Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Suzaku no Saiai ❯ Chapter 2

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

Suzaku no Saiai: A New Legend










Part II















Standard disclaimer: All of the Fushigi Yuugi characters are the property of Watase

Yuu, Shogakukan, Studio Pierrot, Bandai Visual, TV Tokyo, and Movic. Please don't sue me;

I'm just a poor college student. Kourin and Jin Feng are my original characters. Feel free

to use them, but please let me know first(jscaife@austin.rr.com)







"Now that is certainly a handy excuse!" she snapped viciously.

"Who did you think I was? Let's see...Miaka or are men more your style?"



The young man's smile disappeared, and his eyes darkened to a deep purple. He reached

out and grabbed her wrist tightly with one hand. "How do you know about my feelings

for Miaka?"



"You told me yourself," the girl answered angrily. "Don't you

remember?"



"I've never seen you in my life, ojousama," the young man stated coolly,

"and I think that I might have been better off if I never had."



"Oh, you liked being dead then?" she spat. "I can arrange that!"



Before she could act upon her threat, a quiet, calm voice spoke. "Nuriko, I think

that you should let go now." Both she and Nuriko turned to see the rest of the group

staring at them in shock. The blue-haired man walked over to her and gently pulled her to

her feet.



"Doomo arigatou gozaimasu for saving Nuriko's life, ojousama, but don't you think

it's time to tell us who, or what, you are, and why you bear this mark on your neck?"



"I don't have any marks on my neck," the girl replied puzzled.



"Look in this mirror and tell me that you don't have the character for star on

your neck," the blue-haired man pressured her.



She shivered a little at his intense tone and forced herself to look. True to his words

a strange golden character glowed on the left side of her neck. The girl reached up to

touch it, but her fingers encountered nothing but smooth skin. It was as if a golden light

shone through the pattern area of skin. She dropped to her knees and clutched the side of

her neck. In a shaking voice she asked, "What happened while I was healing your

friend?"



"Mitsukake, would you like to tell her or should I?" the blue-haired man

asked.



"I was the closest to her, so I suppose I'll have the most accurate account of the

matter," the big man answered. "When you entered Nuriko's mind, your body began

to glow with a pale, yellow chi. It gradually began to glow brighter and brighter until

just before you and Nuriko awoke, both of you were encircled in a ball of blazing golden

light, and the character suddenly appeared on your neck. After that the light was so

blinding that we had to look away. The next thing we saw was you slapping Nuriko across

the face and yelling."



"What is so significant about this character?" the girl asked. She looked up,

and her anxious, pain filled eyes tore and each observer's heart.



Nuriko reached and gently tapped her shoulder. "Didn't you see my character when

you healed me?" He opened his shirt to reveal the character for willow glowing

crimson on his chest. "Each of us except for Miaka has one of these red characters

somewhere on our bodies. It marks us as one of the seven seishi or protectors of Suzaku no

Miko, Miaka."



"So I'm one of the seven Suzaku seishi?" the girl pondered aloud.

"That's impossible! I'm not even from this world!"



"Actually there is already a seishi bearing that symbol," Nuriko answered

gravely. "Since he is Konan's emperor, Hotohori couldn't come with us. However,

only one seishi is supposed to exist for each constellation, but except for the colour of

your chi, you seem to be a second Hotohori!"



"I see." The girl bowed her head, and all the energy seemed to drain from her

body. "Weren't you guys doing something before I showed up? You're not out in the

middle of nowhere for nothing, I hope!"



"We have to get the Shinzaho!" Miaka cried out as if she had just remembered.

She probably had. "What are we going to do about you?" she added lamely.



"Don't worry about me," the older girl said quietly. "I'll just find a

way back home by myself."



"Don't be foolish! You'll never make it back by yourself, Hotohori-chan!"

Nuriko said harshly. "You'd better come with us. Maybe Suzaku can send you home.

Besides you'll just end up getting into trouble on your own."



"Are you implying that I'm too stupid to fend for myself?" the young woman

demanded, outraged.



"Well, you certainly were brainless enough to get stranded here in the first

place!" Nuriko pointed out tactlessly.



"I'll have you know that I was brought here entirely against my free will to save

your mangy hide, so you'd better appreciate it!" she screeched.



Nuriko grabbed her arm and began plowing through the snow. "You're coming with us

until we figure out why you have Hotohori's character, whether you like it or not!"



The girl struggled with all her strength, but she couldn't break her captor's

superhuman grip. "You fucking bastard, let go of me!"



Tamahome unsuccessfully tried to suppress a grin. "Y'know, Tasuki, is there any

chance that she's related to you?"



Nuriko heaved an immense sigh of relief when Miaka and his fellow seishi appeared in

front of the cave about five minutes later. "Thank Suzaku you're here. She,"

with a gesture towards his companion,"is sulking and refuses to speak to me."



"My name is NOT Hotohori-chan!" she pouted childishly. "I don't want to

be here, and you won't let me leave, ...hentai!"



"I tried to apologize to you, but you're insisting on holding a grudge

about the whole thing," the purple-haired young man retorted. "You just can't

admit that you enjoyed that kiss! Was it your first?"



'Hotohori-chan' turned an interesting shade of red and spat, "I knew I should have

taken Kourin out instead of you!" She lifted her arm and stepped forward wiht a

murderous expression on her face. Nuriko stood frozen waiting for the blow to fall, only

to have her suddenly slump forward against his chest.



"She's fainted!" he exclaimed in surprise.



"That's not so odd," Mitsukake replied evenly. "Bringing you back to

life took a lot out of her. Her chi levels must almost be critically low. She'll need a

lot of rest to recover. Just be glad that she's not verbally or physically abusing you for

the time being, Nuriko."



"What am I supposed to do with her though?" Nuriko queried piteously.

"Hotohori-chan probably won't wake up for a long time."



Tamahome grinned mischievously. "Since it's your fault that she passed out, and

you two already have such a good relationship, I think that you should take care of

her while the rest of us get the Shinzaho."



"TAMAHOME!"Nuriko bellowed. "If I'm staying with her, at least

have Miaka wear my bracelets. That way part of me will help to protect her," he

agreed weakly.



'Hotohori-chan' was lost in the world of dreams. She had been here many times before,

but this time it was very different. All of the familiar landmarks were gone, and she

wandered aimlessly with no idea which way she ought to go. She was standing, lost, in a

peaceful meadow when he came.



He was the most beautiful man the girl had ever seen, and he projected an aura of love

and warmth. She longed to reach out to stroke the feathers in his shimmering red wings,

but she was too afraid of offending him.



He smiled down at her, and she felt herself melting under the warmth of his gaze. His

wings enveloped her and pulled her close.



"My dearest one," the beautiful man whispered gently, "you have come at

last. After countless millennia I can once again have you at my side."



"What is my purpose for being in this strange land?" she asked hoarsely.

"Why have I been summoned?"



The man laughed, a warm, golden sound. "You always were full of questions, little

one. I don't think that you will ever acquire sufficient patience for things to come in

their proper time. However, I do have a specific task for you." He made a

great sweeping motion with his hand. "Look, and you will learn your mission

here."



The scene was in a palace somewhere in the strange world. "It is the royal palace

in Konan," the man told her softly. A young man was sitting at a desk, leaning his

head on his hands.



"Miaka, if only I were not the emperor, I could be at your side and protect

you!"



The girl's eyes widened in surprise. This melancholy young man was the seventh seishi,

Hotohori, and Konan's emperor! She stepped closer, wanting to ease the young man's pain.

"Miaka is all right, Hotohori-sama. You are Hotohori-sama, are you not?"



The young man looked up. "Who's there? Show yourself!"



"Can't you see me?" she asked sadly. "I'm right here."



He turned his head, and his sad, dark eyes met hers. The loneliness reflected in their

depths weighed down her own soul. "Who are you?" he asked breathlessly, and his

eyes seemed to brighten just for her.



The girl stepped even closer and spoke the words that would alter the course of her

life. "I am the yin to your yang. You may call me 'Kourin'." She gently caressed

his cheek, and he bent his head...



"You are so beautiful," she murmured and abruptly awoke to find Nuriko's face

about three inches away from her own.



Nuriko grinned devilishly. "Sweetheart, this is all very nice, but don't you think

that we should get to know each other a little better first?"



She screamed and tried to push him away. To her surprise and horror her purple-haired

tormentor only moved a few inches away before settling back into the intimate embrace.

"Get off me now!" she demanded heatedly. "I don't want to get to know you

any beter, thank you!"



Nuriko's face suddenly became very serious "Gomen nasai, but I can't do that. In

fact I'd say that it's completely impossible."



"Do tell me why that would be?" the girl asked acidly. Her brown eyes

glittered dangerously with golden fire, and Nuriko mentally prepared himself for the blow

that would probably soon follow.



"Well, you see, Hotohori-chan, I'd love to get up, not that this isn't nice and

all, but I have a terrible cramp in my back..." he began teasingly.



"Cut to the chase, and give me the main point," she growled menacingly.



"...but one of your hands is tangled in my hair," he ended sheepishly.



The girl blushed a beautiful crimson and removed her left hand from Nuriko's hair as if

it had burned her. She scrambled backwards from the young man, trying to put as much space

between them as possible.



Nuriko's eyes narrowed. "Is it so painful for you to touch me?" he asked

chokingly. "I made one careless mistake, and you're going to hold it against me

forever?"



She looked down in embarrassment and said quaveringly. "It's not you so much as my

past. I was in a bad relationship a little over a year ago. I thought that my boyfriend,

James, really loved me. Through my feelings for him he managed to isolate me from my

family and my few friends, and I didn't discover what he really wanted until it was almost

too late. James was hungry for power, and he wanted to use a spell he called 'Bochuu

magic' to take my chi and become stronger. I was so hurt and angry about being betrayed

that I lost all control and attempted a chi blast. Somehow he deflected my energy, and my

entire family died. Since then I've sworn never to use my chi in anger ever again."



"What does that have to do with me?" Nuriko asked stupidly. "I'm truly

sorry for your loss, but..."



"Nuriko no baka!" she exclaimed. "I haven't trusted any man since that

day, and despite your effeminate appearance, you are a man!"



"Calm down, Hotohori-chan," he said nervously. "Please don't get mad at

me again, okay?"



"For the last time my name is not, and never will be, 'Hotohori-chan'! she

continued heatedly. "Even if I share his sign, I am my own person, and I refuse to be

seen as an extension of him or any other man!"



"Oops, I messed up there," Nuriko thought resignedly and took a deep breath.

"Gomen, gomen, Hoto-, what do you want us to call you anyway? Without any given name

for you, Hotohori-chan seemed to fit you best."



"As an honourary seishi I feel no compunction to give my real name. Instead I will

have one real name and one symbolic one," she smiled brightly. "You may call me

Kourin."



Her companion started at her chosen name, but recovered with, "What is your real

name then, Kourin-sama?"



She frowned a little. "It's probably best that I don't give my personal name right

now. My past has a bad habit of finding me in the most inconvinient places, and I don't

want to endanger the rest of you. Besides you don't all know each other's real names, do

you? Only Miaka and Tamahome know who you really are, ne, Ryuuen?"



The shocked look on Nuriko's face made up for the stress of the past few hours several

times over. "How did you know that?" he finally gasped.



Kourin smiled teasingly, and her entire body seemed illuminated. "Don't you

remember at all, Ryuu-chan? You told me yourself, A...NA...TA." She punctuated the

last three syllables by gazing up at him through her long, thick eyelashes. Nuriko felt

his head begin to spin, and he wondered what was wrong with him. Women had never made him

feel like this before. What had she done to him during the healing process that made him

feel liquid and wobbly inside now?



He decided to return to safer topics and nervously queried, "Did you have a good

rest?"



Kourin looked puzzled by the rapid change of topics but civilly replied, "I had a

strange dream about a beautiful man with red wings. He showed me your seventh seishi,

Hotohori, and I think that he wants me to go to Konan."



"You saw Suzaku in your dreams?" Nuriko gasped astonished. "What are you

supposed to do once you get to Konan, Kourin?"



"Well, I don't really know," she sighed. "I think that the beautiful man

would have told me if SOMEONE hadn't woken me up!"



"Hey, you woke up on your own!" Nuriko said defensively. "Why don't you

smile more instead of being sarcastic all of the time? You look so pretty and sweet when

you smile."



Kourin looked up quizzically, and Nuriko began to wish that he'd swallowed those last

words. She'd seemed so depressed and unhappy, and now angry, that he'd just wanted to

cheer her up. However, Nuriko feared that his compliment would earn him another slap.

"Anou..." he began nervously,"I probably shouldn't have said that,

ne?" He dropped his gaze, and his cheeks infused wiht burning heat. Nuriko waited an

eternity for his judgement and jumped at the gentle touch on his shoulder. He turned

slightly to gaze directly into Kourin's brown eyes. Like the sun coming out from behind a

cloud, she smiled, smiled at him, for him alone.



"Arigatou, Ryuuen," Kourin said quietly. "Honto ni arigatou."



Nuriko knew he was trapped the minute that she smiled at him. Her whole face lit up,

and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the golden flame. Like a moth the young man drew

closer and closer to the source of the beckoning fire. He bent his head towards hers,not

caring if he was slapped or not.



Kourin herself had become mesmerized by the heat in Nuriko's gaze. It had been a long

time since someone had looked at her like that. Mentally she berated herself for her

weakness, but her body refused to respond to her brain's warnings. The uncanny refrain

of,"After you save him, why don't you marry Niichan?" kept running through her

head. She knew that she didn't have any real feelings for this young man; how could she,

they had just met, but at the moment the physical attraction was more than enough.



"Nuriko, we got the Shinzaho!" Miaka's cheerful voice carried from the back

of the cavern.



The spell was broken. Kourin glared up into Nuriko's face. "What the hell do you

think you're doing?" she hissed dangerously.



Nuriko's hands fell limply from her shoulders. A cold, empty space had taken the place

of his heart, but he forced himself to smile wryly. "We should have called you

'Tasuki-chan' instead, Kourin, because you sure talk like him!"



"I heard that!" Tasuki yelled in mock anger.



Kourin smiled in Tasuki's general direction and stated loudly, "Actually, Nuriko,

I think that your red-headed friend would be a better 'Tasuki-chan'. He's SOOO

kawaii!" She tossed a challenging glance over her shoulder as if daring him to

contradict her.



Tamahome joined in the fun since he absolutely couldn't pass up a chance to rag on

Tasuki. "Ooo, Gen-chan, I think the lady likes you!" he teased. He switched to

an extremely high pitched falsetto. "He's SOOO kawaii!" and he batted his

eyelashes dramatically.



"Tamahome!" Tasuki threatened, pantomiming reaching for his tessen. "You

know that I HATE women!"



Kourin jumped up and ran to meet him. She playfully wrapped herself around him and

began to play with one of her victim's long earrings. "Are you sure that you don't

want to play with me, Tasuki-chan?" she purred sensuously. She stroked one of her

hands down towards his waist and teasingly pulled at his belt buckle. "A big, strong

man like you surely isn't scared of me?"



Tasuki had turned several shades of red and now was rather successfully turning purple,

while his fellow seishi laughed at his obvious discomfort. Nuriko finally spoke softly but

firmly. "Kourin, I think you should leave him alone now. You've had your fun."



"You're no fun, Nuriko,"she pouted before snapping,"anyway, who are you

to tell me what to do, my keeper?"



"They're already arguing again," Chichiri sighed. "How are we going to

survive long enough to find out why she's here?"



To his immense surprise Kourin answered the rhetorical question. "I need one of

you to take me to Konan to meet Hotohori. Once I arrive there I think that more of my

purpose will be revealed."



"She thinks that she saw Suzaku in her dreams," Nuriko scoffed. "He told

her that she needs to go to Konan to fully understand the reason that she's here."



The short-haired girl spun around and grabbed his collar furiously. "I don't know

what your problem is, but I'm here, and you all clearly don't have the power to send me

home, so we all have to deal with it!" She pulled down her collar to reveal the

entire sign and continued. "This sign marks me as one of Suzaku's chosen, right? If

he had spoken to one of your fellow seishi or Miaka, would you doubt them now, Nuriko? I

think not! I don't know why we are constantly at each other's throats, but I am willing to

make an effort if you are."



"How magnamious of you!" Nuriko sneered. "Neechan, you started this

whole mess by overreacting when I mistakenly kissed you..."



"If you hadn't given in to your testosterone guided impulses and thought before

you acted..." Kourin interrupted furiously.



"...we wouldn't be in this situation right now!" both finished. The two

opponents stared at each in surprise for a moment while the other seishi quietly conferred

among themselves. Tasuki cautiously sidled up to them with one hand strategically placed

on his tessen.



"Anou...," he stuttered, "we declared it a draw, and, Kourin-sama,

Nuriko will be your escort back to Konan."



"I'm not setting one foot out of this cave with him!" the girl answered

curtly, turning her back to Nuriko.



"That's fine by me!" Nuriko retorted. "I don't want to take you anywhere

anyway!"



"Nuriko is the most logical choice," Chichiri desperately explained.

"Because of his fatal injuries, he is weaker than he normally would be, and we don't

want to risk his life unnecessarily."



"I don't trust him," she stated flatly. "He's already tried to take

advantage of me three times, and when there's no one but me to stop him, who knows what

that hentai will do!" Kourin turned to Nuriko with golden fire burning in her eyes.

"I'll go with you on one condition. If you even lay one finger on me when it isn't

absolutely necessary, I will drain all the chi from your body, wakatta?"



Nuriko gulped at the girl's fierce words. Her body language alone was a clear indicator

that she was fully capable of carrying out her threat. "Wakatta, Kourin, but may I

add my own condition?"



"It depends on what it is," she returned smartly.



"When we leave here, you will pretend to be my sister. That way no one will find

it odd that a young woman is traveling alone with a man, and I will be better able to

protect you," he answered, his burgandy eyes boring into hers.



"Who the FUCK is going to believe that you two are sibs?" Tasuki interjected

contemptuously. "Kourin doesn't even look like anyone from this world."



"Well, if you're so smart, why don't you suggest something?" Nuriko snapped,

his thin veneer of composure fading.



"Eeto..." Tasuki stammered sheepishly. "I know you're going to hate

this, but you might be able to pass Kourin off as your foreign wife."



"Nani?!" Kourin and Nuriko shrieked in horror. "There's no way we're

pretending to be married!"



"Anou...Kourin-sama looks too much like the Hins of far eastern Kutou to be safe

on her own," Chiriko said quietly. "Even before their extermination by the

current emperor of Kutou, they were hated and feared. Without protection you will face

prejudice and torment wherever you go, Kourin-sama."



"Were the Hin so terrible a people?" the golden brown-haired girl asked

sadly.



"Not at all,"the young boy smiled sweetly. "They were just different

and, therefore, misunderstood and shunned."



"Nuriko, it seems that I need you to get me to Konan safely, so I should apologize

for all of the things I've said so far. I jumped to conclusions and was terribly unfair.

Could we start over as friends?" Kourin extended her right hand towards him and

firmly pasted a smile on her face. "Onegaishimasu?"



Nuriko looked down and shuffled his feet. "I really ought to be the one

apologizing. I provoked you without any reason or any thought to the consequences."

His eyes met Kourin's shyly across the gap between them. "I swear on the memory of my

sister that I will protect you even at the cost of my own life." Nuriko strode

forward and grasped the girl's hand firmly. "For now and forever, I am you devoted

protector and friend, Kourin-sama, or I am not worthy of bearing the title of

seishi."



Kourin gifted him with another true smile and clumsily curtsied. "Nuriko-sama, I

would be most honoured to be your friend, and I accept you as my one true guardian."










Glossary
ojousama -- lady or miss

doomo arigatou gozaimasu, arigatou -- thank you

chi -- life energy

Suzaku no Miko -- priestess of Suzaku, one of the four animal gods

seishi -- protector or warrior of any god's Miko

Bochuu magic -- a spell that raises chi energy by exchanging male and female

energy. From what I have seen in FY it is normally the male who gains increased power.

baka -- idiot, stupid

gomen -- sorry

-sama, -chan, -san -- three Japanese honourifics

ne -- a question marker that indicates the expectation of an affirmative response

anata -- literally 'you', but it is normally only used by a wife for her husband.

In this context it is more like 'darling'.

anou, eeto -- Japanese equivalents for 'um'

honto ni -- truly, really

niichan -- affectionate form of older brother

kawaii -- cute

neechan -- the affectionate form of older sister, but in the story it is used

more like "babe" or "chick"

tessen -- Iron fan. This refers to Tasuki's special fan that shoots fire.

nani -- what

onegaishimasu -- a very polite form of please

Suzaku no Saiai -- beloved of Suzaku



















Questions? Comments?



Okay, I'm still

interested. Where's part 3?^^



Get me outta here! She's

evil I tell you, evil!



© 1997 jscaife@austin.rr.com