Yu Watase. (Further author's notes located at the bottom)

Love's Last Summoning

By: Adrianna

Prologue: The Red-Eyed Pretender

Suzaku was calling her.

He was calling out to her in a voice that mingled the cry of a bird with that of a man. It was a voice she knew so well, and hearing it again always sent a shower of tingles down her spine. Miaka had no choice; she must answer.

Suzaku, God of the Southern Fires...

The presence of the Fire God had become instinctive, as though his needs were so entwined with her own that it was not him she sought but that other part of herself that she'd left behind in Konan. Suddenly, an emerald landscape swam before her eyes, Konan's rich wild beauty rushing past so that she could only catch glimpses of things and places. She was flying forwards, and then without warning her body shifted position and she was going up, upwards into the sky. She could barely breathe as the air drowned her senses in coldness, and just when she was sure she would burst with the tension she stopped. She opened her eyes-- and realized that she was no longer hovering in the sky, but in a cave.

She exhaled as the beauty of her surroundings registered; the cave was not made of stone but ice. Enormous ice crystals jutted out from the smooth, clear walls.

Tiny pinnacles of light danced and glittered as a soft light shone across what seemed an endless cavern of bluish jewels. Miaka looked around herself, her breath forming white clouds. It was beautiful, like being encased in an enormous quartz crystal. An impish smile crossed her lips, and a carefree happiness that she had not felt in ages flooded back to her like the release of a dam. She wondered who or what live here. Perhaps Suzaku was here! The thought delighted her, and she eagerly stepped forwards, her feet making chime-like taps on the frozen floor. The walls were so immensely high that even if she craned her neck until she felt it twinge painfully she could not make out the ceiling. For an instant, she knew that there was something beyond the confines of the iced roof, something she needed to find…

Suddenly, as this realization struck her she was beginning to feel cold; the atmosphere which at first seemed so refreshing and cool now was numbing and repressive. She hugged herself trying to keep warm. She called out hopefully, wondering if perhaps Suzaku had brought her here to meet someone.. or something. Her voice echoed off the frozen walls like a bell, each echo giving a different note. The cave seemed to wind its way deeper and deeper, and as she grew more numb with cold panic began to tickle her senses. It was beautiful, but something was wrong…

Growing desperate she stopped in front of a high wall of ice, its bluish sheen casting a fresh burst of coldness across her face. She stared into its depths; a blurred contorted reflection gazed back at her with wide eyes.

But they were not her own eyes.

With a silent cry of alarm that was arrested in the frigid air, she stumbled backwards as the eyes became more and more detailed. They seemed to grow within the ice, becoming clearer as she stared, horror struck.

They flashed an eerie scarlet, the pupils coming to focus on her with two thin slits.

'Miaka…'

A horrible hissing voice filled her ears, and she clapped her hands over them as her head vibrated painfully. The ice crystals around her only served to amplify the voice, which now spoke words she could not understand, but which filled her with a terrifying fear.

"Where is Suzaku!" she cried out, her hands still clamped over her ears. The voice continued, the eyes gazing at her with a maliciousness that was reflected in the voice itself.

'Anssst a shaahem et suu at neeh,' it hissed, the ground beginning to shake violently beneath her feet. Images began to flicker within the icy walls all around her; a city burning, battles raging…

As she watched with growing horror the images slowed, and she saw what her heart feared most. The city grew clearer; it was Konan, burning in a bright blaze of flames. The battles became vivid, familiar faces swimming, yelling against a wash of blood and steel. A man suddenly flashed before her, the color of his wild hair matching that of the blood streaking his face. He thrust his sword into the air in a soundless battle cry. Miaka knew this man. She struggled to remember, but in the throws of the dream it felt as if someone-- or something was keeping her memories just out of reach. The man's horse swiftly turned about as he raised his sword, preparing to kill an unseen enemy. Then, Miaka saw it-- cutting through the air towards him. She cried out in warning just as an arrow sliced through an exposed section of his chest where his armor had lifted, the force sending him reeling back.

'Shaahem et …Suzaku!"

The hissing voice grew so loud, that it drowned out her scream.

The ringing reverberated within her brain as she shot upright, her breaths coming in short gasps. For a moment all she could see was the blurred figure of the man she had seen in battle. When her vision swam back into focus, she saw only her bedroom window wide open, the cold night air causing her curtains to billow wildly. Tears flowed unnoticed down her pale cheeks as shakily Miaka looked about her bedroom, not fully believing that she was safe, at home, in her own bed.

Sliding out from under the covers, she padded on unsteady legs to her bathroom and numbly got a glass of cold ater. Shutting her window with a snap, she made her way back to bed and drank long and deep, trying to calm her shattered nerves.

'It was just a dream…' she chanted to herself, the same mantra she had been using for the past few months since the dream had started. Still, she couldn't rid herself of the horrific images that she had witnessed. She felt the fear for Konan coil more tightly within her heart as each day passed. And now, the book was gone.

Yet the dreams persisted, and each time it was becoming more and more difficult to remember details. 'Could it be... the present I'm seeing? What if Konan has already been destroyed?'

The cold water always helped, but fresh tears began to flow despite its comfort. Usually, this was when she would have picked up the phone without a second thought and called the one person she knew would make her feel grounded and safe again. But he was no longer hers to call. She glanced at her phone atop her night table, loneliness making her body ache. Perhaps she could call him this one last time…

But the idea faded quickly and she was left with the reality of her situation; she and Taka were no longer together. The past months had been difficult, learning to live daily life without his company. Now, she would have given anything for a warm presence beside her, comforting arms to hold her and a gentle voice telling her it was okay, that she was safe-- that she would never have to enter that place in her dreams again. Her hands gripping her water cup tightly, Miaka closed her eyes, letting her mind create such a person in order to relax.

He was lying beside her with his arms outstretched, a deep rumbling murmur reaching her ears and soothing her rattled mind. He was calling for her, as one might try and coax a skittish animal, and Miaka found herself irresistibly drawn to his gentle voice. It coated her senses like a healing balm, saying words of comfort and reassurance. She felt her body lean back until her head rested on her pillow, and a warm fingertip traced the outline of her face.

She sighed, and wordlessly turned to wind herself into his arms; arms that pressed her tightly to his chest in a fierce hug. Miaka buried her face in his neck, loving the feeling of being totally wrapped up in his warmth, where no cold could slip through. She felt his warm lips against the side of her temple. His voice grew deeper…thicker. A hot flush crept throughout her body, centering in her stomach and radiating outwards to the tips of her toes. His hands began to massage her back slowly, his palms kneading the muscles gently. Miaka began to wish that she could truly understand his words, for he was speaking to her most intimately, his tone relaxed but tinged with concern.

She looked up at him; and without question, without stopping to ask why, pressed her mouth to his.

Miaka's eyes shot open.

She was alone in her room, the water cup still between her hands. Her lips burned, and her breaths were quick. For a moment, she simply stared into the darkness that cloaked her room, her mind saturated with the face of her imaginary protector. She knew that face. She remembered the slow, bemused grin he'd shoot in her direction every time she wondered her thoughts out loud. She remembered those same warm arms crushing her to him in a hug that had touched her beyond words.

Miaka didn't quite know how she had come to be lying back down on her bed, the covers drawn up around her and her eyes feeling heavier than they had in months. She let them slip shut. The nightmares, Taka, the loss of the book, everything seemed to be melting away as sleep urged her.

'Thank you…' she thought through a haze of sleepiness.

'Thank you for protecting me, Tasuki-chan…'

TBC...

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I wanted to say that I'm taking some creative license with the situations and characters, but feel free to let me know if it works in conjunction with the plot or not. I look forwards to posting again soon!