Disclaimer: Yeah, for all the other chapters, I’ve been lying. I actually do own Fushigi Yuugi. Oh wait, no…that’s only when I’m off my medication. Never mind.

Spoiler Warnings: Spoilers for Episodes 47 and 48. I realized just now that I didn’t put in the spoiler warning for when Chiriko died, and I’m sorry! Hope no one was too upset.

Other Warnings: Taiitsu-kun bashing (perhaps excessive)—nothing personal, Taii-chan, mkay? ^_^

Cheese-o-meter: 9 or so (have just realized obvious pun of being Purple Mouse and including Cheese-o-meter. At first, wondered why it took me so long. Then remembered I’m a spazz. ~.^;;)

At first, I pretended I wasn’t dead. And for a while, it actually worked. I’d pretended to be a woman for eight years, after all; compared to that, this was easy.

Maybe Chiriko sensed something was wrong. He never said anything, though. He was too smart to want to get tied up in my mind.

I didn’t let myself fall asleep after that first time, afraid I’d lose another month…and Chiriko stayed up with me. We both grew tired—strange, again, that ghosts can be tired, though I’d stopped thinking of myself as a ghost by then—but forced ourselves to keep awake.

Maybe Chiriko knew that I would have gone crazy if I was left alone with myself once more. He was right not to say anything. I wouldn’t have listened, anyway.

Only a day or two after the child had appeared, Taiitsu-kun graced us with her presence. I felt it was my duty to inquire as to why two of the Suzaku Shichiseishi had been stuffed in a pitch-black, cell-like room, and strongly recommended that we be relocated to someplace more suitable.

"There are more important things to consider than your comfort," she replied stuffily, seeming slightly offended. "At the moment, this ‘cell-like’ plane is the only place you can exist, in my protection."

I put my hands on my hips. "What are you talking about? You…"

"What important things?" Chiriko interrupted, slipping his hand into mine. I looked down at him, saw him give the Flying Troll a meaningful look; meaning what, I couldn’t say, and it bothered me. "What’s happening to Suzaku no Miko and everyone else?"

"Yui has summoned Seiryuu."

My eyes bugged out. "What?! How?? Miaka got the Shinzaho!"

"Nuriko-sama, I told you," Chiriko reminded me, "Nakago stole it."

"How she did it does not matter," Taiitsu-kun insisted, her voice slightly louder. "She has used one of her wishes to seal Suzaku away. A second wish has sent Miaka and Tamahome back to Miaka’s own world. Your friends are powerless, battling the Kutou army in Konan."

"You have to let us go help them!" I shouted, ignoring the tightening of the boy’s grip on my hand. "We have to help them; if what you say is true, there’s no way they can win! Kutou’s much bigger than Konan, and if we don’t have our seishi powers…"

"You will remain here," instructed the witch.

I set my jaw helplessly, frustration making my entire body tense and tremble. My hands curled into fists.

"Ow, Nuriko-sama!"

"You…can’t…keep us here," I said dangerously, glaring. "If our friends are in trouble…"

That was the second time the ground shook, the second time I doubled over in pain…Chiriko felt it too this time, scrunching his eyes shut with a gasp. Not again, a tiny, subdued voice whispered inside my head. No, not again…I shook my head sharply, frowning at the sound. Not what again? Not so bad…gotta be just some weird thing that happens in the mountains…it’ll stop in a second, and then…and then…

Someone’s here.

I looked up at Taiitsu-kun when the room was still once more, and she reached out a brown, claw-like hand, pointing to something behind us. With a small exclamation, Chiriko left my side and darted in the direction she indicated; unable to read anything in her eyes, I turned slowly.

This time, the body lying there was larger…much larger.

"Go," she told me. "Go to his side; he’ll need to see you."

Somehow, impossibly, I’d lost the will to argue.

Mitsukake was already stirring when I reached him, sitting up with the most pained expression on his face…I don’t think I’d ever seen him look quite this helpless before. But I suppose I would have felt that way, too, if I’d been dragged out of an important battle by some mirror-obsessed bat.

"Chiriko…Nuriko?" he said thickly.

"That’s us!" I said, grinning madly. "Are you all right? What’s happening down there?"

He looked around, presumably discovered there was nothing there to look at—save Taiitsu-kun, who did not make for a pleasing decoration—and turned back to us. He had begun to compose himself, but his eyes glistened as he said, "I…I’m sorry…I couldn’t save you…Chiriko…Nuriko, if I’d have gotten there just a few minutes sooner…"

I frowned, puzzled. He’s just confused. "Eh…don’t worry about it, you couldn’t have stopped it. She does what she wants. She has to keep reminding us that she’s the one in charge, you know," I said bitterly, loud enough so the woman could hear me. "I just hope she knows what she’s doing, plucking seishi from the ground and stuffing them up here like they were pretty rocks, or something. Maybe you could try to talk to her! Maybe she’d listen to you. I’ve tried, but…I think she might be slightly homophobic," I confided in a whisper, my expression serious and rather vexed.

Mitsukake looked into my eyes, considerably calmer. "Nuriko," he said after a moment, his tone gentle, "are you all right?"

"Oh, sure, sure," I waved it off, smiling so he wouldn’t worry. "It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. And she’s not tossing out insults, or anything, she just doesn’t take me seriously."

As Chiriko’s hand came to rest on Mitsukake’s shoulder, I barely managed to suppress the wave of panic that had welled up inside me…Do they think something’s wrong with me?! That’s…that’s absurd! They’re obviously overwhelmed by this whole situation…C’mon, Nuriko, it’s up to you to be in control.

"What’s going on down there?" I asked again. "Is everyone all right?"

He remained staring at me for a while longer before nodding slowly. "I managed to heal all the wounded. When I…left…all of the shichiseishi were fine. We don’t know about Miaka, who was wished into her own world along with Seiryuu no Miko…and we think she took Tamahome along with her, somehow…Nuriko," he tried again, "do you remember all that’s happened since…we were separated?"

"Chiriko’s filled me in," I nodded. "Well, at least up to the part where he was taken, too. Hey, you know what would help?! Taiitsu-kun’s got all these giant mirrors lying around, we could at least get her to show us what’s going on! Why didn’t we think of that before, Chiriko?" I stood up and turned to the hovering woman. "Hey, Taiitsu-k…"

And then, for the third time…pain…rumbling…I staggered, steadying myself with the convenient body of the healer. So soon?…Shouldn’t be so soon…

…For some reason, this pain lasted longer than the others…my ears began ringing and I actually screamed, falling to my hands and knees…and when it finally stopped, I was panting and sobbing and shaking like a leaf, trying desperately to compose myself… No sound from the others. Were they all right?

When I had sufficiently stopped shaking, I brushed the ragged hairs from my face, ran a hand across my eyes, and raised my head to see them. Mitsukake and Chiriko were kneeling rigidly, eyes wide and staring. I sighed. Who is it this time? If she keeps doing this, there’ll be no one left to fight…

And when I turned to face the newcomer, everything inside me suddenly turned cold.

…Hotohori-sama…

TBC…

Hmm…not much time between Mits and Hotohori arriving, huh?…sorry if it reads too short, but they did die only an episode apart… anyhoo, thanks for reading! ^_^