And here's the next one! This one is a bit on the shorter, but as I said before, it was either one extremely long chapter or two semi-small ones. I feel like the later one was a better choice.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi; Izaya is my despicable little bitch though!~~~~~
It wasn't long after that she was following Nakago around the palace. She'd arrived just as the general had gotten the report of Miaka escaping from the dungeon. The priestess let out a hearty laugh and even when the blonde man hit her with a glare, she had continued. Eventually she'd gotten a hold on herself and there was a long stretch of time where the two walked together. Reports came to them and as the general directed the soldiers, the priestess girl's eyes hung. She'd taken to looking around, striking up casual conversations with others while the Nakago was doing his job.
At one point Tamahome, all "hopped up on astral buzz" as Izaya called it, came to report as well. When he'd said that the Suzaku priestess had been recaptured after she'd both eaten an entire table of food and had her arm broken by him, the Seiryu priestess hadn't even bothered to wait. She cut off Tamahome's report and got in as many "I told you so" variations as she could before the general became outright enraged with her theatrics. Even after Tamahome had been sent to look for the two Suzaku warriors that were still wandering freely in the palace grounds, Izaya persisted with telling him off. She skipped beside him, humming with delight.
This only lasted for a short time; soon she became as bored with the constant reports from the soldiers as she had before Tamahome had given his report. She was looking around standing by Nakago, when her attention was caught by the words she happened to catch the general saying.
" What? I took away the Suzaku priestess?" he frowned deeply at the soldier before him. They seemed even more befuddled then he was, staring helplessly at his commanding officer. Looking between the men and the blonde Seiryu warrior, Izaya blinked. " What nonsense are you talking about?!" the general sniffed, starting to walk. Just as he finished saying these words, someone rounded the corner.
Face to face, the man that had turned the corner, standing opposite of Nakago was. . .Nakago.
For a second, the two stood, dumbstruck mirror imagines of one another. Blinking, the priestess rubbed her eye, looking up and between the two a second time. After a second, the Nakago that had rounded the corner took a step back.
" Ops!" his face both paled and flushed at the same time.
" What?" the one beside Izaya sputtered, and the second Nakago spun on his heels and made a run for it. " A Suzaku warrior!" the real Nakago exclaimed. The soldiers that had been standing by during what would later be dubbed "the twin Nakago" event began shouting. As they rushed off, calling the bizarre order of "capturing the general", their actual general gave a curt laugh. " How presumptuous to imitate me!"
In the meantime, Izaya pointed at where the second Nakago had disappeared and burst into an uproar of laughter. It was a loud, thick sound that echoed down the hallways. Dropping to the floor, she held her sides. It took her so long to collect herself that the blonde man actually looked over at her, raising a brow. Pushing herself back to her feet, she patted him on the back none too gently.
" He-He got you good there!" she grinned as she stuttered with giggles still. All he could do was give her an even stare. Humming as she finally got herself under control, she placed a hand on her chin. " I don't know which Suzaku warrior that was, but I like him." After a few seconds of pause, Izaya turned her head, linking eyes with Nakago. " Guess that means that little girl got away from us again, neh?" The general nodded.
" It appears so. But I think I know where she is." he said and instantly Izaya's face lite up.
" Really? You do?" she insisted, sounding perhaps a bit too excited. Bouncing up and down, she clapped her hands, gazing up at her warrior with earnest. " Well then, don't hold out on me now! Come on! Let's go, let's go!"~~
They reached the platform just as Tamahome was approaching Miaka. Reaching the railing, as they watched them and listened to the Suzaku warrior and priestess talking, Izaya smiled.
" Damn! What a view!" she said, giving a short laugh. " Best seats in the house; it's just like the movies." Standing beside her, Nakago looked at her. Seeing the way that he was gazing at her, the she giggled waving her hand. " A play, I mean. With actors and everything." that seemed to satisfy his curiousity with the word and as they continued to stand by and watch, the dark haired girl swung her legs over the railing. Standing on the small ledge on the outside, she pushed herself up until she was sitting on the railing, resting her elbows against her knees. " If only I had some popcorn, er," she glanced over and saw her warrior hitting her with another curious look, " snacks, I mean."
They continued to watch the as Tamahome denied his former love for the Suzaku priestess, tearing up a piece of paper. As he moved to attack the girl, the Seiryu priestess leaned forward. Holding up a fist, when Tasuki rolled in to rescue Miaka, Izaya groaned. Her entire torso swung back like a pendulum until she dangling upside down.
" GOD DAMMIT!" she cussed, her hair raised off of her head as she hung there. " This girl has more fucking lucky then anyone that I've ever met. What are the chances that she could escape, get recaptured, escape again, and still have someone leap to the rescue her at the very last second?" twisting side to side, she lashed out at the open air before letting her arms hang limb over her head. After a few more seconds of doing this, she finally lifted her head up. Nakago just stood there watching her. His arms were crossed, but his head was quirked to the side a few degrees and he hadn't backed away a step as others might have in the same situation. She grinned, boyish, finally swinging herself upright again.
" You're having too much fun." he stated. Her posture slouched as she looked out across the field again and she gave a little snicker.
" No such thing." was her answer. Tamahome and Tasuki started fighting. As they did, the Seiryu priestess sat Indian style on the railing, pumping her fists in the arm, throwing her torso side to side. Any time either one of the Suzaku warriors took a hit she made groans and grunting sounds to go along with them, often snickering right after. At one point she was even providing her own commentary for the entire thing, as though it were some big event that hundreds of people had come to see.
" Who do you think will win?" Izaya asked at one point. The general shrugged one shoulder, nonchalant.
" That Tasuki's not a bad fighter, " Nakago said, " the two of them are on the same level. I can't tell who will win." humming, the Seiryu priestess nodded.
" That just makes it an even better show." she insisted, drawing back letting out an "OHHH!" as the red haired warrior was tossed into the tree leaving an outline of his body on the bark. The fight went on still and as she woke, Miaka protested the fighting instantly.
" And after all he did to her." the general commented, his priestess rolling her eyes.
" Soft hearted fool." she sniffed. It wasn't long after that they finally got involved in the fray.
" Miaka! Chichiri! Watch out!" Tasuki, half dead on his feet, called out to his companions.
" But we-!" the Suzaku priestess protested as the monk's brows furrowed. It was then that a blast of energy shot out at them. Chichiri grabbed the girl around the middle, jumping out of the way with a squeal of fright. He ducked into hiding along with Miaka and from her place on the platform, Izaya's gaze slowly turned toward the Seiryu warrior standing beside her.
" You want to leave so soon?" Nakago voiced, a smirk plastered across his face. His right arm was stretched out, palm facing outward. There was a sparking orb in front of his hand, his left hand settled under the energy ball. There was enough force within his grasp that it pushed at his cape and hair, tossing the loose pieces of the Seiryu priestess' hair side to side. Forehead glowing, there was an almost wild glow in his blue eyes and a shiver ran up Izaya's spine. " Tasuki doesn't stand a chance against Tamahome. Be reasonable and come out of hiding-!"
Just as he was about to go out looking for the two of them, however, the dark haired girl scrambled. Placing her knees on the railing, she raised herself up. Pushing a piece of the blonde man's hair out of the way, she narrowed her eyes, gazing at the mark on his forehead. Frozen, there was a short pause. When his priestess didn't move away from him, Nakago forced a cough. Scowling at her when those gray eyes finally moved off his forehead, there was a few seconds where they simply held eye contact. Holding up both her hands, palms facing outward, Izaya leaned away.
" Sorry, sorry, don't mind me." she amended waving him along. " Please, go ahead." Frowning at her for a few seconds longer, the general drew his shoulders to full height again, tugging the bangs in front of his right eye. The golden tendrils fell back into place and he left the platform, heading into the thick of the garden trees in search of the two hidden birds. She let out a long breath, putting her arms around herself and shivering. " Scary; yikes." hopping down onto her feet, the priestess dug out her pocket knife, holding it in the palm of her hand as she headed out into those trees. " Maybe I should stop teasing him all the time."
She started to wander around, searching for the hidden warrior and priestess too. It wasn't long after that a yell and crashing sound told her that she was had been beaten to the punch by the general. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair, and started walking toward where all the noise had come from. The Seiryu priestess arrived just in time to see Chichiri take the upper hand. Using his magic, he took back Tasuki and blocked an in coming attack from Nakago all at the same time. Standing back, the three outside of the monk's power could only stand by and watch. Just before they were teleported away and Miaka was saying her dramatic good bye to Tamahome, the monk warrior spared the Seiryu priestess a glance. She looked back. Angling one side of her head a little higher, she gave a half smile at him, placing a hand on her hip.
Once they had disappeared, Izaya gave a sigh, loosening her shoulders. " What a pity. We were so close to our goal." the general voiced, but the girl gave a grunt and shrugged.
" Nothing's ever that easy," she replied, " it was a lot of fun either way. You won't hear me complaining about this."
It was only as she glanced over at the two men that she noticed that there was something off. Eyes widened as he stared at Tamahome, Nakago's unsettled expression had the girl's instant attention. Glancing at the Suzaku warrior that the two of them had drugged, she noted the tears that began trailing down his face. Taking another quick look at the blonde man, she drew her mouth into a careful, thin line. After a few seconds, she slipped away, heading back toward the palace without saying a word to either of them.~~
Late the following day Izaya walked up to Nakago as he was going about his daily routine. " I hate you." she said, abruptly, glaring at him as she planted herself squarely in front of him. When he reached her, the general side stepped around the priestess. She didn't miss a beat, following at his side.
" How rude." he stated, even toned.
" Don't give me that!" she snapped, stomping her foot as she walked. " You've been screwing with me this entire time, haven't you? Telling me all this crap about 'astral poison'." Waving her hands around, she changed her voice, mocking. " 'Alters a person's memories', 'mind control'-"
" I told you it wasn't mind control." the blonde man interjected, though it came out as a sigh. He was disagreeing with her, but he sounded as though he had given up on convincing her to see his side. " I'm certain I don't know why you're making such a fuss." Izaya snorted, rolling her eyes.
" Yeah, right," it was blunt sarcasm, " and the fact that Tamahome sudden wants in my pants more then a dog in heat has nothing to do with the astral poison that you had me give to him." the general snorted, though whether it was to hid a laugh or purely out of annoyance with the girl's choice of words was hard to say. " It's not funny! He won't leave me alone! At this rate I'm really starting to think that he's going to sneak into my room at night like some creepy stalker." Nakago's expression didn't change.
" What a colorful imagination you have." he said and Izaya grabbed him by the arm, giving it a hard jerk.
" No, no, no!" she insisted, stomping her foot a second time and pointing at the general. " You listen here and you listen good! Get rid of him! NOW!"
" I thought you wanted him around?" the blonde man prompted, but the girl moaned, pulling on his arm.
" God damn you, Nakago! Are you going to make me beg for this?!" she cried. " Get rid of him! PLEASE! It's only been one day and I already have an on going fantasy of tearing open his chest, breaking his rib cage and yanking his heart out with my bare hands!" frowning, the general placed a hand on his chin.
" What would you do with his heart after that?" he pondered.
" Slice it into the tiniest pieces that I can before eating it raw and using his blood as a dipping sauce." she answered automatically, then gave her head a shake. " That's besides the point! Make him go away! PLEASE!" there was a moment of pause, one where the general didn't move.
Grabbing onto the blonde man's other hand, the priestess dropped to her knees, putting her forehead against his knuckles. " PLEASE! Send him away! Please, please, please, please, please!" she was practically yelling, drawing the attention of the small number of palace workers that were going about their work in the area. When they noticed the general and priestess and their current positions, a small number blushed. Most looked away, trying not to appear interest though their wandering eyes proved the effort to be in vain. Despite their audience, the general allowed a few seconds to pass before giving an answer.
" He'll be gone by tomorrow." he told her and as her entire body slackened, a heavy sigh dropped out of her mouth. Jumping to her feet, she threw herself at him. Startled, he managed to catch her. Both her arms were wrapped around his broad shoulders and her legs were around his waist.
" Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she repeated this over and over again as she hung like that from his framework. Only a small number of the workers around had the type of self control to keep from outright staring at the two of them and the general was well aware of their stares. He had to physically pry Izaya's arms and legs off of him. Once she was on the ground again, she gave a sigh, placing a hand over her heart. After regarding her for a second, the general began walking and the Seiryu priestess walked with him.
" Why are you following me?" he asked, voice bland.
" Because if I do I don't have to deal with that drug fucked bird anymore." she answered, leisurely. " It's best for all of us, trust me. I'm about two jumps away from making the bloody fantasy a reality to begin with." The blonde man didn't say anything in answer to that, letting her follow at his heels.
When they reached his office he set to work, and as she had done so many times before, Izaya grabbed a scroll and lay on the floor reading quietly. She fell asleep at one point. The scroll was stretched across her chest, one hand holding it to her chest. Her other arm lay on the ground, hand slack not more two feet away from Nakago's foot. Both her legs were bent at the knees and her calves were resting on the seat of the chair on the opposing side of the general's desk.
How she managed to sleep in such a position.
She roused later and it was only as they were finally leaving his office that the blonde man remembered something. A smirk colored his face as he shut the door to his office. " You recall that yesterday you said that I would have something to 'play' with in the dungeons right now?" Turning, the priestess blinked at him. It took her a few seconds, but when the memory finally came to mind she snapped her fingers.
" Neh! I did say that, didn't I?" she hummed, thoughtfully, placing a finger against her chin. Not long after a devious grin parted her mouth. Taking a few steps ahead of him, she folded her hands behind her back. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she wiggled a brow as she said. " You can whip me later tonight if you want, airen." A pink tint had colored her cheeks, but she gave a wolfish grin, giggling. His walk stiffened a little, but he gave a snort.
" That's not nearly as amusing." he stated and she waved at him.
" You don't know until you try." was her answer, a bounce in her step and a light in her eyes that hadn't been there before that. Before he could say anything in answer to these words she took off at a run, skidding as she reached the corner. With a vibrant laugh, she disappeared around it.~~~~~
That would be the end of this chapter everyone! Hope you enjoyed this lovely incident; let me tell you I was dreading writing it until I finally sat down and did doesn't mean I'm not glad to be done with it though.
Oh! I've actually got some more good news for all you readers; I'm actually almost done with the next chapter too. There are a few touch ups I still need to do so it's not going up right away. So all of you that have been wondering why I tagged Suboshi as the second major character in this you will find out why very very soon! THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING!
Until then, thanks for reading and please send me a review even if only to say " Hi, I'm here!"