Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl Who Didn't Believe ❯ Battle Royale ( Chapter 26 )

The Girl Who Didn't Believe

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the FY characters. They belong to Yuu Watase. I do own Kitten and Sable though.

`…' = thoughts

//…// = telepathic conversation

########## = at another place

^^^^^^^^^^ = recall

********** = dream sequence

@@@@@@@@@@ = mirror projection

A little translation here…

Tatsu----Dragon

Hebi----Snake

That's all, minna-san!! Enjoy!!

Chapter 26-Battle Royale

"Do you think that they will keep their promise and bring the girls here, no da?" Chichiri asked softly.

Kamui nodded.

"Hai. Celestial beings do not lie."

Tasuki snorted.

"Celestial beings are not supposed to be sneaky either, and yet that crazy lot all but kidnapped Kit and Sable."

Chichiri sweatdropped.

It was barely dawn and the trio was at the mouth of the forest where the fight was supposed to be scheduled. Kamui, Chichiri and Tasuki had awakened two hours before the breaking of dawn to prepare for the inevitable battle.

The redhead paced around the clearing like a caged tiger.

"Are you sure that this is the place where we are supposed to meet?"

Chichiri's sweatdrop grew bigger.

"Anou, Tasuki, we have been here for only fifteen minutes, no da."

Tasuki glared at his counterparts. Chichiri was sitting cross-legged on the floor, conserving his energy, whereas Kamui was leaning against a tree, looking as cool as the summer breeze.

"How can the two of you be so calm?"

"Restrain yourself, Tasuki," was Kamui's reply. "Fighting the celestial elementals would require all of your strength."

Tasuki growled in frustration but knew that the blonde was right. He quit pacing and plopped onto the ground beside Chichiri.

"What the hell is taking them so long?"

##########

They were lost.

Kitten could not believe it, but she had no choice but to come to terms with it when the group went passed the same clearing eight times.

"I thought that celestial beings were efficient, and that that includes being direction-savvy too," the blue-haired girl muttered to Sable, who was beside her.

Sable shushed the girl. It would not do if the elementals heard her comments.

Kitten rolled her eyes as the brunette sighed and looked around her.

Akai, Aoi and Haiiro were a few feet in front of them, and like typical men, they were trying their best to look confident and purposeful when in reality, they did not even know where the heck they were.

##########

Two hours later…

"Oi, the three musketeers in front? Do you really know where we are going or are we going to spend the entire day playing Merry-Go-Round?" Kitten was impatient.

Aoi turned and smiled apologetically whereas Akai turned and snapped, "If you don't open your mouth, nobody will think that you are dumb!! Baka onna!!"

Haiiro did not even bother. He continued walking.

"Why don't you use kaze to lift you above the trees so that you can see where we are supposed to go?"

Haiiro started. He glanced to his left to see the brunette walking beside him.

"Aren't you going to join them?" he tilted his head to the trio behind him.

Sable turned and winced.

Akai and Kitten were quarrelling and Aoi was desperately trying to get them to calm down.

"I think I'd rather miss." She turned back and found herself talking to air.

"Nani? He disappeared so fast…" the brunette murmured as she felt wind. Remembering her earlier suggestion to the wind-master, she looked up just in time to see Haiiro jump back down to the ground gracefully. He straightened in one smooth motion and changed the direction where they were walking.

"You are right; we were walking in the wrong direction." He said impassively as he begun walking on the new route.

Sable sweatdropped.

"Anou…matte!! What about them?" The girl motioned to the group behind her.

Haiiro shrugged.

Sable's sweatdropped grew bigger.

"Kit," she yelled at last. "We found the correct path!! Hayaku if you want to see Tasuki!!"

Kitten snarled one last retort at Akai and stalked back to her friend.

"What an ungentlemanly idiot," She muttered as she walked off with Sable.

##########

Tasuki was fuming.

Two and a half hours had passed and yet the three baka, and most importantly, the girls, were not here yet.

The redhead fingered his medallion.

Somehow, the warm stone of the amber had managed to calm his worries.

`Kit will be here. I will just have to wait for her arrival.'

He quit touching the stone.

Chichiri was, in all appearances, meditating. However, he was not really meditating as his worry for Sable had prevented him from concentrating on doing so.

`Tasuki is right. What is taking them so long? It shouldn't take that long for them to reach here, no matter where they are.'

Chichiri's anxious thoughts were interrupted when he heard rustlings and footsteps from behind the clearing.

In one smooth motion, he stood up. Tasuki and Kamui were not far behind. The trio faced the source of the noise.

"Stop walking behind me, you stupid head!! You are making me uncomfortable!!"

Tasuki sighed. Never had that voice given him so much relief.

Akai was deliberately tailing Kitten just to get a rise out of her.

The fire elemental did not have to wait long.

Tasuki watched as his newly-appeared kirei turned and smacked the redhead upside the head.

Akai scowled at the girl and was about to do something to said girl when Haiiro reached out a hand and pulled the man a safe distance away from Kitten. With no choice, Akai settled on scowling and fuming at everyone.

"Wait till I wipe the floor with her koi…" he muttered.

The fire-master had not seen the trio yet.

Tasuki, on the other hand, had heard every word the baka had uttered and his hackles rose in offense.

"Bakayero…" The seishi hissed under his breath. Chichiri placed his hand on his friend's shoulder in silent restraint.

He did not really have to do that, as amethyst eyes met tawny ones just then.

Kitten waved at Tasuki.

She was right; the medallion had done wonders in bringing out the magnificent amber of his eyes. They glowed with intensity.

Kitten suddenly felt a mite self-conscious. She lowered her hand.

Chichiri looked from Tasuki to Kitten and back again. The two of them were so wrapped up at seeing each other again that they had practically forgotten about everything else. He also sensed a Tamahome/Miaka moment coming up between the two and thus, hurriedly, tried to break the pair up. Now was simply not the time or place for things like these.

However, before he could do or say anything, Aoi did the job for him.

"Anou…konnichiwa!!" the water-master waved chibily at Kamui, Chichiri, and a dazed Tasuki, who had finally took time off looking at Kitten and was now staring at the reduced blue-haired man.

In fact, everyone was now staring at the celestial being.

With weird expressions on their faces.

Did he not understand that they are here for a life and death battle, not for a hello-my-name-is-blah-blah-blah-and-what-is-yours-and-now-that-we-know-each -other-let's-go-for-a-picnic-lah-lah-lah session?

Aoi sweatdropped at the amount of incredulity he got from the seven people in front of him.

"Anou…don't you think that we should get to know a little bit more about each other first before we fight?" he offered.

Tasuki glared at the man, all earlier signs of dazedness gone.

"I already know enough of you three!! Anymore and my stomach is not going to take it!!"

"Then let's stop talking and do what we are supposed to do, ne?"

Tasuki stared at Haiiro. He had totally forgotten about the man who had been standing in a corner, all the while amusedly observing the scene unfolding before him.

"I agree," Kamui said. "Let's finish this thing before it degenerates into something even more childish." He looked at the three paths that lead into different sections of the forest.

"The person who finishes fighting first will return to this clearing to claim the girls." The blonde looked at Haiiro as he executed a mocking bow to indicate the path that he had chosen for them. "Shall we, Haiiro?"

The wind-master smirked and swept past the Kutou official.

"Let's go. I do hope that your fighting skills are as fancy as your court etiquette."

Long, golden eyelashes swept down to conceal glacier-blue eyes.

"I assure you that they are even better."

The five watched the first pair disappear into the forest.

Tasuki broke the silence next. Looking Akai straight in the eye, he pointed at one of the remaining paths before stalking in that direction, with Akai trailing shortly behind.

Kitten was a trifle disappointed. He did not even say anything to her!!

//Wait for me, kirei. I swear that I will return in time.// Kitten's heart warmed rapidly.

//Hai, carrot top. Just make sure that you don't come back to me in pieces, ne?// Kitten paused, before whispering shyly. //Gambatte, anata.//

Tasuki's only reply was a snort, but still, it was enough for the blue-haired girl.

Aoi shrugged good-naturedly at Chichiri.

"Guess that we are left with no choice again." The water elemental whistled cheerfully as he took the last path.

Chichiri was about to start after the man when Sable stopped him.

"Chichiri," the brunette began.

"Hai, no da?"

Sable's throat suddenly felt very dry.

"Gambatte." She managed at last.

Chichiri nodded.

"Wakatta, no da."

The girls watched as the last of the men disappear into the forest.

The battle had begun.

##########

In the realm of the gods…

Suzaku did not even bother to yell at Seiryu anymore. It was a waste of breath and time anyway.

No, the phoenix god merely teleported to wherever the dragon god is and bopped him on the head.

Repeatedly.

"WHAT?!!" Seiryu roared, apparently aggrieved. He had been receiving the attention of a beautiful servant girl before his brother's untimely visit.

"YOU SLIME!!" The god of Konan screeched into his brother's ear. "You want to kill my seishi is it?!! HOW CAN YOU SEND THE CELESTIAL GUARDIANS AFTER THEM?!!" Suzaku hit his brother upside the head a few more times for good measure.

Seiryu had enough of the abuse that was being inflicted on him.

"ENOUGH!!" He growled. With regret, he dismissed the girl servant. Any mood for amorous activities had been driven away by his stupid brother anyway.

Now, back to the problem at hand.

The `problem' in question was now sitting on a chair with arms-crossed and was busy glaring diligently at him.

Seiryu could not take it anymore.

He snapped.

Suzaku watched with morbid fascination as his brother blew his top.

He watched as Seiryu turned blue in the face and smoke start to float out of his ears.

He watched as Seiryu popped into his beast form and start flying crazily around like a balloon whose air is escaping at a great speed.

He watched as his brother opened those dangerously fanged jaws and spewed water straight down to Kutou.

He shook his head.

"I see that you are not fit to talk now, Seiryu." The phoenix god got up and prepared to leave Seiryu's domain. "You have too many pent-up emotions." Suzaku brightened. "Maybe you should get a pretty servant girl to help you release all those pent-up frustrations."

Seiryu became madder, if that was possible.

Directing a blast of water at Suzaku, he roared, "I WAS ABOUT TO DO JUST THAT WHEN YOU DROPPED IN ON ME!! BAKA!!"

Suzaku had already disappeared.

##########

It was raining cats and dogs.

The girls were ensconced miserably under the dubious shelter of an Angsana tree. Other than the thunderous sound of rain hitting the ground, the entire area was devoid of noise.

It was eerie, considering the fact that three certain groups of people were seriously engaged in combat somewhere within the forest.

"Man," Kitten muttered to no one in particular. "What the hell is Seiryu thinking? Raining down on us like that."

Sable shook her head but did not answer. She was worried for Chichiri. The rain did not bode well for the seishi.

`It is all my fault,' she berated herself. `Kitten has her shape shifting power, but what about me? I have no power whatsoever. If I had any powers, I am sure that I could have somehow avoided capture from the elemental trio and Kitten and I could have escaped, and none of these would have happened.'

Kitten glanced at Sable. The brunette was looking extremely vexed and guilty.

Automatically, the blue-haired girl sidled over to her friend and nudged the girl with her shoulder.

"Relax, Sab. Everything is going to be alright. You have to trust them, ne?"

Sable looked at her friend before lowering her head into her hands.

"Stop trying to cheer me up, Kit." Kitten heard her mumbled reply. "I know that I am the most worthless person in the entire group. All I do is make trouble for all of you. I am the weakest link among you all, and the three of you always have to expand extra energy looking out for me. I am useless!!"

"Iie, Sab!!" The blue-haired girl shook her head in denial even as she used her hands to pull down Sable's . "You are not useless. Your magical power has not shown itself yet, but do you know what power you have that the three of us don't?"

"Iie," Sable stared at Kitten, her curiosity aroused. "What?"

Kitten smiled.

"You are the supporting pillar of our group, baka." She cuffed her protesting friend on the head lightly. "You give us the emotional support that we require to fight on. You ARE an important part of us, no matter what you think."

Sable's heart warmed over.

"You are just comforting me," she grumbled uncharacteristically, but she was smiling inside.

Kitten shook her head slightly.

"Now, let's just trust the guys, okay?"

The brunette nodded.

"Hai, it is what we should do."

##########

"HI NO TATSU!!"

Fire in the shape of the dragon erupted from Akai's hands. The fire dragon seemed to have a life of its own, and it twisted and writhed in the air after Tasuki.

The redhead used his seishi speed to evade and confuse the beast. He did not have to do much after that; the fiery fiend dispersed under the relentless torrent of rain.

"You might as well quit it, Red," Tasuki smirked. "this is what? The eighth time you sent your pet out? And other than the first time, which you caught me by surprise, I might add, the others have not even come close to touching me." The bandit seishi grinned. "Damn, but Seiryu must be very eager for me to win."

"Shut up!!" Akai snarled. "You can't use your pretty fan too, so we are even. Besides, there are other methods of fighting."

Tasuki understood where he was heading.

"Enough talking, Red, it is boring me." The seishi fell into defense mode. "Or are you just too scared to face me?"

That was enough.

Akai growled and threw himself at the bandit and the duo started to immerse themselves in the age-old art of fist-fighting.

##########

`How coincidental that the person whom I have to fight controls the same element as Hikou.' Chichiri thought.

`I fought Hikou for Kouran once and lost, and now, I will have to fight Aoi for Sable. Only this time,' the blue-haired seishi's eye's narrowed. `I will win this round. I will not lose Sable.'

"Shall we?" Aoi asked politely, as if he knew what Chichiri was thinking.

Chichiri nodded.

"After you." The water-master smiled slightly. "As you can see, it is a rainy day today." Normally dreamy violet eyes flashed dangerously, surprising Chichiri with its violence. "My turf."

Chichiri nodded stiffly. Focusing slightly, he summoned a ki-ball and without seeming to aim, he threw it at Aoi. The celestial guardian conjured up a wall of water with little effort, thus diffusing the deadly hit of the ki-ball.

Chichiri could not say that he was surprised; he had expected that.

"Too slow." Aoi looked vicious then, a perfect contrast to his normally placid nature. "My turn."

The seishi watched warily as the elemental raised a slender hand.

"MIZU NO HEBI!!"

Chichiri barely had time to teleport as ice serpents emerged from Aoi's palms and almost gut him in the abdomen.

Chichiri reappeared on a tree branch. Again, he barely had time to react as water dripping from leaves turned instantaneously into deadly shards of ice.

They almost skewered him.

The seishi somersaulted to land gracefully on the ground. Chichiri took advantage of the momentum to direct another ki-ball at the water elemental.

Aoi was caught unaware by the sudden blast. He dodged but the ki-blast had grazed him, as evidenced by the blood dripping from his shoulders.

"Too slow." Chichiri murmured.

Violet orbs turned dark before lightening to an almost normal amethyst hue.

Aoi grinned as he gripped hold of the bloody shoulder.

"I guess that we are even then. You hurt me, and I hurt you."

Chichiri looked down in surprise. He had not realized that he had been hurt. Blood oozed from multiple cuts in his abdomen. They must have been caused by the ice in the tree.

Swiftly, Chichiri took inventory of his injuries. They were still bleeding, but he could still go on.

"I am alright," Chichiri told Aoi, even as he prepared for another inevitable onslaught. "Let's finish this."

Aoi smiled.

##########

Kamui was facing what was probably the most serious fight in his life.

`The man is as fast as the wind he controls.' Kamui thought with grudging admiration. `It is almost impossible to be near enough to use the sword on him.'

Indeed it was hard to fight Haiiro. In fact, all that Kamui had been doing ever since the start of fight was to dodge the wind-master's attacks.

`I cannot be running all the time. I must find a way to get near him.'

As predicted by the blonde, the air behind him suddenly crystallized into lethal blades and flung themselves at him. Kamui turned and used his sword to deflect the sharp weapons. Almost immediately, the deflected blades diffused back into wind.

Sword raised, the blonde braced himself for more of those killing weapons.

None came.

"You disappoint me, Kamui of the imperial palace. But I do commend you for your excellent defense."

The chief advisor turned slowly to face the silverish-haired man.

"What do you want now?"

Haiiro smirked.

"Unlike what you think," The wind elemental flicked his hair back. "I do not get my kicks out of unfair fights. Since you have no sense of magic whatsoever," He sighed dramatically even as air came together once more to form a sword that fit his hand perfectly. "we will just have to use swordplay."

Kamui shrugged, but his stance was tensed, every ready.

"Suit yourself."

Haiiro smirked.

"I do hope that you are worth all this trouble, Kamui."

Golden eyebrows raised, Kamui asked, "Are we going to fight now, or are you going to stand there all day and harp on this topic?"

Haiiro's smirk disappeared.

All around him, the wind howled, an obvious indication of the wind-master's temper. He lunged at Kamui, but the chief advisor blocked the sword thrust easily.

Blood thrummed in Kamui's veins as the fight continued. His attack and defense was smooth and coordinated. But then, so was Haiiro's.

Kamui smiled thinly.

This was proving to be a very interesting battle.

##########

Tasuki evaded a sudden uppercut from Akai and retaliated with a swift high-kick. The two men had been fighting for the past two hours already, and Tasuki was starting to show signs of exhaustion. The seishi was panting hard and his face was pale with exertion. He was now concentrating more on defense than attack.

"Tired?" Akai grinned. As a celestial guardian, he was immortal. He had an inexhaustible amount of energy at his disposal.

"You wish." Tasuki snarled. The bandit threw himself at the fire elemental.

Akai dodged the attack effortlessly.

`Damn it,' Tasuki thought as he gathered himself for another attack. `The man is correct. I am not going to last long. I have to find a way to bring him down. But how? He has no weakness whatsoever.'

Tasuki did not have time to think more as Akai struck suddenly.

The auburn-haired man feinted an upper left before driving his fist into the seishi's stomach.

The redhead felt the air `whoosh' out of him even as he toppled.

But Akai was not done yet. He waited until Tasuki was well past him before driving his elbow down on Tasuki's back.

Akai smirked as he watched Tasuki crumple onto the muddy ground.

Tasuki hit the ground painfully. He put his hands on the ground and tried to push himself up, but the strain proved to be too huge on his hands and they collapse from under him.

"You might as well give up, Suzaku shichi seishi Tasuki." Akai squatted down beside the fallen redhead. "You know that you would never be able to beat a celestial guardian. You are a mere mortal after all. Admit defeat. I don't want to kill you."

Tasuki hissed a swear word in reply.

The fire elemental stood up again and shrugged.

"Anyway," Akai said. "This match has already concluded itself. You are flat on the floor, ne?" He started to walk to the path that will lead him back to the girls. "Gotta go and claim the girls."

"Matte."

Akai turned at the hoarsely voice only to watch with disbelief as the bandit gritted his teeth and forcibly made himself stand up.

"Matte," Tasuki said again. This time, his voice was stronger. Akai stared as Tasuki fell into a defensive posture. "This fight is not over yet. I am up again, aren't I?" He even managed a smirk.

Akai shook his head. "You'd go through all that once more just for that blue-haired onna?"

Tasuki nodded.

The fire-master was confused.

"Naze? Why do it? She is just a common girl among millions. There are others prettier than her. Why go through this pain again when you can easily replace her?"

Tasuki spat on the ground.

"None of your business, Red. Even if I were to tell you, you would never understand." He sneered. "We might as well cease this useless chatter and continue our fight."

Akai shrugged again. "If you choose to die early, who am I to refuse you?" He walked back to the clearing.

Tasuki watched Akai warily. His body still trembled from the effort of standing up again.

Akai was about to attack when Tasuki lunged at him. Caught unaware, he staggered under their combined weight before hitting the ground.

"What are you trying to do?" Akai demanded as he tried to get Tasuki off him. The redhead was currently attached to Akai's waist. "Squash me to death? Get off me!!"

"No." Came Tasuki's short reply.

Akai was surprised to say the least. It took him a full thirty seconds to get over his shock. After said thirty seconds, he renewed his efforts to free himself by bashing Tasuki on the head and back.

"Let *wham* me *wham* go!!* WHAM*"

It suddenly dawned on the fire-elemental.

"Damn it!!" he hissed as he hit Tasuki harder. "You cheat!! You are just stalling for time!! Let me go now, or I swear that I will kill you now!!"

"Iie." The bandit gritted his teeth. "You are right. You are unbeatable, so I just have to make sure that you don't reach the girls first!!"

Akai could not help but admire the man's determination. However, orders were orders and he could not refute them.

"You give me no choice then." The celestial guardian said softly as he placed his palm on Tasuki's back.

Tasuki tightened his hold on Akai.

"HI NO TATSU!!"

"Those were the last words that Tasuki heard before the world turned black.

##########

Kitten stiffened suddenly.

"What is it?" Sable asked.

"Wakarinai. Something is not right. It is as if…as if a part of me is…" Kitten paled. "…gone."

She had whispered the last word out.

`Tasuki…'

//TASUKI!!//

No reply.

Sable guessed as much as heard Kitten's cries.

"Anou…Kit, daijoubu. Tasuki must be too busy fighting to answer you." Kitten did not look very convinced, and Sable thought of an idea. "Why don't you go the path that he took and take a look? I will go and check on the others, ne? I am sure that you will see Tasuki all hale and hearty."

Kitten nodded shakily.

"We will meet back here when we are done, okay?"

Kitten was already gone.

Sable immediately hurried to the remaining two paths.

She prayed that all of them were all right.

Man, I know that this chapter consists of nothing much except fight scenes, and oh, the elementals getting lost. Again. ^^ Eheheh…well, elementals are not perfect!! Lol. Damn, I got to admit, fighting scenes are just not my specialization. This is the hardest chapter that I had ever written!! I have to admire writers who write action stories.

And from what I see from the reviews, there seem to be some struggle over who gets Aoi…lol. Gomen ne, readers, you are not going to drag me into this argument. I am going to stay neutral. I guess that Aoi is pretty much for everyone to share. ^^ I also read that some of you would like to see what Aoi would look like when he is angry…well, you saw it now!! QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER: What made him behave so? Have fun speculating!!

Again, big thank you to my dear friend Nuriko no Mikos for beta editing this chapter. Domo arrigato!!

Lastly, thanks to all my reviewers, both regular and new ones.

Please review this chapter and tell me how it is!! Until next time, ja!!