Sorry for the delay. I've been really busy with work lately. I'll still try to finish this story this year. It'll be easier (I think) since this chapter is the hardest to do. Technically, this is the second high point in the story, which means the succeeding chapters will be a transition of sorts. Hopefully, Yui and Nakago can get more happy moments in-between. This chapter ended up quite long with all the perspectives but hopefully, I can cut them down eventually.

Princess-of-doctors: Yes, they're so cute together, don't you think?

PinkMartini: I need to separate Yui and Suboshi because… Haha. Read on!

AsongAvnuy: I'm so glad you liked my portrayal of Nakago, I am having a hard time writing him! Luckily, his plot always involves Yui so it seemed easier. :D

Anne Raven: I'm really trying my best to update the soonest that I can but the fact that this fic is very complicated makes the updates harder. Sorry!

Irukanomiko: Oh, I'm torn on your comments about Yui-Nakago. But believe me, once this chapter (or arc) is over, you'll realize Nakago is the one! :D

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is not mine.

Path of Revenge

By Slavedriver2008

THE LAND WAS dark before him, the falcon does not even dare walk swoop down to rest on his broad shoulders. The air was misty and he can barely see the world beyond him due to the fog; even his boots disappeared as he treaded along the mushy ground. Nakago looked around, eyeing the mist intently but there was no way out. He was lost. Even his falcon could not find him. Yet he could hear her, hear the shrieks above him, but the sound was too far away that even with his superb sense of direction, he could not tell where the falcon flew.

"Do you want to see her?" a cold voice called in the mist and the hair at the back of his neck stood. He turned around, searching for the figure. It was a voice he had never heard before. He tried to summon his powers but it shone weakly in the fog.

"Show yourself! Who are you?" he screamed back. Yet no figure appeared in his line of sight.

"What will you give to find her?" the voice asked again and a lone figure appeared before him, miles away, a small familiar figure. Nakago ran toward the figure but it kept on floating away. The voice repeated, "What will you give to find her?"

"Yui!" he called out, rushing toward her. He unsheathed his sword, mark shining weakly in the mist. "Where is she? What have you done?"

"What will you give to find her?" the voice asked again. Maybe he was hearing it in his head. Maybe it was not a real voice to begin with. Maybe he was in a dream. The beating of his heart pulsated in his ears. The voice was driving him to madness, and the image, the sweet image of her floating away from him. Everything was enough to drive him insane.

"Everything," he muttered under his breath. The image stilled and the fog shifted. In a second, it joined together and hit him, like a giant snowball that zapped him of air.

THE SKIN ON Tomo's back prickled as he hacked his horse away from the unknown creatures behind them. He wanted to vomit at the rancid smell that permeated the air, and his eyes were becoming bleary with the stench of rotten eggs. Sounds emanated behind them: gruesome howls, heavy stomping of hooves bigger than horses. Tomo tried not to imagine the creatures' faces and as much as possible, focused his attention on riding.

The performer briefly wondered if his illusions will work on them and if he can divert their attention to make way for their escape. The horses made panicked sounds as the scent moved closer. No, he realized, the illusions will not suffice, the army behind them was too big and too wild. But something had to be done. They had to escape.

"Tomo-sama—" Amiboshi called to him. The performer immediately paced with the younger man's horse.

"Go to the right with Eichuu's army," he told him in a halting voice. "I will have the monsters follow me," he said sternly, making Amiboshi gasp.

"But—"

"I will make it out alive," he said. "We still have to summon Seiryuu," he noted. "My illusions will be an easy match for these things," he added but the frown never left the younger man's face. He pulled the reins of his horse and Amiboshi stopped with him.

"I can't leave you—" he told back but before he could finish his phrase, Tomo had pulled his head and moved his mouth to his. Amiboshi's eyes widened as the performer kissed him. Even the other men stopped and looked with surprise. Immediately, Tomo pulled the flushed younger man away. "Tomo-sama…"

"When you see Yui-sama in Souun… Kiss her for me…" he whispered softly, smiling that beautiful charismatic smile. "Tell her… Tell her that I will love her to the end of my life." Amiboshi's eyes widened but before he could react, the performer pushed him away. "Go!"

Blue light shone brightly under Tomo's robe, and he inserted his frail beautiful fingers inside his sleeve to pull out a pink clam shell. Eichuu pulled Amiboshi's horse and the latter closed his eyes as they galloped away from the performer. Tomo closed his eyes and flicked open the shell, revealing a smooth pearl with a mark. The lines shimmered and the performer smiled softly, remembering the day the same pearl was handed to him by his princess.

"Yui…" he whispered her name softly as he opened his eyes. Before him, a wave of monsters –horned, hideous creatures with sharp fangs—appeared, carrying with them the horrible stench of decay. He closed his eyes and let the blue light devour him.

KOYUU KNEW THAT THE night was going to be a long one. Kei's men had turned their back on him, on his cause, exactly as he expected. It was the reason why he insisted that Eichuu lead his men while he led this new group. He looked out at the other end of the bridge and the men smirked at him. They pulled their horses and left. Koyuu knew that they are looking for another route and given the current situation, the best he could do was to bring Yui to safety.

Thunders broke from the sky again and in a heartbeat, rain poured harshly, drenching them in an instant. Mist covered the land before them and Koyuu knew that the heavens were still on their side. When the mist and rain leave, there will be no tracks left on the ground. By then, he already brought the princess to safety.

"Suboshi! Ashitare!" Yui called in the raging storm but her voice immediately died out in the other sounds of the world. Koyuu pulled her away from the ravine, sword still in hand.

"We have to get you somewhere safe, princess!" Koyuu shouted for her to hear but she immediately resisted.

"But Suboshi and Ashitare—"

"We'll look for them when the skies clear! For now, we have to get away!" he told her. Yui was about to protest when a dagger flew toward them. Koyuu immediately raised his sword and blocked it, pushing the girl behind him. "Don't hide in the mist! Show your face!" he screamed and a silhouette appeared. Koyuu squinted his eyes until he saw a man, wearing a dragon armor.

"I finally found the princess," the voice spoke, making Koyuu clutch his sword tighter. His insides trembled and his dark eyes widened when a familiar figure appeared.

"Na… Nakago…" Yui called softly, seeing the blue cursive mark on the man's forehead. Nakago smirked and his mark shined brighter amidst the mist.

"And Father is here too…"

Yui clutched the pearl necklace, eyes boring into the blond man before them. Her heart beat loudly. Nakago's face was stern yet there was an unexplainable dissonance in them. The warrior eyed them, cold blue eyes that were as sharp as the falcon's eyes. He met the eyes of General Koyuu, his father, and the two engaged in a battle of stares. Nakago slowly unsheathed his sword and stepped closer. General Koyuu stepped forward, pushing her back.

"Stand back, princess."

"But General Koyuu—"

"The man in front of you is not my son. He is barely a shell, a puppet under someone's control. This is my fight, my punishment for the sins that I have done. If I hadn't been complacent, your father would still be alive. Please do not come between us," he said in an awry voice.

Yui doesn't understand what was happening yet she could not do anything. There was something between the two men that she could not decipher; this was a battle that she could not stop even if she wanted to.

"You hate me, don't you? Because I did nothing after what the Emperor did to you…" General Koyuu told the younger man. Nakago simply smirked.

"I hate you for many things," he answered distastefully. "Don't let me enumerate them." Yui's hair prickled when his eyes turned to her. "I will kill you for taking the princess—"

"You can trust me, Nakago! I'm your father!"

"Kei killed my army and you walk with his men!" the blond shogun growled, making the air around them reverberate. The mark on his forehead shone brighter and Yui's heart palpitated louder. "You always choose power before anything else!" Nakago screamed, running toward the man to hit him with his sword. The older man countered it smoothly yet his face squinted with the power the younger man exuded. "You even chose the Emperor over me!"

General Koyuu pushed his blade and Nakago stepped back, regaining his composure. Yet he had changed. Yui knew then and there that he was no longer the man she remembered him by. A monster had been unleashed. Yui realized too why the blond shogun had a fearful aura in him tonight. He was angry, to the point of madness. His emotions were no longer contained—rage was flowing from him the way water spilled dangerously from a broken dam. Yui clutched the pearl tighter, she can feel it, feel the deranged way his heart beat on her palm.

"Do you want to know what he whispered to me? He called me Yuna, he regarded me as his wife—every night!" he howled in the darkness as he lifted his sword to place another hack at the older general. "And what did you do? NOTHING! And you even hurt her!"

"I tried my best to be a father to you… to make you forget that dreadful experience! Please wake up from this delusion," Koyuu answered in a pleading voice. "The Emperor regretted it very much, Nakago—it was an act he regretted all his life," he added. "The Emperor cherished you! He asked me to give you a name; he begged me to train you to be the best warrior in the Empire—"

"Lies!" Nakago pushed General Koyuu away, slashing his armor and tearing the skin on his right arm. Yui gasped and held her breath. "Your lies will not deceive me anymore!" Nakago attacked again and again, slashing without mercy. His mark shone brighter on his forehead like a testament of what was about to come. "You all used me—Just because I bear this cursed mark on my forehead!" Nakago raised his sword and with a great force, slashed through the older man's armor, pushing the sword deeper into the general's stomach.

"Ayuru—stop!" Yui screamed, running towards the blond warrior. Trembling hands touched his cold arms. "Ayuru… Nakago… Stop this…" she whispered and he stopped, eyeing her intently.

A punch landed on the younger man's stomach and he gagged, falling to the ground in agony. General Koyuu spit blood as he finally fell to the ground beside the younger man, bleeding profusely. Nakago coughed hard and Yui's eyes widened upon seeing a dark liquid coming out from his mouth, slithering on the ground.

"Yui-sama…" Koyuu called painfully. "Kill it with your dagger." Yui immediately unsheathed her sapphire-hilted dagger and pushed the blade on the ground. The diamond eyes on her ring shone and a shriek filled the air as the dark liquid shrunk and disappeared for good.

ASHITARE PULLED OUT the younger twin from the rushing waters of the river. He barely made it in time; a few more and they would have been thrown off of the cascading and high waterfalls. The younger boy was coughing madly when they reached the banks and his mossy hair was limply scattered over his face.

"Thank you for saving my life, Ashitare," Suboshi muttered in-between heavy breaths. He looked up to where they fell and saw nothing but the whitening mist. Slight drops of rain hit his face and he wiped it away. "Yui-sama and General Koyuu…" he whispered.

Ashitare shook off the water from its pelt but no soon was he finished doing so, the wolf growled against the blankness before them. Suboshi immediately channeled what's left of his powers to the ryuseisui and it swirled around him weakly. It didn't help that he wasted his energy paddling towards the riverbank. He was exhausted, and so was the wolf.

An image of a woman appeared and Ashitare growled louder. A few light steps brought them face to face with a woman with auburn hair.

"You are the warrior Soi…" he said in recognition. The woman smirked half-heartedly.

"And you're the brat Suboshi," she said and without another word, lightning appeared from the skies and hit them. Suboshi remembered screaming before his vision blurred and completely disappeared.

THE WINDS WERE everything but gentle; caressing the three figures in the darkness. The thunders had ceased but the skies were still dark and threatening. Shadows filled the trees and nothing but the pale rays of the new moon lit the ground below. Yui's hands tightened on the hilt of the dagger as the dark liquid disappeared. Her body still trembled and a cold shiver moved through her spine. She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. A cold hand cupped her face. When she looked up, Yui saw Nakago's blue eyes staring at her intently. He lifted another bloody hand to cup her face, eyes filled with disbelief.

"Are you hurt?" He fingered her cheek, sighing with relief, apparently still disoriented. "Are you?"

"Nakago…" General Koyuu coughed loudly and they turned to him.

Yui hurriedly walked toward the general, the blond warrior walking behind her. They stooped to look at the bleeding older man. Nakago's eyes widened when he realized what he had done and he gently leaned down to touch his father's bloody armor.

"Nakago… my son… Listen… The kodoku controlled you… but it did not… It released the anger you had for me…" Koyuu whispered with hardship. The blond shogun eyed the older man intently. "Maybe I did use you… But I… The years I had you as my son were the happiest days of my life…" he stated. Nakago's jaw clenched. "Ayuru… my son… Matuta hid you from me… She was afraid that… that mark will bring you sadness…"

"Father…"

"That mark didn't bring your sadness… my weakness did…" he continued, looking limply at his son. Tears beaded Yui's eyes. "I couldn't turn my back on a friend… But I only wanted the best for you… I dreamed of one day seeing you on the Dragon… Throne… He wanted you to be Yui-sama's husband… He wanted you to succeed him… He took away your life so he wanted to give you a new one… A better one…"

"General Koyuu, please don't speak…" Yui told him but the older man merely smiled painfully. He turned to her and touched her trembling hands.

"Yui-sama… Please forgive my son for killing… Please forgive him…"

"General…"

"Ayuru… A lovely name… like Matuta… How unfortunate that I get to call you by your name only at the end of my life…" Koyuu whispered in closed eyes.

His breathing was getting deeper and deeper and as Nakago clutched the older man's armor, blood flowed to his hands. The General opened his dark eyes and pulled Nakago's armor, eyeing the younger man intently.

"Take care of Yui-sama… And… Be happy…" Koyuu's eyes shut and with pain masking his face, he shivered and let go of his son's armor. His hand fell on the cold ground, devoid of life.

"General… General!" Yui called but her cries were unanswered by the older man. Nakago took his pearl necklace and without another word, pulled the necklace on Yui's neck.

"Ayuru?" she asked for an explanation but he merely looked at her. He slowly uncoiled the pearl and placed the two pearls together in one necklace. "Nakago?" The blond warrior softly tied the necklace around the general's neck, fingering the beautiful blue jewels. Slowly, he lifted the old man and walked toward the cliff. "What are you doing?"

Rain poured on them, softly, in stark difference to the harsh movements of the wind. Nakago looked up to the heavens and in a heartbeat, threw the general's body in the raging waters below. Yui gasped but stood unmoving in her place. She fingered the spot where the pearl necklace used to hang and found its absense heartbreaking.

After a moment of contemplation, Nakago turned to her and clutched her wrist, pulling her away. "Why—Where are you taking me?"

"Don't resist… I've had enough battles tonight," he said and Yui spoke no more.

A/N: The hardest chapter is finally done! :D I'm very relieved this chappie is over. Yui's emotions are so hard to write that I have to do a list just to follow her emotions in this fiction. Haha. Don't forget to leave reviews!