Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. How many times will I have to say this?

Thank You to. . .

MoO KaWaIi MoO: Hmm. . .lots of things to reply to. Uhh. . .I haven't decided if Yume and Tasuki are going to get together. You'll find out in a couple of chapters, ha ha. Yui also makes an appearance in a couple of chapters. The rest will come in time, I guess. And no, I still haven't found my four characters. There's one left.

Lanen: Yea, the dream was freaky. I did not enjoy it but it works great for the story. I'm really glad that you can connect with her. (That means I'm doing something right, lol. My characters are realistic.) Mits does get a pretty good part but more as a advice giver, it seems. He doesn't seem to get much of a part in anything.

Otaku Pitcher: Glad you like the name! Thanks for the compliment no the one on one conversation with Chichiri. There will be a lot of those; he's good at giving advice.

Author's Note: Well here's the first chapter that changes everything! I'm not going to write much of an author's note except I have to warn you that while it does change everything, to the un-attentive reader it may not be so important. To the rest of you, who pay attention, this chapter will be chockfull of important hints at the future. SO, without further ado, I present to you, Chapter 8.

'. . .' ( Yume's thoughts

Chapter 8: New Found Orders

We arrived at breakfast just as everyone was finishing up. We, well, I, received suspicious glances from Nuriko and Tamahome. Tasuki didn't even look up when we entered. 'Great. . .what'd I do now?' I asked myself as I sat down. "Where's your beast this morning? Or have you found another new protector?" Nuriko sneered. 'I'm not going to let him get to me. I'm not going to let him get to me.'

"He hurt his leg last night on a walk. Mitsukake told me to make sure he rests so that he'll fully recover," I answered calmly. My voice may be calm but I was boiling on the inside. 'Maybe now he'll leave me alone. Yea right. Like that's ever going to happen.'

Guess it was Tamahome's turn at the fun new game "Let's See Who Can Piss Yume Off First" because he was the next one to speak up. "What were you two talking about up there?" he asked, smirking. He put a sarcastic emphasis on "talking."

I guess Hotohori figured I was tortured enough for today because he spoke up in defense of me. "I do not want this discussion continued here. Nor do I think that Yume has to repeat last night and make an example out of you this time, Tamahome. She has given you no reason for you to speak so ill of her," he stated.

"Except for the way she dresses and acts! Would you look at what she's wearing? That type of garment is completely inappropriate for any real lady," Nuriko responded angrily. "And you sticking up for her only strengthens our argument. Has she gotten control of you as well?"

I was really pissed now. First of all, the clothes that I'm wearing are the ones I borrowed from Miaka so that part of his argument didn't make any sense unless he planned on calling Miaka a slut too. Plus, I've basically been trying to keep to myself (for obvious reasons) and it's not like it's my fault that no one will leave me alone. I got up to leave, even though I didn't get to eat anything, and saw that Miaka had done the same. "You guys are so mean to Yume! She's not like that at all and I'm sick of you saying that she is! All you've done is make fun of her and she has to sit there and take it! It's not fair and it's making me sick! You didn't treat me like this when I got here!" she yelled. "Come on, Yume. Let's go. These two," she said gesturing towards the baffled Tamahome and Nuriko, "have made me lose my appetite."

"Miaka! Wait!" Tamahome called after us. All he was met with was a slammed door.

As we walked away from the room, Miaka started laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked. To me, this was no laughing matter.

"I can just see their faces in there! Me, not hungry? That must have threw them off!" she answered. "But seriously, they're ridiculous, they really are. You and Tasuki I could see, but Mitsukake and Chichiri? They're way too old for you and Hotohori is still stuck on me." That was a harsh way of putting it. I thought there was something going on between them.

However harsh it was, I couldn't help but laugh a little too. "Nothing even happened between us! It's so annoying how everyone insists that something did!" I replied.

She ignored my last comment and continued on. "It was hilarious last night when you caught Nuriko off his guard like that! I almost burst out laughing!" Miaka exclaimed. She then turned serious and gave me a suspicious look. "Are you sure nothing happened between you and Tasuki? He seemed awfully upset this morning. . .Do you think that all those comments got to him?"

"Maybe. I noticed, too. He wouldn't even look at me. I think something else happened this morning when I fainted. I have a hunch that something did but I'm not sure." I shrugged. "And I'm sure that nothing happened between us. As far as I know, Tasuki doesn't even like me that much."

Miaka just smiled. You know, one of those "I'm not so sure" smirks that make you think. "If you're going to be here for a while, I suggest that we get you some clothes from this world," she said. "It'd probably be better if you brought as little attention to yourself as possible. I know you probably won't like this but that means dresses."

I made a face of utter disgust. "Oh well. Where are we going to find these dresses you speak of?" I asked in a fake accent that made her laugh.

"Well, I suppose we should check the harem. Or we could buy them but that would mean asking Hotohori for money and I don't think that I should go back in there for a while." Out of nowhere, my stomach roared. 'I'm so hungry. . .why couldn't they insult me after I ate?' "They might have food there as well. Poor Yume, you didn't even get to eat."

"Eating would be great right now," I replied. Turns out that they did have food at the harem. Good food, too. Why they had food there, I did not know but then again, I didn't care, either. I found a few ok dresses among the rejects. The ladies even gave me a brush! (I didn't have one in my bag () Miaka showed me a place to take a bath and left me to do just that.

The water felt really good. I got out and found that someone had taken all my clothes and left me a dress and some underwear. 'Creepy. . .' I thought as I got redressed. 'Miaka said something about going to town. I can't wait to see the rest of this place!' I proceeded to attempt to style my wet hair. Didn't work too well so I tried to put it up in ponytail with a ribbon that was left with my clothes. The two pieces of hair that I died hung down around my face, framing it. 'They never cooperate. Oh well, at least the ribbon matches.' As I wandered back to my room, I couldn't help but wonder what I looked like. On the bright side, I was getting better at finding my way around, I only got lost twice.

My other clothes were on my bed. 'So that's what happened to them. I still wish I knew what I looked like,' I thought with a sigh. 'Ah ha!' I looked into my bag and pulled out my assignment book. I looked into the mini mirror. 'Not my style, but not too bad.' I flipped through the book until I found the last page I used. 'Friday, March 16th. I had French, math and global homework. I have something written on the 19th, too. "Mom and Tony leave for week." That was yesterday, wasn't it? One week to my b-day. Unless time doesn't flow the same here as they do in my world. Then it could be more or less. I don't know why they switched spring break to this week, but it's a good thing that they did. Or is it?' I became fascinated with the thought that if they didn't switch the week, the school would call home. 'They would figure out that I wasn't there. They'd probably look for me. Of course, they wouldn't be able to find Shiriko or me. They'd probably even pronounce me as a runaway or even. . .dead.' That last thought scared me. When my week is up, that is exactly what will happen. I knock on my door broke my thoughts. 'Must be Miaka. Going out will be good for me, I suppose.' "Hold on a sec, I'll be right there."

I answered the door, expecting to find an excited Miaka, but found an anxious Chichiri instead. "Yume! You have to come with me now! Miaka said to bring you to the Temple of Suzaku!" he yelled.

"The Temple of what?" I didn't get an answer because I was covered with a cloak. My world went black and I thought that I passed out again. But I didn't and we emerged outside a beautifully decorated door, in a part of the palace I had not been before. "Where are we?" I asked.

"We're outside the Temple of Suzaku. Hurry up and go in. Everyone's waiting for you, you know," he answered, opening the door for me.

As I walked through the door, I felt a strange tingling sensation. I heard gasps. "I don't look like a complete idiot, do I?" I asked sarcastically.

"So this is the other girl from your world, Miaka. I have to admit that I think they have made some mistake. I may regret this decision but I am not allowed to change it," an old grouchy voice I did not recognize said from behind the group.

"Hey! Wait just one second! I don't know who you are or what 'decision' you're talking about but I'm not here to take crap from some-AHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!?" I exclaimed. I jumped back in shock as I saw the most ugly, floating old lady I ever did see. Wait, she's the only floating old lady that I ever saw. Oh well, she's still ugly. "God, you're ugly!" I added, unable to stop myself.

The group laughed at my reaction but the "lady" sent them a glare and they immediately shut up. "Don't worry, most of us reacted the same way when we first met Taiitsu-kun. You'll get used to her eventually, you know," Chichiri whispered.

"Because you are new, I will forgive your lack of manners this time. Call me ugly again and I will not be so kind," the ugly old. . .err. . .Taiitsu- kun warned.

"Whatever. Exactly what do you want from me?" I asked, unimpressed. 'Her face scares me more then her threats. They don't even make Halloween masks this ugly.'

"The Suzaku Seven will need your help on their journey. I do not know how someone like you can help, but it seems that you will prove vital in their quest. I am also required to give you something to help you. Although I do not believe you are worthy of such an honor." She handed me a box, a pretty box, but a box just the same. I looked down at it, unimpressed. "Don't look so disappointed! It's more than you deserve! It has unimaginable powers. I am not supposed to tell you what they are yet, but know this: it is not a toy. Do not abuse the gift." With that, she disappeared. As she did this, I felt that tingly sensation again.

"Thanks for a load of nothing, granny. May be I can put some jewelry in it. That's all it's good for," I muttered. 'Don't abuse the gift! Some gift! And me being important to their side? I like them more than Nakago but I wouldn't dare betray him yet. So unless they count causing the destruction of them,' I thought. "So I guess I'm stuck travelin' with you guys, huh?" I asked.

No one answered me at first. They just stared at me, mouths open. 'I know I don't look like myself in a dress but they could at least answer me. Or maybe they're as doubtful as I am about me being helpful.' Chichiri nudged Miaka and whispered something in her ear. She walked over to me, slowly, and said, "Uhh Yume? Let's go back to your room for a minute."

"I thought we were going to town," I replied. I didn't know what was going on, but I wanted to.

"Sure, whatever you want. Let's just go to your room. I want to talk to you for a moment." Miaka was acting very strange. I followed her back to my room. When we got there, I knew something was up. Shiriko greeted me with unusual hesitancy. 'Just like everyone else. . . What'd that old hag do to me?' "Yume, you have a mirror, right?" she asked me.

"Yea but Miaka? What's going on? Why is everybody acting like I'm some kind of freak?" Ok. . .this whole situation has made me lose my cool that normally keeps me under control.

"Yume, just get out the mirror. It will explain this a lot better than I can," she replied, turning away from me. I became so annoyed that I felt tingly again. 'Damn tingles. . .I don't know what's causing them but it's pissing me off.'

"I grabbed my notebook and looked into the mini mirror. "What are you talking about? I don't see a difference," I stated, un-amused. If this was some kind of joke, I didn't like it. I took another quick glance.

Miaka turned back towards me. "Look at me for a second, Yume." I looked at her. She got a look of pure confusion on her face. "What happened? You're back to normal. How?"

"Don't ask me. I didn't know I wasn't normal." I laughed. "So what was so different about me?"

"Oh don't worry about it. It was nothing really, just forget about it," she relied, a hesitant smile on her lips. "Let's go to town now."

"Ok," I agreed, or my voice did. I was overcome by a feeling of foreboding. Something told me she was lying. Why, I didn't know but I bet that I would find out about it eventually. I put the box in my pocket. 'Damn object. I bet it and that old hag had something to do with this.'



Author's Note:

Smack: Uh oh! What happened?

Yume: Why doesn't anyone ever let me know what is going on?!?

Smack: You aren't allowed to know yet. Anyway, I hope you guys aren't too disappointed with that chapter. Next time I say it will change everything, it really will in more ways than one. Here's a hint of what's to come:

"Let me think about it. . . hmm. . .NO. Now then, if I were you, I'd let me go now, before something bad happens to you," I cautioned him. Tasuki and Tamahome were closing in fast and I doubt they'd be happy. Even they don't get here in time, I can defend myself.

Smack: That's all the hint you get. What could our young heroine have done now? Find out next time. Byebyes!