Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Universe of the Four Gods ❯ Down for the count ( Chapter 21 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: MaskedSorrow 
They get to the palace, when suddenly Tasuke collapses in a dead faint.
Anime/Manga: Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 09.04.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 197 | Status: Completed
They get to the palace, when suddenly Tasuke collapses in a dead faint.
Anime/Manga: Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 09.04.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 197 | Status: Completed
The tiny group appears just outside the palace walls, in the secure coverage of a clump of trees. Recovering the quickest, Mitsukake steps forward to examine their surroundings. Chiriko joins him. Instantly the young genius pin points the safest entrances and exits of the palace. The safest entrance appears to be a nearby gutter that, according to Chiriko’s calculations, leads straight towards the palace garden. There, they can find their way safely to the Courtyard. The closest exit is a bit harder to find; they decide in the end to simply scale the palace walls.
“Now,” Miaka announces in a hushed voice as she steps up to join Mitsukake and the others. Tamahome stands at her side, with Nuriko and Tasuke trailing not far behind. “Are we all ready go to?” Any trace of weariness vanishes from her features as the realization of what they are about to do sinks in.
A grin crosses Chichiri’s features as he taps his staff gently against the ground. “Ready as I’ll ever be, ya know,” he nods his head. Tasuke folds his arms over his chest with a haughty grin.
“Why wouldn’t I be ready?” Another snort. “I’ve been waiting for this all night!” A hint of pride streaks his voice, but that is quickly deflated by a swift punch from Nuriko. Flailing forward with a grunt, Tasuke grunts gently, arms outstretched to help him keep his balance. Grimacing, the flame haired youth turns to face Nuriko, gaze fierce. “Hey, what was that for?!” Nuriko sniffs in disdain and turns away in exasperation.
“You’re full of hot air, Tasuke,” she replies in an airy voice. Chichiri steps forward between the two before a fight can break out.
“Save your strength. We’re gonna need it, ya know,” the magician states wisely, glancing at the two of them evenly. Nuriko looks slightly bashful as she gives a nervous chuckle and tosses her braid over her shoulder. Tasuke, however, scowls and turns towards the palace wall with a grumble. A grinning Miaka meets his gaze.
“Now are we ready?” she asks in amusement with a slight giggle. Mitsukake closes his eyes gently with a smile, and Chiriko chuckles. Puffing up in indignation, Tasuke brushes them off and strides towards the gutter.
“Let’s just get goin’ alright?” The group happily obliges, heading towards the gutter with Chichiri at the lead. Chiriko follows just behind him, dwarfed by Mitsukake, with Miaka, Tamahome, Nuriko, and Tasuke trailing just behind. Tasuke is last in line, checking behind them cautiously.
Slowly but surely, they crawl through the rain gutter, following its winding path all the way to the center of the palace garden. Tasuke barely notices as he passes over the grime collected on the bottom of the drain pipe, his mind focused on one thing. That one thing being what he would say to Zoku. Their last encounter had been easy enough…and yet, he still feels bad. Something about her had seemed different, that night, almost like she’d lost something. Something so dear to her that life itself was meaningless.
A shudder runs down Tasuke’s spine at this thought. What stupid thinking! Life was never meaningless. There was always something new to try, something new to conquer, something new to protect. It was a never ending cycle with hundreds of fun twists and turns. Couldn’t she see that?
So absorbed in his thoughts is Tasuke that he doesn’t notice the others have stopped until he runs into Nuriko’s hind end. The cross dresser grunts at the impact, tossing him a glare over her shoulder.
“Hello to you too,” she grumbles, arms shaking at the restraint not to reach back and slug him. Looking slightly startled, Tasuke glances up at Nuriko, confused. Snapping back to reality, Tasuke realizes the cause for Nuriko’s harsh comment and leaps backwards, smacking his head against the top of the pipe.
“Ugh!” he cries, shuddering all over and shaking his arms around as if to brush off something nasty. “I touched its butt!” Eyes going wide, Tasuke kneels down in the drain pipe, still as a statue and shuddering in disdain. Sticking out her lower lip gently, Nuriko rests her chin on a hand, gazing up at the drain pipe.
“Grow up ya big baby,” she mutters, glancing up at the group. Miaka glances back at the two of them, chuckling merry.
“Stop fighting, you guys. We’re almost there, look,” the priestess calls softly, gesturing ahead of them. Following her gaze, Nuriko turns away from Tasuke, making a thoughtful sound. Swallowing his disgust, Tasuke shakes himself all over before following Miaka’s gesture. A bright light greets his eyes; the end of the tunnel. He smirks at the irony. Catching sight of the movement, Miaka blinks blandly at Tasuke. “What’s so funny?”
Tasuke waves her away. “Nothing, nothing. Let’s get moving!” he says, giving Nuriko a gentle shove. The cross dresser reels forward with a squeal, eyes wide with surprise. Then, with a scowl, Nuriko delivers a swift kick to Tasuke’s torso before continuing on down the gutter after Miaka. Grunting at the impact, Tasuke winces gently and rubs his chest, chuckling.
“Weird homo,” he mutters, starting after Nuriko.
“Obsessive compulsive flame boy,” Nuriko retorts somewhere far ahead of him. Tasuke grimaces.
“Hey, take that back!” he snaps. A mere chuckle answers him, along with a hissed warning from Chichiri. Sighing heavily, Tasuke clamps his mouth shut, grumbling to himself about ‘its’.
Suddenly, a feeling grips him, causing him to halt in surprise with a frown. An iron chain wraps around his heart, squeezing mercilessly. Wincing against the pain, Tasuke takes a shuddering breathe and places his hand to his chest. A sudden jerk draws him to his hands and knees with a gasp, and soon he finds himself practically sprawled out in the gutter, forehead pressing against he grime.
“What…is happening…to me?” he breathes, grunting as the chain gives another tug. Slowly but surely, the pressure increases, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his side. From somewhere ahead of him, someone voices an incoherent query, but Tasuke is too absent minded to notice.
With a groan, he tries rising to his hands and knees, vigilantly fighting the ever growing throb in his chest. Shit, it felt like his heart was going to burst! Drawing in one stifling breathe after another, Tasuke hardly notices the shape that creeps towards him in the darkness.
“Tasuke?” someone calls. He raises his head only slightly, head swimming as he struggles for breath. The figure, familiar and yet distant, kneels over him with what little space is provided in the gutter, placing a hand gently to his chest. Tasuke frowns. Gutter? Why were they in a gutter? And who was they?
“No,” Tasuke murmurs through gritted teeth, wincing against the pain as the figure before hi m tries to help him up. He knew her. He knew her. There was a reason for him being here. He had to get to her…to Zoku. Holding that one thought close like an anchor to shore, Tasuke glances blearily at the figure before him, and suddenly finds himself sprawled out in the grass on his back, gazing up at a lifeless sky.
“What’s wrong with him?” a high pitched voice asked as hands search his body, worry evident in the tone. A figure kneels before him, the face slightly familiar in Tasuke’s groggy mind.
“Ch-chiri?” he murmurs. The blue haired youth, with a frown, nods his head. “What the hell is happening to me?” After a slight pause he adds. “Where are we?”
Chichiri is silent for a moment, a moment longer than Tasuke is comfortable with. He struggles to stand up, but finds his limbs totally useless; he lays there on the ground, immobilized. Gently, Chichiri places a hand to his head, a serious look flashing across his features.
“You’re gonna be alright, ya know,” Chichiri says softly, then turns to face the girl that had spoken earlier. With a frown, Tasuke studies her. He knew her…from somewhere. Was it Zoku? No, it couldn’t be. Who was Zoku anyway? Someone…close to him? No, a stranger. A stranger who was more realistic to him then the very ground he lay on. What?
“-isn’t good, ya know,” Tasuke hears Chichiri say, “he’s delirious with fever. His chest is badly swollen, and his heart beat is racing.” The throbbing in his chest picks up with a vengeance, causing Tasuke to groan.
“What’re we going to do? What’s causing this?” a clearly feminine voice cries, and a face is pushed into his vision. Two clear golden eyes peer down at him worriedly.
“Miaka…?” A vision captures him, tossing him into oblivion.
“Now,” Miaka announces in a hushed voice as she steps up to join Mitsukake and the others. Tamahome stands at her side, with Nuriko and Tasuke trailing not far behind. “Are we all ready go to?” Any trace of weariness vanishes from her features as the realization of what they are about to do sinks in.
A grin crosses Chichiri’s features as he taps his staff gently against the ground. “Ready as I’ll ever be, ya know,” he nods his head. Tasuke folds his arms over his chest with a haughty grin.
“Why wouldn’t I be ready?” Another snort. “I’ve been waiting for this all night!” A hint of pride streaks his voice, but that is quickly deflated by a swift punch from Nuriko. Flailing forward with a grunt, Tasuke grunts gently, arms outstretched to help him keep his balance. Grimacing, the flame haired youth turns to face Nuriko, gaze fierce. “Hey, what was that for?!” Nuriko sniffs in disdain and turns away in exasperation.
“You’re full of hot air, Tasuke,” she replies in an airy voice. Chichiri steps forward between the two before a fight can break out.
“Save your strength. We’re gonna need it, ya know,” the magician states wisely, glancing at the two of them evenly. Nuriko looks slightly bashful as she gives a nervous chuckle and tosses her braid over her shoulder. Tasuke, however, scowls and turns towards the palace wall with a grumble. A grinning Miaka meets his gaze.
“Now are we ready?” she asks in amusement with a slight giggle. Mitsukake closes his eyes gently with a smile, and Chiriko chuckles. Puffing up in indignation, Tasuke brushes them off and strides towards the gutter.
“Let’s just get goin’ alright?” The group happily obliges, heading towards the gutter with Chichiri at the lead. Chiriko follows just behind him, dwarfed by Mitsukake, with Miaka, Tamahome, Nuriko, and Tasuke trailing just behind. Tasuke is last in line, checking behind them cautiously.
Slowly but surely, they crawl through the rain gutter, following its winding path all the way to the center of the palace garden. Tasuke barely notices as he passes over the grime collected on the bottom of the drain pipe, his mind focused on one thing. That one thing being what he would say to Zoku. Their last encounter had been easy enough…and yet, he still feels bad. Something about her had seemed different, that night, almost like she’d lost something. Something so dear to her that life itself was meaningless.
A shudder runs down Tasuke’s spine at this thought. What stupid thinking! Life was never meaningless. There was always something new to try, something new to conquer, something new to protect. It was a never ending cycle with hundreds of fun twists and turns. Couldn’t she see that?
So absorbed in his thoughts is Tasuke that he doesn’t notice the others have stopped until he runs into Nuriko’s hind end. The cross dresser grunts at the impact, tossing him a glare over her shoulder.
“Hello to you too,” she grumbles, arms shaking at the restraint not to reach back and slug him. Looking slightly startled, Tasuke glances up at Nuriko, confused. Snapping back to reality, Tasuke realizes the cause for Nuriko’s harsh comment and leaps backwards, smacking his head against the top of the pipe.
“Ugh!” he cries, shuddering all over and shaking his arms around as if to brush off something nasty. “I touched its butt!” Eyes going wide, Tasuke kneels down in the drain pipe, still as a statue and shuddering in disdain. Sticking out her lower lip gently, Nuriko rests her chin on a hand, gazing up at the drain pipe.
“Grow up ya big baby,” she mutters, glancing up at the group. Miaka glances back at the two of them, chuckling merry.
“Stop fighting, you guys. We’re almost there, look,” the priestess calls softly, gesturing ahead of them. Following her gaze, Nuriko turns away from Tasuke, making a thoughtful sound. Swallowing his disgust, Tasuke shakes himself all over before following Miaka’s gesture. A bright light greets his eyes; the end of the tunnel. He smirks at the irony. Catching sight of the movement, Miaka blinks blandly at Tasuke. “What’s so funny?”
Tasuke waves her away. “Nothing, nothing. Let’s get moving!” he says, giving Nuriko a gentle shove. The cross dresser reels forward with a squeal, eyes wide with surprise. Then, with a scowl, Nuriko delivers a swift kick to Tasuke’s torso before continuing on down the gutter after Miaka. Grunting at the impact, Tasuke winces gently and rubs his chest, chuckling.
“Weird homo,” he mutters, starting after Nuriko.
“Obsessive compulsive flame boy,” Nuriko retorts somewhere far ahead of him. Tasuke grimaces.
“Hey, take that back!” he snaps. A mere chuckle answers him, along with a hissed warning from Chichiri. Sighing heavily, Tasuke clamps his mouth shut, grumbling to himself about ‘its’.
Suddenly, a feeling grips him, causing him to halt in surprise with a frown. An iron chain wraps around his heart, squeezing mercilessly. Wincing against the pain, Tasuke takes a shuddering breathe and places his hand to his chest. A sudden jerk draws him to his hands and knees with a gasp, and soon he finds himself practically sprawled out in the gutter, forehead pressing against he grime.
“What…is happening…to me?” he breathes, grunting as the chain gives another tug. Slowly but surely, the pressure increases, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his side. From somewhere ahead of him, someone voices an incoherent query, but Tasuke is too absent minded to notice.
With a groan, he tries rising to his hands and knees, vigilantly fighting the ever growing throb in his chest. Shit, it felt like his heart was going to burst! Drawing in one stifling breathe after another, Tasuke hardly notices the shape that creeps towards him in the darkness.
“Tasuke?” someone calls. He raises his head only slightly, head swimming as he struggles for breath. The figure, familiar and yet distant, kneels over him with what little space is provided in the gutter, placing a hand gently to his chest. Tasuke frowns. Gutter? Why were they in a gutter? And who was they?
“No,” Tasuke murmurs through gritted teeth, wincing against the pain as the figure before hi m tries to help him up. He knew her. He knew her. There was a reason for him being here. He had to get to her…to Zoku. Holding that one thought close like an anchor to shore, Tasuke glances blearily at the figure before him, and suddenly finds himself sprawled out in the grass on his back, gazing up at a lifeless sky.
“What’s wrong with him?” a high pitched voice asked as hands search his body, worry evident in the tone. A figure kneels before him, the face slightly familiar in Tasuke’s groggy mind.
“Ch-chiri?” he murmurs. The blue haired youth, with a frown, nods his head. “What the hell is happening to me?” After a slight pause he adds. “Where are we?”
Chichiri is silent for a moment, a moment longer than Tasuke is comfortable with. He struggles to stand up, but finds his limbs totally useless; he lays there on the ground, immobilized. Gently, Chichiri places a hand to his head, a serious look flashing across his features.
“You’re gonna be alright, ya know,” Chichiri says softly, then turns to face the girl that had spoken earlier. With a frown, Tasuke studies her. He knew her…from somewhere. Was it Zoku? No, it couldn’t be. Who was Zoku anyway? Someone…close to him? No, a stranger. A stranger who was more realistic to him then the very ground he lay on. What?
“-isn’t good, ya know,” Tasuke hears Chichiri say, “he’s delirious with fever. His chest is badly swollen, and his heart beat is racing.” The throbbing in his chest picks up with a vengeance, causing Tasuke to groan.
“What’re we going to do? What’s causing this?” a clearly feminine voice cries, and a face is pushed into his vision. Two clear golden eyes peer down at him worriedly.
“Miaka…?” A vision captures him, tossing him into oblivion.