Only Time: The Sacred Power

Chapter Twenty-Two

By J. Marie

Warning!!! This is a lemon yaoi fanfiction starring Nakago and Tasuki from Fushigi Yugi. It is rated NC-17 (for the moment, but the rating is subject to change). No smart-ass comments or important notes this time. Just read, okies? Again, sorry for the wait...

Who knows - only time

-- "Only Time" by Enya

Nakago gently placed his granddaughter's bleeding form on the ground. She groaned softly. Off in the distance, Prince Langrui of Kutou stood up, a shard of ice stuck in his shoulder. Nakago took a step towards the Demon Elemental, motioning for Langrui to attend Liangnai.

Danielle Manor made no move, her body utterly still, watching Nakago with a blank expression on her beautiful face. A shard of ice, as sharp as a blade, remained in her hand, poised to be thrown into Nakago's chest.

"Well? Aren't you going to attack me, woman?" Nakago asked dangerously.

"November. It happened in November," she said distantly, lowering the ice shard.

Nakago blinked. She should be trying to kill him, threaten him, something. Her voice sounded odd and distant, and her blue eyes didn't seem so dark anymore, they seemed more like the color of Nakago's own ocean blue eyes.

"November 17th. Yes, it was in November. He so beautiful. I wish Joseph had been alive to see him..." the Demon Elemental of Water continued listlessly.

Nakago felt a chill run down his spine, and it wasn't from the girl's powers. His birthday was November 17th...

"What happened on November 17th?" Nakago asked, his voice weaker than he intended.

Danielle Manor turned her beautiful face, looking off at the stars distantly. Tears spilled down her face, and the darkness receded from her eyes. Nakago was silent, and after a long time she turned and looked at him. He should have tried to kill her, defeat her, but all desire for battle had fled from him, him, the chosen of Seiryu, god of battle.

"You've grown so big, Nakago. You look a lot like your father..." Danielle said tenderly.

Nakago started. "How...do you know my father???" he demanded.

And then suddenly, ice shards were flying past him. Nakago quickly brought up a shield, but not before a shard lodged itself in his thigh, piercing through his flesh. He cried out, but held fast, staring straight at the Demon Elemental of Water.

The blonde girl was doubled over in apparent pain. Tears poured down her face. Despite what she was doing, Nakago couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. A strange sort of sympathy he had no explanation for.

And then just as suddenly as the barrage of attacks began, it ended. Danielle was gone, disappearing in a pillar of water.

Nakago fell to his knees, and for just a moment, he let himself feel his own pain, let himself wonder at Danielle's actions. And then he snapped himself up, and over to Langrui. The Konan Prince was attending his bride-to-be, blood pouring down his shoulder.

"Liangnai...?" Nakago asked, his voice choking. It wasn't right. The very though of his granddaughter dying for him...

"...will live, Nakago-san. But you must hurry. I can attend Liangnai. But Tasuki-sama...Tasuki-sama is in greater danger!" Langrui said, looking Nakago clearly in the eye.

Nakago nodded, and pulled the ice shard out of his thigh, wincing at the wound. Langrui shredded a piece of his shirt, and Nakago bandaged himself. He kissed Liangnai's cold, clammy forehead.

"Be well, granddaughter. Remember you are of my blood. It takes more than a mere piece of ice to kill you," he whispered.

And then, despite his wound, despite his limp, Nakago ran like the wind.

Tamahome was of the opinion that lovers always needed a bit of boost in the right direction. Often, they would become distracted by minor things like their partner cheating on them with someone else, or someone dying if they got too close, or something as inconsequential as an entire country being destroyed by a megalomaniacal madman in search of godhood. But Tamahome believed that love always persevered.

But sometimes, Tamahome thought, you had to give said lovers a giant kick in the ass in the right direction. And he was just the man to do it.

He knew Tasuki was still sulking over Baoling and Nakago. But Tamahome, despite his bad history with Nakago, couldn't believe Nakago would betray someone he obviously cared for deeply with such a silly, simpering girl.

And Kouji was there. Whispering nasties about Nakago into Tasuki's ear, no doubt. Right this very instance, he could be trying to seduce Tasuki into bed. And Tamahome wasn't going to let it happen. No way, no how. Tasuki was his friend. And Tamahome loved his friend enough to give him a kick in the ass for being a baka.

So when Tamahome burst into the clearing where Tasuki was sulking with Kouji, he wasn't surprised to find them half-dressed, with Kouji bent over Tasuki.

However, he was surprised to find that half of Kouji's body was in the shape of a red demon with long nasty teeth and talons. And even more surprised to see Tasuki scream silently as he writhed in the fires the Kouji-demon was trying to immolate him in.

"If you won't be corrupted, little Wing, then you will be destroyed!!!" Kouji roared.

Tasuki's fan was lying several feet away, apparently knocked from his hand. The demon was trying to choke the life out of the fifth sichiseishi of Suzaku.

Tamahome sprung to life, quickly recovering from his shock, and reflecting he wasn't all that surprised. Gee, overly sneaky and seductive best friend reincarnated, revealed to be a demon in disguise? Tamahome berated himself for not having caught onto that one immediately. It had been too long since he'd been an active seishi, apparently.

The demon looked up in surprise, and before it could even blink, Tamahome's foot, glowing with his red chi, connected with Kouji's grotesque face. The Kouji-demon was knocked back, snarling. It landed on it's feet, and fully transformed into a fire demon.

"You know, you demonic types really need to work on your racket. The whole reincarnated-friend-is-actually-an-evil-demon-in-disguise act is getting a little transparent. For immortal creatures, you're awful unimaginative," Tamahome sneered, assuming a fighting stance. Tasuki sat up, choking and gasping, parts of his body blackened and burned.

The demon roared and a huge cloud of fire rushed towards Tamahome, but he jumped up and over the cloud, somersaulting on his way down and kicked the Kouji-demon in the head. The fire demon cried out, and Tamahome spun around, and punched through it's chest.

The demon gasped and choked and then sunk to the ground dead, leaving a burning trail of blood on Tamahome's hand. He quickly wiped it off his shirt, before it ate through his flesh, and discarded the cloth.

"MITSUKAKE!!! MITSUKAKE!! WE NEED YOU, MITSUKAKE!!!" Tamahome screamed, seeing the painful burns and deep gouges on Tasuki's throat. The redhead wobbled to his feet, looking dazed and ignoring Tamahome, and took a step towards his fan.

But a tall, slender red-haired man picked it up. Tasuki froze, his one good eye staring at the man who looked just like him in shock.

"Nice war fan, favored of Suzaku. It was kind of you to give it to me," Nicholas O'Brien grinned, his dark red eyes glowing in malice.

"Give me back my tessen, gaijin," Tasuki hissed.

Nicholas shook his head, spinning the diamond tessen in his hand. "Where does a filthy half-breed like yourself get off calling me a gaijin?" he asked nastily.

Tasuki sneered. He felt Tamahome put an arm around him before he collapsed onto the ground from his wounds.

"My...tessen..." Tasuki moaned.

"You didn't answer my question, you little piece of shit," the Demon Elemental of Fire hissed.

A burst of blue light slammed into the menacing redhead. Nakago ran up beside Tasuki, wincing in pain as the blood flowed freely from his torn thigh wound.

"Insulting Tasuki in front of me is not a good idea," Nakago growled, glancing at Tasuki, who was only half-conscious and burned badly.

Nicholas O'Brien stood up, his dark red eyes flashing. "How sweet. The faggots reunite. You can even die together!" Nicholas cried, and he pointed Tasuki's tessen at the trio of seishi. "REKKA-SHINEN!!!"

As wounded as Tasuki and Nakago were, Tamahome knew he could never pull them all to safety to avoid the monstrous ball of fire heading their way. And he could never live with himself if he abandoned them. He closed his eyes, and wished he could have said good-bye to Miaka one last time...

A great crack was heard, and Tamahome opened his eyes to find a huge stone standing before them, shielding them from the fire. As the flames faded away, so did the stone, and much to Tamahome's surprise, Junko Ishida stood before them, facing the Demon Elemental of Fire.

"Junko...my love..." Nicholas blinked, and his eyes returned to their natural green color.

"You would kill him then? That easily, Nicky?" Junko asked, her voice echoing oddly. Her eyes kept flashing between dark green and her natural honey brown.

Nicholas stared at Tasuki, his face seeming surprised to stare into a likeness so close to his own. Tasuki ignored the man however, because he only had eyes for his older sister.

"Look at him, Nicky. Look at him. Do you see? Do you see how much he looks like you? And you would kill him?" Junko whispered, her eyes solid brown now, her hand reaching out the red-haired man.

"Why...why...why didn't you tell me, Junko...?" the redhead sobbed, still staring at Tasuki.

"You left, Nicky. You left..." she whispered, still offering her hand. Nicholas stared at her hand for a minute, before disappearing a pillar of flame.

"Junko!" Tasuki cried, struggling in Tamahome's grip. Junko half-turned to stare at her baby brother. Her eyes flashed back to dark green.

"When next we meet, Tasuki of the Suzaku Seven, things will not be so pleasant. I will not hesitate to kill you then," the Demon Elemental of Earth hissed.

Tasuki's face fell and he went pale. "Junko..." he sobbed quietly.

A pillar of stone went up and Junko disappeared.

Mitsukake soon arrived, and began attending Tasuki's wounds. He could heal many things, but broken hearts were not one of them. The only family Tasuki had was now his enemy. His sister, his mother, his protector, his guardian. All in one person.

After Mitsukake bandaged Tasuki and Nakago up, he left to go attend to Langrui and Liangnai. Tamahome led both Tasuki and Nakago to a tent, where they could rest. Tasuki cried very quietly the whole way, and Tamahome tried not to notice.

But despite the sadness he knew Tasuki was suffering, Tamahome smiled when he saw Nakago put his arms around the redhead as Tamahome left. And so did Tasuki.

To be continued...

Return to Archive | next | previous