When the Stars Fall

spoilers: manga vol. 16
characters: Taikoubou, Juunisen, Bunchuu
chapters: 2/? (unfinished)
retrieved from: Bunnyhat

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of the characters, or the story, of Houshin Engi. Fujisaki Ryu is the genius behind all of it. All of it I tell you! Please feel sorry for all his characters…they have been probably horribly mangled by me. ^-^; Don’t sue me…I need all the money I can get to buy Houshin Engi stuff…reviews are nice and can help me along, but flames will always be used to warm up my tea…but they are not shunned.

Dedicated: I have to dedicate this fanfiction to Dentsu…for actually getting me into Houshin Engi in the first place. Without Dentsu…I’d be…writing more Yuu-Yuu Hakusho fics. >D To Sunny: Who writes wonderfully, but doesn’t like to take the credit and also inspires me to write more…and, of course, Mearl Dox. ^^; Thank you so much for helping me with writing small bits of this one, Mearl!

Author’s Notes: A few things about this one. This story is written without the author actually reading any of the manga. O.o; I looked at book 1-8 in French…that’s it. So, please, PLEASE do not kill me if I screw something up! ^^; Point it out, and I’ll try to fix it as soon a possible. Also, I need to note that the dialogue is all from ‘Sealed Spirits’; which unfortunately has been taken down for some mysterious reason. I have converted some of the dialogue to make more sense, but most of it is the same. Please take note that if you haven’t read the manga, you will be very, very confused. No real warning on this one. A bit of violence…just read the fic!

‘When the Stars Fall…’

A thought passed through Taikoubou’s mind; a slow realization why he was here…and what was about to happen. A top a Koukin Rikishi that they had pilfered from Mount Konron, Taikoubou piloted it with Fugen, the passive angel, on his right side. They were within the Kingou Islands, off to confront the Chancellor Bunchuu, the temperamental sendou.

The Taishi Bunchuu would not side with the sennin of Konron Mountain, believing them to be separated from the ningenkai. But war was upon them…how could the doushi, Juunisen, and Genshi Tenson of Konron not try and protect the human world from destruction?

The emerald-hued doushi slowed down the paopei, until it stopped, knowing this to be the place to wait for Bunchuu. Large, sphere-like statues stood around their location on the Kingou Islands. A light, alto voice sounded out next to him, and he glanced to the angel that accompanied him.

“Bou-chan! Do you still remember?” The young, brown-haired doushi looked the blue-haired sennin over. Fugen smiled happily to his friend, hiding something behind that smile. “...About 30 years ago, we were also riding on a Koukin Rikishi going out!” The smile was hiding something…Taikoubou knew that much. But what was it?

Taikoubou scratched the back of his bunny-like hat; he wondered why the boy had brought that up. “Oh, seems like there’s something like this! How come you’re suddenly talking about it?” Jade hues glanced over to the halo-decorated boy who just glanced mischievously at Taikoubou before looking quickly away.

“It’s just that I remembered…” A slight pause; Taikoubou cocked his head to the side, wondering what was troubling his dear friend. “…Remembered those times without worries…” The boy had sounded so sad at those words…why was one of the Juunisen acting like this? Maybe it was just the stress that they would be going through as they held off and fought Bunchuu…

“…Oh yeah! You’re hungry right? Bunchuu should be coming soon…we can’t wait for him with an empty stomach…” The young sennin of Konron glanced around the cockpit of the Koukin Rikishi, pulling out a box to show to Taikoubou. Opening it, a batch of rice balls laid inside for them to eat while they waited. “Oh ho! It’s rice balls!” The chocolate-haired doushi reached down and picked one of the rice balls, eating it happily as he smiled to Fugen.

A phone installed in the Koukin Rikishi rang and Taikoubou glanced to it. “...Hmm…?” Still chewing happily, the doushi picked up the phone to answer it, a cheerful voice ringing out. “Hewwo! I’m Taigoubou…oh! Youzen? You alright?” He could hear the tenzai doushi’s voice through the phone, but it was weak. He sounded like it still hurt him to talk…Outenkun’s ticks must have still been affecting him.

“Un…Suusuu! It’s good you’re still safe! I will immediately take everyone over there…” The doushi, still eating the rice ball, gave a small ‘tch’ and spoke back. “Un! If it’s possible try to get here faster! The opponent is Bunchuu, maybe I can endure for only ten minutes…!” He put the phone back down and then finished the remaining bits of the rice ball he had been recently occupied with; Taikoubou grinned over to the sennin that smiled warmly next to him.

“No problem! Let’s go, Fugen!” Turning, with a wild, triumphant smirk, the doushi seemed ready to take Bunchuu out. “We’ll just use ourselves as bait to lure out Bunchuu, and then everyone will finish him together! As long as we know his exact position, then we can avoid getting separated --“ Taikoubou slightly touched his yellow tunic that covered his stomach.

He had gotten dizzy and remembered a time during the start of the Houshin Keikaku where he ate grass. That was stupid, though. Why would a little rice ball hurt? “…Aiya…?” The angelic sennin clasped his hands together as he gazed upward to the slightly sick-looking doushi. “I’m sorry! Bou-chan!”

Taikoubou’s jade hues widened.

He couldn’t believe it! Would the leader of the Juunisen be that…ruthless?! “In the rice balls…you…!” A small smirk covered Fugen’s face, but he only covered it with a pale, slender hand. “…Just like that time when we gave Genshi Tenson the sleeping pills!” The boy turned away from Taikoubou “…Hehehe…”

Gathering his paopei to his violet-clad chest, the young boy turned to his long time friend. “Before everyone arrives there’s no need for two people to die…if someone’s going to die, two people or one person really makes no difference…” The boy jumped off of the Koukin Rikishi. “…One person as bait is enough!”

He kept his back from the Koukin Rikishi and Taikoubou. The boy nodded to himself slowly, knowing this was good. This was the right thing to do. “Fugen…”  Glancing up to the young doushi, he smiled gently. “Go! Koukin Rikishi!” The angel turned away again.

“Idiot…..!” The paopei robot sped away with the drugged Taikoubou on it.

“….Fu…” He watched it leave, knowing that his friend would be safe from the battle that he would have to endure…safe for another day…glancing around, he decided it would be better if he sat down and waited for Bunchuu. Skirting around the pathway, he looked to the large, sphere-like statues.

The boy slumped down to the elevated pathway, slightly weak, and leaned against the ‘star’, looking into the hazy-gray sky. The young sennin began to hug his knees, gazing upward. “This is ok! Bou-chan still has to face the terrible enemy Dakki! He still can’t die!” Fugen knew that it was a good thing that he was protecting Taikoubou and ensuring that the Houshin Keikaku would continue…Dakki would finally be stopped because of his actions.

The young one’s halo began to vibrate slightly, with a bit of pressure, he noticed that it was the force of Bunchuu. “He’s coming!” Fugen released his knees, glancing around quickly. “The atmosphere is filled with wrath!” It wasn’t like Fugen was going to be fighting against some weak youkai sennin. Bunchuu was a formidable opponent. He was probably even more powerful than Genshi Tenson or the late Tsûten Kyoushu…

“Pressure!” The angelic being stood, holding onto his Taikyouku Fuin tightly. The boy was beginning to breath heavily; a few drops of sweat slicked his face and dripped off his chin. A thundering noise came from behind him and he turned his gaze to the spheres behind him. A whip had destroyed a good many of them. “Such a strong pressure…it’s more than the other people I’ve met!”

The whip of Taishi Bunchuu lashed out again, destroying more of Kingou’s spheres. Now, Fugen was visibly shaking at the attacks. If Bunchuu was going to just come in attacking, he wouldn’t stand a chance. The Juunisen…if only they were here! A few more drops of sweat slipped off his wan skin as he waited for the inevitable…