Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Next Act in a Mysterious Play ❯ Refuse to say goodbye ( Chapter 1 )

It had been a bright and cheerful day, far too cheerful for what Katsura Sukenami was about to face when she opened the door to her family's third story apartment. Inside the living room, Katsura found her father Hikari comforting Katsura's sobbing mother Kagome on the couch. Across the room, sitting in a large chair, was Katsura's paternal great uncle Keisuke Yuki with a look of helplessness. He kept looking over at his best friend Tetsuya, Kagome's father, who was standing at the glass balcony door staring up at the stars in silence.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Katsura choked on the words, afraid to hear what she feared the most.

Kagome's mother, Grandmother Yui, had been growing weaker over the last few
months. There was no reasonable explanation for it that the doctors could find. Everyone
worried despite Grandmother Yui's determination to be calm about it. She always said, "If I can survive being swallowed by a dragon, then I can survive this." Grandpa Tetsuya often had to remind her that it had been Miaka's first wish to Suzaku that had returned Yui to them.

Katsura's was quickly forced to snap back to reality when Keisuke got up and wrapped an arm around her.

"Yui died this afternoon, Kat. She wasn't in pain or anything. Apparently, she laid down to take a nap and she didn't wake up."

"Oh," was all Katsura could get out.

She had known instantly, yet it did not ease the pain. Silently, she went over and
hugged her grandfather, then walked to her room and shut the door. After putting down her schoolbag she walked straight to a small alcove in her room and kneeled before it without thought. She did this every night, but this time was different.

The alcove had a large window in it that gave a perfect view of the sky and the park below. Under the window was an antique Chinese table that both of her grandmothers had given her the day she passed her entrance exams to Yotsubodai High School where they had both gone. Set on top of it were four golden beast statues, the turtle-snake Genbu at the north, the phoenix Suzaku at the south, the tiger Byakko at the west, and the dragon Seiryu at the east...the four beast gods of Chinese astrology. Next to the first three animals was a small dish with incense. Every night Katsura burnt the incense in honor of each beast-god's priestess who had passed on. For Genbu's priestess Takiko Okuda, she burned sage. For Byakko's priestess Suzuno Osugi, she burned jasmine. For Suzaku's priestess, Katsura's own Grandmother Miaka Yuki, she burned cinnamon.

Now, she would honor the fourth and final priestess, the priestess of Sieryu,
Grandmother Yui. Katsura had saved a bag of sandalwood incense as Grandmother Yui had requested when she learned of Katsura's intensions. She took a small pinch out and put it on the dish next to Sieryu. After lighting all four dishes, she bowed her head and closed her eyes, letting the painful tears silently drip down her face.

 

That night, Katsura's mind was filled with dreams. They were all memories of the times she had spent with her two favorite relatives, Grandmother Miaka and Grandmother Yui. All those times, Katsura had been so happy. For a moment, she actually thought it was all real. Then, as they were running in a field, she turned to see Yui and Miaka been swallowed by a bright light. Kat tried to run as fast as she could, but it was too late. The light engulfed them both and disappeared, leaving only a red book entitled "The Universe of the Four Gods."

At that moment, Katsura awoke and immediately got dressed. For some reason, she knew that if she could only get to the library, get to the book, she could see her grandmothers again. Maybe she could even see her other grandfather Taka Sukenami, or Tamahome as he had been called in the book as one of the seven celestial warriors of Suzaku. She knew no one would bother her. Both of her parents would just think she had gone to grieve in her own way, which, technically, they were right about. As she rushed out the door adjusting the backpack she had loaded for the trip, she stalled a moment to look back. Was she doing the right thing?

"Of course I am," she thought to herself and shut the door.

The library had already been big back when Miaka and Yui had gone there and found 'The Universe of the Four Gods," but over time it had doubled in size. It would be easy to get lost. In fact, Katsura had gotten lost once. Oddly enough, her Uncle Keisuke had found her right next to the door leading to the private book room that held the forbidden book she now sought. Hopefully the book would call to her this time and lead her to it once more. As she traveled the numerous halls and rows of books, a thought occurred to her. How was she supposed to get in if the door was locked?

"Oh well. I'll figure that out when I get there," she mumbled to herself.

After wandering for what seemed like forever, she stumbled upon the exact place she was looking for. After making sure that no one was around to catch her, she slowly crept up to the door. Ironically enough, she was eye-level with the large sign that read "no unauthorized personnel."

"Sorry to disappoint, but too bad."

Unfortunately, when she tried the handle, it was, of course, locked. Frustrated and
unsure what to do she turned from the door. *Click*

"Hngh?" she turned back to the door knob.

Could it have happened? Maybe she just heard something else. Did the door just

unlock itself? There was only one way to find out. Gently, she tried the handle once more and door swung wide open. Katsura stood in shock for a moment until she heard someone coming. Immediately, she bolted into the room and shut herself in. It was eerily quiet and smelled of old leather and dust. Now, all she had to do was search the shelves.

As if fate was on her side, she spotted the book almost instantly. As she took it off the shelf, she marveled at it. After all the stories she had heard about Miaka and Yui's adventures in those worn old pages, she had half expected it to be made of pure gold. But no; it was just what appeared to be an ordinary book.

"Is this really the magical book I've been told so much about?"

Doubts began to fill her mind. Maybe it was all just a silly story her family had made up to entertain her as a child. Still, she knew she had to open the book. She had to turn its pages and see what was inside. In that instant, the book opened itself in her hands by some invisible force and emitted the brightest light she had ever seen. The next thing to be seen was a single red book falling to the floor of an empty room.