Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties Part 2: Children of a Blessed Union ❯ Doubts ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Fushigi Yuugi titles or characters. I also do not intend on making a profit off this story. Copyright goes to Yu Watase-sensei.

 

 

Part Two: Children of a Blessed Union

 

 

I: Doubts

 

 

It was a mild winter in Konan. The days were getting shorter and the nights longer. There wasn't any snow since the nation was so far south. The Winter Solstice was upon the citizens, and the Lunar New Year was fast approaching. In the palace, the Suzaku Celestial Warriors were buzzing with excitement. Though, the New Year preparations were not the cause.

 

 

“Any day now,” commented Miaka. She rubbed her huge abdomen that concealed a precious life force.

 

 

The former Priestess of Suzaku had been cleaning her living quarters until she felt a little bump. It had come from inside her swollen belly. She blissfully placed her hand on where the tiny `foot' had kicked her. With the coming of the New Year, another surprise was arriving. Miaka was so excited; she was going to have her first child.

 

 

Miaka swept the floor of her room thoughtfully. Her constant thoughts of finally reaching motherhood had been distracting her all morning. She had always dreamed of being a mother. Although, she had never thought she would also become a wife, to Tasuki anyway.

 

 

When she was still with Tama, they had always openly discussed about settling down together. They talked about living in a rural town, and raising their children there. Now that he was gone, she was going to have to live their dream for him with Tasuki. She was determined to have it the way they had wanted it to be. But there was still a snag in her plan; would Tasuki agree to it?

 

 

The young woman worried silently. Tasuki had been a former bandit; bound to no rules or responsibilities. What if retiring to a small village weren't in his plans? Yes, he did marry her, but weren't most vows that fugitives made uncommitted ones. He might, Suzaku forbid, even leave her if she were to make such a proposition. Overcome with doubt, Miaka decided to continue cleaning to keep her mind off the subject.

 

 

She picked up a wooden bucket, and headed out the door. There was a spring near the gardens in the back of the palace. She could get more than enough cleaning water to scrub her room from floor to ceiling. Then she could just forget about this settling down nonsense.

 

 

~_~

 

 

Tasuki, warrior of the Suzaku Seven, or Six as it currently was, looked up to the sun. The dim sunlight was temporarily blocked due to the slow-moving clouds. This made the already chilly weather even cooler. He silently contemplated something before a shrill voice interrupted him.

 

 

“Hey, Tasuki!” It was the monk Chichiri, who had recently came back from a journey spreading the Suzaku religion.

 

 

“Whaddya want, fool?” Tasuki coldly yelled back. He hated having his deep thoughts disrupted.

 

 

“Aren't you going to hang those banners yet, you know?”

 

 

Tasuki looked to the pile of unmoved cloth beside him. “Uh… Yeah, `Chiri! Right on it!”

 

 

The fire-headed warrior was currently on the roof of the palace entrance. He was supposed to be helping the others hang red New Year's banners from roof edges. Tasuki had stopped working to think about something, which was obviously not his strong point. It was such an important issue at the moment; he couldn't waste time putting up banners. From his viewpoint on the ground, Chichiri observed his friend who was still not moving from his reclining position. He hoped that Tasuki wasn't in deep thought again. The monk knew how much that hurt his head.

 

 

Using his special abilities, Chichiri transported himself to the top of the roof. He silently appeared behind the reclining Tasuki. He noted how the redhead was still deep in thought. How very futile. Hovering near Tasuki's ear, Chichiri whispered sweet nothings.

 

 

“What are you thinking about, you know?”

 

 

Letting out a girly shriek, Tasuki jumped about ten feet in the air out of his skin. He almost fell off the roof, barely hanging on to the ledge. The eccentric monk laughed victoriously as his friend clambered on the roof edge. Once regaining his bearings, Tasuki turned his fury on to the monk.

 

 

“What th' FRIGGIN' HELL, CHICHIRI!” The vein pulsing in his forehead almost looked as if it would burst. “I could've fallen off an' died, ya' bastard! An' then where would Miaka an' the baby be?” He paused seeing that his words had hit home; Chichiri had stopped laughing.

 

 

He replied, “I am terribly sorry, Tasuki”-

 

 

“You bet yer ass you're sorry!”

 

 

“I didn't mean to go that far. I'm sorry, you know.”

 

 

With the argument over, Tasuki once again lied down on his side with his back to Chichiri. He really was angry. Usually, after this sort of trifle, he would just flare off and then suddenly forgive you. The previous comment about Miaka had given a hint to what he was thinking about. The monk looked fretfully at the banners that were still waiting to be hung from the palace entrance. This was a much more serious issue then anticipated. At this rate, the decorating would never get done.

 

 

“So…” Chichiri was just going to take a risk and try to get this out in the open. “Still wondering what sort of life to offer to your new `family'?” It was straight forward, yes, but it would be of no use to just pussyfoot around.

 

 

As expected, Chichiri saw how Tasuki stiffened up. This was a very touchy matter.

 

 

Tasuki wasn't even sure himself if he could even refer to Miaka and the baby as `his' family. When he and Miaka had their first union in the palace gardens almost a year ago, she had been a virgin when he took her. She and Tasuki were literally attached to the hip ever since then. Apparently, her former lover didn't have the heart to make her a woman outside of wedlock. Soon after his young priestess had found she was with child. This made Tasuki swell up with male pride. He almost reveled in the fact that the title of paternity didn't belong to the long lost Tama. He had been so proud of himself back then.

 

 

But soon after, due to protocol, Miaka and Tasuki had to get married. News of an illegitimate child being born into Suzaku's `holy guild' would have been a subject of the court's ridicule. The redhead, knowing that he would rather be skinned alive than sully the honor of his priestess, went ahead with the bonding ceremony. He noticed at first that Miaka had been very hesitant. He had known for quite some time that she still loved Tamahome, but he had thought that she would soon get over it. That one day she would move on with her life and come to love him. That had been foolish… The wedding was a small one with all the remaining celestial warriors present. It wasn't grand but very memorable since it had all sorts of alcohol at the reception. But even in his drunken slur that night, Tasuki remembered the look on his once-blushing bride's face. Despite the make-up and the lavish wedding robes that accentuated her beauty, Miaka had appeared downhearted, as if she were saying a final farewell.

 

 

That was when it hit him. He and Miaka may be married now and were also expecting a child that did not mean Tamahome wasn't still on her mind. Now matter what he did, Miaka would still love that dashing miser. Her heart would probably never stop hoping that he would come back to her some day. Sure, she would be a great wife to him and a wonderful mother to their kid, but it didn't mean she couldn't be in love with someone else.

 

 

Tasuki also came to realize what sort of terrible trick he played. Miaka had been very emotionally unstable when Tama didn't return; she was lonely and needed instant comfort. Since he loved her and selfishly wanted her for himself, he just waltzed in, taking advantage of her vulnerability. May Tama be damned, wherever he was dwelling. In the end, he had seduced her and knocked her up. The underhanded warrior practically trapped the Suzaku priestess to be with him! Now they were husband and wife, completely sealed with a baby on the way.

 

 

Chichiri watched his brother warrior lying on his side. The monk could tell that his friend's ill at ease was because of Miaka's undying love for Tama. Though during Tasuki's long reverie, he had heard not a word come from the hothead's big mouth. But he just knew that was the reason. After all, he also knew that true, unconditional love could never dissipate that easily. The monk tapped his fellow warrior on the back.

 

 

“You cannot force her to let go of what she used to have.” Chichiri took off his painted mask to show the scar on his left eye, proving he was being serious. “But she will also never turn away what was given to her.”

 

 

Tasuki didn't turn back to look at him. Usually he was too dense to understand the cryptic comments the monk said to him. But now was an exception.

 

 

“But, Chichiri…” began Tasuki. “I-I don't… deserve her… I plain took advantage o' her weakness when Tama was gone. That ain't any fair to Miaka… an' especially to the baby.”

 

 

The aging monk patted his friend's shoulder before putting on his mask again. “Even though this was not what she had planned, she will never resent you, Tasuki.” For once Tasuki turned to glance at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “After all, you're family now. You are the father of her son.”

 

 

“What?”

 

 

Tasuki was practically sitting up now. He stared at his comrade mouth agape as the older man dusted off his robes. Was this wise man a psychic?

 

 

“B-but. `Chiri…! How d'ya know that th' baby's gonna”—

 

 

Chichiri scratched his cheek. “Oh, I don't really know if the baby's going to be a boy. I'm just hoping it would be so I won't lose my bet with the others, you know.” He laughed as he scratched his head. “The odds are against me; the other four warriors are betting for a girl, you know!”

 

 

The redhead's temper flared again, showing displeasure knowing his child was being used as some sort of commodity. Before he could lash out and throw the monk off the roof, the latter handed something to him. Tasuki saw it was the red banners he was suppose to hang. Giving Chichiri a questioning look, he looked down as the monk gestured in the direction. Tasuki gave another feminine yelp.

 

 

It seems Chichiri had somehow moved Tasuki to the edge of the roof, far out enough to make him fall. This gave Tasuki to pick one of two choices: to either use the banners as tethers to keep him up or suffer falling and breaking his legs again. Choosing the first option out of desperation, he was able to hang a banner in time to keep him tethered to the roof's edge. A smiling Chichiri floated on his magic cloak, watching his friend struggle.

 

 

“Now, you get on with hanging those banners, Tasuki!” said Chichiri as he floated away to do other things.

 

 

He flew away on his cloak, mentally tuning out the loud cursing of the man he forgot.

 

 

~_~

 

 

The now grimy water was barely escaping the wringed out washcloth. Shaking fingers strained to make the access water drip into the bucket. The pregnant woman sighed as she saw enough water had been wringed away. Miaka scolded herself mentally for having to put so much effort into such a simple task. Lately her hands had been trembling along with her varicose veins on the back of her legs. During her last months, pregnancy had not been agreeing with her.

 

 

Her celestial warriors were constantly chiding her to take it easy. Mitsukake, like the nitpicking doctor he was, kept telling her to lie down and rest. Any task beyond sewing clothes or washing dishes would be too much of a strain for her. Chiriko and Nuriko had even attempted to make her sit down while the others help prepare the palace for the New Year. Miaka used her raging hormones in order to get her way. All of the warriors, even Konan's great emperor Hotohori, couldn't resist her. There was no way five puny men could keep a heavily pregnant woman from opposing restlessness. However, Tasuki had to learn this lesson the hard way.

 

 

Upon thinking about her presently estranged husband, Miaka couldn't help but feel disregarded. Tasuki had evaded her for almost three months now. He even avoided her when she wanted to bring him to their bed. She couldn't understand why; up until her sixth month he was more than eager to sleep with her. It was almost as if she and the bulging life inside her would bring instant disaster upon him.

 

 

Was Tasuki actually having doubts about being with her? Miaka shuddered at the thought. Trying to eliminate the idea completely, she went back to scrubbing the whitewashed walls. She didn't want to think that Tasuki would want to leave her. But there was always that lingering feeling that it may be true.

 

 

The expecting young woman felt bitter brine well up in her eyes. She then looked up to the ceiling to blink the tears away before they could fall. Doubt was a terrible fixation; it made her think of things that could botch up a perfectly good setup.

 

 

“I should be grateful to Tasuki,” she said to her lonely room. “If it weren't for him, my baby and I probably wouldn't be in this world.”

 

 

She wiped the tear that had managed to escape her eyes. The ceiling looked so interesting today. Maybe, she thought, I should clean it later.

 

 

But the bliss of cleaning the ceiling would have to wait. For at that moment, Miaka's water broke and she had her first contraction.

 

 

To be continued…