"Miaka!" Yui exclaimed, clutching her friend's shoulders, preventing her from falling.
Miaka and Yui were taking a break from research and sipping tea at the kitchen table. Taka rushed in from the living room, hearing Yui.
"What happened?" Taka said, clutching Miaka's hand and getting on his knees.
"Nothing." Miaka said, her face pale. "I just feel a little dizzy, that's all."
"You should rest." Taka said, worried. "It's almost 1."
Miaka slowly nodded.
"I think I will lie down." Miaka said, slowly getting to her feet.
Taka carefully steered her to their bedroom. Keisuke and Tetsuya watched them walk by.
"What happened?" Keisuke asked, as he sipped coffee and frowned at the laptop in front of him.
"It's OK." Yui said, smiling. "Miaka is, as always, pushing herself too hard. She is getting some rest now."
Taka helped Miaka lie down. He gently kissed her forehead.
"Don't push yourself." He said, as he stroked her swollen tummy.
Taka rose to leave but Miaka held his hand.
"Can you just stay with me for a while?" Miaka said, her voice trembling.
"Miaka!" Taka exclaimed, quickly embracing her. "What's the matter?"
"I don't know." Miaka said, as she clutched Taka's shirt and started sobbing.
Taka held her tighter, wondering if it was the hormones.
-X-X-
Toya patiently stroked Zakuro's hair as she cried. His shirt was soaked with her tears but he didn't push her away. After around an hour, Zakuro calmed down.
"Geez!" She said, hiccupping. "I go away for a little bit and you become Mr. Sensitive."
Toya chuckled and slowly pulled away, still holding onto her shoulders. He ran his hand at the edge of Zakuro's hair and frowned.
"How am I supposed to tie you to your desk now?" He said, trying to tug on Zakuro's short hair.
"That should be the least of your worries!" Zakuro said, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach. "How am I supposed to explain my disappearance? Mom is gonna kill me!"
"I took care of it." Toya said, sitting cross legged opposite Zakuro. "Tomoko is playing your role as we speak."
"Huh?" Zakuro said, confused. "I think they would have noticed."
Toya frowned in response.
"How long do you think you've been gone for?" Toya asked, scooting closer to Zakuro.
"Around 4 months." Zakuro replied, leaning back a little.
Toya was quiet for a few moments.
"I think time is different in the book." Toya said. "You've been gone only for a couple of hours. Tomoko is sleeping on your bed. Your parents think you needed rest and went straight to bed after school."
Zakuro frowned, trying to think back to her last day in her world.
"It's still Wednesday?" Zakuro said, hazily recollecting.
The memories of the other world seemed sharper for some reason. Zakuro pushed those thoughts away.
"Technically." Toya said. "It's Thursday."
Zakuro slowly nodded.
"We have school tomorrow." Zakuro murmured, as though the concept was foreign.
"Yup." Toya said, grinning. "I hate to ask this of you. But... since I was busy being worried and all. Can you do my history homework?"
"History?" Zakuro said, her brain sluggishly processing the information.
She felt like she had just come home from a war, half expecting demons to charge into Toya's room.
"You know." Toya said, running his fingers through his hair. "The study of things that happened in the past."
"I know what history is!" Zakuro said, her voice high pitched.
Toya clasped her mouth.
"Quiet!" He hissed, in her ears. "No matter how cool our parents are, I don't think they'd be cool with you being in my room at 2 in the morning!"
Zakuro nodded.
"Are you OK?" Toya asked, frowning.
Wasn't it just a few moments ago that Suzahara was asking her the same thing? The pit in her stomach worsened. She pushed away the thoughts of the other world. This was where she belonged.
"I'm fine." Zakuro said, putting a smile on her face. "Kinda tired."
Toya nodded.
"Let me call Tomoko." Toya said, taking out his phone. "We can make a switch. Are you sure you're OK?"
Zakuro nodded, looking at the ancient book.
"Tomoko." Toya said, yawning. "Zakuro's back. Open the front door. We'll be there in 5."
Zakuro could hear Tomoko squealing.
"Ssshhh!" Toya warned. "Do you want to wake up the whole neighbourhood? Yeah. Ok. See you soon!"
Toya noticed Zakuro looking at the book.
"Don't you worry about a thing!" He said, putting his arm around Zakuro. "I'm gonna give this book to Sukunami-sensei and have him throw it into the ocean or something. We can put this whole thing behind us."
Zakuro unwillingly nodded.
Tomoko squealed when she saw Zakuro and jumped into her arms. Zakuro gently stroked Tomoko's hair.
"I couldn't sleep." Tomoko said, sobbing. "I was so worried. How did you get back?"
Zakuro froze at the question. How was she going to explain to Tomoko that she ran away with her tail between her legs?
"Yeah." Toya said, frowning. "How did you get back? One minute Tamahome was talking to Nuriko and the next you're here."
They don't know about Mt. Taikyoku. Zakuro thought.
She shrugged in response.
"I'm still trying to work out how I got there." Zakuro said, avoiding eye-contact.
"It had to be wormholes." Tomoko said, her eyes shining.
"Ahan." Toya said, grabbing Tomoko's shoulder and pulling her. "Zakuro has been through a lot. She needs to sleep."
"But I have so many questions!" Tomoko said, as Toya dragged her away.
"We can talk tomorrow, OK?" Zakuro said, smiling.
She watched as a single car drove by the adjoining road.
"Tadaiima." Zakuro mumbled, as she entered her house and closed the door behind her.
-X-X-
Unme sat on the throne of the palace of the East, twirling golden yarn on her fingers.
"Come to bed, dear." She heard her husband call out to her.
She looked up and saw Seiryuu standing at the entrance.
"I was so sure." Unme muttered. "I was so sure they were tied by the red string."
Seiryuu sighed. He walked towards his wife and took a seat next to her.
"If he comes to know..." Unme started.
"Then we will both face him." Seiryuu said, pushing a stray hair behind Unme's ears.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this." Unme said, her voice heavy.
Seiryuu shook his head.
"I'm disappointed that you couldn't confide in me earlier." Seiryuu replied.
Unme looked at the loving eyes of her husband. The way he looked at her hadn't changed in all the millenniums.
"The stakes were so high." Unme started. "Everything depended on the frail shoulders of this mortal child. I risked taboo magic to retain her string because I'm sure I would have snapped it back then. And now equilibrium locked us in too. If Zakuro doesn't go back..."
Unme's voice trailed off.
"Suzaku was prepared to give up his divinity." Seiryuu said, frowning. "As a God, he doesn't have the privilege to be selfish. He was willing to risk everything just on the off chance that he changes the flow of time. He was willing to risk the very gates of hell opening."
"I understand how he feels." Unme replied. "The fragility of mortals is scary to Gods. I didn't stop him when he was essentially molding Zakuro to be the only one who could be the mortal vessel. I spent eternities watching you from heaven. If you didn't ascend... If you were trapped in the mortal coil... I would have risked everything..."
Seiryuu clutched his wife's hand.
"Everything rests on that mortal child." Unme said, looking at Zakuro's fate. "If she doesn't go back, Suzaku doesn't ascend. Destiny changes."
-X-X-
Miaka finally fell asleep, still holding onto Taka's hand. Taka frowned, wondering what was troubling Miaka.
A while later, he slowly freed his hand and left the room.
"How is she?" Yui asked, concerned.
Taka took a seat on the couch. He clasped his hands together before speaking.
"She's scared." Taka said, carefully weighing his words. "I think she is too scared to accept reality. To accept what we're doing. Do we really want Zakuro to come back without finishing the story?"
"Of course, we do!" Keisuke exclaimed. "That place killed Takiko-san. It almost killed Yui. Dealing with Gods is never safe! We cannot condemn Zakuro!"
Tetsuya adjusted his glasses.
"But it's not that simple." Tetsuya said, looking at the ceiling.
Keisuke waited for him to elaborate but Tetsuya was quiet.
"The book said Zakuro was going to create a God." Yui said, her voice emotionless. "Judging by the way the book is going, Suzaku is the God who is going to ascend. But Suzaku himself was trying to prevent Zakuro from entering the book. So much so, that Seiryuu had to intervene."
Yui paused for a second.
"I feel horrible just thinking this." Yui said, clutching her knees. "But if Zakuro doesn't complete the story, Suzaku doesn't ascend. And if Suzaku doesn't ascend, life as we know it will cease to exist."
She looked pointedly at Taka.
"There will be a way." Keisuke said, confidently. "I'm sure of it. Toya said Genbu is mentioned in the book. He would intervene."
Yui shook her head.
"The Gods are very protective of their own dominion." Yui said. "When Konan was being ravaged, Genbu did not intervene. It was outside his dominion and hence not his responsibility."
"But we're talking about a time before the four Gods." Keisuke argued. "If Suzaku didn't ascend, we would know it by now. The Gates of hell would open, right?"
Yui looked at Keisuke uncomfortably.
"It's a circle." Yui said, gritting her teeth. "Miaka and I have already lived our story. Now the very foundation of that story is unstable. We cannot predict how life would be if we get her back without letting her complete the story."
"I think she dies." Miaka said, standing at the door of the bedroom.
She leaned back on the door, looking at her family in anguish.
"Suzaku loves her." Miaka continued. "But she dies."
She looked at Taka.
"I don't care what it costs us." Miaka said. "I could feel the centuries of turmoil Suzaku went through earlier. He gave us so much happiness and he was so... alone... without her..."
"Miaka..." Taka started.
"We've to get her back." Miaka said, her hand on her swollen stomach.
-X-X-
That night, Zakuro tried very hard to sleep. She took a bath. She had warm milk. She listened to a recording of rain drops. But sleep eluded her.
She tossed and turned on her bed, trying to get comfortable. But the pit in her stomach kept her awake.
She threw away her covers and sat on the bed. She looked at the time on her phone, which had died the second day there. It was almost dawn.
Zakuro got dressed for school and slowly set her bag. She tried her best to feel at ease. But her mind wavered easily. She disconnected the phone charger and went downstairs. She took a deep breath before entering the kitchen. She hadn't seen her parents in months. But they had seen her just the previous day. She didn't want to freak out on them.
Zakuro mentally prepared herself before entering the kitchen. But the emotion was too overwhelming. She watched as her Mom hummed and prepared what looked like porridge. She hiccuped as she laughed.
"You're up early!" Zakuro's Mom said, as she emptied the pan into a bowl. "Breakfast will... Honey! What's wrong?"
Zakuro's Mom rushed to her, Zakuro unable to contain her tears. Zakuro stubbornly wiped her tears and shook her head.
"I missed you." Zakuro said, hugging her Mom.
Zakuro's Mom frowned and hugged her back.
"Are you on your period?" Zakuro's Mom asked, casually.
Zakuro's Dad, who was entering the kitchen, back-tracked out. Zakuro and her Mom burst out laughing.
"Not funny!" Zakuro's Dad called out from the living room.
"Come inside, Dad!" Zakuro called, taking her seat next to him.
"Good morning!" Zakuro's Dad cooed kissing the top of Zakuro's head. "How're you feeling? You were out cold when we got home last night."
"Much better." Zakuro said smiling. "I was really exhausted yesterday. Sorry if I made you guys worry."
Zakuro's father was looking at Zakuro confused, his head cocked to one side. Zakuro's Mom took her seat at the kitchen table.
"I like your hair cut." Zakuro's Mom said, smiling.
Realization dawned on Zakuro's Dads face. Zakuro giggled. She had thought of an excuse the previous night.
"I got gum stuck in my hair." She said, running her hand through her pony tail. "Yuna just chopped it off! I should really go to the salon."
"Yuna?" Zakuro's Mom said. "New friend?"
"You know how popular I'm." Zakuro said, laughing haughtily.
"We would like to meet her." Zakuro's Dad said as Zakuro's Mom nodded.
Zakuro frowned, though on the inside she missed her overtly protective parents, and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah yeah." Zakuro said. "Should I bring out the baby photos now or do you have enough tools to embarrass me without them?"
"Say what?!" Zakuro's Dad crooned. "We're hip. Your friends will find us dope!"
Zakuro and her Mom burst into laughter.
-X-X-
Suzaku looked at the empty screens in his rooms. He lay in his bed, his hand on his head. He heard somebody knock on the door.
"Suzaku?" Nuriko called out.
Suzaku turned around and ignored Nuriko.
"Suzahara..." Nuriko called out.
Nuriko hadn't called him that in ages.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Nuriko said, putting her head on the door.
Suzaku knew how Nuriko felt.
"I want her to live a long happy life, away from the mess I pulled her into." Suzaku replied.
Suzaku heard Nuriko sigh.
"Your Generals are with you." Nuriko said, her voice grim.
-X-X-
Keisuke slept uncomfortably on the couch, having gallantly given up the guest bedroom to Yui and Tetsuya. He yawned and rustled his hair, sitting again to continue researching.
Man! Keisuke thought. This was so much harder when Miaka was sucked in. Thank god for internet!
Keisuke bookmarked obscure titles, with the intention of having Tetsuya look them up. Keisuke yawned again.
At around that time, he heard a piercing scream from the master bedroom.
"MIAKA!" Keisuke shouted.
He rushed towards the bedroom.
"I'M COMING IN!" He called out before opening the door.
Yui and Tetsuya rushed out from their room too. Keisuke froze at the door.
"What..." He mumbled confused.
Miaka was crying hysterically in Taka's arm. Taka stared blankly at the wall, unable to speak.
"Miaka!" Yui exclaimed and ran inside the room.
"Yui..." Miaka said miserably and held onto her best friend.
"That's impossible..." Tetsuya mumbled.
Tetsuya and Keisuke were looking at the loose clothing which Miaka was wearing, her stomach showing no signs of a pregnancy.
"Zakuro came back." Taka mumbled. "That has to be it. She came back without finishing the story."
Taka put his head in his palms.
"What does this mean?" Taka muttered, his voice gripped in pain.
Yui clutched Miaka tighter.
"We need to see Zakuro." Tetsuya said, after a while.
"No." Miaka said, miserably. "This isn't her fault."
Keisuke couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He stood at the door as he watched his kid sister writhe in pain. He quickly closed the distance between them and pulled Miaka into a hug.
"Stop this." Keisuke said, his eyes stinging. "Stop trying to save everybody. Stop being the priestess. Look at yourself. We have to talk to her. We have to send her back to finish the story."
Keisuke looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked at his own twisted evil self and hugged Miaka tighter.
"I was sure this was behind us." Keisuke said. "I was sure we were moving forward, away from the fucking book. But it pulls us back in. And we have no other choice but to fight."
"We can't." Miaka said, still sobbing. "This isn't her fault."
"We aren't trying to condemn her, Miaka." Yui said, her hands shaking slightly. "Don't you think I would be happy if I could erase the mistakes I made? But I know we can't run away from destiny. We have to atleast talk to her. I'm not saying we push her back into the book."
"Mama..." Hikari's voice called out.
Taka and Miaka jumped off the bed and rushed to their daughter.
"I'll go." Tetsuya said.
"What have we become?" Keisuke said, his hands shaking in anger. "What is this fucking book making us do? We're pushing an innocent girl to her death... All because we're afraid of everything changing."
"Change?" Yui repeated.
She knit her eyebrows together.
"That's what this is." She said, slowly. "This is change. But we still remember everything. That means there is still a chance. If Zakuro goes back and Suzaku ascends, then everything resets."
"We will have to do that without Miaka knowing." Taka said grimly, standing by the door.
He looked at his brother-in-law.
"Miaka wants to talk to you." Taka said.
Keisuke nodded and went towards Hikari's room.
"Damn it!" Taka said, banging his fists against the wall.
He then placed his head on his palm.
"I will go talk to Zakuro." Taka said, his voice still shaking.
"No." Tetsuya said calmly. "I'll be the one who talk to her."
Taka glared at Tetsuya.
"This doesn't concern you." Taka said, angrily.
Tetsuya smiled.
"And that is why I must be the one who speaks to her." Tetsuya replied. "The rest of you are too vested in this. You'll scare Zakuro into staying."
At that moment, Keisuke walked into the room confused.
"Huh?" He murmured and walked out.
The rest followed. He opened the front door and walked into Miaka in Hikari's room. He squeaked in surprise.
"No way." Yui said, running towards the main door.
She opened the door and walked into the master bedroom instead the street outside. Tetsuya rushed to the window. He tried to climb out but found himself climbing back into the house through the guest bedroom.
"We can't leave." Miaka said, her voice hollow, sitting on the floor next to Hikari's bed.
-X-X-
"Sukunami-sensei isn't in today either!" Satsuki said, as she took a bite of Zakuro's lunch.
"Ah!" Zakuro said, feigning a tragic look. "The roses are paled and the sun fades! My heart only yearns for a look for a brighter day!"
Yuna and she started giggling while Rin pointedly cleared her throat.
"Can we not talk about a teacher so much?" Rin said, glancing sideways at Satsuki. "It's in bad taste."
"What would you like to talk about?" Yuna said, leaning closer to Rin. "About Matsumoto-kun, maybe?"
Rin blushed furiously.
"How about Kagakuni-san?" Rin said, pushing the attention away from her.
"What about him?" Zakuro said, as she took a bite of her lunch.
"Matsumoto-kun went to the same Junior High as Kagakuni-san and you." Rin said, adjusting her classes.
Zakuro nodded.
"He said that there were rumors that you had confessed to Kagakuni-san and got rejected." Rin continued, her tone accusatory.
"What?!" Satsuki exclaimed. "How dare he? Do you want us to ignore him? I can stuff toads in his lockers."
Zakuro looked at Satsuki incredulously.
"It's not a big deal." Zakuro said, feeling unfamiliarly calm.
She was so sure that this would have rattled her up. That summer day seemed like it was from a different life.
The book world was the different life. Zakuro chided herself. This is where you belong.
"I confessed and got rejected." Zakuro said, maintaining the composure she had been feigning all day. "I'm over it and we're back to being friends."
Rin adjusted her glasses.
"Your friend is waiting at the door for you." Rin said, looking over Zakuro's shoulders.
Zakuro turned around and looked at Toya, signalling for her to come.
"What's up?" Zakuro said, when she got closer.
"Sukunami-sensei isn't in today." Toya said, frowning. "How am I supposed to give the book to him?"
The pit in Zakuro's stomach deepened. She, instead, shrugged in response.
"I guess they had the baby." Zakuro said. "He could be out for a while."
"Miaka-san did seem like she was about to pop." Toya said, tastelessly. "Wanna take a trip to the beach?"
"We don't have to throw the book into the ocean, you know." Zakuro said.
"Hmmm." Toya replied, scratching his chin. "Right. Plenty of active volcanoes around."
Zakuro rolled her eyes.
"We could give it to the library." Zakuro said.
For all it's worth, she didn't regret her time in that world.
She didn't hate that world or the gate that led to it...
The only gate to all the people she met there...
Zakuro pushed those thoughts from her head. Toya was frowning at her. The bell rang signalling the end of lunch.
"We'll talk later, OK?" Zakuro said, as she went back into class.
Zakuro didn't notice Toya's hands, which were clenched into balls.
Toya was waiting by the gate after school. Zakuro jogged a little.
"Sorry." Zakuro said, as she reached him. "My brain is completely addled up because I haven't studied in ages."
Toya looked at the heavy load of books Zakuro was carrying. She grinned at Toya.
"I used four library cards." Zakuro said proudly, as she swung the books over her back.
"You're not out of breath." Toya mumbled.
"Huh?" Zakuro retorted. "Why would I be out of breath?"
She slowly realized what Toya meant. She had spent the last couple of months running or walking. Did her stamina get better?
Zakuro couldn't help but smile.
Atleast you were useful for something. Zakuro thought picturing Suzahara.
"Why do you look so happy?" Toya said, taking the bag from Zakuro's hand.
Zakuro held onto it, tugging it back.
"What're you doing?" Zakuro asked, frowning.
"Isn't it heavy?" Toya asked, still holding onto his side.
She thought back to when she used to beg Toya to help her carry books in exchange for ice-cream. Why did things which happened recently seem so long ago?
"I'm fine." Zakuro mumbled.
Zakuro felt out of pace.
You just got back. Zakuro thought, consoling herself.
She looked brightly at Toya and smiled.
"Let's go!" She said enthusiastically.
Zakuro felt exhausted, which was an understatement because she had spent the last couple of months on her toes. Thinking about the other world was painful. She wondered if they were still looking for her...
Toya snapped his fingers in front of Zakuro. Zakuro blinked and looked at a frowning Toya.
"Sorry, sorry!" Zakuro apologized, smiling. "Totally spaced out there."
"Are you sure you're OK?" Toya asked, as he started walking.
"It's going to take some time for me to catch my breath." Zakuro said, frowning. "I feel like I just got back from a warzone. Everything over here feels so alien."
"Here?" Toya said. "The book should have felt weird. Here should be your default settings, right?"
Toya put his arm around Zakuro's neck and tapped her head.
"Seems hollow..." He mumbled. Zakuro elbowed his ribs.
"My fault for being honest." Zakuro said, sticking out her tongue. "I'm feeling GREAT, Toya!"
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you got out in one piece." Toya replied, avoiding eye contact.
"Oho!" Zakuro said, grinning. "Wasn't I gone only for a couple of hours? You seem way too sad for a couple of hours."
"It was gut wrenching." Toya said, talking to the ground and walking. "Every minute you were in the book..."
Toya shook his head and winked at Zakuro.
"I was so afraid that I would have to do all my chores and all my homework." Toya said. "Minions are hard to come by, you know." Zakuro heartily patted Toya on the back.
Zakuro smiled warmly at Toya. She did miss him a lot.
"I'm back now." Zakuro said. "I won't let you fail your exams!"
"Me?" Toya exclaimed. "Fail? Prodigies don't fail."
Toya and Zakuro walked home together, the same way they had done for years.
AN:
Translations- Tadiima: "I'm home!"
-X-X-
Flippzy The Edward Slayer: Thank you so much for your reviews! They were really kind! And nyan nyan nyan nyan! :)
-X-X-
Well, I'm back. Sort of... I didn't write my exams. I couldn't really stop writing. But now that I have this chapter out, I feel more motivated to study. So maybe, I should do both and see how that goes.
In the Yuu Watase stories, the girls had compelling reasons to want to stay in the book world. Takiko felt more at home in the book world due to the complications in the world she was born. Miaka fell in love with Tamahome and wanted to live in the book world with him. But for Zakuro, she was happy even in the world she was born in. When faced with a decision, she chose to live in her world instead of dying in the book world, which is unlike a Yuu Watase protagonist.
Please do review and let me know how you feel about that. Does it seem like a realistic choice?
As always, keep reading!