Fushigi Yuugi: Death's Enchantment
Episode Three:
"Strange Happenings"
Misty Schmitt
26 February 2001

---------------------------

A/N: I wrote this fic years and years ago. I'm posting it here because I am no longer updating the original site I had dedicated to it. Please be nice when you comment, and remember that I (and my writing style) have changed since 2001.

---------------------------

Early the next morning, Chichiri became aware all too suddenly that a strong presence was surrounding them again. He ran hurriedly outside of the palace walls, calling for the emperor to show himself.

"Hotohori! Your Highness! He's come back. Nakago is here again. Oh… where are you? You need to be here, you know!"

"What's wrong, Chichiri?" Tasuki asked.

"I sense Nakago's life force.. he's coming back! We have to summon the others, you know!" Chichiri turned to re-enter the palace.

"It's too late, Chichiri…" Tasuki's voice sounded choked. Chichiri turned..

"Wha…..?"

The image at the gate was indeed breath taking. A man's silhouette stood against a blazing sunrise. This could only be Nakago.

"His.. his life force is very weak…"

"Chichiri, I can tell that just by looking…. He's.. he's holding something!"

"Nakago! Show yourself! What have you done with.."

"She's here!" Nakago interrupted Chichiri… and then, "She's barely here," more softly. He looked up, no longer a silhouette, but a man. In his arms, the two celestial warriors saw a life less figure of a woman. Her arms were covered in blood and the two could see minute cuts covering her face.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! KISAMA! I will never forgive you…. you… REKKA SHIN…."

"TASUKI! NO! Look."

"What now? How can you stop me now.. look at her.. she's… she's barely alive!"

"Look at him, Tasuki.. look at him.."

Tasuki shot a dark look at the man who had caused them all so much grief… and saw tears streaming from his eyes, a look of defeat covering his face. He was looking down at Aino.

"I.. I'm sorry. I couldn't save her. I couldn't save myself….."

Nakago laid the priestess gently into Tasuki's arms, as if he were laying a child down to sleep, whispered a farewell into her ear, and then, just as quickly as the wind, disappeared.

"What was all that about?"

"Don't worry about it, Tasuki… We've got to get her to a doctor, you know?"

"Yeah, better hurry… at the rate she's bleeding..."

"I know… let's go."

Why me… why did he give her to me?

"Tamahome-Sama, Miaka-Sama… sorry for interrupting your breakfast.. but, it seems that Nakago has returned the lady Aino."

Tamahome and Miaka looked at each other with not a little alarm in their eyes.

"Where are they now?" Tamahome questioned the servant.

"Nakago has disappeared and Aino-Sama has been placed in Lord Tasuki's room."

"Thank you…" Tamahome said to the maid and then.."Miaka, we have to get to her… something's happened.. something bad.. grab Yui and meet me there."

"Ok, Tamahome…."

"Mitsukake! Mitsukake, where are you! We need your powers!" Tasuki screamed for what had to be the hundredth time. "Chichiri.. where is he?"

"You mean 'where are they?', Tasuki. Have you seen any of our deceased members lately? Hotohori? Chiriko? Mitsukake? Nuriko? I haven't.. and it's beginning to worry me, you know? Even while possessing the Nyan Nyan, they can still hear our calls to them with their new spirit senses…. There is something..."

"Bad going on? Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing!"

"Tamahome… At least you're still here… Nakago brought her back in pretty bad shape… he didn't look so good himself.. She's in serious danger of dying, but we can't find Mitsukake, or any of the others!"

"Chichiri, are you sure?"

"Yes, he's sure, Tama…. I've screamed for Mitsukake at the top of my lungs for the past half hour!"

"Ok… now what do we do?"

"Haven't you people ever heard of doctors?" Miaka asked as she entered the room, Yui following her closely. The priestess of Seiryu winced as she saw Aino, and suddenly, tears filled her eyes.

"We have to help her! Look at her! She's dying! We can't let her die!"

"Yui.. calm down.. its ok, we'll think of something!" Miaka tried to comfort her best friend.

"Its.. its too late, Miaka… Yui… she… she is… she just… I'm sorry… " Chichiri managed.

"No…" Miaka gasped….

"No, you won't! You can't….. You have to save him! You have to save us!" The sign of Seiryu appeared upon Yui's head, her body surrounded in a blue aura. "In the name of the beast-god, Seiryu Seikun, I, the Seiryu no Miko cannot allow any more death!"

"Yui!" the other four in the room gasped… nearly simultaneously.

"I appeal to thy holy light, Seiryu. Please! Expel the death from this room… SAVE THE SHI NO MIKO! I BESEECH THEE!"

Aino's body became enveloped with a warm blue light. Her hair began to blow in the soft breeze created by Yui's powerful life force.

"Please Aino…" The light began to fade, Yui began to weaken, "I can't…"

Tasuki watched all of this. Yui struggled to keep Aino alive.. and now she was loosing her grip. She was failing. Aino would die… Aino will die..

Tasuki! Save her. Aino will die if you don't! Only you… Only you!

Tasuki screamed. Tears fell from his flaming eyes.

"You will not die…. NO! I FORBID IT!"

Tasuki grabbed the cold body of Aino, his bright hot aura was like a fire that consumed them both. Miaka looked through the flames and saw Tasuki clutching Aino with all his might, his face buried in her fiery hair… he was… Tasuki was sobbing uncontrollably. Miaka had never seen anything like that… and would never have expected it from Tasuki.

Could this be true? Tasuki?

"NO!" Tasuki howled… his life force permeated Aino's inert body… rejuvenating her own depleted spirit. "You must come back to me… to us!"

Tasuki kept his life saving force burning until he himself was almost at death's door. He only stopped because Chichiri pulled him away from her, ending the connection between the two.

"How is she?" Tasuki asked weakly.

"She is alive… but unconscious, you know?"

"Good." Tasuki murmured, and fell into the welcome blackness of sleep.

"And you say Nakago did not do this to her?" Tamahome, Miaka, Yui, and Chichiri were around a large, mostly empty table "eating" dinner. Most of them could not find it in them to eat… except Miaka, of course.

"Well," Chichiri began to answer Tamahome's question "I don't know if he did it or not.. he mumbled something about how he couldn't save her.. or himself, so I'm not too sure what happened to them last night. He felt really guilty about something, though… But what gets me is that Nakago was.. genuinely sorry, you know?"

"Sorry! That snake.. I don't believe him… I'll never, ever trust him… or forgive him for what he's done!" was what Miaka meant to say, but all that came out was "Mmmpfff! Mmpf hmm mi moan memeef mmm… mi mefer efer muf mm… mor morfif mm mor maff hhhf mon!"

"Ahh.. Miaka… why don't you swallow that, and then share your feelings with us?" Yui asked her friend…

Gulp.. "Sorry! I was just saying how I'll never believe that snake or forgive him for anything.. anything!"

"Well, Nakago aside, we also have something else to deal with, you know – the disappearance of the rest of our team!"

"Yeah! What are we going to do about that?" Miaka asked.

"There's only one thing to do.." Tamahome said

"Go see Taiitsukun at Mt. Taikyoko." Chichiri finished for him… "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Right."

My head hurts so terribly.. oh I can't be dead! Why didn't they just let me die! Then I wouldn't have to live with this! He saved me, didn't he…. He shouldn't have.

Tasuki's eyes snapped open. "Aino… Hold on.. why am I acting like this? She was a bitch to me… I almost died for that little bitch! Still, even if she is mean.. she is still human…" Tasuki sat up in a bed that was not his… "Oh yeah, I donated my room to her highness, too! Am I an idiot?"

The red headed celestial warrior stood, dressed himself, and went for a walk in the cool evening air.

Why do I have these feelings! What are they? Who is she to crash into my life like this… does she have these feelings, too? NO! It doesn't matter whether she does or not, I can't give in to them… this girl is bad news…

Tasuki shivered, remembering the way she had looked at him only a few evenings before.. like she knew him.. his inner thoughts.. his heart.

How?

He looked around, and realized that he had wandered a long way away from the palace.

"I had better get back before they get worried…" or worse!

"Do you always talk to yourself, little man?" a feminine voice said behind him.
Tasuki turned….

Aino's eyes opened suddenly. They were glowing a bright purple.
He's in trouble!
She moved from her bed, floating across the floor.

…. And a bright ball of life force blasted him from the shadows in the trees. He screamed, "Who the hell are you? What do you want with me?"

"Oh, you don't recognize me, Tasuki? How cold!" a flirty laugh and a figure emerged from the shadows.

Tasuki's eyes widened. "N---Nuriko? Why?"

"Because, Tasuki. I can." Nuriko's laugh darkened, his eyes glazed over. Lifeless.

"I… can't fight you, Nuriko… you can't be doing this!"

"Oh yes, I can be doing this… and if you won't fight, you'll die! And do you know what else? I am relishing in it. I can sense your fear, you know? It's a beautiful thing. I can taste it rolling from you in waves." Nuriko drew closer to Tasuki, touching his face, "You really are a beautiful boy, Tasuki. Too bad.. too bad… we could have had suuuuch fun, you and I…. Think about it."

"Nuriko.. this isn't you, I know it! What's wrong with you? Please, stop this n…"

Tasuki could not finish his statement simply because he could not talk. He could not talk because, to his horror, Nuriko was kissing him…

Tasuki kneed his old friend in the groin, and rolled away from him, exasperated, confused, and angry. "Nuriko!" he yelled as the enraged beauty flew at him. Tasuki knew all too well the strength of his comrade in arms, and as he saw the armbands extend on Nuriko's forearm, he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. He could not fight Nuriko. He remained still with his eyes closed, but the deadly impact never occurred. He opened his eyes to see Aino in flowing white robes, her red hair flying all around her. She was emanating her purple life force. She spoke with the voice of a goddess.

"Nuriko. You are one of the Suzaku Seven, sworn protector of the Suzaku no Miko. Remember this and the youma's hold will be depleted…" Aino said in that ethereal voice.

"No!" Nuriko screamed "You will never take this body from me.."

Body? But Nuriko is dead… what is going on here? Tasuki was understandably confused.

"Then I shall have to help you to remove yourself!" Aino exclaimed and shot a beam of purple life force at Nuriko.

"NO!… " The youma exclaimed "You.. can't be able…. This is not right!"

Nuriko's body collapsed. As Tasuki watched, Aino faded into the night.

Tasuki hoisted Nuriko's body onto his shoulder.

How is this possible? He died on that mountain! We buried his body there, in the snow, hundreds of miles away! And where did SHE go? Damn, can't I just have a normal life?

Tasuki looked at the man he carried. Those clothes.. wasn't he wearing them when we buried him.. No.. I don't want to think about this… Tasuki cleared his mind the rest of the way to the palace.

"CHICHIRI! Come, help me!" Tasuki bellowed as soon as he entered the palace.

Chichiri rushed to help him, but stopped short when he saw Tasuki's cargo.

"Is that?"

"Yeah… he attacked me, but Aino saved me from him… Said something about a youma bein' in him.. I don't understand… Nuriko is gone… how can a spirit be possessed? And how can one be so damned heavy!"

"Th- thanks, Tasuki. You can put me down, now… I can… I can tell you about it.. just let me rest first…

"Alright, Nuriko, alright. Take as much time as you need… Tasuki, come here."

"Yeah, Chichiri?"

"Did you say that Aino helped you out back there?"

"Yeah, and she took the youma out of prissy boy, there…."

"That's impossible!"

"No it isn't.. it just happened!"

"Tasuki.. do you know where I just came from? I came from her room! I have been up there all night, you know? She never left! She's never even opened her eyes!"

"Wh-What are you saying Chichiri?"

"I'm not sure, but this is getting stranger by the minute!"