I do not own Fushigi Yugi or any of the connected characters. Those belong to Yu Watase and not me. I am only writing this fic for fun and I am not getting paid to do it. I wish I was but there really isn't anything I can do about that at the moment.
-Ten-Faced Paladin
Fushigi Yugi: Dansei Tsure
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 9: A Dark Invatation
With things being somewhat better between Tamahome and Miaka, the trip became much more bearable. Tamahome and Miaka were talking to each other anyway. Matthew found some peace for a change but Nuriko was acting strange. Actually, she was acting stranger than usual. It was like she was nervous about Matthew and the others were going to find out something about her.
'Maybe it's that time of the month for her,' Matthew shrugged inwardly.
Hotohori was at the front of the group as usual and riding with Miaka. Tamahome was right next to them with Matthew right behind and Nuriko beside him. Matthew just continued to watch Nuriko sweatdrop about something. Finally, he got fed up with her being shifty and just decided to ask her.
"Nuriko, are you alright?" he asked in concern.
"Ah Matthew, I'm just fine!" Nuriko smiled brightly. "Whatever gave you the idea that something is wrong?"
"Well," Matthew reasoned. "It's just that ever since you came back from that spring with Miaka, you've been kind of on edge about something. Did something happen?"
"N-nothing happened!" Nuriko replied quickly. "I'm just not used to all this travelling. You never know when bandits could come out of nowhere!"
"Uh...okay," Matthew blinked. "I suppose that's a good reason."
The group just continued to travel on until they Hotohori spied a tavern in the distance. That was all the incentive the others needed to keep moving. A good meal to eat always sounded good to those who were on the road. With Hotohori footing the bill, it was even more reason to eat their fill. Everyone did just that but Miaka seemed to be herself for the moment when she got her food. It all vanished in close to a blink of an eye. After she had finished pigging out, she just sighed and lay her head on the table.
"Geez, I'm exhausted," she sighed. "When are we going to get to Daichi-San Mountain and meet Tai Yi-Jun anyway? I'm so exhausted I'm not even hungry!"
"Liar!" Tamahome shouted. "You scarfed down everything on the table! That's money going down your throat!"
"Easy Tamahome," Said Nuriko, trying to calm him down. "She's more or less still sick."
"Oh she is," Matthew smiled. "She only ate three servings. I've seen her eat way more than that."
Tamahome sighed as he shook his head. He then stood up and went to haggle the price of the food. Even if he wasn't paying for it, he still wanted it to be as cheap as he could possibly make it. Miaka just seemed content to start licking one of her plates that still had some bits of food left on it.
"Hey, what happened to Hotohori anyway?" she wondered.
"Oh! You mean he's gone?" Nuriko gasped.
"I think he's outside somewhere," Matthew answered. "He might be checking on horses or something."
Miaka nodded before setting the plate down and headed out the door. Nuriko started getting in a huff about Miaka getting close to Hotohori again. Matthew just sighed while trying to calm the irate constellation of Suzaku down. Tamahome had glance at Miaka's departure from the corner of his eye and frowned slightly.
Miaka stepped outside and breathed adeep breath of air. When she stopped to think of it, the air of the countryside was very clean. No car exhaust or anything like that. Just clean and clear air. Glancing over to the edge of the hill which the tavern was situated on, she spied Hotohori sitting there just looking out into the distance.
"Hotohori!" Miaka called as she stepped closer. "What are you doing out here? Did you find a really good food cart?"
"Hmmm?" Hotohori answered as he looked back to Miaka before turning back to the scenery. "No. I simply do not get the leisure to admire the landscape around me."
"Always busy at the palace huh?" Miaka smiled as she sat next to him. At a slight nod, she continued. "I can relate. All I did before I came here was go to school and cram courses day and night! My mom wanted it for me but it was so hard."
Hotohori glanced at Miaka, obviously admiring her beauty before replying, "Your mother hmm? I had only inherited the throne at fourteen after my father passed away. The power struggle was horrendous. My mother was extremely ambitous and...well, to say it simply, my mother made sure that I became emperor."
Hotohori looked up to the scenery, his eyes lost in some kind of old memeory, "I suppose you could say I was her puppet, but she then passed away and my entire world became virtually silent. I was surrounded by loyal retainers--my own people. Even so, I still learned how terribly lonely true solitude was. I was like a bird in a cage really."
"But you can still pick up and take off!" Miaka argued cheerfully. "Just like you are now. So come on, you're still young!"
Hotohori blinked for a moment, surprised by Miaka's sudden optimism. He found himself unable to stay down and he also broke out into a smile. He then calmly reached out and wrapped his arm around Miaka's shoulder before he brought her closer to lean on his shoulder. Miaka herself started blushing up a storm. Over and over she had begun to mentally tell herself to keep calm.
"You're so good to me," he smiled. "Your'e so cheerful. So free. So warm. I wish that we could remain this way forever."
Sadly, Hotohori's wish was not meant to be granted. A large screeching batle cry was heard before sounds of scuffling were also heard. Hotohori and Miaka looked behind them and saw what seemed to be some kind of battle going on. Nuriko was holding a large dead tree above her head with the look of murder in her eyes. Tamahome was gripping her from behind while Matthew was pushing her back from the front.
"Let me go Matthew! Tamahome!" Nuriko cried angrily.
"Not until you promise not to crush Miaka!" Matthew shouted back.
"And would you put that tree down?" Tamahome snapped. "You're gonna hurt someone with that!"
"That's the idea!" Nuriko hissed.
Hotohori and Miaka both blinked in surprise at this unfolding drama. Miaka gulped as she realised that the tree Nuriko was waving around had her name on it. Hotohori just blinked for a second time before he finally spoke up.
"I wonder what Nuriko's so upset about," he pondered out loud, causing Miaka to facefault.
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Within an unknown location, someone had been watching over the friend's journey. This person was amused by their antics as there seemed to be some dissention within the ranks. This same person had decided that a little test was in order. Pointing to a round mirror that had been set to the side, it floated into the air a few inches before it spun at high speeds before it vanished.
"There," the figure smiled. "Let's see if they can handle this little test."
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After Nuriko had calmed down and Hotohori had payed for the meals (despite Tamahome's negotiations,) the group had continued on. Hotohori again took the lead with Miaka while Tamahome and Matthew remained in the middle directly between Miaka and Nuriko. While they were riding their steeds, Matthew had kept absently rubbing the side of his face. Finally, Tamahome had gotten sick of him doing that so he decided to confront him about it.
"Okay, why do you keep doing that?" he asked. "It's annoying."
"Thinking," Matthew replied. "You'll think I'm a perv if I explain though."
"Might as well," Tamahome sighed. "Nothing much else to do."
"Fine," Matthew sighed. "When we were restraining Nuriko from killing Miaka, let's just say that the side of my face entered an area forbidden to just any man out there."
"Oh really?" Tamahome smirked, glad to have some material to tease the foreign boy with. "So how was it?"
"Surprisingly non-existant." Matthew replied absently. "If I didn't know better I thought it was the chest of a ma-"
This was all Matthew could get out before a rock the size of a football struck him in the back of his head. With a loud grunt, he fell from with horse while massaging the giant goose egg that was swelling on his head. He looked up to see Nuriko dusting off her hands while a stress vein had appeaared on her forehead.
"That's what you get for mocking my breast size you pervert!" she huffed indignantly. No one noticed that she had a nervous sweatdrop on the back of her head.
This was about when Hotohori decided they should rest for a while. Matthew tied his horse to a tree before sitting down so he could get his thoughts, and brain matter, back into place. Nuriko drifted near Hotohori so she could bask in his presence. Tamahome leaned back on a tree to relax as Miaka yawned before stretching.
"Who knew going on a journey would be so tiring?" she yawned.
"Try going on a flight from Toronto to Osaka before transfering to a flight for Tokyo," Matthew groaned. "Those flights are exhausting and incredibly long. I thought I would never land."
"Flight?" asked Hotohori in amazement. "You mean you can fly in your world?!"
"Sort of," Matthew replied. "We have what I suppose you could call metal birds which can carry us over long distances."
"Amazing!" Hotohori exclaimed."Your world must be truly marvelous!"
Matthew shrugged before he noticed Miaka was walking, trying to get some feeling back into her legs. Tamahome was trying to chastise her for moving around so much. They had just continued on and stepped a bit deeper into the forest. Matthew shrugged as he turned his attention back to the swollen bump that was on the back of his head.
'Tamahome's taking care of Miaka,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe this will be Miaka's chance to get closer. Oooh, my head. Next time I'll just keep my big mouth shut no matter who asks!'
Matthew's attention was again caught by something when he heard a sharp slap followed by Miaka's voice of, "I hate you!"
Hotohori was looking around, as if he was seeing something darting all around, "Do you think something is odd, Nuriko?"
Nuriko immediately leaped to his side with the cutest look she could muster and sparkles glittering around her, "Not at all! I think we're made for each other!"
"That's not what I was referring to," Hotohori sweatdropped. He then looked around at the white fog that was rolling in. "This fog. This much at noon is unnatural."
"Hmm," Nuriko pondered. "That's true. I get the feeling we passed this clearing before."
Matthew aslo looked to the white mist that had rolled in. His eyes narrowed as he watched it move, "This wasn't here a minute ago. Your majesty is right about it not being natural, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
Further speculation was halted when Tamahome came running into the clearing. The right side of his face looked a little swollen and a dribble of blood was on his nose. Matthew immediately recognised it as the work of Miaka's right hand.
'He said something stupid again,' Matthew sighed inwardly. 'How dumb can one guy be?'
"Tamahome! Where's Miaka?" Hotohori immediately asked.
"I lost her!" Tamahome replied.
"Again?!" Matthew gaped.
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In the depths of the fog, Miaka was walking along in a depression. After she had went into the forest with Tamahome, she had tripped and accidentally flashed him. She got mad at him for looking before he made an awful comment about her lack of sexual appeal. That was when she promptly belted him and took off.
'Why is Tamahome so mean sometimes?' she asked herself. 'Hotohori is so much nicer to me. Heck, even Matthew is nicer to me than him.'
It was around this time that Miaka finally decided to check her surroundings. She only saw fog, trees, and more trees. There wasn't anything, or anyone, else in sight.
"Hey, where is everyone?" she asked out loud.
She was about to begin her search when something else demanded her immediate attention. There was a smell that was wafting through the air. A very unique smell. One that her bloodhound senses could pick up a mile away. This smell drove every thought other than itself stright out of Miaka's mind.
"What an amazing arouma!" she gasped to herself. "Filet Mignon, Vegtable Consomme soup, tuna salad, spagetti, and blueberry sherbert ice cream! It's heavenly! I must find it!"
With that, Miaka was off and running again. This time she was searching for the meal of her dreams. She blew past trees and shrubs as she followed the scent, forgetting that she even had a fever or any kind of malady. After only a minute of searching, she had found a table with a pure white tablecloth decorating it and a full course meal with all the foods she had smelled all set out and waitinng for her.
"I knew it was here!" she cheered. "Wahoo!"
Miaka dashed towards the table, but as she got closer, she felt as if she had went through a wierd liquid of some kind. Looking up, she found herself in a dark room with the table and a circular gateway leading back to the forest.
"Huh?" Miaka gaped as she turned to see the doorway. "Hey, what is this?!"
"Welcome, Miaka, to the other side of the mirror," a new voice replied.
Miaka turned around andfound herself facing...herself. A complete copy. The copy Miaka was standing with a smirk on her face and her arms crossed. The regular Miaka could only stare in shock at herself.
"Wh-what are you?" Miaka managed to stutter out.
"Me?" the double asked."Why I'm you. I'm the reflection in the mirror!"
"Huh?" Miaka gaped. "But...if you're me...then I'm you...oh my head hurts."
The meeting of the minds was cut short when Tamahome's voice could be heard calling from the wilderness. It was like a beacon of hope for Miaka.
"Tamahome!" Miaka cried in joy before she found herself stepped on like a rug by her double.
"You're in my way," the double simply shrugged as she began stepping through the gate. "Eat to your heart's content."
Miaka shook in anger as she beagn to stand up. She looked to the gate and saw the double actually dolling herself up. Where she pulled the small make-up case from, Miaka had no idea. Miaka didn't care about that at the moment. She just cared that a copy of her was outside the mirror while she was trapped inside.
"Hey! Let me out!" Miaka demanded.
"I don't think so!" the double chirped as she applied some lipstick. "You know, I really much prefer Hotohori over Tamahome. He's just so much nicer to me."
"What?!" Miaka shriekd at the top of her lungs.
"But then again," the double pondered as she got a dreamy smile on her face. "Matthew's pretty hunky in his own way. I might just have to go after him!"
"What?!" Miaka shrieked indignatly while forgetting the situation. "He is not! Why would you want to go after him?!"
"Because he is just so gentle," the double teased with a playful sigh. "He stood by me when all my problems were piling up. He was sooooo warm when he held me in the palace. 'Sigh' They do say that foreigners make the best partners. Too bad I might be stealing him from Yui."
"Huh?" Miaka gaped, now utterly confused.
"Anyway, there's no way that I'm going back home!" the double continued with a smirk. "Who'd want to go back to all those tests and cram school?"
The double just slung the mirror over her shoulder before speaking again, "Now it's your turn to become my image and watch from inside the mirror."
"Wait!" Miaka cried as she slammed against her prison wall. "Let me out!"
-No one can hear you or see you out there,- a mysterious voice spoke from within the prison. -Just try to break my spell Miaka. If you really are the Priestess of Suzaku, that it.-
"Who's there?!" Miaka shouted as she turned around. Her eyes only saw the walls of her prison and the table filled with all the food thhat had lured her there. After a moment of thinking, she attacked the dinner and gobbled up every bite there was to be had. When she was finished, her attention turned back to the matter at had, "Okay! Who's there? Who are you?"
The owner of the voice just sweatdropped at Miaka's display. Didn't anything ruin this girl's appetite?
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Outside the mirror, he double had gotten her act together and walked to join the others. She stepped into the clearing Where Matthew, Nuriko, Tamahome, and Hotohori were calling for her. It was Tamahome who first noticed her stepping closer.
"Miaka!" he gasped as he saw the double come closer. 'Where were you?!"
"Well..I just found this neat mirror," the double smiled as she stepped closer. "Were you worried about me?"
"N-not really," Tamahome gulped, but he was mentally asking himself just what was up with Miaka. She was acting cheerful for almost no reason. She even looked healtheier for some reason. Meanwhile, Miaka was pounding againster her prison wall again while shrieking at the double to keep away from Tamahome.
Hotohori chose this moment to enter the conversation. He was smiling brightly as he got closer, "I'm relieved that you are unharmed.
The double immediately smiled as she leaped into Hothori's arms and smiled brightly, "Yep! I'm sorry darling!"
This little declaration made everyone reel in shock. Hotohori was utterly confused with the change in attitude. Tamahome thought a part of him was stolen quite suddenly. Matthew was just as confused as Hotohori, if not more so. Nuriko just started getting angry again.
"Miaka!" she shrieked. "How dare you!"
"What is your problem Nuriko?" the double frowned. "Why don't you just give up on Hotohori already? I mean, you are a man after all!"
Everything had gone completely silent in the clearing. Matthew, Tamahome, and Hotohori were staring with wide eyes at their companion who, up until now had been thought as a woman. Now the truth was out and it was much deeper and darke than any of them had imagined.
"A m--a m-- a man!!" Tamahome cried while pointing at Nuriko, rememberign the kiss he got from her...him, and was beginning to feel ill.
"This explains so much," Matthew gaped. "But it leaves so many more questions."
"That...that's impossible!" Hotohori cried, the narcistic portion of his mind crying that he was the only man who could be that pretty.
Nuriko could only gape in shock. His secret was blown and there was nothing he could do now. With nothing left to hide, Nuriko did what he knew how to do best.
"Arrrgh!" he cried while storming into the woods while punching down trees. "How could you?! You sold me out!"
Actually, he was selling himself out but that was beside the point. Miaka gulped as she saw the rage that Nuriko had left in.
'Everything will fall apart at this rate!' Miaka cried mentally as she slammed against the prison wall. 'Why can't anyone see the truth?'
Back with the others, the double was continuing with her plan to ensnare Hotohori. She had already drew in closer while wrapping her arms around his torso so that she could snuggle with him. She was acting all cutsey and giggling to boot.
"Forget that loser," she smiled. "Why don't you come to me Hotohori?"
"This isn't..." Hotohori tried to protest before he was cut off.
Tamahome was just frowning at the display. He was about to turn to leave when Matthew caught his shoulder. He turned to the foreigner to see that he was peering at Miaka through narrowed eyes. Matthew looked at Tamahome before he leaned closer.
"This isn't Miaka," he whispered in Tamahome's ear.
"What?" Tamahome whispered back.
"This isn't anything like the Miaka I know," Matthew explained. "I think Miaka knew Nuriko's secret for a while and if I know anything about her at all, it's that she keeps a secret no matter what. This is either a convincing look-alike, or something happened to Miaka to make her aact this way and I don't mean something you said."
Tamahome's eyes widened before he turned his gaze back to the double. His eyes landed on the mirror she was carrying. It was the only thing that had changed.
"That mirror," Tamahome whispered to Matthew. "That might be the cause."
"A good guess," Matthew agreed. "But we'll have to get whoever this is off of Hotohori before we can tell him."
Tamahome nodded before the two young men began wattching for any kind of foul play. Inside the mirror, Miaka had seen Matthew and Tamahome whispering to each other while the double was flirting with all her might with Hotohori. Hope began to well in her chest that someone was finally beginning to notice somethign was off. The double just pressed on in her advances.
"You love me right?" she asked as she gazed into Hotohori's eyes. "Well I've fallen in love with you. If you desire me, then take me!"
The double then began to lean in closer for a kiss. Inside the mirror, Miaka began pounding against the wall again.
"Nooo!" she cried. "That isn't me!! Tamahome! Hotohori! Matthew!"
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-Get me out of here!-
Yui stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Miaka's voice. She had been searching all night for her friend and nothing had come up. She had immediately thought that she had gone to the library but there was no trace of her. She even went to Matthew's apartment to see if she was there. The result was the same of the library. Miaka's older brother Keisuke had already gone home but Yui just didn't want to give up. She hadn't found anything until now when she heard Miaka's voice.
"Miaka?!" she gasped.
That was all the incentive for Yui to head right back to the library. She broke into a run as she headed for the building that she was just walking away from.
'That was her voice! I know it!' she thought to herself. 'I knew that she was in the library!'
She saw the library coming closer and she immediately cliombed over the fence once she got close enough. Seeing the stairs, she ran for them so she could get inside. She was just so worried for Miaka and wanted to know that she was okay. She also wanted to know if Matthew was with her or not. If he wasn't then she wanted to at least knwo that he was okay too. However,her progress was halted when a flashlight fell on her.
"Hey!" the guard who held the flashlight called. "Who are you?"
"Uh-oh!" Yui gulped.
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The double of Miaka was about to claim the lips of the young emperor when the sound of metal scraping against metal caught her attention. She drew back quickly when she saw that Hotohori had drawn his sowrd against her.
"Now," Hotohori frowned. "Just who are you? You are nothing like the Miaka I know!"
The double took a few more steps befor elaughing. She had unstrapped the mirror from her side as she did so.
"Matthew! Tamahome! Prepare yourselves!" Hotohori ordered.
"Where's Miaka!" Tamahome demanded.
"If you tell us now we'll make it nice and quick!" Matthew growled.
The double just continued to laugh as she crossed her arms.
"I'm the very image of Miaka," the double finally spoke. "I am her! I also doubt that this merry little band of misfits can even make it to see Tai Yi-Jun!"
The words spoken made the men frown with anger, but they struck a deep chord with Miaka. Suddenly, everything that she ahd learned of her double had begun to make sense. The truth though, was not something she was proud of.
"She is me," she said to herself sadly. "Everything she says is what I've thought. I'm the one who has these horrible feelings deep inside of me."
Outside of the mirror, things were heating up. Each of the men were getting angry with what the double was saying to them. Both was the insult to them, and her claims that she was Miaka.
"Don't be absurd!" Hotohori shouted as he charged with his sword with Matthew and Tamahome taking up the rear.
The double just smirked before she raised her mirror to the three who were attacking her. The glass glowed a bright white before bolts of energy crackled out of it. The three boys were caught by surprise so thay couldn't dodge the attack in time.
"The hell?!" Matthew groaned.
"M-my strength..." Hotohori tried to speak.
"Getting weaker," Tamahome moaned.
The double just watched in satisfaction as all three of her attackers fell to the ground, struggling to keep themselves up.
"Yoour Miaka is on the other side of this mirror," she smiled. "The constellations would give their lives to protect her.As would a true friend. I think it makes sense that I should take your stength. I am Miaka after all."
"Stop it!" Miaka cried from within her prison. She wasn't sure if she could watch this.
Matthew, Tamahome, and Hotohori were all just slightly above the ground, suspended by their elbows. Their strenght was leaving fast and things looked grim. At the double's announcement, Matthew looked up at her with an almost feral look on his face. The double had also gasped when she saw that his eyes had turned a golden color.
"You? Miaka?" he growled with some strain. "BULLSHIT!"
Matthew dug his feet into the ground and managed to get some momentum before he mad a fyling leap at the double. The girl was completely shocked by this assault and had left her defence wide open. That was all Matthew needed when he wrapped his arms around her and held the double in a large bear hug. This blocked the mirror from projecting it's effect and thus stopped it from harming Tamahome and Hotohori.
"Gotcha!" he grimaced, the edge of the mirror digging into his skin.
"I'm still draining your energy fool!" the double smirked. "What were you hoping to accomplish?"
"Simple," Matthew grinned, even if his knees were getting significantly weaker. "THIS!"
Matthew drew back his head and smashed it against the double's in a large headbut. With all his weakness due to the mirror, it didn't hold much power. It did however, hold enough force to send the double into a dizzy spin when Matthew finally let her go. She stumbled back and tried to get her bearings while dealing with the pain in her skull. While she did so, Tamahome and Hotohori were beginning to get their strength back.
Inside the mirror prison, Miaka was just as dazed as her double. She had felt the same impact from the headbutt as her double did. She was on her back, sprawled on the ground with swirly eyes and a goose egg forming on her forehead.
"Oog!" she graoned. "He can sure hit hard when he wants to."
Slowly getting up. she looked to see Matthew on his own two feet, albiet shaky, while Hotohori and Tamahome were slowly getting to theirs. She did notice Matthew's golden eyes, but she didn't think this was the time for looking into such things. She did however notice that when her double had gotten hit, she had felt the pain in her prison.
"Hey!" Miaka gasped. "She's me right?"
Turning back to the table, Miaka grabbed the larges plate she could find and shattered it. Looking around the pieces, she also grabbed the biggest shard there.
"If she is me," miaka breathed while pinting the sharp end at herself. "Then to get rid of her, I'll have to get rid of myself!"
With that, Miaka thrust the piece towards her, where the sharp shard pierced her skin dangerously close to her heart.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Chapter nine is up and ready folks. I've left it here at a cliffhanger and you'll have to wait until the next update. Now Nuriko's cover is blown, but we also begin to see a side of Matthew that probably does not see the light of day very often. Is he even aware of it? Will it cause problems in the future? We'll just have to wait and see.