Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book Two: Misadventure, Mayhem & Really Hot Guys ❯ Seven: Wrench in the Works ( Chapter 7 )

    He sprawled, lithe and resplendent, among silken sheets, his hooded eyes nothing more than thin rings of burnished gold nearly swallowed by pupils dilated with arousal. She smiled to see it, pleased with his reaction, pleased to feel how his strong hands gripped her thighs hard enough to bruise. The tips of his nails indented her white-jade skin, but she didn't mind the slight pain; it only excited her own desire to know she so excited his. To know she had this much power over the beautiful emperor. Shadows and moonlight played across their entwined forms as they moved together and she watched his face contort with passion. She almost hated to end this dance. He was young, but not entirely inexperienced and it had been a long time since she'd had such a gentle, considerate lover who gave as much pleasure as he took. She raked long nails along the length of his torso, from shoulder to groin, and was instantly rewarded with a low groan and hard thrust of his hips. She hummed in approval. So many things she could teach him, if she had the time…

   Still, she knew her job and she took it seriously. She was not so far gone as to forget the entire reason she'd come to be there. She arched her back, allowed her opened robes to slip from her shoulders and fall to pool among the sheets. Raised her arms to twine her fingers into her wealth of long hair, to allow the man panting and groaning beneath her to admire her form in all of its perfection…

   Her lips pulled into a slight pout when she realized that his eyes had closed in his unabated passion. Well. No matter. A distraction was a distraction and his had just given her the opportunity she'd needed. "Open your eyes, Husband," she murmured. "Open your eyes and look at me."

   Dazed eyes finally fluttered open and she took a moment to relish in his confusion as they fixed upon the slender dagger she'd drawn from the sheath hidden in her unbound hair, poised over his heart. A feral smile curled her lips as confusion gave way to dawning horror, as he realized his foolishness, but it was far too late as the dagger plunged down—

   KC bolted up in a tangle of sheets, her horrified scream lodged in the back of a throat closed too tightly with fear to allow its escape. She struggled for a moment, the sheets and blankets twisted around her thrashing body before the roll-away cot she'd been sleeping on abruptly tipped over and she found herself tumbling to the floor with a painful thud. She lay on her back, mouth gaping as she struggled to remember how to breathe, eventually managed to draw in a great, shuddering breath of air that was just as quickly released on a half-choked sob.

   "What. The. Ever-loving. Fuck," she hissed as she finally managed to untangle the blankets enough to free her arms and shove the cot's thin mattress off her body in a fit of sudden rage.

   Her mother would've grounded her for a month to hear her curse like that. Her friends would've been scandalized (or somewhat delighted in Brady's case, except she had somehow slept straight through the commotion) but really, after a dream like that, KC couldn't think of another word strong enough to convey her extreme emotional distress. She raised her hands to examine them; it was too dark to see them shaking but she could feel the fine tremors running through her fingers. And her arms. And the rest of her body, for that matter.

   She took deep, calming breaths until the shivers finally eased and the cold sweat dried on her body, shakily got to her feet and stumbled toward the bathroom, closed the door and switched on the light. It nearly blinded her and she squinted as she turned on the tap, let the water run into the sink as cold as she could stand before splashing her face a few times. A quick glance in the mirror showed that she looked about as freaked-out as she felt, her face pale and an almost haunted look in her eyes. "Chill out, girl. It's not like you've never had a nightmare before," she muttered at her reflection.

   Although, she'd never had a nightmare like that before. And wasn't it the oddest coincidence, to have a dream depicting the horrific death of one of her Seishi after all those weird warnings she'd received just yesterday?

   She was really starting to wonder if Suzaku might be trying to tell her something…

   "Okay, then." KC straightened her shoulders, a tight smile twitching her mouth. "I can take a hint." She turned and marched to Brady's bed, shook her snoring friend roughly. "Get up," she urged. "Brady, wake up already!"

   "Huh? Whazzit?" Brady jerked awake and sat up, scrubbing at her eyes. "Wha's wrong?" she slurred, blinking sleepily.

   "Nothing. It's fine." KC switched on the bedside lamp. "But I gotta go. Now."

   Brady stared at her. "Go," she repeated blankly.

   "Yes. Go."

   "Go where? The bathroom?"

   KC rolled her eyes. "Back to Konan," she elaborated, impatient. "I had a dream. Only I don't think it was a dream so much as a really bad premonition or something and if I don't get back Hotohori could end up dead and then there goes the univermph!" Her babbling cut off when a pillow abruptly hit her in the face.

   Brady's confusion had melted into a grouchy scowl. "It's three o'clock in the freakin' morning," she growled. "We just got to bed like an hour ago. Neither of us is going anywhere except back to sleep."

   KC stared at her. "Did you not hear a word I just said?"

   "It was a dream," Brady groaned, flopping back into her pillows. "I told you not to drink the eggnog. Uncle Jack always spikes it with way too much rum."

   "I didn't drink the eggnog," KC protested, scowling. "I'm not kidding either! Hotohori's gonna be killed if I don't get back and warn him!"

   Brady scrubbed her hands over her face. "Okay. When and how is Hotohori going to die?" she asked, apparently deciding to play along.

   KC hesitated, suddenly not so sure she wanted to discuss it. "Um, I think i-it happens on his … wedding night," she mumbled, her cheeks heating in a dark flush.

   Brady blinked at her. "He's engaged? You never told us that."

   "He's not engaged!" KC protested. "Well … not yet. But apparently he's gonna get engaged at some point!"

   "His wedding night…" Brady's jaw suddenly dropped. "Does that mean he was—?" The incredulous look on her face made KC blush even harder and she burst into giggles. "Dang! So you had to watch Hotohottie getting it on with some other chick?"

   "Shut up! It wasn't like that," KC grumbled.

   "Yeah? Then what was it like?" Brady tossed her a catty grin. "Or maybe you were the one in bed with him?" When KC proceeded to blush an entirely new shade of red, she fell back into the pillows, clutching her sides. "I'm totally right, aren't I?" she crowed through her giggles. "You were totally screwing the emperor!"

   KC whapped her with a pillow. "It wasn't me!" she snapped. "Why the hell would I stab my own Seishi in the heart?"

   "Dang." Brady managed to calm down, wiping tears from her eyes. "You stabbed him in the middle of sex? Brutal."

   "His wife stabbed him. Not me," KC gritted. She was seriously starting to regret ever bringing up the subject; Brady would torment her for months about this, she just knew it.

   "Okay, okay. Not you." Still chuckling, Brady sat up again. "So, to recap, Hotohori's gonna get himself hitched. And this new wife who is totally not you plans to stab him in the middle of getting his rocks off." At KC's stiff nod, she pursed her lips and continued, "And given that none of this has actually happened yet, you can't wait until the sun rises to go off and warn him because…?"

   KC bit her lip. That was a pretty good point. After a moment, she gave a helpless shrug. "Call it a gut feeling?" she offered weakly.

   Brady's answering smile was a little too saccharine. "Kit-Kat, bestest friend of mine, you're like my very own sister," she began kindly. "Which is why I mean it in the nicest possible way when I say that if you don't get your ass back to bed right now, I'm gonna throw it out the damned window."

   "Gee, thanks for the pep-talk," KC snorted. "You're a real pal." She turned on her heel and stalked back to her cot, flopping onto the squeaky mattress. Brady blew her a sarcastic kiss and yanked her covers over her head.

   Normally, KC had no problem sleeping on the cot, but tonight she just couldn't get comfortable. She turned one way. Then another. Laid on her back. Flipped over onto her stomach. She even tried counting sheep in her mind, which somehow turned into little fire-winged birds that seemed to glare with disapproving eyes as they flitted over her head. She groaned and shifted around on the squeaky cot to flop onto her back again. Then squawked and nearly fell straight off in surprise when a butterfly-shaped cushion flew out of nowhere and nailed her in the face.

   "Go to sleep!" Brady roared before flinging herself back into the pillows again.

   KC glared and hurled the cushion with all her might back at Brady's head. This, of course, did nothing but earn her a deadly glare that made her hunker down beneath the covers as Brady pointedly switched off the bedside lamp. She lay there and pouted up at the ceiling. Really, she'd almost forgotten what an absolute bear Brady could be when she didn't get her beauty sleep. She could give Nuriko a run for his money!

   After a few more minutes of trying—and failing—to relax, KC sighed heavily and sat up, cringing when the cot springs squealed in protest. Sleep was impossible. The longer she ignored the sense of urgency that continued to hammer away at her nerves, the worse it seemed to grow. She couldn't just lay there, she had to get up and do something, before she started screaming in frustration. So, she finally gave up and slid off the cot, knee-walked to her overnight bag in the corner and pulled out its contents until she located the book at the bottom.

   She held it for a few moments, considering. She could go back right now. Just open the cover and let it suck her in like before. Brady would find it in the morning and figure it out, right? Assuming the light show didn't wake her up immediately. It wouldn't be a complete diversion from the plan, just a slight hiccup, is all. Her friends would understand. Maybe. Possibly. Once they got over being pissed at her for going off without so much as a fare-thee-well to either of them.

   KC chewed her lip. Of course, there was the problem of all her clothes and supplies being stuck out in the Clubhouse. Now she really wished she'd just hidden the duffel in the closet. She didn't relish the thought of going out there in the middle of the night to fetch it. Temps had dropped to well below freezing by this point. She huffed an annoyed sigh and stuffed everything back into the bag, tiptoed to the bathroom to collect her toiletries, then risked turning on the desk lamp so she could write a short note on a Post-it.

   She stuck it on the bathroom mirror, where Brady would be sure to find it, then dug a pair of heavy socks out of her bag and pulled them on. She considered changing from her flannel pajamas into jeans but decided it wasn't worth the risk of disturbing her grouchy friend again. She could change once she got back to Konan. Hopefully, Suzaku would drop her off right inside her own room this time, now that she had one. So she pulled on her boots and coat, grabbed her bag and slipped out of the bedroom.

   The house was dark and silent and every creak of the wooden floorboards made her freeze in her tracks as she walked the halls. She had no idea how she would explain herself if someone poked their head out a door and caught her. Maybe she could pretend she was sleepwalking, except she wasn't that good an actress. Still, she didn't need to worry, right? Nobody sane would be up at this time of night, anyway.

   Of course, that theory was instantly shot to hell when, as she passed the man cave, a sudden burst of noise nearly made her scream in fright. Laughter and the sharp clack of striking pool balls drifted from the room and she leaned against the wall beside the cracked-open door with a hand pressed over her racing heart. So much for sanity. Didn't Brady's relatives ever sleep? She risked a peek through the crack to find several of the uncles engaged in a pool match, while their significant others made themselves comfortable on the couch, engaged with a late-night chick flick.

   Nicolai was also there, leaned across the pool table to take a shot, and KC instantly jumped away from the door and pressed against the wall again. That guy had an uncanny knack for sensing when he was being watched. At least when he was being watched by her. He definitely wouldn't believe any flimsy excuse she came up with if he caught her out there.

   "Any beer left in the fridge?" one of the aunts called.

   "Could use some munchies, too," another added. "Someone be a gentleman and go check the pantry?"

   "We're in the middle of a game," came the immediate protests. "Can't you get it yourself?"

   "Sorry, pal. Guys lost the last round. You're the gophers for a change." A round of female affirmation made the men grumble.

   "I'll go," Nicolai volunteered. "I need a smoke, anyway."

   KC yipped and scampered down the hall, boots clomping loudly on the wooden floors. Even the thin runner carpets failed to muffle the noise and she winced. So much for stealth. She reached the mudroom and hastily closed the door behind her, stepped out onto the porch and paused to survey the silent yard.

   The snow had stopped falling several hours ago, but her former path had been all but buried under a coat of fresh powder. Only faint indents marked the trail she'd made through the otherwise pristine landscape. The sky was clear and the nearly-full moon caused the snow to glitter. The very air seemed to crackle with cold and KC could feel her face and hands already going numb. Her pajama pants weren't nearly thick enough to protect her legs from the frigid air. She probably should have changed clothes after all, especially since she was technically still recovering from the illness that had driven Hotohori to send her home to begin with.

   Even more worrisome, nothing stood between her and the copse of overgrown bushes and trees that hid the Clubhouse except the wide expanse of the lawn. Against all that snow, she'd stick out like a sore thumb. Nick would definitely notice her if he stepped out there to smoke. No help for it; she was gonna have to book it.

   "Coldcoldcoldcoldcold!" she chanted as she hopped down the steps and trudged as fast as possible toward the Clubhouse. The snow she kicked up instantly filled her boots and soaked into her pants as she hopped her way through the deep blanket. It wasn't long before her entire body started prickling, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.

   She'd gotten about halfway across the yard when bright light suddenly flooded the area around her. She yelped and instinctively hit the deck, trying to burrow into the snow. She lay there for a good minute, her coat and pants soaking up freezing moisture, before the light flicked off again. She cautiously raised her head and, seeing nothing suspicious but her own drunkenly-skewed trail leading from the house, hastily got to her feet to keep moving.

   The light instantly snapped back on and she whirled around, fully expecting to find Nicolai on the porch. Nobody was there. And it was then that she belatedly recalled the automatic floodlights recently installed around the grounds, to ward off potential intruders. She must have triggered the sensors, which wouldn't have been an issue if the brilliant lights weren't also shining into the windows of the house. If that didn't get someone's attention, nothing would.

   This simple plan of hers was starting to feel more like Mission Impossible. Maybe she should just give up and wait until morning, after all.

   On the other hand, she'd already come this far and she hadn't just thoroughly frozen herself for nothing, darn it! If she didn't end up with one mother of a head cold after all this, she'd eat her bag!

   Muttering under her breath, KC determinedly picked up the pace. Her entire body prickled and stung and she wondered how long it took for hypothermia to set in. She was pretty sure she had a good start on it already. Her fingers felt good and frostbitten, already turned blue, and she mentally kicked herself for not having the foresight to also pull on the gloves stuffed in her coat pockets. Fat lot of good they'd do her now, but she fumbled to pull the damp gloves on, anyway.

   Finally she reached the Clubhouse and managed to stumble up its rickety steps on shaky, numbed legs, nearly fell through the door and promptly tripped over the heavy duffel bag she'd left sitting directly in front of it.

   "Ow," she complained, sneezed loudly into the cloud of stirred-up dust and staggered to her feet. Hopefully, she didn't have anything too fragile packed in that bag. It was probably good and squashed now. She took a few steadying breaths, hefted the heavy duffel over her shoulder and slung the smaller bag cross-body over the opposite, nearly staggering under the weight. When she felt reasonably balanced, she managed to unzip the overnight bag and pulled out The Universe of the Four Gods.

   She hesitated as a sudden bout of apprehension swamped her. This was it, she realized. She was about to actually open the book and return to that universe. Was she making the right decision? To willingly go back to a completely foreign world for an untold period of time wherein anything could happen? She could get hurt. She could get killed. She could die and disappear and nobody would ever know what had happened to her. Well, Brady and Kimiko might know where she was, but how would they know if she was safe? What could they do to help her, anyway? It wasn't as if they could drag her home and who would even believe them if they told anyone? Suddenly, Kimiko's warnings made a lot more sense and KC felt her resolve wavering.

   She bit her lip and closed her eyes, forced herself to remember her nightmare. The recollection made her heart start to pound and her cheeks burn, for entirely different reasons. Because as horrific as the ending had been, the beginning of that dream…

   She shook off the memories and forced herself to think only of the warning. If she didn't go back, Hotohori could end up dying and how could she live with herself if she let that happen? He was important to her. Really important. She liked him and the idea of him getting married sent an uncomfortable lurch through her stomach every time she thought of it. So she promptly decided not to think of it.

   She focused instead on her wish. The one that would give her a real chance to fix her wrecked home life. She'd be a moron to pass that up. If it meant her family would be whole again, if her father would come home, then wasn't the slim chance that she might die completely worth the risk?

   Determination and spirits renewed, KC squared her shoulders, took another fortifying breath and flipped open the cover of the book.

   The red light instantly engulfed her, covered her in soothing heat that slowly warmed her freezing body. The walls, the floor … everything began to fade, just like it had before, and the familiar shrieks and flapping of wings greeted her ears. She closed her eyes against the disorientation as the red light swallowed her up and carried her away through the swirling vortex.

   And she never once noticed the dark figure that peered in through the cracked window, camera poised, forgotten, as the world disappeared around her.