Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ A Story Retold ❯ Chapter 4

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi. The original story and characters
belong to Yu Watase. Any characters that did not appear in the
original story are my own creation.

Warnings: The story picks up shortly after the last episode of the
series. If you haven't seen all of the series not only will the story
probably leave you confused, but it contains some major spoilers as
well. This story has nothing to do with the OVA.

Summary: Miaka and Yui discover that due to a change in the
constellations, the events of the Universe of the Four Gods have been
altered and now there are eight celestial warriors on each side! The
two girls must return back into the book in order to replay the events
and prevent a disaster. But upon arriving in the "Universe of the Four
Gods," Yui and Miaka were again separated. Yui, now staying at the
Kutou palace discovers that the changed events have affected her more
than she realized and she is faced with the hardest decision she has
ever had to make.

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A Story Retold: Chapter 4
By Katrina Kadabra

It had been a few weeks since Yui and Miaka had first come to "The
Universe of the Four Gods" again. Miaka was able to quickly locate
three of the other members of the Suzaku Seven, remembering their
exact whereabouts from the previous time they met: Nuriko, Tasuki, and
Mitsukake. Only Tamahome and Chiriko remained. She had tried
Tamahome's house, but his family said that he was out trying to earn
them some money. He'd been gone for a while, so they couldn't tell her
where to look for him. But did a beautiful girl like her happen to be
interested in being Tamahome's bride? Miaka blushed at the thought,
knowing all too well the truth behind their questions.

Then there was Chiriko. He was the member of Suzaku Seven that had
sort of come to them, rather than them locating him. So in regards to
where to search for him, Miaka was quite clueless. But she knew she
had to try. And she also had to attempt to find her friend Yui. She
still had no idea where Yui had gone to after they separated or what
had happened to her. If only she knew.


It was late morning; Yui had left her room to go bathe. It was one
thing she still found comfort in, as it seemed to relax her body. But
also, her stomach had been bothering her this morning. Actually, it
had been like that for several days now. Yui passed it off as
something she ate. She only hoped Nakago or Suboshi didn't notice,
else they'd be falling over themselves to help her. She didn't feel
like being the center of attention, especially when she knew full well
that Nakago only cared for her out of his concern for himself. At
least Suboshi's heart has in the right place. But someone had noticed
Yui's unusual behavior, and it was not Suboshi or Nakago.

"Toki, come here for a minute," Nakago ordered. Toki, the maid who was
instructed to care for and tend to
Yui's needs, quickly obeyed.

"Yes, Lord Nakago?" she asked, bowing respectfully.

"The priestess, how is she doing?"

"Her eminence seems lethargic lately." Nakago nodded.

"I noticed. I think she may be ill. Perhaps this is something brought
on by the Suzaku warriors." Toki shook her head.

"They do not even know that we have found our priestess yet, so I
would doubt that. " Nakago seemed to agree.

"Perhaps. But nevertheless, Lady Yui's health cannot be endangered.
Keep an eye on her for me, will you?"

"Of course, my lord."


Meanwhile, Yui was beginning to relax in the warm water. She laid her
head back and sighed. It felt good. At least few a short time, she
could put away the outside world. But the peace did not last long.
There was a light knocking on the door. Yui sat up.

"Lady Yui?" Toki's voice called out. "Are you about finished?"

"About yes," Yui answered, sitting up. The door opened and Toki
stepped in, but was careful to give Yui some privacy as she turned her
head to the side. Yui sighed as she stood out of the water. But Toki
she did not mind being around. She often shared her thoughts with her.
Her kind eyes and gentle smile always made her feel like she could
tell Toki anything. Much more of a friend than a servant.

"Nakago wanted to know how you are feeling," Toki said.

"A bit better. But I hope this illness wears off soon. I don't know...
my body feels different somehow and I can't say exactly what it is."
Toki nodded, a knowledgeable look on her face. Like she knew what the
future held, but couldn't say.

"I don't think this illness, as you call it, will leave so easily."

"Huh?" Yui looked up at her. "You know what this thing is?" Toki
sighed.

"It's a bit more complicated than you think," she said. "Finish your
bath and I'll talk to you about it in your chambers."


Yui finished bathing as quickly as possible, dried herself off, and
hurriedly tied the sash to her robe around her waist as she walked
into her room. Yui found Toki sitting in the corner and she anxiously
sat down next to her to listen.

"Okay, what is it?" Toki sighed.

"I hope you won't think me too forward, Lady Yui," she began. "But it
seems you've been feeling very different lately, perhaps excessively
tired." Yui nodded.

"Yes, that's true."

"And having an ill stomach in the morning?"

"Yes," Yui answered again, wondering where this was leading.

"And correct me if I'm wrong but you haven't been following your, how
do I put it delicately, womanly schedule this past month, have you?"
Yui was somewhat annoyed with these indirect answers. It still didn't
add up to her what everything meant.

"Yes, that's all right, but does any of it..." Just then Yui stopped
herself mid-sentence. The answer had come to her just as the inquiring
words left her mouth. All the characteristics Toki had listed, there
was only one thing they could all add up to. And only one response Yui
could give to it. "No," she whispered. "No. You can't possibly be
suggesting..." Toki nodded.

"It seems to be the only explanation I can think of. When there's
another human being inside of you, your body reacts to it." Yui
scoffed. The very idea was absurd. And even if it had potential for
truth, she wouldn't let herself believe it.

"Don't be ridiculous," she answered, with an almost defiant laugh.
"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard." But Toki was very
persistent.

"I'm quite serious, Lady Yui, and you know that I am. Your body is
trying to prepare itself for being a mother."

"Stop saying that!" Yui covered her ears. She wasn't going to stand
for this anymore. She stood up and walked over to sit on the bed, her
back facing Toki. "Just stop it!" Yui lowered her hands and buried her
face in them. She spoke again, but softer this time and mostly to
herself.

"If I'm going to be a mother, that means the only one who could
possibly be the father is..." Images from Yui's attack quickly flew
foremost to her mind. She saw herself running down that same street,
her legs flying as pure fear surged though her veins. But it was not
enough. One man had grabbed her from behind, pushed her to the ground
and held her still. Whenever she tried to call for help, he would hit
her in the face, leaving his friend open to abuse and torment her. Yui
didn't understand. Why couldn't they have killed her there? It would
have at least been the decent thing to do. Everything she now had
stored in her mind and in her heart; it tore at her very being to
remember it. And now what was this Toki was telling her? That terrible
man... that his offspring was living within her own body? That a being
that was the very product of that awful event was alive inside of her?
It couldn't be true... it couldn't.

"No!" Yui cried out and she fell onto the bed, burying her face in the
pillow as she began to sob without relent. Sympathetic, Toki came over
and gently began to rub Yui's shoulders in a meager effort to comfort
her. Yui turned her head to the side. She couldn't stand to look
anyone in the face right now. Only the words softly came to her lips.

"What am I... what am I going to do?" Toki shook her head.

"I'm afraid that's something you will have to decide on your own."


It was not long before news of Yui's expectancy reached Nakago's ears.
Thoughts raced through his mind. This was not how things were supposed
to happen. A child born to the priestess did not factor into his
plans.

"So how is she?" he asked Toki.

"Right now Lady Yui wants to be left alone to think about what to do,"
Toki answered.

"What to do?" Nakago asked. "That's simple enough. I'll concoct a
potion that will force the thing out of her." Toki narrowed her eyes.
Maybe she was overstepping her bounds, but at this point it did not
matter.

"That thing, as you so refer to it my lord, is another human being.
What's more, it is Lady Yui's child. You will not force anything upon
her that will endanger its life." Nakago grabbed Toki's by the wrist
and began to squeeze, not enough to hurt her, but enough to make clear
his strength and ability to crush her frail arm in his grip if he so
chose to do so.

"You have a fiery tongue, Toki," he said. "But don't worry. I don't
need to force anything. That child is the result of Lady Yui's rape,
and it is only a matter of time before she becomes disgusted with it
and will come begging me to help her."


Meanwhile, Yui sat in her room. She had not come out for days. She sat
studying some the material she had brought with her from her world,
now flipping through the pages of her human anatomy book. She was
hoping to find a chapter on human development. Yui knew full well that
Nakago could make a potion to cause a miscarriage, but she wanted to
be well informed before she made a decision like that. It was not
something she took lightly.

The chapter was not very informative, although a few things stood out
to Yui. The foundations of the brain were formed at twenty days
conceptual age, followed by the heart at twenty four.

Yui counted back the days since she arrived in Kutou. It had been over
three weeks. Did that mean that this child had thoughts or could feel
things like comfort and pain? How soon before its heart began to beat,
or was it doing so already long before she would feel anything? Yui
shook her head. Facts. The world was full of them, and they only
seemed to complicate things more. Yui only longed for a little control
in the situation. Why did she have to have to have a child? Why
couldn't it have just been her alone? Then maybe she could take her
life with a clear conscious. Now she had another life to think about,
one would depend on her completely to keep it sustained over the next
nine months. And it was this thought that weighed so heavily on Yui's
heart as she struggled with her decision.

"Miaka..." Yui said softly. "What should I do? Why aren't you here
with me? I'm so scared, Miaka..." The tears started coming to Yui's
eyes again; she had given up on trying to stop them. Just then, there
was a knock at the door and Yui quickly sat up and dried her eyes.
"Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me, Lady Yui," came Toki's voice. "I've brought you your
dinner."

"Come in," Yui answered. Toki entered with a tray of food which she
placed on the floor near Yui's bed. Yui eyed the food but made no
attempt to take any of it. She hadn't been hungry for at least a week.
She only ate before Nakago would pester her if she didn't.

"How are you?" Toki asked, sitting down.

"How do you think I am?" Yui snapped. Toki seemed startled, and Yui
sighed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to take it out on you.
But I'm so confused. I... I don't think I can do this." Toki was not
judgmental, which made Yui very happy. She simply sat a listening ear
and word of wisdom.

"What makes you say that?" she asked Yui simply.

"I'm barely in high school!" Yui exclaimed. "I can't have a child!"
Toki seemed a bit confused as to what a high school was, but she still
tried her best to understand.

"In our world, it's not at all unusual for young girls to start
bearing children when they are about your age."

"I'd wager they didn't meet the child's father in a city slum, did
they?" Yui said angrily. She felt herself starting to break down
again. Toki sighed and held Yui close to her. Her body was soft and
warm; it reminded Yui of her mother at home.

"I know," Toki said in a soothing voice. "Your body and heart... have
both had to grow up so quickly." Yui
straightened herself up and out of Toki's grasp.

"I can't go through with this," she announced. "I won't go through
with this."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not fair that I should live through this pain... when
other girls my age... when Miaka is still comfortable at home. It's
not fair..."

"You're right," said Toki. "It isn't fair. But neither is it fair for
a child to lose its life before it even has as chance to see the sun."
Yui refused to listen. She didn't want to hear arguing. She didn't
want to hear that she was wrong. Maybe a life would be lost, but it
wasn't her responsibility. She didn't ask for any of this to happen.
But perhaps... perhaps her little one didn't either. Yui shook her
head again. Everything was so confusing now, and the thoughts
colliding with each other in her mind were only exhausting her.

"Toki, please let be me for now," Yui said. "I need to think about
this." Toki nodded.

"Take all the time you need," she said, and with that she left,
closing the door softly behind her.


Yui came out to greet Nakago first thing the next morning. He seemed a
bit surprised to see her and rightfully so. She had not left her room
once in over eight days.

"Nakago," she said strictly.

"Yes?" Nakago asked, unsure of what to expect.

"You said you could make a potion to get this… thing out of my body?"
Nakago smiled and bowed.

"Of course Lady Yui. How soon would you like it?"

"As soon as you possibly can." Yui said sternly. She looked over
towards Toki, whose eyes read of disappointment or possibly even
betrayal. Yui tried to turn away; it hurt to look at Toki when her
eyes were like that.

Nakago fulfilled his promise to Yui that afternoon. Until then, she
kept herself shut tightly inside her room, not even opening the door
to Toki, who came to try and plead with her once more to change her
mind. But Yui would not listen. She would not even answer a word to
her. The decision had already been made, she would not be deterred
from it. Only when Nakago brought the promised concoction in a ceramic
bowl to her door did Yui crack it open.

Nakago tried to stay with Yui while she took the medication. But she
wouldn't have any of it. This was a difficult thing for her to do as
it was, and she didn't need Nakago there making it worse. She quickly
ushered him out of the room and locked the door behind him before
going to sit back on the bed again.

Yui looked down at the potion in her hands. It smelled of overtly
potent spices or herbs. The color was a thick olive green. For some
reason, Yui couldn't seem to stop her hands from shaking as she held
it. Finally, she managed to take a breath and get a hold of herself.
Gripping the bowl firmly, she slowly brought the rim up to her lips.

Nakago waited impatiently outside of Yui's room. As always, Toki was
at his side for the same reason. After several minutes, Yui finally
emerged. The bowl in her hands was empty. Toki's face fell when she
saw it, as if the last bit of hope for the world gone. Yui's eyes
still refused to make contact with anyone else's. She only faced
Nakago with a shadowed countenance and said softly but firmly.

"I've been thinking over the layout of this place."

"Yes?" Nakago asked confidently. Now that this was taken care of, any
other request Yui had would be simple. So he thought.

"I think the best place for a nursery would be right next to my room
so I have access it easily." Nakago's face was struck with shock.

"Nursery? Then you... But the potion." Yui nodded.

"I dumped it out. I'm sorry, Nakago. I know you wanted me to, but I
just couldn't bring myself to do it. But now I expect you to take
particularly good care of me these next several months. So perhaps you
should get to work as soon as you can."

Nakago did not stay to argue, he only left mumbling under his breath.
Yui breathed a sigh of relief. She had
purposefully waited all night to sit on her decision. But she only
kept coming back to the same thing. That man who had hurt her, he had
controlled her body. And up until now she had allowed him to control
her mind as well. But no more. Yui would not be a slave to the scars
he had left her with. She would not allow him to pit her against her
own child. Yui would try to be as good a mother as she could. She
didn't know much about it, but she felt she was starting off well.
Just then, Yui felt Toki's hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"No," Yui admitted. "I'm confused and sick and terrified by the whole
thing. But at least..." she placed her hand over her womb. "At least
there's someone there with me."
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