Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl Who Didn't Believe ❯ Three Stooges To The Rescue ( Chapter 34 )

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

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

Chapter 34- Three Stooges To The Rescue

"I AM Chichiri, and now, hand over Sable or I will kill all of you."

Kitten and Tasuki gaped at each other in shock. Chichiri would never have said something like that. Tasuki glared at the `imposter'.

"You are not Chichiri, and never will be. Cut the crap and let's fight." The redhead readied his tessen.

His opponent smirked.

"If you want to walk the path of death, who am I to stop you?" The ki-ball that had been floating from his path grew bigger in its size and intensity. Kitten changed back into her human form and draping an abandoned cloak around herself, she began to worry for Tasuki.

"Tasuki, maybe we should just escape-"

Chichiri released the ki-ball, and Tasuki recited the tessen's incantation…

"REKKA SHI'EN!!"

…and fire roared from the diamond fan…only to be engulfed by the ki-ball.

"Nani?"

How could it be? But there was no time to wonder, no time to act. Kitten and Tasuki watched with suspended horror as the energy ball gathered speed and force as it neared them. Instinctively, the redhead stepped back, turned around and proceeded to shield the girls with his body. Tasuki closed his eyes and waited for the impact when…

…something dropped from the ceiling and flattened the trio to the ground. Overhead, the kit-ball flew past them and exploded against the wall nearby. Debris ricocheted through the inn.

Kitten was confused and disorientated by the fall. Sable was still lying unconscious in her arms whereas Tasuki was wriggling to get free on top of her.

What the hell had happened?

"Shit you, Haiiro!! I know that we are immortals but you fucking landed us in the middle of a fucking cross fire!!"

"If you are so particular, don't depend on me for transportation the next time around."

Tasuki ceased his struggles. Those voices sounded familiar. They sounded like…

"Akai, Haiiro!! What the hell are you guys doing here?!!" A surprised Tasuki questioned. "And can you guys get off? I have the onna under me."

Said wind and fire elementals untangled themselves from the mess of bodies, arms and legs. Next they proceeded to help the others up.

"I see that you guys are in trouble again, and we have not even left you for, what? Three days?"

"Haiiro, Akai!! As much as I'd like for you to catch up with the others, I am having some trouble here. I need your help, now!!"

That was Aoi, and Tasuki and Kitten watched as he conjured up a wall of water to prevent Chichiri from attacking them.

"Now I understand why he said that `the enemy is from within'." The silver-haired Celestial Guardian muttered.

"Why…what do you mean?" Kitten asked.

"We will explain later, but for now, we need to immobilize Chichiri." Akai and Haiiro made their way towards Aoi. Kitten laid Sable gently on the ground, and together with Tasuki, she approached the battle at hand.

"I think that he is being fed with the shibo no kusuri, Haiiro!!" Aoi yelled over the din that Chichiri was making. The blue-haired seishi is currently throwing ki-blast after ki-blast at the water wall.

The wind master nodded grimly.

"The drug is making him even more powerful; it is amplifying his powers."

"The two of you have to restrict him then; bind him with your powers. I can't because my fire will hurt him!!" Akai suggested.

"I will distract him while you two concentrate on confining him!!"

"Good idea."

And the trio set into action. Aoi lowered the water wall and Akai sent blasts of fire at Chichiri, making him dodge here and there, and thus, rendering him unable to concentrate on his surroundings. Meanwhile, Aoi and Haiiro, taking advantage of the situation, closed in on the unaware seishi in opposite directions. When Chichiri finally realized what was going on; it was already too late. The blue-haired seishi found himself trapped between both wind and water elements. Chichiri snarled and tried to escape, and Aoi, already expecting this, sent a curious tendril of liquid into his mouth. The man struggled fruitlessly for the space of five seconds before the sleeping drug took effect. The duo waited till Chichiri was slumped over in unconsciousness before removing the traps.

Tasuki and Kitten watched warily as the elemental trio approached the sleeping man and with a combined muttered spell, expertly bounded him up in intricately entwined bonds of water and wind.

When that was done, Kitten asked, "What is shibo no kusuri?"

The Celestial Guardians looked at each other before replying, "Why don't we find a place to seat down before we start? This is going to take some time."

Tasuki nodded, and thus, the five people settled themselves around a table.

"Okay, so what is this shibo no kusuri that you guys were talking about?" Tasuki asked this time.

"Shibo no kusuri, also known as the Medicine of Death, is something like the kodoku that you mortals use, only that this drug is much more powerful and is only found in the godly realm. As you should know by now, the shibo no kusuri is most probably the challenge sent by the kami, Byakko. Chichiri must have been the one meant for the challenge as he is the only one among the four of you who have been fed with it." Aoi explained.

Tasuki paled.

"You mean that that man was really Chiri, not an imposter?" The redhead frowned. "But why is his eye a blood-red in color?"

"It is a characteristic of the drug. Anyone influenced by the shibo no kusuri will have red pupils."

"What is the effect of this drug? And can Chichiri fight it?" Kitten asked.

"As Aoi said earlier, the drug resembles the kodoku, only that it is much more powerful. But the difference between the shibo no kusuri and the kodoku is that whereas the kodoku just plays around with your memory and alters your characteristics, the shibo no kusuri not only fulfils what the kodoku does but is also a killing drug." Haiiro commented.

"What do you mean, `killing'?" Is Chichiri gonna die?" Tasuki was panicked.

Akai shook his head.

"Iie. Chichiri will not die. The shibo no kurusi is a weapon used for murder. As you know, the gods control the life and death of every mortal in their separate domain. Normally the Books of Fate would have taken care of when and where a person will die and the gods would just go with the flow. However, there are occasional instances where a mortal, an example is the demon Tenkou, dabbles in the dark arts and somehow manages to evade that fate."

Akai continued.

"When that happens, the god would intervene. Since the kami cannot go around the mortal realms killing what should have died long ago, they will search out another mortal powerful enough to destroy that unnatural being instead, and feed that mortal with the shibo no kusuri. Once influenced by the drug, this mortal would be compelled to kill whoever the drug assigns him to; and his character and mindset would change in a way that his only priority is to destroy what he is commanded to annihilate. Once he is successful, the influence that the shibo no kusuri once had on his body would fade away, and this mortal would be his own self once more, with no recollection of what had happened during the time he is being controlled by the drug."

There was a long pause in silence as everyone contemplated the situation.

"Is there any way to break the influence of this drug then?" Kitten asked.

"Yeah." Tasuki was hopeful. "Tamahome did overcome the kodoku. If he can do it, Chiri can too."

Aoi was about to open his mouth to reply to that when he was interrupted.

"There is only way for the Suzaku seishi Chichiri to become himself again."

The group of five turned.

"Saki!!"

"What are you doing here?"

"You are sent by Byakko, aren't you?"

Tasuki stared at the interchange between the Celestial Guardians and the mysterious girl. She looked very familiar…is she not the one who had…

"Che kuso!! You are the waitress who had served us!!" Tasuki's eyes narrowed. "You were the one who gave the drug to Chiri, didn't you?"

The white-haired woman shrugged quietly.

"I apologize for what I have done; I was under my father's orders."

"You are Byakko's daughter?" Tasuki demanded.

Saki smiled, and her smile was a bitter one.

"I am Byakko's bastard, a child born out of wedlock."

"You said something about being able to make Chichiri normal again?" Kitten asked persistently. "Can you tell us what it is?"

Saki looked regretful.

"As Akai have explained to you earlier, the shibo no kusuri is a killing drug. It is called the Medicine of Death because its only cure is death. Chichiri will just have to kill the person that Byakko had wanted him to."

"And who is this person?" The blue-haired girl asked, suddenly very afraid of the answer.

Uncanny golden eyes regarded amethyst ones with solemnity.

"Chichiri will have to kill Sable."

##########

In the realm of the gods…

Suzaku would have danced the Macarena stark naked in front of all his siblings had he knew how. He would have hugged Seiryu had he not been afraid of getting dragon cooties. In other words, Suzaku would have done anything had he not been a god. But then, since he is a kami after all, he could not do much, having to observe godly protocols and all, which kind of sucked. Thus, the youngest of the four gods settled on glowing bright pink and beaming at his dragon brother instead.

"Domo arrigatou, Seiryu, for sending the Celestial Guardians to help my seishi. Had you not done so, Sable, Tasuki and Kitten would not have even known what had hit them."

Said god of Kutou refrained from staring at his younger brother for too long. It was a very weird feeling for your supposed arch rival to be suddenly beaming at you like he is your best friend in the world. It was giving Seiryu the shivers.

"I thought that you were on our side, little brother." Byakko grunted in annoyance.

The dragon shrugged.

"I can't have you killing off Kitten; after all, she owes me a deal, so don't thank me, Suzie."

Suzaku's happiness deflated a bit at that blatant reminder, but he still glowed pink enough to irritate his brothers.

"Furthermore, Taitsukun had not set any rules saying that other gods can't interfere." Seiryu continued archly.

Seiryu was right; and Byakko twitched with displeasure. The god of war smirked at his brother's frustration.

"Hey, Byakko." Suzaku was examining the mirror very carefully. "What is it between you and your daughter? Saki seemed more and more unhappy nowadays, and is it only me, or is she becoming bitter too?"

Being gods and being immortals and all, there are no need for them to procreate for heirs. Why create more trouble? One does not need an heir when one is going to live forever. Having a child might prove to be disadvantageous for the god as the child might try to take over the throne when he or she grows up. Thus of the four gods, Byakko was the only one with an offspring, and that was only because of carelessness on the tiger's part. However, despite this, each of the other three gods doted on their illegitimate niece in their own ways; Saki is, after all, their only kin with the exception of the Creator.

Byakko shrugged.

"Wakarinai. She has been slowly turning to this strange behavior ever since the girls came into our world. I don't know what to make of it." The tiger shrugged carelessly again. "Well, there is no need to worry about Saki at all; she can take care of herself. She always does. Let's return to this matter at hand instead, Genbu. We need to discuss what to do next, now that Seiryu is sticking his nose in."

Thus said, the god of Sairo got up and left the central domain with the turtle god, leaving the younger ones behind.

Suzaku stared after his brothers' departure. When they were fully gone, the phoenix sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Why can't Byakko sees what the rest of us are seeing? It is so obvious to all of us that Saki wants her father's affections, but Byakko didn't even notice her yearnings." Suzaku looked to Seiryu for input.

The dragon looked blank.

"That's none of my business." He said at last, much to the phoenix's annoyance. "I do not make it my life calling poking around the family affairs of others. That is YOUR job, Suzaku, god of sap."

The Konan god puffed up in indignation.

"Contrary to your beliefs, I am not a busybody; Saki is my beloved niece, and I am also part of her family. Therefore I get the right to be concerned. And love does not equate sap; get that through your thick-skulled dragon head, aniki!" Suzaku huffed, completely forgetting that Seiryu had helped him earlier. "Besides, if I am the god of sap, then you are most definitely the god of crap!!"

Dead silence, as Seiryu literally turned blue in the face.

Suzaku, upon seeing that scary facial expression on his brother, immediately subsided into wary silence. Seiryu was after all, his older brother, which meant that the dragon would be much stronger than him in many ways. If the two of them were to brawl now, there would be no doubt as to who would emerge the winner. It was by a stroke of pure luck, that and a huge dollop of love on his seishi and miko's part, that he won over Seiryu in the war. Suzaku was sure that the dragon was not very happy about that default victory and would like revenge. There is also the fact that the youngest god had been spending the last few years deliberately taunting and insulting Seiryu. Yes, Seiryu would probably enjoy his revenge.

Which would most probably be very painful.

And excruciating.

And humiliating.

Definitely humiliating.

At that thought, Suzaku cringed inwardly and inched away from the dragon slowly. Fortunately for the phoenix, Seiryu did not seem to notice; on fact, he seemed to be taking the effort to control his temper. Morbidly fascinated, Suzaku quit his retreat and watched Seiryu with profound interest.

The god of Kutou was clenching his jaws tightly and he looked as if he is forcefully swallowing down a barrelful curses and insults all at one go.

And he is twitching crazily.

Suzaku has never seen anything like that before; it was a new record for him; he had never made the dragon so mad before. Seiryu was always like his shogun, Nakago. Always cool and unruffled unless really riled. And even then, the worse that he would do is give you the evil eye. The cold reptile-like gaze that always gave Suzaku the willies. Partly concerned for the wellbeing of his brother and mostly for himself, Suzaku approached Seiryu timidly.

"Seiryu? Daijoubu ka?"

The dragon god took one look at Suzaku's intimidated form and totally lost it. He exploded.

Into huge gales of laughter.

Suzaku looked on, clearly confused as Seiryu roared his head off. His aniki's laughter, although loud, sounded totally rusty and unused. Come to think of it, Suzaku never heard Seiryu laugh before. If that is the case, then Seiryu's life must have been very dreary indeed.

Was Seiryu possessed then?

The dragon actually stood by HIS side, when he was supposed to be supporting Genbu and Byakko. And he did not take offense when he insulted him; and even laughed!

What is the world coming to?

Suzaku shook his head gravely.

Today is a day of many firsts indeed.

##########

`Matte yo. YOU are telling us that we have the dubious choice of either to let Chiri kill off Sable, or we save Sable's life instead and kill Chichiri, since there is no cure at all for the shibo no kusuri?" Tasuki demanded angrily. "Kill one friend to save another. What kind of fucking choice is that?!!"

Saki regarded the redheaded seishi quietly. "Gomen ne, but that is the only way. There is no other cure. Between the two of them, only one will survive this challenge. The other has to die. This is their destiny."

"Then let it be me."

Again the entire group turned, and this time, they saw Sable. She was in a sitting position and it was obvious that she had heard enough to know what was going on.

"Sable!!" Kitten cried. She rushed to her friend's side. "You don't know what you are talking about, so don't make any stupid decisions!!"

But the brunette knew what was going on, and she looked bleakly at Kitten.

"But Kit, you are wrong; I do know what is going on." Slowly the green-eyed girl got to her feet and approached Chichiri's tied-up form. The seishi was still unconscious. Gently, she stroked his cheek. "For him to be Chichiri again, I have to die under his hand."

There was a long pause in silence as no one refuted Sable's answer.

"There must be some other way." Kitten said at last. Eyes determined, she stared at Sable. "There MUST be some other way!!"

As if struck by a bolt of inspiration, the blue-haired girl stiffened. By chance, Tasuki thought of the same thing that Kitten was thinking, and immediately, he shook his head firmly at the girl.

"Iie, Kit. I will never let you do that and you know it. I will never let you go now that I have found you."

But Kitten was not listening. Urgently, she turned to Saki.

"I think that I have found a way to avert both of their destinies."

"KIT!! Are you listening to me?!! I said that I will never let you go and I mean it!!" Tasuki's voice was desperate now. "Find some other way!!"

Still, Kitten ignored the redhead, despite his frantic orders.

"What are you thinking of?" The white-haired half-goddess asked. "Tell me and I will tell you if that will work."

"Chichiri will not have to kill Sable, and we do not have to kill Chichiri," The blue-haired girl stared hard at Saki, before dropping the catch. "provided that Sable and I return to our own world and never step foot into the Universe of the Four Gods ever again."

Lol. Another perfect cliffie!! I am getting so, so good at this. ^^ Hey guys, sorry for the one week delay in uploading this chapter. For the past two weeks, I was completely cut off from the internet world as I was changing my internet service provider. Gomen ne, minna-san for the long wait!! I will try to make sure that things like this will never, ever happen again.

As for reviewers, fellow authoresses and friends whom I had told not to mail me, obviously you can now!! ^^ Thanks for all your endless patience and support; I will definitely find time to reply to each and everyone of your review comments!!

Lastly, please forgive me for any tenses, grammar and spelling mistakes that I have in this chapter. Domo arrigatou!!

Until next time, ja ne, fellas!!