Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Atonement ❯ Chapter 1

Atonement

 

Chapter One

 

 

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi and the associated characters and settings do not belong to me. The plot and any original characters that may appear, however, do.

 

Author's Note: This fic basically ignores OVA 3, though it does keep the existence of Taka and Miaka's child, Hikari. Vol. 14-18 of the manga correspond to the second OVA, and I'll be referring more to the manga version than the OVA version of events.

 

In The Universe of The Four Gods timeline, six years have passed since the end of the second OVA. It's been four years for Miaka and Taka. Miaka is twenty, Taka is twenty-two, Tasuki is twenty-five, and Chichiri is thirty-two.

 

~*~

 

Night lay over Konan, stars gleaming in the sky like precious jewels scattered over black velvet. All was peaceful, as it had been for years, so perhaps the guards who stood watch at the palace of the young emperor could be forgiven for relaxing their vigilance.

 

Something with dark intent moved through the shadows, coming unseen into the room where once the Priestess of Suzaku had resided. The priestess was long gone, back in her own world, but the room had been kept as it was when last she used it, a shrine of sorts.

 

The guards who stood watch at the door never saw the being that slipped from the shadows and silently ended their lives. The creature searched the room and laughed when it found something that would serve its needs. A sock from another world, carelessly left behind by the priestess when she had packed her things for the trip to Hokkan. What a ridiculous object to be used for revenge. But then, the priestess had been a ridiculous girl, so perhaps it was fitting.

 

It closed its eyes, contacting one of its minions and sending it to the outskirts of Mt. Reikaku. The mountain was a sacred place, but the demon could still wait near it and provide a distraction.

 

The being knew things about the Celestial Warriors of Suzaku that they didn't know about themselves. Tamahome was the soul mate of the priestess, and their souls would always draw one another. They didn't know that Tasuki was the soul twin of Tamahome. With Tamahome in her world, the priestess would be drawn to Tasuki when she was brought back.

 

The being nodded in satisfaction and prepared the ornate brazier it had brought with it. It set the sock in front of the brazier and began chanting.

 

…

 

In another world, she who had been the Priestess of Suzaku gazed down at perfection. She reached down to gently caress her daughter's cheek, marveling anew at the softness of the little face that already looked so much like her beloved Taka in miniature. Her fingers shifted to comb through the soft, purple tinted brown hair, a merging of Taka's blue and her own auburn.

 

Beautiful gray eyes framed by long, dark lashes slowly flickered open. “Nigh', Mama,” the little girl murmured.

 

“Goodnight, Hikari,” Miaka whispered, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. She tucked her daughter in and quietly left the room.

 

“She's asleep already?” Taka asked in surprise, coming into the hallway from the front room.

 

Miaka grinned. “I helped her count her money.” Their daughter had inherited Taka's love of money and would collect and hoard any loose coins she happened to find. Though it had, Miaka reflected, led to Hikari's counting skills being far superior to any other normal child a month away from being two.

 

She moved toward Taka, then stopped and cried out, her eyes going wide as she was surrounded by a putrid green light. It wasn't the familiar red light of Suzaku, but she knew she was being taken once more into the Universe of the Four Gods. As she began to disappear, she reached up and grabbed the simple gold hoop earring in her right ear and ripped it out, tossing it on the ground outside of the light.

 

“Miaka!” Taka screamed. Then she was gone. “MIAKA!”

 

…

 

BANG! BANG! BANG!

 

Yui dropped her mystery novel with a choked off scream of surprise, badly startled by the sudden pounding on her door. She hurried to the door as the banging continued, joined by Taka's voice frantically calling her name.

 

“Taka, what's wrong?” she demanded as she flung the door open. Taka's gray eyes were wide with obvious distress. Hikari was in his arms, the little girl quietly crying. “Where's Miaka?”

 

“She's back in the book world, but I don't think it was Suzaku who took her this time,” he said, thrusting Hikari into the blonde woman's arms. He didn't have time to explain that the light had been the putrid green of a wound gone bad. “I have to go after her.”

 

Yui nodded once as her arms wrapped around her best friend's daughter. “I'll watch Hikari,” she said, wishing there was more she could do.

 

“Thank you, Yui,” he breathed, hugging her close. Then he kissed Hikari on the cheek. “I have go get Mama, Kari. Yui will take care of you while I'm gone, sweetie.”

 

It hurt to turn away from her as she cried, calling for him, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to get Miaka back, and he wouldn't expose his little girl to the dangers of The Universe of the Four Gods.

 

“Wait, Taka!” Yui exclaimed. She put Hikari down and ripped away part of her own sleeve, handing it to Taka. “Now there's a connection between us, so you can keep in touch with this world.”

 

He nodded his gratitude and pulled Miaka's earring from his pocket, concentrating on it. A red glow surrounded him, and then he was gone, leaving Yui to comfort his crying daughter.

 

“It's okay, little one,” Yui whispered, hugging Hikari tight. They'll be back. They always come back.”

 

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Ending Author's Notes: Yeah, I know, really short chapter, but that's where it wanted to end, and fleshing out what I've already got seemed like it would have been needless padding. The soul twin thing is my explanation of why Miaka and Taka kept landing on Tasuki in the second OVA. It also plays a major role in this story and is explained in greater detail later on.