Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Suzaku no Saiai ❯ Chapter 3

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

Suzaku no Saiai










Part III















Fushigi Yuugi is owned by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan, Studio Pierro, Bandai Visual, TV

Tokyo, and Movic. No disrespect was meant by the use of their characters. Please don't sue

me; I'm a poor college student, so it won't do you any good. Kourin and Jin Feng are my

original characters. Feel free to use them, but let me know at jscaife@austin.rr.com.














"You should hurry to get back to Konan as quickly as possible," Chichiri

advised. "If Suzaku has need for Kourin-sama, he will not rest until she

arrives." And the sooner the two of you get out of here, the lower the chance of one

of you strangling the other! he thought wryly.



"Do you still have my horse or do I need to borrow one of yours?" Nuriko

asked.



"We have to share a horse?" Kourin inquired in shock. "Sorry,

I'll walk, thanks."



"Hey, what happened to 'let's be friends'?" Nuriko said exasperated, grabbing

her arm.



"I won't sit that close to any male regardless of whether he's my friend or

not," the girl replied cooly.



"Well, aren't we Miss High and Mighty!" Nuriko snapped. "There's only

one horse available, so you'll have to accustom your tender sensibilities to being close

to me or I'll throw you across the saddle."



Kourin glared at him for a moment, and it seemed that she would spit out another fiery

rejoinder. To everyone's surprise she meekly bowed her head and mumbled,"Wakatta,

Nuriko. Gomen nasai."



The strange pair travelled until dusk fell. It had been a silent journey over the

deserted countryside of Hokkan. Kourin had ignored her companion completely as if he were

merely an annoying stranger she had picked up along the road. The only real interaction

had been when Nuriko had forced a wool cloak on the girl to keep her from catching a

chill. In the dark winter night the young seishi desperately searched for an inn. He

doubted that Kourin was up to camping out in the harsh climate, and he wasn't enamored of

the idea himself. Finally, a small inn appeared out of the darkness.



"Kourin, we're going to stop for the night," he said softly. "We need to

get a hot bath and some food for you, so you don't get sick."



No response came from the wollen wrapped bundle pressed against his back. He cautiously

twisted around and lifted a fold of the cloak to reveal Kourin's peacefully sleeping face.

Her breath feathered over his face in soft gusts, and Nuriko smiled gently.



"I don't want to wake her up because she looks so gentle asleep," he murmured

to himself, "but I need to get her warmed up."



He carefully dismounted and gathered the sleeping girl in his arms. Tentatively, Nuriko

rapped the solid wooden door with his foot. A robust, middle-aged woman answered.

"Greetings, traveller. How may I be of service to you?"



"My...my wife and I need lodgings for the night," Nuriko choked out.



"She's certainly a sweet looking thing," the innkeeper admired, peering into

the cloak. "Are you newly weds?"



Nuriko blushed deeply and silently praised the gods that Kourin was sleeping.

"We...we...were married yesterday, and we're heading back to my father's business in

Konan."



"Really?" the woman wondered aloud. "Young man, isn't Hokkan a long way

to come for a bride?"



"It was a business alliance," Nuriko improvised. "Her father weaves some

of the best wollens in the four kingdoms, and my father is a cloth merchant. We can get a

lower price with the union of our two families. Beside the girl's half Hin, so her father

threw in a very generous dowry as well."



"Half Hin, ne?" the innkeeper mused. "There's not many that would take

one so accursed like that..."



Nuriko shrugged. "I find her peculiar looks attractive and the dowry and business

arrangements more attractive still."



The innkeeper grinned broadly. "You're a young man after my own heart! Come in,

come in! I'm sure I can find a private corner for you two."



Kourin woke to a feeling of delicious warmth and a wonderful smell. She lazily

stretched, realizing how hungry she was. She absentmindedly took in her surroundings while

deliberating on leaving her warm nest. Nuriko was sitting in an armchair in front of the

fireplace gazing deep into the flames. His eyes were shadowed, and his whole posture

suggested defeat and melancholy."



"Nuriko?" Kourin queried hesitantly. "Daijoubu ka?"



Her voice seemed to return his energy, and the purple-haired young man turned to her

instantly. "Kourin, you're finally awake. Come have some dinner. Afterwards I'll have

the innkeeper prepare you a hot bath. Doesn't that sound nice?"



"Don't ignore my question, Nuriko," the girl implored. "You seemed so

sad."



"Betsu ni, Kourin," Nuriko said softly. "I just feel like the other

seishi wanted to get rid of me. I had died! I wasn't supposed to be here, so they

sent me off with you."



"No, that's not it!" Kourin accused him. "There's something else,

too."



"I just feel like something is missing inside of me," the young seishi

whispered painfully,"something that was once very important."



"Missing something?" Kourin asked nervously from her position on the bed.



Nuriko continued as if he hadn't heard her quiet words. "I've done things today

that I never would have done in the past! Kissing a girl and then trying to blow it

off as a 'misunderstanding'! I'd never even kissed a girl before today, Kourin. For the

first time my yang energy is stronger than my yin energy, and I'm becoming fully a man,

but I'm losing a part of myself in the process."



Kourin hopped out of the bed and walked over to kneel on the floor at the young man's

feet. "I know...what's gone," she whispered softly, lifting her head to meet her

companion's painfilled eyes. "For the first time since her death eight years ago,

your imoutosan is gone."



Nuriko gripped her shoulders tightly, and Kourin could feel the circulation leave her

upper arms. "How do you know, Kourin?!" Nuriko rasped terribly. The girl stared

at him in shock, and he shook her impatiently. "Tell me! How do you know?"



Kourin forced herself to keep her voice steady, and she unflinchingly met his gaze.

"I'm the one who finally set her free."



Nuriko threw her from him with a sharp cry. "You had no right to do that!

She was mine! Kourin-chan belonged to me!"



"She was a person, a human being," Kourin protested. "She didn't belong

to anyone!"



"You don't understand anything!" the purple-haired young man spat back.

"Kourin-chan and I were almsot the same person! I was devestated when she died, and

her memory was all I had left!"



The air around his companion began to crackly dangerously, and she began to manifest a

golden aura. "I left you your memories of her, Nuriko," Kourin said darkly.

"I just freed her soul, so that she could find rest in the afterlife and be

reincarnated." A sparkling ball of yellow chi glowed malevolently in her hands.

"You say you're a man, Nuriko," she sneered, "but you need to let go of the

past and GROW UP!"



Nuriko stepped towards her menacingly, but the blazing chi stopped him. "I'll have

the innkeeper send up a hot bath for you," he said, the rage barely concealed under

his neutral words. "There's dinner on the table, and there are some fresh clothes for

you on the chair. I'll be downstairs if you need me for anything."



After Nuriko left, Kourin let her chi dissipate and sank exhausted into a nearby

armchair. What had she done? She had promised herself never to use her chi in anger, but

what had she just done?



A sharp rapping broke into her train of thought, followed by the door swinging

open."I'm just bringing up the hot bath" a cheery, unfamiliar voice rang out. A

stocky, middle-aged woman appeared pulling something around the edge of the door. Her eyes

widened slightly when she saw the despondent girl huddled in the chair, and she let go of

the heavy washtub and wiped her large, capable hands on her apron. "What's the

matter, dearie? Did you and your husband just experience your first argument of married

life?"



Kourin lifted her head and dropped it again. "My...my husband, I suppose he

is, isn't he? We don't love each other though. It was a business arrangement between our

fathers."



"Was there someone else back home that you were in love with?" the older

woman prodded gently.



The girl opened her mouth to deny any such previous romantic attachment, but words

tumbled unbidden to her lips. "He had long, flowing, dark hair a shade lighter than

the night, and his eyes were beautiful dark pools. He was a master swordsman and a

soldier, but with me he was always gentle and kind. I loved him with all my heart, and he

loved me in return. He asked my father for my hand, but Otousan refused, saying that no

daughter of his would marry a rootless mercenary and wander through the world without a

place to call her own. Shortly afterwards, Otousan arranged my marriage to Ryuuen. I think

he was afraid that I would run away and follow my heart."



The older woman smiled at her gently. "It will all be for the best, my dear. I was

married off to my husband when I was a child of thirteen, but we were content together,

and when he died I inherited this inn. He gave me the means to be independent. Besides,

child, Hin blood will breed true nine times out of ten, and if your Otousan hadn't sent

you away,you would have followed your heart and disgraced your entire family."



"Is to love and desire love in return so bad?" Kourin smiled wryly.



"Of course not," the innkeeper soothed,"but love will come in time with

your marriage and a new life." She stood up briskly. "Now, ojousan, how about a

nice hot bath to restore your spirits?"



Kourin soaked in the near scalding water until all the warmth was gone. The innkeeper

had bustled in and out the entire time to 'keep an eye on her' and make sure she ate some

supper. Kourin stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a huge, fluffy towel.

"Where did my clothes go?" she asked in confusion?



"Oh, those things" the innkeeper replied. "I took the liberty of taking

them downstairs to wash, strange garments. Your husband picked out some clothes for you

while you were sleeping." She shook out some complicated looking outfits that had

been laying on a chair. "See, aren't they pretty? This dark burgandy should look

lovely on you!"



"Anou..." Kourin searched for words, "I don't know how to put those

on." She felt her face burn in embarrassment. "I've always dressed in clothes

like the ones you took away, so..."



"Your mother must have let you run wild," the innkeeper tsked disapprovingly.

"I'd be happy to help you dress, dearie."



Meanwhile, downstairs Nuriko had just finished his third 'Nuriko special' and was ready

to order a fourth. Kourin's words still rang in his head. "She was a person, a human

being! She didn't belong to anyone!" He felt hopelessly betrayed by the young

woman he had sworn to protect, but part of himself also knew that it wasn't really her

fault. Nuriko sighed; he had handled the situation badly, and once again within the span

of twenty-four hours he was going to have to apologize. "Bartender, I'll have another

one of the same," he called out.



"Sir, don't you think you ought to slow down a little?" the bartender asked.



"It's the only way to get her off my mind" Nuriko replied, slightly slurred.



"Oh, woman troubles," the bartender grinned sympathetically. "Who is

she, your girlfriend?"



"Acshully, she's my wife." Nuriko let the alcohol take control. "You

see..."



By the time Kourin came downstairs to find her 'husband', Nuriko was riproaring drunk,

and his story had been passed around the entire room. One of the men looked up as she

approached and shouted, "Here comes the bitch now!"



The men raised their tankards to cheers of "the bitch, the bitch", and Kourin

scanned the crowd furiously until she found the object of her wrath.



"Nurko," she growled, "I'm going to kill you!"



As she picked her way purposefully through the crowd, one man grabbed her arm. He

pulled her towards him, and his ale soaked breath made her gag. "If your husband

don't want you, why don't ya be nice to me, girlie? Everyone knows that those Hin bitches

are so hot between the legs that they'll burn up if they don't get a man."



The girl turned livid and spat, "Don't ever talk about me or my mother like

that again!" She yanked away from his lecherous grasp and waded through the sea of

men. After five minutes of evading more lecherous men and crude comments she found herself

face to face with Nuriko. He was clearly tanked off his hiney, to say the least. He stared

up at her blurrily before managing, "Kourin, what are you doing here?" and then

relapsing into a drunken stupor.



Kourin slapped him across the face with all of her strength. "That is for making

me look like a whore in from of your drinking buddies!" She slapped him again.

"That is for blaming me for your sister's disappearance!" She slapped him

viciously one final time and burst into tears of frustration and rage. "And that is

for making me 'marry' you in the first place!" She waited for a moment as if

expecting and answer, but Nuriko only stared at her in shock. "You said that you

protect me, that we'd be friends, but if this is how you protect me, I'll just take care

of myself!" Kourin turned and ran from the room wanting nothing more than to hide

from the prying eyes of the men.



Nuriko looked up at the bartender with an uncomprehending gaze and slurred, "She

wash mad, washn't she?"



The bartender sighed heavily. "I'd say she was mad, my friend. I pity you come

morning."



Several hours later Nuriko woke up with a terrible crick in his back and a burning in

his face. He squinted around the dark room blearily and gingerly rubbed his cheek where it

had been pressed against the rough wood surface of the bar. He was completely alone in the

darkness, and his liquor-fogged mind struggled to remember why he was there at all. A

spark of an idea glimmered in his mind, and the young man clumsily made his way up the

stairs to his room.



Kourin was dreaming again, but Suzaku did not greet her at the gate to the subconcious.

Instead Hotohori came towards her with a gentle smile on his beautiful face.



"Kourin, I've been longing to see you again," he spoke huskily. "I had

to know if you were real or nothing more than a figment of my lovesick imagination."



"It's only been a few hours," Kourin protested softly. "Surely you

aren't so lovesick that time drags for you?"



"You don't understand, Kourin," Hotohori whispered as he leaned towards her.

"I thought I loved Miaka, but she loves Tamahome. I never had a chance to win her

heart, but maybe you are the one meant to be my empress. Is the the reason that you

bear my sign?" He carefully caressed her neck with his hand and briefly replaced his

hand with his warm, soft lips. "Hurry to Konan, Kourin! I don't know how long I can

last without you by my side. Farewell...for now." Hotohori's tall, elegant figure

began melting away into the sudden mist.



Kourin reached out blindly, desperately trying to find her companion's comforting

warmth. The dreamworld was no longer welcoming and friendly, and a flash of terror ran

through her."Hotohori, don't leave me! Onegai, Hotohori! Come back! Take me with

you!" the girl cried frantically.



Nuriko looked up from his spot by the fire at the girl's cry. He tried to convince

himself that it was the least that she deserved for her earlier behaviour, but his heart

ached to see Kourin in such obvious distress. He pulled a chair to the side of the bed and

gently grasped the trembling girl's flailing hand.



Suddenly, Nuriko was there with her, holding her hand and reassuring her. "Kourin,

daijoubu, daijoubu. I'm here; you're not alone."



She threw herself onto his chest and began to sob uncontrollably. "He left me here

all by myself, and it was so scary."



Nuriko gently stroked the frightened girl's hair. "I'm sure Hotohori didn't want

to leave you. Something must have happened so he had to return."



However, Kourin's thoughts had already turned from her 'abandonment' by Hotohori.

"Nuriko, I'm so sorry! Gomen nasai! I said some terrible things, but you still came

to rescue me!"



Nuriko grimaced before he replied. "I deserved most of the things you said,

Kourin. I ought to be the one apologizing."



Kourin pulled away from him and looked down clearing her throat awkwardly. "Do you

realize how many times we've had to say 'I'm sorry' in less than twenty-four hours? It

seems that no matter what we do, we're always hurting one another."



Nuriko shrugged eloquently. "So we fight a lot now. That will change when we begin

to feel more comfortable together."



The girl looked up at him with resolute eyes. "I don't think so, Ryuuen," and

he shivered at the mention of his real name. "I think that once we get to Konan we

shouldn't be around each other anymore."



Her companion grabbed her shoulders and got up in her face. "What do you think

you're saying, Kourin?! I made an oath to protect you on my honour as a seishi! Only I can

revoke that oath!"



She looked at him dispassionately and seemed to compose herself before continuing.

"That's exactly what I'm asking you to do," Kourin said softly.



"And if I won't?" Nuriko demanded belligerently.



"I'll find a way to make you want to take it back."















Questions? Comments?



WAI!! There's still more!

Part 4 here I come!



This is really sick and

twisted! Take me back!



© 1997 jscaife@austin.rr.com