| Eternal Bond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kanji | 永遠の絆 |
| Romaji | Eien no Kizuna |
| Volume | 11 |
| Navigation | |
| ← The Prophecy's Conclusion | Roar of the Sky → |
Eternal Bond (永遠の絆, Eien no Kizuna) is the Thirty-Seventh chapter of Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden.
Summary
Teg is now an official member of the Genbu Seven. Uruki ascends to the throne as the 6th emperor of Hokkan, and in the midst of political unease with Kutou, he and Takiko get married.
Plot
Uruki's ascension to the throne
As Uruki fingers the royal seal, bidding his late father a restful peace, Takiko starts coughing, making Uruki recollect what Hagas has told him. The earlier havoc has subsided, and palace guards gather outside the room where Takiko and Uruki are. Inami and Hikitsu rush in, demanding to be let in, but the palace guards are suspicious of Inami. Uruki slices through the door, Takiko in his arms, saying that she needs to take a rest. They all discover that King Temudan is dead, stabbed by a loyal retainer of Tegiru. The guards apologize for their rudeness to Uruki as the wind woman, and acknowledge him as the rightful heir to the throne. As they make their way through the path, Uruki tells them to meet the other warriors and to also collect Hagas' corpse. Takiko is shocked as Uruki informs her that there can only be "one" Urumiya so the whole symbol can be engraved. Uruki has a slight wound on his shoulder - Hagas let himself be struck by a branch in the underground prison to save Teg from an accident. Uruki also tells her that he had Tenzaibyou like Temudan, so either way, he didn't have much time left - and Hagas didn't feel like fighting anymore. The effortless cut on Uruki's shoulder explains it all.
Takiko is in tears, and she starts worrying about Filka. She asks Uruki to protect her, too, since they are cousins. As she dresses Uruki's wound, they come to Ayula's room - who is suffering from a heart illness. She is happy and touched to see her son again.
Tomite, Hatsui, and Filka are informed of the inward political stability in Hokkan. Teg calls out to Filka and Takiko, revealing Hagas' corpse, lying on a temporary funeral bed. Filka decries of how unrequited her love was, and why Hagas never looked at her at all. She says that she wished Hagas lived for a bit longer, since she gave him a Life Stone.
Teg as Urumiya
Teg explains to Filka that all her brother's memories and feelings were transferred to him, and he now feels as if they were his own. He tells Filka that Hagas wanted her to live, and that all he wanted for Filka was for her to be happy. Teg pats her on the shoulder, as she sheds one more tear, saying that Urumiya is one now.
Teg apologizes to Takiko for his aggressiveness towards them when he was still imprisoned - and thanks her for bearing with Hagas' threats. To seal his apology, he hands over the scroll.
Hien's death
Meanwhile, Shigi and a terribly injured Hien flee from the Underground Prison in order to return to the Kutou Army base. Shigi is shocked to overhear from nearby Hokkan soldiers that Uruki has ascended to the throne, the ill omen was false, and the Genbu Seven are gathered. Hien tells him halfway that their chances are slim, with the warriors' powers against them. The nearby Hokkan soldiers spot them, and plan to arrest them. As Hien calls to Shigi for help, the eunuch cuts them all down in cold blood. Hien is shocked, but Shigi tells him nothing more than to beg for Hakei's forgiveness in the afterlife, and calls him a coward.
Takiko as empress of Hokkan
Back in the Hokkan palace, Uruki is extremely busy with public affairs. He orders food and fur to be distributed to the citizens, and to also open the National Treasury. He orders for the head army commanders to protect the citizens, saying that the Genbu Seven will aid them. Uruki and Takiko have already agreed not to summon Genbu, assuming that they can protect Hokkan with their powers.
Hatsui hands Takiko an herbal medicine to keep her from collapsing. He tells her to leave the fighting to them, and hurry up to be Uruki's wife - because the word "bride" suits her better than "priestess". Takiko lies down to rest as Hatsui leaves the room, but the child notices that Takiko is hiding something for sure. As he closes the door, Tomite and Hikitsu tell him that he's said something good.
Later, Inami and Filka visit Takiko. Filka tells her that she is thankful for Uruki protecting her - since she is Tegiru's daughter, she would have already been thrown into prison if it were not for her cousin's commands. She says that her feelings towards her cousin are mixed, because she wished she was born male, and especially because she was envious of the unbreakable bond between Takiko and the Genbu Seven. Filka tells her that since Teg is always by her side, she is coping well.
Inami and Filka trick Takiko into putting on a wedding dress, telling her that it's the priestess outfit. Meanwhile, Tomite and Hikitsu interrupt Uruki's meeting, saying that Takiko went to summon Genbu and that she was in pain. Uruki falls for the trick, and as he arrives at the shrine, he is ambushed by Inami and Namame, who change his clothes.
Filka tells Takiko that it's not a priestess attire - it's a wedding dress. Ayula tells Uruki that this is the right time for ceremonies since it's a time of war, and Uruki will be heartbroken if they fight the battle with the regrets of not being able to swear his love to Takiko. Uruki agrees wholeheartedly as they recite their vows and the ceremony commences. Takiko is pensive and is overcome by the fact that her "forbidden" wish was granted. As the ceremony ends, Tomite congratulates Takiko.
Now in their new room, Takiko says that the snow has stopped for awhile. They discuss how Takiko has set the foundations for the priestesses of Byakko, Suzaku, and Seiryuu. Uruki tells her that he knows for himself that she is the "strongest" priestess, and she is probably the "best catch".
Teg's assumption
Filka is complaining about how cold it is, with Teg leaving the window open though the snow has stopped. He is terribly perturbed about the current weather, telling Filka that though he was imprisoned underground for nearly 18 years, he can tell that there is something wrong. As the Kutou Army arrives in front of the Hokkan Palace, Teg senses that there will be an awful catastrophe waiting for all of them, and hopes that it is something in their power to stop.