*I have found this great series, and I'm hooked on it. I have decided to write a fanfic on it.

*In this version, when Miaka is in the Universe of the Four Gods, she wears the attire proper for a priestess in the palace, and when she's out of the palace, she wears clothes appropriate for traveling.

*In my fanfic, the priestesses have to go through sacred Initiation Ritual to see if the girl in question is the true priestess. They cleansed from head to toe and then bought to the shrine of the sacred beast. There are they submerged in sacred water, and if the god deems her worthy, then markings from her shoulders to her feet will appear on her body. The Priestess of Suzaku will have fiery feather-like markings, the Priestess of Seiryuu will have blue flowing wind like dragon markings, the Priestess of Genbu will have black water flowing, tortoise shell markings, and the Priestess of Byakko has silver tiger mark with bamboo leaves markings.

The Mysterious Play:

Episode 1:

After School:

"OW! My arms are dead!" I complained after trying to move them. But I guess it serves me right sleeping in class and hitting the English teacher with my desk when waking up. But these high school entrance exam studying is really taking a toll on me. I know that they're important, but I wish they would ease up a bit, I'm barely getting the four hour minimum requirement for human sleep.

"Hey Miaka! Are you coming?" My best friend Yui called out to me. "Yeah, I'm ready to get out of here!" I answered as I got up from my desk ready to be done with studying until after dinner. I can get some relief on the way home. "I can't believe you fell asleep in class like that, Miaka." one of my friends exclaimed. "You'll never get in into Yotsubadai that way." Another one of my friends stated. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to Yotsubadai." I said. "When where are you going?" they asked. "Jonan." I answered. "What?!" they exclaimed in shock, "As Jonan was the hardest and most competitive high school to get into." "It's not my idea! My mom won't let me enroll anywhere else." I explained, grunting at the tiff between me and my mother.

I just don't understand why it has to be this school only and not just a normal public school. Ever since she married my step father, she been a different person, always trying to be sophisticated and proper, not settling for less. And ever since the process to prepare for the high school entrance exams started, she's been extra competitive.

"I thought only Brainiac's like Yui could get in there!" one of my friends said. "Well, she'll definitely get in since she's taking the exams too." I stated. "Didn't want Miaka to be in that place by herself." Yui answered.

"Yui, didn't you say that you needed to make a stop before going home?" I asked. "Oh right! The library!" Yui exclaimed, "Come on, Miaka! Let's go!" "Right behind ya!" she exclaimed as they ran to the train station.

At the National Library:

"Wow! This is feels a lot more intimidating than our public or school library!" Miaka exclaimed, feeling really small at the moment. "Of course, they got books from all over the world here. "So it's more of an international library than national library." Miaka stated in a jest. Rolling her eyes at her friend's joke, Yui and her friend went inside. "I'm just doing a return so I won't be long." Yui said, holding her borrowed book. "All right, I wait here!" Miaka exclaimed.

"Somehow, I feel really out of place here." Miaka said, feeling very small, then she gave herself a shake, "Oh come on, don't be like that Miaka, you're part of the nation too!" she took a look around the lobby and noticed a hall with three machines against the wall. "Oh great! They got some drink machines here!" she exclaimed, "Perfect timing, I was feeling parched!"

She walked over to the machine that served hot drinks, got her wallet out, and searched to the right amount of change to put in. But as she shifted through the small bag, a coin fell out and rolled on the floor until it stopped. "Oh, butterfingers!" Miaka scolded herself as she bent down to pick it up.

For some reason, she felt a burst of heat from behind her and heard the flapping of large wings. She turned around and saw a great big red phoenix like bird flying behind her and flying towards the floor upstairs. Like a curious kitten, she followed the majestic bird up the flight of stairs, which lead to an empty reference room.

She went inside and couldn't find any trace of the bird anywhere. "That's weird, I'm sure it came in here." she said to herself. "Miaka?" a voice called out from behind her, almost making her soul jump out. She turned around and saw that it was only Yui. "What are you doing inside this room?" she asked.

Miaka then explain what she thought had happened. "A bird in the National Library?" Yui said skeptically as she contemplated what her friend said. "Yeah, a big fiery phoenix like bird. I heard it…I mean the flapping and the screeching…" Miaka tried to explain. "Yeah right." Yui said in disbelief. "Fine! You don't have to believe me if you don't want to." Miaka said in a huff.

Then suddenly, there was a thump from behind them. They looked for the source of the sound and saw a large red book with Chinese writing on the cover. "The Universe of the Four War Gods" Yui read. "What's it about?" Miaka asked as they picked it up and opened it. "I guess it's a book on ancient China." Yui hypnotized. "I wish we could read what it says." Miaka stated wishfully, curious of the contents of the book. "Here by, the girl…opened a portal, which lead to another world." Yui read aloud. "Oh never mind, you can read it, no problem for the smartest girl in school." Miaka stated.

Then something in the book caught her eye. It was an illustration of a majestic bird with fire like feathers. "That's it! That's the bird I saw!" she exclaimed. Becoming more curious, Yui continued to translate the book.

"This is the story of a girl, who gain the powers of Suzaku and made her wish come true. For the story begins, the every moment the first page is turned." she translated. "What does that mean?" she asked Miaka. "If you don't know, how should I?" she pointed out.

Then a blinding bright red light came from the book and the two girls closed their eyes as the light engulfed them. Suddenly the same fiery bird appeared to be flying in a starry sky carrying the two girls inside it. As it ascended further into the sky, a bright white light obstructed everything from view.

In some Unknown Place:

The girls were in each other's arms to protect one another from whatever danger might come their way. As they woke up, they check themselves to see if everything was in check. "Where are we?" Yui asked. "Yui are you okay?" Miaka asked concerned, but then a look of shock spread across her face as she saw her new surroundings for the first time.

"Where are we?" Yui asked astonished. "Yui…" Miaka said, feeling like a little girl who got separated from her parents. Then suddenly, Yui elbowed Miaka in the head. "Does this hurt much?" she asked as if testing a hypothesis. "Well, how about this?!" Miaka asked while pinching her friend's cheek.

"OW! This hurts too much to be dream!" Yui exclaimed. "A dream where there's no sign of civilization or two of four of the most important things that keep one alive!" Miaka stated. "Four things that keep us alive?" Yui asked. "Air, energy, food, and water." Miaka answered, "I can see plenty of air and energy possibilities, but no water or food, at least not any I recognize as eligible." "I should have known that food was going to come up as a topic eventually." Yui said with a sigh. "I'm more thirsty than hungry right now." Miaka stated, "Humans can survive on water alone for days, but wild plants that are eligible aren't on the study material for the entrance exams. You wouldn't happen to know any, would you?"

But Yui didn't answer her question. "Yui?" Miaka asked as she turned around. Behind her were two burly men wearing old Chinese clothing, one of them held Yui by the neck. "This woman is quite something!" the one who looked like the leader stated. "We can fetch a good price for her!" the one holding Yui added. "Please tell me, you guys are a Chinese acrobatic troupe." Miaka said, getting a bad feeling. "Are you stupid? We are human slave traders!" the leader answered.

Without a second thought, Miaka charged the man holding Yui, and tackled him to the ground. 'MIAKA!" Yui exclaimed. "GO YUI! RUN FOR IT!" Miaka yelled, willing to sacrifice herself for her friend to escape. "YOU MISERABLE GIRL I'LL…" the leader started to say as she pulled out a knife on her. But before he made a move, someone grabbed the wrist holding the blade and twisted around to the back.

Crushing the man's wrist, was a young man of about seventeen years with dark blue hair tied in a low thin ponytail with fierce ash mauve eyes. "Stop that now!" he said. Then the other man charged at the young youth, but he easily dodged it. As he continued to fight, the tow girl watched him in awe. Something on his forehead especially caught Miaka's attention, it was glowing red Chinese writing which said 'Ogre.'

When the two slave traders have enough, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Then the young man turned to the young girls and asked, "Are you two alright?" "Yes! Thanks a lot for your help!" Yui exclaimed full of gratitude. Then the boy bend down to their eye level and held out his hand. "Well, I prefer money to any thank yous" he exclaimed greedily. "What?!" the two girls exclaimed.

"Hold on! Don't tell me I save a bunch of broke girls!" he complained, "Come on ladies! Money makes the world go round, you know" "We didn't ask for your help, anyway!" Yui snapped in disgust as she chased after the man as he walked away from them. "I suppose I can give him a little tip to show our gratitude." Miaka said as she searched for her wallet again.

"Well, later losers!" the man said. "No wait! We're lost! Tell us where we are!" Yui demanded. Then suddenly the red light appeared again, enveloping Yui. "This is the same red light." Yui stated as she suddenly what this could mean, "MMMMMMMIIIIIAAAAKKKAA!" but her call to her friend was drowned out as she was completed enveloped in the light and disappeared and the red light did. Miaka managed to find a couple of bills, but then she noticed that Yui and the mysterious boy were gone and she was all alone.

Back in the National Library Reference Room:

Waking up from unconscious again, Yui found herself in the reference room again. However, no matter where she looked, she could not find her friend anywhere. "What happened?" she asked out loud as she ran around the room to try to find her friend, "Miaka! Miaka!" But Miaka was not around to answer her.

Then she saw the book from before and it was opened to the page of a familiar scene. She knelt down and read the page. "Just when all hope seemed lost, a man with the symbol of the 'Ogre' on his forehead appear, and defeated all the villains." she read in astonishment, "Impossible! That's exactly what happened to us! But wasn't that just a dream?" The book wasn't a dream, it was reality, that's what Yui realized as she continued to read the book.

Inside the Book:

Miaka was on the wagon, laying against the straw. The passerby had weird looks on their faces as they saw the girl with strange clothes. "I wish they would stop staring." Miaka stated, even though she knew they couldn't help be curious. 'Anyway, that guy from before was around when Yui disappeared, either she's with him, or those slave traders from before took her again, or she could be somewhere else for that matter.' she thought to herself, 'My best chance in finding her, is to track down that guy and ask him about it.

Then a scene on her right caught her eye. It was a magnificent city of Chinese architecture with cityscapes as far as the eye can see. "Wow! This place is breathtaking! Just like a film set." Miaka exclaimed in astonishment, "With so many people, I sure I can find something about them here!"

Then among the crowd on a random street, Miaka spotted a familiar silhouette, it was the boy from before. "There he is! He's not getting away this time!" she exclaimed as she got off the chart, "Thank you for the ride!" The driver looked around in surprise as he realized that he had a hitchhiker.

She dashed down the stairs on the hill that lead to the center of the city, she looked left and right for the boy and could not find him among the crowd. Then in a parting of the crowd, she saw a group of performers doing tricks on top of trained elephants and she was in awe, then she took a look about the crowd on onlookers. "Well, the people here do look happy. That must be good." Miaka said to herself. Then realized that what she was supposed to be doing. She whipped her head around, but the boy was nowhere to be found. "Oh no! I lost him!"

Then her stomach growled like a tiger, Miaka rubbed it to try and comfort it. "I know I can be a glutton, but no one should complain about this since I had no dinner yet." she said to herself. And then she spotted a stand that was selling food that resembled meat bun dumplings. "Hey girlie! Keep those eyes in that head of yours and that tongue in your mouth!" the seller said as he playfully banged his ladle on her head.

"Sorry! But maybe you can help me, have you seen a young good looking boy about seventeen with a sign of 'Ogre' on his forehead?" she asked as she searched for her money. "Ogre symbol on his forehead?" the seller mused as he exclaimed the money Miaka gave him, "No, but you can call me good looking if you want to." "No thank you…" Miaka politely declined as she was about to choose a bun. "Excuse me, but this isn't money." the seller stated skeptically, thinking the girl was trying to trick him. "Sorry!" Miaka said as she bowed in apology to him and dashed off, berating herself for think Japanese yen would count as money in Ancient China. So she continued her search for the boy, but no luck.

A Few Hours Later:

Exhausted from her fruitless search, Miaka found a small crate to sit on. "I must have looked all over the city and I still haven't found the guy." she thought to herself, "Yui, where are you?" As descended deeper into her thoughts, a hand landed on her shoulder. "Hey! You're not from around here aren't you, so I find was thinking, maybe I can show you around the Kudo Empire." A young man asked. "The Kudo Empire?" Miaka asked, "That's where I am?"
Then a thought struck her, "Wait a minute! Is he hitting on me?" she thought to herself, "Yui was always the more popular one, considering her physique, so this has never happened before. Maybe my appearance is more attractive here than back home. Come on, snap out of it Miaka, you got a missing friend to find, so you can fool around with guys. But maybe he can help you with the search." "Hello…" the man stated, trying to get her attention. "Oh sorry! I got lost in thought there for a bit!" Miaka apologized, "Actually, I'm trying to find someone, or rather two someone's, so I can really use the help of a local."

"Would one of those people be a man with the 'Ogre' symbol on his forehead?" he asked. "Do you know him?" she asked, filling up with renew hope. "The guy's a friend of mine, I can show to him, if you want." he said. "Thanks!" Miaka said in gratitude.

At a Random Restaurant:

"Hey, Have you heard about the strange foreign girl around town?" a random man asked a friend of his. "Oh yeah, the one wearing strange clothing looking for a guy with a strange mark on his forehead." his friend stated. Little did they know, the man they were referring to was sitting at another table and was listening to their conservation. "I heard that she tried to paid for food with foreign currency and ran off." One of them said. "A young foreign girl traveling alone… I hope she's okay." the other stated.

Curious, the boy got up and walked to the two men. "Excuse me?" he stated. "Yes?" one of them asked. "You were talking about strange girl. Was there another girl with her?" the boy asked. "Well, I don't know the whole story, but I heard that she was alone then she tried to take food." the man answered. "I guess it wasn't the girl from before." the boy mused. But something didn't sit right with him.

In an Alley:

"Hey! Is this where your friend is?" Miaka asked. But the man didn't answer. Then she realized where they are and she got a bad feeling about this. "Where are we? Is this where your friend is?" she demanded to know. "Yes, we have arrived." he announced.

Then, out of the side alleys, three men came out snickering, none of them were the man she was searching for. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" one of them asked in amusement. "She's a strange one." another said. "With those clothes, we can fetch a pretty fair price for her." the first added in greed.

"It was a trick wasn't?" Miaka asked. "It's your own fault for believing him in the first place." one of the other men said as he grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Back off!" she yelled as she plummeted her fist on top of the guy's head. "I think she's likes me." the guy teased. "Is it true that women traveling alone are looking for excitement?" the leader asked.

Miaka backed against a wall, she was surrounded by the men. "I can't believe there are punks in Ancient China, I fell for it." Miaka berated herself in head, "Wait a second! This is Ancient China, there aren't any teachers or bad behavior reports, so I can't get in trouble if I decide to get all tomboy and teach these guys a lesson." With that, she took off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves.

"Listen up you fleabags!" Miaka warned, "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't defend myself! And I'll show you by demonstrating the Martials arts I have learned over the years!" Then she charged at the punks, throwing various martial art moves on them. "What in the world is she?" the leader exclaimed in terror. "I've never seen moves like that before!" another said terrified. Before they knew it, she had defeated the last two. "Well, I'm not bad! Maybe if I work really hard, I can complete." she jested to herself.

Then the leader grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her to the ground. "You're going to pay for that!" he threatened and he pinned her to the ground. Fearing the worst was about to happen to her, called out for someone, anyone, to help her.

Out of nowhere, a pebble came from the sky and whacked the leader in the back of the head. "Who did that?" the leader demanded as he looked towards the source of the pebble. The gang looked up and saw a man tossing and catching another pebble. The thugs have never seen him before, but Miaka did, it was the man with the 'Ogre' symbol on his forehead.

"You need four men to pin down one girl?" he interrogated in disgust. Then as the fire in his eyes grew hotter, his 'Ogre' symbol lit up in vigor. "Come on! Show me what you got!" he challenged.

Back in the Reference Room:

Yui sat down against the bookshelf and continued to read the story. "Just when all hope seemed lost, the man with the 'Ogre' symbol on his forehead appeared, ad defeated all the villains." she read aloud. In the book, an illustration depicted the happenings in the story.

Back in the Book:

The boy in a provoked state, used various martial arts to defeat the ruffians and chased them off. As soon as he dusted himself off, he went to make sure that the girl was okay. When their eyes locked with each other, Miaka had the distinct feeling that their fates are deeply intertwined.