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A/N: Okay, I left you all hanging last chapter, but I'm really concentrating on my schoolwork this time around. I love this semester, but I just hope I don't fail anything. After all, I've got a life besides writing fanfiction. So, here's Chapter 3. I'm getting to Chapter 4, but it will be divided into two parts because it's so long! Like, 6,000 words long. But that won't be for a little while. Also, Flashbacks and Dream Sequences will be announced as such. And the entire Flashback and Dream Sequence will be in italics.
:-:-:Flashback:-:-:
:Z:Z:Z:-Dream Sequence-:Z:Z:Z:
Disclaimer:
If I really owned Fushigi Yuugi, why would I be here, writing fanficiton? These would be in the books if I owned them. But I don't, so I have nothing worry about. Seriously, I don't own them. Just Erika, any characters you don't recognize, two pens, and a couple pieces of lint... actually, I've lost one of my pens, so it's only one pen.
-Ch. 3- The Tears She Cried-
Those were her instructor's exact words.
"Yes sensei."
Eri saw a younger version of herself attempt to strike her sensei, and one of her closest friends, with a wooden sword. He was a tall young man, with a lithe, tanned body, toned muscles, and a sharp intellect. He had unruly sandy blonde hair that fell into his coffee brown eyes, and a warm smile that could probably charm every girl in Japan.
"Hold still Nabuca-sensei! How can I hit you if you keep moving!" the twelve-year old Eri whined, huffing indignantly and attacking with everything she had. It was a feeble attempt though, especially compared to her sensei's counter. Nabuca laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and sidestepped his pupil's attack.
"Now, now, Erika. If I did that, it would be cheating," the 18 year old chastised, bonking the panting girl lightly on the head with his wooden sword.
"OWW! Nabucaaa!" Eri whined, dropping her sword in favor of nursing the newest addition to her bruises. Nabua flicked the tip of his wooden sword up and laid it flat against Eri's throat.
"You lose, Erika," he smiled, watching as the small brunette pouted openly.
"No fair! You cheated!" Eri snapped, her caramel eys flashing indignantly. Nabuca shook his head, all playfulness gone.
"I did no such thing, Erika. You let your guard down and I took the opening I was given. If we had been using real swords, you would be dead."
Eri hung her head in shame. She was terrible! How could she have left such an open target of herself? Nabuca watched as failure and possible tears slowly entered his pupil's fiery eyes.
"Hey now. Don't cry Erika. You're still a beginner. You'll get better. You just have to practice," the blonde kneeled down to the younger girl's level and pulled her into a comforting hug. Eri merely nodded and returned his embrace, her heart secretly dancing in ecstasy.
:-:-:End Flashback:-:-:
:CLANG:
The clash of metal on metal ignited Eri's senses, as well as long dormant memories, and her body automatically moved into defense. Hotohori continued his assault; lunging, slashing, parrying Eri's own feeble attacks, and dodging with deadly accuracy. Eri, for her part, reflexively parried Hotohori's attacks and, at times, whipping in an attack of her own, which were met blow for blow by the young emperor, all the while concentrating on assessing her opponent's style of fighting.
'This guy is good,' her conscience supplied.
:CRASH:
'Really good.'
Eri quickly rolled to the side to avoid what would have been a very nasty blow-
'He's in complete control when executing and delivering his blows.'
-Only to be met, once again, by the silver-haired youth's blade. It whistled as he brought it down in a diagonal arch and Eri had to practically throw herself to the side in order to avoid being skewered.
'Dare I say he's as good as Nabuca?' Eri joked, bringing her rapier up reflexively to block.
:CLANG:
The two fighters pushed their weight against one another, trying to throw the other off balance. As Eri met Hotohori's burning gaze head-on, her conscience answered her earlier question,
'Nah, that's giving Sensei too much credit.'
Eri snorted out loud, allowing Hotohori to gain the upper hand. Throwing all of his weight forward, he succeeded in upsetting Eri's balance. Said girl went flying, sword and all, and landed on her back with a loud crash a few feet away.
"ERI! ARE YOU OKAY!" she heard Nuriko shout, and she sat up, waving to the cinnamon-eyed warrior.
"I'm good! I think I've just got some bruises," Eri replied heartily, jumping up quickly and searching frantically for Hotohori.
:SWISH:
Eri ducked the oncoming attack, and watched the young emperor's long sleek blade whiz over her head. Restraining the urge to scream, she threw herself forward and rolled away from her opponent-
:CLANG:
-Only to be cut off when Hotohori's rapier appeared in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and took a wild swing at him with her own weapon.
'Sooner or later, one of us is going to slip up,' Eri thought semi-rationally. On the edge of her peripheral vision, She saw him jump up to avoid the horizontal slash and smirked, 'And he just did.'
"The key to defeating almost all of your opponents is to let them think they have the upper hand from the beginning," Nabuca's voice echoed into her mind.
'And now, we attack.'
'I couldn't agree with you more.'
Placing her feet underneath her, Eri pushed off the ground, launching herself into the air, and twisting her body into a layout. Now that she had dragged herself from immediate danger, it was her turn.
"I hope you're not finished," Eri growled under her breath, streaking forward to meet Hotohori as soon as he landed. He whipped his blade up to block her attack and the two were, once again, held at a standstill. A small bead of sweat trickled down from the side of the golden-eyed youth's handsome face and Eri sucked in a breath,
"Because I have only just begun."
'What?' Hotohori thought, 'What does she mean by that?'
Seconds later, he got his answer. He felt her shift slightly against their crossed blades an instant before he was thrown back, feeling a slight pain on his left cheek. Hotohori stumbled back a few feet, slightly jarred, and gulped as he watched a few strands of his beautiful silvery hair float to the ground, disregarding the flash of pain from before in favor of his severed tresses.
'MY HAIR! MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR! OH, HOW I MOURN FOR YOUR-!' An instant later, he was gritting his teeth as he blocked a particularly strong blow from the small brunette. She spun away and lunged again. He sidestepped and brought his sword down to deliver a nearly killing blow that should have been impossible for Eri to block in the crouching position she was in-
:CLANG:
-Only to meet resistance, courtesy of Eri's blade. She gave a war-like bellow and pushed up. Not quite prepared for her slight maneuver, it was safe to say that Hotohori was rather surprised when he found his hands to be lackingaweapon and a metal tip pressed lightly at his throat. His eyes glazed over as his mind registered the outcome ofhis battle.
"You...
:WHEEZE:
Lose..." Eri choked out, drawing in deep lungfuls of air. The blade's tip quivered slightly, as did Eri's sword arm.
:CRASH:
Hotohori seemed to come back to earth as soon as the clang of his weapon hitting the ground registered in his mind, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I... guess I did," Hotohori murmured. He watched as a smile bloomed on the young miko's face. It was truly breathtaking, the way her eyes lit up, and seemed to radiate an inner light from her entire being.
"Good... match," Eri heard herself say before her vision spun out of control. She felt herself overcome by the sensation of falling before something strong and warm wrapped around her. Shouting ensued, but the words were muffled as Eri welcomed the darkness creeping along the edge of her consciousness.
"Nuriko... doctor... pushed... far!"
He reacted before the thought had even registered in his brain. Swooping down to catch Eri's slight weight, the command was out before Hotohori could form even slightly coherent thoughts.
"Nuriko! Get our best doctors out here this instant! She's pushed herself too far!"
"Is she o-!"
"THAT'S AN ORDER, NURIKO!"
"YES SIRE!" Nuriko spun on his heel and sprinted as fast as he could possibly carry himself without tripping over the hem of his robes.
Hotohori turned his attention back to the young woman in his arms. He knew he shouldn't have yelled, but there wasn't any time for dallying. Especially considering Eri's complexion had paled considerably after her journey into unconsciousness. Of course her cheeks were still quite flushed from their sparring, but the rest of her face had drained completely, and he was really starting to debate on moving her into the palace. But his instructors' words rang clearly in his head,
"If someone passes out due to overexertion, try to move them as little as possible."
"If they pass out in one place and wake up to a completely different setting, it might cause them to panic."
"Make sure that they are comfortable. Have water or a very simple liquid or elixer ready for when they return to consciousness. It will help restore some semblance of order to them."
'It is settled. She will not move until she wakes up and the doctor gives her a thorough check-up.' Nodding in agreement with his decision, Hotohori sat down on the ground with a liquid grace only possessed by nobility and gently shifted Eri in his grasp until her head was cradled in against his chest. She shifted very slightly and rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his now sweat-soaked silk tunic. Hotohori wrinkled his nose inmild revulsion. He was going to need a major bath once this was over. And a fresh change of clothes. So was Eri.
'Hmm... Doesn't sweating help clear up your complexion though? Even so, It is still rather disgusting.'
A tiny whimper brought him out of his narccistic musings, and he glanced down at Eri. Her body started to quiver very slightly, and Hotohori's eyes widened in concern before he nudged her being closer to him. Was she cold? Or perhaps ill?
He brushed the hand that wasn't supporting her back against her forehead and held back a small gasp when her hot skin made contact with his. It wasn't that she had a fever or anything. It was the odd tingling sensation he was getting when he touched her.Though if he were to reach for the it, he felt as though he wouldn't be quite able to catch it. But the feeling wasn't bad. On the contrary, it was rather... tantalizing.
Eri mumbled something in her sleep and curled into Hotohori's warmth further, her small frame beginning to shiver uncontrollably. Something in the young emperor snapped, and he started to stand again. Damn his senseis' advice, he was not going to allow Eri to fall ill. A groan passed from said miko's lips, and she shifted again before her eyes fluttered open.
"Mmm... Do I have to go to school mama?" Eri mumbled, rubbing her eyes in a very adorable manner before raising her head to meet Hotohori's face.
Honey-amber clashed with caramel, and the caramel eyes nearly widened to the size of saucers.
"...You're not mama!" Eri spluttered the first thing she could think of, then kicked herself mentally.
'By the gods! Could I have said anything dumber!'
'Actually yeah, You could have,' Eri's conscience supplied 'helpfully'.
'Gee, thanks so much,' Eri snapped back, resisting the extremely tempting urge to roll her eyes. A quiet, deep chuckle pulled her out of her thoughts and saved her from a brewing argument. She glanced up at the obviously amused emperor and couldn't supress the flush creeping onto her cheeks.
"I'm so glad you find my comments so entertaining," Eri drawled sarcastically, shifting in Hotohori's grasp, "Why am I sitting in your lap on the ground? Wasn't I falling or something?"
Hotohori nodded and opened his mouth to explain-
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
"Your Highness! Are you all right?"
"What in the name of Suzaku were you thinking Your Majesty!"
-but changed his mind when he heard Nuriko's voice,
"You will not move from this spot, Erika, until I say so. Do you understand?" The look on the young miko's face promised a painful outcome for the young emperor if he didn't relinquish his hold on her within the next 3 seconds.
"I mean it, Erika. Now stop giving me that hateful look," Hotohori added, and turned to regard the handful of people that had come unnecessarily. Nuriko, the accomplished palace doctor and his assistant, 2 of his advisors, 7, maybe 8, personal guards, and... a woman, tastfully dressed, he admitted, from that obnoxious Harem?
Eri muttered darkly under her breath but only loud enough for Hotohori to catch snippets of what she was saying. Sadly, though, Hotohori understood exactly what she was muttering when she growled out a word that sounded suspiciously like 'castrate'. He paled slightly when she looked up at him with a very convincing innocent gaze... if the dark evil look in her eyes didn't immediately alert him to trouble.
"Erika," Hotohori warned quietly. The young miko blinked.
"What?"
"Your Majesty! You're wounded!" the doctor's assistant gasped, and near pandemonium broke out. Hotohori sighed and closed his eyes when everyone began talking all at once.
'Oh, I have such a headache,' he thought sullenly, until he registered small rough-hewn hands gently guiding his face to the side. Upon opening his eyes, he was met with Eri's own deeply apologetic gaze.
"I did this, didn't I? I'm sorry, Hotohori-dono," Eri stated glumly, taking the cleaning supplies from the doctor's assistant. After taking a moment to look them over, she shrugged and dipped the small cloth in the bowl of cool water and began to gently clean the cut on Hotohori's cheek.
"It is nothing, Erika. You, however, need to be taken inside to be given proper recuperation. Do not argue with me," Hotohori added when Eri opened her mouth to respond otherwise, "I will not have you stumbling around on your own after collapsing as you did moments ago." That being said, the young emperor stood gracefully, with Eri clasped gently in his arms, and began the trek back to the palace.
"But I'm fine! Honestly! I don't need a nanny Hotohori-dono!" Eri complained, struggling feebly in the young man's hold.
"Erika," Hotohori stopped, gazing down at the disgruntled young woman in his arms. She looked up at him with slight contempt. Apparently, the girl didn't like being man-handled, "You are safe with us. I promise that now harm will come to you while under my roof and my protection. Please, you need to rest."
Eri sighed a moment later, averting her gaze from his and ceasing her struggles, "... Okay. I'll give it a rest. But," she added, snapping her gaze back up to pin him with a firey glare, "I don't need protection. I'm not defenseless. I'm just tired, that's all."
Hotohori nodded and continued walking, "Very well, Erika. Now, let us return you to your rooms." Eri nodded and gently lay her head on his shoulder. The steady rhythm of Hotohori's heatbeat was strong and gentle, lulling the small brunette into a state of oddly comforting bliss as she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. A few moments later, she was asleep.
Fifteen year old Erika Yuuki skipped happily down the sidewalk. She had just finished a wonderful day at school, even though her class was preparing to take the entrance exams for highschool. She knew, without a doubt, that she would be able to get into the Saitama Prefecture Academy for Prestigious Minds easily. She was the top of her class, her teachers loved her, and her fellow students looked up to her for advice.
On top of that, her best friend in the world, and secret crush, Nabuca promised that he was going to be home for the entire weekend! Thinking about the beautiful blonde always made her giddy like the school-girl she was. None of the boys in her class even remotely interested her, though some of the cute ones seemed to be keen on her. She didn't understand why, though. She wasn't exactly the prettiest girl in her school... or the most popular.
No, that would be her best friend, Sakura. Sakura had long wavy ink black hair, beautiful topaz-blue eyes, and a flawless complexion. Sha also had the body of a model. Thin, yet curved in all the right places. Eri sighed, a frown marring her lips, and glanced at her own stick-thin figure.
Sure, her stomach was flat and toned from all the fencing training she did, but so was the rest of her. While her best friend since kindergarten had slender but noticable hips, Eri's were non-existent. Sakura was most likely wearing aB orC cup and she was getting ready to turn sixteen.
'For cryin' out loud! I'm still wearing a training bra!' Eri thought vehemently. She sighed and shook her head.
'I can never stay mad at Saku. She's too sweet!' That was the reason why Sakura was so popular. She was the nicest girl in the entire high school. Eri smiled happily and twirled around once. She got a few bemused stares from other people heading home, but she ignored them.
'Nabuca's coming home! Nabuca's coming home!' Eri giggled, chanting the sentence in her head.
"Welcome back Erika!" her mother, Nezuna Yuuki, replied, smiling warmly when her daughter bounced into the room, "How was school today?"
"It was good, considering we were preparing to take the entrance exams for high school," Eri chirped, grinning cheekily from ear to ear as she gazed adoringly at her wonderful mother. Nezuna Yuuki was a slender woman of about 5' 4", with chestnut brown hair cut into a fashionable bob to her shoulders, and clear hazel brown eyes. Even at the age of 37, she was still a very pretty woman.
"You might have had a good day, but those tests are awful," a voice behind the two females groaned, and Eri spun around to face her twin brother, Hiro. Hiro had unruly spikey brown hair that could never be tamed, no matter how much work he put into it, and milky, chocolate brown eyes. At the age of 15, he was taller than both his mother and twin sister, and he had a knack for knowing when his sis was in trouble, since she was, quite literally, a trouble magnet. It wasn't that she went looking for trouble; it usually found her.
"Oh c'mon Hiro! It couldn't have been that bad," Eri countered exasperatedly, rolling her eyes when he snorted.
"It's not that it was bad, or hard. It's just soooo booooring!" Hiro moaned as he plopped down onto one of the chairs in the kitchen. Eri followed suit and glanced at the clock above the stove. Silence reigned in the Yuuki's kitchen beforethe aforementioned clock chimed four times.
"When's Nabuca gonna get here?" Eri asked suddenly, jumping up from her seat in excitement. Hiro rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded remarkably like "One-tracked mind", resulting in being whapped upside the head by his twin.
"What was that for!" Hiro snapped, rubbing the back of his now bruised skull. Eri huffed and glared at him.
"You know perfectly well what that was for!" she countered, crossing her arms and cocking her hips to one side. The argument was interrupted by the doorbell going off. Eri squealed and bolted for the front door. Pasting an award-winning smile on her face, she opened the door with a flourish and greeted the person on the other side.
"Hello! Welcome to the Yuuki residence! I'm-! Oh... it's you," Eri started brightly before she realized it was only one of Hiro's friends.
"Wow. That was weird," he chuckled, stepping inside and walking around the disheartened Eri, "I'm here to return a book to Hiro. I'll just be a sec." Eri nodded and waited patiently by the open door. She heard the two boys exchange greetings, thoughts on the book, and promises to go get lunch while trying to find hot dates, and then the boy was gone. Eri slumped back into the room and flopped gracelessly onto one of the kitchen chairs, staring listlessly at the clock above the stove.
An hour passed. Nezuna began to prepare dinner for her family. The three sat down and ate in an uncomfortable silence. Another hour passed, and still, there was no sign of Nabuca. Nezuna sent her children to their respective rooms to do their homework. Again, another hour passed. And finally, the phone rang. Nezuna picked it up and greeted the person at the other end. After exchanging a few words, she hung up and sighed. Glancing at the stairs that led to her daughter's room, she steeled herself, asking her missing husband for courage, and made her way up the stairs.
"Erika?" A light knock on the door followed by her mother's soft voice slightly startled Eri. She stared guiltily at her half-finished maths homework before pushing it aside and getting up. She crossed the room and opened her door to let her mother in.
"What is it, mama?" Nezuna stepped in and made her way over to her daughter's bed. Sitting down, she patted the space next to her, which was filled immediately by the youger girl.
"Well... I just got a call from Nabuca." Eri nodded, a knot forming in her stomach. She didn't want to hear what her mother had to say next, but she stayed where she was.
"...Sweetie, he's not going to be able to come. One of his classes pulled together a trip that he is required to attend. It's this weekend." Eri nodded solemly, turning her head and squeezing her eyes shut to keep her tears at bay. She wouldn't cry!
"Can I... can I have the number that he just used to call us with?" Eri asked. Her mother nodded, grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen, and jotted down the number before standing up and heading towards the door.
"I'm going to tell your brother."
"Okay."
"Sweetie, it's okay to cry."
"Okay."
"Erika, he'll be back for other visits."
"Okay." Nezuna sighed and shook her head before leaving.
Ring Ring Ring!
Ring Ring Ring!
Ring Ring Ring!
Ring Ring Rin- "Hello?"
"Nabuca-sensei?"
"...Erika?"
"Yes! It's me! How are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm really sorry about not being able to come this weekend, Erika."
"Oh, it's okay! You're classes are important to you."
"I know, but I still made a promise."
"Things happen, Sensei. Things happen."
"How is your training going?"
"Really good! I've been practicing a lot! I was so ready to spar you and win this time!"
"Hahaha! That's good. I'm proud of you, Erika. And we'll see if you can beat me or not."
"Nabuca? Can I tell you something?"
"Erika, you should know by now that you can tell me anything."
"Nabuca... I... I... I lo-"
"Hold on a sec, Erika. Yes Suzumi? Oh! No! Erika's one of my students I told you about. Yeah, that's right. She's really a good kid. I wanted you to meet her this weekend. That's why I asked you if you were free. Uh-huh. Yeah. Well, the next time I go out there, I want you to come with. Great! I love you too, Suzumi."
Eri choked after hearing the other conversation, and she felt her heart break. Quickly, she hung up the phone without bothering to say goodbye. She sat there on her bed, staring at the phone in disbelief and sorrow.
"Nabuca... I love you." Her vision blurred, and she finally allowed the tears to fall that she had bottled up. After a while, she began to laugh. It was a far cry from her normal carefree laugh. This time, it was a desperate, heart-wrenching bark. As she calmed down, she slowly began to pick up the shattered bits of her heart and build a defensive wall around it, vowing that she would never ever ever fall in love again. She resolved that none would ever enter into the inner circle, where she kept her most precious feelings, again. It was only for a select few. Mama, Hiro, Sakura, Nabuca...
... and her dear, sweet little cousin, Miaka.
:Z:Z: End Dream Sequence :Z:Z:
!NEXT CHAPTER!
Eri wakes up. She gets a maid, goes off on her own again, which leaves Nuriko to try and find her again, and looks for Hotohori to argue with him about dress codes.