Chapter 1:
The One Who is Lost.
It was a tense moment. The seven Suzaku seishi tiptoed as quietly as they could through the misty forest. Everyone was afraid to speak for fear that they would be heard.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: They were in enemy territory.
Tasuki: Lucca-Chan!
Lucca: Sowwy!
There was the sound of a cracking twig. Signs of preperation for a fight were clear. Nuriko rolled up his sleeves. Tamahome took a fighting stance. Hotohori unsheathed his sword. Chichiri prepared his staff, and Tasuki drew his tessan.
Another twig snapped. Chiriko cowered behind Mitsukake, who patted the boy's head, reassuringly.
The group stepped forward. There was a clearing of trees ahead. Whatever they feared was in that clearing. It was so tense that the seven were afraid to breathe.
They were in the clearing.
At first Tasuki saw nothing. He swiveled around in every direction to see if the enemy had gotten behind them. Then he saw it. "Look there," he said pointing.
It was a brown-headed girl, bound and gagged on the forest floor. She was writhing on the ground, desperate to get free. When she turned to face them, Tasuki saw that her eyes were also covered.
Putting his tessan back in its sheath, Tasuki rushed over and untied the blindfold. The girl's deep purple eyes locked on his. Her eyes said quiet plainly: "Help me." As the other seishi watched carefully, Tasuki removed each of the girl's bindings.
As soon as she was free the girl fell into Tasuki's arms and cried. Tasuki rocked back and forth and stroaked her hair comfortingly.
"Wow Tasuki," Nuriko. "I thought you didn't like girls."
Tasuki silenced him with a look.
The girl finally withdrew herself from Tasuki's arms. She was no longer crying, but each breath she drew was long and shuddering. "Thankyou sir for helping me."
"It was the least I could do," Tasuki said in a voice quite unlike his own. "My name is Tasuki. What's your name?"
This seemed to be the wrong question. Because as soon as he had asked it, the girl burst into tears once again. "I-I d-don't know! I can't remember anything. The last thing I can think of was waking up in a wagon. I asked where I was and a man said: 'That is not your concern. Lord Nakago has ordered you confined somewhere secret.' Then someone else said: 'Shut her up will ya?' And the last thing I remember was getting hit in the back of the head. Then I woke up here." She fell back into Tasuki's arms sobbing again.
"Nakago," Tasuki snarled. "Nakago had this done to you." He went back to stroaking her hair silently.
Hotohori was looking thoughtful. "Why would Nakago wipe a girl's memory and bind her and throw her out in a very dangerous forest?"
"Maybe she's Suzaku no Miko!" Tamahome said excitedly.
Hotohori opened his mouth to say something but Chiriko cut in. "That may be possible Tamahome-kun, but you forget that the Miko could be anyone from another world. Had she shown up in Kutou he would have forced her to be the Seiryuu no Miko."
Hotohori nodded his agreement.
Mitsukake spoke up for a rare moment. "What if she refused?"
"But why would she refuse?" Nuriko chimed in.
It was all silence for a few more minutes.
Tasuki stood with the girl in his arms. "She's asleep." He whispered, his face oddly serious. He walked to Mitsukake. "My friend can you heal her? There is a serious gash in the back of her head, and there are many deep cuts in her wrists and ankles where the bindings were."
Mitsukake nodded and placed a hand on the girl's forehead. The two of them glowed white for a moment, and then it was done. Mitsukake sat down, and drank some water. The healing had taken its toll.
"Let's get out of here," Nuriko suggested. "We can take the girl with us back to Konan. She can be of use to us if she regains her memory."
Everyone nodded their agreement.
When they reached their horses at the edge of the forest there was a moment of confusion concerning the subject of how the girl would travel with them.
"I could carry her," Nuriko offered.
"All the way back to Konan," Hotohori said incredously. "I'm sorry Nuriko. I know you're good, but no one's that good."
"I could conjure a bed for her, no da," Chichiri said coming out of his quiet streak. "And we could drag the bed behind a horse, no da."
Tasuki rejected this promptly. ("What if she falls off!!")
Finally it was agreed that she would ride with Tasuki.
The seven mounted their horses, and left.
The first house in Konan was in sight. It was a little hut that the seven had stopped at many times. It was unoccupied and open for weary travelers. Then the Seishi decided to buy it (with donations from Hotohori) and make it their personal hang out. It was full of supplies and was a prime place to rest up.
Tasuki arrived in front of the house first. He jumped off his horse, which surprisingly hadn't given him any trouble this journey.
Tasuki: *mutters* Stupid horse.
Carefully lifting the still sleeping girl off his horse, he took her inside and laid her on the bed. (Despite the protests of the other seishi.)
Hotohori: Well it was our bed.
Chichiri, however fixed this problem by conjuring a bed much bigger than before for the seven to sleep in. It was getting dark and they were tired.
Soon everyone was asleep in bed.
Except for one person.
Tasuki pulled a chair from the kitchen area and situated himself by the girl's bed. He sat in the chair backwards and sat so he could lean on the back of the chair and keep a watchful eye over the girl.
It was past three in the morning when he finally grew tired. His last thoughts were of her.
"Lord Nakago."
Nakago turned around to see his head gaurd looking afraid. "Yes?"
"The captain in charge of the abduction has just seen me with some, ah, upseting news."
Nakago raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"
"It seems they have, ah, lost the girl."
"WHAT!?!?!" Nakago was outraged. "How could you lose her? She was bound, gagged and blinded! Where could she have gone?"
The head gaurd was still looking afraid. Afraid that his head might be seperated from his shoulders if he said the wrong thing. "It appears that the abduction crew left her out in the forest and went to, ah, resupply."
Nakago tried to regain some of his control. "What of the reports on the Suzaku seven?"
Now the gaurd appeared as though he wanted to run. "That's the thing, Lord Nakago. Sources tell me that the Suzaku seishi were last seen around the outskirts of the forest."
That was the last straw for Nakago. He controlled himself admirably and said in a shakey voice. "So they have their Miko. Do they know its their Miko?"
"I don't believe so sir. The last I heard, the girl had not regained any of her memory. She still does not even know her own name."
Nakago laughed. "Good. Finally some good news. By the time she regains the memory of coming from another world and hearing about being the Suzaku no Miko, we will have found our Miko." He laughed again.
The gaurd turned to leave.
"Oh and one more thing General."
The guard slowly turned back to Nakago. "Yes sir?"
Nakago moved swiftly toward him and in the blink of an eye took off the guard's head with his sword. Blood splattered the walls. "That's for losing the girl," Nakago snarled.
End of Chapter 1!
The One Who is Lost.
It was a tense moment. The seven Suzaku seishi tiptoed as quietly as they could through the misty forest. Everyone was afraid to speak for fear that they would be heard.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: They were in enemy territory.
Tasuki: Lucca-Chan!
Lucca: Sowwy!
There was the sound of a cracking twig. Signs of preperation for a fight were clear. Nuriko rolled up his sleeves. Tamahome took a fighting stance. Hotohori unsheathed his sword. Chichiri prepared his staff, and Tasuki drew his tessan.
Another twig snapped. Chiriko cowered behind Mitsukake, who patted the boy's head, reassuringly.
The group stepped forward. There was a clearing of trees ahead. Whatever they feared was in that clearing. It was so tense that the seven were afraid to breathe.
They were in the clearing.
At first Tasuki saw nothing. He swiveled around in every direction to see if the enemy had gotten behind them. Then he saw it. "Look there," he said pointing.
It was a brown-headed girl, bound and gagged on the forest floor. She was writhing on the ground, desperate to get free. When she turned to face them, Tasuki saw that her eyes were also covered.
Putting his tessan back in its sheath, Tasuki rushed over and untied the blindfold. The girl's deep purple eyes locked on his. Her eyes said quiet plainly: "Help me." As the other seishi watched carefully, Tasuki removed each of the girl's bindings.
As soon as she was free the girl fell into Tasuki's arms and cried. Tasuki rocked back and forth and stroaked her hair comfortingly.
"Wow Tasuki," Nuriko. "I thought you didn't like girls."
Tasuki silenced him with a look.
The girl finally withdrew herself from Tasuki's arms. She was no longer crying, but each breath she drew was long and shuddering. "Thankyou sir for helping me."
"It was the least I could do," Tasuki said in a voice quite unlike his own. "My name is Tasuki. What's your name?"
This seemed to be the wrong question. Because as soon as he had asked it, the girl burst into tears once again. "I-I d-don't know! I can't remember anything. The last thing I can think of was waking up in a wagon. I asked where I was and a man said: 'That is not your concern. Lord Nakago has ordered you confined somewhere secret.' Then someone else said: 'Shut her up will ya?' And the last thing I remember was getting hit in the back of the head. Then I woke up here." She fell back into Tasuki's arms sobbing again.
"Nakago," Tasuki snarled. "Nakago had this done to you." He went back to stroaking her hair silently.
Hotohori was looking thoughtful. "Why would Nakago wipe a girl's memory and bind her and throw her out in a very dangerous forest?"
"Maybe she's Suzaku no Miko!" Tamahome said excitedly.
Hotohori opened his mouth to say something but Chiriko cut in. "That may be possible Tamahome-kun, but you forget that the Miko could be anyone from another world. Had she shown up in Kutou he would have forced her to be the Seiryuu no Miko."
Hotohori nodded his agreement.
Mitsukake spoke up for a rare moment. "What if she refused?"
"But why would she refuse?" Nuriko chimed in.
It was all silence for a few more minutes.
Tasuki stood with the girl in his arms. "She's asleep." He whispered, his face oddly serious. He walked to Mitsukake. "My friend can you heal her? There is a serious gash in the back of her head, and there are many deep cuts in her wrists and ankles where the bindings were."
Mitsukake nodded and placed a hand on the girl's forehead. The two of them glowed white for a moment, and then it was done. Mitsukake sat down, and drank some water. The healing had taken its toll.
"Let's get out of here," Nuriko suggested. "We can take the girl with us back to Konan. She can be of use to us if she regains her memory."
Everyone nodded their agreement.
When they reached their horses at the edge of the forest there was a moment of confusion concerning the subject of how the girl would travel with them.
"I could carry her," Nuriko offered.
"All the way back to Konan," Hotohori said incredously. "I'm sorry Nuriko. I know you're good, but no one's that good."
"I could conjure a bed for her, no da," Chichiri said coming out of his quiet streak. "And we could drag the bed behind a horse, no da."
Tasuki rejected this promptly. ("What if she falls off!!")
Finally it was agreed that she would ride with Tasuki.
The seven mounted their horses, and left.
The first house in Konan was in sight. It was a little hut that the seven had stopped at many times. It was unoccupied and open for weary travelers. Then the Seishi decided to buy it (with donations from Hotohori) and make it their personal hang out. It was full of supplies and was a prime place to rest up.
Tasuki arrived in front of the house first. He jumped off his horse, which surprisingly hadn't given him any trouble this journey.
Tasuki: *mutters* Stupid horse.
Carefully lifting the still sleeping girl off his horse, he took her inside and laid her on the bed. (Despite the protests of the other seishi.)
Hotohori: Well it was our bed.
Chichiri, however fixed this problem by conjuring a bed much bigger than before for the seven to sleep in. It was getting dark and they were tired.
Soon everyone was asleep in bed.
Except for one person.
Tasuki pulled a chair from the kitchen area and situated himself by the girl's bed. He sat in the chair backwards and sat so he could lean on the back of the chair and keep a watchful eye over the girl.
It was past three in the morning when he finally grew tired. His last thoughts were of her.
"Lord Nakago."
Nakago turned around to see his head gaurd looking afraid. "Yes?"
"The captain in charge of the abduction has just seen me with some, ah, upseting news."
Nakago raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"
"It seems they have, ah, lost the girl."
"WHAT!?!?!" Nakago was outraged. "How could you lose her? She was bound, gagged and blinded! Where could she have gone?"
The head gaurd was still looking afraid. Afraid that his head might be seperated from his shoulders if he said the wrong thing. "It appears that the abduction crew left her out in the forest and went to, ah, resupply."
Nakago tried to regain some of his control. "What of the reports on the Suzaku seven?"
Now the gaurd appeared as though he wanted to run. "That's the thing, Lord Nakago. Sources tell me that the Suzaku seishi were last seen around the outskirts of the forest."
That was the last straw for Nakago. He controlled himself admirably and said in a shakey voice. "So they have their Miko. Do they know its their Miko?"
"I don't believe so sir. The last I heard, the girl had not regained any of her memory. She still does not even know her own name."
Nakago laughed. "Good. Finally some good news. By the time she regains the memory of coming from another world and hearing about being the Suzaku no Miko, we will have found our Miko." He laughed again.
The gaurd turned to leave.
"Oh and one more thing General."
The guard slowly turned back to Nakago. "Yes sir?"
Nakago moved swiftly toward him and in the blink of an eye took off the guard's head with his sword. Blood splattered the walls. "That's for losing the girl," Nakago snarled.
End of Chapter 1!