Disclaimers: Fushigi Yuugi, nor any of its characters belong to me. ::sigh::
Author's Note: I got into reading books about people during the Cultural Revolution and I was inspired. This will be a large project depending on the feedback I get, but I plan to work on whenever I can. I also plan to be as accurate to history as I can, but I'm not exactly great as this research thing, most of my knowledge comes from the books I read. If you notice something out of place, just send me a small note and I'll check it out, but don't flame me over tiny details please. Otherwise Hotohori is 'Sai' and Nuriko is 'Ryuuen' ::As if you didn't already know =p::
Warning: This will eventually be a yaoi fic, so if you do not approve of male/male pairing I recommending looking elsewhere.
Read this:
There are a few things you should know before you read this about the Cultural Revolution, if you already know about it, you don't need to bother. The Cultural Revolution was a time period in China when Mao Zedong took control of the nation in about 1967-1976. He separated the people into three sorts, Red Sort, Gray Sort, and Black Sort. People from capitalist, landlord, or well-off peasant families were the black sort and considered enemies. The Red Guards was from the poorest peasant families and poor factory workers and was considered revolutionaries. Red Guard basically ran everything. The Gray sort was everyone else, but I've only found one reference to them. Most likely because if you didn't come from a Red Sort of family, you followed the Red Guards and did what you were told out of fear. Schools turned into a place to copy Mao's quotations onto banners and posters. Books were burned. Most students were at one point sent out to work on communes and learn from the farmers to work in fields. IF you did anything that was considered against Mao, you were called a counter-revolutionary and attacked. There's more, but I'll try to remember to add it in if it comes up in the fic.
Unable to Cry
By Yuriko Shinomori
Chapter 1A: Red Guardian
"Long live the Cultural Revolution! Down with capitalists!" the chant rose from the mass, the peasants. Sai hid in the basement with his parents, his whole body trembled with fear. They were tearing the house apart, stealing what valuables they could find. His father put an arm around his weeping mother as they heard crashes above them. His father spat, "Look at us! We descended from royalty! Now we are forced to hide like rats and being forced from our own home." Sai looked at his father in horror, "Leave home?" His father put a hand on his son's shoulder, "The peasants are rising up against the upper class under Mao's hand. I am afraid we will have to obey, or else be beaten to death and made an example of." Sai stood tall, "I will do as they say father. We will survive this." There was pride in his father's gaze, "You do that son, no matter what, survive this and rise above them."
"Capitalist!" Sai winced as a chink of dirt hit his leg, but he kept walking on, his head hung. He kept his eyes kept to the ground. He was from a rich family, they had inherit their fortune and were so looked down on. He was a Black Sort. He could not smile or laugh. He could not sing. He could not cry. He was a Black Sort, he must be emotionless. "I will survive.", he thought silently, "I must survive." A voice rose above the others, "Stop it! Leave him alone!" and there was silence. There wasn't power the voice, but there was a sense of command in the way they said it. "But Ryuuen-" "Be quiet. I said leave him alone, do you all understand? Or you will have to answer to me." There was some mumbling, but the crowd dispersed. Sai saw two sandaled feet before him, "It's alright, they're gone." Sai kept his eyes downcast, "Thank you." A firm hand clasped his shoulder, it reminded him of his father, "I mean that it's alright to look up." Sai's eyes lifted hesitantly. Who was this savior? this...boy? Yes, definitely a boy. He was a bit shorter than him with a lean build. He was the most beautiful boy he'd ever seen, so much that if he was not wearing men's clothing he could have sworn he was a woman. His long violet hair trailed down his back in a heavy braid which was a strange sight. Violet eyes were surrounded by long dark lashes, and a beauty mark below his left eye completed the image. He couldn't figure out why people feared this boy, he looked so gentle. "I'm Ryuuen.", he held out a hand. Sai accepted in gratefully, "Sai." That's when he spotted the red armband, alarmed, "You're a Red Guard." Ryuuen flashed a dazzling smile, "I was born and raised a farmer." That explained his handsome tan, but he noticed his hands were still delicate. "But why did you help me? I'm a-" Ryuuen put a hand up, "A Black Sort. I know, don't worry about it. I won't let anything happen to you. Everyone listens to me around here and I'll make sure you're taken care of. That's what friends do right?" Sai thought his heart would burst, his voice wavered with emotion, "Right."
Sai couldn't figure out why he'd never seen Ryuuen in school before. Ryuuen blushed prettily when asked, "Well you see, I missed a lot of school since I had to help my dad on the farm." Sai found himself wishing Ryuuen was a girl, he could have easily fallen for him... But there was another reason Sai never noticed Ryuuen before, they were from different crowds. Sai had his followers who worshipped him and kept acquaintances with only the most elite, he would have never even considered talking to someone like Ryuuen, a peasant. At one time he would have looked down on people like him, in their worn clothes and rough language. Sai still couldn't understand why Ryuuen protected him. Ryuuen paused when Sai asked him. "You're just like everyone else, even if you do pretend be higher than the rest of us sometimes. You can't help the family you were born into. I consider myself a sort of guardian to good people that can't help themselves." Sai resented the statement immediately, his pride took over, "Who said I couldn't have helped myself? I could've protected myself just fine without any help from you!" Ryuuen didn't seem the least bit fazed by Sai's words, this wasn't the first person he'd helped who said they hadn't needed it. Though most people were grateful for the help. When he became a Red Guard, he became known among the students as the "Red Guardian", helping the students, as well as teachers being mistreated. People in the school came to him for refuge, but Ryuuen never took a single fen for it.
Guilt soon overcame pride. Sai owed Ryuuen a great deal and apologized. They became fast friends, Sai knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for Ryuuen. He was so kind, and everyone loved him. It was impossible not to. He had an irresistible charm, but there was something more to Sai. A bond far past friendship. He'd felt it the minute he'd met Ryuuen, an immediate connection, like a long-lost brother. It was almost as if they'd known each other before....
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Well what do you think so far? All C&C welcome of course. Drop me a note at yuriko_shinomori@hotmail.com. Is it worth it to make an epic proportions story out of it? I know Sai and Ryuuen are a little OOC, but this is a totally different life...
~Yuriko