Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Universe of the Four Gods ❯ A surprise Awakening ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The suite room Hotohori had offered the nameless girl is spacious yet cozy, and Tasuke instantly garbs the girl in the robes that had once rested upon the bed. Though a bashful blush was on his features the entire time, and his hands were shaking in embarrassment, he eventually got the tattered rags off of her body and gently slips on the new clean robes.

Sighing in relief, Tasuke carries the light figure back to the canopied bed, placing her on the mattress before fitting the blankets comfortably around her robust frame. She continues to sleep peacefully, the pinched expression gone from her features. Pulling up a chair, Tasuke plops down into the chair with a hearty sigh, staring at the girl’s sleepy features.

“What luck,” he says with a sarcastic grin, “two girls from another ‘universe.’ I wonder if she’s just as important as Miaka?” Realization strikes him. There had to be a reason for her sudden arrival. Was she an enemy? Apprehension tickling his scalp, Tasuke’s back stiffens as he prepares to rise to his feet. He didn’t want to be caught off guard.

But then his gaze wanders over to the girl’s sleeping face. Her lips are lightly parted to allow breath to flow easily into her lungs, and her bangs had been brushed back by his very hand to expose her glowing features to the world. One look at her peaceful face dissipates Tasuke’s doubts.

“Nahhh,” he says, denying his own thoughts and settling back down in the chair. “You’re over-reacting, Tasuke.” Resting one leg over the other, Tasuke props his elbow on the armrest and lets his chin rest in his palm. All the while his gaze remains fixed on the girl’s face.

“Like that little thing could ever be any real threat to you,” he mutters before closing his eyes. A small scraping noise outside the door drifts to his ears. Alert, Tasuke raises his head and glances over with a blink. He’s surprised to find Miaka standing in the doorway, one hand resting upon the sliding door. Her features are creased with kind worry.

“How is she?” the priestess asks. Tasuke shrugs.

“Hasn’t really moved,” he replies, as if that was expected. At Miaka’s worried look, Tasuke sighs loudly. “Well what do you expect? We just found her!” Averting her gaze to the ground, Miaka steps further into the room while clasping her hands at her waist with a sigh.

“I guess you’re right.” Her voice seems oddly sullen. Tasuke relaxes his arm, letting his hand rest against his thigh. He peers skeptically at Miaka.

“What’s goin’ on? You’re scaring me, acting all worried like this,” he mutters accusingly. Blinking, Miaka glances up before laughing. Striding forward, she pulls out a chair and takes a seat next to Tasuke, fixing the soft brown mini skirt around her legs.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to act so weird,” she replies with a hesitant laugh. Tasuke smiles lightly with a shrug. Miaka’s features harden, and she rests her hands in her lap, seemingly absorbed in staring at her hands. “It’s just…I’ve got a weird feeling. As soon as I entered the Universe of the Four Gods I…I sensed a change. Something happened while I was gone. And now…” her voice trails off into nothing, leaving Tasuke lost and confused. Pushing off the back of his seat, Tasuke sits forward, propping his elbows on his knees. His gaze travels over to the sleeping girl before wandering back to land on Miaka.

“And now?” he repeats, voice inquisitive. With a sigh, Miaka fidgets around in the chair as she thinks of how to respond. The news Taitscoon had brought them upon entering their meeting had been bleak.

“Well…right after you left, Taitscoon came to see us, Tasuke,” she says finally, and Tasuke’s eyes close. A shiver runs down his spine, brought on by the thought of the old hag. Miaka’s eyes narrow accusingly at Tasuke’s suddenly disgusted posture. Returning to himself, Tasuke chuckles nervously before crossing his arms over his chest, ready to listen. Miaka sighs. “What she told us wasn’t good, not at all. Apparently the dimensions of both this world and my world have been damaged by a rift in time,” she fumbles over the long words before continuing, “whatever that means. Basically things aren’t going well. Taitscoon herself doesn’t know what happened, but she thinks someone from my world came into this world.”

Instinctively, Tasuke’s gaze darts over to rest upon that of the sleeping girls. She’d been shifting around until her back was to them, so he couldn’t see her face. He instead contents himself to peering at her back. “Do you think…” The unspoken question hangs in the air. After a silent moment, Miaka nods, eyes thoughtfully closed.

“It could be. We have to wait until she’s awake to figure out.” Now they both glance over to the girl, or what they could see of her, curiously. After another moment, Miaka rises to her feet with a cheerful grin, eyes popping open. “So you’ll come get me as soon as she wakes up?” Tasuke blinks, staring at her blankly.

“Was that a question or a command?” he says in a monotone voice. Miaka giggles in exasperation, gesturing her arms out wide.

“Both!” They share a smile, before Miaka turns to stride from the room. Right before she leaves, she turns back to Tasuke. Her features look ruddy in the dim light. “I’ll tell you more about what Taitscoon told us at dinner!” Tasuke nods, right as Miaka turns and disappears from the room. The soft click of her shoes resonate down the hall.

Tasuke continues to glance at the doorway as though Miaka would suddenly return. Why did he care if she returned, anyway? It was wishful thinking to hope she would return his feelings. Sighing heavily, Tasuke rests his arms over his chest once more. An unnoticed breeze brushes against his back.

The cold feel of metal causes Tasuke’s skin to crawl as a heavy object is pushed threateningly close to his exposed neck. Back stiffening, Tasuke manages to peer up at his assailant without moving an inch. What he sees throws him off guard. His eyes practically bug out of his head.

There stands the girl, weak but triumphant, holding Tasuke’s own diamond fan to his throat. Her features are still drawn with weariness, but there is a renewed light in her eyes. Tasuke notices her eyes are a deep blue green color. Her lips are drawn together in a tight, pursed line.

“Don’t move,” she commands, and Tasuke happily obliges by not moving an inch. In truth, he uisn’t that worried. If it came to that he could deal with a mere girl, but first he wanted to learn her motives. She shifts around into a more comfortable position, her grip on the fan tightening. “Where am I? And what is this place?” Her voice is soft yet demanding. Tasuke’s eyes widen slightly, one brow arching towards his scalp in exasperation.

“You mean you don’t know?” Her features harden as she presses the fan closer to his skin. The way she holds it doesn’t draw any blood, but the mere weight and size of it seems to give her strength.

“Answer me,” she replies, ignoring the former question. Once more, Tasuke crosses his arms over his chest. He looks as though he’s about to give her a lecture.

“You are in Konan, or more specifically it’s capital, Eiyo. We are in the Emperor’s palace, and this is one of the emperor’s suites, which he’s kindly offered you.” Done with his speech, Tasuke shifts slightly so he can fully view the girl. Unnerved by his curious gaze, the girl looks as though she’s about to step back, but catches herself just in time. Her features are a mix of confusion and awe.

“This is his…the emperors…palace?” The last word is said in a mere whisper, as though the name itself was holy. Not comprehending the wonder that fills her eyes, Tasuke nods slowly. Suddenly, the girl lets the fan sag slightly as she places a fist to her chest, grinning brightly. “How cool! I’m in an emperor’s palace!”

The brief interruption gives Tasuke an opening. Sliding out of range of the fan, Tasuke leaps to his feet and in one fluid movement snatches the fan out of the girls’ hands and wraps his unoccupied arm around her chest. He successfully pins her arms to her sides. Grunting in surprise, the girl writhes in his grip, a stern frown on her features.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” she cries, slender hands clenching into fists. Tasuke merely grins, placing the fan back at its rightful place on his back. He continues to hold the girl with one arm, while she struggles against him.

“I could ask you the same question,” he retorts in a testy voice. The girls thrashing movements stop abruptly. Tasuke blinks, closely examining her features. The bold look that had previously hung across her features like a veil had been replaced by one of dismay, as her gaze travels along the ground by her feet. Did she actually think he would hurt her? Annoyance courses through Tasuke. “Hey don’t look so bleak, it’s not like I’m gonna hurt you,” he mutters. Blinking, the girl cranes her neck around to watch him, eyes wide. They soon return to their normal state. “I’m Tasuke,” he introduces himself with a gesture of his hand before letting it fall back to his side. “And your name is…?”

The girl does not respond. Seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into a long time. The silence stretches between them, as still the girl refuses to answer. Just as Tasuke is about to admit defeat, the girl utters a thoughtful noise. He replies with a questioning one of his own. Jerking her head back as if she’d been startled, the girl blinks at Tasuke as if she’d just remembered his presence. The ends of her lips twitch slightly, and her eyes return to their normal round shape.

“Well…the funny thing about that is…I can’t remember!” she announces cheerfully. In exasperation, Tasuke lets his head hang to the side with a sigh. Sheepishly, the girl brushes at her nose with a thumb. “Pretty dumb, I know.” Her eyes close thoughtfully. “The only thing I can remember is being carried by someone…” Eyes snapping open, the girl whirls around. She was no longer confined by Tasuke’s hold, since he’d loosened his grip on her. Reaching out, the girl places both her palms to his cheeks, then promptly pulls his cheeks out wide.

“Hey!” Tasuke bellows, waving his arms around. The girl merely giggles, eyes closing in delight.

“It was you who carried me here, wasn’t it!” Uttering a sound of defeat, Tasuke gazes sidelong at the table to the right of them. The girls’ features soften as she smiles. “Thanks…” He turns back to peer at her.

“For what?…” He asks. A blush seeps into her cheeks. Tasuke blinks. “What?” He realizes then that her hands are still resting against his cheeks. Quickly she jerks her hands away, as Tasuke coughs to hide his embarrassment. When he brings his gaze back up to her own, Tasuke finds her smiling pleasantly.

“For helping me. It feels like I was half awake and half asleep, then. I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I was in trouble. If you hadn’t come, I don’t know what would’ve happened,” she explains. Her expression made it look to Tasuke as though her own words were confusing. He brushes off her gratitude.

“’Ey don’t worry about it!” he replies with a grin. The girl nods graciously, folding her hands at her waist. “So…you don’t remember anything before I found you…” he begins, and sighs as she nods solemnly.

“Nothing at all,” she admits. Tasuke places a hand to his forehead, before habitually brushing aside the fiery red bangs that constantly impair his vision. “I think…” her voice is hesitant. Tasuke nods her on. “I want you to call me Zoku,” Zoku announces with a look that dares him to contradict her. Blinking, Tasuke rubs his chin in thought.

“Hmm…yeah, I guess I could do that.” He grins, outstretching a hand towards her. “Nice to meet you, Zoku.” She shakes his hand gently, a waning smile on her lips.

“Nice to meet you too, Tasuke.” Their hands fall in unison. “By the way…when can I meet the emperor?” Excitement fills her voice, despite her stern exterior. Remembering suddenly his promise to Miaka, Tasuke turns towards the door and grabs Zoku’s arm. The girl draws back from him in confusion, lips pursed in indignation and brows furrowed. “What’re you doing?”

Tasuke turns back to her in annoyance. “I need you to come with me.” Her eyes, flashing stubbornly, tell him that she won’t move an inch until he tells her everything. He sighs. “I need you to come meet some people. You think I’m the only one staying in this huge palace? I’ll explain on the way.” Tasuke adds at her curious expression. Finally accepting his answer, Zoku allows herself to be dragged out of the room and down the hallway into a smaller, more business looking area.