Kida:...
Kido: You're being unusually quiet, sis.
Kida: Read and you'll find out why...
Kido: Does it have to do with a certain blonde Priestess.
Kida: SAID AND READ AND YOU'LL FIND OUT WHY!
Kido: *Jumps in fear, spazzing out* Okay, okay! I get it, I get it!
Chiriko: Kida Tenshi doesn't own Naruto or Fushigi Yuugi. She only owns Aika Hitsubasa and other OCs! Enjoy!
Not unexpectedly, the Lady Aika once again walked straight into Nakago's clutches. Before she knew it, Miboshi, Seiryuu Seven's sorcerer and current master of the great temple, had stolen her voice and she was thrown into the dungeon. There in her prison cell, the Lady Aika met Tatara, one of the Byakko Seven and keeper of the Byakko Shinzahou.
"Aika," a voice said making her eyes widen. Sure turned and saw her.
'Yui.'
~0~
"Hey," a guy called making Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru turn to see a bald guy who also seemed young. "Are you the guys who have the Universe of the Four Gods book?"
"Who are you? How do you know about the book?" Naruto asked.
~0~
'Yui…' Aika thought as they stood across from each other.
"Nakago told me that you came. He said you had something you wanted to say," Yui said to her. Aika tried to speak, but held her throat.
'I can't talk. That Miboshi guy's spell. Not now. When we're finally together!' Aika thought.
"Well, I'm here. Aren't you going to say something?" Yui asked impatiently.
"She can't," Tatara stated making the two girls look over. "It seems she has lost her voice."
"Oh no, really? And I finally changed my mind and decided I would talk to her today," Yui sighed a bit.
'Yui wasn't really raped. Nakago lied so he could use her,' Aika thought angrily. She walked up and wrapped her arms around Yui's shoulders from behind, shocking the blonde. 'Please understand, Yui. I'm sorry I didn't save you from those men and from Nakago's lies, but even after everything, I love you just as much as I love Tamahome,' she thought.
"Aika?" Yui frowned as she felt her shaking. She soon pulled away and saw Aika's sad eyes as if she was saying she was sorry. "No, don't worry. You were probably right. Why keep on fighting? When I see someone as silly as you are, my stubbornness seems just as silly. We've been together since we were five and Naruto was nine, that's a long time to be friends and this fighting isn't worth it," Yui said to her. Aika felt tears in her eyes.
'Yui…' she thought before hugging her. 'Yui, you understand how I feel. Finally. Finally,' Aika thought with a small smile. Yui soon pulled back.
"Anyway, Aika, where are Tamahome and the others hiding? If Nakago finds then first, they'll be in big trouble, you know," Yui said before unlocking the chains around Tatara's wrist. Aika used some medical Ninjutsu to heal some of his small injuries. "Tatara, I'm really sorry about this. I didn't know what to do until just now."
"You two are friends since your childhood?" Tatara asked Aika who smiled and nodded.
"Hurry, come with me," Yui said to them. She and Aika helped Tatara up and walked him out of the cell. Tatara coughed making them stop. Aika looked at him with worry. "Are you okay? Should we rest for a minute?" Yui asked. Aika gave a nod to Tatara showing he should. With that, they sat against the wall. "Are you sick?"
"Not exactly. It's because I've left the Shrine of Byakko. Ninety years ago, my companions cast a spell on me to stop time's effect on my body so I could protect the Shinzahou. But in return for physical strength, the spell makes me age faster on the inside. I am fine as long as I remain in the Byakko Temple. I guess you can't really extend your life span beyond its limits, can you?" Tatara asked.
"And now that you have left the shrine, you don't have the strength to protect the Shinzahou. Shouldn't you give it to Aika as soon as you possibly can?" Yui asked.
'Yui…' Aika whispered. She suddenly got an idea. She stood up and acted like Nakago then the Shinzahou. Then she acted like Suzaku.
"Sorry, Aika, I don't understand you," Yui said to her. Aika did it again, Nakago, Shinzahou, and Suzaku.
"Oh, I get it. Since Nakago has the other Shinzahou, we still can't summon Suzaku," Tatara translated. "Right?"
'Bingo!' Aika thought with a big smile and a thumbs up.
"Oh yeah, that's right. I better see if I can get that back. Even Nakago won't be the least bit suspicious of me," Yui smiled. Aika smiled brightly and hugged.
'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' She thought.
"Okay, I get it. Knock it off, would ya?" Yui giggled as Aika stopped.
"Do you agree with her? That I should give it to you now?" Tatara asked Aika. Aika smiled and nodded her head. Tatara took the jewel out of his ear and put it in his hand.
'A seed?' Aika thought looking at it. Tatara then started glowing a light blue. The two girls watched in awe as the seed sprouted. As the flower opened, a silver circle appeared in engravings and a purple tassel in the middle of it. 'That was amazing!'
"This is the Byakko Shinzahou," Tatara said as he held it.
"So that's where it was?" Yui asked surprised.
"Here," Tatara handed the Shinzahou to Aika who smiled as she held it. She smiled brightly and placed a hand over her heart before bringing her hand to him.
"I think she wants you to know how much she appreciates this," Yui said with a little amusement.
'Yup. I thank him from the bottom of my heart!' Aika thought.
"That was the hand mirror Suzuno had with her when Byakko was summoned," Tatara said to them.
"Suzuno?" Yui asked.
"Suzuno Osaki. A girl from your time and world who came here and returned after successfully summoning Byakko. For us, she was the Priestess of Byakko," Tatara explained.
"The Priestess of Byakko?" Yui asked as Aika mouthed.
"My true soul mate and the most beloved person of my life," Tatara said. Aika gave him a look of understanding.
"The Priestess of Byakko was your soul mate? You mean you two were in love with each other?" Yui asked frowning. Tatara coughed.
"Yes. Suzuno and I were deeply in love with each other. She was a gentle girl with soft eyes and long brown hair, but the other Byakko Warriors were against our being in love. 'You and the Priestess cannot ever consummate your love' they said," Tatara said making Aika gasp softly. "As they predicted when Byakko was summoned, Suzuno returned to her world."
"Goodbye, Tatara. Goodbye," Suzuno's voice rang in his head.
"But why? Why didn't you ask Byakko to let her stay here? You should have asked if she could stay in this world with you," Yui said feeling sorry for him.
"We did," Tatara said making Aika's eyes widen slightly. "However, Byakko said this to us: 'That is one wish I cannot grant you'." Aika collapsed to her knees.
'Is that it, Tamahome? That no matter how much we love each other we'll have to part? Even if I summon Suzaku…' she thought with tears pricking her eyes.
"Aika…" Yui frowned. She placed her hands on Aika's shoulders. "Come on, get ahold of yourself. Why don't you just rest here for a minute and I'll go get you some water or something, okay? Kay," Yui said softly before walking off. "Go see Aika?" She had asked Nakago.
"Yes, I'm sure you will be able to get the Shinzahou from the Byakko Warrior if you're willing to use her. I trust you. Do you choose me? Or do you choose her? The decision is yours alone," Nakago had told her.
~0~
Tamahome ran, looking for Aika. He then looked out the window and saw Yui walking in past some other windows.
"Yui!" He called making her stop.
"Tamahome?" She asked.
"I should have figured you would be here!"
"Are you looking for Aika? I was just with her less than a minute ago! Well, Tamahome, you and Aika can never be together, can you?" Yui asked shocking the Suzaku Warrior. He then narrowed his eyes a bit.
"What makes you say that?" He asked her.
"Aika and I both heard it from Tatara of the Byakko Seven. It's too bad, but you might as well give up. Even if you summon Suzaku, Aika still has to go back," Yui stated.
"No! I won't let even the laws of Heaven triumph over us! If Aika can't stay in this world then I will…then I will go to Aika's world!" Tamahome declared making Yui's eyes widen.
"You don't know what you're talking about! How absurd! Imagine, you trying to come to our world! Don't make me laugh!" Yui said to him before walking away.
"Yui! Wait!" Tamahome shouted before growling a bit.
~0~
'I wanna see Tamahome. I wanna hear his voice. I need to tell him…' Aika thought as she sat by Tatara, holding the Shinzahou.
"Sorry I took so long! Here, Aika, here's some water for you!" Yui said running up with a small bowl of water. Yui tripped a bit and accidently spilled the water on Aika. "I'm so sorry! You can use this handkerchief to dry off," she said giving her the handkerchief. "Here, I'll hold that," she motioned to the Shinzahou. Aika nodded and handed it to her before drying her face off with the handkerchief. "Nakago and the other Warriors could find us here," she said making Aika's eyes widen a bit. Aika made a motion that they all needed to hide and Yui nodded before leading them to a room. "You guys can wait in this chamber for now. You'll be safe, okay?" Yui asked before closing the door making the two turn. Aika ran to the door.
'Yui!' She thought as she banged on the door with Tatara.
"Hey! Wait!" Tatara called. Yui had locked the door.
"You are so naïve, Aika. Did you really think I could forgive you just like that? And now I have the Shinzahou," Yui smirked.
"Then I will go to Aika's world!" Tamahome told her.
"I won't let you. I'll have to summon Seiryuu immediately. You two settle down and wait right there!" Yui smirked.
'Yui!' Aika thought as she banged on the door.
~0~
"Grandma Suzuno's been chatting away about you guys coming here," the man said.
"How does this Suzuno woman know about this book?" Sasuke asked.
"Because she said she went into it too and became the Priestess of Byakko," the man replied.
"Huh?!" The three ninjas blinked.
"Whoa, you guys believe all that?" The man asked them.
"Whether you believe it or not, my friend's little sister is the Priestess of Suzaku," Shikamaru said. He knew Naruto and Aika weren't really related, but they acted like it.
"More weirdos and their stories," the man muttered leading them in. "Grandma's father, a man named Takao Osugi, had a best friend whose daughter who was the first Priestess.
"Takiko Okuta!" The three ninjas exclaimed.
"Is that written in the book too? I always thought that she just made the whole thing up. Heh, I'm still not sure I believe it," the man said before opening the door to reveal an old woman who was lying in a cot. "Allow me to introduce you to the Priestess of Byakko."
"Suzuno Osugi," Shikamaru murmured.
~0~
'Yui! Yui, wait!' Aika thought as she kept banging on the door. She heard Yui running away from the room and stopped. 'This can't be. If only I could have talked to her. I thought she understood how I felt,' Aika thought looking down.
"It's all right," Tatara said making Aika look at him. "I'll get us out of here."
'Tatara…'
"As weak as I have become, I still have enough strength to do that," Tatara said before taking a seed off his necklace. "That Shinzahou belonged to my dearly beloved Suzuno. I cannot allow it to be used for evil," he said as the seed blood making vines. The vines went through the crack of the door, wrapping around the wood plate that locked the door. It was removed then and the door opened. Aika then helped Tatara out of the room. Tatara coughed making Aika frown in worry. "We have to hurry," he said seeing Yui run passed some windows. He looked at Aika. "I perceive a great evil. You should stay here, it's too strong. Do not try to follow me," he said to her before running off after Yui.
'Tatara….Tatara, if I could talk, there would be so much I want to ask you. For now, all I can think is…please be careful,' Aika thought with worry.
~0~
Yui kept running, holding the Byakko Shinzahou close to her chest.
"Wait!" She heard making her stop. She turned to see Tatara. "Return the Byakko Shinzahou to me this instant. I had serious doubts about your loyalty from the very beginning. So why do you think I agreed to produce the Shinzahou in spite of my suspicions? Because you are the friend of the Priestess of Suzaku," he said making her eyes widen. "You love her, don't you?"
"What?! What are you talking about?!" Yui glared at him.
"I don't know the reason you two became enemies, but your heart is not completely against her. That's why I trusted you," he said making her remain silent, looking away. "Take the Shinzahou back to your friend. Come," he said going to walk up to her. Suddenly monsters appeared between them.
"This way, Lady Yui," Miboshi said from behind Yui.
"Miboshi."
~0~
Aika ran, trying to make her way to Tatara and Yui.
'I can't just wait there. If Yui summons Seiryuu before she knows the whole truth, it'll be a disaster!' She thought. She then stopped when she saw a group of men appeared dressed in brown cloaks. Aika did a hand seal. 'Transform!' She thought before she turned into a small black mouse. She hid behind a pillar then and watched them walk past her. Once they were gone, she turned back to normal. 'That was close,' she thought until something grabbed her, and enchanted painting. 'Let me go! I mean it!' She growled in her head as she struggled.
"I'm coming, Aika!" Tamahome shouted running up. Beside him was Tasuki who was carrying Chiriko on his back. Kurama was running beside Tamahome.
'Tamahome!' Aika thought surprised to see him.
"Rekka Shinen!" Tasuki shouted using his fan on the panting. The panting was destroyed and Aika fell into Tamahome's arms.
'Tamahome,' Aika thought as she looked at him.
"What are you doing, Chiriko?! Let go of my neck! You're squeezing too tight! I can't breathe!" Tasuki spazzed out as Chiriko held onto him. Aika got out of Tamahome's arms, facing away from him. Kurama nudged Tamahome.
"Aika, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you why I…wanted to break up. But when I heard that you could never come back here after Suzaku is summoned, it was too much and I…I just didn't wanna believe it. Maybe I'm a coward thinking that giving you up now would hurt less when it happens, but that's why I did it," Tamahome said looking ashamed.
'No…it hurts just as much now as later. Just seeing him and knowing that….It hurts too much,' Aika thought looking down. Tamahome looked out the window and saw the tower. He cupped Aika's cheek, making her look at him. He then kissed her. Tasuki, Kurama, and Chiriko stared at them. Tasuki blinked and covered Chiriko's eyes.
"Ow!" Chiriko exclaimed. Tamahome soon pulled back and held Aika.
"If we had kissed on top of that tower exactly when the sun set, we could never be separated again. Isn't that what the local legend foretells? This isn't the top of that tower and the sun may have set a long time ago, but I swear, no matter what they say, if there's even the tiniest chance to alter our supposed destiny, I will do everything in my power to do it," Tamahome vowed.
'Tamahome,' Aika thought as her eyes pricked with tears. She hid her face in his shoulder. They suddenly heard an explosion and turned. 'That's right! We have to stop Yui fast!' She thought. She tried to talk to them, but only small sounds came out.
"Aika, what's wrong with your voice? What happened?" Tasuki asked her. Aika pointed do the hall and made some noises.
"Yui!" Kurama exclaimed.
"Yui's near here, right?" Tamahome asked making Aika nod.
~0~
Tatara used his ability over vines to kill one of the monsters before kissing the rest with one swipe. He was now on one knee, panting.
"This isn't easy for you, is it? How long will your failing body serve you?" Miboshi asked smirking at Tatara.
"You love her, don't you?" Tatara's question ran through her mind.
'No! No, I don't! The one I love is-!'
"Yui!" Tamahome shouted making her look over to see him, Aika, Kurama, Tasuki, and Chiriko running over.
"No! Stay away from here!" Tatara shouted before a vine came around his neck, leg, and arm. He was then lifted up by the monster. One of the vines came up with a claw pointing at his face.
'Tatara!' Aika mouthed her exclaimed. It's then Chichiri, Mitsukake Tokaki, and Subaru ran up.
"Tatara!" Tokaki shouted.
"His body appears young, but inside he's more than a hundred years old. It's obvious he lacks the strength to maintain his spell. If any of you move, he will be killed," Miboshi threatened making everyone stay where they were. "Come now, Lady Yui. Calm yourself and leave this to me." Yui looked at Aika who was looking at her pleadingly. Nakago then appeared behind the Priestess of Seiryuu.
"Lady Yui, come with me this way, please. We've made all the preparations and we're ready to begin the ceremony to summon Seiryuu on the roof top," he said to her.
"Nakago!" Tamahome glared.
"Don't move," Miboshi told him making Tamahome grit his teeth. Yui walked over to Nakago who wrapped a part of his cape around her before leading her to the wall, phasing through it.
'Yui!' Aika thought with panic. Tatara's eyes narrowed and he looked at his seed that suddenly grew vines. The vines went around Miboshi then.
"Oh no!" Miboshi shouted. Miboshi was brought in front of Tatara and stabbed by his own monster. The gold trinket fell and the monsters disappeared making Tatara and Miboshi fall to the ground.
"Tatara!" Tokaki shouted running over with Subaru. He then picked up his friend a bit. "Tatara, you have to hang on."
"Tokaki…Subaru…forgive me, the time has come for me to go to Heaven," Tatara said with a small smile.
"No, you fool! What are you saying?! We promised Suzuno ninety years ago that we would live together and die together!" Tokaki told him.
"Come on! We're going after the Priestess of Seiryuu!" Tasuki shouted running to the wall Nakago had gone through…only to crash into it.
"It turned back into a solid wall, ya know," Chichiri stated.
"I'm not surprised. You should have seen that coming, flame brain," Kurama laughed, finding Tasuki's pain hilarious. Tatara looked at Tamahome.
"You are Tamahome?" He asked earning a nod from the said man. "Even though we always knew we would be separated, Suzuno and I, the Priestess and I love each other, the same way you two now love each other. Though we had to part, though we would never be together again, we had no regrets. Even if she returned to her world, married another man and had children, if the woman I loved could be happy, then I could be happy. And I am. Our hearts had joined and so, even if she lived in a different world than mine, we really were together, always. Always. I would never let go of this feeling or my love for her."
"Tatara, we will always be together. Always," Suzuno had told him.
~0~
Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the client sat with the man while Shikamaru read from the book to the woman called Suzuno. The man's eyes widened as he looked at his grandmother Suzuno.
"Grandmother!"
~0~
Tatara closed his eyes as he died in his friend's Tokaki's arms. Aika frowned sadly as she looked down with Tamahome.
"Tatara," Tokaki's eyes widened.
"Tatara!" Subaru cried.
~0~
"She's gone," the man said making the ninjas and client frown. Their eyes suddenly widened when they looked over at the sliding doors. Naruto go up and slid the door open. That's when he saw a man with long dark hair and silver eyes. The others joined Naruto to see him.
"It's…it's Tatara! Then it's all true," the man said surprised.
"Tatara," a young woman said. They turned to see a teenage girl who had light brown hair in braided pig tails and blue eyes, wearing a blue school uniform. The client exclaimed in fear as he fell down. She smiled as she walked passed the others and over to Tatara who brought her into his arms. "Tatara!"
"Suzuno!" Tatara said holding her close. Naruto gave a small smile as Sasuke and Shikamaru watched them.
"It's all okay now. It took them so long, but they were always at peace. And even now, they're both so happy," Naruto said with tears.
"Naruto," Sasuke murmured. He placed a hand on his friends shoulder.
~0~
Miboshi's hand twitched as he opened his eyes. He then looked at Chiriko who was looking at Tatara. Miboshi grinned and concentrated on Chiriko. Chiriko then screamed making everyone look over at him with panic.
"Chiriko/Kit!" Tamahome and Kurama exclaimed.
"Chiriko, what's wrong?!" Chichiri asked.
"I am Miboshi of the Seiryuu Seven," Miboshi said from Chiriko's body. He then revealed brown eyes to the group. "And I hereby claim this body as my own," he cackled.
Kido: *Crying* N-now I know why you're upset.
Kida: *Anime tears* Tatara...Suzuno...y-you can finally be happy together...WAAAAAHHHHH!
Kido: *Hugs his sister* Let it out.
Kida: But I wanna kill that damn Miboshi!
Tamahome: I think we all do.
Kida: And we will! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and ignore the tear stains! Please favorite and comment!