Only Time: The Sacred Power
Chapter Twenty-Four
By J. Marie
Only Time: The Sacred Power
Chapter Twenty-Four
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). Yep more battles and stuffs. Sorry for the wait. Tasuki has a hard time competing with Legolas and Aragorn for control of my muses lately.
Nakago couldn't remember how the battle with the Four Demon Elementals began. He just knew that, at the moment, he was fighting for his life.
It was the laughter that kept distracting him. The high, cold laughter of the Demon Elementals. Cruel, without mercy, maddening.
It didn't suit them.
Battle was always madness. Nakago had forgotten, it had been so long. The madness. The screams of pain, the sounds of hatred. The whimpers of the wounded, the smell of blood. Had he really missed this?
Fire flowed, water burned, wind crumbled, and earth blew. Madness. Half of him was watching out for Tasuki, but it was hard when he didn't know where Tasuki would be one moment to the next. A glimpse of Junko, cruel smile pasted across her elfin face, flitted into Nakago's vision and chilled him beyond even the Demon Elemental of Water's ice. It was followed by Tasuki's anguished cry as Junko tried to crush him with a huge block of stone.
"Junko!!" Tasuki screamed.
Nakago dodged a shard of ice, and shot out a blast of energy towards the Demon Elemental of Wind. He had an eerie sensation as he stared into the face of a man whose features so closely resembled his own.
"Junkooo!!!!" Tasuki screamed again.
Nakago tried desperately to wade through the wind, the fire, the water, the earth, to get to Tasuki. Was the redhead in danger? Why did he care? Why did Tasuki mean so much to him? Why did his heart stop beating at the thought of there being no Tasuki in his life?
"Junnn-koooooo!!!!!!" Tasuki continued to scream.
Nakago could see the flash of fiery red hair, and Tasuki’s slender form darting towards Junko. He could see the cruel, mad grin on the woman's face. Her eyes burned hazel for just a moment, and Nakago was struck by how much Tasuki and Junko looked alike in the fading light of the sun.
"JUNNNN-KOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"
"You cannot fight them!! You cannot!! The power of yin is worthless here!! Female seishi!! You must use the power of the yang!! You must free their souls!!" Taiitsukun screamed.
"JUUUUNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It was Soi's hand on Nakago's shoulder that stilled him. And yet, the battle still raged. But Soi resonated calm itself and flashed a smile at Nakago, a smile that reminded him of the girl she had once been. Part of him ached, for he cared for her, though he was incapable of loving her, especially in the way she wanted.
"Junko!" Tasuki gasped.
"Fall back, Seiryu Seven," Soi said calmly, and yet the power of her words put even Nakago to shame. She had not raised her voice, and yet, the Seiryu Seven heard her and took a step back from the battle.
Nakago sunk to his knees, the exhaustion of the battle claiming him. With wide eyes he realized that all the male seishi were stepping back. The elements froze, and it seemed the Demon Elementals stopped to stare into the eyes of the female seishi.
Soi stood before Nakago, a graceful smile on her beautiful face. He saw Nuriko stand forth, and never had she looked more glorious than at that moment. Then came forth Subaru, who had much the same sad, sweet smile on her face. Lastly stood Uruki, whose beauty shone with her smile.
They cupped their hands before them, and light began to glow within them. Nakago swallowed. Not every battle could be won by force and power. And certainly not this one.
Uruki held in her hand a beautiful emerald green light. In Subaru's hand was a topaz light. In Nuriko's hand glowed ruby light. And the sapphire light that shone from Soi's light made Nakago smile.
Beauty from within. The power of the yang was not of pain, or hurt, or battle. There were no maddened screams, and blood pouring down faces in this battle. This was a moment when reality was suspended. The Demon Elementals no longer fought, because they wished to be freed. They wanted this more than anyone. This was not who they were. They were not really the Four Demon Elementals. They were people.
It was right, that Uruki began. For it was in the order of the cycle and Genbu had been born first. It was Junko that stepped forth, dark green energies pouring from her as the earth trembled around her.
"You lack inner strength, Junko Ishida!! Only with inner strength can you conquer the demon within!! Take this light, and free your soul!!" Uruki cried. The emerald light burst from her hand and enveloped Junko in its warm glow.
Junko gasped and arched her back. Her glowing body rose over the ground, hovering as she convulsed. Tasuki sobbed in the background.
Joseph stood forth, the wind racing around him with dark yellow energies. Subaru smiled at him, a smile that could break men's hearts.
"You lack hope, Joseph Kinder!! Only with hope can you conquer your inner demons!! Take this light, and free your soul!!" Subaru cried. The topaz light burst from her hands and enveloped Joseph in its soft glow.
Joseph cried out softly and rose into the air beside Junko, his body shaking within the yellow light. He and Junko clasped hands in mid-air.
Tears poured down Nicholas' face as he stood before Nuriko. Dark red energies crackled as fire raged around him. Nuriko's smile was kind, forgiving.
"You lack love, Nicholas O'Brien!! Only with love can you conquer your personal demons!! Take this light, and free your soul!!" Nuriko cried. The ruby light burst from her hands and encased Nicholas in its comforting glow.
Like the others before him, Nicholas gasped and rose into the air, twitching within the red light. He clasped hands with Joseph, and the three people formed an almost-complete circle, waiting for the fourth.
Danielle actually smiled at Nakago as she stood before Soi. Dark blue energies escaped her being, and the ice flowed around her. Soi smiled at her like one would a lost child.
"You lack faith, Danielle Manor!! Only with faith can you conquer the demons that reside in you!! Take this light, and free your soul!!" Soi cried. The sapphire light burst from her hands and enveloped Danielle in its beautiful glow.
Danielle joined her friends as she rose into the air with a soft cry, trembling in the blue light that surrounded her. She clasped hands with Junko and Nicholas, completing the circle in mid-air. Their circle began to spin, as though they rode an invisible carousel.
The world seemed to melt and swirl away and the light began to pulse outwards towards the assembled seishi.
"Brace yourselves, seishi!! The memories of the past are strong!!" Taiitsukun screamed.
Nakago closed his eyes, but he could not escape the past that swept them all up in its tide.
The blonde-haired girl who sat down and completed the circle was very pregnant. The blond-haired boy across from her smiled encouragingly.
Danielle Manor and Joseph Kinder, many years ago.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Danielle?" Junko Ishida asked in concern. She was impossibly young, a mere slip of a fourteen-year-old girl.
"I cast warding and protection spells on my baby, Junko, don't worry. And yes, I want to do this. You need me to complete the circle. Who else will you have to represent the element of water?" Danielle smiled, patting her belly affectionately.
"I'm still surprised your father hasn't attempted to kill Joseph yet for getting you pregnant," Nicholas O'Brien smirked, winking at his best friend. Joseph rolled his eyes.
"Who said he hasn't? But at least they've been understanding. They're going to let us get married soon, even though we're underage. I think we've got a set of pretty cool parents," Joseph shrugged.
"Ha! If I got Junko pregnant, her father would kill me then her for sure!!" Nicholas grinned.
"Don't worry, Nicky, there's no danger of that. You'd have to fuck me first, and you ain't getting a hand on me!" Junko smirked, winking at her boyfriend.
Nicholas rose to the bait. "Yet! You know you love me, baby," he said knowingly.
"Oh, please, will you two knock it off? We have a seance to do here!" Danielle cried in exasperation.
"Yes, Mommy," the rest of the group chorused with a huge grin. Danielle turned baleful blue eyes on them.
They began the seance. They did all the ordinary precautions. Warding runes, protection chants, a circle of salt around them. It seemed they would be safe, even if things went wrong.
How very wrong they were.
"We summon a spirit from the outer planes to guide us, a spirit full of wisdom, to show us the path we must take," they intoned as one.
The runes in the center of their circle began to glow purple.
"We summon a powerful spirit, full of knowledge, to help guide us through life," the young, foolish Wiccans chanted.
The glow shot upwards and it seemed something took form within the dark light. The group's voices faltered in surprise, but kept on.
"We call thee, guiding spirit, to step forth, and show yourself!" the teenagers cried.
A man emerged from the light, beautiful and resplendent. Lavender hair swept around him, falling to his knees. He wore a black cloak, covering a kimono spun of the finest black and gold silk. On his glorious face was a smile crueler than any imagined.
"Foolish children. You really should watch what you say when you summon something. Allow me give you a piece of advice, since that is why you have summoned me, after all. Be careful what you wish for, for you might just get it," the strange man cackled.
"Wh-who are you??" Joseph asked in fear, as the young Wiccans dropped hands, slowly realizing the huge mistake they had made.
"I am Tenko. I am a god of the underworld, and I wish to guide you to the path of evil. I have been waiting millennia for a quartet just like yours. Allow me to introduce you to the Four Demon Elementals. I'm sure all of you will grow to be very close," Tenko laughed, and with a swirl of purple energy, he disappeared, replaced by four dark spirits.
Junko was the youngest, and the most fearful. She backed away quickly as the dark green spirit sought her. She broke their circle of salt, and blinding pain shot through her being.
"No, please, don't!!" Junko screamed.
The dark spirit shot within her, and Junko convulsed on the floor, screaming in agony.
Joseph's screams soon joined the small Japanese girl's as the dark yellow spirit shot into him. Then came Nicholas' screams as he beat himself against a wall as the dark red spirit entered his body.
"No!" Danielle sobbed, clutching her belly as she tried to crawl away from the dark blue spirit. "Please...not my baby!!"
But the dark spirit was relentless, and entered her body. Danielle clutched her abdomen, arching her back and screaming not just in fear of her own soul, but that of her unborn child's.
The dark purple energies began to fade, but not before a bright blue sphere escaped the portal. It hovered for a moment, before shooting towards Danielle, and entering her womb. The bright blue energy seemed to fight with the dark blue energy for just a moment, before Danielle screamed again, a new sort of scream. Water trickled down her thighs.
She was about to give birth.
The screaming of the others stopped, and they shakily came to their feet, staring at Danielle Manor as she clutched her belly and screamed. Mirrored haunted looks were etched into their faces.
Joseph bent beside the girl he loved. "We have to go to the hospital!! Now!!" he screamed, and picked the pregnant girl up in his arms.
"Stand tall, seishi!! It's not over yet!!" Taiitsukun screamed. Nakago felt his fingers dig into the earth, could feel the pain and suffering of the four people above him.
He looked up and saw tears pouring down Tasuki's face. Tasuki smiled at him for just a moment, before the light pulsated around them again, as the group of four above them tried to conquer their demons.
"Wh-what happened to us, Joseph...?" Junko asked softly as they sat in the waiting room. She was staring at her hands.
Joseph continued to pace. "I don't know, Junko. I don't know..." he said just as softly. His green eyes were wide in fear.
Nicholas said nothing.
A doctor soon entered the hospital waiting room, smiling broadly. "Everything's going to be fine. It's a baby boy, and both mother and son are doing well," he said proudly.
"Can I...see my son?" Joseph asked.
The doctor raised an eyebrow at the group's youth, but said nothing. "Through the door, to the right..." he said.
Joseph quickly left, with Nicholas and Junko in tow. He entered Danielle's room, smiling weakly down at the beautiful girl and the blond baby in her arms.
She looked up at her lover with haunted blue eyes. Despite their health, and the arrival of her beautiful son, there was no joy to be had. Darkness struggled to claim their souls, and they all knew it.
"Is he...?" Joseph asked, choking slightly.
"He's pure, Joseph. The darkness couldn't touch him," Danielle assured, offering a very weak smile.
Joseph looked relieved. "A boy...a beautiful baby boy...what are going to call him, Dani?" he asked.
Danielle looked down at her baby sadly, stroking his soft, beautiful face, the shiny, golden blond hair. Such love for her child poured from her touch, and the sleeping baby sighed contentedly.
"He will be great, Joseph. I know he will. He'll be a hero, a warrior. Within him lies power we could only dream of. I saw it...I saw it while I gave birth to him. His name is Nakago, he told me so," Danielle smiled and kissed her baby on the cheek. "Shame I won't get to know him."
To be continued...