Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Yuugi: Daydream's Embrace ❯ Episode 24: Lethal Passion ( Chapter 24 )

Episode 24:

Lethal Passion

By: Mrs. Tasuki and Nyan Nyan

"A terrible poison had overcome the Lady Katherine, turning her love to hatred. The Lady Christina and Suzaku Seven did not know what had afflicted their comrade, and-" A knock sounded, interrupting Diana's concentration from the passage she was silently reading. She quickly shut the book and hid it under a thick pile of pillows.

"Yes?" called Diana. The door opened slowly, and Aunt Claire walked inside of her niece's room, a tray piled with fresh brownies in her hands. The thick, warm smell flew through the air, curling around the girls' noses and summoning them to the baked goods.

"Do you girls want a snack?" the woman smiled. Joan nodded excitedly, the stress of reading about her little sister's continuous perils making her quite famished. Diana gave her aunt a big, flashy grin, as if to convince Aunt Claire that nothing was wrong, if not herself. Aunt Claire set the plate onto the desk that Joan was sitting in front of, oblivious to her tense surroundings. The room had been filled with worry, but the clouds of concern had evaporated as Aunt Claire entered the room. Diana's aunt left with a smile, quietly closing the door behind her as the clouds of anxiety began to creep back into Diana's bedroom.

Diana took the book back out as soon as her aunt left the room, while Joan began wolfing down the treats. "Joan!" scolded Diana, wondering how her friend could easily dismiss the danger Katherine and Christina were in at the prospect of chocolate.

"What?" Joan asked, her mouth full of chocolaty brownies.

"Just hand me manga number five," sighed Diana exasperatingly. Joan tossed the book to her friend, who opened it and began to flip though the pages, being particularly careful with the delicate binding. "Well," said Diana, "while you're stuffing your face, your sister has been poisoned with Kodoku."

"What?!" Joan exclaimed, spitting brownies everywhere as she lunged towards the book.

*

The palace garden was caught in turmoil; the raging storm that had fallen over the land of Konan was centered above the gardens. As if to forecast the troubles to come, the scenery of the once beautiful Konan had transformed overnight. Thunder clamored loudly as lightning streaked the air with a dangerous yet magnificent lightshow, while the rain splattered down upon the landscape as if it possessed an unspoken hatred for the usually serene gardens.

The palace inhabitants took this opportune time to busy themselves with meaningless indoor work. Everyone had locked up for the night, closing their doors and windows to prevent the vengeful rain from pouring in and ruining their cherished belongings. The unusually dreary gardens had turned into a deserted wasteland under the pounding rain, except for one solitary person, who alone dared to venture down the paths.

A call of "Katherine!" echoed through the palace walls, dancing between the raindrops as they attacked the stone roofs. Distressed golden eyes surveyed the landscape, looking for any sign of the missing priestess. The emperor's gaze glanced from the corridors to the gardens, where Katherine was known for standing out and admiring the rain, when everyone else had taken cover.

Hotohori had been sure that not even the priestess would stay out to watch the storm, no matter how magical the lightning looked, but her empty room suggested otherwise. And, as the emperor glanced around the empty landscape, he concluded that he must have been mistaken. The rain hammered down like needles upon his skin, creating a veil that was almost impossible to see through. Ignoring his instincts, the sei began to walk back towards the palace.

After taking several steps, something appeared in the corner of his eye. He turned towards the object, taking a deep breath as he told himself to calm down. Without even processing the thought to run, Hotohori had taken off running towards the thing, barely breathing as his feet moved under him. His eyes filled with worry as the object came closer and became more distinct; morphing into the form of the very person he was looking for. Falling to his knees beside her, he placed his hand on Katherine's back, taking a moment to feel her ragged breaths beneath his palm.

The priestess was lying upon her stomach, motionless except for her shallow, shivering gasps. Her right hand was desperately clutching at the grass above her head, her nails digging into the soft ground. Assuming that Katherine had collapsed from hypothermia, Hotohori gently picked up the girl and held her in his arms, trying to provide some warmth to the trembling priestess. Her white tank top clung to her skin while strands of her waterlogged hair remained plastered to her face. Light pink lips seemed the only indication of life left in her frail body, glowing out from her otherwise pallid face.

"Oh my God," escaped from Katherine's lips, surprisingly clear and smooth for her intense trembling. Eyes widening in shock, Hotohori quickly examined her face. She was obviously unconscious, yet it was as if she was speaking in her sleep. None of this mattered to the emperor at the moment; he needed to get her out of the freezing rain as soon as possible. The sei slowly rose to his feet, holding the girl close to his chest. Her right arm lifelessly dangled downward, dropping the blades of grass she was clinging to moments earlier.

Trying to hold Katherine more comfortably in his arms, Hotohori pushed her up to place her neck on his shoulder, and the girl groaned quietly. Katherine's eyes squeezed shut, as if she was trying to block out the pain before it reached her in her subconscious dreamland. Hotohori quickly cupped his free hand to the back of her head and slowly tilted it forward to observe his priestess's neck. Even though he half expected it, he could not help but gasp when he saw several large purple bruises running across the back of her neck, grossly contrasting with the pallor of her skin. "Dear Gods..." Hotohori whispered. Lifting Katherine fully into his arms and strengthening his grip around her, the emperor quickly began striding back to the palace, realizing that the cause of her collapse was not an innocent case of hypothermia.

oOo

At the precise moment her eyes snapped open, Katherine gasped for air, struggling for breath as if she had been suffocated. She slowly sat up in her bed, muttering, "Ow..." as she grabbed her head, trying to stop the throbbing pain. Assuming she was alone, the priestess recoiled at the touch of warm arms wrapped around her body.

"Thank Suzaku, I was so worried..." a deep voice whispered in her ear.

Katherine's hazel eyes widened in shock, instantly recognizing to whom the voice belonged. Preparing herself, she slowly inhaled a deep, shaking breath before looking beside her to confirm her assumption. The young emperor was sitting on the bed next to her, his arms claiming her for his own as if nothing had happened at all. `He betrayed you...' her thoughts whispered unemotionally, a fact that resounded in the back of her mind.

"Get away..." the priestess muttered in pure disgust as she pushed his arms away, making it clear to Hotohori that she no longer belonged to him. Katherine closed her eyes and slowly scooted herself back into a corner, the sheets surrounding her like some sort of barrier, protecting the priestess from the man who had betrayed her.

Hotohori remained motionless with the exception of his slightly dropped jaw and wondering eyes that were shocked and hurt at the same time. "W-what...?" he whispered, not believing Katherine's startled reaction.

Katherine looked up at the emperor, reconsidering her reaction. His voice seemed too genuine and sincere to have the motive of confusing and tricking her. She searched her memory for any hints of a deception of her mind, but it was all too real. The betrayal, the deceit, the pain: all of them scorched in her mind, defiling it of everything she had once held dear.

The last thing she could remember was running away to gardens, trying to find some peace and sanity. Her head pounded, throbbing with pain as she tried to search further still. All she knew was that she was in the arms of the very man she was struggling to get away from. `How dare he...he deceived you and now he thinks he can get away with it.' The girl grabbed her head, covering her ears, desperately trying to control her surroundings.

"Katherine...?" Hotohori muttered, becoming more bewildered by the moment. He needed to get Mitsukake; maybe the doctor could explain this strange behavior.

"I...I have to go," Katherine whispered, desperately wanting to be anywhere but in that particular situation. She slowly swung her legs to the side of the bed and cautiously stood up. Her shaky exhausted legs not giving her much support, she suddenly felt like the room was rocking, back and forth like a ship upon the sea. Determined to get out of the emperor's presence, she took a couple steps before she slowly started to sink to the floor. Grabbing the wall for support, she took in a couple deep breaths, trying to get enough strength to leave the room while cursing her legs for disobeying.

Once again, Katherine felt Hotohori's arms around her, trying to give her the support to stand up. "Katherine, you are very sick, you h-..." she heard him tenderly say. But she blocked out his words, paying more attention to her own thoughts. `Now he's trying to trick you...right after he slept with-`

"No!" Katherine shouted as she grabbed her ears once again, stopping her memories before they revealed the display. She just wanted a few, short seconds of denial, just enough time to get away from him. "Get away!" she shouted to the emperor as she broke out of his grasp for the second time, holding back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall. Her fingers tracing along the wall, she continued to walk out of the room, never looking back at the baffled emperor.

Once outside, Katherine leaned against the wall, welcoming the cool, fresh air into her lungs. The rain had slowed down to a drizzle as time had passed, leaving only a calming, peaceful sound as it hit the stone roof. She started to stagger down the hallway, trying to make her way through the darkness. She wracked her brain as she tried to make sense out of the hopeless situation. Interrupting her thoughts, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to the side and narrowed her eyes as she saw deep purple polished fingernails.

She glanced up to the owner of the odd nails and saw Christina, her deep green eyes sparkling with concern. "Hey, Katherine, you okay?" the girl asked, wondering what her sick friend was doing wandering around the palace corridors. "What happened? I heard you were-"

"Leave me alone..." Katherine scornfully muttered, quickly interrupting her fellow priestess before she had to hear one more word come out of the traitor's mouth. She swatted Christina's hand away, not wanting any more pity from the person she despised.

Ignoring her friend's warning, Christina continued to ask, "Seriously, Katherine, you don't look so well. What happened to you?"

Katherine slowly looked up, appalled at the innocent act Christina was playing. It was just an insult, brushing off what had happened like it was nothing. "You...you bitch," Katherine grumbled through her teeth, detesting the very moment she met the girl.

Christina's eyebrows rose in shock; having known Katherine for four years, she had only heard Katherine swear when she was filled with rage, and even then, it was never at her. Christina had no idea what she had done to make her friend so angry, yet she knew it must have been huge. She curiously observed as Katherine looked back down at her feet and squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to block out the nonexistent sunlight. The candlelight in the hallway accented Katherine's look of anguish as she breathed loudly through her teeth. After a moment, Katherine looked back up at her, sending chills down Christina's spine. In a split second, her friend's eyes had transformed into cold dwellings for merciless revenge.

Katherine slowly pushed herself away from the wall, clenching her fists in anger. "You slut! How dare you even talk to me!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, finding an unknown source of hate deep within her. But, as quickly as the energy had appeared, it disappeared, leaving the frail priestess stranded and tired. Katherine's eyelids closed, causing the nightmare around her to spin into darkness.

Katherine wearily fell to the floor, instantly turning Christina's shocked reaction into a feeling of concern. "Katherine?" she questioned softly, cautiously approaching the fallen priestess as if the angry mood could overtake her friend at any given moment. She slowly knelt down, unsure of what to do. Hearing soft footsteps behind her, Christina looked around to find Hotohori peering at Katherine, his eyes widening in shock.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Hotohori worriedly asked, kneeling down beside Katherine and placing his hand on her forehead. "She's not feverish..." he whispered, ruling that out as a solution to her strange behavior. "We should get her to a bed," he stated as he picked up Katherine's right arm and slung it over his shoulder for support.

Christina followed the action with the left arm. Both of them slowly rising to their feet, the priestess curiously asked, "Did she start acting all weird around you too?"

Startled, Hotohori looked over at Christina, somewhat relieved that he was not the only one that Katherine had scorned. "Yes, what did she say to you?"

"Just that I was a slut," Christina quietly stated with a shrug of her shoulders as if it was nothing, although Hotohori could tell that it truly bothered her. The two started to slowly walk to Christina's room, which was closest, in sync with one another.

"Let me go..." Katherine muttered beneath her breath, her hazel eyes sorrowfully looking down at the ground that passed beneath her feet.

Startled at Katherine's sudden consciousness, Hotohori and Christina looked down at her and decided to continue walking, realizing she was too frail to protest. "Mitsukake healed her a while ago," the emperor stated, trying to find some logic in this world of chaos.

When they reached Christina's room, Hotohori prompted the priestess to let Katherine go and open the door. Scooping Katherine in his arms, the emperor walked into the room and placed the ill priestess on the bed. "Did he mention any side-effects from the Twilight Zone?" Christina questioned as she closed the door behind them, referring back to when Mitsukake healed Katherine.

"No..." Hotohori replied, biting his lip afterwards. "He just said that she would be tired for a while," he continued, trying to recall every word that the doctor said.

"Obviously..." Christina mumbled. She looked at Katherine, who was sitting on the side of the bed, her head hanging down, obviously troubled by something.

Katherine felt like a mouse trapped in a never ending maze. With every corner she turned, she found surroundings more confusing than the last. Hotohori and Christina seemed to be completely oblivious to what the source of her anger was, making her second guess her memories, yet her thoughts told her otherwise. `This is your chance...kill them. Make them pay. You're the victim. They had it coming. Don't believe their lies.' Gritting her teeth, she rubbed her temples, desperately trying to rid her mind of the animosity.

"I am going to find Mitsukake," Hotohori stated, his eyes never leaving the distressed priestess. He turned towards Christina, feeling a pang of guilt for being unable to console his priestess. "You stay here..." he whispered, knowing better than to leave Katherine stranded.

Hearing the door close behind her, Christina slowly approached her friend and knelt down in front of her. Looking directly at Katherine's face, she rhetorically asked through her teeth, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

`Get her...now.' Katherine looked up, her once troubled eyes instantly morphing into a bitter hazel. Without giving it a second thought, the priestess lunged at Christina, slamming the bewildered girl's head to the floor. Straddling over her, Katherine grabbed Christina's neck, watching in delight as her former friend struggled for air.

"What're you...doing?" Christina struggled to mutter out in between her gasps.

The vengeful priestess cynically smirked for a second before calmly replying. "That's funny, I was about to ask you the exact same thing this morning." Tightening her grip on Christina's throat, she slowly lifted the girl's head off the ground a couple inches before thrusting it into the tile once again. "Was it fun? Did you enjoy it? You're a special one, aren't you? Screwing with the emperor and all..." Katherine said, barely audible, several inches from the girl's face.

Christina felt Katherine's hand squeeze harder, cutting off the little oxygen she had left. She desperately dug her purple-colored fingernails into Katherine's hand, puncturing her friend's skin with bloody half-moon marks. Katherine's hands quickly recoiled, lines of blood streaming off her hand and onto Christina. She gasped for air, and, as the oxygen painfully filled her lungs, she felt the tiniest bit of strength returning to her. "What are you talking about?!" she shouted.

"Katherine!" Hotohori yelled, completely appalled at the scene displayed before him. Mitsukake rushed past him without hesitation, as if he had seen this kind of behavior before.

Still on top of Christina, Katherine quickly looked up at the emperor, who was standing, stunned, in the middle of the doorway. Her head turned to look at the second sei, scowling at the healer, who was making his way towards her. She looked back down at her bloody hands, observing the crescent marks engraved in her flesh. She slightly smirked, as if she was completely immune to the pain.

Mitsukake wrapped his arms around Katherine's waist, grabbing his wrists in the front. The priestess whipped her head around, trying to look at the healer straight in the eye, but Mitsukake's eyes stayed glued to the floor. In one swift motion, he lifted her up off of Christina, and tossed her on top of the bed.

Seizing her moment of opportunity, Christina scrambled to her feet. She slowly walked backwards, making sure there was a safe distance between her and Katherine. "So much for being tired," she whispered to Hotohori, who had made his way forward to meet up with Christina. The emperor remained perfectly still, as if his shock drowned out Christina's voice.

Grabbing Katherine's wrists, Mitsukake forced them above her head and held them there with both of his hands. "Christina, leave now. Get the sleeping medicine out of my bag," the doctor ordered, looking behind him at the priestess.

Christina stared at Katherine for a second, as if still in a daze about Katherine's insanity. She took one last look at her bloody fingernails, confirming the truth. "Okay..." she muttered, before turning around and jogging out the door, knowing that time was of the essence.

"Stay out of it!" Katherine shouted to the doctor, struggling to get out of his grip. Seeing Mitsukake become more determined to hold her in place, she looked around the room to see what her resources were. Finding the perfect object, she closed her eyes and took in a couple deep breaths, just for show. She tensed every muscle in her body, hoping they would fall for her deception. On her last exhale, she relaxed her body and slowly opened her eyes.

"Okay, I'm okay now," she whispered, barely audible, as she looked up at Mitsukake innocently. The doctor looked at her inquisitively, not sure if he should trust her. "I'm ready to listen," she stated as she slowly nodded, trying to convince him to believe her. Gradually releasing his grip on her wrists, he slowly backed away from the priestess and held out his hand for her to grab. Using his weight to pull her up, Katherine sat up on the side of the bed, playfully kicking her legs against it.

Hotohori walked a couple steps closer to Katherine, relieved yet cautious to see her acting like her old self again. Mitsukake turned around to meet the emperor, silently informing him that everything was back to normal.

Katherine tilted her head around, making sure Mitsukake wasn't looking. A slight smile appearing on her face, the sardonic priestess stood up on the bed and grabbed the large square mirror that was hanging above the nightstand.

"Watch out!" Hotohori called, instinctively moving closer, hoping to make it in time.

Mitsukake turned back around just in time to see Katherine holding the mirror high above her head. In one swift, smooth motion, she slammed it on top of the doctor's head, knocking him to the floor.

oOo

The thudding sound of the wooden floors was the only noise that penetrated the thoughts of the priestess as she walked down the corridors of the palace, feeling strangely alone. Christina did not understand; her best friend, the only friend from her home, her world, had tried to kill her. But it was more than that. Christina had looked into her friend's eyes, and had seen such anger, such hatred. And the reason that she felt alone was that the hatred was for her.

Mitsukake had told her to get the sleeping medicine, and she had gladly agreed. Any reason to get out of the room and away from Katherine seemed valid at the moment. Christina lifted up her hand and cautiously touched her neck. She could still feel the indentations, the purpled bruises that had been from Katherine's fingers, and the tight, suffocated feeling still lingered on her skin.

Down the hall Christina continued, her confused thoughts and the quick pace of her steps the only noise that she heard. She didn't even notice when her shoulder collided with another object until someone muttered, "Sorry."

Christina turned around to see Miaka standing behind her, rubbing her aching shoulder and looking at her in confusion. "Oh, sorry. Didn't see you," Christina quickly apologized, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"What's wrong?" asked Miaka, seeing the distraught look in Christina's eyes. Something was wrong, she could tell, she could feel it.

Christina faltered, unsure how to answer. "Katherine..." she began, slightly shaking her head, staring at the ground. "Something's wrong with her..." Confusion, doubt, and disbelief all swum around in her deep green eyes, the ones that had lost their usual, carefree sparkle. "You shouldn't go near her..." warned Christina, "she...she's acting strange..." Unaware that she was even moving her arm, Christina's hand returned to her neck, where the bruises still ached.

At the movement of Christina's arm, Miaka's gaze moved to the priestess's hand, where she saw the marks, still painful-looking. "What happened?" Miaka asked, astonished. She moved her hand up to Christina's neck, as if to make sure she was actually seeing the marks, but Christina pulled away, as if frightened that Miaka would attack her as well.

Sighing heavily, Christina answered, "She...well...she tried to...to strangle me...so I really don't know what's going on..."

Miaka suddenly remembered one of her nights in Kutou. It was right before she had drifted off to sleep, and right after Nakago had tried to convince her to drug Tamahome. "This drug will not poison your dear Tamahome," Nakago had told her. "Kodoku is a drug that only…manipulates emotions. Instead of desperately wishing to leave you…he may long to stay at your side." Miaka had politely refused Nakago's plan again, and had fallen asleep quickly, not even thinking about what he had said. But, the memory had suddenly resurfaced in her mind, and Miaka knew that it was for a reason.

"So...so I have to go find some of Mitsukake's medicine," Christina said, tearing Miaka from her thoughts as she began to walk away, her head down towards the floor.

"Maybe..." Miaka said slowly, causing Christina to turn around. "Nakago once mentioned to me...this...this poison called Kodoku that changes your memories…Maybe," the Priestess of Seiryuu shrugged, "maybe Katherine was given Kodoku..."

Christina could have slapped herself. Of course it was Kodoku; there was no other rational explanation. Kodoku would explain why Katherine suddenly hated Christina so much, why she struggled against Hotohori, why she was acting so psychotic. She felt like her heart had stopped, although her mind was going faster than ever, checking every angle, every possibility. But Kodoku seemed the perfect answer.

Flustered, Christina quickly began to walk towards Mitsukake's room, waving, "Thanks Miaka, I have to go!" She turned completely and began to pick up her pace, until she was nearly sprinting. Miaka watched as Christina's figure retreated down the corridor. In the back of her mind, Miaka could not help but wonder if Nakago had been behind Katherine's strange behavior. After all, it was Nakago that suggested that Miaka poison Tamahome.

Miaka was not sure if Christina had truly believed her about the Kodoku, but somehow felt that it was Kodoku that caused Katherine to act so strangely. Miaka turned back down the hallway from where she had come, knowing that she had to tell Tamahome, he had to believe her, or something terrible would happen.

oOo

Shards of glass were scattered amongst the tile, glistening in the flickering candlelight. Katherine playfully jumped off the bed and crouched down beside the unconscious doctor, making sure he wouldn't wake up any time soon. "Oopsies," she said in a meek voice with a shrug of her shoulders. The priestess tilted of her head as she lightly poked Mitsukake's side.

Hotohori silently walked backwards, towards the door, not believing the display in front of him. He immediately stopped when Katherine slowly rose to her feet, her back facing the emperor. She spun around and tilted her head when her eyes met the emperor's shocked expression. "Well, now that he's out of our way," she whispered. She looked down at the back of her hands, still streaked with her own blood. Giving her something to do as she sorted out her thoughts, she brought her thumb up to her mouth and quickly licked it before rubbing the blood off of her hand.

Hotohori suspiciously watched as Katherine calmly wiped the blood from her hand. "Who are you?" he muttered, knowing that this couldn't possibly be the same girl he had given his heart to.

Katherine slightly smirked at the question as if she'd known it was coming. "I'm your love," she said in the most sincere voice she knew of, before letting her insanity break through once again. "Your lovey dove, your lovely dovey love," she continued in a sing-song voice as she innocently looked up at the ceiling. In split second, her emotion changed for a third time, her eyes narrowing into pure disgust. "That is..." she whispered. She took in a deep, shaky breath, filling her lungs with burning hatred, "Before you ripped my heart out and stomped on it!"

Katherine knew she had the advantage. First of all, there was only one lantern in the room, and, unfortunately for Hotohori, it wasn't near him. Secondly, the priestess was in the perfect frame of mind for a fight, whereas the sei seemed confused and too perplexed to even think straight. And, most importantly, Katherine knew that Hotohori would never draw his weapon against her. Of course, she couldn't be too sure of the last one, after all, she obviously wasn't his dream girl anymore.

Her eyes narrowing, Katherine scanned the room once again, searching for the perfect weapon for her next victim. The lantern on the nightstand cast an almost eerie glimmer off an empty crystal vase. Not the best weapon in the world, but it would have to do. And with Katherine only a few feet away from the nightstand, it would be easy to grab before the emperor could even blink.

Katherine glanced at Hotohori one last time, making sure that he would not make any sudden moves before she did, and then she returned her focus to the sparkling vase. In one swift movement, the priestess grabbed the glittering object and hurled it towards the unsuspecting sei. Half expecting it, Katherine was not surprised to hear the unsheathing of a sword and the clamor of crystal shattering in midair. Slightly smiling, Katherine couldn't help but to observe the shower of glistening crystal, sparkling from the light of the lantern, as if they were sent from the heavens.

The solitary door creaked open. Hotohori looked behind him, hoping to find salvation. Glad to know he wasn't alone anymore, he greeted Tamahome with a hasty nod. Tamahome quickly nodded in return and stepped into place beside the emperor. "What happened?" Tamahome whispered, his eyes scanning the room. The shattered glass, the unconscious doctor, the emperor's distressed look; this was much more complicated than he had expected.

"I...I don't know..." Hotohori muttered in return. For the millionth time, he searched his memory for something, anything that would cause Katherine to come so enraged. Once again, he found nothing. "It seems that she's in some sort of a trance," he continued, barely audible, as if he was telling himself instead of Tamahome.

Miaka, who was standing just outside the door, cautiously peered inside, curious about the commotion. But, the moment Katherine spotted the priestess, a sinister smile crept across her face. "Does the emperor want another priestess for his trophy case?" Katherine asked mockingly. "After all, she was the original, wasn't she?"

"What?" Tamahome inquired, slightly shaking his head at the confusion of it all. He shot a quick glance out the door to see that Miaka looked utterly perplexed as well.

Katherine scowled, and snapped, "This is none of your business, you stupid little hero-boy." The deranged priestess turned back to Hotohori and slightly opened her mouth, ready to tell him that the fury that flowed through her veins was because of him. But, giving it another thought, she just bit her lip, deciding that she would not waste her breath on someone like him.

Tamahome cautiously approached the puzzled emperor, knowing that at any moment Katherine could attack him, just as she did Mitsukake. "Miaka seems to think that Katherine's been affected by something called Kodoku," he informed Hotohori, his eyes never leaving the merciless priestess.

"What?" wondered Hotohori, baffled, as he took his eyes off of Katherine and stared at Tamahome.

"Kodoku..." Tamahome said, "it seems to affect a person's memories..." Hotohori looked back at Katherine, wondering if it was Kodoku that was affecting his priestess.

After a moment, the emperor answered, "That's impossible." Tamahome gave Hotohori a questioning look, and the sei continued, "I have been with her ever since Mitsukake healed her. If she had been poisoned, it would have happened hours ago, well before Mitsukake cured her of any illness."

"Maybe the drug is immune to his powers..." suggested Tamahome with a skeptic shrug. All of the sudden, a quick pattering of feet sounded down the hallway, like tapping fingers, and Christina appeared in the doorway, a small drawstring bag clutched in her hands.

After surveying the room, which was covered with chards of broken glass and crystal, not to mention Mitsukake's unconscious form, Christina screamed, "What happened?!" She gingerly stepped forward, past Miaka, being careful to avoid any glass, and trying not to make any sudden movements, as if Katherine was some sort of predator.

Christina handed the small, coarse cloth bag to Tamahome. Looking over his shoulder, Tamahome said, "Miaka, go get Chichiri."

"Okay," replied Miaka with a determined nod, glad that she could be of help in the strange situation. She immediately ran down the hallway to find the sei.

"We don't really need more people in here..." Christina whispered to Tamahome, wanting to keep their problem as simple as possible.

Tamahome replied quietly, "Chichiri can read life forces...maybe he could tell us what is wrong with her."

"Tamahome," Katherine said, and every person in the room turned to listen. She continued coldly, "You are not involved. It would be in your best interest to leave, unless you wish to end up like your comrade, Mitsukake."

"Why are you doing this, Katherine?" Hotohori asked worriedly.

"Is it not obvious?" Katherine replied haughtily, obviously delighted at the emperor's stupidity. "You betrayed me, and for that you will die, Emperor Saihitei."

Realizing that Katherine's choice of words seemed all-too-familiar, Christina whispered to Tamahome, "Why is she talking like Nakago?"

"I don't know," answered Tamahome, keeping his eyes trained on the priestess, "she wasn't like this earlier."

"This isn't making sense," Christina sighed to herself. She slowly and carefully sidled over to Hotohori, making sure not to expose her back to her fellow priestess. "Nakago is controlling her," whispered Christina into Hotohori's ear. "She needs to snap out of it now, before it gets worse."

"How can this be done?" wondered the emperor.

"I don't know," Christina shrugged, "kiss her or something."

"What?" His eyes left Katherine for a split second, making sure Christina was actually serious.

"Just trust me," replied Christina confidently. "Next time you have a chance, kiss her."

"Enough of this foolish talk," commanded Katherine. "Let us end this now." She walked over to the nightstand, which stood in the corner of the room. She slowly approached the lantern, knowing that it was the only source of light in the small room.

"She's not going to..." Tamahome began, but was cut short when Katherine blew out the light, thrusting the room into sudden darkness.

Christina mumbled, "I guess that answers your question." She blinked, trying to gain her vision in the pitch black. The quiet sound of crunching glass sounded around the room. A sudden fear crept over her. Katherine was being controlled by Nakago, and so, it was as if Nakago was the one in the room, creeping about in the shadows. Shivers ran up and down the priestess's spine as she moved along the walls, trying to find the lantern without running into her former friend.

There was a loud thudding noise, accompanied by a moan of pain that was so quiet that none could tell where the noise came from. "You bastard!" a yell sounded around the room, reverberating off the walls. Christina frantically ran her hands up the wood of her nightstand and searched for the lantern, afraid of what would happen next.

Suddenly, the entire room was immersed in a bright blue light. Once the blue flash faded away, a small, glowing light was coming from the door. Christina turned around to see what had happened. Katherine was lying against a wall, slumped in the corner. On the opposite side of the room, Tamahome was helping Hotohori stand up from where he had been lying. Miaka and Chichiri were standing in the doorway, and it was Miaka who was holding the tiny lantern.

Chichiri breathed heavily, clearly showing that he was the one who caused the blast, and looked around the room tiredly. Katherine groaned and struggle to sit up from her place on the floor. "Katherine!" cried Hotohori when he saw her injured form.

Holding the emperor back, Tamahome advised, "No, don't." Christina walked over to stand beside Tamahome and Hotohori and found that a long, jagged scratch ran down the emperor's face, from his left eye to his chin.

"What happened?" asked Christina worriedly.

Hotohori stated quietly, "You suggested that I try kissing her." He carefully reached a hand to his face, touching the wound, and then looked at the long streak of blood on his hand.

"How did she cut you?" Tamahome asked, looking from the emperor's bloody hand to the long cut that had covered the left side of his face in blood.

"With a shard of glass," answered Hotohori quietly. He stared past Tamahome and Christina, worriedly watching as Katherine shuddered upon the ground, wondering if she was all right.

"I apologize for taking so long, Highness. It was difficult to locate Katherine's life force...it seemed...obscured by something," Chichiri said as he walked beside the emperor and surveyed the damage in the room.

Squinting her eyes in pain, Katherine felt consciousness and pain slowly creeping up on her. She placed her hands in front of her and slowly pushed up against the floor, feeling ever muscle in her body ache as she tried to reach a sitting position. Feeling slight stinging as she moved lifted her hands off the floor, she slowly looked at them, seeing shards of glass embedded in her skin. She listlessly sighed as she slowly tried to move one of them out with her index finger, slightly twitching when she realized it only caused more blood to drip down from her already red-stained hands.

Hearing someone coming closer to her, Katherine quickly looked up to find the blue-haired monk carefully approaching her with some type of pouch in his hand. She ignored the aching sensation that was sent throughout her body and quickly stood up and tried to make fists with her mutilated hands. Watching the monk slowly nod, Katherine gave him a questioning look, wondering what he was signaling to do. Before the priestess could look around her, she felt strong hands wrap around her arms and mercilessly pull them behind her. She screamed out in pain, her arms feeling like they were being stabbed with thousands of needles. She looked behind her to find the other blue-haired sei, Tamahome, using all his strength and focus to keep her still.

Chichiri opened the pouch, pulled out a small round object, and placed it on his palm, holding it in place with his thumb. Katherine opened her mouth for a second, to question the monk's intentions. Seizing his chance, the sei quickly thrust his sleeve over her mouth, forcing her to swallow the pill. The drug instantly taking effect, Katherine's body became limp as she fought to keep her consciousness. Knowing that the priestess could no longer attack, Tamahome lessened his grip and slowly brought her to the floor, watching her hazel eyes becoming distant in the candlelight.

Overwhelmed with the feeling of déjà vu, Katherine closed her eyes for a moment, searching her memory. Ignoring the throbbing in her head, she was instantly sent to the palace garden. She was sitting on the bench, contemplating about Amiboshi, Christina, and everything else that had caused her to become so troubled. Then something happened...something her mind would not let her remember. Before the sedative pulled her into oblivion, she remembered the sweet scent of lilacs.

oOo

Katherine stepped into the summoning room, her heart suddenly in her throat and her stomach in knots, as the gigantic gilded doors swung open to reveal the interior. A sweet calm melody filled the air, sending a warm wave of relief to Katherine. The priestess heard the gargantuan doors slam behind her, interrupting the soft music that floated throughout the room. The priestess's stomach filled with lead as she leapt up in surprise, startled by the finality of the closing doors. But the flute resumed its quiet tune, mixing along with the sweet chirping of the tiny red birds that soared their way through the rafters, winding their way like thread through a needle's eye.

The denim of her shorts rustled with each step she took down the long, scarlet carpet that led to the altar. One top of the alter she saw a large fire, Illuminating the dark room. The flames of the sacrificial urn danced and twirled, licking at the air as the tiny, scarlet birds twisted their way through the blaze. Katherine looked around the gigantic room to see that she was alone, except for the one. At her side stood a tall mysterious figure, who was wearing a dashing, dark cloak. The hall seemed endless, empty, and she feared that any noise would echo for eternity.

As Katherine walked down the red carpeting, her heartbeat quickened to match the pace of her steps, hammering against her chest with anxiety. The priestess was halfway to her goal, and every step of her brown rubber flip-flops was muffled in the velvety carpet. Suddenly, the somber, peaceful flute music stopped, and was replaced by another sound. The music was vengeful, angry, full of hatred, and, as it played, it began to rain, filling the room with the clean scent of water.

The cold raindrops started slowly at first, spotting Katherine's white tank top like ripples in a pond, but quickly began to pour down. The rain pounded down on her shoulders, her face, and began to drown out the noise of the flute music. Finally, the rain stopped, stranded in midair, so that she could see every raindrop in place. The tiny teardrops began to elongate, forming teeth, claws, and tails.

As if the gods had continued time, the dragon raindrops fell to the ground angrily, but Katherine knew her task. She pressed on, struggling through the pounding rain to reach her final goal, to reach the sacrificial urn. The tiny birds began to cry out, not sweetly, but almost as if they were in pain, suffering through the onslaught of rain. Before Katherine's hazel eyes, the bird's bright, fiery red feathers began to change, turning with the color of the rain until they were a deep, royal blue.

But Katherine paid no mind, for she had finally reached the end of her journey, the end of the red, carpeted walkway. She placed her hands upon the sides of the urn, where the great fire had died out. Slowly, the priestess peered inside to see that the urn had filled with water. Her reflection, the face of the priestess who had come before her, stared back at her; large, dark forest green eyes, an innocent, smiling face, her hair, though usually put up into two twin buns, was intricately pulled up with a large golden comb.

Katherine's gaze moved from the reflection of Miaka up to the one at her side. He lifted his gloved hands up to his face and pulled off the black hood that had covered his face. Stepping closer to Katherine with a smile, the emperor gently stroked her cheek, and surveyed her clothes. It was then that Katherine realized her soaked white tank top had turned into the sacrificial gown meant for the summoning ceremony. His eyes moved down her figure, from the golden necklace and hair comb to the intricate red silk dress that she was clad in. Hotohori's eyes moved lower still, down to her wrists, where twin golden bracelets jingled from inside the gauzy white sleeves, and down to her waist.

"Is he really the one?" wondered the priestess as she watched him look over her, as if she was struggling to pass an inspection. She wondered if she was truly the one he wanted, or if it was the real priestess who held claim over his heart. Was he meant to be with Miaka? Or Houki? Am I anything more than a priestess? Katherine asked herself.

The emperor's gaze fell back to her face, and he gently put his hand near the top of Katherine's neck. He carefully pulled out the tiny, dark blue stud that was in her earlobe, and tossed it into the water of the urn, where it sunk to the bottom with a quiet plunk. The priestess leaned back over the urn and looked inside to see her reflection, still vibrating with the ripples of the earring. Her own face stared back, her own hazel eyes and wavy hair.

Her eyes strained to see to the bottom of the water, but all that she could spot was the tiny blue birds that flew above her head, reflecting in the clear water. The priestess looked back up at the one who had brought her. Her beloved emperor had instantly transformed into another being. It was the one who had brought her to this fantasy world, complete with his ceremonial yellow streaks around his eyes and the celestial mark upon his forehead. The human form of Suzaku took her hand, and began to lead her back down the carpet and towards the door.

"You've made more than one mistake here," Suzaku stated quietly. Realizing that it was the last sentence that Christina had said to her before she left, Katherine could do no more than stare at him, looking from his feathery red hair to his otherworldly garments. But she did not dare look at his face, knowing that he was right. The rain stopped, and the birds were silent, so no noise echoed in the summoning hall except for the jingling of Katherine's gold jewelry and the metallic sound of Suzaku's red and gold armor as he walked at her side. The doors slammed shut, and all was black and dead.

Startled by the sudden clamor, Katherine whipped her head around to look Suzaku in the face but found that the god was no longer at her side. In his place stood a figure, all shrouded in the black robes that had been previously draped over the emperor. Although no words were exchanged between the two, the figure's icy glare spoke of cruelty and hatred.

Following her first instinct, the frightened priestess turned around and darted towards the closed door, knowing salvation was on the other side. As the floor beneath her feet past her, she noticed the door eternally stayed in place, never coming closer, never allowing her to reach the other side. Katherine peered over her shoulder and found the cloaked man mockingly standing in place, rooted to the floor, forever the same distance from her. Turning her focus back towards the door, Katherine suddenly tripped and toppled over a mysterious object, an object she knew was not there a second ago. Sitting up from her sprawled position, she rubbed her throbbing head and glared at the wooden bench that had caused the fall.

The fragrance of lilacs filled the air. Katherine turned her head to discover the lovely plant, standing proudly next to the palace bench. Her eyes twinkling, Katherine slowly reached out to touch the purple flower, sparkling dew drops from the previous rain. But once her finger tips touched the soft petals, flames engulfed it, as if the wrath of hell had come to seek its revenge.

Gasping in horror, Katherine struggled to retreat from the blazing fire and found that the cloaked figure was standing behind her. With another gasp, the priestess staggered backwards from the man. But the moment she moved, the mysterious man disappeared, vanishing into the darkness of the room like a shadow. Katherine looked around, her gaze bouncing around the empty room as she searched for the man's whereabouts.

Taking one last step backwards, Katherine immediately knew she had taken one too many. A firm hand covered her mouth, and the man shoved a thick piece of fabric in her mouth that prevented her from breathing. A bitter taste formed in her mouth, and she shakily swallowed to rid herself of the aftertaste, but it was to no avail. Of course, she couldn't spit out the pill, she wasn't allowed; not until her task was complete. As the priestess struggled for breath, a blinding darkness washed over her eyes, and she fell to the cold, rain-drenched ground.

To be continued...

AN: This episode is dedicated to DENO! You rock! He helped us go through this episode and find all the passive voice. GO DENO! Okay, I think I'm just going to keep on saying his name for a while because I like how it sounds. Go Deno! Go Deno!...

Fushigi Akugi

The door opened slowly, and Aunt Claire walked inside, a tray piled with fresh brownies in her hands. The thick, warm smell flew through the air, curling around the girls' noses, summoning them to the baked goods. "Do you girls want a snack?" the woman smiled. Joan nodded excitedly, the stress of reading about her little sister facing continuous perils making her famished. Diana gave her aunt a big, flashy grin, as if to convince her that nothing was wrong. Aunt Claire set the plate onto the desk that Joan was sitting in front of, oblivious to her surroundings, and left with a smile, quietly closing the door behind her.

Diana took the book back out as soon as her aunt left the room, while Joan began wolfing down the treats. "Joan!" scolded Diana.

"Yeah, hand them over, no da!" a chipper voice sounded from the corner of the room.

"Chichiri! What are you doing here?!" Joan screamed in surprise, pointing to the overly-cheerful monk.

"I wanted some brownies, no da," the sei answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Both girls were silent for a moment, looking at the blue monk incredulously. Chichiri walked over to the plate casually and started munching on the delectable brownies. "Mmmmm, no da..." the monk muttered, a look of relief washing over his face.

"So you came all the way over here...for brownies? What's so great about these brownies anyways?" Diana asked in disbelief.

His mouth full of the seemingly innocent baked good, Chichiri exclaimed, "Well, they're `special' brownies, no da!...no da...no da..."