Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ I'll Be There ❯ Chapter 1

Author's note: First of all, though I wish I did, I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. That out of the way… This story is a Tasuki x Miaka fic. Die hard Tamahome fans, read at your own discretion. You have been warned. I can't say anymore else I'll spoil it.

I'll Be There

Chapter One

Miaka rushed out the door books in hand and buttered toast in her mouth as she bolted to catch the bus. Luck was with her this morning as she reached the bus stop just in time to see it pull over to the curb. There was Taka standing at the curb, waiting to catch his beloved there before they both headed off to school. Miaka gobbled down her toast the rain over to him.

"Taka! I made it! For once I'm here on time!" Miaka said gleefully as he gave him a huge hug and mushy kiss. He chuckled and kissed her back.

"So you did. You'd better hurry else you'll miss the bus anyway," he said giving her a huge hug.

"Okay! Okay! See you later, Taka! Love you!" she said as she gave him one last hug and kiss then ran off to step onto the bus.

"Love you too Miaka. Have a good day," Taka called after her. She grinned and waved back at him then climbed on the bus. The doors shut behind her and with that the bus was off and rolling down the street. Taka sighed happily then turned and walked down the street to where his red Honda Prelude was and climbed inside. He shut the door, fastened his seatbelt, turned the key in the ignition, then put it into gear and drove off down the road on his way to campus to start his first class of the day.

Night had fallen on the Konan Empire and slowly the bright almost full moon rose in the sky to bathe the land in its ambient rays of silver. Inside the Mt. Leikaku stronghold, the bandits feasted as they unwound from another successful day of raiding. Three roasted boars provided more food than the men could stuff in their bellies and the keg of sake they stole earlier that day provided fuel for another sake chug-a-lug party.

Genrou and Kouji sat in their chairs in the den watching a fist fight between two of the drunken bandits as they let their food settle a bit in their stomachs.

"Man… this is the LIFE!" Kouji chuckled as he took a drink from his tankard of rice wine.

"Hell yeah! Nothin better!" Genrou said with a sparkling fanged grin and a sort of bad boy glow in his beady amber eyes. Everything about him said that he was having a blast like everyone else in the room, but deep inside…he knew he wasn't.

Ever since Miaka and Taka had returned to Miaka's world and Tasuki to his life and duties at Mt. Leikaku life had been that way. At first, his melancholy was quite visible and Kouji hounded him forever to speak up about what was bothering him. A few times Genrou would throw out a pathetic story like he was just stressed out from business or it was a side effect of the sake or it was the weather or he didn't find something of interest on a raid. Just enough of an excuse the Kouji would back down and leave him alone about it a little longer. But as time went on, Genrou learned how to hide the cloud in his heart behind a cheerful façade much the way Chichiri had done with his mask. And after a while people stopped noticing his depression all together.

Life went on and Genrou made the best of it. He sat drinking his sake and acting like an idiot along with the rest of the group until everyone had either passed out drunk or gone to bed. It was then that he took his leave and stepped outside for a while to be by himself and put his shields down for a while.

Once outside the stronghold, he strolled along a small winding foot path like he did every night and wound up at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the plain to the east that was the better tamed portion of Konan. He took in a deep breath and sighed heavily as he sat down on a rock and leaded back against another rock draping his arms over his folded upright knees. There, he sat quietly looking out over the land as the moon bathed him in silver and a gentle breeze caressed his somber face.

From the day he first met her, Miaka had held a special place in his heart. That was the flame that drove him to fight so hard to protect this girl. Not just because she was the Suzaku no Miko and he was a seishi sworn to protect her, but also because she was the beat in his heart. If something ever happened to her, he would most certainly perish.

For along time, he had fought with Tamahome to try and win Miaka. But eventually, he came to realize she was a girl of a loyal heart. And her heart belonged to Tamahome. Not him. It broke his heart to let her go, but he knew he must. Her happiness was far more important than his. And if it was Tamahome that made her happiest, then by all means, he should be the one to have her. However, now that Miaka had returned to her own world along with Tamahome, who was now Taka, Tasuki couldn't even see her anymore. It was that, far beyond having to forget his own needs for her hers, but not even being able to see her every now and again… not even to say hi… or send her a little something on her birthday… even as a friend…. It was that that was slowly killing him from within. And the fact that there wasn't anything he could do about it scared the living hell out of him.

Miaka sat in her first period class trying her best to pay attention to the teacher despite her stomach's screaming its need for food. She sighed as the seconds seemed to pass like hours and the teacher lectured with no end in sight. Then, suddenly, some strange feeling of foreboding intuition crept into her stomach and began twisting it into knots.

Miaka's eyes widened as she turned her attention inward, trying to figure out what in the name of Suzaku was making her feel so bad. Somehow…something was telling her things suddenly weren't right. Deep in her being intuition told her something really bad had just taken place and a lump formed in her throat. Then, the sound of her teacher's voice drug her out of her reverie.

"Miaka… Are you paying attention? You better not be daydreaming again. Your grades are bad enough as it is. You know very well if you get another failing test grade on your record, you aren't going to be passing this class. Would you like to take it all over again next year? Would you like to be held back a grade and not graduate with the rest of your friends?" the teacher said smoothly with her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot on the floor.

"N-no.. Yamimoto-san. Gomen nasai," Miaka piped up quickly, though her face still registered the extremely bad feeling in her gut. The teacher perceived it as guilt and turned back around to return to the board and her lecture on the Japanese Civil War.

Genrou sat there staring out at the moon and the stars and the land spread out beyond the cliff for an hour or so, then he sighed and slowly stood up. Quietly, he turned and solemnly sauntered back to the stronghold. Inside, he weaved his way through the halls till he reached the room that he and Kouji shared. He pushed open the door, careful not to wake the other bandit and walked in, shutting it quietly behind him. After pulling off his jacket and boots he climbed into bed and tried to go to sleep.

Miaka sat in her seat, trying her best pay attention and ignore the nausea in her stomach and the lump in her throat till class was over. It was all she to do to keep focused on the lecture. Then, two thirds of the way through the hour and a half long class, the intercom bleeped to life.

"Gomen nasai, Yamimoto-san. But could you please send Miaka Yuuki to the office please. We have an urgent message waiting here for her," the lady on the intercom said.

"Hai. She is on her way," Mrs. Yamimoto, replied. The intercom bleeped off. "Make it fast Yuuki. We have some important things to cover today that you can't miss."

"Yes, ma'am," Miaka nodded and quickly grabbed her purse and bolted from the room. Mrs. Yamimoto shook her head then returned to her lecture.

Miaka arrived at the office in record time and tapped the counter to get the receptionist's attention.

"You have a message for me?" she said a little impatiently. The receptionist nodded.

"Hai. There is an officer waiting out front to talk to you. He says it's a matter of urgency," the lady replied.

"Arigato!" Miaka piped then practically ran out of the office.

A minute later, Miaka arrived out front and approached the police officer standing there waiting for her.

"Are you Miaka Yuuki?" he asked as she approached.

"Yes, I am," she answered. "It's… about Taka, isn't it?" she said, speaking the ominous feeling tearing through her deep inside her heart. The officer sighed and nodded.

"Yes. It is. There was an accident a little over half an hour ago. Taka was broad sided by a semi. The driver of the semi was drunk and was speeding. By the time he saw the car and the red light, it was too late." The officer sighed again with sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry to have to say this, ma'am but… The semi made mince meat of the car. Taka hadn't a chance."

Miaka's eyes went wide as she heard this and tears quickly welled up within them. "He…he's…dead?" she whispered in total shock, trying to deny it yet she knew in her heart it was true. The officer confirmed it by nodding his head. Miaka cringed and shrieked as she realized her worst nightmare had come true. Her screams echoed and reverberated through the air in an icy horrid crystalline way.

Yui was sitting in class a room just next to the entrance hall when she heard her friend's scream cut through the air. Without a moment's thought, she rushed out of the room and made her way outside to see what was wrong.

"Miaka!" she said with a worried face as she rushed to her best friend's side. "What happened? What's wrong?" she spat out quickly.

"It.. it's Taka!" Miaka said gritting her teeth as tears poured from her eyes. Yui blinked.

"What about Taka?"

"He…he…he's gone! Some asshole drunk driver in a semi t-boned the Prelude and…and…" Miaka blurted out then sobbed, unable to finish. Yui gasped and held her friend tight.

"Oh my god Miaka! I'm so sorry!" she said with tears of her own. Miaka shuddered as waves of emotion rushed through her body and her legs gave way. Yui tried to hold onto her but they both toppled to the cement. Yui closed her arms around her best friend as tight she could muster as Miaka screamed and sobbed her heart out.

Yui looked up at the officer who stared at the ground solemnly. "Where do we need to meet you?" she said using her brain as always.

"111th precinct when you get a chance to get over there. Take your time," the officer said. Yui nodded and the officer spun around on his heels, returning to his car and driving away.

End note: I'll try to get more written and posted as soon as I can. I'd love to hear feedback. [Penguine@obasaian_affair.zzn.com] But please be gentle. This is my first time writing a Fushigi Yuugi fic so give me some slack. I also apologize for doing that to poor Tamakins but I've had this idea in my mind for a while and just had to right it. Besides that, life is unpredictable and you never know what can happen next.