Author's Note: I finished watching the last ova as well and…I don't like the overall story and that new girl (whatever her name is) really annoy me. Although to do her credit at least she changed out of her uniform, the fact that both Miaka and Yui would wear their uniform through out the story kind of annoy me. But I'll say that the last OVA is worth watching due to the Hotohori and Houki thing. The older Houki is drawn so beautifully, I really like Houki now. I think if I had written my fan fiction later, or had the ideas later then I might have done a Hotohori and Houki story instead.
By the way I realize that I haven't done this when I should have, but I compelltey forgot about a disclaimer.
So here it is.
Disclaimer: I owe nothing of Fushigi Yugi and most stuff, they are all Watase Yuu's work.
The pool of water became distorted once more when Tenkou brought his fist into the small sink. His lip curled into a hard sneer as he saw the priestess of Seiryuu reunite with that man she loved. If he was right beside her, then his plans would be harder to carry out…
Yuri, the priestess of Seiryuu, she was the one he wanted to suffer the most. Even after all these centuries he recollected what had happened with great anger, how she had caused his perfect plan to collapse.1
She had been the perfect prey because of the depression she was in, having sinned just because she loved another, and had to leave him because of that, then the two dearest to her next to him had been killed because of her own action of loving another.
"You will cure me of this curse and let me be with him?" she had whispered as she touched the bruises and scales that covered half of her body, they were her punishment for loving another physically from the deity she was forced to serve. "And you will also bring them to life once again somehow?"
Because she was in that state of mental confusion she had taken his bait most eagerly, promising to bring what he required to him. She had signed her own doom as soon as she agreed.
His miscalculation was that she would kill herself instead in this deal when she had no way of going back.
"This time…I will not fail." He stated flatly, in a tone that left no room for doubt. He had learnt from his mistake and he knew that in order to destroy the priestess of Seiryuu, he must first destroy the celestial warrior of suzaku that she loved so much.
Because she was dead, he had been able to manipulate the one known as Hotohori. In the same way he was also wise enough to know that he must not completely limit his focus on one group of people, he must be careful about the priestess of Suzaku and the rest of her warriors as well.
Clicking his fingers he summoned Miiru and Rin, they were amongst his finest servants but he still had to prevent himself from openly sneering as he watched the two siblings that knelt down in front of his throne. Like the priestess of Seiryuu, they had fallen because of their consumption of forbidden love. The same petty emotion that was so important to all these humans.
"You two must destroy the priestess of Seiryuu and the priestess of Suzaku." he began, masking the contempt he had for them with what appeared to be genuine friendship toward his two subordinates.
His plan was simply but very effective, to simply break them by shattering their emotional barrier. A person become nothing more then a machine when they lost all their strength and will of carrying on. He wanted the two priestesses to be like that so they would lack the strength of living, let along summoning the four gods- which required a tremendous amount of will.
He preferred them to be broken instead of being killed, even though the end would be the same, as the first method would give him much more entertainment.
"The priestess of Suzaku is deeply loved by all of her warriors and it is this love that you must use against them." He instructed.
All are fool because they don't realize that too much love is dangerous, he added inside his head as he matched the two in front of them with this statement.
"Likewise, the priestess of Seiryuu's deep love for that man is what you must use to break her. I am confident," he declared with what seemed like true trust for the two that he would carelessly discard once they served his purpose. "That you two's powers will be able to manipulate them."
Miiru and Rin nodded before they stood up and prepared to depart, their hands joined together despite all the harm that had came to them ever since the day when they first rejoined their hand once more. It was ironic at what changed with one's growth.
As children they would hold their hands all the time, and people had even praised them for being such a pair of loving siblings. These same people would hurl stones at them when the two teenagers held their hand once more after many years of staying away from the other to prevent what still happened.
"One more word of warning," Tenkou was almost tempted to not tell them this, but then decided against it. The greatest amusement would not be seeing these two suffering, but it would be to see the priestess of Seiryuu reduced to a broken doll as soon as possible.
"The priestess of Seiryuu is the more dangerous one due to her love. It is true that the priestess of Suzaku loves as much as her, but unlike the priestess of Seiryuu, she would not do everything just for the sake of her loved ones. Remember the story of the Seiryuu priestess, she had killed for the sake of the man she love, and some of these people were innocent, and she knew it. She will do literally anything for him."
Once again he recollected what had happened so long ago, what she would have done just to be with the man that she love, as well as what she did to make him live. She had sacrificed the life of others in order to have his life continuing- the one who was like a brother to her!
When the left he turned to that pool of water again and once more, he began to observe her as she began to make her way toward the shinzaho of Kutou. It was probably too late for him to prevent her from taking it but he was certain that there would be an amusing show for him to see.2
Kutou finally managed to give her people the peace and stability that had long been absent with the reign of the new ruler. Due to this, the people of Kutou began to believe in their guardian, Seiryuu, once again.
They also regard Houkigou, Seiryuu's priestess with a very strong reverence, as Seiryuu would never have appeared and heal their long corrupted country without her. That was why she almost became a goddess to the people of Kutou.
While she was only ever spoken as the priestess, instead of a goddess, the people of Kutou would pray to her as well Seiryuu. It was clear that their new emperor felt the same way about her, as he erected a statue of her in the temple of Seiryuu when he rebuilt it. There would always be a group of people in the temple praying to Seiryuu or his priestess, some even travelled from the other end of the country just to visit the temple. Sometimes it was even possible to have visitors from Konan.
That was why the two strangers making their inquiries about the temple was not an usual sight, since the man and woman who held the other's hand so tightly as if there was a fear for the other disappearing, the warden thought of them as lovers who were celebrating their marriage by going to see the statue of Houkigou. This was rather common, as Houkigou and Saihitei's story was regarded as a very beautiful love legend by many.
The man appeared as unusually beautiful, and using the word beautiful to describe him was not strange at all, as he truly was that fair to look upon. Even though he was dressed very plainly, there was a strange air of authority around him, when he asked a question, they felt that they had to answer it.
His companion was a woman, this was distinguished from the figure that was barely visible due to the rather thick cloak she had on her, the cowl was pulled down to hid her face completely- although her long hair was still visible, and tresses of her curly hair managed to escape from the cloak's bound.
"There had been a miracle here in this temple!" one of the temple wardens declared out proudly.
"A miracle?" the woman asked rather sharply, her hand tightening on her companion's even more. "What sort of miracle?"
The statue had been based on one of the paintings done by the emperor, and it was said to bore a deep resemblance to Houkigou, the priestess of Seiryuu. Even though the people of Kutou managed to discover her real name: Houki Yuri, they still preferred to call her by her title if they must call her by something other then the priestess of Seiryuu, as they felt that she deserved to be addressed in such a respectful fashion.
Both the emperor and his guards recollected that the priestess of Seiryuu had rather short hair, they remembered this as they thought that it was a bit too short, rather unusual for a woman even if she was from a completely different world.3
So the statue was modelled with short hair, but the morning after it was erected in the temple, the priestess' hair became long and flowing, reaching up to her waist.
There was no way that someone could have sneaked in the temple and changed the statue in this fashion, although anyone could enter the temple at anytime. It was because the statue was made in a way that any more attempt of moulding it, would break completely.
"It must be a sign from Seiryuu," the warden ended, "it was said that Houkigou actually had very long hair, probably as long as your hair."
"Is that so?" the woman said with a slight amusement and wonder in her voice, automatically, she tugged her hood down even further.
It was good that she did so because she would have caused a great chaos due to being recognized immediately, the statue of her was almost like a photograph. She had seen pictures of many famous Greek statues before but she had never appreciated sculpturing as much as painting until now. This work truly captured that fragment of memory the emperor of Kutou had of her from their very brief meeting.
The statue was a china statue that allowed the artists to paint colours onto it, and the artist had done the paintings so carefully that the statue became even more real. The blue dress was darker at bits, and the hem of her skirt even seemed be rippling slightly.4
"I am smiling…" Yuri, as that was the identity of the strange woman, said in wonder. "Have they even seen me smile before?"
Hotohori was naturally her companion, he too, marvelled at the lifelikeness of the statue. Upon seeing the peaceful smile of the statue, he couldn't help but to smile tenderly at both the woman and her reflection.
Suddenly, they both gasped. Resting around the hair of the statue at the crown was that jade headdress. Hotohori could sense the power that was coming from it as easily as Yuri.
"The shinzaho of Seiryuu." Yuri whispered, her hand touched the part of her head that once had the headdress around. "I know that I am meant to get this."
"Should we go to the palace and find the emperor then?" Hotohori suggested.
She nodded. "I know almost nothing of him but I believe that he would help us. I think he will remember me, even though many years had passed."
Unknown to both Yuri and Hotohori, they arrived at the time when the emperor would be making one of his long customary visit. Even now, the wardens outside were beginning to clear the temple for their ruler.
The new emperor of Kutou was a very different emperor from most of his ancestors, technically he was not the new emperor as he was the emperor even before his brother died, because he was the rightful heir.
He was a strange emperor for Kutou as he was so idealistic, many other men who suffered what he suffered would often turn to the opposite way of thinking, to inflict the same pain onto the rest of the world, so that they would suffer what they had to.
Nakago was like that.
The emperor of Kutou was now in his late thirties, his thirty ninth year. He had elected no empress and many suspected that he no longer had any interest in women since his accident, although he did do his duty by providing Kutou with an heir that was now fifteen year old, a rather sombre boy who took his duties of helping his father very seriously.
It was said that the boy had been born from a maid in the palace before the emperor's accident happened. Since the emperor never selected any concubines due to the civil war that marked his first shorter reign, this bastard boy naturally became the heir. It was not unusual for such a thing to happen, although it was more preferable that the emperor to be was borne from an elected concubine, but since the boy's mother was not a prostitute, there were little objections.
The young boy had been beside his father when Yuri first came, liked the rest of the people of Kutou he saw her as a saviour. He would pray in front of the statue faithfully, recollection how the woman who had appeared in front of them was truly identical to this statue, as she seemed equally immobile.
His childish eyes judged her to be rather pretty, but it was not a beauty that appealed to him. The difference between the statue in the temple and the real woman was that the real pair of eyes had been too cold and distant, instead of staring at those who knelt in the temple with that peaceful smile that reached to her eyes.
As he grew older he learnt more about the legends and even travelled to the famous temple of Suzaku in the capital of Konan. Much to his disappointment he found nothing that could show him the humanity of the priestess of Seiryuu, that she had been a human being like him.5
Maybe that was why it was so easy for him to believe in her powers.
"Father, you are shaking. Are you unwell?" he asked in great concern as he guided his father to the door way.
"I have a very strange feeling, it was identical to what I felt before she came to my hideout and delivered her news." Was the strange reply. Turning to a warden, the emperor asked: "Who is in the temple right now?"
"Only a man and a woman, I was just going to get them out…"
"No." the emperor of Kutou said, waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal at all the wardens. "Leave them be."
Instead of following Hotohori and turning away from the statue, Yuri found herself taking another step toward it, and even stretched out her hand. It was not as if she had lost command over her body's actions, it was only that she could not force her mind to be rational.
The shinzaho was calling out to her, just as the book had called her to it all these years ago. She wanted to grasp that headdress into her own hands right now, and she knew that it wanted her to claim it.
She could no longer remember who had first twirled the jewellery around her hair, she had been like a corpse as she prepared to summon Seiryuu, because she must be the living sacrifice. She was only aware of the decoration in her hair when she peered into the water to see her self one last time.
Seiryuu did devour her, and this headdress was the only thing that he had left. Later on, the emperor of Konan, Kotsuki, sent this back to Kutou along with his agreement of the peace treaty.6
Without any one telling her Yuri knew that the headdress was the shinzaho of Seiryuu. Since she was the priestess of Seiryuu, it could be said to be her possession.
Hotohori was wise in suggesting going to the emperor first, and that would be the most logical thing to do. The emperor of Kutou would help her, but she was ignoring any logic.
Yuri closed her hand over the headdress and slid it off the statue. The moment her flesh came to contact with the jade, a soft blue light began to illuminate around the headdress.
"Yuri…" Hotohori began again.
"I do not know why or how, but I have to take this right now." Yuri explained.
The emperor of Kutou choose to enter at this moment with his son, the first thing they both noticed was that the sacred headdress was no longer resting on the statue, but in the woman's hand instead.
To them, the jade headdress was sacred, not just because it had been deemed as holy items left by Seiryuu along with the ceremonial robe since a the stories were first told, but because like the robe, it was one of the only physical things they had to remember their priestess by.
At the sight of the emperor Yuri was shocked, as she could actually recognize him, although she did not even know his name. As for the equally well dressed young man beside him, that must be the little boy who had stared at her rather fearfully from behind the throne.
"How dare you!" the emperor hissed, he was angry but somehow he could not convey the anger fully.
Yuri raised her hand to push the cowl of her cloak down, and at the same time pulled the white hair ribbon off, her long hair immediately fell down in a thick abundance of curls.
"Do you recognize me now?" she asked softly.
The crown prince literally chocked as he saw the priestess of Seiryuu again with her statue right behind her. It was as if the reflection of the mirror had decided to play a trick by appearing as well, as the likeness of the priestess had been caught down so well.
He was so shocked that he almost tripped when he felt his father pulling him down to kneel beside him.7
Meanwhile in Konan, Miaka and the rest of her celestial warriors had arrived. With the exception of her and Taka, whom she knew that she must call Tamahome, as that is who he is now, everyone else was not reacting well to all that had happened.
Some of them still had great difficulty in believing that they actually travelled through a scroll, while for those who managed to suspend their believes about how they got there, they were now trying to work out where they were- which was another great shock.
"But where is this place?" Dokun chocked out once more. "It seems like ancient china but yet I have never seen these names in any encyclopaedia."8
"Well…" Miaka began nervously, unsure of how to explain this. Even though some of the reincarnated celestial warriors believe in the concept of past lives this was still a very hard thing to explain.
"The thing is…" she began.
"Did we fall into a time portal or something?" Genro mumbled, eying everything with suspension, especially the two girls who stood a few pace away from them, and pointing at him, giggling. "Keisuke would love this place."9
"I'll go and ask someone." Hojun decided practically after he exchanged a glance with Ju-An, after all, the two of them were the oldest.
"Ryoen, your brother and Yuri at least seem to know about what is happening." Ju-An said softly, as they all waited for Hojun. The two of them decided that it would be best for them to hide here for a while, until they knew what kind of situation they had stumbled into.
Ryoen could only nod. Like the others he was deeply confused at what happened last night, why Yuri was able to be disappeared into a scroll with his brother, and the strange conversation that she had with Seishuku.
Once more, it sounded as if something had happened to them a few years ago, before that fateful meeting in the hospital, but he knew full well that the first time Seishuku left the village had been with him.
"I don't know anything anymore." Ryoen whispered.
"Who does?" Genro said good naturedly. "After all we fell into a scroll, as crazy as that sound."
"Their cloths…" Ju-An was just going to make some remark about the familiarity of the peasant's clothes when they were suddenly approached by two fully armed man.
"You, what is your name!?" one of them barked to Ju-An, clearly because he seemed the oldest in the group."
"My name? It is Ju-An."10
"What is your trade?"
"Why are you asking him this?" Genro butted in, waving his fist in a rather threat-like fashion.
At this blunt threat the two guards, as that was what the two men were, scoffed and took out their imperial orders.
"YOU WANT ME TO GO TO THE PALACE WITH YOU AS A POSSIBLE CONCUBINE FOR THE EMPEROR!!!" Miaka's screeches were three time sharper as usual as she read the words on the imperial document.
"Don't make such a fuss!" one of the guards snapped, grabbing her hand. "You might not even be deemed suitable."
Somehow this seemed so much more offensive then her being seen as a possible candidate.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" Tamahome yelled, pulling Miaka back to him. "Don't you know who she is?"
Meanwhile Hojun had made his way discreetly back the moment he saw this chaos. Even though he was very confused at the information that he just heard, including this kingdom's mere existence, he was wise enough to accept the facts first and try to get out of this mess, then debate about the reality.
"But we are foreign to this place…" he began with what he hoped as a natural laugh.
"Yes, we are from…" Ju-An quickly caught on.
"Your origin does not matter, we were ordered to take any virgin girls who seem beautiful enough." The other guard explained, stepping up to take Miaka by the wrist again. "Beside, the last empress of Konan was actually foreign."
"But she is not a virgin!" Ju-An suddenly burst out.
"Yes, yes, she already…" Hojun began.
In a way it was almost funny, this took them to the night before Seishuku's wedding with Yuri when the soon to be groom had asked the two of them why they were still not married, when they both knew who they wanted to marry.
"Because I feel that I want to see more of the world." Hojun had replied, quickly followed by Ju-An's: "Yes, I want to learn more."
"Why don't you marry Shoka then and take her with you, you know she will follow you." Seishuku demanded to Ju-An, then turned to Hojun. "And you, you are worse, you know you want to marry her so why don't you at least tell her?"
"But that'll be unfair because I am not ready to be spend enough time wit her, as I will need for a marriage." Ju-An finally said.
"Yes, yes, I am not ready to settle down yet." Hojun added.
Like last time, the first part was true while the second bit was a lie.
Miaka had to ruin the two men's hard work.
"How dare you say that I am not a virgin? I am a virgin!" she snapped back at them.11
"Miaka…" Ryoen muttered in exasperation. "You can be so…"
"Hand her over!" the guards said together. "Or…"
"She is the priestess of Suzaku, how dare you treat her like this?" Tamahome finally screamed out.
For the first time the two guards realized the strange clothing all these seven people were wearing underneath their cloak, the clothes were queer both in the style and the material. Now that they thought about it, the cloth on the girl does seem rather like the description they had heard.
"Then please come to the palace with us." Immediately, the two changed to tones of the utmost respect. "There will be many in the palace who have seen you before."
Miaka nodded. "So, how long has it been?"
"Priestess of Suzaku, it has been four years since Suzaku and Seiryuu were called out, and four years since the death of Saihitei and Houkigou."
"Wait wait wait! What did you just call her, and what is all this?" Genro burst out.
Miaka and Tamahome exchanged glances again before they nodded. It was time to tell them what had happened.
When Miaka and Tamahome finally finished telling the story of what had happened in their past life, they were in the palace. Throughout the journey everyone had been unusually quiet, even Genro, and the two of them viewed that as a good sign.
"That seems crazy though." Ryoen said. "That I, well…"
"Used to cross dress and was in love with Hotohori, who is reborn as Seishuku." Ju-An managed to finish the sentence with his typical straight face. "But then it kinds of make sense, how Seishuku behaved when he saw Yuri in the hospital."
"Hotohori had been married to Yuri, they were married for more then two years." Miaka continued, she just has to add the last bit of the story in, that Hotohori had also been the emperor of Konan.
"I think it is possible," Hojun decided, "In view of all this it must be possible."
"There really is no other explanation." Dokun agreed, before he began another analyze of what was happening. He was very intelligent and studious, but he was not chained to any scientific idea as one might have believed due to his studying.
The rest five all had to believe that they had a past life here when the older member of the emperor's court came out and recognized them as the celestial warriors of Suzaku. Satisfied, it was deemed that they should be taken to the emperor immediately.
"So how did we manage to get into the palace anyway?" Genro whispered to Miaka, still managing to slap Tamahome when his hand was itching towards a very elaborately decorated candleholder.
Miaka and Tamahome both recognized this path as the way to the emperor's private quarters. From what she heard, the emperor was still unmarried, this made Miaka wander what happened to the empress' private quarters, the chambers that had once belonged to Yuri. Were they left the way they were? Or did they completely change with the arrival of a new overall owner?
All these rituals seemed rather reminiscent to Miaka, after all, it had only been more then one year for her. As she watched the guards knelt she remembered how she had once stood behind some guards like this, only that she was waiting for another emperor.
"The priestess of Suzaku? Are you sure?" even the voice was familiar, but it was a bit higher then Hotohori's voice.
The new emperor of Konan was now twenty years old, having been only sixteen when he was told by Suzaku to take over the throne from his older half brother.
His hair was loose and down as well, but they were not as dark as the hair of his half brother's hair. Hotohori's hair was a very deep raven back, while the current emperor's hair was more of an olive brown.12
Even though he resembled Hotohori greatly, he lacked that haunting, and even shocking beauty his elder half brother had been blessed with. He could and would be described as handsome, but not as beautiful.
Somehow he also seemed much younger, although when she first saw Hotohori, he was only twenty years old as well. But then Hotohori had been burdened with a kingdom that was on the brink of destruction, as that was the condition a country would be in with the appearance of the Suzaku priestess.
"My name is Kotsuki." The young man said softly. "I am the fifth emperor of Konan."
"I am Miaka, the priestess of Suzaku. And they are all celestial warriors of Suzaku in their previous lives, only that some of them don't remember their life here yet!" Miaka declared happily, reaching out to grab the emperor's hand impulsively. At first Kotsuki frowned at the boldness of the girl, but he smiled as he though about the tales that he had heard of the priestess of Suzaku.
"You all look like the paintings in the temple of Suzaku. In the first year of my reign I consented to my people's wish of having the images of the seven celestial warriors painted and put in the temple of Suzaku where they could all pray to." Kotsuki explained, continuing in a rather soft voice, he had been born with a rather quiet nature that had to adjust most severely with his new position.
"Tamahome; Nuriko; Chichiri; Taisuki; Mitsukake and Chiriko." He told each of them. As he finished Chiriko's name he frowned and turned to Miaka, his eyes suddenly very dark.
"But where is my brother? Why is he not with you all?" Kotsuki demanded, a hint of command creeping into his voice. "And where is Houkigou too? I though that she and he would both be here as well."
"I believe that Yuri…Houkigou is in Kutou now…" Miaka began, but was interrupted by everyone else's scream or yell of shock, with the exception of Tamahome, who was now fixing his gaze on the elaborate furniture in the emperor's room.
"Yuri was Houkigou, the empress of this country?"
"Yes, Yuri is the name of my brother's wife." Kotsuki added, completely failing to comprehend their shock. "I want to meet her too, the empress so loved by her husband that he refused to elect another even though she gave him no children. Also, because she seems to be the one person who truly know and understand my brother."
"Wait…if Yuri was Houkigou, the last empress of this kingdom then this means that…" Ju-An chocked out.
"My brother was Saihitei, he was the emperor of this country?" Ryoen added in equal shock. "I am actually sort of related to royalty?"
"Hotohori was a celestial warrior of Suzaku as well as being the forth emperor of Konan." Mika finally said this line out. "And Ryoen, you had been a concubine in this palace who was in love with him."
"I really wish that you are joking." Ryoen groaned out. "But somehow I don't think that you are. I don't even want to think about the fact that I was in love with another man, who is now my brother, let along asking why I became a concubine to the emperor"
"I can take you to the temple of Suzaku if you wish," Kotsuki interrupted politely after he dismissed their escort with some form of order. "Perhaps that will help some of you to recollect your past life.
"But first…" at this the young emperor's voice actually became even more quiet, and he actually bent down his head slightly as he turned to Ryoen. "I have a favour to ask from you first."
"A favour? But aren't you the emperor? Isn't the emperor the most powerful man?" Ryoen muttered, rather uneasy at this sudden display of humbleness. The modern system of Japan's monarchy was very different from the absolute monarchy of Konan, but they could easily realize the high status that the emperor of this land had, therefore they were all uneasiness at the possibility of a request.13
"I have a request that no one else can grant me." Kotsuki declared softly, but steadily. "I want you to tell me more about Hotohori, my brother, who is now your brother."
"I remember nothing of my own past life, let along his past life." Ryoen said.
"Then tell me of his new life. I want to know, I need to know." At the rather curious glances from the others he smiled rather sadly, and Ju-An and Hojun both recollected how they saw Seishuku smiling in that same haunting way when Yuri had disappeared into the scroll without him, it was the first time when they saw a smile that expressed more sorrow then tears.
As Seishuku the young man had no cause to smile that way as he had pretty much all he wanted, and with the birth of his children he really though that everything would be well. What had made him even happier was that he could appreciate these simple happiness due to remembering what had happened in his past life as Hotohori.
Then he saw Yuri disappearing into the scroll, leaving him for the second time. The memories he had tried to suppress all rushed back to him again, the months he had to live without her as well as her death…
That was why he could smile in the same way as Hotohori had often smiled…
"All that I know of my brother I know from the perspective of a subject, I know that as Saihitei he was a good and fair ruler, and like most of the people in Konan I have heard the legends of how much he love Houkigou. But other then that…I have nothing."
"Have you never talked to your brother at all?" Ryoen asked, feeling great empathy for this man's wish, although he himself could not imagine being distant from his own brother. Since he was only an infant, Seishuku had played and looked after him. Ryoen had his own large group of childhood friends too but the most special time was always the time when he was with his elder brother and his two friends.
"Seishuku is such a good brother, he lets his little brother do anything." Was the very common saying in the village whenever anyone saw the two brothers walking side by side.
Ryoen only started to have a friction in his original 'intimate' relationship with his brother due to his continuing disapprove of Seishuku's marriage.
Maybe it was jealousy from the past life…it was easier to think that then to blame himself fully. Secretly he knew that he disapproved of the marriage not because it was too quick, but because he actually resented how Yuri became the centre to Seishuku's life the moment she entered.
It might have been better for him to admit this and talked about it with maybe his parents or Seishuku's two best friends. Ju-An and Hojun were almost like brothers to him too, or at the very least like elder cousins, but he did not want anyone to accuse him of having an elder-brother complex.
"I had little chance of talking to my brother through out my whole life." Was the short reply.
Nodding, Ryoen began to tell the emperor all he could about Seishuku, his elder brother, along with additional help from Ju-An and Hojun at times.
"He is truly the best brother, now that I think about it there had been times when he talked to me about how he wanted to be a good brother."
This had been before he choose to go to live in Tokyo, but at that time both Ju-An and Hojun had already left. Upon finding his brother sitting in front of the empty fields one morning, he had joined him although he should be heading to school.
"I'm just thinking." Seishuku said easily, dismissing Ryoen's question about his wellbeing. "Hojun left the village just as Ju-An, and some people are now wondering when I will leave the village since the three of us have been best friends since our infancy."
"Are you going to?" he asked nervously.
"I will not leave Konan." Seishuku stated softly, ruffling his brother's now short hair.
"That's good, because I don't want you to go away!" he had said passionately, hugging his elder brother tightly.
"Because I am such a good brother?" Seishuku's tone seemed very light-hearted but Ryoen could sense the seriousness in them.
"You are the best brother in the world!" he stated firmly.
"That is good then, as that is what I want to be." leaning back Ryoen was shocked at the relief that appeared on Seishuku's face. "I don't know why, Ryoen, but sometimes I have this fear nagging at me, the fear that I am a horrible brother who will be hated by my siblings."
Ryoen felt a strange connection to the young emperor who stood next to him due to the fact that in a way, they were both younger brothers to the same man.
"Was he speaking of his past?" he demanded. "Just as you want to know about Seishuku, I want to know more about my brother when he was Hotohori."
"I have told you that I know little about my own brother." Kotsuki said, like Ryoen, he felt a tie between himself and the reincarnation of the Suzaku warrior previously known as Nuriko. "But yes, in his past life as Hotohori, he was a bad brother although that was certainly not his fault. He had also been hated by his other siblings, including me." Seeing the curious glance of the others, even Dokun and Genro, who knew very little of Hotohori, Kotsuki nodded and began to explain.
"Hotohori and I were the son of an emperor who did not care for any of his five sons or two daughters at all. All our life we were looked after by our mother, who competed with each other very heatedly for the price position of being the mother of the future emperor.14
"Like Hotohori, I was the younger out of two brothers. The only difference is that my mother had only been a concubine, while his mother was the empress. Although my mother's triumph card was that she had gave birth to the emperor's first son. I knew nothing of that brother either, he was my mother's price, I was just the extra backup. Like all my other siblings, we were raised being secluded from each other.
"Hotohori said something like that to me once." Miaka butted in. "That was when Yuri was gone, he told me that he became the emperor at fourteen due to his mother's action, and his two elder brothers then led a rebellion, supported by his younger brothers."
Kotsuki nodded. "Yes, I did support my full brother. But that is too far ahead of my explanation. I saw Hotohori wandering in the garden and he seemed so lonely and sad that I believed we could be friends. I actually went up and talk to him. We were only children at that time, I was eight and he was twelve, being four years older.
"We only exchanged two sentences before our mothers both dragged us off, but I then felt that this brother of mine was someone that could be my friend. At that time he must have though the same too, because from that day on if we happened to walk past one another, he would always smile at me shyly in these rare meeting."
"What went wrong then?" Miaka interrupted again. She was brought to that time when she found Hotohori kneeling in Yuri's room, almost sobbing with despair, after reading out Yuri's letter he had told her about how lonely his life had been. A large family that was not even a family.
"He became the emperor. At that time I was only ten, ignoring both my mother and brother's orders I went to see Hotohori in his court, I even prepared a gift for him. I had hoped to be loved by him and he certainly greeted me warmly before he walked with me in the garden. I really thought that from now on we would become good brothers…
"When we returned…" what happened that day still caused anger as the emperor's hand clenched tightly over the hilt of his sword. "When we returned I was faced with his mother and a group of guards. Before I knew what happened I was in the dungeon. In there, I was beaten everyday and I only managed to escape there due to the civil war that our other elder brothers started.
"After what happened I though that he did this on purpose. So I easily began to hate him…"
"I don't believe you!" Miaka yelled. "Hotohori would never do something like that. It must be his mother. She must have done something to make you appear guilty in his eyes."
"It seems so ironic that you can understand what took me years to realize so quickly." The emperor whispered sadly. "Yes, that was what happened. His mother hid a dagger in my gift to him. I was arrested on the ground of treason, and he probably believed that too…I can't really blame him for being manipulated so easily as it was his own mother who tied the shackles on him.
"Anyway, the revolts were crashed and I managed to escape with my own life although my mother and full brother both failed to. The empress did not just execute them, she would not be satisfied until she tortured them. I naturally spent the next years living in hiding, growing up hating Hotohori all this time.
"Then one day I heard of the news of the imperial marriage, by that time I was fourteen, the same age as Hotohori when he ascended, but unlike him I was still like a child. I had a ridiculous plan of assassinating him, believing I would achieve satisfaction that way. It was pathetic but I blamed everything on him.
"So I stood amongst the people, and I saw them being carried on the litter. Around me, everyone else was yelling with joy, some were even throwing flowers at the emperor with his new empress. I was suddenly puzzled as I asked myself for the very first time: how could this well-loved man be the same villain that I cursed every night?
"His new empress was waving at the crowd with what seem to be true sincerity, then she turned to him and I saw the tender smile on his face as he took her hand to whisper something. I suddenly remembered my first meeting with him, how he had smiled like that. It was well that I remembered that incident as I also recollected the way his mother had glare at me…
"Somehow that made me more rational, and once I compared what happened during his reign before and after his mother's death, it was obvious that any cruelty was done because of his mother.
"I actually began to throw flowers like the rest, truly glad for him. But even though I stopped my foolish hatred, I still did not know him. I continued to live outside the palace in hiding although I no longer need to, but I did it out of guilt for what I almost done. Thus I knew no more then what the rest of his people knew."15
At the same time when the young emperor ended his story with a sigh, they heard a soft knock. Kotsuki seemed to recognize the person just by this knock as he smiled in that strange way as again that made them wonder whether he was happy or sad.
A young woman entered, probably only a year or two older then Miaka. Judging by the clothes she had, she must be servant to someone with a very high rank. Her clothes were made from materials that were fine but their very simple cut style revealed her status as a servant, as no women of a high rank would ever wear such a dress. But strangely her hair was held up by a head dresser that seemed a bit too elaborate for a simple maid.
She knelt down in front of the emperor and in a very soft voice she asked him what he desired. Miaka suddenly crouched down to look at this woman in the face, as she was sure that she had seen this woman before.
"Chinatsu, I am going to the temple of Suzaku with the celestial warrior and priestess of Suzaku so make sure that it is empty." Kotsuki said, strangely enough his tone was not one of ordering, but of affection.
"I do what the new emperor demands of me." the young woman called Chinatsu answered in a very flat tone. Because she was right beside the two of them, Miaka was certain that the emperor's face changed at this very former address.
"Who are you?" Miaka asked in her usual blunt fashion when the woman stood up and was prepared to leave. "I think I have seen you before."
"You would have, priestess of Suzaku." the woman said very sadly. "My name is Chinatsu and along with my twin sister Chiharu we used to be the maids of the empress." 16
"But Kotsuki have no empress!" Miaka frowned.17
"Not the fifth empress of Konan which does not exist, but will." At this her fists actually clenched together. "I was the private maid of Houkigou, the fourth empress of Konan!"
This time, she shut the door behind her. Everyone quickly turned to Kotsuki but once again, his face had become rather emotionless. Miaka and Tamahome couldn't help but to compare him with Hotohori as they thought about the burden their following celestial warrior had to bear.
Tamahome had been angry that Hotohori had choose to go with Yuri when he should have stayed with Miaka, who was his priestess. But once more, he could understand the other man slightly but thinking about what he would do had their position swapped.
After witnessing what just happened with Hotohori's brother and the woman he seemed to have affection, they were beginning to understand why Hotohori would threw away his obligations this time.
As the emperor he had been held back by chains which he only broke free due to their new life. Now it seemed the chains were trying to tangle him with it once again, and so he grabbed onto Yuri to shatter them.
1 This all relate to my weird prologue as I mentioned before. Another story.
2 During Tenkou's entrance I have focused on a lot of what is in my weird prologue (another story, but I think I lose courage of writing it as it will be very radical) but I will explain what had happened in the end. Basically it kind of talk about the life they had before this life and I promise, everything that happened would all link.
3 I mean, this is a world where woman all have long as waist length hair, and the shortest is probably up to their shoulders and Yuri cut her hair so that it just touched her shoulder. The men in this world often have rather long hair as well, cause many hold it up so it must be tolerable long, like Nuriko's brother.
4 This was actually really problematic. I didn't know what kind of statue it should be, I didn't want it to be gold or silver or something like that, but people in ancient china doesn't seem to have focused on life like sculptures and paintings that much. I mean, no offence, but all the emperor's paintings and all doesn't seem to be that life like. But then it would just be that I am not use to that kind of style. And I also want color, that is an important factor. So I decided to make it a china statue. By the way the statue is not wearing the robes of the priestess of Seiryuu for the practical reason that later on in the story Yuri would be wearing them.
5 Konan does not have any paintings of Yuri at all.
6 Kotsuki is one of Hotohori's younger brother, which came out in the Hotohori novel. The two brothers seemed to be quite close, although Kotsuki got killed by Hotohori's mother, and she framed him for trying to kill Hotohori.
7 Ye emperor of Kutou needs a name and I decided to Kamiyasu, although I don't know, I have no idea whether the grammar is actually right. Kami (神)means some form of god, while Yasu(安) kind of means peace or safety. So神安. His name is kind of meant to be ironic considered what he used to be like and what actually happened to him.
8 Right now, Miaka and the rest arrives in Konan…
9 I didn't believe I would actually say this but it was weird calling them by their name as the celestial warriors. So this is what I will do, for those who know who they are (Hotohori/Seishuku, Tamahome/Taka) I will call them by their name as the celestial warriors, but for everyone else until they gain back their memory I will call them by their real name.
10 I am presuming that most people in the universe of the four gods only know them by their name as celestial warriors.
11 This just seems a typical rather blond thing for Miaka to do, this bit actually remind me of the bit in the anime when they were caught by bandits. Nuriko had offered to be taken instead of Miaka, but Miaka actually refused. Which does show she is not the brightest at time.
12 This is kind of my private joke. I think Hotohori's hair should be black, but his hair in the anime is like an olive brown.
13 I don't know that much about Japan's government system but I have the impression that it is pretty like England. Meaning the rulers does not have absolute power, although some people still hold them in awe. Or at the very least, you will be rather awed at meeting them.
14 This is my own version of Hotohori's family story, and it will be very different from the novel.
15 Finished for now and I quite like it, I always wander about Hotohori's past so I am glad to have the opportunity of giving my own version.
16 I was looking at a site of Japanese name when I saw the names Chiharu and Chinatsu, and I just thought that it is really pretty and it really will be a good name for Yuri's two maids, who are twins. Chiharu (千春) means a thousand spring while Chinatsu (千夏) will mean a thousand summer. Chi(千) haru(春), Chi(千) natsu(夏).
Incase some of you don't remember, before Yuri died she gave some of her jewelries along with their freedom to the two girls. The head dresser that Chinatsu wear is one of them.
17 I think this is quite like Miaka, calling Kotsuki by his name. I mean she is probably the only one who call Hotohori by his name (which is good, I have to admit). And in the very beginning she would call him Hotohori then quickly change to call him the emperor.
Author's Note: I think this is a good place to stop. It is kind of ironic as even though most of this chapter seem to be with Miaka and the other warriors of Suzaku, it is actually talking about Hotohori's character. At least I hope to have illustrated with what I think is his character. I realize that buried memories doesn't seem to have that much plot right now. It almost seem to be about showing the character of Yuri and Hotohori more.
Anyway, in the next chapter we move back to Yuri and Hotohori once more, who would have arrived in the palace of Kotou. A bit more plot will be developed, as Miiru is going to launch on what you may call an attack.