The Eighth Warriors
by: Kami and Tsuki
Chapter 1: The First Act
Tenryo......
An odd place due to the fact that it houses two of Seiryu's Shichiseishi....
Although there is a legend: That when the time comes one extra seishi of each god,
who will be called the Hachiseishi, will come and save the Four Countries. This place houses
two of them.
Seishin, Suzaku Hachiseishi Tsuki; and Eikou, Seiryu Hachiseishi Kami
And thus the story begins. The young Seiryu and Suzaku warriors, oblivious
to the destiny that lies before them, are engaged that something that most normal children wouldn't do.....
"Eikou-chan, you aren't SERIOUSLY considering ASKING Basho-san for a FREE
meat bun." Eikou grinned at Shunkaku and nodded.
"And I'm gonna GET it too."
Seishin rolled her eyes at her precocious friend. Sometimes Eikou could be a little
too confident.
"I bet she won't get it." Kotoku said as they hid behind the cart watching Eikou
go up to the big man.
"I bet she will." Shunkaku retorted "MY Eikou-chan can do anything!"
"Since when was she your "Eikou-chan"?" Kotoku slyly asked his brother knowing
full well that Shunkaku had a crush on their friend.
"SHHH!!" Seishin hushed them "She's doing it!"
Eikou confidently walked up to Basho and twirled some of her silver hair on her
pinkie finger. "Ummm....Basho-san?" The big man turned around and smiled when he saw
Eikou.
"Yes, little Eikou-chan?"
"I've been running around ALL day and I haven't had a bite to eat!"
"Now Eikou-chan you know I can't--"
"PLEAAAASE???" Eikou pleaded pulling the "puppy dog" look on him.
Bashosighed and closed his eyes. "All right. But only ONE."
"You are too kind, Basho-san!!!" Eikou smiled and helped herself thanking
Basho again. As she returned she gave Seishin, Kotoku, and Shunkaku a smug smile.
"I can't beleive he gave you one." Seishin groaned. Eikou could really be a master manipulator of men if she so chose.
"So now what do you guys want to do?" Eikou asked as she munched on the meat bun.
"We could go play in the woods." Shunkaku suggested his happiness increasing about ten-fold when Eikou agreed.
"I don't know you guys........." Kotoku said, ever the voice of reason.
"PLEEEEASE????" Kotoku finally gave in after Seishin, Eikou, and Shunkaku begged and pleaded.
"FINE." He muttered. It really wouldn't have mattered though because as soon as those words had left his mouth they took off like an arrow into the woods.
As they approached their their village a feeling a fear over came them. The entire village was burning. The smell of death was getting closer to them but the still ran towards the village.
Kotoku and Shunkaku took off to their house only to be grabbed by their mother and father.
"Hayaku!!!" their mother shouted to their father as the smoke and fire got thicker. Kotoku looked back from his father's arms just in time to see a soldier on horseback raise a sword behind his mother.
"KAASAN!!!!!!" Shunkaku screamed as their father pulled the away just in time. They ducked into an alleyway tears already streaming down Shunkaku's cheeks.
"We can't keep carrying them around like this."
"But we can't expect them to keep up with us!" Kotoku pulled his brother close to him as they watched their mother and father talk.
"Kotoku!" he went to his father's side immediately leaving his mother to calm down the sobbing Shunkaku. "Take this. You are a Seiryu Shichiseishi." He gave Kotoku a flute. "And no matter what, protect your brother." His mother and father both gave them hurried hugs and pointed to a cart.
"Go in there.Hide."
"B-but 'Tousan...."
"GO!!!" Kotoku realized that his father was very serious by the grave tone in his voice so without another word he grabbed Shunkaku and they hid under the hay in the cart.
"Oniichan?" Shunkaku queried, his voice cracking. Kotoku kissed his brother's forehead lightly.
"W-we have to be brave, Shun-chan, and quiet." Shunkaku nodded in understanding as the two young boys huddled next to each other under the hay, listening to the retreating footsteps of their parents, neither knowing if they would see either ever again.
Seishin tightly held onto her Father's shoulders. They ran through the woods, the soldiers behind them.
"Seishin." Her father whispered as they hid in a ravine. "You have an important destiny to fulfill. Please, promise me you'll live."
"W-what are you talking about, 'Tousan" Seishin's voice cracked as she spoke, the tears already beginning to fall. "It's gonna be me an' you forever. You're not going to die."
"Seishin--" the wound in his side was already to painful to bear and he felt life slipping from his grasp. "Please. Promise me you'll live." He wiped a tear away from his daughter's eye. "I love you my daughter. Now run." Seishin did as she was told. The tears were still streaming down her face making it hard to see. She hit something and fell down to her knees. Eikou didn't even notice that Seishin had run into her. She was staring at the burning village with a blank look.
"Doushite?" she asked Seishin, her eyes deviod of emotion.
"I--I don't know." Seishin said still sobbing.
"My aniki is dead."
"S-so's my 'Tousan." Eikou didn't answer. She was still staring at their burning village with a blank look.
"It's all gone. All of it." Seishin collapsed crying on the ground and Eikou pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sure it's gonna be Ok......" her words weren't very reassuring.
As Seishin and Eikou hid in the underbrush of the forest they caught sight of the soldiers. Unfortunately the soldiers had also caught sight of them. As they were surrounded by soldiers, a man with blonde hair and blue eyes held his hand up signaling for his soldiers to stop.
"They're only children." He said ordering his men to keep moving. Seishin and Eikou were relieved and saw that Kotoku and Shunkaku were on the horses behind a few of the soldiers, a somber expression on their faces. Shunkaku tossed something towards Eikou and then was gone as the army marched back towards the Kutou capitol.
That blonde general's eyes still haunted Seishin though. His eyes had the exact same "dead" look to them that Eikou had had. Like he had no reason to go on living. After the army had left Eikou picked up to go see what Shunkaku had thrown to her. Seishin recognized it as the pendant he was planning on giving Eikou at the Festival. Eikou blinked back tears as she put it on praying to Seiryu that Shunkaku and Kotoku would be alright.
"Now what are we going to do?" Seishin asked as calmly as she could, given the situation. Which, by the way, wasn't all that calmly.
"Don't you have family up in Konan?" Eikou asked. Seishin nodded and Eikou closed her eyes.
"Then there's YOUR answer."
"Where will you go though, Kou-chan?" Eikou shrugged then flashed an "Ok" sign.
"Doesn't matter!!!!" Seishin smiled at her friend and hugged her Eikou.
"May the gods protect you."
"ME!? HA! It's you who's gonna need protecting!"
They finally broke there hug and went their separate ways. One heading for Jozen, Konan; and the other for.........somewhere. As soon as Seishin had left Eikou sat down on the path and began to cry. It was hard having to put on that false façade of cheerfulness when she hurt so much inside. Losing Hikaru, her aniki, was so hard. For as long as Eikou could remember he had been there, protecting her, loving her. He was her refuge from an otherwise cruel world ever since her parents had died. She was all alone now, didn't know of any other relatives, so what would she do? Her first though was to A: lay there until she died, or B: lay there until someone found her, and then possibly killed her. Her aniki would certainly have wanted her to live, he died protecting her, and waiting was out of the question. So she did the only thing she could think of, she walked.
Seishin slowly trudged down the path, a million thoughts going through her head at once. Deciding she wouldn't have to think as much she broke into a jog then eventually an all out run. Since she and Kotoku were the fastest runners in the village they were oftern sent to deliver messages. Not important ones, mind you, just small ones. She was so conditioned for running for long periods of time she rarely needed to rest. She knew that this path would lead her to Sairo and not Konan but she really didn't care. It would be easier just to go to the country that was closest; and besides, Kutou and Konan were NOT exactly on good terms and it might be hard crossing the border.
After about an hour of running Seishin began to slow down. Usually she and Kotoku would've stopped to rest, but seeing how ESCAPING was currently on her mind resting was certainly out of the question. Just as she was about to give up she spotted the lights of Sairo. She could barely walk as she stumbled into town. Her whole body ached and she felt that if she stopped walking she might never be able to start again. A few men caought sight of her as she walked by and decided that she'd be an easy victim.
They had her cornered in an alley. Two of the men pinned her down as one crawled on top of her, a leacherous grin on his face.
"This won't hurt...much, girlie."
"Get off me!" Seishin screamed as she struggled to break loose of their grasp, but it was no use. They soon began to rip off her clothes, but before they could do anything else a red light emminated from her. Seishin still being held down struggled some more, and her blood began to boil. With all that had happened to her today and what these men were trying to do Seishin snapped. "Moon" began to glow brightly on her arm. Due to the fact that her Dad had just died, she had been running for hours, and now THIS, Seishin just lost it. Somehow a red light, followed by a powerful explosion came out of Seishin and she was left to stare at the charred remains of the men. Shaken she ran out the alley and into the city.
Eikou looked at the fork in the road wearily. The map she had obtained from the last village did NOT mention a fork in the road. She pulled it out. Actually, it did. Eikou groaned as she realized that instead of heading for Eiyou she was heading for someplace in the middle of the four countries. She pocketed the map and turned left simply because she felt like it. She hadn't eaten in a for 5 hours now and unless she got some food soon she definitely wasn't going to make it very far.
Berries. Eikou looked at them unsure if they were poison. Hunger eventually won out over common sense and she popped one into her mouth. 1 second passed......then 2 then 3.........finally a minute passed and Eikou still was alive. She figured that they WEREN'T poisonous and popped a few more in her mouth, wrapping the rest up carefully in a small cloth and pocketed them for later. Her hands were now stained with berry juice and blood. Damn thorns. She leaned against the tree, absently swiping away a few tears.
"DA-A!!!!!" Someone flipped out of the tree above her, dressed in monk's garb.He had bright blue stalks of bangs and a waaaay to happy smile on his face. Eikou nearly jumped three feet in the air surprised that someone else was out in the "wilderness".
Chichiri smiled at the girl. She was staring at him with a frightened expression. Her silver hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and was beginning to come out, and she looked very young......around 9 or 10 maybe. "Are you alright no da?" he asked kneeling down by her. She nodded backing away slowly.
"Do you live in the village?" Eikou, sensing that he meant no harm, sat back down shaking her head in the negative. Chichiri was beginning to wonder if this girl could even talk.
"What's your name no da?" he asked.
"Eikou." She said quietly
"I'm Chichiri na no da!" he said going SD. Eikou giggled at the monk's appearance. "Eikou is a very pretty name no da! And you're a very pretty girl!" She smiled at the compliment. "I'm sure your parents are very worried about you na no da." Eikou's happy smile faded and she looked down at the ground.
"I don't think that's possible, Chichiri-san." She looked up at him sadly. "My parents are dead."
That's it! Coming up Next...PART 2!!!!Send all comments to Kami ( kasa_no_miko@mailcity.com ) or Tsuki
( Duo87@gundamwing.org )