Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ In Dreams ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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

Disclaimer: I own no Fushigi Yuugi Chararcters, Places or Ideas.



Mark sighed as he leaned in his window box, looking down at the little black and white car that was driving away. The song "Someday" pounded in the background of his thoughts as he wondered what was going to happen to him now. Everyone blamed him for her disappearance. The letter didn't matter at this point. The pictures of the two of them that he had had were bad enough. Everyone look at him with scorn now. Jennifer's half brother Alex now ever went so far as to break into tears every time that he was around. As if his own guilt wasn't enough. He sighed. The poor kid, he really couldn't blame Alex. Tj, Jenn's older brother, had never liked him, so he had been telling Alex that he had murdered his sister. Of course, he was also telling his "suspicions" to the police who already thought that he had something to do with it.

He leaned his head against the pane. Things just weren't going very well for him. Everyone either looked at him with pity because his best friend was gone or with hate and scorn because they thought that he killed her. He watched the condensation form on the window. The only thing that he could be thankful for was that it was winter vacation and he didn't have to go to school and face the multitudes that made up the band and look at their faces as they wondered what had happened to their Drum Major. He had no doubt that they would all feel betrayed and unforgiving towards him. He couldn't think of one person in the whole organization that would see him as a grieving friend and not a guilty killer.

He reached up and twisted his earring. He did it whenever he was agitated, that and he ran a hand through his hair, but this was more of a depressed agitated than an upset agitated like it usually was, so his hair stayed in some semblance of order. He stared out at the empty street and wondered when he had last gone out to actually do something. He sighed, it had been a long time, more than just since Jenn had been gone. He had been sick before that and then asleep when she had actually been at his house that day. He itched to take out his skates and just wander, but he thought that that might- He stopped mid-thought. He didn't care what it looked like. He hadn't done anything, so it didn't matter what it looked like. He knew that for now Jenn was safe. As he had told the police, he had no clue where she was, but he was sure that she was fine, where ever she was.

He grabbed his skate bag and went down the stairs. He pulled them on while still on the porch and stepped down carefully. He skated south. Away from his house, away from all of the people that knew who he was and thought that he was the cause of Jenn's disappearance.



Tarakai looked around herself. She saw a long twisting hall before her. The walls on either side of her were of the darkest blue-green and were covered with dark mosaics of twisting snakes and forests. She blinked several times, trying to remember where she was. She sighed in relief when she realized that she was dreaming. She still didn't know where she was, but at least she knew that she wasn't going to be in trouble for not knowing. She put a hand on the mosaic and quickly pulled her hand back upon feeling the terrible cold that emanated from the stone decorations. With her motion she felt something hit her back and twisted around, only to feel it hit her again. She reached back with her left hand and felt the hilt of a sword. She confusedly reached back and grabbed it, withdrawing it from the sheath strapped to her back.

She looked at the sword closely, holding it in front of her face. The design... The blade was so broad, too broad for a katana. Her eyes shown with confusion as she examined the blade. She could see things inscribed on the blade, near the hilt, but she couldn't make out their meaning, they seemed to be in some foreign characters. She carefully re-sheathed her blade and took a few cautious steps forward. She was still looking around at the walls and high ceiling when a man dressed in loose black clothing came from an adjoining hallway into hers. His breeches were loose and flared out halfway between the knee and the ankle. His black shirt was crossed by two leather belts that were lined with pouches, each of which had a symbol pressed into it. She looked up at him curiously. When he came nearer, he looked her in the face and bowed slightly, before continuing down the hall.

Shocked that he would bow to her she spun around and saw a glimpse of his back as he walked around a corner that had been behind her. She blinked in confusion. His features had been so strange... They were too broad and his skin was too light of a color. Tarakai turned back around slowly and began walking forward in the direction that she had originally been facing. She walked close to the cold walls, running her fingers along the designs as she went forward. Tarakai turned to her left when she felt her fingers brush something other than the smoothed stone patterns. In front of her now was a door that had been stained a bluish green to match the rest of the... manor? She grasped the curious handle that was on the door and opened it, revealing what looked to be a study.

The furniture was strangely broad as well. Everything seemed so... wide here. She didn't know where her mind was conjuring the images from, but it was confusing her. She walked over to the sanded wooden desk, looking around her at the walls which were mosaicked in this room as well. She brushed her hand along the wood of the desk and shifted her gaze about the room. There was a large window facing out into a courtyard and before it was a divan, facing outwards. She saw brown hair and a black head band and ran forward, making a sound of relief. The young man sitting on the divan turned to look at her. She stopped mid-step when she saw him. He looked like Suboshi... But... It wasn't him. She couldn't identify him and looked at his clothes, hoping for some kind of clue. She gasped in surprise; he was wearing the same clothes as the man who had bowed to her. She turned away and fled out of the room and back into the hall, closing the door behind her.

She quickly walked down the hall and opened the next door that she could find. She entered a humungous room with a high, vaulted ceiling. She gasped at the sight and looked at the walls. She could still see the green stone, but covering it were huge tapestries with black backgrounds and three inches of white silk bordering them. The tapestries showed men in strange armor and clothes fighting large lizard-like creatures, or other men in even stranger clothing. She walked close to one and ran her hand along it, going with the weave. She looked at it with wide eyes. It was beautiful, but the images made no sense at all to her. The stirred in her mind and confused her greatly. She backed away slowly and turned away, towards another door on the other side of the room. She turned to look at the other wall as she walked and gasped at what she saw. It was a large throne, but that was not what made her gasp. Her surprise had come from the fact that it was craved from a living tree that was in full glory, its branches crowning the seat. She turned back to the door and walked quickly through it, into yet another twisting hall with more mosaics.

She saw two men coming towards her, speaking animatedly to each other in a language that she could grasp. They were wearing the now familiar black clothing and when they neared her they both bowed, intoning "Karishna," before continuing on their way. She turned her head back to watch them enter the room that she had just left. She swallowed hard and then walked forward. She turned a corner and came upon two great double doors. She ran forward, towards them and threw them open to the outside. She had a sharp intake of breath at the sights and smells that assaulted her. She was on the floor of a valley, surrounded by a dark forest, full of evergreens and conifers. She was in an inner courtyard, full of shade and the stone beneath her feet was grey, but mostly covered over with dark green moss. The whole area smelled of wet earth and sweet greenery.

She followed the only clear path through the greenery and came upon a large garden that was full of flowers and plants that she had never before seen. She walked forward slowly and saw another man. This one, however, had proper features, but he still wore the black uniform. On his shoulder rested a small white and brown cat and next to him sat a small boy with light hair, proper features, but matching clothes. They were both bent over a bed of plants that looked to be herbs. They spoke quietly to each other, as if they did not want to disturb the near silence that engulfed the whole place. They heard her footsteps and turned to face her. They too looked familiar to her, but she couldn't match their faces with anyone that she had ever met. They saw her confusion and gave her soft looks of worry and compassion. She rushed past them, frightened. Everyone around her seemed to know who she was, but she knew none of them.

She went past a short wall that was of grey stone, but once again over grown with the dark moss. She looked at the new scene before her; it was a graveyard. She saw the different markers and the flowers left by friends and family. All of the plant here, however, instead of being the dark colors that had been everywhere else were light as could be and the trees had been cleared away to make it as light as possible. She looked around and saw torches placed here and there to keep it lit, even at night. Her mind blurred with confusion again and she saw someone kneeling next to the only grave that looked like it had been added within the last twenty years, but it looked extremely fresh, even if not compared to the age of the others. Her eyes widened as she took a second look at the man though. He was wearing white! It was in the same strange style and cut as everyone else's, but it was white. He had flaming red hair and tears streaming down his tanned face. As she drew closer she saw that he had something strapped to his back. She narrowed her eyes at it. Why would he be carrying a harisen of all things? He didn't look up at her, so she just turned back to the... manor. She saw more doors in front of her and walked forward through them because they sat open leading into a great hall.

After her first step into the great hall the coolness that surrounded that place assaulted her once again. In front of her were huge tables that spanned most of the room, leading up to a raised table. Again all of the furniture was strange and blocky. She walked forwards slowly, seeing about ten to twenty people sitting in various places around the tables. They were all wearing the black clothing and all had the same strange features and light skin. As she walked past each of them, they bowed, intoning "Karishna," just as the two men in the hall had. They sat around chatting in the strange language and eating foods that Tarakai didn't recognize. As she approached the raised table she two figures sitting at it with correct features. They were both wearing the clothes as everyone else, but one was a girl, just a year or two younger than her and she had her hair tied up in two buns and was consuming the food in front of her as if she hadn't eaten in a month. Next to her was a young man, of an age, or a little older than her, looking down at her fondly with his blackish-bluish hair tied behind his neck. He looked up at Tarakai and smiled. She only turned and fled, this was all so confusing. She felt like she should know these people, but she couldn't remember them.

She ran down another twisting hall, beginning to become scared by how alike they all looked. When she threw open the next door she saw a dojo with a single man training in it. He was using a sword that was of a kind to her own and he parried and struck at a pell that was located in the center of the room. He had long deep brown hair that was tied behind him loosely and he bore a regal air that spoke unheard volumes. He heard the door open and her steps and looked at her once he finished his set. She looked at him with wide terrified eyes and felt trapped in the room. He approached slowly and cautiously, as if he could sense her obvious fear. She looked up once into his brown eyes and then fled through the side door.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it gasping. The room she was now in was obviously a war room. The dark walls were covered in maps and there was a sandbox in the corner. She approached the large center table that was diplomatically round and looked closely at its strange surface that she had seen shining slightly in the light. Her eyes widened as she saw that there was a map engraved into the surface and that the shine had come from the glass that covered it. She traced some of the lines with her fingers, but found nothing that she recognized. The geographical features seemed upside down in placement, even though somehow she knew that she was looking at the map correctly. She went through the door on the far side of the room and opened it slowly into yet another hall.

The next door that she opened was black with silver engravings. She studied the door for a long while before opening it slowly. Inside was a small black shrine with white decorations and offerings. Kneeling in front of the shrine was a young man that appeared to be a few years her senior. He was wearing something other than the usual black clothes that everyone else wore. He wore only a single long and heavy black robe that had white lining and trimming. He turned to face her when she entered the room. She gasped when she saw the scar that ran along half of his face, closing his left eye completely. He stood hastily at her gasp and went towards her grasping a staff that had lain beside him. She didn't let him get close, she only ran through the other door in the room and back out into the twisting halls. She fled tears of fear and confusion running down her face. She ran with her head down and not looking at her path.

She ran headlong into another young man that was of an age with her. He had the strange features that seemed prominent in the... manor. He had black hair that was cropped short and he also wore the pouch belts that the first man had had. He looked down at her and blushed profusely before seeing her tears. When he did he offered her a handkerchief and said softly, "Auchinay, Karishna." Tarakai backed away in fear at his words and she fled in the opposite direction, tears blinding her vision. She heard him yelling behind her, "Auchinay, Karishna!" She let the tears flow. This nightmare was horrible. She had to find someway to wake up. The young man grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him when she saw him she screamed at the top of her lungs.



Tarakai woke up sweating and gasping feeling someone shaking her. When she could see straight, she saw Soi leaning over her. "Are you alright, Tarakai? You were screaming and having a fit in your sleep." She could see real concern in the lightening Seishi's eyes.

"I think I am fine now, Soi. Thank you. I was having a terrible nightmare." Soi nodded and went back to her own bed that had been moved into Tarakai's tent. She looked at Soi. She wondered how she had ever thought her to be evil and uncaring. She only appeared so, on the surface, to protect herself, Tarakai now saw. She took a few deep breaths and leaned back onto her bed, falling instantly into a deep dreamless sleep.



Suboshi woke up to a scream that pierced the still, freeezing night. He stumbled out of his tent, with only his loose pant on. He went over to the tent that Tarakai shared with Soi and entered in cautiously. He went over to Tarakai's bed and looked at her peaceful face. The state of her coverings told him that she had probably had a nightmare and that she had just gotten to sleep peacefully right before he entered. He sighed sadly as he saw his token tied on her arm. He fingered gently and then brushed some of her brown hair out of her face. She shifted under his touch, turning away from him. That, at least, pleased him. It meant that on some unconscious level she still remembered that she loved his brother and knew that what she was doing was wrong.

He turned and left now that he knew she was alright. He felt obligated to take care of her for his brother because it was his fault that he couldn't watch over his koibito himself. He took in a deep breath and let it out heavily. He sat down on his bed and looked around tent without seeing anything. His mind's eye was showing him snippets of his dream that he had been having when he had awoken at her scream. It had had a black garbed figure that was giving him instructions from atop a black marble throne in a black marble hall. He couldn't remember any details of who or what was happening. All he could recall was the sorrow filled face that had looked down at him.

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"Yay! Chapter Ten is completed. Notes:
1.) Karishina (ca-reesh-na)- comes from 'Karish' a verb that means "to rule in the future" and 'na' an word additive that means "one who is." Means "princess" in this instance.
2.) Auchinay (au-ki-nei) ((au as in autumn, ki as in kick, nei as in neighbor))- Means "What already" or "What now" or "Already now." Means "What now" in this instance.
3.) Auchinay, Karishna- "What is it now, Princess?"
4.) These words are from The Stolen Secret.
5.) The Manor was Black Forest Manor from The Stolen Secret.
Hope, I didn't confuse everyone too badly. ^_^;;
Thanks to: Ryochan8, I Love Redheads with Fangs, Aiko6 and Lirael1 for reviewing. I hope you liked this chapter. Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing here you are just going to have to trust me on this. It's very complicated, as you can see. Any questions, just ask. I'm free most of the time."
-Tk.DuVeraun

"I was in this one. Yay!"
-The Muse Zv.DuVeraun