Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Right Way ❯ Happy Birthday Chiriko! ( Chapter 2 )

‘Ow!’ Nuriko was well aware that he was dead. Dead was dead was dead. But it didn’t explain why he suddenly felt pain flowing throughout his body of what should have just been his soul or whatever he had ended up being. He listened, trying to ignore the pain. He listened for one of the many fountains that graced the vast lands of Taikyoku-san and heard nothing but people breathing all about him. Now that he thought about it, that was rather odd since he didn’t need breathe and neither did Chiriko, Mitsukake, or Hotohori. Slowly he opened up his eyes and was met with a sight that he never would have thought he’d see in a million years. ‘I always knew something was up after Tamahome came back from Kutou. Now I know. Hope Miaka wouldn’t be too pissed if she ever saw that.’Softly snickering at the fact that Obake-chan and Kutou’s shogun were currently spooning against one another, their heads pillowed on Mitsukake’s chest. ‘Wait’ Nuriko blinked, the picture he was currently seeing finally processing. There was no way either one of them would have been able to actually touch the reticent healer since the healer had died on the battlefield’s sidelines. Frowning Nuriko looked around and noticed that Chiriko had taken a safe haven nearby Tasuki, it was a sweet scene and for once the bandit wasn’t sprawled all over everyone. The feeling of something not being quite right was plaguing him again. He looked down and saw that he wasn’t as see-through as he had been before Miaka had – “SON OF A BITCH! I’M ALIVE!?” And with that, he had woken up everyone else that was still asleep, or pretending to be in a few cases. Grumbles and curses aimed at the purple-haired cross dresser as he practically jumped and danced in his small space, his strength leaking out as he rattled the floor, the cracks growing and reaching towards the two as of yet unnoticed miko who watched their seishi with wide eyes. Flames suddenly leapt in the air as Tasuki, in his own form of infinite wisdom, managed to get everyone’s attention. “What the hell is going on?” Okay… maybe not. Nuriko stomped up to Tasuki, looked him up and down before pulling his arm back and punching Tasuki into a wall before picking him up again, hugging him and swinging him like a child too long from their favorite stuffed animal. Tamahome and Soi snickered before glaring at one another. Nakago chuckled softly, to which he merely shrugged before responding. “I don’t know why I never thought of this before. We should have just let the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi take care of each other, that way the takeover would have been so much more easier than it had already been.” He smirked at the fuming Suzaku-tachi as his own group snickered and laughed at his words. Nuriko, Tamahome, and Tasuki growled and was about to begin to rush at the arrogant shogun. “NO!” and two bodies jumped in the middle of the fray. Make that two petite, female bodies between a group of not so happy warriors. Not the best of places to be, but there they were. As they did, Nakago of course, never one to pass on an opportunity to demolish the enemy, began to pull his ki together to form one of his more favorite attacks. This particular ki blast would be very messy and anyone who was not behind him would suffer the intensity of the blast before simply becoming ash. He took no notice of the females in between both groups, particularly that of his own miko. “Yui,” Miaka gasped as she saw what her friend was going to do and moved to stop her. “Yui, that might not be a good idea at the moment.” “I don’t care.” And with that, Yui jumped and grabbed a hold of Nakago’s arm, surprising him as she pressed herself closer to him. He then got a good look at her at the same time, she was naked. “Stop staring at her you pervert.” That was yelled just before a shoe had hit him in the head, causing the Suzaku side to howl with laughter. Glaring he took note of a half-naked Suzaku no Miko, who was attempting to give her friend some form of covering with a very tattered fukuu jacket simultaneously glaring at him. “What the hell are you two doing here?!” Both Tasuki and Tamahome were not happy that both of the miko were still present or near Nakago for that matter. Though, from the blushes both teens sported, one would figure that it was more the fact that neither one of the Otherworldly girls were completely dressed. The girls merely blinked and looked at each other. “I don’t know.” Yui stated calmly, still hanging onto Nakago’s arm. Miaka was silent, a frown upon her face as she tugged her shoe back in place. “I think it has to do with my wishes.” She attempted to smile, but it failed as she didn’t know where to go from there. The glares she received from both sides didn’t help her confidence, but she took it in stride and decided to look around where-ever it was they were. Instead she pulled Yui off of Nakago and gave her the jacket of her uniform before walking around the room. She counted the people in the room and noticed two things at once. The first was that Miboshi was nowhere to be seen – that could be either good and/or bad. Meaning that he could be floating and wreaking havoc in this place was not a good thing since it had taken one of her own seishi’s deaths to defeat him before. She was not willing to let that happen again. Or he just hadn’t been brought back - but that would mean complications in the balance of seishi power. And that could be even worse than him running, er, floating around. The second was that they were not locked up anywhere, but were in a large room. It was obvious that it was more of a meeting room than anything else. Where they were was eluding her, but she knew somehow that the answer to that would be answered in time. She just had to be patient.     Nuriko watched Miaka as he handed her friend Yui one of Miaka’s extra outfits since Tasuki had brought her backpack with him to her world before all of them were transported to where they were now. He shielded the girl as she dressed herself since it seemed that none of her seishi were willing to help her. He didn’t like that, but decided to let it go for the moment. He had noticed that the wolf creature that had been the cause of his death was there as well. Although he wasn’t happy about that, he was willing to put up with it just as long as the wolf-thing didn’t attack anyone from their side. Miaka was walking around the room, even going so far as to go over to the Seiryuu side. He tensed, ready to get her from there at any moment. But he saw that Amiboshi was also keeping an eye on his celestial companions, keeping them from harming her. Though most of the Seiryuu seishi snubbed her presence they left her alone. The wild card was Nakago, but he seemed more interested in where they were as well. So he relaxed a little. And with a few minutes, Miaka moved back towards the now dressed Yui. Yui for her part gave him a thankful, though embarrassed smile. Miaka gave the girl an enthusiastic hug, grinning widely as she did so. Yui wept a little, repeating how sorry that she was with Miaka saying that it would be okay. Nuriko had to smile to himself at that knowing that all Miaka truly cared about was that her friend was safe and unhurt.     Miaka had noticed that Nakago was also checking out the room that all of them were currently ensconced in but was not completely comfortable with him, read: at all, to ask him what he thought. So she chose to keep her thoughts to herself until someone decided to bring it up. “Oi! Anyone here know where we are?” Tasuki’s voice startled everyone else and Miaka had to stifle a giggle. The timing was rather good if not a little odd. “Why should anyone answer your foolish questions?” Nakago hissed moving into Tasuki’s space. It was completely evident that he was trying to get a rise out of her seishi, trying to start a fight. “Enough.” She glared at Nakago, who blinked at her. He remained silent and took a step back from her seishi, so she turned to Tasuki. “We’re not prisoners here. I don’t know exactly where we are, but it doesn’t seem like we’re in danger since there has been ample opportunity to hurt us – especially when we were unconscious.” Everyone blinked at her and she felt a little annoyed at the fact that they obviously weren’t expecting an answer like that from her. But then again, she didn’t exactly do the smartest of things and this was fairly obvious so... here she mentally shrugged. She turned to Nakago. It was now or never. “Do you know where Miboshi is?” He raised an eyebrow at her, it was obvious that he hadn’t even cared enough to check if all of his fellow seishi were with him. He looked around and grudgingly answered her. “No.” “That could be a problem.” Miaka frowned again. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Chiriko beginning to tremble and pale. She understood why as well and didn’t blame him in the least. Thankfully Mitsukake had put an arm on the boy’s shoulder to reassure him and she smiled a bit at the sight. “What don’t trust us Suzaku no Miko?” “At the moment I don’t trust most of the Seiryuu shichi seishi any farther than I could throw any of you. And since Nuriko cornered the market on strength I know I wouldn’t be able to even lift you let alone throw you.” His eyebrows rose, obviously surprised that she wasn’t just yelling insults at him whilst guarding Yui – keeping her away from him. Again she had shocked everyone, not only by not showing fear, but by being very calm in the face of what could only be the fastest and yet most painful death known to any of them – Nakago’s chi blast. “Who are you and what have you done with Miaka?” Yui tugged at Miaka’s arm to get her attention. Miaka snorted. “Just because I act like an idiot doesn’t truly mean that I am one.” “But your grades...?” “You can’t get common sense out of a geometry textbook no matter how hard you try. As for my grades, well, I earn what I get – for better or for worse. I still have to study to keep it in here.” Miaka poked her head and gave Yui a small smile that was returned with some relief. Knowing that these problems all of them were facing – and they were problems – needed to be figured out, she turned her attention back to both hers and Yui’s seishi. “Okay, so we have two problems that we’re dealing with. Where Miboshi is and where we are. Anyone have any ideas?” Clapping was heard after Miaka had posed her question. They all turned towards the sound and found Taiitsukun floating towards them, clapping her hands, with Nyan nyan following her. “Very good Suzaku no Miko. I now understand the reasons as to why Suzaku is favoring you. I will answer your questions, though by now I expect that one of them has already been answered.” Taiitsukun smiled at them in what seemed to be amusement.