Feathered Dreams An X/FY fic Rabi-chan Part 3 ------------------------- Miaka ran towards where Kotori was sitting earlier, followed by Yui. No Kotori, that's for sure, but only her bags and her belongings. She turned to her other classmates and asked about the bright light. "Bright light?" "What light? You mean the sunlight?" "A light?" ... Miaka was shocked. No one seemed to have seen the bright light except the two of them. What happened to Kotori? Why couldn't the others see the bright light? What's going on? Wait... what's this...? An old book. The book that Kotori was reading earlier. Its title has been scratched off. Miaka knelt down and was about to pick it up and open it. At that instant, Yui stopped her. She knew it. She could feel it and so did Miaka. There was no way they couldn't have remembered it. The aura. The Book. This Book... The Shijin Tenchisho. "How could this..." Miaka couldn't even imagine this happening to Kotori. She has disappeared. She has been transported to the world in the book for sure. "Yui-chan, we've got to save Kotori-chan! She's becoming a Miko..." Miaka was ready to open the book and jump in at any time. "Wait, Miaka," Yui stopped her the second time. "We can't save her like this. We don't even know the situation she's facing in the book. If we get pulled in without a plan, it's too risky. We should go back and discuss it with Tetsuya-san, Keisuke-sa n and Tamahome immediately." "But... At this rate... Kotori-chan will..." Miaka didn't finish her sentence as she was being interrupted... "What about Kotori? Miaka-chan, Yui-chan, where's my younger sister?" The two girls were joined by a third person. "Fu...Fuuma-san... actually..." Miaka didn't know what to say. "Fuuma-san," Yui went on for her, looking very serious, which took Fuuma by surprise, "please come with us. This may be very difficult for you, but please listen calmly..." Fuuma could have never guessed what he was going to be told. Kotori slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying face down on the ground. She made an attempt to turn around and get up but something was preventing her from moving, as if her legs have been frozen. Her arms, her head, her whole body were hurting like she just had a bad windburn. She looked around, trying to find support for herself, but to her amazement, she found... ...snow. Lots and lots of snow, falling. Wind. Very, very strong wind. Snow? Wind? A snowstorm? In the summer? Kotori couldn't understand it at all. She couldn't move because she was basically stuck in the thick snow. Where am I? Kotori asked herself. What was going on? She was just enjoying her summer picnic at the beach, and the next minute, she was in a place covered with snow? She yelled out for help, otherwise she would be frozen to death wearing only a swimsuit. "Help! Someone please help!" There was nothing, no one around but freezing snow and gusty wind. Kotori tried to struggle her way out, but the snow was too thick for her. She wondered if her voice could reach anyone, anyone at all, even though she was screaming at the top of her lungs... "Help! Is anyone around? Please help!!" Her voice was too soft to begin with, and to make it worse, it was almost impossible for anyone to be around in this kind of stormy weather. She tried her best to call for help. Her voice grew more and more urgent each time she screamed. She was hoping for someone nearby to notice her call for help. But her hope was vanishing as she grew more and more tired. Exhausted. In pain. In agony. Until her voice was barely audible... and her body was almost buried in the snow... "Help..." she's almost losing it, "he...lp me..." She couldn't withstand the cold any longer. Am I going to die? Kotori thought. Fuuma-oniichan, Miaka-chan, Yui-chan, will I not be able to see them again? Kamui-chan? Will I die before his return? Will I... Wait... is that someone...? "He..lp... me..., Ka...mui-chan..." Those were Kotori's last words before she fainted. "Oi! Chichiri! I'm freezin'!!" Tasuki complained in his usual tone. "Cast a spell for lotsa clothes! Or at least for some shoes with better insulation like with lotsa fur inside or something!! Hey Chichiri! You listenin'??" "Tasuki, can't you even bear a little cold?" Chichiri turned around and said. "Besides I don't use my magic for miscellaneous items. Just don't think about it and you will get over it. Daijoubu nano da!" He walked on ignoring him. "C'mon!!!" Tasuki was basically begging. "Just one spell won't hurt right? Besides it's only September and it's never been this cold. Gimme some clothes and I'll treat you a feast afterwards... Oi! Chichiri!!" "It's useless," Chichiri stopped, "and you know it. Then why don't you make a fire for yourself with that fan of yours?" "Okay okay," Tasuki gave up, "I'll do just that." He picked up a thick branch from the ground that was covered with a thin layer of snow. "Rekka Shinen!!" "Done! By the way, Chichiri, don't you think it's weird to have snow in September? Something's not right, y'know?" asked Tasuki, holding that fire a little too close to himself. "Whoaaa... Almost burned myself there." "Ki o tsukeru no da!" Chichiri reminded Tasuki to be a little more careful, and suddenly said seriously, "but you're right. This weather is a little weird for Kounan. And we seemed to have been wandering in the snow around the same place for the past hour..." Tasuki looked around and noticed the same thing. He asked, "Chichiri, just transport us to the old hag's. If we kept goin' in circles, we'd never get there." "If I could do that," Chichiri replied, "I would have done it a long time ago. Something's blocking me and I couldn't pick up the correct path." "Tasuki! Chichiri!" stood Taiitsukun right behind the two of them. "Old hag!! You... you..." Tasuki was, as always, thrown totally off-guard by Taiitsukun's sudden but usual appearance. "You don't sneak behind someone's back like that." "You call me old hag one more time!" Taiitsukun said without looking at Tasuki. "I'll give you a lesson! Let's get serious here. Something's not right here, you two probably have realized that already. I'll explain all of it to you later, but first, follow me and I'll take you to Mount Taikyoku immediately." 'Ka...Kamui...-chan? Are you.... Kamui-chan?' 'Kamui-chan... where are you going?' 'No! Kamui-chan... no! Don't leave...' Kotori tried to chase after the fading Kamui-chan, but he has already dissolved into a swirl of bright light. She held out her hand but couldn't grab hold of anything. Instead, a strong hand took hers. Kotori opened her eyes and for a second she couldn't figure out what was going on. Apparently she was having a dream. The same dream. Wait a minute. She was almost buried in the snow earlier, and now she was lying down on a bed. So she didn't die afterall, Kotori thought. She was saved! At that moment, a voice came to her ears. "Daijoubu desu ka, kimi..." It came from a young man sitting by her bed. He sounded worried. Kotori then noticed that the same young man has been holding her hand all along. She looked up and replied, "Hai. I'm fine. Did you save..." She stopped. In front of her eyes, she saw the familiar face of... "Kamui-chan?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ramblings: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes! I appeared! I didn't. * Kaika walks away, feeling down. Kaika... Don't worry about him. He'll get his turn soon. * Kaika dashes back at the word "soon". Soon? How soon? In the next one or the one after. Yes! I wish I have the chance to appear. * Rabi-chan shakes her head. Too bad. You need some help from me? Maybe... * Rabi-chan goes away. Where's she going? Sleep.