Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Strange Beginnings ❯ Chapter 4

~Jamie had a chance, well she really did
Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids
Mark still lives at home cause he's got no job
He just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot, ~
-"The Kids Aren't Alright", Offspring





The world stopped, froze; retreated and began again. Chichiri found himself walking forward along with the rest of the group, as if nothing had occurred; as if the little slip on Videl's part had been erased from history.

It had been.

He paused, staring intently at Videl, as if the intensity of his gaze alone could penetrate the front, revealing the power lying hidden within. It couldn't, of course; she was shielded, pulsing, blood-red light - invisible unless you were actually looking for it - stemming from a power source seemingly far greeter than his own. He doubted that - it was most likely a shadow, illusion put forth to frighten the curious - and tried once again to wear down her invisible defenses, almost, *almost* oblivious to the fact that the rest of the group had turned to cast curious glances his way.

"Chichiri-san?" Videl queried, concern - though probably not for his health, but for her own disguise - written plainly across her carefully schooled features.

She advanced upon him, her eyes searing, a spark of recognition playing through them as he involuntarily retreated from her form. A smirk - one that the others behind her could not see - light up her face as she began to advance more rapidly, he steeling himself from backing away. Dark bangs falling into her eyes from her almost sudden movement, Videl reached out, taking the teen's hand in a seemingly sympathetic gesture. A shock ran between their two hands and she pulled back violently, but not before the world drained itself of colours. She scowled at him, a marring of her visage, as the last of the colour washed away, like cleaning water run across a vibrant canvas, stilling an image from its perpetual movement. This seemingly human girl had stilled time, something no *human* could ever hope to accomplish.

"So, you've seen through my workings?" a statement, as of fact. Videl's cheerful, energetic tone was replaced by suspicious contempt.

"...No." again, a statement, an answer to her own question. "You're not quite THAT good. But... you CAN penetrate some of them."

She regarded him with interest now. "I suspected *you* from the very beginning: arriving today and making friends with that idiot *human*." she spat the last word with obvious contempt, then continued on as he said nothing. "Oh, I knew he had sent *someone*, of course, I just had no idea as to who. But, lucky for me, you made yourself known with your little show back there. Careless. Stupid, actually. But what can you expect from a mere *human*, even one with powers such as yours." her eyes glinted dangerously.

"Oh, don't worry, little monk. I won't even *touch* any of you. Yet. Now is not the time for destruction. For now, I'll allow you to live and perhaps gain more strength with him, if only just to demonstrate how futile it was to even resist. The odds are stacked against you and your pitiful little band of allies, *Chichiri*. You just haven't realized it yet."

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