"Invisible Enemies"

Fushigi Yuugi Chapter Nine (part one)

Suzaku no Miko, Miaka-sama, returned to her home world to be with her friend, Yui-sama. But Yui was nowhere to be found. Miaka-sama feared that Yui had replaced her in the other world. To find her, Miaka-sama traveled back to the other world, where unexpected news was waiting for her. The bordering country, Kutou, had begun to invade. Miaka-sama needed to quickly find the remaining Shichiseishi. She left to see Tamahome, who had departed the court a few days ahead of her arrival. But then, Miaka-sama was abducted by strange hands that appeared from the darkness.

The strong hands yanked Miaka back through the underbrush. A large palm clamped over her mouth, preventing her panicked screams from rising above a desperate, near-inaudible murmur. One of the girl's hands reached beseechingly towards her two guardians as she was pulled mercilessly away.

Tamahome froze for a split second, then cried out, "Miaka!" and raced after her.

Nuriko's eyes widened when he realized what had happened, and he moved to follow. But a sharp swoosh made his head whip around to the trees behind them.

Tamahome barreled through the forest, leaping bushes and fallen logs. Too dark to see tracks upon the ground, he desperately searched the trees, looking for a glimpse of the girl or her kidnapper. He paused in a clearing, chest heaving from effort and fear. He frantically looked from side to side, seeking anything, and he tried to quiet his breathing and allow himself to listen to the silent wood for several heartbeats. Nothing. "Inai..." he whispered.

Hidden from Tamahome's view behind a thick patch of underbrush, Miaka struggled against her captor. She wriggled visciously, managed to free her face from one of the hands, and immediately clamped her teeth upon it. A high-pitched scream cut through the night, and the girl was reflexively thrust away.

Miaka leaped out of reach and whirled around to glare at her abductor.

"Itai no da!" he complained in a high voice and gently blew on his injured hand. His figure was quite...unexpected. He seemed small, but somehow projected both size and power, even as he cradled his bitten appendage. His hair was sky-blue, and closely cropped to his skull--except for a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and long bangs that defied gravity by curling up and over to one side as if they had a mind of their own. He wore a do li, secured under his chin with a long, white string. His shirt was loose and plain white, and his blue drape that descended over one shoulder and was secured around his waist was dotted with large, white swirly rings. His strange outfit was crowned with a necklace of widely-spaced fat, green beads. But by far, the most unusual feature was his face. His eyes, while expressive, seemed to be closed, and they reminded Miaka strongly of those of a fox. He could obviously still see, but their unending pleasant expression was a bit unnerving. Especially as he was still suffering from the effects of Miaka's teeth.

Nani, kono hito?! Miaka wondered.

He blew on his hand a few more times, then raised his gaze up to Miaka. As he spoke, his voice's pitch lowered to something of a more normal tone. "Biting has its merits, Suzaku no Miko, since you are the target for assassins, no da."

Miaka took an astonished step back, eyes wide with surprise. How can he know me, and what does he mean by being a target of assassins?!

"Dewa, sayonara no da!" he cheerfully stated. He quickly grasped the brim of his hat with both hands and pulled it down. Without resistance, the do li dropped, seeming to absorb him until it touched the ground. The hat rolled upon its brim a few times on the grass like a coin before finally laying still.

He had vanished.

Miaka blinked twice in disbelief, then leaned forward and took the hat in her hands. She held it up to the meager light, looked inside, saw it was empty and gasped, turned it over to look once more at the empty top, and gasped again. She lowered her arms and stared in shock at nothing, her mind extremely confused. "Chotto! Who was that?"

Tamahome leaped out of the underbrush behind the girl. "Miaka!"

"Tamahome!"

"Daijoubu ka?!"

"Un, daijoubu. Daijoubu dakedo..." her voice trailed off, mind wondering. "Targeted...by whom?" she whispered. The girl continued to kneel on the damp grass, holding the hat, her mind puzzling over what the strange person had said.

"AAAGGHH!"

Nuriko's distant scream snapped her back to the present, and Tamahome leaped away and shot back along his trail.

In the clearing, Nuriko pressed his back against a tree, precariously balanced on one foot, arms twisted above. Small arrows jutted out of the trunk around him, barely missing his quivering body. His face stretched in a terrified grimace, Nuriko could only stand there and tremble at his close call.

Miaka and Tamahome burst into the clearing and skidded to a halt when they saw what lay before them.

All the men Tamahome had accompanied were dead. Their bodies were strewn through the clearing, speared by the same countless arrows Nuriko had barely managed to avoid.

Miaka's mind and body froze at the sight. Dead! They're all DEAD! She took in a slow, deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let out a horrified and piercing, "Iyaaaaa!!!"

Tamahome grasped her close to him and blocked her eyes with his hand. "Minai!" He turned to the other Shichiseishi. "Nuriko, nani ga atta?!"

Nuriko freed himself from the tree and jerked an arrow loose. He held the shaft in one hand and angrily stared  down at it. "You can see for yourself. First, Miaka was grabbed." He snapped the arrow in half with a clench of his fist and silently regarded the dead men at his feet. After a moment, he continued. "It happened right after you took off after her."

Nuriko had whirled at the sound of the incoming arrows, which struck almost before he realized what they were. Pure instinct had saved him, but the normal men standing in the clearing did not have a chance. The arrows had pierced all of them, sending them reeling to the ground in pain and death.

"The arrows were aimed where Miaka had been standing," Nuriko snarled in conclusion.

Miaka held her arms close to her chest, eyes and body trembling with realization. "Because I was their target, that man…"

Tamahome turned to her, face puzzled. "Ano hito?"

Her voice shook with tears at her close call, and at the sight of the innocent men who had died in her place. "These people, instead of me…!" She could not bring herself to say it aloud.

Tamahome pulled the girl into his chest and held her, one hand resting on her soft hair. His solid warmth gently soothed the girl, and her body’s shaking slowed. But her heart continued to quiver at the knowledge of what had been done…all because of her.

*******

Peace slowly returned to the night, and insect song gently moved through the slightly chill air. Stars lit the green land beneath them, gently adding to the warm torchlight that lit the commoners’ small village. Within one of the humble buildings, Miaka sat at a wooden table and stuffed her face with delicious food. Sitting across from her, sweatdrop upon his head, Nuriko observed wryly, "Even when you’ve had a traumatic experience, you pig out."

Miaka, busy wondering at her strange abductor even as she shoveled food in her mouth, did not hear a word. She voiced her train of thought, "So anyway, the fox-looking guy said that Kutou has targeted me." She accented her statement with a chopstick jab towards Tamahome.

He turned to her, face troubled. "It’s true, Suzaku no Miko, our country’s protector, is jama to our enemy countries."

Miaka resumed her fanatic eating, but she paused with a sick look to her face when she realized what Tamahome’s words implied.

He grinned. "Don’t make that face, Miaka," he chuckled. "Ore ga iru da yo!"

Her eyes widened, and Tamahome continued with absolute confidence, "I won’t let anything happen to you, don’t fear."

Miaka fought down a blush at his warm statement. Tamahome…

Suddenly, the door to the building slammed open, abruptly cutting through her flustered mind.

"Tamahome-san!" the villager who opened the door cried. "Kite kudasai!"

A second man shoved his way beside the first. "There are strangers at the western entrance!"

Tamahome leaped up from his seat with delight. "Nani!? Do I hear the sound of money?!" he cried out eagerly, eyes bright.

Miaka gave him a reproving look. "Hmmph."

He glanced sideways at her and coughed once. "Iya, sore taihen da. Nuriko-kun, Miaka o tanomu. Ja!" he gave a short wave and scurried out to join the men, skipping in eagerness like a child on his way to play with friends.

Miaka snapped her gaze away from his happily retreating form and glared at the wall, annoyed at the interruption of her romantic moment, and half-way resentful of the villagers for stealing him away. "Nani ga?! Is money more important to him than my life?" She closed her eyes and dismissed his fickle desires with a another short, "Humph!"

Nuriko resignedly leaned his head against his fist, elbow braced on the table. He closed his eyes. "Miaka…you’d better fix his money-obsessed personality before you look for the other Shichiseishi."

Their host, an elderly man with a kind face, stepped forward with a pleased smile, "Iya, Tamahome-san doesn’t ask for much money. Besides---"

Away at the western entrance, Tamahome effortlessly dispatched the strangers into an unconscious pile. He leaped on top of the huge living mound and grasped the last two limp men by their shirt collars, one held in each hand. "Thirty equals thirty. Lucky!" he laughed.

"Hontou sore dake ii desu ka?" one of the men who had retrieved him asked with doubt.

"After doing all this work, your fee is only equivalent to thirty manjuu."

Back in the warm house, Miaka’s host concluded, "Iya…ii hito desu."

"What are you talking about?" Nuriko demanded. "’Ii hito’ would guard you for free!"

The old man leaned to one side, his grin growing wider. "Yeah, but I’m saying it’s almost free!"

"Da-ka-ra!" Nuriko countered, exasperated.

The man finally realized he couldn’t change the other’s opinion. "Let’s not go further with this," he tried to placate Nuriko.

Sitting at the table, the remainder of her generous dinner forgotten, Miaka’s eyes gazed out into nothing. Her breath caught in her throat. "I just realized…I have no idea why Tamahome so desires money." The shock made her heart cold. If she truly loved him, how could she possibly not know the reason behind the most important thing in his life? Why hasn’t he told me? What else do I not yet know about him?

*******

The next morning, gentle birdsong danced upon the cool breeze, and the rising sun cast everything in a warm, golden light. Indoors, Miaka lied on her side in her bed. Nuriko was snoring softly in a bed next to her own, discreetly positioned between her and the door. The girl tiredly rolled over onto her back, one hand massaging her forehead. Her sleep had been troubled all night, and much of that had been spent agonizing over what she did not know about Tamahome, and wondering why he had not yet trusted her with his reasons. Why does he wants money so badly?! she asked herself for the hundredth time.

The sound of activity outside broke through her troubled thoughts.

In front of their borrowed house, a fully-dressed Tamahome secured two narrow packs on the rump of his mount, who whinnied and stamped a hoof in protest. He reached over and patted the horse on the neck. "Easy."

Miaka slunk down at the window where she watched. He was obviously planning on going somewhere, and he had not bothered to mention anything about it last night. She watched him leave atop his horse, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.  The girl stood upright and pushed one of the window shutters fully open. "Where’s he going before dawn?" In an instant, she realized her chance. "I’m following him!" She darted back into the room and leaped to Nuriko’s bed.

She shook him with both hands. "Nuriko! Nuriko, wake up! Wake up!"

He kept sleeping.

"Mou!" Miaka growled. She suddenly brightened. "Sou da!" She quickly moved to crouch in front of her bed and riffled through her heavy pack until she found what she wanted. With a mischievous laugh, the girl skipped to Nuriko’s gently sleeping face, reached out to grasp one of his eyelids, lifted it, and turned on her flashlight. "Kore!" she giggled.

For the second time in two days, Nuriko’s scream echoed through the air.

******

Daylight fully arrived by the time Tamahome and his stalkers had arrived in a second village.  The warm rays gently lit the town with a soft light, reflecting off shimmering rice paddies and bathing the simple houses with a warm glow.  As  Tamahome passed by, a man with a hoe slung over one shoulder glanced up and recognized him. The villager greeted him pleasantly, "Ohhh, Tamahome-san! Going home?"

Tamahome paused his horse and answered with a relaxed, "Yeah. Hisashiburi da na, oji-san."

Miaka and Nuriko watched the exchange from their own mount, stopped a discreet distance behind a thick tree.

"So, this is Tamahome’s village, ne…" Nuriko thoughtfully observed.

"Koko ka?" A smile spread across Miaka’s face. "This is where Tamahome was born and grew up?" She suddenly blushed and held her hands against her cheeks with delighted embarrassment. "Ahhh, nanka ureshi!!!"

Nuriko’s sweatdrop returned. "What are you thinking?" he asked her with resigned dread. He glanced to the side and saw something. "Miaka!"

Tamahome had stopped his horse and dismounted in front of one of the houses. Four small children within looked up at the arrival, realized who it was, and smiled with delight. They ran to him, arms outstretched, calling, "Nii-chan! Nii-chaaaan!"

Tamahome gathered them in his arms, his voice warm. "Shunkei, Chuei, Yuiren, Gyokunan! Was everyone good?"

"Un!" The happy children surrounded him, tugging on his clothes and demanding to be hugged again. He laughed and obliged.

Miaka dismounted and stood frozen with amazed fascination, the stranger's straw hat hanging down her back from its string around her neck. Her quivering eyes drank in the sight of Tamahome’s joyous smile and warm laughter. "Tamahome no kao o…hajimete mita."

"Oyaji, I’m home!"

She watched him enter the house, her heart somehow warm and cold at the same time. Atashi no shiranai, Tamahome ga iru.

*******

Laying on his back on a thick, low bed, an older man turned his head and gently smiled up at his son. His face, while lined, was still handsome and proud. His grayed hair was pulled back in a bun, but his small, thin moustache remained a vibrant black. Most remarkable, his eyes were tired but warm, and his voice as he spoke was full of love. "Tamahome."

Tamahome pulled up a short stool beside his father's bed and returned the smile. "How do you feel?" he asked with true concern. Before he could be answered, he reached inside his blue tunic and withdrew a column of coins, strung together on a loop of rope. He brandished the money with pride. "Hora! I’ve earned this much!"

"Sumana, I’m fine. Chuei’s been taking care of the field," his father replied.

The younger children gathered close around their father and onii-chan. The youngest child, Yurien did her best to hug Tamahome from behind, her small arms unable to reach around his waist. Her expression was pure joy.

With a grin, Tamahome half-way rose and laid a proud hand on his oldest little brother’s head. "Chuei, you’re a good boy."

Chuei looked to be about eleven years old, and wore his own blue hair up in a neat bun. He scratched the tip of his nose and gave a sheepish grin in return. "Demo, yappari dame da yo. They’re not fruiting."

"Sou ka. Jaa, it’s a good thing I transferred to the city."

His father spoke again, this time gently chastising, "Tamahome, I’m grateful that you are so concerned about us, but I want you to start thinking about your own happiness."

Miaka and Nuriko strained their ears from were they were eavesdropping, crouched up against the outside wall of the house, underneath a window where they could catch every word.

"And thinking about getting married," Tamahome’s father concluded.

Tamahome smiled again, his eyes bright, his voice smooth and peaceful. "Oyaji, ii n da, ore wa." He quickly stood, breaking the serious air with cheer. "Saa! I’d better be going!" He turned to his brother. "Chuei, take care of everyone in my place."

Chuei’s face grew resolute, and he gave a short, determined nod.

"Nii-chan, you have to go so soon?" his other brother, who looked about seven, pleaded.

Yurien, Tamahome’s youngest sibling at five years, released his hand and thew her arms about his legs, desperately hugging him close. "Nii-chan dame!" she cried. Her light brown hair was up in a bun on either side of her head, just like Miaka’s.

Tamahome looked down at her, pain on his face. His eyes slowly began to tremble. After a moment, he crouched down in front of his her and placed a gentle hand on each of her shoulders. "Na, Yurien, next time I’ll bring you a doll."

She stared up at him, then threw herself into his chest, tears upon her cheeks. "Nii-chan hou ga ii!!"

Tamahome gently pushed her away so he could look into her eyes and held her face in one large, strong hand. "Nii-chan will do anything for your happiness. I’ll grit my teeth and do any kind of job." He gathered them all close. "So please, be a bit patient. Na?"

Underneath the window, Miaka suddenly gasped and held a hand to her mouth. Her mind remembered all of Tamahome’s money-hungry antics and demands, and she finally realized the reason behind them. It was all…for his family!

Miaka and Nuriko fought back sobs, the truth of Tamahome’s devotion shaking both of them to the core. Nuriko stared skyward and unsuccessfully tried to keep the tears within his eyes, his teeth pulling on his white handkerchief, doing his best not to sob aloud. "Tama-chan is so heroic!"

Miaka blew her nose into her hankie several times, not trusting herself to speak. Tears poured from her own eyes.

"Yurien!" Tamahome’s frantic voice cut through their reflections.

Miaka whirled with a gasp.

Within the house, Tamahome cradled his limp sister in his arms. "Yurien! Dou shita?!"

Kicking the window shutters open with one leg, Miaka leaped onto the windowsill, crying out, "Dou shita no?!"

Tamahome stared up at her in shock, sweatdrops dotting his face, and could only blink at her as Miaka climbed inside the house, took Yurien from him, and laid her hand upon the flushed child’s forehead. "A high fever! She has a cold." In one instant, Miaka’s manner completely changed. She took charge of the situation without fear or preamble. She turned to Chuei, who, like the rest of his family, was staring at Miaka in wide-eyed amazement. "Beddo wa doko?!" Miaka demanded, and held Yurien against her breast. "Then get something to cool her down!" she added sharply.

"Hai!" the boy scurried away.

"She needs to sweat off the fever. Get more blankets!"

"Hai!" another child replied.

"And then…I need to give her some medicine. Water! Water!"

"H-hai!" Tamahome quickly acknowledged, his voice surprised.

*******

Miaka held a damp cloth to Yurien’s forehead as the girl fitfully slept in her bed. Her cheeks were still flushed, and beads of sweat formed and slowly tricked down her skin.

"I wonder if the medicine’s working…" Miaka said quietly, regarding the fevered girl.

"Omae—"

Miaka jumped at the sudden, cold sound of Tamahome’s voice. An incredibly huge sweatdrop formed, and the girl’s face turned blue with fear. She stared at the wall, not wanting to confront him.

"You followed me, didn’t you?" he dememanded.

Miaka slowly turned to him, lifted the hat, placed it upon her head, and did her best to vanish inside it. She crouched there on the wooden floor for a moment before finally admitting defeat. "I can’t dissappear." A second sweatdrop joined the first.

"Of couse you can’t, ahou!" Tamahome bellowed at her, fists clenched.

Tamahome’s other little sister tugged at one of his arms, a smile on her face. "Am I right? Is she your wife?" she asked him with a giggle, pointing at Miaka.

Tamahome’s eyes bugged out in shock, and he quickly leaped backwards behind Miaka, face flaming. "Baka! We’re not like that!" he vehemently insisted.

Miaka peeked over the top of her hat, her own face bright red. "Sou desu! I’m only in junior high!" The words nearly tripped over themselves in haste to explain.

"She’s just saying that, but in fact…" Nuriko paused dramatically where he was crouched down in front of Tamahome’s father, who was staring at the pair in wide-eyed amazement. "...they’ve gone far enough. I mean, all the way to C, Otou-san."

Tamahome’s father nearly passed out.

Tamahome leaned over Nuriko and yelled, "Don’t joke with such a serious face! Ttaku!"

Her hands clenched tight upont he brim of her hat, Miaka stared at Tamahome in astonishement. Tamahome…blushed.

"Nii-chan…" Yurien’s weak voice trembled, snapping them all back to the present.

Miaka quickly checked the girl, then turned to Tamahome. "You stay with her; I’ll go fetch the water," she offered, secretly glad for the excuse to avoid another embarrassing scene. She turned and stepped towards the house’s door.

"Miaka!"

"Eh?" She paused and looked back over her shoulder.

Tamahome met her eyes and just regarded her for a moment before he finally spoke, voice warm, "Arigatou, na."

Miaka softly gasped, and her blush returned as his steel-gray eyes held her own for a timeless, heart-stopping moment. She finally tore herself away and ran from the house, snatching up the family’s water bucket as she went. Her bright red face slowly faded to normal, and she almost skipped with happiness through the woods to the stream, a smile plain upon her lips, and her eyes closed with warmth.

"Are ga Suzaku no Miko, ka?" a deep, masculine voice commented. He dismissed Miaka with a short, low laugh. "She’s out alone," he finished, a hint of pleasure in his words. Those words were cold, calculating, and unquestionably evil.

This summary is based on the translation by Karen Duffy and Yamazaki Masatomo. Used with permission. Adaptation by Sailor Two Moons 2-27-03. Chapter Nine part One last tweaked on 12-1-04