No One Like You By: OtakuSailorV

Chapter 2:: Strange New World

"Where. . .am I. . . ?"

Yuka looked around carefully, her mouth open in shock.

Climbing the rest of the way out of the well, she sat on the edge, clutching her backpack straps tightly in her hands until the knuckles turned white.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she was sure that she was dreaming. "Oh my God I died."

She blinked, rubbing her eyes, before pinching her arm. "Yeow! Yeah, it's real."

Jumping off the edge of the well, Yuka looked around herself thoughtfully. "This place is so weird. . ." She breathed, admiring the towering trees. "It's like I'm back in the feudal era or something. . ."

"Ok, weird, I'm leaving." Yuka suddenly snapped out of her trance and jumped back into the well. She kept her eyes open, watching as the ground got closer and closer.

wham

Yuka growled as she slammed into the brown earth, scraping one of her knees on a nearby bone. "Damn this thing."

Grumbling, she climbed back out and dusted herself off before she tried again, this time closing her eyes, as if by this act she would pass through the well.

Again she hit the bottom, and she climbed back out, glaring at the well angrily. "Stupid thing!" She cursed it, kicking the side in her frustration. "How the hell do I get home?!"

She stopped as she heard someone coming through the bushes. "Who goes there?"

Several young men came out with bows and quivers of arrows on their backs. They took one look at her garbs before smiling

"Oh, it's the young miko." They greeted her happily, waving to her.

'They know me?' Yuka walked up to them, smiling nervously. "Hey, uhm, I'm a little lost, can you help me?"

One of them cocked his head to the side slightly. "You're lost? Well, the village is right over that way." He pointed in the general direction. "We'd gladly escort you, but we're hunting right now, gomen nasai."

Yuka bowed to him, beaming. "Thank you very much, you've helped me a great deal." She said before starting toward the village.

Suddenly, she remembered her question from earlier. "Oh, wait, what year is it now?" She asked curiously.

"The year, M'Lady?"

"Yes!"

"It's 1497."

Yuka's mouth fell open, but she quickly thanked them and ran off.

"Strange, the miko did not even know the year. . ."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yuka gasped for her breath as soon as she thought she was far enough away from them. "F-fourteen. . .ninety-seven?" She breathed, her sides heaving.

Shaking her head, Yuka continued toward the village the hunters had told her about. "And they thought I was some miko. . ." Yuka wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Damn, who cares about being a miko if everyone treats me THAT way, it's freakin' 1497! I went back about 500 years!!"

Yuka sighed as she stepped onto a dirt road and looked around to see the village to her right. "Well, can't hurt to check around, can it?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nervously, Yuka noticed that she received many stares from the villagers. However, whenever she caught sight of them staring, they would quickly beam at her and wave, or offer her something. It was this way that she was fed and clothed that day.

'Maybe I should dress in period. I mean, if this is 1497, I don't want to appear to be some miko in every town I go into. I'm already feeling guilty for eating that food that they gave me.' Yuka thought, looking over some clothes that a merchant had offered her. 'But this stuff is all flowery and girly. If I walk around like that, I won't get very far.'

"Uhm, do you have more, uhm, boy-ish clothes?" She asked nervously.

The merchant smiled and nodded without a second thought and brought forth several more choices for her. "For the young priestess." He said, watching as she picked out what she wanted.

"Thank you very much, but please, I feel guilty for not giving you all something too." The merchant shook his head at her, happily refusing the yen she produced.

"You're blessing on my household is enough." He replied.

Yuka inwardly made a face. 'My blessing? Uh, ok, then.'

She smiled at him. "Thank you kindly, I will not forget your generosity and I wish many years of good wealth for you."

The merchant smiled and waved as Yuka disappeared back into the crowd of people.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yuka looked at the clothes carefully, investigating them as she came to the outskirts of the town. "Well that was easier than I thought." She mused. "I didn't expect them to just give stuff to me for my 'blessing'."

Yuka looked back, noticing that the sun was setting and that everyone was starting to go back to their homes for the night.

'Maybe I should leave some money at their houses to repay them. . .' Yuka bit her lip guiltily, and crept back into the village, hoping no one would spy her sneaking about.

Stopping first at the cloth merchant's house, Yuka looked through her backpack and gathered all the money she had. 'This is yen though, they didn't use yen back in the feudal era. . .or did they?' Yuka made a face as she counted out her money and placed what she supposed would be a good enough amount inside of the house doorway when no one was looking.

'One down, one to go.'

Hefting up her bag, she felt like a burglar or even Santa Clause as she stole away to the house of the produce merchant.

Stopping again at the side of the doorway, Yuka counted out the money again, recalling what she had eaten and what he had given her that he said would provide as enough sustenance for several more days. 'There, that should be enough, I hope.'

Yuka quietly snuck to the side of the house and stood, sighing silently so no one inside would hear her. 'I hope I'm not messing up the time line giving them yen.'

Shaking her head at herself, Yuka looked around for some place to stay the night as she clutched her backpack, laden with her schoolbooks.

Suddenly the thought struck her. "Geez, I forgot about my homework."

Grumbling, Yuka decided it was best to change into her new clothes before trying to study.

Sneaking behind a bush, she changed rapidly before leaning against a tree, her books sprawled out around her.

"Ok, the first answer is. . ."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yuka woke the next morning, stiff and still tired. "Ugh." She commented standing and hearing her back crack in a disgusting manner.

"Damn, and I didn't finish my homework yet either." She grumbled, recalling how she had nearly fallen asleep, drooling on her math book.

"Oh well, it's not like I'm going home. . ." She growled, closing up her book-bag roughly and looking down a pathway that led through a thick forest.

"Great more forest, but oh well. Maybe someone in the next village will know how to get me home. Like a priestess or somethin'."

With that thought, she started off down the road, shouldering her backpack on one arm.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At about mid-day, the sun became rather hot, and Yuka was looking through her bag for some kind of water and sunscreen.

"Great, I have neither. All I've got is some sunglasses, pssh." She growled to herself, slinging her bag over her arm again and placing the black sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.

"I hope there's some kind of stream or something around here so I don't die of thirst."

Making a face, she looked to either side of the road, the sunglasses glinting in the sun that shone through the leaves of the trees.

"Ah-ha!" She cried jubilantly, when she saw a stream far to the left of the path. "If only I had a water bottle with me. . ."

Walking over, she cupped her hands and took a drink, savoring the cold water. Smiling to herself, she took several long drinks, until she was sure that she wouldn't need any water again for some time.

Looking back wistfully, still wishing for a water bottle, Yuka went back to the beaten path, making her way to the next village at a steady pace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Me again. As always, thanks for the reviews. Ja.

Review please!!