Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The New Nuriko ❯ Chapter 1

Author's Notes: hello everyone. This is my second attempt at writing a Fushigi Yugi fanfic, involving the Chou family so please be kind when responding to this story. My first attempt at fanfic writing was in "The One Left Behind" a sort of short fic involving Rokou Chou.

My story is an alternate reality "Nuriko" fanfic series that I plan on starting. What if on that day 8 years ago, the accident that took the life of 10 year old Ryuen "Nuriko" Chou's younger sister, Korin, happened differently?

What if instead of Korin, Ryuen was the one who was killed from being run over by a horse while saving Korin from the fate that would have later on shape Ryuen into what he is now in the future, and the powers of Nuriko were passed onto Korin upon Ryuen's death?

What would her life be like as the years go by, and by the time that Miaka appears in Kunon. Would Korin be living inside of the palace like her brother once was, or will the Suzaku Seishi have to find her the way they had to do with the others? Only time would tell...

This is my first fanfic series involving characters from Fushigi Yugi. So Please be kind when sending out letters in response to this story.

E-mail me at: nuriko_oneechan@hotmail.com

Ages of the Chou children:

Rokou: 15 years
Ryuen: 10 years
Korin: 9 years

The New Nuriko
Written By: Chuu Korin
Chapter 1

~~8 years ago~~

It was a warm summer day. The streets in a small village were crowded with townsfolk going about with their lives. In the midst of the crowds two small children, who looked to be between ages 9 and 10, ran through the streets hurrying back towards home before they got in trouble with their parents.

"Ryuen! Wait up!" a young girl called out as she lifted her parcels. "Your going to fast Aniki!"

The boy, Ryuen, stopped momentarily on the other side of the street, shifting his stuff to one arm as he waited for his sister to catch up to him. "Korin-chan. You'll never get as fast or strong as me if you don't practice. We need to get back home with this stuff or else mom and dad will get mad at us for being late."

Korin moved across the road at a slow pace, the weight of her bags slowing her down. "I wouldn't be so slow if you could help me!"

"I thought you said that you could handle it after I tried to offer to carry that." Ryuen teased. "Hurry up, sis. And I'll carry it and you once your over here." He called playfully as he shifted the boxes he already carried to his other arm and held out the other towards Korin, when he is distracted by the sound of hoofbeats coming from down the road and a someone shouting.

"I'm coming, and you better keep your promise, Ryuen or else I'll--" Korin's voice trails off when she hears the sound of a horse screaming, and turns around in horror to see a soldier riding a large warhorse barreling down on her. "No... Aniki!!"

"Korin!!" Ryuen screamed as he dropped his things and begins to run straight for Korin praying to Suzaku that he could get to her in time before it was too late *Please, Suzaku, let me get to her in time. Please!*

Just as the horse was about to hit Korin, Ryuen reached her and shoved her out of the way of the oncoming horse, only to be caught under the hooves of the animal himself as it continued on over him without stopping.

*Korin...* Was Ryuen's last thought as darkness surrounded him and he took his final breath.

After Ryuen's rough shove, Korin hit the ground hard stunned from the blow she had recieved, along with a few bruises. But then she sat up rubbing her arms as she looked around for Ryuen.

"Aniki! You saved me. Thank you." Korin said happily, but then became worried when she didn't hear Ryuen's voice answer her. "Aniki? Where are you?"

As she looked she then noticed the small crowd gathering in the spot where she had once stood and heard the voices of the townspeople talking about how someone had died so young. Korin stands up and moves towards the crowd and pushes her way through and avoids the hands that tried to hold her back from seeing whatever was there. Seconds later, Korin's eyes fall upon the crushed body of her brother lieing in his own blood in the dirt road. She rushes towards him and throws herself on top of him, crying out.

"Ryuen! Don't be dead. Please don't be dead, aniki. Please." Korin cried out as she held Ryuen's head in her lap, but even then she could feel the warmth of his body leave him with each second. "No... Don't leave me, Ryuen. Please don't... RYUEN!!!!!" Korin's screams could be heard throughout the tiny village.

~~Awhile later~~

Rokou Chou made his way through the crowds followed closely behind by his parents to find his sister still sitting in the streets rocking Ryuen's body in her arms, her screams finally having stopped to loud sobs, her clothes and body covered in blood.

Rokou reached Korin first, and tried to get her attention, "Korin?" Rokou called softly, but got no reaction. He looked up to see his parents horrified faces as they finally came into full veiw of the accident, before turning his attention back onto Korin. "Korin-chan? Let him go. Please? Mom and dad are here, let us take Ryuen away to be buried..."

Rokou looked at his sisters face and saw that he still hadn't gotten a reaction from her, but it seemed as if her grip on Ryuen's body only tightened, as she refused to let him go, "Korin? Korin? Please?" Rokou pleaded. A few minutes past, and some of the adults started to move in to try and take the body from her, when Korin seemed to just relax, and let go of Ryuen's body.

Their parents rushed forward and grabbed up Ryuen, tears running down their eyes over their lost, completely ignoring Korin as if she was not even there and hurried home with the body. The streets cleared of people, leaving only Rokou and Korin there by themselves.

Rokou looked on in anger over the way that there parents had just treated Korin, but then turned his attention back on his sister who still remained she was staring blankly at nothing in particular, not even aware of what had just happened. Rokou reached out a hand towards her to touch her shoulder, "Niichan, come on let's go home. It's getting cold out here and..."

When his hand touched her shoulder, Korin finally reacted and turned towards him, fresh tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she looked at him, and she throws herself into his open arms, and cried. "Rokou! He's dead! He's dead... He died saving me! Aniki..." Korin sobbed as she buried her face into Rokou's shoulder, letting the tears come out. "I want Ryuen."

Rokou held Korin tightly in his arms, as he rocked her, letting her cry, as tears also appeared in his own eyes. "I know... I know... Korin. I want him back too. But there's no way he can come back now. He's gone. At least he's not in any pain now." Rokou said as he slowly lifted Korin's small form into his arms, and begins to walk home, Korin wrapping her arms around his neck to get a better grip on him.

"It might be best if you forgot about him, Korin. He--" Rokou stopped when he suddenly felt Korin's arms tighten nearly into a choking hold as she tensed up.

Korin stared up into Rokou's eyes, tears still brimming within the edges, as a look that Rokou had never seen before seemed to spread on Korins face.

"I'll never forget him! Never! Ryuen-chan won't like it that I just and forgot about him, you know that Rokou." Korin almost shouted at her brother, as she buried her face back into his robes. "I'll never forget..." Korin whisphered as exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep.

"Korin..." Rokou said uneasily as he shifted her to a more comfortable position in his arms as they reached their home. Once inside, he sees his parents were still upset and both were crying, over Ryuen's body that now laid on a table, and was covered.

Rokou carried Korin to her room, and dressed her in her sleeping clothes, and then tucked her in under the blankets. He then bent down to brush away some stray hairs from her face and kissed her on the cheek. "I won't forget him either, Korin..."

~~3 weeks later~~

Korin sat in her bedroom looking out into the streets watching her friends play, but did not have the heart to go out to play with them.

Mrs. Chou comes into the room holding a plate that she was drying and she stared at her daughter. "Korin-chan. You can't stay here moping all day. You have to go out. You friends have been by almost everyday to see if you want to go play with them. You have to move on."

Korin remained where she was seated, not even acknowledging her mothers prescence in the room. On closer inspection, it shows that Korin's eyes show a blank, vacant expression in their dephs.

Mrs. Chou slowly shakes her head and turns to leave the room, closing the door behind her, muttering, "That girl..."

"Hinako?"

At the sound of her husbands voice, she turns and silently shakes her head at her husband when their eyes meet as she renters the front of the house, as he gets ready to leave to work in the fields. "She won't change Heika."

"She'll come around. I know it." Heika said as he walked out the door.

Since Ryuen's death 3 weeks ago, Korin was completely oblivious to everything else that went on around her, only seemingly coming back to life when it was time to eat or take care of private matters then returning to her private little world. Her parents had all but given up on trying to bring their daughter back to them.

But today was going to be different from the rest.

*It's time. Better get on with this before I change my mind.* Korin thought silently to herself Korin got off of her seat and headed towards the door of her bedroom. She pulled open the door, and walked down the narrow hallway to another door, and pulled it open, staring into the room that had once been Ryuen's.

Her parents had not given away Ryuen's things yet, because they weren't ready to part with anything that had belonged to him just yet. Their mother always came in to tidy the room up as if someone truly was still living in it.

Korin headed toward the small closet where her brothers clothes remained, and where his toys had been packed up, she begins removing articles of clothing from the closet until she came upon a red and black outfit that she knew Ryuen had always loved.

Climbing into the closet with the outfit, Korin removed her own clothing and placed Ryuen's clothes on instead, and patted down the clothes to make sure, then climbed back out to look at her reflection in a mirror.

Undoing the twin buns in her hair, she looks around the room, she finds a pair of scissors, takes the long length of her hair, and cuts it to medium length and then ties it back up into a single bun, giving herself a boy's hairstyle.

Korin laughs at her boyish reflection, then gathers up her cut hair and tosses it out the window. Then she unpacked Ryuen's toys and begin playing with them the way Ryuen always would. *We'll be together forever, aniki. No matter what anyone says or tries to do, I'll be you. I'll do the things you will never be able to do. I'll make you proud of me.* Korin thought feverishly.

~~Awhile later~~

Korin's mother was passing by Korins room and peers inside to see Korin gone. "She must have finally come to her senses and gone--" Hinako said outloud when she hears a commotion down the hall in Ryuen's room. She rushes towards the door, and yanks it open and stares in shock at-- "RYUEN?!"

Korin jumps and turns around to stare at her mother before turning back to his toys, speaking in a tone that matched a boys. "Gomen, Okaasan. Have I made too much noise? I'm sorry to disturb you."

Hinako places one trembling hand to her lips as she moves towards the bed where Korin lay, taking in the discarded girls clothes and the cut hair on the floor. "Korin? What are you doing, love." Hinako asked in a shakey voice.

Korin turned his attention back to his mother. "I'm playing with my toys, okassan." he said in that same calm voice, as his eyes met his mothers and a smile started to spread on his face.

*SMACK*

Korin stared up at his mother in shock as he held his stinging face where his mothers handprint was beginning to form. "Okasaan?..."

"You naughty girl! What is wrong with you?! Are you trying to defile your brothers memory with this farce your doing?" Hinako shrieked as she glared down at Korin. "Do you wish to bring dishonor to us all by your conduct?! Get off of that bed now, and out of those clothes, and back into your own clothes. And your hair! I'll--"

Korin sat up on the bed to return her mothers glare. "No." he said calmly. "I'm not a girl. I'm a boy, and I will not dress up in girls clothes. The other boys would laugh at me."

"'No'! Your a girl. Korin, I'm your mother, and you better do what I say now or else I will give you the beating of your life." Hinako threatened, smiling to herself since that type of threat always worked before in the past. But the smile faded when she realized that Korin wasn't moving to do as she had told her to do. "Korin I told you--" Hinako began only to be interupted.

"And I told you, okaasan. I'm not changing my clothes to no girls clothes." Korin shouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a boy."

"Fine then we'll do this the hard way." Hinako steamed, and moved to grab her daughter, when a faint red glow suddenly surrounded them both, as Korin's eyes narrowed in anger. Through the glow, Hinako saw Korin move at a speed that made it impossible to see her, and the next thing she knew she was outside the bedroom, with Korin standing in the entrance of the door with her hand on the frame.

"I told you I'm not changing, okaasan. I'm going to honor Ryuen's memory by becoming him. By doing the things that he will never get to do, because of the accident. Nothing shall change my mind. And please don't call me Korin anymore, that is a girls name. My name shall be..."

Korin stopped as she tried to think of a new name for herself, then she remembered something that her Ryuen had once told her...

*Flashback - 8 months ago*

Korin and Ryuen are together in his room, Ryuen is busy studying, while Korin rummaging around in his closet.

"Aniki!" Korin calls from within the closet

Ryuen looks up in time to recieve a pile of Korins clothes that came flying out at him squarely in the face, followed by Korin's childish laughter. "Korin! What do you think you doing? Put your clothes..." Ryuen began as he pulled off the last of the clothes from his face and looked up, and blinked. Then blinked again as he stared as his sister with his mouth hanging open.

Korin stepped out of the closet, now wearing Ryuen's old clothes that were now too small for him, but the perfect size for her, and Ryuen found himself looking at almost a mirror image of himself.

"Korin..." Ryuen began, but Korin rushed towards the bed and jumps on.

"Ryuen-chan! Look at me! Now I look like you, yes?" Korin asked excitedly.

Ryuen just stared at Korin in surprise for a few moments more. "Yeah. You look exactly like me, exept your still younger than me. And still a baby." he said teasingly as he move towards her

"Aniki! Your mean!" Korin cried out, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"Korin-chan... I'm just teasing. I was just surprised." Ryuen said as he picked her up easily placed her on his lap.

"Ryuen? What are you going to do if the Suzaku no Miko appears? Will you leave home to go serve her?" Korin asked between sniffs. "If you do leave, can I come with you?"

Ryuen looked down at Korin as he held her in his arms, holding her close, as a smile spread on his face "Of course you can come with me when I leave, Korin. I wouldn't dare leave you behind, or else you won't let me live it down. But I don't know if I ever will leave, Korin. The Suzaku no Miko may never show up in this lifetime. Besides I don't think that they'll let you come because your a girl."

Korin held up the hem of the borrowed shirt she was now wearing. "What if I dressed like a boy? Can I come?"

Ryuen looked thoughtful, before answering, "Sure, I have the perfect name for you to. If the Suzaku no Miko does appear, and you come with me, you can go by the name..."

*End Flashback*

"... Kirien."

"That is my name now." Kirien finished as he closed the door behind him.

Kirien heard his mother yelling at him, telling him to stop being foolish, and that he was Korin, her little girl, but as far as Kirien could see, Korin had never existed, there was now Kirien, now and forever.

Kirien knelt in front of Ryuen's bed as the anger he had felt before disappear, along with whatever power he had just shown to his mother.

"Where did it come from? It's never happened to me before." Kirien thought, when he realized a small tingling sensetsion on his left arm, and rolled up the sleeves, to reveal a red kanji sign that glowed faintly that read:

"WILLOW"

"Aniki... I have truly become you now. Suzaku has granted me your power, but my powers are different than yours. I wonder what can I do now?" Kirien asked himself as he walked over to a chest and tried to lift it up only to find it impossible to do. "Nani?! I don't have his strength... Then what can I do?" Kirien wondered as he put up some of the stuff, and then heads outside.

Kirien stopped dead in his tracks, as he suddenly heard a commotion coming from outside. He steps out into the sunshine, and looks down the street, and sees a cart that was out of control rolling down the street, heading towards a small boy who was sitting in the middle of the road. He could hear the screams of people who were trying to rush towards the cart to stop it, while others tried to get to the boy in time. "Not again..." Kirien mumbled, as she began to run in the direction of the boy.

"Not again... NOT AGAIN!!!" He shouted as he suddenly felt a surge of power go through his body, and his feet seemed to be moving faster than before, and everything around him seemed to blur as he moved.

Within seconds, Kirien was there, and was lifting the child up into her arms, and rushing off to one side, while still holding the now screaming child in her arms as the cart rolled past the spot where they had just been.

"What... What..." Kirien thought, shock rushing through him as he realized what he had just done, as everyone gathered around him congragulating him, the childs parents taking him from his arms while giving him praise over what he had just done.

Then some of them noticed who it was that they were talking to, and began to back away, as shocked looks appeared on their faces, as they stared at him.

"Isn't that the Chou boy? The one who died?" One man asked his companion.

"It can't be.. He's dead, isn't he?" Another voice asked uncertainly as the whispers.

One of the adults stepped forward to speak. "You there. Who are you?"

"I'm Kirien." Kirien said as he looked at everyone there. About to say something more, he suddenly felt a hand grip his shoulder, and turns around to see his family standing there.

"Leave here, everyone. There is nothing for you to see. We'll handle Kirien." He said as he forcefully turned Kirien around and started pushing him back towards their home with Rokou and Hinako following behind.

The crowds quickly dispersed, some of them talking about strangeness of what they had just seen. And the speed that they had seen the boy move at when he had saved the child from danger. It wasn't natural.

Kirien was pushed back into his home, and his family piled into the small living room. His father slamming the door behind them once everyone was in, before turning his attention to his 'son'.

"Korin. What is this foolishness I've seen?! Dressing up in your dead brothers clothes, pretending to be him. Then going out dressed like that..." Heika began, not noticing the look on his daughters face. "You are dishonoring your brothers memory acting this way! And changing your name to Kirien! I won't stand for it!"

"Otousan, but I think we should really ask her how she was able to do what she did before? We saw her one minute, then it was like she was moving so fast that we couldn't even..." Rokkou started to say only to shut up when he saw the glare directed at him from his father.

"Not now, Rokkou, I'll get to that later." Heika shouted.

Kirien just sat there in a chair listening to his father ranting, not even reacting at first, then finally speaks. "I am not dishonoring Ryuen's memory father. I'm honoring it. I plan to honor him by living his life the way he would have if he had lived today. And nothing you may say or do will change it. Kirien is the name aniki gave me, the name he said that I should go by when I left with him, whenever the Suzaku no Miko shows up."

"Well you won't be needing that name now. Because the only place your going now is to your room and change out of those clothes and back into your proper clothing. No daughter of mine is going too..." Hinako began only to be interupted.

"No." Kirien said softly, not raising her voice even an inch, keeping his head bowed down and his face out of sight.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Hinako shrieked out as she stared in disbelief.

Kirien stood up, his head still bowed, then he raised his head up slowly, and they all see the blank impassive expression in his eyes as he stared at them, a look that almost seemed to make him older than his 9 years.

"I said no! Your daughter, 'Korin', died 3 weeks ago with Ryuen when Ryuen took his last breath in the streets. Little Korin was a weak, helpless little girl. I'm Kirien, the boy, and Kirien I shall stay." Kirien said as he turned to leave the room.

The room was silent as Kirien's words slowly sunk in, then they realized that she was leaving. "Where do you think your going?! You do not have permission to leave yet, Korin." Heika bellowed.

"Kirien." Kirien corrected, "I'm leaving. If you can't accept my decision, then I'll leave and find someone who will." he said as he entered his room and began stuffing most of his stuff into a bag, then heading towards Ryuen's room to take some of his clothes from the closet. Within moments he was back down the stairs, with his bag on his back, and heads towards the door.

"Korin if you leave here now, you are no child of mine!" Heika declared as he moved towards the door. "No child of mine will dishonor their family name for such foolishness."

Kirien kept moving without a backward glance, and was almost to the end of the village, when she stopped at the sound of his mother and Rokou's voice, calling after her.

"Korin please, don't leave. We can find help for you. Make you better again, and you can become my little girl again."

"Kor-- Kirien, stay here." Rokou said pleadingly

"Okassan, aniki. Nothing's going to change." Kirien said as he turned around to face her, "I don't have much choice, Okassan. I have to go. You heard daddy. Besides I think it's now my destiny to leave here. I've been choosen." Kirien said

"Choosen?" Rokou demanded, "What do you mean?!"

Kirien let out a sigh before answering, his brothers question. "Suzaku choose me to replace Ryuen-chan as the Suzaku seishi Nuriko." he said queitly, as he pulled down the sleeve on his arm, to show the "WILLOW" mark on his arm. "Suzaku gave me aniki's gift after he died. But not the same powers as him. You saw what I did today when I saved that boy. I don't have Ryuen's strength, but I've got speed. Super speed, and I need to go somewhere where I can learn to use it."

Rokou and his mother could only stare in shock at the mark that was on Kirien's arm, as he turned to continue on his way. "Gook-bye, Okasaan. Bye aniki. Maybe we'll see each other again soon one day." Kirien called, as he started running.

Once he had begun, his super speed kicked in, and soon he was out of sight.

In the mind of a young girl now turned into a boy, memories played back in her mind as he ran, memories of his aniki the days before the last time he had seen him alive, hearing his words as clearly as if he was there with him.

*A new life, Ryuen-chan? A new life for both of us? Away from the village?*

~~Hai, Korin-chan. A new life. We'll dine on the best of foods, probably eat with royalty and so on. But that will only happen happen if the Suzaku no Miko appears, soon.~~

*Aniki, I hope she comes. I want to come with you when you leave. Will you take me with you?*

~~Of course I will. I'll never leave you alone, Korin. I promised you before I wouldn't didn't I?~~

*Hai, aniki!*

~~We'll never leave each other, alone. No matter what, right?~~

*Right! Woe ai Ni aniki!*

~~Woe ai Ni, Korin...~~

Kirien's footsteps began to falter as he finally begins to slow down as a fresh wave of tears filled his eyes, and sits down to rest *I'll never leave you alone aniki. I'll never forget you no matter what!* Korin thought as gets back up and begins to walk down the dirt road.

~~To Be Continued...~~