Pheonix Ashes

By otaku-no-miko

Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

((Update December 2012))

Edit for formatting and ease of reading. Jumping between worlds can get confusing, after all. Original Author's Note below!

Hey there! Yeah, the grand plans I had for everything kinda screeched to a halt when I got into college. I wanted to write but needed the adjustment time; I know it's not much of an excuse, but it's all I can offer. Anyways, here's chapter 2, which breaks my usual flow and starts immediately with Yui and Chichiri, in Taikyoku-zan. Oh, and thank you to Hydra-Star – of course I remember the very first writer I ever beta'ed for! Her story of the Genbu no Miko is really good by the way, and that's not just my personal bias talking. Anyways, I'll stop rambling; see you at the bottom!


Chapter 2


::Tai-Itsukun's Palace, Taikyoku-zan::

Yui could only stare.

Miaka had told her about Tai-Itsukun's palace – how the walls looked like pure marble, and the floors and ceilings crystal; how everything was gold and the rooms were at least five times as big as their own modest bedrooms back home... Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yui hadn't quite believed her friend; it all seemed so extravagant and so outrageous when Miaka spoke of it. But now that she was here, now that she could see everything Miaka had mentioned and more, she knew that there were no words that could possibly hope to capture the absolute beauty and elegance Tai-Itsukun's home embodied.

Chichiri watched Yui's blatant awe out of the corner of his eye, giving her a minute to take it all in. Much of the grandeur had worn off for him years ago, but he still remembered his first trip here (what was it now, almost nineteen years ago?) and how awestruck he'd been. He had never seen anything this grand; and even now that he had served as a royal delegate and visited some of the richest and most regal palaces in the Four Kingdoms, he had to admit that none of them held a candle to Taikyoku-zan.

Yui finally found her voice, surprised that when she spoke it didn't boom richly and bounce off of the walls; even the hallways were large, and she had expected the acoustics to lend a certain strength to everything. Magic, perhaps?

"...is this where you live?"

Chichiri looked down at her and nodded with a small smile. "Hai na no da. Well, I live here most of the time; the rest of the time I live in Eiyou, where I work with the Dowager Empress no da."

"Woah." Yui responded, as her ability to speak finally sputtered and died. Miaka had never mentioned that Chichiri moonlighted as a politician-ambassador. There was silence between them for a moment, before Chichiri spoke again, voice soft.

"So Yui-san, how have you and Miaka-chan been? It's been about ten years since we last heard from either of you no da."

Yui noted the suffix and wrinkled her nose; she wasn't a -san yet, she wasn't even married!

"Please, just Yui; I don't think I deserve that particular honorific yet.

Mi-chan and I have been fine, although it's only been three years for us. Miaka and I are both twenty-one – Miaka's little girl, Hikari, is three now, and she's expecting another child."

Chichiri nodded, trying to hide his suprise. Miaka, a mother! Yes, she'd been pregnant when they'd last heard from her, but he hadn't seen her, so his last memory of Miaka was that of a seventeen-year-old woman.

"I almost forgot about the time discrepancy between worlds no da. It's hard to believe you are both so young still."

Yui had to bite back the urge to snort disbelievingly; after all, as Tetsuya told her repeatedly, she certainly did not act her age. Yui couldn't remember the last time she had actually felt young.

To be honest, Yui almost didn't believe there was a time discrepancy at all; the man she walked next to matched up almost perfectly to her mental notes from years ago. Miaka had told her of a man that looked eternally youthful and cheerful, with bright blue hair almost as friendly and inviting as he was; of power and strength and wisdom that managed to hide themselves beneath the surface unless needed. She remembered seeing him once or twice, a flash of blue that seemed too bright and frivolous to belong to a seishi; yet he had been able to take Nakago's power head-on, she could remember Soi saying.

The man she saw was still fairly youthful, still had that bright mane (now interspersed with dark blue and silver strands), but something in him just felt mature and hardened; she could feel a world-weary sort of sadness and wisdom just underneath his friendly, open face. There was no way to tell just by looking at him that it had been ten long years!

"I'm amazed it's been ten years already here. You were what, twenty-three when I last saw you all those years ago?"

Chichiri nearly laughed. Oh, that was probably the best compliment he'd received in years! I'll have to tell that one to Tasuki-kun na no da; he'll certainly get a kick out of it!

"I was almost twenty-nine, actually, no da. I'll be thirty-eight in a month. Thank you for the compliment though, Yui; I'm flattered."

Yui could hear the controlled mirth in his tone, and looked up at him, a little confused (and, admittedly, a little miffed – she didn't like to be laughed at). "And what, exactly, is so funny, Chichiri?"

"Oh, I'm not sure no da." He replied off-handedly (he recognized that tone, and did not want to get Yui wound up this early in their friendship), gently pulling on Yui's arm so that she wouldn't crash into the large glass doors in front of them; apparently, Yui had forgotten they were still walking. "But you might not want to run into those doors na no da."

"What doors...oh." Yui forgot about her annoyance at being made a fool of – twice! – to stare in awe at the tall frosted glass doors that extended far above her head, seeming to end somewhere in the clouds. This had to be the way to Tai-Itsukun's private quarters; she couldn't imagine any other room having this sort of gradeur.

"So um...this is it, then?"

Chichiri nodded silently, raising one hand almost reverently then sweeping it grandly to the left; the left door opened, and he swore he could hear a soft, quick intake of breath from a surprised Yui, who probably hadn't been expecting magic to open the door. Beyond the door was a fragment of Tai-Itsukun's great mirror...and a small, blue head, bobbing up and down unceremoniously. Where Chichiri and Yui's voices had still been quiet, Nyan's was loud and bright, echoing in the large chamber.

"They're here! They're here! Chichiri-sama and Yui-sama are here! Nyan-Nyan has been waiting and waiting for them to come! Could Yui-sama fix Tai-Itsukun's face?"

"Oh, get out of the way, you overexcitable pixie!" A stern voice snapped from within. "I want to see the two of them, not the back of your skull!"

Nyan made a face, which made Yui smile as the little girl moved out of the way sullenly, revealing a glimpse of what possibly was the most ugly woman Yui had ever seen. She couldn't repress a shudder – the Creator of this entire world couldn't find a more attractive form to take? Chichiri, for his part, didn't even seem to notice it, instead bowing his head in reverence to his teacher.

"Tai-Itsukun-sama. As you've no doubt noticed, no da, the Seiryuu no miko has returned."

"Who do you think summoned her here?" Tai-Itsukun barked, but the caustic reply was softer at the edges, nowhere near as biting as her command to Nyan-Nyan. "Seiryuu no miko, I have to say, it is a great pleasure to meet you finally. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances."

Yui got the feeling that this visit was another one of the "save the world" variety, and was reminded with a sickening jolt of her dream. Maybe it had been real, after all...

"I wish I knew what circumstances we were meeting under, period."

Tai-Itsukun actually smiled at that, but it was a sad smile. "I'm afraid that these are not happy times, Seiryuu no miko. I know that you and the Suzaku no miko worked hard to try and restore balance to our world, but...oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Here, step closer, child; I have something for you to see. It'll explain things better than I ever could."

Yui looked at Chichiri, asking with her eyes if it really was okay; he nodded, touching her shoulder ever-so-briefly as he moved in step behind her. It gave her a little reassurance as she stepped forward, looking into the giant mirror behind the Oracle, which was now a soft purple.

The mirror was swirling and glowing like molten mercury; it took all of Yui's self-control to keep from touching it and seeing if it really was liquid. Tai-Itsukun was the one that touched it, instead, and the swirling liquid dissipated, the mercurious glass molding itself into a shockingly familiar image...


::Tokyo::

Miaka jumped about a mile when she heard Taka's key scraping in the door - she'd been so absorbed in reading that she'd almost forgotten where she was. Hearing the lock click and glancing once more to the book, she bit her lip; Taka had made it so clear that he disliked anything to do with the Universe, but now that Yui was back inside, she knew that somebody had to read it to the end. There was nothing either of them could do about it - now that the story had started, it needed to be finished.

"Miaka, Hikari, I'm home!"

Taka slipped his shoes off haphazardly in the hallway, dropping his briefcase and glancing into the family room, where Miaka was seated on the couch. "Oh, there you are itoshii. Where's Hikari?"

"I put her down for a nap earlier; she had a pretty exciting day." Miaka got up and looked her husband over before sighing. "So did I, come to think of it. Love, something happened today, something big."

Taka frowned, his mind almost instantly jumping to scenarios of robberies and near-death experiences that generally remained embedded in his worst nightmares. "What happened? Is Hikari okay? Are you okay?"

"Yes, we're both fine, it's just...you might want to sit down first." Miaka finished softly, motioning to the cushion next to her. Taka joined her, the frown still set in place as he watched his beautiful wife fidget beside him.

Miaka opened her mouth to try and explain everything, but couldn't find the words – it was so unbelievable and so absolutely odd that words just didn't do the last five hours justice. Instead, she grabbed the book off of the coffee table and placed it in his lap. Taka's features went from confusion to understanding and finally fear.

"The Universe of the Four...Miaka, why did you get this?! What if the book takes you or Hikari? What if this entire miko business is hereditary? Itoshii you promised me that you'd never get the book again!"

Miaka resisted the urge to smack him; she loved Taka dearly, but sometimes...!

"I wouldn't go back on a promise to you Taka Sukunami, and you know it! The book didn't want me or Hikari; it took somebody else this time."

Now he was just confused. "Who would it...? Wait – not Yui?"

Miaka shook her head yes. "I've been reading for the last few hours; she's at Taikyoku-zan with Chichiri and Tai-Itsukun."

Taka looked torn – Miaka knew that he cared about Yui a lot (he'd better, at least!), but at the same time he absolutely did not like the book. Finally, he sighed.

"I'll call Tetsuya and let him know – catch me up when I get back?"


::Taikyoku-zan::

Water – water was everywhere. Rain, in torrential buckets, was pouring into the now-submerged temples and homes of all four kingdoms. The brackish waters were dirtied and sludgy with mud and Gods-knew-what else.

The scene melted away and was replaced with the once-grand temple of Seiryuu. The tranquil temple was in ruins now, the long, whiplike tail all that remained of the statue of the beast god himself. It was on this tail that children clung, climbing over one another in desperate attempts to buoy themselves over the ever-rising waters. They were screaming, the sound rising above the pounding of the water in a jumbled cacophony of noise and fear.

"Seiryuu, great Seiryuu, please save us!"

"Seiryuu, where are you? We need you!"

"Why didn't our miko come?!"

"Somebody help us!"

"...s-stop. Please."

Yui was trembling and pale; even Chichiri looked vaguely unsettled, knuckles white against his shakujou. With a wave of Tai-Itsukun's hand, the picture disentigrated, a final chilling scream echoing through the quiet chambers that even the Creator seemed to flinch at.

"...Seiryuu no miko, no doubt your sleep lately has been full of nightmares and images much like this." Tai-Itsukun's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and she looked even wearier and older than usual. "Unfortunately, this is what our world will come to soon, without your help.

This universe was designed with a very simple idea behind it – we'd only take one girl from another world when one country was in peril. Originally this plan seemed to work fine, but we – I – forgot to add in one important factor; the human one.

Kutou and Konan both fell apart at very similar times – they were never meant to, but the greed and corruption of Kutou's emperor and the Konan-Kutou wars triggered the need for both countries to be saved at once, but we'd only planned for and chosen one miko; Yuuki Miaka. You were never meant to enter this world, Hongo Yui – you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as you would say."

Yui looked, if possible, more pale, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. What exactly did Tai-Itsukun mean by that? She had never asked for the rather horrible events of her teenage years, but she'd always thought that, like Miaka, she'd been chosen; it made the pain and the memories a little more tolerable, somehow. But...was she the reason that this world needed help?

Chichiri didn't need heightened magical ability to know Yui was distressed – the confusion and shock were rolling off of her in waves. He'd never thought the current problems could be connected to the mikos appearing so many years ago. It felt almost unfair to Yui; she was stuck on the messy end of the stick, and he knew that wasn't a fun place to be.

"Tai-Itsukun-sama, isn't that a bit harsh?"

Yui glanced back at him and half-smiled, gratefully, sadly, even as she shook her head 'no'.

"It... makes sense. One miko was what this world got used to; with a second miko, it was a huge stress. This universe just couldn't deal with it."

"Somewhat simplistic but accurate, Seiryuu no miko. We didn't realize at the time that the world was falling apart; we attributed most of the oddities to the land changing, not being destroyed. And now that we do know, it's beyond our powers to repair. This world is dying."


::Tokyo::

"Moshi moshi, you've reached Tetsuya and Yui; well, you would have if we were home, at least. Leave us a message, though, and we miiiiiight call back! Domo!"

Taka hung up, not bothering to let the machine catch his frustrated sigh. He had no idea where the older man could be, but apparently calling every minute or so wasn't going to get him anywhere right now. Besides, he was antsy about leaving Miaka alone with that book any longer than he had to – who knew what could happen?

The apartment was eerily quiet for a Saturday evening; usually Hikari and Miaka were busy playing and their laughter would fill the entire building. But with Hikari already asleep things seemed more solemn and oppressive – even the air felt heavy.

It's all that damned book. He thought with a hint of anger. Yes, the book had originally allowed him and Miaka to find one another, but that was then. Taka lived for the now. He didn't like the constant reminder it served as, a reminder of a life he couldn't even really remember living. It belonged in memories and the past. He was Taka Sukunami now; Suzaku and all that stuff was over with.

He paused next to the entrance to the living area, watching Miaka's suprisingly still frame. She must have been completely absorbed by the story. Sneaking quietly behind her so as not to startle her, he glanced over her shoulder, and noticed the large wet spots that stained one of the pages, characters running together and melding.

"Miaka? Is everything okay?"

She turned to face him, green eyes red and over-bright. "Taka...she wasn't meant to be there! Tai-Itsukun-sama just said that Yui-chan being there was a m-m-mistake..."

Miaka looked absolutely miserable, the book forgotten as she flung herself into his arms. They stayed like that for a while, Miaka sobbing while Taka whispered nonsense words of comfort. It was a shock, to say the least – all the pain, all the psychological trauma they both had gone through ... but Miaka at least could look back and know that in the end it was all justified in a way, that it had been worth it. Yui didn't have that anymore.

"Hey, hey, beautiful girl, there's no need to cry. Do you want to take a breather? Get a meal and some fresh air before coming back?"

She shuddered, breathing in deeply to try and calm herself before looking him in the eyes.

"No. Yui-chan doesn't get a break, so neither will I. Remember how Keisuke said that the book didn't progress unless he was reading? The quicker we finish, the quicker we can get her home."


::Taikyoku-zan::

Yui felt oddly calm, all things considered. She was the reason this world was being destroyed, and she had to fix it. It was kind of like a big, important, unexpected project; she had the irrational urge to ask when it was due and if they could have partners.

"So what do you need me to do?"

Tai-Itsukun made another grand gesture, the blank mirror suddenly glowing with fourteen faces, all competing for the center. "We need you to re-gather all of Suzaku and Seiryuu's seishi and summon the gods – recreate what happened eighteen years ago. We up here are weakening, but there's a chance that with the added strength and aid from the seishi, we will be able to reverse what has happened here."

Yui frowned, her calm beginning to fade into panic. It sounded so...simple, coming from Tai-Itsukun.

"But...last time, I couldn't withstand the summoning. I was devoured."

"For your first summoning, yes. But your second - as Genbu no miko - you showed more strength of character, Hongo Yui." Tai-Itsukun was not prone to emotion, but Yui could almost imagine a tinge of pride in those words. "This summoning will be similar. This summoning must be similar."

"Tai-Itsukun-sensei." Chichiri interjected. "Summoning two gods at once...has that ever been done na no da?"

"No." The Oracle shook her head, and sighed heavily. "No, it has not, and even I am unsure if it can be done. But it is our only hope."

Those words snapped Yui out of her calm. She was dragged back here for...a chance? A hope? Something that not even the All-Knowing Creator of this world could predict?

"How am I to summon two gods when you can't even tell me if it's possible?" Yui asked. There was a whine in her voice, one that made her cringe, but she continued. "I thought this was all done...I thought I was all done with this world. And now, you bring me back, to send me on a fool's errand that may or may not be impossible, tell me the trauma of my teens was all a great cosmic accident..."

She stopped speaking, abruptly, breathing hard with effort to prevent tears from escaping her already-red eyes.

"I-I have to go."

Yui bolted from the room.


"Yui-san?"

She didn't even turn; she didn't have to. "Chichiri, please, I just need a few minutes."

Chichiri didn't even seem to have heard her, flopping onto the grass next to her and leaning back to watch the sky. "You know, you can always say no, no da."

Yui whipped around to face him, looking absolutely appalled. "I couldn't do that! I'd be leaving you and your entire world to die just because I'm too scared to do anything!"

"We always have a choice Yui."

"Oh, really? Because I sure as hell didn't choose to come here." Yui snapped, suddenly angry. Who did Chichiri think he was, acting like he actually knew her? Nobody knew her; nobody knew or understood what sort of special hell this world had put her through. "Do you think I chose to be nearly raped, then manipulated and abandoned and nearly killed, twice?!"

Chichiri looked at her, face blank for a moment, before reaching up and pulling on his cheek. It came loose with a soft rustle, the porcelain skin and strange smiling eyes giving way to a dark, tanned face, lined with scars. She'd seen his face ever-so-briefly when she fell into this world initially, but hadn't paid much attention. Now, though, she couldn't look away.

The largest (and most obvious) of the scars ran diagonally over his left eye, the dark scab sealing the eye firmly shut. Yui gasped involuntarily; she'd seen pictures of bad scars in her school texts, but never one quite like this.

"I didn't choose to have my best friend try to steal my fiancé, causing her to commit suicide out of guilt." He started softly.

"I didn't choose for it to flood that day, drowning him along with everyone else I had ever loved. I didn't choose for there to be a log in that water. I didn't choose to lose my left eye. For the longest time, I was mad just like you. I thought that life and the universe owed me one for putting me through so much pain, and I thought that if I just ran far enough away I could forget. But that didn't work. So, I chose to face the pain head-on, even though it was hard.

I don't deny what happened to you was horrible, Yui-san. Fate can be fickle and cruel. But we all get to decide what we'll do with the life we're given."

Yui looked down, blinking back tears. Her anger was gone now, replaced with a sad weariness. "...I wish someone else had gotten this life, then, because it sucks."

Chichiri shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't undo the past. Neither can you. So how are you going to move forward with this news?"

Yui laughed, bitterly. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I can't just leave this world. I couldn't live with the knowledge I'd been responsible for thousands of deaths. So I have to stay."

"You sound angry."

"Because it feels like I've got no choice!" Frustrated, Yui pushed herself into a standing position, pacing. "I feel like I've been drafted. First those nightmares, then being brought here...I never had a choice in the matter."

"But you did, Yui! You were brutally attacked when you were brought here eighteen years ago, I don't deny that. From there, you could have chosen to just go home. You could have chosen to die," He held up one hand, anticipating the interruption, "no, Yui, if you wanted yourself dead you would have succeeded, believe me. But...you didn't. Whatever the reason, you chose to stay here for better or for worse. This book is now linked to you because of that, whether you like it or not. So now we're back to my original question: how are you going to move forward with this news?"

They both were silent for a couple minutes. Yui watched the water ripple and wave. She didn't like this situation at all. She was scared and angry and not at all ready for this. She was still in senior high school, for crying out loud! She was supposed to have an interview with a college today, not try to save the world!

But I have to make it work somehow. I didn't have control over what happened then, but I do now.

Yui took a deep, shaky breath. "I think...I think I can do this."

She turned away from the lake, heading for the large doors to Tai-Itsukun's Inner Sanctum before turning back. "Are you coming?"

"In a moment, no da." Chichiri responded, not looking at her. Yui faltered, starting back towards him before stopping. He would come when he felt like it. And if he didn't...well, she'd figure out a way to make that work, too. He'd given her a little perspective; she could give him a little privacy.


::Tokyo::

Kajiwara Tetsuya was not having a good day.

First, there were those budget reports that somehow, magically, were due tomorrow morning instead of next week. He wasn't even supposed to do the budget reports, but apparently they were now due tomorrow and were his responsibility. The CEO had been kind enough to tell him that, and even mention that his job could be on the line because of his slipshod work so far. He needed this job - after his stint as Keisuke's business partner for an ill-fated restaurant that he now shuddered to think of, he was deep in the red. It was hard to find a good-paying job when you were a college dropout.

Then he'd made Yui mad. He hated making her mad; she was one of the few bright spots in his life. Didn't she realize all his late hours were so he could afford a good home and a beautiful wedding for her? He'd changed everything for this woman! He didn't party anymore, he'd stopped drinking, he was going back to school, he'd made nice with his excuse for a father...he still had his vices, to be sure. Beautiful women had always been a weakness of his, a relic from his party-boy days. He was trying so hard, though. Couldn't she see that?

And then, just to add a little more fun to his day, he'd been pulled over. 90,000 yen! He shouldn't have been speeding, but still, he'd never been fined that much before. His father would be furious. Hell, Yui would be too.

Speaking of Yui...Tetsuya paused at the front door, hand on the doorknob. He'd bought lilies (her favorite) on the way home, but...what if she was still angry? Yui's anger was practically legendary among people who knew her.

Be a man, Tetsuya. You can do this.

"Yui? Yui, it's me..."

No answer. That was weird. Yui didn't usually do the silent treatment - it wasn't her style.

Slipping his house shoes on and dropping his suitcase in it's usual spot by the door, Tetsuya made a quick circuit of the apartment. No sign of her anywhere. Heading back into the living room, he made to throw his jacket on the couch, almost knocking over the beeping answering machine.

"Fifteen missed calls. Four new messages." It informed him monotonously. Four messages and fifteen calls?! Geez, he was popular today. Tetsuya hit the Play button.

"Tetsuya? Tetsuya, man, it's Taka. You've gotta call me back, okay, it's really important..."

"Tetsuya, where are you? It's 20:00 already, I know you get off at 18:00. Look, seriously, you have to call me back."

"Tetsuya! God, of all the nights to be a typical salaryman...it's me again, I'll be up all night, call me back as soon as you get home. I don't care how late it is."

Tetsuya gave the answering machine a Look. Three of the four messages from Taka? What was going on? He made to switch the machine off, but the next message stopped him cold.

"Tetsuya, it's nearly 23:00 now. Why the hell aren't you home? Fine, apparently you're pulling an all-nighter, I'll try your cell. It's Yui. She's in the book, so you have to get over here as soon as you can."

He was out the door within a minute flat.


Edited for formatting issues. Also, I fixed the Tai-Itsukun confrontation scene - it's never sat right with me, and I like it a little better now.

As you've probably noticed, I use military time. It's used in every other country as normal time, so I'm using it. It's not a hard conversion to do - take whatever the number is and subtract 12 from it and you've got the time. For example, right above it says 23:00. 23 - 12 is 11, so 23:00 is 11:00. It's a little weird, but not too bad.

Tetsuya's ticket is around $1,000 in US money. In Japan, speeding tickets can range anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 yen depending on how fast you were going and how the cop's feeling that night - they're expensive little blighters!

A salaryman is pretty much what it sounds like - a man who basically works and sleeps. In Japan, salarymen are very common, often working until very late and leaving very early.

Original author's notes are below! Oh, and for those curious, I got a low B on that Biology final.

This is a little shorter than my last chapter, but it felt right to stop here, if that makes sense. I hope that this info-dump chapter wasn't too out-there, since it pretty much contains the basis of the plot (little bit important, that). I'm rather happy with the majority of this chapter – I don't like one or two sections, but if I worked on them and continued to be obsessive-compulsive about it I'd never type chapter 3. That would be bad. I'm pretty fond of this story.

Well, I have a biology final in...oh, 10 hours? That gives me two hours to study, six hours to sleep, one hour to freak out, and one hour to pray to whoever's up there that I do well. Needless to say, I'm pretty well booked for the rest of tonight. Hope y'all enjoyed the read!

Until next chapter,

otaku