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What is the border between fantasy and reality?
Are what we consider bedtime stories simply windows into
another dimension?
Are authors inadvertant gods, creating and destroying without
ever coming to know that what they write about is real?
How true are the words printed on a page, or carved onto a
stone tablet, or simply spoken to a willing audience?
And what happens if just one thing, just one character, was to
differ from what was recorded on those pages or stone tablets or
listeners' memories? Would the rest of the story change too? How much
would it change?
FUSHIGI YUUGI:
TURNING THE WHEEL
PART ONE
Matsura watched his friend sleep as the teacher droned.
Ordinarily, he'd give Akira a nice, sharp kick, but after all the
studying the two had done last night for today's test, he could see
why his friend would need some sleep.
"Mmm.... Food..." Akira mumbled in his sleep. The teacher
stopped droning suddenly. Matsura tried to reach his friend and wake
him up, but thanks to the new seating arrangements he was out of luck.
The girl seated next to him looked at him strangely as he slid almost
under his desk in an attempt to reach one foot out and nudge Akira.
"What was that, Tanaka-san?" The teacher started slowly
walking down the aisle to where Akira sat with his head pillowed
on his open textbook.
"Hamburgers.... Yes..."
The teacher slapped Akira's desk with his pointer. "Wake up
NOW, Tanaka-san!"
"MUST HAVE FOOD!!!" Akira rose from a full slumber to a perfect
ready position. Or he would have if he hadn't gotten tangled up in his
desk on the way. He fell on his ass as the rest of the room broke up
into laughter.
"Tanaka-san...." The teacher loomed. "That's it! I want a report
on ancient Chinese legends on my desk by this time day after tomorrow!
You will _not_ disrupt my class further with your undiscipline! Out in
the hall!" The teacher pointed with his pointer, and Akira slumped out
of the room. Then, the teacher glared about at all the students.
"Anyone else want some?"
The room was silent.
"Well," the teacher said, mollified. "I guess that taught you a
lesson. Now, I want you to pay attention as I..."
Matsura's attention walked back to his notebook, where he was
dismayed to find pictures of his friend Akira being humiliated by the
teacher. Quickly ripping it out, crumpling it up, and eating it, he
sighed in relief. _Akira won't find that set of pictures._ His stomach
rumbled in protest, and he grimaced in pain. _That is, unless he's
hiding in the toilet tomorrow._
****
Akira rubbed the back of his head as he walked beside
Matsura. "Aww man, why does Tendou-sensei have to be such a jerk?
Remember how he made us bow twelve times last week?"
Matsura sighed. "That was _your_ fault, as I recall. Why do
you have to be such an idiot sometimes? And explain to me again why
_I'm_ being dragged along to the library?"
"All part of my brilliant strategy to one-up that jerk." Akira
held up one finger and nodded. "If I can get a report on a Chinese
legend from a book written in Chinese, then that bastard'll have to
give me _some_ respect." He draped one arm over Matsura's shoulders,
drawing some strange looks from the other passerby. "And you - buddy,
pal, chummer - are the only person I know who can read Chinese."
Matsura elbowed his friend as he slipped out from under Akira's
arm. "If I'd've known that reading Chinese would mean getting dragged
into one of your stupid schemes, I'd've learned Swahili."
Akira clapped his hands twice. "Such is fate. It's your own
damn fault for learning too much for that fancy-schmancy high school
entrance exam."
Matsura shrugged defensively. "What else is there to do at our
school? I'm not interested in girls" _Well, not too interested_ he
added mentally "and I'm not obsessed with working out and martial arts,
unlike you."
Akira poked his friend in the side. "Butterball. You'd better
start working out, else who knows what opportunities you'll miss."
Then, he started leering suggestively. "And I'll bet I know why you're
not interested in girls. After all, _how_ many tentacle dojinshi do
you have of the Sailor Moon charas?"
"One. And I picked it up because the artist who drew it is
mainstream now. Good investment. Maybe I'll use it for blackmail
someday."
The two teenagers traded friendly insults all the way to the
library. To all appearances, they were the best of friends. Who was to
know that one of them was only half-joking?
****
Matsura looked up at the imposing facade of the library. He
said, "Why did we go all the way across town to this library when
there are at least three closer?"
Akira started up the steps. "Because my older sister used to
work part-time here. I know a secret." He nodded to a pretty girl with
short blonde hair. She ignored him. "Come on, slow-poke! Get a move
on!"
Matsura sighed again. "Somedays, he drives me nuts," he
commented in the tones of long-suffering to the girl with blonde hair.
To his surprise, she responded. "Yeah, I have a friend like
that." Matsura watched her walk away before a shout from Akira, who
was already at the top step, dragged his attention away.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Jeez!" Matsura sprinted up the steps.
As soon as he reached the top, Akira nudged him with his elbow.
"So, what did she say to you?"
Matsura took refuge in ignorance. "What did who say to me?"
Akira sighed in exaggerated exasperation. "The babe, the babe!
What did she say to you?"
"None of your business." The two stood in the impressive foyer of
the massive library. Matsura did admit to himself that this library
looked a bit more impressive than the ones closer to home. After
rubbernecking for just a bit, he added, "So, where do we go now?"
"Follow me." With a cocky grin, Akira turned right and walked
into a hallway clearly labeled "Restricted." Matsura reached out and
grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going? That's restricted!"
Akira shrugged his friend's hand off. "Don't worry about it.
Mika said that nobody cares if you go back there. They have old books
they can't identify in a room, and I was thinking that..."
Matsura crossed his arms across his chest. "That was your first
problem: You thought. I do the thinking around here, my musclebound
friend, and _I_ think this is a stupid idea!"
Akira grinned. "What's the matter, chicken?" Then, right there
in the crowded foyer, Akira put his hands in his armpits and started
waving them back and forth. "Bawk bawk bawk!"
Matsura, suddenly fed up, walked right past his friend. "Fine.
But if we get in trouble, you're taking the heat."
"Fine by me. You know I would've anyway." Akira hurried to catch
up. "Anyhoo, to finish what I was saying, I thought that maybe we could
find an old Chinese book of legends and translate it. That would show
the old bugger that I'm better than he is!"
Matsura stopped short. "I'm amazed. That is the makings of a
good idea. Maybe you aren't just a musclebound idiot."
Akira stopped with his friend. "None of the ladies think I am."
He grinned again, this time mischievously.
Matsura smacked his friend in the back of the head. "When
_aren't_ you thinking about girls? What would you do if we went to an
all boys' school?"
"Never stop thinking about 'em; and probably study harder and
get good grades."
Matsura shook his head. "You are incorrigible." Matsura started
up the stairs, with Akira thumping along behind him.
Then, he heard Akira's steps stop. He said in a hushed tone,
"Did you see that, Matsura?"
Matsura turned around. "See what?"
"The b.... Oh, never mind."
Matsura turned back around and started up the stairs again. He
called over his shoulder, "Now you're getting left behind, y'slowpoke!"
****
The door swung open on silent, still-greased hinges. For a
moment, the two friends stood there and looked at their shadows, slices
in the light cast from the doorway. Then, Matsura started rummaging
around the wall near the door. "Gotta be a light switch here
somewhere..."
Akira, who had come prepared, pulled a flashlight from his
backpack. "'Fraid not, oldtimer. This room isn't wired for lighting."
He handed the flashlight to Matsura. "Let's start looking."
The two stuck close together, looking closely at the book spines
revealed in the flashlight's cone of illumination. Then, Matsura's foot
bumped something, and he turned the flashlight down to reveal a book.
He bent down and picked it up, reading the title from the faded,
tattered strip. He sounded out the kanji silently.
Akira looked over his shoulder. "What does it say? What does it
say?"
"Four Gods Heaven and Earth."
Akira smacked one fist into an open hand. "I knew it! Paydirt."
Matsura cracked the book cautiously, respectful of its probable
age. He dropped it in panic when light started seeping out from between
its pages. "What the-"
Before he could finish the sentence, both of them were gone.
****
Random images assault me young woman with long hair pulled back
in braid throned royalty dressed to befit the station but such a sad
expression young woman who is also young man masked one who hides
behind the mask firebrand fighting for freedom the healer and the cat
together boy and old man standing side-by-side finally young woman
reaching for me mouthing....
****
Akira awoke with the taste of dirt in his mouth. "That
suuuucked..." He wasn't surprised to find out that his voice sounded
gravelly; he felt as if he'd swallowed enough of the stuff to make a
pleasant rock garden.
"No kidding..." Akira moved his head. A sharp twinge of pain
and the sight of Matsura lying next to him were his rewards.
He stood up quickly and looked around, ignoring the minor pains
that assaulted him. What greeted his eyes definitely wasn't a library.
It was a pastoral countryside, actually very pleasant to look
at. Cows grazed in the distance, there were rolling hills all around,
trees were scattered around the area, bandits were swarming up from an
ambush...
"Bandits!" Akira nudged his friend with his foot. Only getting
a muffled moan, he kicked again. "Get up, Matsura! Bandits, seven
o'clock!"
"Bandits?" Matsura sat up suddenly and saw the ragtag bunch
that was boiling their way. "Bandits!" He got to his feet, then winced.
"Damn! I think I twisted my ankle."
Akira said grimly, "Don't worry about it. I don't think we
could outrun them anyway."
The two waited as the five bandits surrounded them. Finally,
their job done adequately, a man that towered almost a head over the
other bandits stepped forward. "Okay, little boys. This is our road, so
pay the toll you owe us for letting you breathe while you walk it."
Akira shrugged. "No problem. How much are you charging?"
"Two silvers apiece. I like the way you look, kid, so I'm goin'
cheap on you."
Akira reached into his front pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"What's that in yen?"
"What the hell's a yen?" The bandit chief and the young man
looked at each other steadily for a moment, then Akira handed the chief
a thousand-yen bill. The chief looked at it, examined it, peered at it
closely, then blew his nose on it and threw it on the ground. "Thanks
kid, but I mean _hard_ _coin_. You'd better have some."
"Uh, sorry?"
The chief grinned. "Wrong answer, boy." He motioned, and the
four other bandits started moving in closer. Then, a rock to the side
of the head dropped one of them to the ground, and all the bandits
turned to look at the person who threw it.
She stood on a slight hill, silhouetted against the afternoon
sun. She tossed another rock up and down idly as she said, "Perhaps you
bandits should learn to fight someone who could defend themselves. But
then, if you did fight someone like that, you'd get your butts kicked,
wouldn't you?" As she talked, she walked down the slight rise. All of
the men there were struck by her casual beauty, emphasized by the fact
she was wearing men's clothing. Her long black hair was braided into a
tight queue.
The bandit chief audibly choked in rage for a second, then
shouted with terrifying originality, "Oh yeah!? Well, me and the boys
can beat the shit out of one stupid little girl! Get her!"
She pegged the rock at the bandit chief, who swatted it aside
with his sword. In one smooth motion, she wrapped her queue twice
around her neck, then threw the first bandit to reach her over her
hip. She ducked under the sword swing the next bandit tried, then
slammed one fist backhand into his chest, just below his pectorals.
His ribs audibly snapped, and he sat down hard, screaming.
The next was the bandit chief, and he kept her at a distance,
having seen what she'd done to his minions. She wove and ducked around
his sword swings, waiting for an opportunity.
The last bandit, not about to get into a fight against a
madwoman, turned back around and charged the two teens with his club
over his head. He yelled as he swung down at Akira, then yelled again
as Akira stepped out from underneath the club. Akira spun around the
bandit and kicked him in the ass, helping him on his way to
unconsciousness.
Akira turned his attention back to the fight between the woman
and the chief, only to find it over. The woman posed triumphantly for a
moment over the fallen body of her adversary, then bent down and ripped
a pouch away from his belt. She wieghed it appraisingly and smiled.
"Well, I didn't make out too bad. Speaking of which..."
She walked over to where the two teens stood. Akira was
surprised to find that the woman he'd taken to be maybe twenty-five or
so was only a few years older than himself. "I just saved your life,
kid. You'd better be willing to reward me."
Swallowing at the implied threat, Akira fished out another
thousand-yen bill and handed it to her. The woman looked at it,
examined it, peered at it closely, then blew her nose on it and dropped
it on the ground. "That ain't money!"
Defensively, Akira said, "Yes, it is money!"
"Where?"
"Japan."
The woman walked past the two teens and waved her hand
dismissively. "Never been there. Aw well, you win some, you lose some."
She started down the road, and Akira shouted at her.
"What's your name?"
Without turning around, she shouted back, "Tamahome!" Then, she
disappeared around a hill.
Akira turned back to Matsura, who hadn't said a work all
throughout this. "What was that all..." That's when he realized that he
could see a tree through Matsura. Hell, he could count the bugs on the
tree through Matsura. Suddenly, morbidly sure that Matsura was going to
disappear and leave him behind, Akira lunged for his friend, only to have
him vanish just before his hands closed.
He slumped to his knees and cried, ashamed at his weakness but
unable to help himself. "Where am I? How am I going to get home?"
****
Matsura awoke, sure that it had all been a dream. "Damn,
something must've hit me pretty hard, Akira..."
Akira didn't answer. Matsura looked around and found himself
alone in the room filled with old books. For one anger-filled moment,
he was sure Akira had abandoned him, but he squelched that thought.
_Akira may be kinda flaky sometimes, but he wouldn't ditch me if I'd
hurt myself..._
He saw the book that he'd picked up lying open on the ground.
As he bent down to pick it up and put it back on the shelf, he saw that
the page it was open to was half-empty. He shrugged. _Handwriting
authors were sloppy back then, I guess._ Then, he watched in
fascination as a kanji formed on the page with perfect brush strokes
from an invisible pen. _That's impossible!_
He picked up the book and started reading aloud. "Suzaku no
Miko sat in the middle of the road, crying for her lost world..."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Well, that was pretty fun. Just a funny idea I had after
watching the entire Fushigi Yuugi series in one frantic weekend. Ah,
those were the days.
However, it took me almost six months to get around to writing
this thing. How strange. Oh well. That leads to a very interesting
problem, though. I can't remember what happened in the series well
enough to write more, and my friend who owns the fansubbed version
won't let me borrow them!
Any heavy-duty mistakes in continuity (Okay, fine, laugh if you
must, but you know what I mean) is due to the fact that I haven't seen
it in so long. So, I begin a petition. If you want to read more of this
series, email my friend and ask him to let me borrow it. His address,
to the best of my recollection, is tyrtle@megami.net.
Okay, maybe that would just piss him off more. How about this:
If another part hasn't appeared in a week, THEN we all get together and
email him. Tyrtle, if you're reading this, _pleeeeeeze_ let me borrow
those tapes again! I know you're mad at me still, but I really wanna
write more of this!
Yes, I do know that "Miko" translates as "Priestess" or
something similar. That glitch at the end is intentional. And don't
bother asking me what other Seishi I'm gonna change. I don't know
myself, yet. If I change either Noriko or Chichiri, though, my mom
would kill me...
Yeah, my mom likes anime. Don't I got a cool mom? ^_^
Aaron Bergman
iamfanboy@hotmail.com
"Murphy and Malthus are the greatest comedians:
They always have the last laugh."
-Me