My name is Chiriko. Not Chiriko-chan. I have another name, a name given to me by my dead father, but it's not important. You can call me Chiriko.
I'm thirteen years old. I know, I know, I only look eight, but I'm not. I'm thirteen damn it!
Puberty sucks and I swear to Suzaku, if Mitsukake pats me on the head one more time I'm gonna.
I shouldn't talk like that. Mitsukake-san is my friend and an elder. It's just that I hate being patted on the head. And I hate being called 'chan'. I'm only two years younger than our miko.
Our miko. Who is currently cuddling with Tamahome-san. Her top button has somehow come undone and if I crane my head I can just see a part of her odd clothing, called a 'bra'. I just found out it was called a bra yesterday.
"Chiriko-chan! What are you doing in my room?!?"
"Go-gomen, Miko-sama. Nuriko said to tell you dinner was you weren't here so I waited and Tama-chan crawled out from under the bed with this thing in his mouth and I wondered what it was and."
"Give me that!" Her face was bright red and her shriek could probably be heard in Kutou. "This is not for little kids!" I am not a kid.
She toke a deep breath.
And another one. And, she explained, red faced, that the garment was a bra. I asked her what it was for and she twitched. Then she got the look on her face that people get when they're irritated by my youth. The look they get when they think I'm too young to understand something. They don't realize I know a lot about what they're talking of. Like Miaka-sama staying a virgin. And why Tamahome-san is secretly upset about that.
Off course, the only reason I know Miaka-sama is supposed to stay a virgin is because I overheard Tasuki and Chichiri explain it to Mitsukake, who muttered something about how, at her age, it was probably for the best. They all shut-up when they noticed I was right outside the door.
Suzaku! I wish they'd stop snuggling. It's hard enough looking at her without being constantly reminded that she's with another man. It's not that I'll ever tell Hotohori-sama that I know how he feels, but I do.
Don't laugh, Miaka-sama is a beautiful woman, with luscious curves, and thick, silky hair.
I said I am thirteen.
I hate it when they cuddle for another reason: it really makes me nauseous after a while. Chichiri-san sees my expression and says something about how it'll all make sense in a few years. I resist the urge to beat him over the head with his own staff. Tasuki-san smirkes and tells me that if I ever meet a woman, to get her in bed at night and get rid of her in the morning. Mitsukake-san smacks him upside in the head in an uncharacteristic display of violence and tells me never to let go of the one I love. Nuriko-san skips the advice and just starts gushing about Hotohori-sama, who promptly tells me to choose someone right for me and then moves across the room.
Forgive the cynicism, but I have to doubt their ability to give advice, giving the inventive regrets and grudges they have. Not that I say this aloud; one of the first things I ever learned was respect for my elders.
The second thing I learned was that a lot of people are unhappy.
I 'accidentally' walk into Miaka-sama's room the next day. This wouldn't be so bad, except she's hasn't yet put the bra-thingy on yet.
Wow.
Amazingly the porcelain bowl next to her bed doesn't come flying at my head. All she does is turn red and scream, which brings everyone running. And only Chichiri-san has the brains to turn his head.
I wonder if Tasuki-san knows his face turns the exact shade as his hair?
Mitsukake-san wipes the blood trailing from his nose and cruses.
Tamahome-san looks like he's died and gone to Heaven.
Hotohori-sama twitches, his face is red too, and turns away. He doesn't turn before he's had a look at her though. But unfortunately, he notices me. His hand over my eyes completely block my vision and I inwardly curse. My first good look at a woman, cut short.
Only Nuriko remains unfazed by all of this, which is to be expected. He quickly shoos us all out of the room, and slams the door.
All of us, and I mean all of us, slump to the floor and look at each other, unable to believe the sight we have just seen. Finally Chichiri-san speaks up.
"Chi..Chiriko-chan, next time, please knock before you enter her room." The others nod in agreement, except for Mitsukake-san, who is busy healing his nosebleed.
The door opens and Nuriko quietly exits. He walks over to me and swiftly brings his fist down on the top of my head. I stumble for a minute and then the world goes black.
I awake a little while later and have to remind myself what happened.
"Honestly! Nuriko, you can't do this to people. Certainly not to a little kid."
"Mou, Tama-chan, I didn't mean to knock him out.."
"You don't know your own strength! You knocked the poor kid out!"
"Nuriko." It's Mitsukake-san speaking. "Do not, and I mean DO NOT, hit anyone else. Especially not a child." He speaks with the authority of a doctor, an authority different from an emperor or a priest, but still an authority to be respected.
"Mou..I'm sorry! It's just I was scared when I heard Miaka scream, and I was mad since he's just a little kid and.."
Hotohori-sama cuts him off. "A proper punishment would have been having him write lines or stand in a corner. However, since what happened was a harmless accident, even that would have been unnecessary."
Write lines? Stand in a corner? I have seriously got to inform these people that I'm a teenager before they start giving me a bedtime.
"I'm not sure it was harmless. Tama-chan's still drooling and muttering incoherently." Tasuki-san sounds amused. Glad someone found humor in all this.
"That's a result of his own hormones. Chiriko-chan has nothing to do with that."
"True."
I've had enough of this and I groan to let them know I'm awake. I regret that instantly, when Nuriko-san ambushes me with repeated apologies. I fend him off, with help from Mitsukake-san. I'm mutter something about apologizing to Miaka-sama and my idea is immediately shot down.
"Not now. I want you to stay in bed." Mitsukake-san glares down any objection I might have. I try another approach.
"Could she come in so I could apologize? I feel kinda bad 'bout it.." And I do. Such pure beauty as she has should not be spoiled by being on show for every man in the vicinity and Nuriko-san. Mitsukake-san relents, and Miaka-sama enters shortly. I apologize, and she forgives me.
She truly is beautiful and I'm sorry I can't tell her that. She has Tamahome-san, and sees me a kid. 'Chiriko-chan'. I can't do anything except be a seishi for her. So I'm going to do it as best I can.
That's why I plunge the top into my own arm, ignoring the fact that my miko is upside down and her underwear is on full display. I'm truly sorry I can't do more for her. There's no reason for me to keep existing though. My mother and brother accepted the fact that as a seishi I could die, we already lost Nuriko, so losing one more person won't matter, and my love for her won't be taken seriously.
Nuriko-san greets me warmly, ruffling my hair. I peer behind him and squeak. It's Suzaku!
I can't help but stare as he comes and puts his hand on our heads and smiles. He welcomes me to Heaven and entrusts me to Nuriko-san's care and the care of one other.
I don't recognize him at first, but gradually I realize. Hair the same color of my brother's, eyes that look just like mine. My father greets me warmly and tells me everything I've ever wanted to hear him say in exactly the voice I've always imagined him having. Nearby, Nuriko-san bursts into tears and Suzaka rolls his eyes and pats him on the shoulder.
Mitsukake-san and Hotohori-sama join us shortly.
Tamahome-san does not die, exactly. He enters a dream world, and we enter it, our purpose being to make him wake in the real world. It works and Nakago is defeated.
I get a last glimpse of Miaka-sama and Tamahome-san before we re- enter Heaven. He comes with us and is reincarnated soon after.
I honestly wish them happiness. Really. Because I can't stand the idea of Miaka-sama being unhappy.

End

Author's note- Well, he can't always be bright-eyed and cheerful, can he?
Seriously, I wrote his love for Miaka as just that: love. But I think that at his age he's misinterpreting a crush. Chiriko is thirteen and from what I remember of that age, it's hell with hormones. So instead of being a cute little kid, he is now a cute little teenager and acting like it. He has the right to act like it; being a genius doesn't excuse anyone from dealing with this stuff.
Fushigi Yugi is copyrighted to Pioneer. I own nothing.