Faces in the sand…
Disclaimer: I still don't own Fushigi Yuugi. And there you have it folks! No sue! Okay?
Author's Note:
Hotohori's gal: I am really touched you think my story is that good! Thank you! I think I'm gonna cry! And I don't think he didn't like houki. If he didn't he wouldn't have married her. Let's not forget that part from the Suzaku hi den when he tells her that he married her because he loved her. I guess he never really forgot about Adithi. (I'm gonna cry now!) And thanks for the review! Can I borrow a tissue? (sniff)
Critias: What happened to your story? I'm really eager to read it! Please try to post it soon! But remember there is no pressure from me! You can take your time and get it online. I can wait!
Expi00962: Thanks for the glowing review, Expi-san! I hope you shall like the epilogue too.
Kristall: All good and 'mediocre'(in my case) things must end. But don't worry people! I'll post another story soon enough and then we'll sail the oceans of fan-imagination induced fan-fiction together!MWAHAHA!
Ahem...On a more serious note,
I'd like to thank all of the reviewers who have reviewed my story and also the many ghost-readers who have read my story. Thank you one and all.
Anarya of Lorien.
Chapter XIV:
"It shall rain heavily tonight." I smiled at my uncle who had come inside. I turned to look at her…she sat gazing into the distance, her eyes turning misty as though her thoughts dwelt in some distant memory.
"Lady Houki." She started as she turned to me.
With a smile she shook her head. I had told her the entire story of how I had chanced upon the one man the both of us loved. And now that the tale had ended, we sat thus…in companionable silence.
"Lady Adithi…" she was looking at me with what seemed like a mixture of sadness and a tinge of awe.
"Have you ever…have you ever regretted your decision of leaving him…or…having ever met him?"
"I don't think I shall regret our meeting…no." a sigh escaped me as I straightened my shawl. "And as for leaving him…" I turned to our son who lay asleep on my lap, his smile content. This seemed to answer her question…
"I regret one thing though… he would never see his son…my son." For some reason, accepting this aloud was almost like accepting the fact that he had left me for a place I could not comprehend to reach. I heard her laugh…a beautiful sound.
"And you shall have me to share your regret with." I turned to look at her. She sat there demurely caressing her abdomen. I smiled as I understood. So he had moved on…though I felt happy for the most part…there was a part of me that sighed in regret…yes…I regretted leaving him.
Houki had summoned the wizened man who had accompanied her and he immediately produced a sheaf of papers from a bag. They were carefully packed and it appeared as though they were newly sealed though the paper seemed old.
"These are the letters that he wrote…we think you should have these from this day…I believe he would have wanted this…" her eyes dropped to the letters. There were waves of emotions of various kinds going around my mind as my hand extended to collect the letters.
"Did you know Prākrit?"
She smiled as she shook her head, turning her gaze towards the man beside her. "Lord Isshi is a very learned scholar. He was the one…who informed me of the existence of the letters and of…you."
Just then there was a wail as my son arose from his slumber, rubbing his eyes with his small hands. Houki smiled at him as she extended her arms towards him. Aryan turned to look at me, his tear-stained face a little confused. I smiled at him as I nodded. He turned back towards her and unsteadily walked towards her.
"Amma." He turned to me once he was comfortably seated on the lap of the empress. I smiled at him as I nodded. I knew what he was asking me even before he adorably strung his sentence together.
"She is a very important person. She is the e-"
"I am amma's friend." She interrupted smiling at Aryan. Her eyes then landed on me.
"I am a friend." Her eyes were brimming with tears as she kissed Aryan on the forehead. It was a scene that touched me immensely.
She was a friend. She was not averted by what had happened between Saihitei and I and she didn't hate me. I now knew why he chose her. She complemented him in more ways than I would have. They would have been better together than what I would be together with him. And for that fact, it made me feel both grateful and sad that I had led to this culmination.
"How is lord Haku?" I asked, having remembered the old minister.
"He is fine. Though I daresay his health does not permit him to undertake such lengthy journeys."
"Adithi…" I turned to the door to find Vishaka stand there. He was looking at Houki with a bemused glance before he turned to me as though for explanation. Aryan rushed out of Houki's arms and squealed as he hugged Vishaka around the legs. Vishaka smiled at him as he stroked his hair.
"This is lady Houki. She is the wife of emperor Saihitei." I wasn't surprised by the hardened look in his face.
"He has died, Vishaka." I was aware of how quiet the room sounded as I finished the sentence. The coldness in his eyes was replaced with surprise…astonishment. He turned to Houki who smiled sadly and nodded.
"He died in war."
Vishaka nodded.
"I am sorry to hear that." And for some reason, I knew he was.
"I welcome you to have dinner with us, lady Houki." He said his voice cordial. With that, he walked out of the room with Aryan in his arms who laughed at something Vishaka said.
"Aryan seems to get along well with Vishaka. I am sure he shall make a good father."
"But not to my son." I said. She turned to consider me with a tinge of surprise. There had been so many times when Sātviki had approached me with a proposal for me to marry Vishaka. For a widow to marry again was heretic; and the fact that Sātviki had agreed for that was in itself a sign of how she loved me. But both Vishaka and I understood that it would never happen. It was not that he ceased to love me…it was because I never ceased to love Saihitei. It had angered me in the beginning when Amba had suggested it. But now…I felt amused.
"Why not?" I heard Houki.
"For the same reason that you cannot marry again. For the same reason that you don't want to." She opened her mouth to argue but chose to remain silent.
"And so it shall be. We need to leave Adithi." She said as she got up from where she sat. I got up as well.
"But you will stay for dinner…won't you? And you would like to visit the emperor here."
Houki smiled as she shook her head.
"I came here to meet you…the first one he deemed to love. And I have achieved my objective and I am glad. Now I must take my leave."
She had taken two steps towards the door when she stopped to turn around.
"Adithi… Aryan is his first born." She said.
I smiled. I knew where this was headed towards.
"And according to Saihitei…he died a long time ago…with me." her smiled turned sad a little as she shook her head.
"And he refused to believe that for even a single moment. He wanted to come here himself…to meet you…to meet Aryan…to take you with him."
"I am glad he didn't. If it had been so, you wouldn't have married him…"
"Things might have been so different."
She walked out of the room into the gathering gloom with farewell towards all of us…to Sātviki, to Vishaka, to my uncle and to Aryan.
When she turned to me finally, her eyes were filled.
"I am glad to have met you lady Houki." I said as I felt my own throat burn up. Being with this woman for the few hours that we spent… it had almost been like reliving those days with Saihitei. She merely shook her head as she hugged me tightly,
"As am I, Adithi. You are always welcome to Khonan." With that said, she climbed into the carriage.
As the carriage grew smaller and smaller as it took towards the direction of the eastern hills, I smiled.
She bore no jealousy…and then again…I was the one who should have been jealous…the one the world shall know as Saihitei's wife would be her…I would be a mere face in the sand…to be forgotten with time.
I sighed as I heard my son call my name. It was time for dinner and he had had a very tiring day.
"I'm coming Aryan." I shouted back as I turned around back towards the house, the single anklet of onyx and silver around my feet clinked with each step I took.
THE END.
Author's Note:
There you have it folks. I am glad I was able to post this here. And am so very grateful that there have been people who have read my story.
I hope to see you soon with another tale.
(You can be sure about that!)
Until then,
Yours in fellowship,
Anarya of Lorien.