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The Prophecy of Genbu	By : Ree Category: +. to F > Fushigi Yuugi Views: 1222 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
Title: The Prophecy of Genbu

Series: Fushigi Yuugi

Rating: MA

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THIS SERIES. The Fushigi
Yuugi universe belongs to Watase Yuu-san and I do not claim this universe
whatsoever. I am only writing a story for fun, not profit. For other notes,
please refer to chapter one.

*�� *�� *�� *�� *

Chapter Fifteen

Going Home

Five
years seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.� The city of Touran was a peaceful place and it seemed as though
the Genbu Shichi Seishi and the Genbu no Miko had been forgotten.� After all, no one had seen them since the
day they had vanished into the mountains and never returned.� Little did the people of Touran realize, but
the priestess and her warriors were alive and well.� Living in secret, the group trained and waited for the time when
the Suzaku or Seiryu no Miko would appear.�
They were staying in one of Tokoyami�s mountain retreats northeast of
Touran.� It was large enough to fit them
all, but well hidden by the mountains and secret passages that surrounded
it.� They had settled in and began to
live their lives together as best as they could, since no one knew when they
would be called to task.� Cassandra had
lost contact with Saihitei, worried for his safety should she try to write him,
and with each day�she grew more and more immersed in the world of the
book.� At times, she almost forgot that
she was part of another world.

It
seems as though my home has always been here.�
She sighed as she
gazed out at the city below.� It was a
mild spring night and Cassandra had been feeling restless.� The girl was not so young anymore.� Now at the age of nineteen, she thought
herself a woman and what a woman she had become.� Cassandra had grown into her body and had passed those awkward
teenage years with flying colors.� The
years of training had toned and tightened her body, while the natural changes
any young girl went through had given her feminine curves in all the right
places.� She knew she had grown into a
beautiful woman, but she didn�t compare to when the Empress had been pregnant
with her first child.� She looked so
radiant then.� As though she was lit
from within and glowed softly.� Cassandra
reached up, brought her braid over her shoulder, and began to unwind the
waist-length strands so they could move freely through the night breeze.� Her voice had also deepened a little and
developed a huskiness to it so that it now acted as her finely tuned
weapon.� I now have full control over
my powers�and I will never let myself be beaten again.� Even if she lost her voice, Cassandra knew
she would still be able to fight.� Her
family had seen to that.

�Five
years to the day�five years since I arrived in this world,� she whispered and
sighed.

Cassandra
was sitting on a large rock that allowed her to look over the city.� A small smile played on her features as she
gazed at the palace.� It had been a
little over two years since the group had ventured to the palace to see the
young prince that had been brought into the world.� Meilaka had since then become pregnant again and Cassandra wondered
how the Empress was faring.� She sighed
as she ran her fingers through her hair and blushed as her thoughts trailed
away to somewhere else.

�And
it�s been five years since I met Iname��

�Yes it
has,� and a smiling Iname presented her with a spring lily.� �Something for which I�m grateful for
everyday.�

�Iname,
you�re so sweet,� she accepted the blossom and moved over so he could sit
beside her.

Iname
had also changed in the five years that had gone by.� He was no longer a boy, but now very much a man.� At the age of twenty, his face had filled
out and his voice had deepened into a rich, velvety tone that still held a bit
of boyish mischief.� His green eyes were
bright with impishness and cheerfulness, but still held a deep undertone of
maturity.� He had seen much and knew
that he would only see more�and Iname wanted to be ready for when that day
came.� The days of sparring with the
�old fart� (as Iname still called Urumiya) had paid off in a big way.� His body was hardened and muscular from the
way his comrades had worked and trained him and Iname had become extremely
proud of himself.� But there were still
some things that he hadn�t overcome�and he reached, grasping Cassandra�s hand.

�Iname��

�Cassandra,
how long are we going to have to wait?�

�I
can�t,� she leaned into him, head resting on his chest.� �Even though we haven�t fought any battles
in five years, I�m still a priestess.�
And you are still a Genbu Shichi Seishi.� There are lines that must not be crossed between us�no matter how
we feel.� I�m so sorry for this, Iname��

He
sighed and rested his head on top of hers and wrapped his powerful arms around
her.� �I understand.� There are things that�that we can�t change.� You are who you are and someday�you�ll
leave.�

�But
asking you to wait.� It isn�t fair to
you.�

�You�re
not asking.� I�ve made the choice
myself.� I will love no other as long as
you are in my life.� Even if I can�t do
more than hold you like this�I do love you.�
With all my heart.�

�Iname��

Cassandra
clung to him tightly and Iname sighed.�
He had remembered his conversation with Urumiya years ago.� That love was something worth working for,
worth fighting for, and he realized just a few years ago that he wanted that
kind of love with Cassandra.� He wanted
a love that would bring them both the most happiness.� Sometimes I forget that she is not part of our world.� That she will leave us one day.� But�he ran his fingers through her hair
and kissed the top of her head.� It�s
going to be so hard to let her go.� They
were a family, friends, and she was more to them than just their
priestess.� She became much, much
more than any of us could have ever dreamed.�
I don�t want to let her go.�
But that was the one wish that the gods could not grant.� Genbu would not allow Cassandra to remain
with them, in their world.� Iname sighed
deeply and gazed down at the city.� It
seems the past will repeat after all�we will all die slow deaths once she
leaves us.� Life won�t be the same
without her.

�Iname?� Are you all right?� You�re awfully quiet��

�I just
seem to be, considering what a chatterbox I was when I was younger.�

�I�m
serious.� What�s wrong?�

A small
smile flitted across his face and he chuckled.�
�I really can�t hide anything from you, can I Cassandra?� If you must know�I was thinking about the
future.� This cannot go on
indefinitely.� As much as we love you,
and want you to stay, we�ll all be hurting badly when you leave.�

Cassandra
fell silent at that and bit her lower lip.�
He was right of course.� There
was no possibility of her staying.� But
she wanted to.� She had a family now,
one that cared about her.� She�d been
gone for five years�she couldn�t go back to her old home.� But what about Matthew?� That thought left her cold and she froze
in Iname�s arms.� My brother.� My real brother, who practically raised
me.� How could I have forgotten about
him even for a minute?� And she
realized: since she had been gone for so long, Matt would have been the only
one who would�ve worried about her.� Is
he all right?� How has he been dealing
with my disappearance?� Now
Cassandra was starting to worry.� She
hadn�t spared a thought to her only brother in years and only now realized how
much she missed him.� I never got the
chance to say goodbye�what�ve I done?� I
have to go back, even if it�s just for a few minutes, to let him know that I�m
all right.� I have to tell him that I�m
okay.

�Cassandra?� Cassandra!�
You�re disappearing!�

�What?�

It was
true.� Cassandra had started to vanish
in Iname�s arms.� She was becoming more
and more transparent, as if she were merely a ghost in this world.� What�s happening to her?� Iname�s expression was panicked as he
reached for her, only to have his hands pass right through her body.

�Cassandra!� What�s happening?�

�I
don�t know!� Iname!�

Brilliant
silver light filled her vision and Cassandra raised a hand to cover her
eyes.� What�s going on?� I can�t go back yet!� I haven�t summoned Genbu!� A thought occurred to her and her eyes
widened.� What if he�s dissatisfied
because I haven�t summoned him yet and decided I�m not the right girl for the
job?� No!� No, that�s not possible!� When
the light faded, Cassandra lowered her hand and her eyes widened.� She was in a room filled with books and in
front of her lay the copy of Four Gods of Heaven and Earth.� Its pages were open to where she and Iname
had been sitting on the rock but after that�the writing stopped.

�Where
am I?� What happened?�

Cassandra
scooped up the book and hid it underneath her loose jacket.� The room was dark and she glanced outside
and saw that it was early evening.� I�m
still in Tokyo.� But where?� She felt dizzy and sank back onto the
floor.� I�m back�I�m in my old
world�but why?� How?� What happened that sent me back here?� She trembled in shock.� After being in the world of the book for so
long, Cassandra had forgotten that it was just that: a book.� Her dear friends, her family, were nothing
but characters in a story.� Her vision
blurred and she swallowed thickly.

�Matthew�I
have to find Matthew��

She
felt around in her jacket and removed the battered wallet that she�d had in her
pocket all those years ago when she�d first entered the book.� Although her jeans had long since been
discarded, her sneakers too, the wallet had survived and she sighed as she
checked its contents.� Identification,
school card, and a couple thousand yen�I should be all right if I take the
subway.� But what day is it?� I�ll have to check a newspaper before I go
to the train station.� Cassandra
then proceeded to make her way downstairs and slipped out of the library.� The library was still open for another few
hours and Cassandra bit her lower lip.� I�ll
have to make this a short and sweet goodbye.�
But how much time has gone by since I left?�

�Newspaper,
newspaper,� she looked in the machines outside the library and her eyes
widened.� �What?� It�s only been two years since I�ve
left?� How�how is that possible?� And it�s December 31^st?� Matthew must be home by now!� Wait, instead of taking the subway, I should
give him a call.�

Cassandra
ran to the nearby payphone and upended her wallet for a couple of coins in the
change pouch.� She dialed her brother�s
number and waited.� After three rings,
there was a click.

�Talk
to me.�

��Matty?�

There
was a long pause.� �Cassie?� Is that you?� Oh my God, where have you been?�
Where are you?� I�ll come get
you!�

�I��
she looked around.� �I�m at the National
Library.� Please come get me, but don�t
tell our parents, okay?� There�s
something I have to tell you, but it�s gotta be just you.� All right?�

�Right.� Okay.�
I�ll be right there.� Don�t move
from that spot or you�re dead meat, understand?�

�I got
it��

And she
hung up the phone.� Oh Genbu�it
had felt so good to hear his voice and she gripped her jacket.� You�re all right.� You sound the same as ever.� Matthew�I�m so sorry, to call you out here
with the intention of saying goodbye.�
But I could tell, you�ve been so worried about me.� She sighed as she sat down on the edge
of the sidewalk, knowing how out of place she looked amongst all of these
people.� But it wasn�t just in
appearance�she also FELT extremely out of place.� This isn�t my world anymore.�
I�ve been in Hokkan so long that it�s become my home.� I just hope that Matthew understands.� She waited patiently until the sound of
a roaring engine reached her ears and she grinned.� Still hasn�t replaced that muffler I see�and Matthew
appeared, riding on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

�Cassie!�
he barely bothered with parking the thing before he was flying off the bike and
gathering his sister in his arms.� �My
God, girl, do you realize what you�ve put me through?� Mom and Pop didn�t care when you ran off, but God I was scared to
death!� I put up signs, I asked the
police to investigate, and I dropped out of college so I could search for you
myself!� Where the HELL have you
been?� Answer me, girl, before I
knock�you��

Matthew
set the woman down and stared at her.� This�this
isn�t my baby sister.� She should be
sixteen now, and this woman�s more about my age.� In fact, she doesn�t look that much younger than me.� His eyes narrowed as he studied
her.� She had the same eyes, the same
smile, and the same air of innocence about her, but�something was off.� And it wasn�t just the clothes she was
wearing either.� They look like
something out of ancient China.� He
frowned.

�Who
are you?� You�re not Cassandra�you can�t
be��

�Believe
it or not, Matty, I am,� she said, sniffling slightly.� �I�m the little girl you taught to ride her
bike.� The one you missed class for on
my first day of kindergarten because our parents wouldn�t make time for me and
I was scared.� The little sister you
looked after and cared for as a father would, rather than just a brother.� It�s just�I�ve changed, Matty.� You may find this impossible to believe,
but�I haven�t been in this world these past five years and-�

�Five?� You�ve only been gone two years.� And what the hell do you mean �not in this
world�?� What the hell happened to you
Cassie?�

�It�s a
long story�is there someplace we can go to get something to eat?� I haven�t had a pizza in years.�

�All
right.� Climb on my bike.�

�But we
have to be back in two hours.� That�s
when the library closes and I have to get this book back there.�

�After
everything that�s happened, you�re worried about some damn book?�

�It�s
important to me Matthew!� Now promise me
we�ll come back before the two hours are over.�
Promise!�

�Okay,
okay, I promise.� There should be a
pizza place nearby that�s open.� Get on
and hold on tight.�

Cassandra
climbed onto the bike and wrapped her arms around her brother�s waist.� The engine thundered to life and the vehicle
rumbled beneath her and she jumped in surprise for a moment.� It�s been years since I�ve been on his
bike.� Was it always this rough?� Matt zoomed off down the road about five
blocks and pulled up to a small pizza place.�
Since it was a holiday, the only people around were the disgruntled
employees and the night manager.�
Matthew ordered them pizza and sat down across from his sister as she
devoured it in a few bites.� The cheese
and sauce was hot and gooey, just as she liked it, and Cassandra sighed in
pleasure.

�Start
talking Cassie.� Where have you
been?� Why are you dressed like
that?� Why did you run away in the first
place?� How did you become so old?� he
frowned a little.� �How old are you?�

�Now
that question I can easily answer,� she said with a smile.� �I�m nineteen years old, Matty.�

�That�that�s
impossible!� It�s only been two years
since you left.� For you to be nineteen,
you would have left-�

�Five
years ago,� she said with a small smile and removed the book from her
jacket.� �Start reading this, Matty, and
I�ll explain everything.�

�What
does this book have to do with anything?�

�Please�just
read it.�

Matt
sighed and opened the book.� �This is the
story of a girl who gathered the seven Stars of Genbu and acquired the power to
make every wish come true�� what the hell is this?� What�s she trying to pull?�
He
frowned, but continued reading, skimming through the pages until he reached a
part about the young heroine thinking about her older brother.� And she mentioned his name�

�Cassandra�this isn�t possible�you mean to tell me that this
girl in the story�is you?� he asked in disbelief.

�Read the last part, brother.� The last few pages.�

Still in complete shock and utter disbelief that this could
be true, Matt turned to the last few pages.�
Let�s see��The girl�s older brother was shocked and disbelieving that
such an outlandish tale could be true.�
But per her instructions, he turned to the last of the pages and read.�� The hell?� Before his very eyes, more words were being written about him
and his sister.� He dropped the book in
shock and rose to his feet, watching as words about that were written in the
book as fresh as if it had just come off the printing press.� He was trembling as he looked at his younger
sister.� So�she was taken into the
book�she became the Genbu no Miko.�
That�s where she�s been all this time.�
But how?� Why her?� Where did she find this book in the first
place?

�Cassie, start talking.�
Tell me everything.� I want to
know where you got this book, how you managed to get inside it, how you got
back out, and please tell me you�re not planning on going back�� he trailed off
and frowned when he saw her expression.�
�You are.� You came here to tell
me goodbye.� WHAT THE HELL CASSANDRA?�

He slammed his fist on the table and rose angrily.� Cassandra bit her lower lip and turned her
head.� I�m sorry Matthew�but they�re
my family now as much as you are.� I
can�t just leave them.� Not when
their task was still unfinished.� Not
after all the time spent waiting and training�only to have it all be for
nothing.

�You can�t!� Cassie,
this book is dangerous!� Look at
you!� It�s aging you!�

�Matt, keep your voice down, please,� she pleaded.� �Yes, I know that there are dangers, but I�m
not the same helpless little girl you knew.�
I�ve changed.� I�ve been in
training in harsher times with warriors who have been fighting for most of
their lives.� If you read the book, you
will realize that I can take care of myself.�
But there is something I must ask you Matthew and it�s very important.�

�What?� he muttered and sat down, his face the picture of
resentment.

�Once you return the book to the library, read it if you
like, but leave it in the shelves.�
We�the Genbu Shichi Seishi and I are waiting for either the Seiryu no
Miko or the Suzaku no Miko to appear.�
That way the next part of the story can begin and I can work once more
to complete my mission.� The past five
years have been a time of training, of preparation, but we�re sort of stuck
right now.� With two of our number dead,
I can�t summon Genbu and complete my task.�
And you must leave the book where it has landed because we can�t
interfere with fate.�

There was a long pause.�
�Cassie, you�re basically asking me to believe that you have been in
this book for five years.� That you�ve
become some sort of priestess in a fable and are suddenly my age when you�ve
only been gone two years.� And now that
you�re here again, you�re also asking me to just let you leave again?� Who knows when you could come back!� You could be older than I am!�

�I know,� she said quietly and reached across the table to
squeeze her brother�s hand.� �But I have
a family there now with my warriors.�
Urumiya has become the father I never had.� Uruki and Hatsui are more brothers that love and care about me
like you do.� Namame is like my trusted
uncle and confidante that I can go to whenever something�s wrong.� And Iname��

Matt noticed that his sister�s cheeks were turning pink when
she spoke of this Iname guy and he sighed.�
�You love him.�

�Yes.� But it�s a
forbidden love.� If you read the book,
Matt, and follow our journey from the beginning, then you�d be able to
understand how I could love them with all my heart.� But remember your promise�you must leave the book where it is.� Do not interfere with the course of
fate.� If you do, then I fear that the
consequences would be severe.� I may
never be able to return home.�

He paled and sighed.�
�All right.� If that�s what it
takes�then I�ll do it.� But how can you
ask me to say goodbye to you again?� I
mean hell, you�re going back into this medieval world with bandits, war, and
apparently magic.� How did you manage to
survive while you were there?�

Cassandra smiled as she thought about her answer.� And in her eyes, Matthew saw not the
innocent and somewhat cowardly younger sister that he�d known�but he saw a
woman.� A beautiful, strong woman who
could make her own decisions and fight her own battles without big brother
tagging along.� She doesn�t need me
anymore.

�I grew
up, Matthew.� That�s all.�

Matthew�s
blue eyes reflected the lamplight in front of him as he considered her
words.� It only seemed to confirm what
he thought.� That his sister was all
grown up and no longer needed him to protect her.� I�ll definitely have to take a peek at this book.� And do some research.� I�ve got to find out more about this
thing.� He sighed as he rubbed the
back of his neck.� His tawny hair was
longer than Cassandra remembered it and pulled back into a loose ponytail.� She smiled softly and Matt knew that nothing
he could say or do could keep her there.

�Do you
really want to do this?�

�Yes.�

�And
nothing I can say is going to stop you, is it?�

�I�m
afraid not.�

��Fine.� I�ll accept this�thing�for now.� But don�t you dare believe for a minute that
this is over.� I�m not going to rest
until I find out more about this book; understand?� he checked his watch and
sighed.� �Come on, we�d best get back to
the library.� It�ll be closing in about
a half hour.�

As much
as he didn�t like it, Matt knew that there was nothing left for him to do but
accept this.� His sister was a woman now
(as freaky as that was) and could make her own decisions.� But he made the decision to read the book
from the beginning and bring it back as soon as the library opened the next
day.� I�m going to find out what
happened to her.� There�s something
she�s not telling me and I wanna know what it is.� They paid the bill, gathered their things, and were back on
the road in no time.� It took no effort
for them to get back into the library and in the restricted documents
room.� Cassandra took the book from her
brother and looked at the cover for a long while.� Her throat began to close and she swallowed.

�Matty,
I�I want you to know�� she cleared her throat and swallowed again as tears rose
in her eyes.� �I never stopped thinking
about you.� You�ll always be my big
brother and I�ll always love you.�

�Take
care of yourself Cassie,� and he hugged his sister tight.� �No matter what�don�t do anything
stupid.� And�I�m so proud of you.� You�ve grown up and�you�re so beautiful and
so strong.� I feel like you�re not my
little sister anymore.� But�that�s okay
with me.�

He
smiled and released her.� Cassandra�s
eyes were filled with tears as she took a step back and opened the book.� Once more, she turned her eyes to the pages,
this time with the intent to return to her home.� Her real home.� Goodbye
Matty.� I�m glad I got to see you
again�I don�t know if I�ll ever come back.

�I love
you!�

�Me too
Cassie!� Don�t die on me now!�

And
with that, a smile on her face, Cassandra vanished once more in the glow of
silver light.� The book fell to the
floor with a dull thud and Matt ran his hand over his eyes.� His chest ached and he�d never felt lonelier
in his entire life.� She didn�t even
give me the chance to tell her our parents divorced�and that I�m alone.� He hadn�t been able to get back into
college in Japan and didn�t want to go to America now that he knew where
Cassandra was.� Guess I�ll have to go
home and deal with the snake that Dad married while I wait for Cassie to come
home.� He scooped up the Four Gods
of Heaven and Earth, tucked it inside his coat, and went back out onto his
motorcycle.� He�d return it in the
morning�after he read it from cover to cover.

When
Cassandra opened her eyes, she was once more looking out at the city of Touran
and her arms were empty of the book.� I�m
home.� I�m really home.� She smiled and yelped when a pair of
arms wrapped around her and pulled her close against a warm chest.� The bite of winter stung her cheek and she
shivered for a moment.� Cassandra
glanced over her shoulder.

�Iname!�

�Damn
it all to hell, Cassandra, what were you thinking?� You vanished and I didn�t know whether or not you�d come back,
you scared the shit outta me,� he rambled and turned.� �Hey guys!� She�s back!�

�Oh
thank Genbu,� Urumiya muttered as he came trudging up the side of the
hill.� �You little fool!� What happened?�

Cassandra
blushed slightly and blurted out her story.�
How she�d gone back to her old world and talked to her brother.� Had said goodbye to him and reassured him
that she was all right.� After they
chided her a bit more, the group returned to the house and settled in for the
night.� The next day, in early evening,
after a long day of training, Namame returned from his reconnaissance mission
in Konan.� He�d been sent there
regularly for the past few months to check for activity of the priestess and
arrived that night with the news that would set their journey in motion once
again.

�The Suzaku no Miko has arrived.�

*�� *�� *�� *�� *

And so ends Part One of the
Prophecy of Genbu.� Thank you all for sticking
with me this far; it�s been a helluva road.�
Actually, I have Part Two started and that part will start from the
beginning of canon Fushigi Yuugi and follow until the end.� However, although I will include major cameo
roles from the characters in canon Fushigi Yuugi, this story will continue to
be mainly about the Genbu team and their journey.� Also, I hate to announce this, but since no one has been
reviewing my Prophecy of Genbu story on AFF.net, I�m very reluctant to keep
posting it.� I know people read it
(THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS!!� I LUV
YOU MUCHLY) and I thank dars for reviewing for me from the beginning.� You are awesome and I hope you�ve kept up
with the story as it�s gone along.� It�s
been a long haul and I�m glad I finally (somewhat) finished a fic.� So thanks everyone and I may be seeing you
on AFF again.� *WAVES*

~Ree
- 14
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The Prophecy of Genbu