Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ New Paths ❯ Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~

 

Disclaimer: All characters in this fic belong to Yu Watase, not me. The plot of this fic, however, belongs to the writer who developed it…>.>

 

~*~*~*~From previous chapter~*~*~*~

 

Tasuki heard a rustling in the grass near him, and he felt a tap on his shoulder. “Here, no da!” The blue-haired monk whispered enthusiastically. Chichiri sat down next to the ex-bandit, taking notice of Miaka's red, swollen eyes and her calm breathing.

 

“So, what did ya talk about with t' Sunukake-baba?”

 

He glanced at Miaka to make sure she was sleeping. “…Tasuki…I have reason to believe that, from what Taiits-kun told me, Taka's death…was not purely accidental…”

 

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That was certainly not expected.

 

The Suzaku warrior's eyes lit ablaze angrily, the shock of such a statement unnerving him to all ends. “Whaddya mean, `not accidental'?! Who'd wanna ki---…..hurt Taka?!” He corrected quickly, a face flushing a dark color as something brushed against his arm.

 

A pale, slender arm reached out from the confinement and warmth of the yellow, long sleeved top and clutched Tasuki's hand instinctively, reassuring herself that he was still there.

 

Tasuki, as if entranced by the action, lowered his face to see Miaka's, allowing Chichiri to hear only a whisper of soft, inaudible words. “Shh…it's `kay...”

 

Almost as if the small, but noticeable interaction had never happened, the young woman's hand slipped back into the security of the top draped over her, assured that she was still safe.

 

A glance softened by the moment reluctantly turned back to face Chichiri, only to see a similar expressive glance returned.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

It didn't take long to notice what had happened between them. The mask he used to cover his face was unusually helpful in detecting changes in his surroundings while maintaining a passive glance. Even a passerby could feel the warmth shared between the fiery bandit and the miko, so how could he not see it?

 

“It is uncertain who would want to hurt him…” Chichiri spoke in a soft whisper, as to not disturb the sleeping woman. “Yet…Taiits-kun is noticing a disturbance in the balance of powers.”

 

“Th'…balance of powers? Ya mean, between Miaka's world and ours?”

 

Chichiri nodded. “Exactly. Something, or someone, is upsetting the balance, and he may have caused…Taka's death.”

 

Tasuki frowned, his eyes narrowing in thought. “Wait…Mi-chan said that a `kuruma'…a car…killed `em.”

 

An eyebrow raised behind the mask. `Mi-chan?'

 

“I'm not so sure about that. Someone may have told her that, because Taiits-kun saw no `car' accident.”

 

“So…what you're saying is…” Tasuki took a deep breath. “…Taka was killed on purpose, and Miaka was told otherwise?”

 

A nod confirmed his fear, and propelled one last question.

 

“Does that mean that…someone's after Miaka?”

 

`Good question…and a scary one at that, no da….'

 

“I…don't know…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Chichiri proceeded to tell Tasuki about what was happening in both worlds that seemed to confirm Taiits-kun's suspicions.

 

Miaka's world had been thrown into a superficial freeze, halting all life in their tracks. Birds ceased to fly in the air, and thus had stopped in mid-air, exactly where it was when Miaka had left her world. People stopped in their positions, some about to take another step, some sitting at the dinner table with loved ones, never having the chance to take another delicious bite, some driving and pressing the gas pedal, but never moving another inch. Living things had, in all biological sense, ceased to live, as hearts stopped beating and lungs stopped breathing in air.

 

In the Universe of the Four Gods, other things were happening. The upsetting of the balance threw power to one side or another, arousing and awakening demons of all kinds to ravage the countryside. These youkai were too timid and weak to venture into the cities and terrorize the people, but unfortunately they were getting stronger day by day. Already, the youkai were thirsty for human blood, and were moving past chicken for food and going for children and adults.

 

The climate was changing as well, resembling what had happened to Miaka's world. Ever since Miaka fell into the Universe of the Four Gods, the temperatures were dropping gradually, turning from a warm, sun-kissed weather into a chilly, wind-biting winter. If this were to continue for a long time, then life would slowly die of the bitter cold, and the earth as the seishi knew it would be thrown into an eternal winter, devoid of any life.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“So…what do we do? We can't just sit around here and wait for somethin' t' show up….” Tasuki leaned against the coarse tree trunk impatiently, blowing the fiery-colored bangs away from his face.

 

“For now, I guess all we can do is wait for Miaka to wake up, then travel to the countryside… and investigate these demon appearances. Then we may be able to trace the surge of power back to its owner…whoever is causing this imbalance of energy.”

 

“Well, it won't be too long before she wakes up, eh?” Tasuki gazed at the colors already blending in the sky, oranges and vibrant reds mixing into the dark blues and purples of the night sky, signaling the beginning of a new day.

 

Chichiri turned to watch the sun rise in the sky too, a smile appearing on his face when the sunrise blended with the ex-bandit's hair. “Hai...”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

When Miaka first woke that morning to find that a tanned arm had wrapped around her waist protectively, and the owner of that arm sleeping away after hours of staying guard at night, Chichiri was already awake and preparing breakfast for the three of them. Although he did not want to tell the woman what had been discussed earlier, he felt that she, of all people, had to know the truth behind Taka's death. Tears immediately ensured, which awoke the sleeping bandit and tore at both Chichiri and Tasuki's hearts, feeling guilty for reviving Miaka's grief once again.

 

After several minutes, the stream of tears lessened, and instead was replaced by a small smile of comfort when Miaka saw the guilt on their faces. “It's…a-alright. I'm glad you told me…”

 

Hours later found the three drudging through dreary weather, their hair standing on their ends as icy wind nipped at their skin and chilled them to their bones. The Suzako no Miko wore her other-world clothes, refusing to wear the same, long yellow-sleeved shirt that provided her with comfort and warmth earlier.

 

“C'mon, just wear it! It's freezin' cold in these mountains an' you're gonna catch somethin' if ya don't!” Tasuki held the garment out in front of him, offering…no, stubbornly encouraging….her to wear it. Chichiri just gave out a small sigh and shook his head.

 

“It's alright Tasuki, I'll be fine! Besides, if you go without it in this weather, you're going to get sick too!” Miaka pointed out, standing her ground with a similar stubborn expression.

 

Chichiri interrupted their conversation quickly, hoping to end the argument before it went on any further. “Miaka has a point, no da! It's too cold to go without a top…” He paused for effect, while his mask continued to smile. “…unless, of course, you want to get sick and slow our search down?”

 

The fiery ex-bandit grumbled. He does have a point…”Fine, fine…” He shot a glare at Chichiri, but put the yellow long-sleeved top back on. Although it didn't really help to protect his skin from the cold entirely, it did help somewhat to shield his skin from the wind, and for that he was grateful, though he didn't say it aloud.

 

“Where are we o-off to?” Miaka turned to question Chichiri, biting down a shudder as the cold seeped into her clothes.

 

“San'un Province…more demons are attacking humans there….”

 

Something clicked in Miaka's head. “Isn't that where…Amiboshi and Suboshi were born?”

 

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A/N: Phew, I finally updated after months of silence….@___@ I'm sorry for not posting this chapter sooner, for those who read this, and I am grateful for those who comment, thank you~! ^^