Disclaimer: I do not own the Fushigi Yuugi character here. Yuu Watase does. I do own Reiko and the rest though, so hand, fins and paws off. lol.
Author's Note: I'm like some sort of tape recorder. haha. I read this through, tried to spot my mistakes as best as I can, changed 'em, and voila!
The 2nd chapter in a day! haha. Why am i not studying for exams?? whatever.. ok, so this chapter is.. partly Tasuki's POV. there's a teensy bit of spoilers about some of the Suzaku Seishi and also a bit from Tasuki novels... read the translations at http:members.xoom.virgilio.it/tasukinomiko/Anime/FY/ I don't know how to fix a link up here.. so i'll just leave the URL then. but anyways, enjoy!
Chapter Four: Whirlwind of Thoughts
Tasuki lifted his face towards the stars. He tried to relax. But his mind was too crowded with questions he couldn't answer. So many thoughts that it made his head hurt.
His back still ached, at least it didn't hurt so much. The Empress' personal doctor had tried healing it as best as he could.
If only Mitskake was still around, Tasuki frowned. Hell. He sacrificed his life willingly, and what am i doing here? Complaining over a stupid graze.
Mitskake. Chiriko. Nuriko. Hotohori. All of them died, all for a cause. Why did I live? They would have had a better life than me. Mitskake could have stayed on, healing people from incurable diseases. Or Chiriko. He was so young. He still had the rest of his life to live. Hotohori too. He died in the hopes of saving his country as emperor. To save our Miko. And Nuriko. Beautiful Nuriko.
Tasuki bowed his head in shame. Here I am, complaining over a wound that won't even kill me! I couldn't even prevent Reiko from getting hurt. Prevent a few pathetic arrows! Oh yeah, Reiko.
I should have realised who she was from the start. I just knew i heard that name before. Princess Reiko, only daughter of the Hokkan Emperor. How the heck did she manage to run all the way to Mt. Leikaku? She can't have come all the way from Hokkan on foot. And her tale of her nation's peril. Why didn't i hear anything about it? Even Empress Houki didn't show any signs of knowing a slightest bit about it. At least she got her servants to take care of Reiko. I hope she's alright.
She reminds me so much of Reirei. Funny isn't it? Their names are so alike. And... she called me Gen-chan, just before i dropped her. Just like what Reirei called me, when we were at my Ma's house. And Reiko does look like Reirei, doesn't she. Shit. I goddamn miss Reirei. Why the hell did she die too? Everyone I ever loved always gets torn away from me.
I can't let that happen again. Not to Reiko. Tasuki smacked his own fore head. Dammit! Must i remind myself how much i hate girls?! I just met Reiko! Tasuki sighed.
Still, I know i can't let her get hurt again. This can be my chance. My chance to do something of worth in my life. Something i could sacrifice for. Just like the rest did. Yeah. I'd protect Reiko, even with my life.
The stars shined brightly across the night sky. The breeze ran through Tasuki's flame colored hair. He put his hands in his pockets and walked into the gardens.
Reiko woke with a jabbing pain on her left chest. She touched it, feeling the smooth touch of silk.
Silk? She looked at herself. She was wearing a pale pink nightgown, and as she tried to sit up straight, a pain shot through her arm and gave a small cry.
"I wouldn't be moving about so much if i were you, no da" Reiko looked towards the voice. A blue-haired man with a very unusual smiling face sat across the room.
"Who're you?" De ja vu, Reiko thought to herself. I said the same thing back at the mountain. That night i met Genrou, and Kouji. Oh no, Genrou!
"Ahh," the smiling face reasured her, as if reading her mind. "Tasuki's perfectly fine, no da. But you on the other hand, need a lot of rest, no da."
"Tasuki?" Reiko thought for a moment. "Oh. Genrou. Genrou's Tasuki. One of the Suzaku Seven! I knew it when i saw the mark on his arm! Is he here? Where is he? Are you sure he's alright?"
"Calm down, no da," Reiko found the man's face wierd. "I'll get him for you no da. By the way, I'm Chichiri. The other remaining Suzaku warrior, no da." He disappeared with a click of his fingers.
Chichiri. Ayame told me about him before. She told me the story of the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko. Only Tasuki and Chichiri were left. The last of the Suzaku Seven. Reiko knew the story of the Suzaku warriors well, Ayame was very well-informed about them. How she knew about them, was a mystery to Reiko.
Hmm, Tasuki. Chichiri's taking awfully long. Guess I'd have to find Genrou myself. Reiko got out of bed with much effort, trying not to feel the pain.
Tasuki sat cross-legged on the grass in front of the pond. He breathed in the smell of the flowers around him. "Here, i can think about nothing at all. Get my mind off things." He said to himself.
"Gen-chan!" Tasuki jerked his head up. Reirei?
"Gen-chan! Here you are!" Reiko came running to him.
"Reiko, what are ya doing here. Ya should be resting in bed, ya know." Tasuki nagged at her. "And how did you find me?"
"I dunno. I just ran around looking for someone with spiky red hair. That wouldn't be too hard would it?" Reiko tried sitting down by herself, but Tasuki knew that it'd be hard for her, due to her injuries. He quickly stood, holding her around her shoulders, and helping her sit next to him.
"So you changed your mind about touching girls?" Reiko smiled.
"Quit it!" Tasuki let go of her immediately. "I was just trying ta' help."
Reiko laughed. "I was only kidding, Gen-chan. Oh no, Tasuki right?"
"Whatever you like. Genrou, Shun'u, Tasuki, Gen-chan or fang-boy." Tasuki smirked.
"Are those fangs reeeallly real?" Reiko asked, yet again.
"Do ya have to?" Tasuki sighed. "Since you really wanna know, I was born with it. Now will you quite asking me bout em?"
"Alright alright. I'll stop." Reiko looked up to the sky. "They're pretty aren't they. The stars, i mean."
"Yeah, they are. See those over there? The red ones. They're the Suzaku constellations. That one over there," Tasuki pointed towards the night sky. "Is my sign. see?"
Reiko continued looking in awe. "Howd'ya know about all this? About the stars?"
Tasuki hung his head. "Chiriko told me once." Reiko knew that Chiriko was also one of the Suzaku Seven. One of those who had died. She searched herself for words to say.
"It's hard isn't it?" Reiko asked. "To lose someone."
Tasuki turned his head and his eyes fell onto her. It never occured to him how beautiful she really was. Her long dark tresses carressing her back. The moonlight seemed to make her porcelain skin glow. Her eyes, bright, though full of sorrow, were of a shade of brown. Just like Reirei's.
"Gen-chan?" Reiko's eyes met his.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah it hurts." Tasuki drew his eyes away. "And I don't think i can use my fingers to count how many times i've lost somebody anymore."
Reiko shut her eyes in an instant.
..::..::..::..::..::
She swirled down in the air, the sleeves of her jacket fluttering. The 14 year old girl appeared to be smiling. "What the hell is she doing?!!" A young man, with flaming red hair pushed off of the ground with all his might and jumped, aiming for 10 meters in front of him. Thud... A dull sound resounded in the rear garden of the castle. The tips of Reirei's shoes, a few centimeters from his outstretched hands, reflected in Genrou's eyes... "......Why......why did...you...?!" Genrou moaned and continued pounding the ground making his fist bleed. "......Gen...rou..." Genrou gasped and stood up at that voice. He helped the stretched out girl before him sit up. "......Reirei...!" "You...ca...me... Too...ba...d... A little long...er and you...would have...caught...me..." Reirei looked up at Genrou and faintly smiled. "But......I'm...happy..." "Don't talk anymore." Just jumping off from there would've been fatal, but on top of that, Genrou saw Reirei's deep wound on her chest and caught his breath. "I'll take you to the city's doctor right now so." "......Don't." "What're ya saying?" Reirei shook her head. "Hurry and get her... instead......" And then he spotted something that she tightly grasped in her right hand. "I...got it...back." On Genrou's chest, Reirei proudly smiled. "...So hurry, beat her... and protect...the moun...tain..." "What're ya saying? Aren't ya coming back with me? Aren't ya gonna protect the mountain with me...?!" "It...was...fun... The 3 of us...romping around...in the mountain... together..." Reirei smiled at Kouji who, arriving after Genrou, stood motionless. "Kouji...... Thank you......" Kouji clenched his fists, unable to say anything. His shoulders shook. Reirei looked at Genrou with clear eyes. "After... I saw...you 2 help...that woman in the city... I fell in love...with you Genrou... Kouji...was wonderful too but...Genrou...did it...because she was a woman... That...was really co...ol..." And then she gave a weak chuckle. "That woman...was...a..you...kai." ".........Reirei..." Unable to find words, Genrou just chewed his lip. Reirei said to him. "I'm ...sorry... I was always...... hanging around you... I was probably... annoying..." "...I-idiot...! You weren't. I won't be able to sleep easy anymore without hearing you sleep...!" Hearing that, Reirei beamed. "......I... wasn't afraid to jump... It... felt... good..." "Reirei..." A tear ran down Genrou's cheek. "...That's right. You...were able to leave Mt. Kaou for Mt. Leikaku, right?..." "...Hey... When... the Miko appears... you'll work... for her like you...should..." "I won't." "......You have to... But then....... come back right away...to...the mountain..." Tears spilled over from Genrou's eyes. "Alright...alright..." Genrou said in a choked up voice and drew Reirei's head to his chest. "Don't worry... I'll protect Mt. Leikaku to the end... So... stay here forever...... Stay with me......" "..............." ".........Genrou!?..." Kouji ran up to Genrou's side. Genrou held Reirei, his body shaking greatly. A moaning voice escaped from Genrou's mouth. "...Just wait... I'll avenge you..." Genrou muttered and quietly lay Reirei's body there. Then he gently put her hairpin in her hair. He took the tessen that Reirei had been holding in her right hand. Genrou gripped the tessen hard enough to break it, stood up, and then howled. "Where are youuuuu!! Where are youuuuu!!!!"
..::..::..::..::..::..
Reiko opened her eyes with a gasp. "What is it?" Tasuki asked in alarm. "Reirei. She... died. She died helping you get back the tessen." Reiko glanced at him, not knowing what exactly to say.
"How the hell did you know that?!"
Reiko bit her lip. "I-i.. I See things.."
"What do you mean see things? Like fortunetelling or sumthin'?"
"No. Not fortune telling. I can see things that I couldn't have seen for myself. Things that sometimes, happens before it even actually really happens. You know what i mean? I can see something that's happening right now, even though i'm not there. Or sometimes I see the past. Like.. how i saw Reirei."
"So you run around looking into my past?!" Tasuki stood, enraged.
"N-no, no. It's not like that. I can't control my visions. I didn't mean to see what i did. I wouldn't dig up your past, not on purpose." Reiko tried to stand. She started to feel... she didn't know what she was feeling. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to stand up. The same pain shot through her arm, and she flinched in pain.
"Reiko.." Tasuki quickly held her up, realising his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up on ya like that."
Reiko pulled away and started to run back, back towards the palace rooms.
Chichiri suddenly appeared. "Tasuki, I've been looking for you, no da. Reiko's looking for you, no dahhh uhh." Chichiri caught a glimpse of Reiko running off with tears in her eyes. "Uhh, what happened, no da."
"Nothing." Tasuki turned away from the monk.
This is a pretty long chapter. my longest yet! haha. It includes a part from the Genrouden. At first i didn't plan to put it in. I had my characters set out and all and wrote the first 3 chapters. then before writing this out i read the translation of the Genrouden. And it is funny isn't it? Reirei and Reiko. I swear i didn't plan it. Pure coincidence i guess? But it fits into the story very well, don't ya think? =P