Second Chance (Fushigi Yuugi fanfiction)

Prologue -

"Bye!" A young woman, around the age of sixteen, waved to her friends as they left school, each going their separate ways home. "Don't forget about your algebra homework, Rina!"

"I won't," her friend called out over her shoulder. "See ya tomorrow!"

The girl sighed as her friends left her sight and she now stood alone. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that she wouldn't be seeing her friends anymore after today. The girl shook off the thought. "Better get going...."

The girl had been walking for a good fifteen minutes with no indication that something bad was going to happen. That is until she heard a noise in a nearby alleyway. To the girl it sounded like a muffled scream and whispers. The girl frowned, unsure of what to do. She looked around her and found the streets relatively empty of people, only a couple of cars passing by too quickly to try and stop for help. The girl heard the scream again, followed by a shout. It was at that time, she knew what she had to do.

The girl crept up near the alley and peeked in to get a good idea of what was happening. She found a young woman a few years older than herself being pushed up against the alley wall by a man. From her position, the girl couldn't tell what the man was doing exactly but from the woman's expressions, she could tell it wasn't good. She pulled back and reached into her schoolbag. She shuffled silently through it until she found the object she was looking for. The girl pulled out her can of pepper spray and set her bag down so it wouldn't get in her way.

The girl took a deep breath and gathered up enough courage to enter the alleyway. She took careful silent steps as she approached the man from behind. Once she was within spraying distance, she shouted, "Hey!"

The man stopped his assault on the woman and turned to face the girl. The girl took the chance to raise the can and spray its contents in the man's eyes. The man cried out in pain as he tried to rid himself of the burning pain.

The girl looked at the woman and told her to run. The woman didn't think twice before doing as she was told. The girl began to follow close behind, however she only made it to the exit before she heard the echoing of a bang, and then the searing pain in her back. She heard another bang and even more pain erupted through her body. The girl collapsed to the ground, unable to hold herself up any longer. She felt something warm and wet start to drench her clothes. Her breathing became ragged as a thin line of red started to flow from her mouth.

The girl groaned in agonizing pain as she tried to push herself back up. From behind her, she heard the footsteps of someone coming closer. The footsteps stopped once they were beside her. Before she knew it, a foot came in contact with her side, cracking a rib. The action was repeated once more, and the girl rolled over on her back. She trailed her eyes up to the figure standing beside her to see it was the man who had been assualting the woman. In the man's hand was a hand gun small enough to conseal under his clothes without anyone noticing it's presence.

The man sneered down at the bloodied girl, "You should have minded your own business. Anything you want to say before you die?"

The girl blinked as she tried to focus her gaze on the man. "Only that I hope you find forgiveness for your sins." The man frowned and seemed to hesitate as he raised the gun, pointing it directly towards her heart. The girl closed her eyes and a smile came to her face. At least I got to help someone else in my last moments. That was her last thought before the bullet pierced her heart.

~*~

Taiitsukun sat in deep thought as she watched the scene of a young teenage girl give her life to help a stranger in need. The old sage felt pity for the girl and also pride. Yes, Taiitsukun was proud of the courage the girl had shown in her last moments and of the forgiveness that she had given to the man who murdered her. It was not often that such a person came along.

Taiitsukun decided to give the girl a second chance in a new world. In this new world, the teenager serve as Taiitsukun's one and only warrior, like those of the four gods. The sage would train the girl to use her newly granted powers and also teach her about the ways of her new world. And when the time came, Taiitsukun would give the girl a quest that only she may be able to fulfill.