SailorStar9: With Chapter 1 uploaded, this is Chapter 2 of this fic. And yeah, the Zen/Bunko romance is slow going. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Pairings: Zen/Past Life!Ami, present day Rikuo/Hotaru
Disclaimers: This fic idea and the Rikuo/Hotaru pairing belong to Pavel123; I only own the plot idea and the main pairing. Anything else belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 2: Awakening, Genbu no Miko
About a week later...
It's July 17, just like that day... Bunko mused, making her way to the cemetery where her parents were entombed. But it's different.
I always felt safe just by being near mother. Bunko reminisced. And way back then, I couldn't tell the difference between humans and Yokai. When I was really young, father told me that mother insisted on naming me 'Bunko' because I picked up the ink brush when I was one month old. I didn't know what happened at that time, but it was obvious father and mother were protecting me from something that I couldn't see. When I got older, my Reiryoku awoke and I knew my parents were killed by Yokai for some unknown reason.
"It's been a year since I visited, Father, Mother." Bunko knelt before her parents' tombstones. "Are the two of you well? I'm doing well." she suddenly sucked in a breath when her Reikaku picked up unwanted visitors of the supernatural kind.
"Here you are..." a haunting voice droned as a dusty mist billowed through the dirt path.
"Is that her?" another mocking voice asked. "She doesn't look much."
"Shut up." another voice rebuked. "Minagoroshi Jizō-sama wants her. Come," the Mukurowaguruma Gang manifested themselves before Bunko. "We have need of your abilities."
"Looks like I was right to brings these with me." Bunko noted, jumping back to put some distance from her adversaries and pulled out twin battle fans from her kimono. "Water Pressure Blade!" spinning on her toes and charging up her Reiatsu into her fans, she released a wave of crescent-shaped water blades from her fans.
"Cute trick." the leader of the Mukurowaguruma Gang scoffed, unfazed at a several of his minions were taken out by the attack. "But useless. Now," he approached the glaring water user. "Come quietly."
"Oi, oi." a voice rebuked. "What does a group of Yokai skeletons want with a female human chef?"
"You..." the Mukurowaguruma Gang leader gasped as Zen made himself known, the poison bird Yokai had an arm wrapped around Bunko's waist. "Zen from the Yakushi of the Nura Clan. You are a Yokai like us, then why are you protecting someone like her?" he asked, not understanding.
"What do you mean, 'someone like her'?" Zen pressed.
"Don't you know?" the Gang head stated. "That young lady is the last direct descendant of the Shodai Genbu no Miko, Okuda Takiko. Her family's existence is a threat to us Kyoto Yokai."
"Is that the only reason you killed my parents five years ago?" Bunko hissed, her Reiatsu skyrocketing and forcing Zen to move back. The silver coin engraved with the mark of Genbu around Bunko's shone in reaction to Bunko's Reiatsu and the transparent spirit of Okuda Takiko emerged from behind the seemingly possessed Bunko. The spirit of the Genbu no Miko held her ko-naginata in both hands, Bunko echoing her movement. "Ice Release," the merged voice intoned. "White Ripple!" a wave of pure white ice shot out from the ko-naginata and the outstretched battle fan and completely engulfed the group of skeleton Yokai.
"Yakushi no Zen." Okuda Takiko's voice carried over to the bird Yokai. "Take care of this child."
"I understand." Zen knelt before the manifested Genbu Miko and the spirit vanished back into the awakened Genbu coin.
SailorStar9: So, thoughts, reviews, anyone?