Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Gems of Blue ❯ Moonstone ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Chapter 11: Moonstone

Lapis woke to pounding on the door of Nakago's bedchamber. She quickly rose and dressed.
She was amazed that Tsuyomi was still asleep. Tsuyomi was whining and fussing in his sleep.
"No, stop papa. That no good, papa."
Lapis tied to wake her son, to no avail. The spell Nakago had placed on the toddler had not worn off.
Lapis found her daggers near the side of the room. She buried Tsuyomi among pillows and waited at the door.
As the pounding continued, a voice came over the noise. "Who's in there? Come out right now!"
"It is Lapis, and I will kill anyone who comes through this door."
"Where is Lord Nakago!"
"He is not here."
"You are lying! These are Nakago's rooms, he is nowhere else in the palace!" The soldiers said as they broke through the door.
Lapis slashed at a few of them, but was quickly overwhelmed. She dropped her weapons and rushed to grab Tsuyomi. One of the soldiers got to the toddler first.
"Leave him alone you dogs!"
"We need to take these two scavengers to the throne room. The prince ordered to take all looters alive."
"Papa, no. " Tsuyomi said in his nightmare filled slumber.
Lapis felt completely defeated and betrayed. The soldiers carried off Tsuyomi and debated what to do with Lapis.


Lazuli sat on the steps below the throne as the soldiers brought Tsuyomi into the room.
"Here, give that child to me!" He shouted as various looters were being rounded up, "Where is Tsuyomi's mother?"
"The rest of the soldiers were supposed to be bringing her just behind us. They must have found more looters."
"You fools! If they lay one hair on my sister, I will have all of your heads, do you hear!"
"Yes sir, we did not know who they were, only that they had been barricaded in Lord Nakago's bedchamber."
"Idiots! Where else would they be?" Lazuli shouted as he had the guard lead him down the hall, "She is one of Nakago's wives !"
Lazuli stopped when he saw soldiers dragging Lapis down the hall.
"We got this one, Your Grace. This sweet one put up a fight."
"What did you do to her, you stupid fools! Can't you tell at least by her hair color that she is my sister! Why did my brother put up with such stupidity?"
"Where should we take her?"
"To the shrine of Seriyu. She was there mourning her sister-wife when she fled from you idiots. Let her continue to mourn. You shall treat the princess' wounds as well, while you pray for forgiveness for treating her, and any other looters you have found, so badly."
"Yes sir!"


Lapis felt relieved when Lazuli said that he would look after Tsuyomi while she held her vigil. Nakago had disappeared. As day turned to evening and to night, there was still no trace of where Nakago went.
Tsuyomi continued in his fitful sleep, unable to wake.
Lapis continued to pray to Seriyu. She hoped her prayers would reach the god that her people had forsaken. She hoped that Tenkou was not listening. As the sun reached it's peak the next day, Lapis was still on her knees before the broken statue.
"Oh please Seriyu, watch over Nakago. Make him strong enough to overcome. Forgive me for loving him more than a sister should. Let him have my strength. It does not matter if he still loves me or not, bring him back here to me."
"Lapis, you need to rest and eat something." Lazuli said as he walked into the shrine.
"Not until Nakago is home. I understand now. He has gone to do one of two things. Either he will become a god, or he will die. Either way will signal the freedom from over two hundred years of treachery spawned from selfish Kutou emperors."
"I hope he dies." Lazuli muttered. "At least get dressed as a lady fitting your station. You do not deserve to be dresses in beggars rags."
"I will not leave until Nakago returns."
"Then I will send attendants in her to you."
Lapis lifted her chin and turned her head to look at her brother. Lazuli was dressed in fine imperial robes. Detailed depictions of dragons were sown in gold thread at the hem of his dark blue, outer robes. A circular rendition of a dragon eating its tail was on the chest of his light blue, inner robe. This dragon was detailed in gold, dark blue and silver.
A jeweled sword hung at his hip.
Most of his blonde hair has been gathered back into a gold and blue topknot, the ends curled. At each of his temples, were three braids, covered with moonstone beads. On the middle braid on his left temple, was a grouping of colorful feathers, signifying his birth as a noble of the wandering tribes.
A simple circlet wad on his head to signal his sovereignty in the Kutou court. It accentuated Lazuli's facial scar, but the prince did not seem to mind.
He wore the Hin signet on his right ring finger, and the signet of the Kutou crown in his right index finger.
Lapis could not help but laugh. "You look silly."
"I am Prince and Regent until Nakago gets back. I need to look the part."
"Very well. Let the servants in to dress me here. Close the door after you when you leave."
"Since when are you so modest?"
"Since my brother decided to dress like that. How is Tsuyomi? You did not dress him up too?"
Lazuli sighed. "He has still not woke from his nightmare. And, yes, I dressed him up as a prince. I had to keep all these stupid merchants busy until Nakago returns." He turned, signaled for the servants to enter the shrine, and left.


"Your Grace, it has been three days and your brother has not returned. How long are we to wait? I have merchandise that needs to be traded in Sairo!"
"Yes, when is your brother going to return and take his place?"
Lazuli rolled his eyes at the merchants as he sat on the repaired Kutou throne. "Gentlemen. I am certain he will be back soon. I have men looking for him. I fear he may be in the hands of Konan right now. Until the Empress of Konan and her advisors are finished with their mourning, I can not enter negotiations. I can say that I have trustworthy friends in Konan. If he is there, I should have word shortly."
"Yes, that is all well and good, Your Grace, but what about our businesses?"
"Send word for representatives. If they can get here before my brother returns, you are free to go."
"Thank You, Your Grace."
Lazuli looked over at Gallrus, now dressed as a royal advisor, and sighed. "Is there any sign of Nakago?"
"No, Your Grace. The last report any of the men gave was when he carried Tsuyomi and led Lapis into his chambers."
Lazuli looked over to a group of pillows carefully arranged next to the throne. Tsuyomi lay on the pillows in his fitful sleep. Lazuli was wary to let the toddler out of his sight. "You know where your papa is, don't you?" he whispered.


Lapis screamed as a blue mist swirled next to her. Blood pooled around her knees and ruined the fine, light blue, silk kimono that Lazuli insisted she be dressed in while she kept her vigil.
The mist slowly formed into a body. It was Nakago, a fist shaped hole through his chest.
Servants rushed in to see what was wrong. They saw the blood and Lapis covering the body and crying. "Get to the throne room and inform His Grace right away!"
Lapis refused to let the servants touch her or Nakago's body. "Get out! You hear me! This is for me and me alone to endure! Get out I say!"
The wary servants quickly did as Lapis had asked.
"You childish fool! Why did you have to be such a child, chasing revenge?" She said through her tears.
She wiped the blood away from her cheek looked at his face. "You look so peaceful now. Are you free now? I wish you could tell me." Lapis leaned over and kissed his cold lips and forehead. She ran her fingers through his hair.
Nakago looked down at the woman dressed in the manner of a Kutou Princess. He saw the blood ruining her clothes and heard her words and tears. "Who does she mourn?" When the woman rose, he realized he was looking down at his own body. It was Lapis who was mourning him.
"She can not see you." A voice came from behind Nakago. It was Soi. Her spirit was dressed in a similar manner to the clothing Lapis was wearing.
"Why does she mourn for me? She is a smart girl. She knows full well that I was using her."
"Because, she knew, and still loved you. In that way, my love, she was much smarter than I was. She left you, because she cared too much. She did not want her emotions to rule her."
"All I could expect from my sister, and more. I was terrible to you and to her, yet, you both loved me."
"Now it is time to give back what you stole from her." Another voice said.
The third spirit was dressed in old style Kutou imperial robes.
"Who are you?"
"The only one who could have averted this. I am Hachimiyo. If I had not been a fool, your mother would yet live, Nakago. You will give your sister, my great grand-daughter, the strength back to do what she needs to do."
"What do you mean, your great grand-daughter?"
"I had a Hin concubine whom I set free, because I loved her. She had a young daughter by her former husband. Her former husband had been her half brother. I found it sickening that she would subject herself to that. But, I also knew that her daughter was in danger. I could not take Aoi from her child, no matter who the parent was. I did not know she had given me a daughter until years later. By that time, I had a son, Hebishoru, who was nearing adulthood. I had no idea he would be as he was, or I would have sent him away."
"My grandmother was your concubine? You knew my mother?"
"Yes, Nakago. She was a sweet and wonderful child."
The three spirits looked down at Lapis as she continued to cry. Lapis crossed the arms of Nakago's body across his chest. She kissed the body's forehead, eyes and lips. "Goodbye husband."
"Nakago, you must do it now." Hachimiyo said.
Nakago's spirit stood behind Lapis and tried to put his hands on her shoulders. They passed on through her.
"How? I am dead."
"Whisper in her ear, so she can see you, then give her back the ki you stole."
Nakago did not like the helplessness he felt, but he did as Hachimiyo asked. Lapis turned and saw Nakago's spirit.
"Mourn for me no more. It is done. I understand now." Nakago said as a faint white light went from his hand to hers. Lapis felt her strength returning to her.
"Nakago. Tsunomi has not woke since you put him to sleep. He will die if he does not wake."
The eyes on Nakago's spirit went wide. He had never cast a spell on a toddler before and did not know the extent of the effect. "I will go wake my son. Goodbye, Lapis."
Slowly the spirits of Soi and Hachimiyo became clear to Lapis.
"Lapis, sister. I will give you the remainder of my strength as well. You were always so good to me." A faint white light left Soi and entered Lapis. "Goodbye sister" Soi said as she faded away.
"Who are you?"
"I am Hachimiyo. I am here to give you the last task. You are to heal Seriyu."
Hachimiyo's hands revealed a red scroll. He set the scroll onto the floor and stepped back. "Take the gem from out of your bolas. Open the scroll and read it. All will be done after that."


The throne room was a flurry of activity.
"Prince Lazuli! What are we to do now that Emperor Nakago is dead, the babe has still not awakened. Even so, he is much too young. Should we defer to the dowager empress?"
"No." Lazuli said. "The new Emperor was chosen long ago, by Seriyu himself. It was not Nakago. As long as he lived, I needed him to validate my claim." Lazuli slowly opened his robes so that it revealed his chest. The birthmark on Lazuli's chest was clear. Over Lazuli's heart was the image of Seriyu.
"I am the Seriyu King."
"Hail uncle!" Tsuyomi said as he stood and rubbed his eyes.
"Tsuyomi! You are awake!"


Lapis cut away the protective leather covering to reveal the huge sapphire. Over the three years of running, she had nearly forgotten that she had the gem.
She placed the gem in front of the head of Seriyu's statue.
As Lapis unrolled and read the scroll, she could feel power course through her body. "I, as the healer, release Seriyu from the bond Suzaku has placed upon him. Furthermore, the power stolen by the evil demon, Tenkou shall be returned, through this vessel."
Slowly, blue light surrounded Lapis. She was lifted into the air in a bubble of lightening, much like what had happened to Lazuli weeks earlier. Her body was racked with pain as lightening flowed around the bubble.
The stones of the statue slowly started reforming themselves until the statue was whole.
The pose of the statue was no longer in that of an attack position, but in a defensive pose.
The sapphire eye rose into the air and placed itself in the newly formed statue.
Lapis screamed as she felt something being pulled from her.
Next to the globe where she floated, a swirl of blue light wound in upon itself and hardened. The newly formed sapphire placed itself in the other eye of the statue.
The human form of Seriyu took the globe in his hands. He lowered Lapis to the ground and dissipated the globe. "You have done well." He disappeared.
Lapis lay shaking and unconscious. Her kimono had opened, revealing a symbol on her chest above her heart. It resembled a figure 8. Four blue moon shapes.
The ancient, holy symbol was known as the sign of four. It was said among those of the Wandering Tribes that only those with the birthmark knew the location of The Palace Where Four Rule Peacefully .
The doors to the shrine opened.
All who ran inside to aid Lapis were amazed at the miracle. The ruined temple had been completely repaired and cleaned. The bodies of Soi and Nakago were wrapped in funeral clothing and placed on biers to be taken to be entombed.
"Lapis!" Lazuli yelled as he saw and felt the energy running through her. "Get her to Nakago's room! They are hers now by right! Healers! tend to her!"


A week later, Lazuli was officially crowed the First of the Hin Emperors. Lazuli's first edicts were for the benefit of the people. He reduced the army, and increased aid to the poor.
Lapis and Tsunomi were proud of him. They knew that Lazuli would be a good Emperor.
"It is time for me to leave, brother. Tsunomi be good for your uncle."
"I will, momma."
"Where will you go?"
"I have the sign of the four on my chest. I am a keeper of the secret temple, The Palace Where Four Rule Peacefully. Tsuyomi will come to me when he is old enough. There is much he needs to learn here before he comes. Goodbye, for now, my brother."
"We will miss you. Do you know when you will return?"
"Three years. When Tenkou is finally vanquished."


- After word - Five Years Later-

"Hey Genrou, are you back for good this time? Lazuli and the Empress are sharing a wealth of peace. That Tenkou guy is dead. Can you think you can handle these guys for a while."
"You are an idiot, Kouji. You know you will never find her."
"I gotta give it a shot. Besides, I have been wanting to see what that temple looks like."
"After all this time and you still got the hots for Lapis huh?"
"As long as I got this scar I can't forget her. My feelings ain't changed. She must be lonely all alone in that place."
"Alright, go. But, if you run into trouble, don't hesitate to send a note."
"See you later, Genrou!"
"Bye old buddy!" Genrou said. "One more good guy off on his own. Damn it. I hate girls."

The End