Week 8 Summary
Episode 8 Summary (“Brief Parting”):
Miaka is home, but Yui is not, and none of their friends know where she’s gone. They also don’t know that she has been gone—Narnia-like, all the time that Miaka spent in the book was less than two hours in our world. This fact is not conducive towards making people believe her story, but when Miaka gets home she tries telling her brother anyway (but not before changing her hairstyle—she’s got her priorities straight). Miaka’s brother is not particularly helpful; he warns his sister that from what he knows about dealing with books and other magical artifacts there is almost always a sacrifice involved in their use; Miaka’s lucky she got away safely this time, but she shouldn’t mess with it any more. He then performs an impromptu Satanic ritual, for reasons which have escaped my mind but which definitely show that our club is NOT Bethel-appropriate. Miaka tries calling Yui’s parents again but has no luck; they’re getting kind of worried about her as well, since she usually calls if she’s going to be late. With no other explanation, Miaka finally accepts that Yui’s been drawn into the book and become the sacrifice for Miaka herself. Miaka must go back and save her! She puts together a pack and heads for the library, but her brother sees her leaving and catches up as she walks into the room (magically opened by Suzaku herself). Although he only half-believes her he tries to convince Miaka not to go; however, she is adamant that she must save Yui and, clutching the book to herself, is enveloped once again by the red light and whisked away to the Universe of the Four Gods. She lands with considerable force on Hotohori’s head, of course, but oddly enough he doesn’t seem to mind: in the universe of the book it’s been two months since the last time Miaka was seen. Despite Hotohori’s excitement, he is somewhat downcast: all is not well, and Konan is about to enter a war that it cannot hope to win against the nation to the east, an enemy that desires only land and cares nothing for people. The only way to avert the disaster is to call on the power of Suzaku, and to do that Miaka must complete her quest for the Seven Stars of Suzaku. Since no one’s heard of Yui either, it seems that becoming the Priestess of Suzaku may also be Miaka’s only way to recover her friend. Secure in the knowledge that only a short span of time will pass at home no matter how long she spends in Konan, Miaka agrees to embark on the quest. Nuriko will come along, dressed as a man this time since traveling as a girl would be too dangerous (but I should make it very clear that s… he still hasn’t given up on Hotohori). Tamahome is not in the palace, having left in order to forget about Miaka; but our nervous heroine is assured that yes, he still loves her, it’s just that they didn’t know if she’d ever be back.
The journey begins, and Hotohori, Nuriko, and Miaka set off to fulfill their destinies, which apparently are very dark. At any rate, the first thing they run into is a mysterious blackness and at its center waits… Tamahome! He knows nothing about the phenomenon, but he reveals that he’s hired himself out as a bodyguard to a bunch of poor villagers worried about the upcoming war (he introduces Nuriko to them as “some gay guy,” which does not go over well with said purple-haired lady. Man). And of course he and Miaka get their reunion, with lots of sparklies. But their joy doesn’t last long, because as the episode ends a mysterious pair of hands reach out of the darkness and grab Miaka roughly, dragging her into the night whence no hint of glistering comes…