Fushigi Yatsura by Kotatsu Neko (orgg@ix.netcom.com) Chapter One The Book sat patiently in the back of the library, locked up (supposedly) in a closet labeled, in nice big letters, "Important Document Reading Room". It had sat there for many years, but it didn't mind - it was waiting, searching for the next victim to be sacrificed to the animal Gods. And, let's face it, it's not like it could be doing anything else. I mean, it couldn't exactly saunter down to the local bar for a couple of glasses of sake and maybe an extra-spicy okonomiyaki, now could it? Nobody ever considers what the Book has to go through in all of this - there's no vacation time or sick leave for mystic tomes of arcane power, nosiree. Books like that aren't known for having a social life, and for good reason. Anyway. The Book's magic was suddenly awoken, and secondary spells put out eldritch tendrils into the etheric plane to determine the exact reason why. Interesting... not only had it detected a girl of high enough quality to serve as Miko, it had found two, in this very library! Books don't get time off. They don't feel triumph, either, but this one somehow had a smug air about it as it gently lured the girls up... up... *** "Aaaa! Mitte yo!" "Sugoi... all these old books. Demo... are you sure we should be up here?" "Oh, don't worry about it. If we weren't supposed to be here, the door would have been locked, ne?" The Book smirked, or it would have if it could. A little telekinesis to unlock the door did the trick every time. "I guess..." "Look at this one!" The Book was pulled from its shelf, and strived to look as inanimate as it could. "Let's see... 'The Four Gods' Earth and Sky'. Want to take a look?" "I don't know... it looks kind of fragile." "Daijobu! We'll put it right back." "Well... all right." And it had them. As easy as that. *** She shook her head in confusion. The last few minutes had been a blur of activity - first the red glow from the book, then she was falling, and finally found herself... Where? Overlooking an ancient city of some kind. History wasn't her best subject, but she guessed it to be Chinese, from a few centuries before. She could barely make out people dressed in peasant garb walking the streets below her. Well, at least her companion wasn't around. That was one less thing to worry about. She turned to head toward the city... when abruptly someone was holding her shoulder. "Hey, little girl." The bandit leered as he looked her over. "Those are some weird clothes you've got there." Behind him, his gang chuckled menacingly. "You're not from around here, are you?" Innocently, she turned to face him. "No, I'm afraid not. What city is that?" "That? Why, that's Konan - not that it's going to matter to you." She blinked. "Eh?" *** Tamahome counted the coins in his pouch for the seventeenth time that hour. Not much, but it was enough to hold him until he could build it back up again. He hoped there would be some jobs open in Konan... "...girl like you... valuable on the open market..." He stopped and listened carefully. "What?! You want to sell me?" There was a round of chuckles. "That's right - though not at first. We've been on the road a long time, you see..." Tamahome quickly moved toward the voices, taking a shortcut through the forest. Scum like that didn't deserve to live. "Let go of me! I'm warning you!" "Oh, come on - if you stop fighting, you might actually like it!" He stepped out into the open, to see the bandits menacing a young girl. She was wearing odd clothing that revealed an immodest amount of arm and ankle, and Tamahome smiled to himself. Anyone who could afford weird clothes like that would almost certainly have money to give him if he rescued her. He cleared his throat. "I don't think you should..." "REPENT!" The area was suddenly lit up with a blazing blue light, and was filled with the twin sounds of an electrical discharge, and several voices screaming. Eventually the display ended, and the girl was surrounded by the smouldering bodies of badly stunned bandits. Tamahome, now with an unobstructed view of the girl, noticed her long green hair, which didn't quite conceal the two small horns protruding from her head. He backed up nervously. "O... o... ONI!" She whirled at the sound of his voice and pointed a finger at him. The digit crackled with energy waiting to be unleashed. "YOU! Tell me where I am, or else!" "K... Konan province." He couldn't take his eyes from her - could this possibly be the Suzaku no Miko he'd been born to protect? She seemed to fit the description, but... But somehow, he doubted she needed him to protect her. *** "LUM NO BAKA!" Ran stomped down the streets, seething internally and muttering out loud. "You just HAD to read that stupid book, didn't you? And drag me into it right along with you! If I ever get out of this, you'll pay!" She lifted her head and screamed at the sky. "DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!" She ignored the odd looks she received from the peasants around her. In fact, so caught up was she in her desire for vengeance that she didn't notice that she was wandering into what was obviously the seedy side of town. Ran sighed. "Well, I guess I can't do anything about that right now... I'm going to need a place to stay until I can figure out a way to get home." Finally she looked around. "And I thought Tokyo was a dump... I wonder if there are any decent hotels around here?" "Psst - hey, pretty girl!" Ran looked up, and saw a man beckoning to her from an alleyway. Deciding she needed all the charm she could muster, Ran put on her cute face and skipped over to him. "Do you know where I could find a hotel, kind sir?" He grinned - this was too easy. "Sure - just follow me, and me and my friends will take you there." A pair of shadows emerged from the alley and leered at her. Homicidal though Ran was, she was hardly stupid. "Ano, I think I'd rather find it myself." She turned to leave. "Sumimasen!" She suddenly found herself pushed heavily against the alley wall; the peasants outside moved away quickly, not wanting to get involved. The man pushed his face next to hers, nearly choking her with his foul breath. "You seem to think you have a choice." He put his hand on the front of her blouse. "Don't worry - we'll take turns like gentlemen." She knew what she had to do, but she didn't like it one bit. Still, it would serve this pervert right. She smiled as sweetly as she could. "You first, then." Steeling her nerves, she leaned forward and kissed him. He looked surprised at first, then pleased... and then horrified as she drained the youth out of him. His companions stared in shock as their leader crumpled to the ground as an old man. Ran rubbed her mouth and spat as daintily as she could. "Probably haven't invented toothpaste yet..." She turned to the others. "Okay, who's next?" The would-be rapists fled down the alley, their nerve broken. Ran scowled, her face taking on its natural look of berserk rage. "Oh, no you don't!" She pulled a chunk of masonry from the wall next to her, and threw it at them - twin screams of pain told her she'd scored a direct hit. She shook her head and, with a bit of effort, brought her expression back to its former cute self. "A girl can't walk the street alone these days!" She giggled girlishly. It was at this point that a piece of stone fell from the remains of the wall and hit her in the head. *** Later, a tall man with blonde hair happened by that area of town, and saw Ran's prone form. He smiled ever so slightly. *Seiryuu no Miko. At last.* Chapter Two Things were not going as the Book had planned. It hadn't anticipated the two girls being rivals already. Seiryuu no Miko, it seemed, would be more than happy to rip her companion's head off, and ignore the whole wish thing. Besides, the girls were more powerful than most of their Seishi, which made searching for them rather anticlimactic. Perhaps if it rewrote things so that the Seishi were already collected... "Lum! Ran-chan!" A voice belonging to a young man suddenly called out. Uh-oh. The Book once again attempted to look innocently immobile. Sometimes it hated not having eyes... "I'm sure I saw her come up here." That was a different voice, one that, as far as the Book could discern, sounded rather sexy. "Lum-san!" A deeper voice, ringing with authority. "Ran-san!" "Eh!" A child's voice. "It's Lum-chan's bookbag!" There was a general outcry - the Important Documents Reading Room sounded very crowded. "I sense great evil in this place." *WHAM!* "Shut up, you monstrosity! The only evil here is you!" "No, Cherry's correct - there's something not right here." The Book started to get nervous. "If you say it, Sakura-chan, then I believe you." "Get off me, you degenerate!" "Mendou, I'm frightened!" "Don't worry, Shinobu-san - I will protect you with my life." "Mendou..." The Book found itself being lifted and inspected. "Obento." "It's not food, you single-minded moron! It's called a book!" The Book was snatched away. "Hmm... 'Four Gods' Earth and Sky'." "What's it about?" The Book was suddenly opened and waved about rudely. "Can't you read it, Jariten?" "Urusai! You know I can't read kanji that well!" "Nyaaaah!" "Aaaah!" The Book was grabbed away again, and slammed down on the floor. "I saw Lum's name!" "You're right, Shinobu-san! But why..." "She's in the book," the sexy voice said solemnly, and was rewarded with gasps of astonishment. "Her and Ran-chan - I can sense it." "Moroboshi! This is all your fault!" "How can it be my fault? I was with the rest of you!" "Would someone read it and tell me what it says?!" "All right, all right. Ahem. 'The girl from the other world carried Tamahome over the city...'" *** Tamahome held onto Lum's hands with a death grip. Which, to him, seemed appropriate - he didn't fancy his chances if she were to let go, plunging him three hundred feet down into the city below... "Stop wriggling! You're making me lose my grip." He suddenly held very still. "That's better." She carried him toward the palace, her flight creating a light, bubbly sound as she moved. "So, you're saying there's a prophecy that I'll show up?" "H-hai..." He swallowed nervously. "You're supposed to be the Suzaku no Miko, and those of us with characters on our bodies are your Seishi, who protect you." She peered down at him, looking at the 'oni' sign on his forehead. This was an additional source of worry to him - if she was looking at him, she wasn't looking where she was going. "AAAAA! Abunai!" "Oh, stop crying." She swerved to avoid the flock of rather surprised birds that were in her path. "I've been doing this all my life - I know what I'm doing. Now, where are these Seishi?" "I told you before - they're at the palace." He frowned momentarily. Yes... they were at the palace. He'd known them for years. Where else would they be? The height must have been making it difficult to think. "Definitely at the palace. When the emperor was born with the mark, he sent his soldiers out to find the rest of us." Somehow that didn't sound right... oh, well. "There's probably been a mistake," she decided. "Well, we'll get it sorted out when I meet this emperor of yours." She picked up speed, and Tamahome reflected once again that Suzaku no Miko was nothing like he'd ever imagined her to be... *** % The first thing Ran became aware of as she regained consciousness was a dull pain in her head, and an aching lump at the top of it. The second thing was that she was resting on a large, comfortable bed, between smooth silk sheets. The third thing was that someone had undressed her. She opened her eyes with a start, turning a bit red. Whoever did this... "Seiryuu no Miko." "Iyaa!" Ran demurely clutched the sheets around her as the voice - the definitely *male* voice - spoke right next to her. "Who... who are you?" He smiled, with only the barest of motions, apparently unaffected by her near-nudity. "I am Nakago, the general of the army of Kutou and the one who rescued you from those men." He leaned forward. "I must tell you something - your friend, the one you arrived with, is truly your enemy. She..." Nakago suddenly found a potted plant imbedded in his face. He fell backwards without a sound. "Aho." Ran, still holding the sheet over her essentials, also had one arm outstretched after throwing the fern. "You violate the privacy of an innocent girl's chambers to tell her that? I already know Lum is my enemy!" In an instant, Nakago was back in his chair, as if nothing had happened. "Then you will be happy hear that, with my help, you can do away with her once and for all." "Che... I don't need your help for that. Where are my clothes? Just point me in the right direction, and I'll flatten her myself!" If things weren't going the way Nakago had intended, he didn't show it. He just smiled in that small, infuriating way he had. So calm. So in control. So... smug. "Then you won't be interested in the... wishes?" That stopped her. "Wishes?" "Three wishes, to be exact. And ixnay on the..." He stopped. That definitely wasn't right. "But only Seiryuu no Miko may use them. All I want is one wish - if you agree to help me, two of them are yours. And you can wish for anything." She was thinking about it, he could tell. He smiled again, the kind of smile that makes you want to punch his face in. "That won't be too much trouble, will it?" "An... anything?" Her eyes glistened happily. "Even to make Rei-sama marry me? And..." She laughed girlishly. "And to grind that bitch Lum into hamburger and feed her to the dogs?" "Anything." She smiled. "When do we start?" *** Tasuki leaned back, watching Hotohori explain the details of Miko-hood to Lum. "Hey, guys... what do you think of her?" "She's not what I expected, na no da." "And her fashion sense stinks." "Oh, I don't know..." Tasuki subjected Lum to another appraising gaze - she had removed her school uniform, revealing her tiger-skin bikini beneath. This had scandalized most of the members of Hotohori's court. "You won't get any complaints from me." Lum listened patiently until Hotohori's explanation drew to a close. "Well, that's very nice, but I just want to get home." He was about to reply, when she suddenly looked upwards. "Darling?!" *Lum!* Ataru's voice was audible only to her. *What are you doing in that book, flirting with all those men?* "Urusai! I'm trying to find a way out!" *Stop making excuses! Get out here right now!* "I wish I could!" Lum ignored the looks everyone was giving her. *Che... in fact, you can just stay in there! You can't zap me from inside the book, can you? And I've got Shinobu-chan and Sakura-chan to keep me company!* She started to crackle with pent-up energy. "Darling, tara! I'm going to..." *Aaaa! Ataru-kun, let go!* *Don't you dare touch me, Moroboshi!* *Hee hee! This is so much fun, eh, Lum? Biiiiida!* Lum gritted her teeth. "I swear, Darling, if I ever get out of here..." "Ano..." Chichiri spoke up. "You can use one of your wishes to get out, na no da." "Eh?" She stopped and looked at him. "So ka... I can use it for anything, can't I?" Everyone nodded. An expression of malicious glee passed over her face. "Then I can also use one on Darling!" She looked back up at the ceiling, grinning evilly. "Do you hear that, Darling? I'm going to wish that you'll love me, and only me, for the rest of your life!" Tasuki nudged Tamahome with an elbow. "You're a fast mover, aren't you, you old rascal." "Urusai! She's not talking about me." The bandit shrugged. "You're the only one she's really met. And she's an oni, you're an oni... it'd work out well between you two." *Ch-chotto! You can't do that!* "Try and stop me! I can't zap you, it's true... but you can't stop me from using my wishes any way I want!" She turned around and patted her rear insultingly, causing the remaining members of Hotohori's court to retreat in embarrassment. "Finally, your girl-chasing days will be over, and we'll be together forever and ever and ever..." A scream of horror was her reward. Chapter Three The Book slipped from Ataru's mortified grasp and fell to the floor. Things were definitely going downhill. Not only did the two girls it had selected turn out to be less than stable, but their friends were over the edge as well. It forced itself to relax. There was nothing to worry about, really. It was the Book, after all - while the ones inside it could change the story, the readers were powerless. Ataru had said nothing more, while around him the others made jokes about his predicament. "It's about time you got caught like that, Moroboshi!" That was the sexy voice again. "No longer will you be a menace to the ladies of this town." "Hai, Sakura-san. I don't think forcing him like that is the best thing, but if it'll get him off my back... gambatte, Lum-chan!" "Moroboshi." The other young man's voice. "It seems I am powerless to prevent Lum-san from this disastrous course of action. So, in that case... Yatta! Everyone's invited to free ramen and taiyaki afterwards!" The Book sighed silently. And then this nightmare would finally be over... The voices stopped as there was a rustling of cloth - Ataru had stood up. "I'm going in." ..... What? "Nani yo, aho? It's a book - you can't get into it." "Lum did it, Ten, and so can I." No... he didn't mean... no, he couldn't possibly... "How do you intend to do that, Ataru-kun?" He wouldn't DARE. It was the Book, THE Book. It was unthinkable that someone might even consider... "It's just a book - I'm going to write myself in." The Book was suddenly terrified. In its creation, nobody had considered that someone would try to rewrite its contents. It was assumed that anyone who tried would consider the potential consequences of such an action, particularly what would happen to the people inside. In other words, its creators never considered a Moroboshi Ataru. *** A subtle change rippled over the land. Most people didn't even notice it - there were only two places that were actually affected. The first was a small farm not far from Konan City - instead of one old man and a cluster of children, it was now inhabited by a rather dejected-looking husband and wife, who toiled endlessly and despaired over the state of their son. The other was the Imperial Court. Lum blinked and turned around. "Minna!" A figure in a blue kimono crossed his arms and smirked triumphantly at her. "Thought you could defy me, did you? If you want to be my wife, you have to learn obedience!" She giggled suddenly. "Darling, you look so cute with that mark on your forehead." "Hmm?" He pulled out a mirror. "Aaaa! My perfect face is ruined!" The emperor was likewise inspecting a mark on his own neck. "You had little to ruin. Whereas I, fortunately, retain my manly appearance." The change was complete. Instead of the original Seishi, there was now... ...Tamaboshi, beloved of Suzaku no Miko yet driven by an overpowering obsession. ...Shutarohori, a sword-wielding and attractive man of authority. ...Shinobiko, an incredibly strong person who acted like one of the opposite gender. ("HEY! Why do I have to be this one?" "Because Ryuunosuke isn't here! It's either this one, or Soi - your choice." "Mou...") ...Chicherry, a bizarre mystic with a tendency to pop out of strange places. ...Mitsukura, a tall healer with arcane powers. ...and Tensuki, a flame-throwing brat. Lum grinned. "Yokatta! I'm glad to see you." She blinked. "Ano... aren't there supposed to be seven of you?" Mitsukura coughed. "That's being taken care of." She glanced over to the corner, where Chiriko and Tamaboshi were talking. "Want a lollipop, kid?" "Wow! Thanks, mister!" "Oops! Looks like I dropped it." "I'll get it! I'll just... ACK!" Tamaboshi kicked Chiriko in the rear, propelling the boy forward into a closet which was quickly closed and locked. The nouveau-Seishi picked up the lollipop and walked away smugly. "The good big one always beats the rotten little one." "Nobody will miss him, anyway." Shutarohori looked around. "Well, if we want those wishes, we have to go to Kutou and get Suzaku's Four Gods' Earth and Sky." He reached into his robe and pulled out a cellular phone, opening it crisply. "I'll call a coach up to the front gates right away." Lum jumped forward and threw her arms around Tamaboshi's neck. "Darling! You were worried about me!" He opened his mouth angrily, then seemed to think better of it. "Lum... you know I couldn't bear to live without you. The thought of you being in danger was more than I could stand." "I'm so happy that you said that!" She pulled him tighter, and whispered in his ear. "But I'm still making that wish." He started to reply angrily... and Konan got its first taste of indoor electric lighting. Or lightning. One of the two. *** Meanwhile, in Kutou... "Hey! What about me?! I'm all alone in here!" Nakago smiled, just the tiniest bit. She must be insane. He could use that. "But you're not alone. I..." "Oh, shut up!" *Sorry, Ran-chan... nobody wanted to be on your side. We can tell that you're with the bad guys, and they always lose.* "Hidoi! I just want one person to talk to that's not a moron!" *Well... I don't know about that second part, but... here you go.* Slowly Nakago began to fade from sight. He noticed this, and smiled slightly. "How novel." He maintained that expression for about five seconds, then burst into sobbing tears. "I don't wanna go like this! I still have evil things to do! Mommy! Mo..." And he was gone. And not a moment too soon. Ran's face lit up as she saw who was taking his place. "Yokatta!" The general hadn't changed much in appearance, except that his armor was now tiger-stripe orange instead of blue, and his hair was jet black. He pointed at a nearby servant. "Food." The slave nodded and bowed out, quickly returning with a huge pile of delicacies. Reikago started to dig in, then glared at the servant. "More." Ran smiled happily. "Rei-sama! I'm so..." There was a patter of feet, and abruptly a woman in really tacky clothes arrived, blushing girlishly. "Reikago-samaaaa... can I raise your chi for you? Onegai? Onegai?" She disappeared under a pile of masonry as Ran hit her with the business end of a column... which is to say, all of it. "Slut." "Reikago-samaaaa..." Ran whirled to see a tall man with face paint blushing boyishly next to the all-devouring form of Reikago. "Do you maybe have a fantasy you'd like me to create for you? Onegai? Onegai?" *WHAM!* Ran floored the illusionist with a long candleholder. "The next person who bothers my Rei-sama gets it! Understand?" There was a general disappointed agreement. ("Hey, there's nothing in here about Toma being... that way." "Yeah, but he annoyed me. Anyway, he's evil." "Good enough.") *** And so the Suzaku Seishi (revised) set out toward Kutou to recover the Four Gods' Earth and Sky from the clutches of Reikago's own band of Seishi (minus two, and counting). Would Ran finally get revenge on the oni-girl? Would Lum be able to wish for Tamaboshi's eternal love? Would... Oh, who cares anymore? I'm just the voice of the Book - why should I even bother? It's not like anyone listens to me anyway, noooo, they just revise things anyway they want, like I don't know what's best for them... Chapter Four Lum, the Suzaku no Miko, had arrived with her Seishi at the gates of the Kutou palace. The sky was appropriately stormy and ominous, promising a severe bout of rain and lightning. Lum liked lightning. Behind her, Chicherry clapped his hands. "It is a most ominous place, na no da." He started praying, until Mistukura whapped him over the head with his own staff. Lum turned to her friends. "Minna - are you ready?" Everyone nodded, especially Tamaboshi. *Oh, I'm ready, all right...* Suddenly laughter filled the courtyard. "So nice of you to drop by, Lum- chan!" "Ran-chan!" Lum looked around, until she saw her friend at the top of the steps. The Seiryuu Seishi (or, at least, what was left of them - Ran had taken out the creepy little guy and the wolf boy moments before) stood behind her, Reikago still chowing down on a large bowl of rice. Ran smirked down at her rival, her eyebrow twitching erratically. "At last, I can finally get revenge on you for everything you've ever done to me!" She held up two scrolls - one red, one blue. "And with both copies of Four Gods' Earth and Sky, you can't stop me! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Ran-chan!" "AHAHAHA... ha?" She stared in shock as Tamaboshi started to run up the steps. "Help me! She wants to wish me into slavery!" "DARLING! What do you think you're doing?!" He stopped and glared triumphantly down at her. "This is what you get for trying to force love on me! My love is too precious to waste on just one woman! I can't let you make that wish - I'm on Ran-chan's side now!" Lum shrieked in anger and fired off a series of lightning bolts. Tamaboshi dodged them with unusual ease (it helped to also be a martial artist now), and started back up the stairs. "DARLING!" Lum zapped him again, and this time connected just as he was reaching the top - he plowed into Ran, who lost her grip on the red scroll. It bounced down the stairs until Tensuki collected it and brought it back to Lum. Silence reigned for a moment, broken only by thunder and the sound of Reikago eating. "So. Now we both have a scroll." "Ran-chan, there's no need for this! Let's just go home!" "Urusai! I have my wishes to make, and I'm going to make them!" "Ran-chan..." Shutarohori stepped forward. "Give it up, Ran-san! You're missing most of your Seishi." She smirked and gestured at the frazzled form of Tamaboshi at her feet. "You don't exactly have a complete set, either." The emperor shrugged. "Such idiocy is to be expected - we'll get him back. But yours are unconscious, and you have to have all seven Seishi to make your wishes." Ran laughed. "You obviously didn't read the fine print! Since I'm with the bad guys, I can ignore that rule!" He opened the scroll and peered at it. "I'll want to call my lawyers on that..." "Well," Lum shouted, "if you don't need all of yours, then neither do I!" "Fine by me!" "Fine!" As one, they opened their individual scrolls and read the incantations aloud. Two glowing auras, one red and one blue, filled the courtyard until they solidified into a giant crimson bird and a menacing sapphire dragon. The two Miko glared at each other, daring each other to make the first move. Ran was the first to break. "Seiryuu! I wish... ACK!" "R-Ran... chan..." Tamaboshi had recovered somewhat, and his first act was to drape himself over the nearest female object. "DARLING!" Ran pushed at her personal barnacle, but he held on tight. "Would you get off me?!" *YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.* "What?" Tamaboshi was suddenly flying down the stairs, to land in a crumpled heap at Lum's feet. Where he immediately became the target for divine retribution. Ran gritted her teeth, mostly in anger. She'd felt a faint twinge, which probably would have floored an Earth girl, but she was too ticked off to notice. "Only two left... I can't have any other distractions. Seishi! Get them!" Unfortunately, Suboshi and Amiboshi were too busy with a discussion, trying to figure out who was who. That left only Reikago, who reluctantly put his beloved food aside and, summoning up his chi, took on the form of a giant spirit tiger-cow. The beast bleated a battle cry and bounded down the stairs. Lum's Seishi moved into the fray, doing their best against Reikago's attacks. Shinobiko threw trees and ornamental statues at him, Shutarohori slashed (ineffectively) with his sword, and Chicherry threw enchanted pork buns at the general, when he found the time between eating them. It was Tensuki who first got hurt. He charged forward, taking a deep breath. "Lekka... SHI..." At that point, Reikago batted him aside with one massive glowing paw; the child flew backwards, forcing Lum to fly up quickly to catch him. She looked down at the bruised form of her cousin. "I wish you'd be more careful." He smiled weakly. "I'll try, Lum-chan." *YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.* "Oops..." Ran laughed. "Serves you right! Now it's my turn! I wish that a giant anvil would fall on Lum's head, crushing her!" *YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.* The air over Lum's head rippled, and she quickly shouted, "I wish it wouldn't!" The rippling effect vanished. *YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.* Ran facepalmed. "This is getting us nowhere. Reikago! KILL her!" The tiger-cow looked nonplussed for a moment but, since he was feeling pretty darn evil for some reason, shrugged and leapt at the oni-Miko... ...Only to be met with a massive uppercut as Tamaboshi jumped up with titanic force, glowing with power. Reikago soared upwards, vanishing into the clouds. Lum blinked. "Darling..." He turned to face her. "Lum..." The pensive moment was broken by Ran's screech. "That's it! I've had it!" She looked up at the dragon. "Seiryuu! I... I..." There was a dot above her, getting larger. She covered her head and cowered down. "I wish this was all over." *YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.* Lum and Ran started to fade, as did the changes they had wrought on the story. Impulsively Lum threw her arms around Tamaboshi's neck and whispered, "I wish Darling would love me forever." He tried to push her away... And then they were gone. But, perhaps, there was something left over... *...granted...* Probably nothing at all. *** The Book carefully set itself back on the shelf and, when it was absolutely sure nobody was looking, meticulously erased the horrible, horrible revisions those barbarians had scribbled in its margins. If the Gods were willing, it would never have to go through an experience like that again. Strange, though... that last wish should have taken effect, but as far as the Book could tell, Ataru hadn't acted any differently. After Lum and Ran had escaped the story, the young man had instantly jumped at Ran, claiming to want to "comfort her after that terrible experience". The sound of electricity flying through the air was becoming familiar to the Book. Definitely odd. The only way Ataru could have escaped the wish was if he'd already been in love with Lum... The Book shrugged, or at least thought about shrugging. The barbarians were gone, and claimed that they'd never come back to this library again. Good enough. All that was left was to wait for the next young girl to come along - though at the moment, it could do with a rest. *** "Hey, look at this! 'Important Documents Reading Room.'" "I don't know if we should be up here..." "Aw, c'mon, Akane. You chicken, or what?" -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oh, dear. I have no idea where I got this. I woke up this morning with the half- dream notion that Ataru was in Fushigi Yuugi. Once I asked myself, "why not?", things started to snowball. I had a mostly complete idea by afternoon, and finished it this evening (so if it looks pretty rough, that's because it is). It was just so *obvious* - I don't know if anyone's done this before, but the characters fit in so easily... Oh, and in case you were wondering... yes, I hate Nakago. He deserved a lot more than he ever got. Though I do apologize to the Chichiri fans out there - a horrible substitution, I know, but it just worked so well. Until next time...