Sorry that this is... 2 or 3 weeks late. I had Spring Break last week
and I decided to take a break from rewriting and writing as well as from
school, so I didn't do anything really. I downloaded some fics and saved
some to read, I'll give some late C&C to those authors privately.
Anyway...

This is the revision of Chapter 2 of my Fushigi Yuugi fic. Its an
alternate universe. It will help you to have seen up to the 3rd volume
of the TV series, episode 9 or 10, I believe, but I don't think I've
added any main plot spoilers into this fic, yet, but it will eventually.
My revisions mainly discern better plot and character development. I
tried to fix all the grammar and spelling errors, but I'm sure I missed
quite a few. C&C is much appreciated public or private.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   Fushigi Yuugi: The Return of the White Tiger
                  Chapter 2: Of White Tigers and Deadly Flowers
                                     By: Wesley Bridges

Disclaimer: I am not the creator of Fushigi Yuugi, nor do I own a great
many characters within
the Fushigi Yuugi Universe. Yu Watase and Pioneer own the rights of
their respective properties.
Don't sue me, I go to college. I have no money, and no life, thus you
would get nothing out of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


     The afternoon sun sat high in the skies over Taisei, capital city
of Sairo Country. The
blazing heat of the afternoon made travel outside the city impossible,
and travel within the city
was only made tolerable by a slight breeze which found its way along the
streets. In the Temple
of Byakko, Eki knelt before a large golden statue of a tiger, hands
folded in prayer. Kneeling
beside her was a man, about 20 years old, with long dark brown hair.

     "He still hasn't come back, yet, Tatara." Eki said solemnly, her
voice stressed from
worry.

     "I'm sure he'll be back safely. He always has in the past." Tatara
said calmly, trying to
assure her.

     "I... I just..." Eki said, on the verge of crying, "something tells
me... he might have..."

     "Kagatsu made you a promise, didn't he? You've mentioned it before,
and he does not
seem to be the kind of person to break a promise."

     "It just that... he's always been there... and now that he's not...
I... feel... so... alone. I'm
scared, Tatara, but... I don't know why."

     "Have faith in him, Eki." Tatara said warmly. "As my faith in
Suzuno has comforted me
through all the years since she has been gone, your faith in Kagatsu
will help you through this."

     "I... I guess your right." Eki said, cheering up a little.

     "There, that's better."

     "Tatara..."

     "Yes?"

     "Until now... you haven't spoke highly of Kagatsu... your not just
saying this to make me
feel better... are you?"

     "The grievances between Kagatsu and I happened when he was still a
disrespectful and
misguided youth troubled by early experiences, I have little knowledge
of. His main ambition in
life seemed to be to make our lives here harder, but... over the past
few years, I have noticed a
change in him, and from what you've told us, it's a pleasant one. It
would be a shame if he
proved otherwise."

********************************************************************************

     Still many li from Taisei, Kagatsu, Akiya, and the two guards,
continued their travels
upon horses weary from travel in the intense heat. The yellow-white
sands of the Great Desert of
Sairo blazed as a fiery inferno.

     "There is a small village just north of us." Kagatsu said while
assuring his horse. "It
would be a good idea to stop there an take a rest until nightfall.
Taisei is still about a day's ride
away, we should be able to make it during the night."

     "We will need additional water supplies if we are going to reach
Taisei as well." one of
the guards mentioned.

     "I figured as much." Kagatsu said, a slight amount of warmth in his
voice. "At any rate,
we'd best be off before our horses faint on us."

     After a few minutes of pushing their horses to their limits,
Kagatsu, Akiya and the two
guards reached a small village of white buildings made of a material
looking similar to clay or
adobe. The villagers looked curiously upon them as they went about their
daily chores.

     "This is the village of Shouji." Kagatsu informed his companions.
"One of the few places
around here to get some rest or supplies before we reach Taisei."

     "Everything seems so peaceful here." Akiya said surveying her
surroundings. "Much
different than back home."

     "I... suppose so." Kagatsu said, the tone of his voice quizzical,
as if intrigued.

     After a few minutes of wandering the village, the group came to a
small inn and tavern in the
center of the village. The interior of the building was designed to hold
the bar downstairs on
what would normally be the first and second floors, while the rooms were
further above to keep
the noise levels of the tavern from interrupting those trying to sleep.
In the far back corner of the
bar was a man behind a small desk.

     "Hey, look at the pretty lady," a drunken man said, as Akiya
entered the tavern.

     "Yeeeaah," another man said, "she shur ish a fine catch!"

     "Don't mind them," Kagatsu said softly and assuringly. "Just keep
your eyes  ahead and try not
to do anything to encourage them."

     "Ah... I don't think you need to worry." Akiya answered, slightly
nervous.

     The four made their way to the back counter to see about renting a
room or two until
nightfall. Many more drunks joined in the chorus attempting to lure
Akiya away from her guards,
but none attempted to approach due to her armed companions. Finally,
the group reached the
counter.

     "Do you have two rooms available?" Kagatsu asked the man the
counter.

     "Sure do," the man replied. "It'll be one silver teil a night. Is
that alright?"

     "That will be fine." Kagatsu said, handing the man two coins.

     "The rooms will be ready in a few minutes."

     "Thank you."

     The four waited around the counter not wanting to draw any
more      attention then they had
already. After about ten minutes, the man told them their rooms were
ready and led them
upstairs to the rooms.

     "Enjoy your stay," the man said, then quickly walked back
downstairs.

     Akiya opened up one of the rooms and walked inside followed by
Kagatsu and the two
guards. The room was simple with a bed, and a low table for writing.
Upon the bed was a flower
with snow-white petals mixed with a sprinkle of pale yellow splotches,
cupped in a way that
resembled the pattern of a lotus.

     "Oh look!" Akiya said breathlessly walking to the bed, "This
flower... its gorgeous!"

     "Don't touch that flower!" Kagatsu yelled sternly, his voice nearly
refusing to come out.

     "But...," Akiya began to protest, freezing in position.

     "That flower is known as a Desert Lotus. They do not grow anywhere
around this part of
Sairo. They are highly poisonous, by merely touching a petal, a human
can die almost instantly."

     "Who would do such a thing?" one of the guards asked.

     "I don't know" Kagatsu said coldly. "But it is a safe bet it has to
do with that group from
earlier."

     "I thought you killed them all." Akiya said, shying away from the
bed.

     "No..." Kagatsu said heavily. "One got away before I could take
care of him."

     "But why are they after me?!" Akiya asked becoming frightened.

     "I don't know. We'll check the other room, if nothing is in there
you'll stay in it. The guards
and I will take turns guarding your room."

     "Alright," Akiya said, walking to the door. "Kagatsu..." she said
timidly, pausing at the door.

     "What is it?"

     "What did you do... back then?"

     "You'll learn soon enough, right now we have more important things
to concentrate on."

     Akiya and the guards left the room and went next door to check the
other room.

     *But who is going to watch your back?* Eki's voice echoed within
Kagatsu's thoughts.
Right afterward, a warm feeling filled Kagatsu's body from his shoulder.
*Eki...* he thought *I
can feel her chi much more clearly now... She's still a long way away,
but... it feels like she's
right here with me.* Kagatsu's thoughts weighed heavily in his mind.
*And Akiya... her chi is
much stronger than anyone else... why am I so sensitive to it? Father
was right... but why is all of
this happening now? Why didn't it happen earlier, when I believed I was
a part of this?*

     Kagatsu snapped out of his thought process as a large thud came
from the room next door.
Not knowing the cause of the noise, he instantly sprang into action and
rushed out of the room.

     "Wait a minute!" the guard said trying to prevent Kagatsu from
entering.

     Kagatsu burst past the two guards, opened the door and rushed
inside to see Akiya in nothing
but her underwear just getting up off the floor. Kagatsu's face blazed
with heat as the blood
rushed into it. He spun around quickly to try to minimize the situation.

     "Kaga...tsu? Akiya said startled, as she stood up.

     "Um... I'm sorry about that... are you... alright?"

     "I'm fine, is something wrong?"

     "Well, um, you're..."

     "Oh, uh... I was just going to take a bath, when I tripped over
something." Akiya said,
blushing from embarrassment, as she became aware of her lack of
clothing.

     "Oh..., well... Enjoy your bath, and get some rest. You'll need  it
for this evening." Kagatsu
said, then left quickly.

     *Kagatsu... he keeps trying to be so distant, but there's
something about him...,* Akiya
thought returning to her bath, *It's probably nothing. It's probably
just my imagination, but...*

*************************************************************************

     Kagatsu walked back upstairs after almost a half an hour of asking
if anyone saw anyone
going upstairs other than the caretakers. After negative results, he
asked the caretakers if they
knew or had seen anything peculiar. Again, he learned nothing. As he
came to Akiya's
room, he saw the two guards, still standing at attention, guarding the
door.

     "Alright," Kagatsu said approaching the guards. "You're on a trip
too, I'll relieve you guys for
a while."

     "But..." one of the guards protested.

     "Look, both of us have orders to protect her. You orders come from
your emperor.
Mine..." Kagatsu said in a tone as if he were admitting he were wrong.
"Mine come from
someone higher up."

     "Th... thank you." the guards said surprised, then slowly walked
off.

     Kagatsu lightly knocked on Akiya's door seeing if she was up. There
was no reply, so he
decided to check on her. He opened the door quietly to find her asleep.

     Kagatsu took a chair and placed it at the foot of the bed. He
looked over to her for a little
bit, then turned towards the door.

     *Though she tries to hide it, I can imagine she's having a hard
time dealing with being
here. If... if I accept what she has told me, then she is Byakko no
Miko, and I was chosen to
guide her safely to the temple. If that's true... then... the birthmark
on my shoulder... everything
I... but then why couldn't I stop what happened 10 years ago? Why didn't
something interfere?
Why was I left alone...?*

     "Kagatsu?" Akiya said wearily as she awoke.

     "Yes?" he answered, slightly surprised.

     "I... I thought it was you. Somehow, I knew you were here..."

     "I'm relieving the guards for a while. I can't let them do all the
work."

     "Ok." Akiya said happily. "Somehow.... I feel... safer when you're
around... I... I can't explain
it... but...."

     "Don't worry," Kagatsu said, unable to keep himself from showing a
smile. "I should probably
go check on the guards, then I'll be back."

     "Alright." Akiya said, then laid back down.

     Kagatsu slipped out the door and closed it behind him. He didn't
have to go far to find the
guards, who were sitting in the next room playing a game of Mah Jong.
Glad the guards were
close by in the event something actually happened, and because they
seemed to be enjoying
themselves a little, Kagatsu went back to Akiya's room and found her
asleep again. He walked
quietly to the chair he placed at the foot of the bed and sat down.

     *Why are all of these things happening to me lately.* Kagatsu
thought, his thoughts
wearing heavily upon him. *Eki and Akiya.... I know I need to protect
both of them, but...
something... there seems to be much more to it.... I feel... I don't
know what I feel... It... its not
just a protective instinct... its... different... but... what is it? Why
is all of this happening?*

     Kagatsu's thoughts gradually became more complex as his mind grew
weary and he
drifted off to sleep.

*************************************************************************

     After several hours, the sun's golden color melted to waves of
crimson light spreading
out over the yellow-white sea of flames which made up the desert. For
several moments, the
desert seemed to become a real sea of blazing fire. Then, the sun dipped
below the horizon
revealing the clear nighttime sky, cooling the intense heat within the
sands.

     In Akiya's room, Kagatsu's eyes flashed open and scanned the room
like a hawk
searching for its prey. Throughout the inn was an uncanny silence, one
which numbs the throats
of all within it forbidding any sounds to penetrate it.

     *Something's not right here.* Kagatsu thought grimly as he scanned
the room again. *I
feel as if I were being watched... as if there were someone here... or
was here recently.*

     Attempting to maintain the silence, Kagatsu sat up and walked to
the door and carefully
slid it open. He stuck his head out the door looking down the halls and
over the balcony to where
the tavern patrons were drinking. The moonlight seeped through the
hallway windows, and the
soft orange glow of the lanterns in the tavern pulsated softly along the
floors.

     "Kagatsu?" Akiya said groggily as she awoke.

     "I'm here." Kagatsu said softly from the doorway.

     "Is everything all right? I suddenly got this sensation that
something bad happened."

     "I'm not sure. Stay here. I'll check on things out here, I'll be
back soon."

     "Alright."

     Kagatsu stealthily stepped into the hallway and closed the door
behind him. Then, as
quietly as he entered the hall, he walked down to the guards room and
entered. He found the two
guards lying down, apparently asleep, next to the table where several
Mah Jong tiles were
arranged as if a game were being played. Kagatsu walked over to one of
the guards and knelt
bedside him.

     "Hey." Kagatsu said shaking the guard a little. "Something's wrong,
wake up!"

     Kagatsu gently rolled the guard over and found himself staring at a
pale face eyes fixed in a
glazed over glare. The guard's skin was cold to the touch, and his chest
neither rose nor fell due
to breathing.

     *Dead?* Kagatsu thought *But... how? There isn't anything to
indicate there was a fight in
here... no food or drink...*

     Kagatsu carefully looked over the guards body in attempt to
determine how he died. The
guard's face was an almost pure white, the lips an eerie shade of
blueish-purple. The rest of the
body showed no open wounds or bruises nor did the clothing and armor
show signs of damage.
Kagatsu then paid attention to the guards hands, which had turned a pale
shade of blue.

     *The hands are cold... more so than the rest of the body.* Kagatsu
thought *Father once
told me that if the areas furthest from the rest of the body were cold,
it means a fairly slow
death. I... don't see any cuts or bruises, let alone one that could be
fatal... was he... poisoned?
But if he was... how...?*

     Kagatsu scanned the room again. The room was clean, the only things
out were the Mah
Jong tiles on the table, and the two guards. Everything seemed normal,
with the exception of the
Mah Jong game being incomplete. His eyes widening with understanding,
Kagatsu stood up and
rushed back to Akiya's room. Upon entering, he saw Akiya being held by a
man dressed in black
robes holding a knife to her throat.

     "Well, what do we have here." the man said in a mocking tone. "Is
this your friend, little
girl?"

     "Let her go." Kagatsu demanded, drawing his swords.

     "Not so fast there, Sanshi. Put your swords down, or I'll kill
her."

     "That name means nothing to me. It died with me several years ago."


     "Drop your swords!" the man demanded tightening his grip on Akiya.

     "Alright." Kagatsu said non-chalauntly, placing his swords on the
ground. "Now, let the girl
go."

     "Ha! You really thought I would let her go?"

                    "Of course not, but it would be in your best
interest."

                    "Is that so? And just what are you going to do about
it, Sanshi?"

     "Like I said before, that name is dead to me." Kagatsu said, his
voice deathly calm.
Concentrating on the chi around him, Kagatsu felt a warm, invigorating
sensation course through
his body, and slowly he faded from existence.

     "Huh?" The man said, looking around frantically. "Wh... where'd he
go?"

     The man slowly forced a struggling Akiya to the door. But as he
walked through the
doorway, a throwing star whizzed through the air and struck the middle
of his back. In response
to the sudden strike, the man's back contorted inwards causing his grip
on Akiya to loosen.
Akiya struggled free as another star struck the man in the back of his
knee forcing him to the
ground. A third star found itself in the back of the man's neck, and the
man slumped to the
ground, dead.

     Akiya watched the man as he hit the floor, blood flowing freely
from where the stars
pierced his body. She then looked up to see Kagatsu several feet behind
him placing his swords
back into their sheaths. Her eyes still wide from the excitement, Akiya
ran passed the door and
hugged Kagatsu, burying her face into his chest.

     "Hey... um... what's this for?" Kagatsu asked, surprised by the
sudden action.

     "Thank you." Akiya said, her voice cracking from stress, her eyes
filling with tears. "I...
just got scared... I didn't know what to do... then you just vanished
like that and I... I... thought
you might not..."

     "Don't worry about that," Kagatsu said in soothingly. "Its my duty
to protect you now.
Now, let's get going. Don't take anything else but what you have on you.
We'll buy new
equipment when we leave."

     "What's wrong? What happened?"

     "The guards that were with you have been poisoned. Most likely by
the same man, but
we cannot take the chance that someone slipped poison into our food or
water while we were
sleeping."

     "A...alright."

*************************************************************************

     The full moon hung high over head watching as if it were a silent
sentinel guarding the
peace of the night. The silvery-blue desert was at rest from the rage it
possessed during the day.
Kagatsu and Akiya rode their horses at a steady pace towards the west,
neither one uttering a
word. After nearly an hour of travel, Kagatsu slowed his horse and
looked over to Akiya, who
had a concerned look on her face.

     "Alright," Kagatsu sternly. "What's wrong?"

     "Huh?!" Akiya replied in surprise. "Nothing's wrong... what makes
you think there is?"

     "You haven't uttered a word since we left the inn, and you've been
looking as if
everyone is out to get you, so what's wrong?"

     "Nothing... really... its just that... you and that man seemed to
know each other and... I
didn't feel troubled at first but..."

     Akiya trembled as fears began to reach her mind. Tears soon began
to slowly fill her eyes
as she became well aware that Kagatsu was the only one she knew here,
and even then she had
no close friends. Kagatsu stood silent for a moment, looking concerned
to Akiya.

     "I did not know the man back there, but for some reason he knew
me," Kagatsu said
solemnly, bowing his head. "Sanshi... it is a name that has no meaning
for me anymore. Sanshi
was the name of a happy five-year-old, until one fateful day where
everything went wrong.
When things began to lighten up, a kindly doctor took me in, and
nick-named the child Kagatsu,
and ever since, he took the name to be his true name. I... I haven't
told this story to anyone
besides that man who I now call father. But there's more."

     "You don't have to go on, really. I... its alright. I...
understand."

     "Its alright, these are the things my friends know about me,"
Kagatsu said assuring her.
"As I grew older, I began to develop an interest for the art of
ninjitsu. Unfortunately, this is an
art that is almost exclusively taught within a clan. I had heard of a
clan of ninja that used their
skills to thwart the ambitions of clans who attempted assassinations,
robberies, as well as other
similar deeds, and I joined up with them. Several years later, I
discovered that the clan I had
joined was a front for another clan, a clan responsible for nearly one
third of all the
assassinations and kidnappings in Sairo. I had been smart enough to give
them my birth name
when joining, but to leave a clan is impossible except in death. So,
during a mission that was
going bad, I faked my death. Now... the clan is after you for reasons I
am not fully aware of."

     "So that means the people who trained you... are after me... they
must be pretty
powerful.." Akiya said sullenly looking down at her horse.

     "The clan is old, but its members are young. I can promise you
this, however... I will
protect you with my life, there are others in Taisei that will do the
same. You will be safe, as
long as you are with me or any of them. That I can guarantee, so cheer
up a little, okay?"


     "Okay." Akiya said smiling with satisfaction.

     After a short time, the two riders came upon a rocky outcropping
overlooking a large
lowland area where thousands of tiny lights came together in a loose
grid-like pattern.

     "That is the capital." Kagatsu said pointing to the cluster of
lights.

     "It looks so beautiful from here... just like a cluster of stars."

     "It won't be long before we get there. When we do, I'll take you to
see the Emperor. If he
believes that you are Byakko no Miko, everything should go very smoothly
for you."

          "Do... do you think I can be Byakko no Miko?"

     "A lot of things have happened around here lately. The Emperor of
Konan is young, but
he is not without his knowledge, especially when it comes to the
legends. These events, and your
appearance... it makes sense. I believe you, I'll leave it at that."

     "Thank you... It means a lot to me."

     "Don't mention it." Kagatsu said a slight smile spreading across
his face.

*************************************************************************

     Eki and Tatara knelt before a large golden statue of a tiger within
a small room filled
with a light haze from burning incense. Their silent prayers were
interrupted by a knock on the
door, and a guard dressed in the formal garb of the Imperial Guards of
Sairo entered.

     "Pardon my intrusion, but the emperor has declared the appearance
of another Byakko no
Miko!" the guard reported.

     "What?!" Tatara and Eki exclaimed in unison.

     "The Emperor did not believe it at first, but when the guards were
going to take the girl and
her companion away, a white light surrounded the girl and pushed the
guards away. When the
guards were inspected, strange claw marks appeared where they were hit."

     "Where is she now?" Tatara asked

     "She and her companion are being led to the temple as we speak."
the guard said, then exited.

     "Do you think it could be Suzuno?" Eki asked quietly.

     "I don't know, but I hope so." Tatara replied.

     Tatara and Eki left the room and walked into the main hall of the
temple, where they
were met by an elderly man and woman.

     "Subaru, Tokaki, did you hear?" Eki asked, excitement surging
through her.

     "Yes, we just heard. Is it really true?" Subaru, the woman,
answered.

     The main doors to the temple opened as two guards walked in then
stepped to either side
of the hallway. Akiya entered next, followed closely by Kagatsu.

     "Kagatsu!" Eki cried gleefully as she rushed up and hugged him. Her
face soon turned to a
tearful anger as she glared at him. "Don't run off an worry me like that
again!" she demanded,
her voice cracking from her emotions.

     "It just happened," Kagatsu said calmly. "It shouldn't happen
again."

     "Wow... she is soooo sexy." Tokaki said in a drunken, yet quiet
voice. "But not as sexy as
you, honey." he added, quickly and soberly, alleviating the quelling
anger in the woman beside
him.

     "And you are?" Tatara asked Akiya.

     "I'm Akiya. Akiya Byasune." she replied timidly.

     "The Emperor has proclaimed her to be the Byakko no Miko, who has
returned ninety
years after saving Sairo." the guard announced proudly.

     "Oh..." Tatara said slightly disappointed. "Ah, sorry. I am
Tatara." he said over his
disappointment. "This is Subaru, and Tokaki.." he said as he gestured to
the elderly woman, then
to the elderly man beside her.

     "And I'm Eki" Eki said waving happily.

     "Yes." Tatara continued. "We are four of the Byakko seven."

     "Byakko seven?" Akiya asked curiously.

     "Yes, seven celestial warriors who protect Byakko no Miko, and with
the power Byakko has
entrusted to each of the seven, will grant the power to summon Byakko to
the priestess. Tokaki,
Subaru and I are remnants from the seven who summoned Byakko ninety
years ago."

     "Then you must be... over... a hundred years old! But you..." Akiya
said in surprise.

     "It is because of Subaru's power that I remain young," Tatara
replied cooly. "Now then,
in order to assure your protection, and the Shinzaho, you must find the
three remaining seishi:
Kagasuki, Toroki, and Amefuri."

     "What is the... Shin..."

     "The Shinzaho is an object of power Byakko left after he was
summoned. With it, he left
a scroll only to be opened should another Miko in Sairo. Now, that time
has come."

     "I think I understand." Akiya said.

     "Good, then I'll show you to your room."

     Akiya followed Tatara, who motioned the other three seishi to
follow as well. After walking a
ways down the hallway, they opened a door to a decently sized bedroom.
Akiya walked over to
the bed and laid upon it while the four seishi sat around a table.

     "The time has come for us to plan our actions." Tatara began
firmly.

          "The Miko and the Shinzaho both need our protection now."
Tokaki remarked in accord.

     "There is no doubt she is the Miko," Subaru said looking towards
the bed. "Her chi is
much to strong to think otherwise, but why would there be another?"

     "I don't know," Tatara answered cooly.  "One could also wonder why
Kagatsu was with
her. The guard mentioned him as her companion, which would suggest he
has been with her for
the past several days."

     "I'll talk to him about it." Eki offered helpfully.

     "Alright, but not yet. We need to devise a way to protect Akiya and
the Shinzaho without
minimizing our defense of either."

     "Hey, Akiya." Eki said casually. "How did you get to Sairo?"

                    Akiya did not reply, for she lay asleep on the bed.

     "Let her rest." Tatara said. "Much of this must be discussed
amongst ourselves anyway."

**************************************************************************

     Kagatsu walked slowly up and down the temple's main hallway, a look
of growing
impatience spreading on his face. After a while longer, he paused,
turned, and walked to the
main doors a an accelerated pace.

     "In the event anyone needs to speak with me, tell them I have gone
to the spring."
Kagatsu said, turning his head to one of the guards standing just inside
the door.

     "Very well." The guard said evenly, and with that Kagatsu walked
out of the temple.

     The spring was a large body of water, for being in a desert. It sat
in a circle of rock
formations which provided enough shade during the day to keep most of
the area from the sun.
Being an arid country, Sairo had very few such springs, but where ever
one was known, a major
city was sure to be nearby.

     Kagatsu walked to the edge of the spring and sat, gazing at the
reflection of the night-
time sky.

     *It wouldn't have hurt them to acknowledge me,* Kagatsu thought.
*They wanted to
help when I was little, but... I was a hurt little kid let down and
confused when I came here. I
guess they were the target of a lot of the anger that I had, before I
turned it upon myself. Even so,
I would have thought that maybe... maybe if I helped them protect the
Miko, they would at
least... I guess I was wrong.*

     Kagatsu rolled up his right sleeve and carefully removed the
bandages he had placed
around his shoulder. He took some of the water and washed the dried
blood away soothing the
heat from the healing wounds. Once the blood was washed away, a white
character glowed
dimly from underneath. Kagatsu put his head in his hands, trying to
determine the next action to
take.

*************************************************************************

End Episode 2

if you'd like to take a look at Chapter 1 or the unrevised Chapter 3,
you can find them here:

http://members.xoom.com/Souldrake/Fushigi/fanfic.htm

Thanks to Megan, Jen Webster and confuzcius for your C&C and comments
thus far.

SoulDrake

--
"May the journey through the darkness give you comfort in the presence
of the everlasting light"