Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi and all related characters are the property of Watase Yuu.
Author's Note: This story will not be updated past the 18 chapters posted. This is an abandoned fic.
Chapter 1: Brittle
Takiko Okuda raced towards home, her feet beating against the wooden steps as she dashed up to the door. Without a pause, she flung the door open as quickly as possible, praying she wasn�t too late, but already knew she was.
She stood in the door, listening carefully for only a few seconds. The house echoed with the silence of an empty home. Sighing and licking her parched lips, Takiko kicked off her dusty shoes and slunk into the perfect and empty kitchen to pour herself some water. The only sign of her anger was in the way she slammed the delicate glass cup onto the table before filling it with water from the pitcher.
The water was a refreshing break from the dry heat of summer, but did little against her bitter mood. True, she hadn't expected much, but the disappointment was still there. Einosuke was, as usual, much too preoccupied with work to pay attention to his worthless daughter. Takiko frequently wondered if all scholars spent so much time traveling. Or if they all left before their daughter came home to say a simple "take care". Particularly when leaving on such a long trip for China .
Setting her drained glass back on the table Takiko stood and moved to close the windows and curtains. The relentless June sun was seeping into the house like a spilt bottle of hot sauce. It had been terribly hot, and the dust from the roads and animals and drying wells insisted on filling the air. She moved to pull the curtains over another window, effectively cutting off the blazing sun's path into the house.
Standing in the now shaded room, her fingertips smoothed out her dusty summer kimono and she winced at the dirt. A change of clothes was necessary. And then she would spend the weekend indoors. It was too hot to visit unfriendly neighbours or to tolerate mockery from snarky schoolgirls. After checking that all the windows were closed she moved up the staircase towards the small second storey; a dark, tight area with choking hot air. Gagging at the heat, she stumbled through the door to her own room. She quickly stripped off her dusty robe, flipped her long hair over her bare shoulder and selected a kimono, but not the cleanest one, that was a summery peach colour from the organized closet. Just a comfortable and well worn kimono so it wouldn't matter if it became covered in dust. She would take a bath at night, when the water evaporated less, and there was less risk of just getting layered with more sand and dust. She fastened the blue obi around her waist, and glanced at herself in the mirror.
A young woman raised her eyebrow at the plain reflection. Her hair was a bit dirty too. Takiko humph-ed and fished out a ribbon to tie back the black tresses. Examining herself with one last glance, she nodded approvingly and ventured back into the dark hall. Glancing at the door of her fathers room, half expecting him to be hiding in there, she slid over to the entrance of his "forbidden study".
Then again, it was only forbidden if Einosuke believed she never went in there.
oooooo
A group of darkly cloaked men trekked through the crisp winter night. Swirls of thick snow fell around them, washing away their great numbers as their footprints vanished under the deepening blanket of white. Although this weather was typical in Hokkans long winters, and the freezing countrys climate considered normal for the natives, these men, with their cold steel weapons, shivered at every gust of wind. Their cloaks were not thick enough to protect them from the cold. Yet, despite their discomfort, they remained orderly. Fear kept the army on the march, as well as promises of mighty glory and fantastic wealth.
A figure at the head of the procession raised his hand, signaling his army to stop. No one questioned the order, though some squinted to see what was ahead.
Barely visible through the thickly falling snow, were the faint lights of campfires surrounded by tents. Muffled voices laughed and scents of cooking food wafted through the air, bringing snarls of hunger from the army. Knowing that efficiency would promise food and a place to sleep snugly for the night, the soldiers loosed their weapons from their sheaths. They knew exactly what to do. This night would be like all the previous nights�working silently, leaving no trace of their unwelcome presence in Hokkan� and ensuring no one would be left to tell of their deadly deeds.
oooooo
The room was exactly as a scholars study should be: neat, organized and stuffy. In the low ceilinged room shelves were packed with books of all descriptions. By the closed window was her fathers heavy oak desk, strewn with papers splotched with ink, and a few books in the middle of being written or translated. Takiko simply wanted to pick a new book to read to occupy the weekend. As long as she finished reading and put it away before Einosuke returned home, there would be no problems.
She scanned the shelves, looking for an interesting title but found herself standing by the desk before anything caught her eye. She casually glanced at the papers on the desk, and one hand flitted through the stack of papers to reveal what must have been a more recent work; a thick book with red binding and her fathers named neatly written, indicating he was the translator. Takiko was ready to look elsewhere but the title, "Universe of the Four Gods", was just a little too intriguing. She pulled it out from its squished space between piles of paper, and flipped it open to the first page.
She had barely started the first sentence before she noticed the pages were glowing. Yelping, she flung the book away from herself, but she vanished into the flash of green light before the book had even hit the ground.