Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Yuugi- Priestess of Byakko ❯ The Legend Begins and Continues ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The girl looked around the large empty room, her green eyes taking everything in. There was a lot of work to do at this new place, but she was used to that. With her father in the occupation he was in, she and her family were used to moving around. From the open window she could hear the moving van pull up, the beep resonating through the quiet neighborhood. It was a lot quieter than the other places they had been. The good thing was the school was right down the block. She sighed, her eyes drooping a bit at the thought of school. She had entrance exams coming up...but she had no clue where to apply to. Maybe somewhere nearby....or maybe even somewhere far away. It didn't really matter.

"Suzuno!" She heard her father call her and ran down the stairs. "What is it, father?" The elderly man smiled at her as he unpacked a box that had just been brought in. "Your things are here. Go on up and start unpacking."

Suzuno made a face. "What for?" She snapped and went back upstairs. It wasn't too long after that the men began moving box after box into her room, most of them marked 'books'.

"Do you read a lot?" One of the men asked, placing rather heavy box down. Suzuno smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. I love to read...it takes me away from this world and into another of imagination." Her gentle eyes shined with interest. The mover chuckled and shook his head, walking from the room. "Women reading..." The girl caught his muttering and stuck her tongue out at him. With a smile she began unpacking her books in the bookshelves that had been placed by the men. She wanted a new one...maybe she would raid her father's collection...

That was the night when the dreams started. Flames....Ice....Wind....Light.... A white tiger stood before her, its fangs bared and dripping saliva as it growled. Suzuno stared at the creature in frightened awe. She moved a step closer, then stopped as the animal roared, swiping its claws at her. She winced as the razor sharp weapons grazed her leg. Warm blood trickled down her leg, pooling on the floor. It was then, a man stood before her, his long dark brown hair flowing dramatically behind him. He glanced behind him, his black eyes pinning Suzuno on the spot. Who was this man? He smiled softly, and the girl felt heat rise to her cheeks and looked away. He was so good looking....

The tiger snarled again, swiping again with its massive paw. Suzuno watched in horror as the man simply stared at the animal, his hand out before him. In his palm there was a single, tiny seed. The man closed his eyes, and Suzuno gasped as a white mark blazed from the back of his hand. The seed magically grew, a thick vine sprouting from its shell. In no time, the tiger was wrapped in this vine, snarling and roaring. The thorns vut into the flesh of the animal, staining its magnificent coat a dark red. Suzuno gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"No..." she whispered. Such an beautiful animal..."Stop!" She cried, running to the man, grabbing his arm. The man stared at her, his perfect mouth open in shock. "Let it go..." The girl whispered, tears threatening to fall. "Please...don't hurt it anymore..."

Her heart hurt for the poor tiger. With a small smile, the man held his hand out. The vine pulled away from the tiger, retracting into the small seed. The animal watched them with intense, knowledgeable eyes. With a nod of its head, it loped away, disappearing into the darkness. Suzuno stared at the spot where the animal was, a genlt smile on her face. She was glad. She hated to see things suffer.

She jumped when a hand grabbed her shoulder. Looking up at the strange man, she furrowed her brow. His mouth was moving, and he looked startled, but she couldn't hear a thing. She tried to make out what he was saying, but everything was going blurry. Finally, she was pulled into the land of the waking, er alarm going off by her head.

The girl started and practically leapt from the bed. She glanced at her clock and groaned. She wanted to sleep more. She laid back down and tried to go back to sleep, but every time her eyes closed, she thought of that man. She blushed and stared at the ceiling. Who was he? He was so handsome....and so tall. And how did he control that vine? With a heavy sigh the girl rose from her bed and began her preperations for the start of another day.
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Outa Ohsugi sat at the kitchen table, his back hunched, his head down. Suzuno stopped and stared at him for a moment. "Father?" She called softly. The man didn't move. Fearfully she crept forward until she stood beside her father. In his hands he held what looked like a letter tightly, his body shaking. "Father...what's wrong?" Suzuno's eyes went to the letter, and she gasped as she read the part that was visible. 'Will kill my daughter, and then mysef,' it read. Who was this? Who had sent this to her father? "Father..."

Finally the man sat up, his eyes red from obvious tears. "Suzuno....your friend Takiko is dead."

Suzuno stared at her father and she felt her world shatter. Her friend....Takiko was....Tears gathered in her eyes and fell down her face. "H-How?" She asked, her hands curled into tight fists. Her father shook his head. "It's not something for you to know....just mourn your friend the way you knew her." The man aburptly stood from the table and walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers. Suzuno looked at him. How could he be so cold? How could she simply go on without knowing how one of her friends had died so suddenly?

Shaking her head she went after her father, catching him before he entered his study. "Father! Tell me how Takiko died!" The man was silent, his hand on the doorknob. "No." Was all he said and he turned the knob and opened the door. It was then Suzuno noticed a book in his hand. It's binding was old and worn, and the cover looked aas if it had been born.

"Father...that book..." The man turned to quickly Suzuno had't even realized he had moved until he grabbed her uniform, almost lifting her from the floor. "Do not even look at this book!" He yelled, his eyes wide with panic. The girl stared fearfully into her father's eyes, her breath coming in short gasps. "Father.." she whispered. The man gave her a shake. "Do you understand me!? I don't want you anywhere near this book!"

Slowly the girl nodded and her father calmed down enough to place her back on the floor. Taking a few calming breaths he turned from her, his posture defeated. "You have school today. Go, and forget about this book." He didn't turn to face her, before he disappeared into his study. Suzuno stared at the now closed door in shock. Go to school....how could she possibly concentrate on her schoolwork when she had just found out....With a sob she fled from the hallway, flying up the stairs. Once in her room she flung herself on her bed and wept, sobbing and screaming. In the midst of her sorrow, she never heard her father peek in then go downstairs.

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Suzuno , exhausted from her tears and rage woke from a deep, dreamless sleep. Her room was dark, the open curtains allowing the dim light of the moon to shine through. Slowly she got up and went to window, staring up at the crescent moon. She still couldn't believe Takiko was.... At the thought her throat closed up and tears threatened to fall. She had to find out how! With determination the girl left her room. She was going to confront her father once more. She deserved to know how and why her best friend had died.

She searched the house for him, but there was no sign of him. Had he gone out? Perhaps he was in his study? Nodding the girl walked to the closed door. She expected to find it locked, but was surprised when the door opened easily for her. "Father always locks his rooms..." she muttered aloud. "Father?" She called into the room, but silence was her answer.

Taking a steadying breath the girl walked further into the dark room. She found the light switch on the wall and flipped it. The room was completely empty. Clenching her fists the girl ventured deeper into the room. Shelves upon shelves were packed with books from all different countries and different topics. In the middle fo the great room sat her father's desk, its owk wood polished and shining. As she walked towards it, she saw that book. Her father had warned her to stay away from it... but he was holding it when he recieved the letter.

Maybe it had something to do with Takiko's death? Slowly she made her way to the desk. As she neard she could feel something stirring within her. Almost as if something was calling her closer and closer to the worn, old book. As she neared it, she could tell someone had tried to burn it, but failed. With shaking hands she reached for the book. As soon as her fingertips touched it, she heard the roaring of a tiger. Snatching her hand back, she held it to her chest. The tips of her fingers were red and blistered.

Frowning she stared at the book as she rounded her father's desk. Sitting in the large chair she reached for the book again,but the letter caught her attention. Slolwy her eyes skimmed over the neatly written pages and tears came to her eyes. "Takiko...was pulled into the book...to become the priestess of....Genbu?" How was that possible? A book couldn't do that!

Sighing she picked the small, tattered book up and opened it. "Father said Einosuke hadn't been the same since he went to China," she mumbled. Sadness welled up from her heart at the thought of her friend. She couldn't believe she was gone... She stared at the burned pages, then looked at her hand. It was if the flames had stayed in the book, to punish the next human to touch it. Maybe this would give her answers....her father seemed very strange about this book.Leaning her arm on the desk she began to read aloud:

"Herein contains the tale of a young lady and quest to gather the seven constellations of Baykko together." She cocked an eyebrow. Byakko? Her eyes moved over the desk until she spotted what looked like a chart. Curiousity getting the best of her, she pulled the paper from under the pile of books and gasped.

"The four beast gods of Chinese folk lore are said to be the protectors of the four realms. Each beast god, under their respective jurisdiction hold seven stars under their power. These are known as the Seven constellations of the warriors. The beasts names are as thus; Suzaku, the pheonix of the South, god of fire, Seiryu, the Dragon of the East, ruler of Ice, Genbu, the turtle of the North, god of Water, and in the West rules Byakko, the tiger god of Light.

"These are the rulers of the Universe, known as the four gods." She half closed the book to read the title. "The Universe of the four gods...." she whispered. She moved down the cover and gasped. "Japanese translations by....Einosuke Okuda?" She gasped. "Takiko's father...He translated this book....and then sent it along with that letter? What happened?"

Now with a determined mind she opened the book once more and continued reading. "And if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the herione and grant you your wish." She stared at the words. That was it? There were only those words on the page. She flipped through the book and found nothing but blank pages. She moved the lamp to see the book better. It was so dim...She squinted at the page before her then jumped back.

"The words...are writing themselves?" Her body shook as she watched the sentence finish itself. "The priestess studied the charts and maps of the stars as she read from the Universe of the Four Gods.... wait... didn't I just...?" She leaned forward and stared at the words. How was this possible? How could words write themselves? "Suzuno!" Her father's voice brought her back from her thoughts. The girl jumped from the chair and stared at her father. His eyes focused on her face, angry and dark, his mouth a thin line.

"F-father..." she whispered.

The man clenched his fists and his body shook. "Get away from the book..." he whispered, rage making his voice go no louder. Suzuno stayed where she was, as if glued to the spot. "M-my body..." she gasped, staring down at the book. "I can't move..."

Her head flew to her father who let out a wail. As if in slow motion the man ran towards her, a look of sheer panic and disbelief on his face. White light burst from the binding of the open book, engulfing Suzuno in it's brightness. Finally able to move, she held her hand out to her father.

"FATHER!" She screamed. Slowly the room began fading in the light, and the last thing she saw was her father's crying face before everything went black.