Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties Part 1: The War of Love and Hate ❯ The War of Two ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own characters for they belong to Watase Yu-sensei.

 

Part One: The War of Love and Hate

 

 

I: The War of Two

 

 

The Priestess of Suzaku felt so helpless. There was another war raging between her country of Konan and its long-time adversary Kuto. Whether the reason was because of religious differences or that the countries just wanted to go at each other; it mattered not. A horribly savage war still erupted between the two. The intense battles were at first held in the miles of land between the two countries, but somehow, the Konan army was driven back to native soil. Though Kuto no longer had its Celestial Warriors of Seiryu, its size and powerful army still outdid Konan's. Nation wide, innocent citizens were either forced to flee or die in the hands of the Kuto army. Day after day, Konan and Kuto soldiers were killed, a river of bodies flooded the streets. If only there was a way to stop it.

 

 

So many lives were being destroyed and there was nothing the priestess could do about it. Men were dying, women getting raped, children becoming orphans; it was just too much for her! If Konan were to ever lose the war, there would be nothing but poverty and oppression under Kuto rule. And yet, here she was staying in the shelter of the palace doing nothing! Her celestial warriors had insisted that she stay within the palace's walls. They wanted to keep her safe from harm, but in actuality they were torturing her. How could she fulfill her duties as a peacekeeping priestess if she wasn't allowed to do anything? Agonizing days went on, and the only way she could keep track of the war's events was through the latest gossip among the ladies of the court. For all the priestess knew, her warriors' heads would have been skewered on pikes.

 

 

Miaka Yuuki, priestess of the Suzaku warriors, was finally admitting defeat. She was trapped within the Konan palace, knowing practically nothing of the war's progress. Were her seven celestial warriors all safe? Could Konan end this war, let alone win it? Was her lover and celestial warrior, Tamahome, ever going to come back to her? Not knowing was ten times more frightening then hearing the actual results. If only someone had the heart to tell her these things.

 

 

“Make way! Make way!” yelled a rustic voice.

 

 

Miaka stood up from the pillar she was leaning on. During her angst filled reverie, Konan soldiers carried the wounded from the battlefield into the palace. As of now two soldiers were carrying an injured man upon a makeshift stretcher. Over the course of the war, hundreds of soldiers and civilians came to the palace to take refuge. Surviving doctors coming from the farthest corners of the nation came to the capital to help with the injured. The whole west wing was filled with wounded people and those who were to die. Though Mitsukake, the magical healer among the Suzaku warriors, was no where to be found. Miaka had suspected that from the start. All of her warriors had left once the war was declared. Mitsukake was probably healing wounded soldiers on the front lines. If only Miaka had that sort of power also.

 

 

Besides doing odd jobs in the infirmary, caring for orphaned children and occasionally nursing the sick, Miaka had nothing to do but worry. Numerous questions of her warriors' whereabouts constantly ran through her head. She had never worried about them this much before. They were all her closest friends, possibly her only reason to live in this crazy world. If anything were to happen to any of them, she wouldn't know what to do! To her, being left in the dark sucked.

 

 

“OW, OW, OW! Watch where yer goin', ya' morons!” a pained voice cried out. The country accent seemed familiar. “If I die from my injuries, my ghost'll fry yer asses!”

 

 

Once again interrupted from her reverie, Miaka turned to the voice she hoped belonged to someone she knew. Verifying her hope, she ran to the man being carried in the stretcher. It was Tasuki, her most hotheaded warrior out of the Suzaku Seven. Besides her love for Tamahome, Tasuki was also a warrior she held personal feelings for. Under his rough-edged exterior, he was the most chivalrous and had always been considerate of her feelings. Miaka ran toward Tasuki, at first ecstatic to find him alive and still cursing, but then her expression distorted into shock.

 

 

“Tasuki! What happened to you?” she exclaimed, her voice nearing to break down in tears.

 

 

True, her concern hadn't been misplaced. Poor Tasuki looked to have seen quite some action. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. The long coat that he always wore looked to have been ripped off his back, revealing his torn tunic and wounds underneath. Bandages made from torn clothes were tied around his waist. His left arm and right leg were both set together with cloth strips, the arm being placed in a crude sling. Blood drizzled down his forehead, and seeped through his waist injury. Even the black eye bulged in a huge purple bruise. To put it simply, Tasuki looked really messed up.

 

 

“What d'ya think happened t' me, woman?” Tasuki yelled back. Apparently, he wasn't in the mood to talk about his condition. He tired to stand up in the stretcher, but he quickly fell back down. The sudden movements had caused more blood to seep from the wound in his waist. “Shit!” he cried out in pain

 

 

Miaka swiftly neared to his side. “Don't move!” she ordered. “You'll just open up your wound even more!” She then turned to the soldiers who carried him in. “Take him to my room. The west wing infirmary is much too crowded all the doctors will be too busy to treat him.” She paused to look at Tasuki's sorry state. “Here, I'll show you the way.”

 

 

With that, Miaka led the soldiers down the hall. They went pass the entrance to the west wing, which was overflowing with wounded and sick. All the while, Tasuki cursed about being hurt and complained that the soldier in front had no idea how to maneuver. Three turns and two long corridors later, the party reached Miaka's room. After getting Tasuki into her bed, Miaka thanked the soldiers as they left. When gone, she began to search for first aid supplies while Tasuki sulked.

 

 

Going through various cupboards, the priestess started a conversation with her warrior. “You shouldn't have criticized that soldier, you know. He was just trying to help you, Tasuki.”

 

 

“You're startin' t' sound like Chichiri,” he retorted.

 

 

The search for bandages slowed at the mention of the monk celestial warrior. Chichiri, the wisest of the Suzaku Seven, did have magical abilities to get him from place to place. Transporting from the battlefield to the palace wouldn't have been hard for him. It would have put her in a peace of mind to know that he was all right. But as of late, she had not seen height or hair of him.

 

 

“That reminds me…” she began as she looked for disinfectant, her back to him. “Have you seen the others lately?”

 

 

There was an awkward silence. Tasuki knew the answer yet he was reluctant to tell her. He knew she must've been worried all this time. She probably hated not knowing where they were. It had been four months since the war started and she most likely had had no contact from any of the other celestial warriors. Tasuki began to regret making Miaka stay alone at the palace. She must've been worrying her little head off about them. He was as guilty as it was; he didn't need any thing more to regret.

 

 

“T' be honest, Miaka,” he hesitated, “I haven't.”

 

 

She stiffened for a moment, and then slumped her posture. “That's… alright, Tasuki.” Miaka turned to him, holding a tray of aid materials and plastering a smile on her face. “I didn't expect you to know anyway.”

 

 

“Well, that ain't really true.” He began to sit up, but was pushed back down by his priestess, much to his chagrin. “Like I was sayin'… I didn't really mean I didn't see any o' the other guys.” Tasuki suddenly made a hiss of pure pain as Miaka changed his waist bandages. “My Gods, woman! Why did ya' have t' start with that wound?”

 

 

“It's in the most worst condition, because you reopened it, Tasuki!”

 

 

“Fine! Do whacha' want.”

 

 

As thanks, Miaka `playfully' tapped the newly bandaged wound. Tasuki let out a yelp and muttered a string of curses.

 

 

As the priestess tended to his wounds she and the warrior continued talking about the war. Most of her questions went unanswered, but at least she found out some things. From what she heard from Tasuki, he had seen all of the celestial warriors alive and well at least once during the battles. The emperor Hotohori was last seen on the front lines fighting off a Kuto general. Nuriko was witnessed to have changed his gay cross dresser persona for the charging strong man he was meant to be. Chichiri was transporting innocent civilians to safety. And Chriko, the youngest warrior, was assisting Mitsukake in taking care of the injured. Though there was still the whereabouts of her lover Tamahome.

 

 

“Oh, Tama?” said Tasuki when Miaka asked for him. “The last time I saw him he was on th' front lines pushin' back those Kuto bastards with jus' his battle aura!” Both he and Miaka smiled at the thought of their friend doing so well. But Tasuki's smile soon faded. “Though, that was weeks ago. I ain't sure if that's how it is now…”

 

 

“You mean you haven't seen them since then?” asked Miaka. Her eyes were tearing up and her lips trembled. Her thoughts on Tamahome were of the worst.

 

 

Tasuki took notice of this and reassured her. “Don' worry yer li'l head over it, Miaka. I'm sure the boys'll come home jus' fine. And if they don't, they'll have deal with me in th' next life!” He was the only one in the room laughing at his own joke.

 

 

“Thanks, Tasuki.” Miaka wrapped the last bandage around his bleeding knuckles. “It's nice to know that I can hope again.”

 

 

“`Hope'? Whaddya mean `hope'? I know everyone'll come back! An' you should too!”

 

 

Knowing she couldn't give in to her hopelessness yet, she agreed with him. Maybe he was right; maybe her Suzaku Seven hadn't been annihilated yet. Her warriors were probably giving their all to fight against the Kuto army. They're most likely alive and well, using their special abilities to protect Konan. She didn't have to worry. Everyone was going to come back safely just like Tasuki said. Though, behind this optimistic ploy, there was always doubt. Doubt ready to reveal the inevitable and bite into the tenderest regions.

 

 

~-~

 

 

Weeks went by after this occurrence happened. During that time, Miaka became Tasuki's personal nurse. She fed him, clothed him and even went as far as bathing him. Even though Tasuki complained that he could do all these things himself, Miaka was able to convince him otherwise. Tasuki's injuries healed quickly due to Miaka's tender care. Soon, he was able to get around while using a crutch. Naturally, Miaka had to accompany him wherever he went. At first, Tasuki thought it as annoying, but later he thought of her company as almost bearable.

 

 

“Hey, Tasuki. Did you hear what they were saying in the infirmary today?” asked Miaka one afternoon. She was picking up dishes from her patient's finished meal.

 

 

Tasuki swallowed his last bite. He secretly hoped it wasn't any more court gossip. “No, what?”

 

 

“The wounded soldiers that arrived this morning have been discussing that there would be an end to the war soon.”

 

 

“What? Yer kiddin', right?”

 

 

“No, those men were absolutely serious.” The priestess absent-mindedly twisted a lock of her auburn hair, which was a sure sign she was positively excited. “They said that the war would soon end in a deadlock!” She said this as though it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

 

 

“Really, why?” The warrior wondered what would make his priestess so happy if the war was said to end in a draw.

 

 

“Oh, they didn't really go into details, but…” She wasn't so sure herself. “I think it had to do with the fact that our army had recently attacked Kuto's head resource bases in the west.” Miaka continued to twist and pull her hair. “With most of their supplies gone, the Kuto army is either reduced to retreating or raiding nearby towns.”

 

 

Tasuki's face then pulled into a frown. “What's so great `bout that? That just means Kuto soldiers're gonna attack innocent villagers! How can that end in a stalemate?”

 

 

“That's what I meant in `they didn't go into details', Tasuki!” she said exasperatedly. “I don't why just blowing up their food and weapon reserves are going to result in a draw. But, maybe our army is planning some sort of tactic, like a secret weapon or something.” If Miaka didn't stop curling that certain lock of hair, she was going to have to cut it off for all the tangles in it. “What I do know is that it might be the end of this horrid war. Maybe the Suzaku Seven will even be reunited, and we can go back to living the way we were before. Just like you said Tasuki.” She seemed so hopeful. It would have been disappointing if she had given hopes up.

 

 

“Uh…” started a very hesitant Tasuki, “ya' won't hold that against me, right, Miaka?”