Treading in the Mist…
Disclaimer: This is getting a little redundant! *unfurls parchment* I, Anarya of Lorien, claim no ownership over the story of Fushigi Yuugi or over any of the story's character. I only lay claim over Aredhel, who unfortunately happens to be my creation. So, let nobody say I'd didn't say so! Ai Elbereth! Are you people happy? *glares at attorney*
Author's Notes:
I'd like to thank the following reviewers! Thanks a bunch people! I love you all! *group huggle*
Bronze Star: Thank you so very much for the encouraging word! It means a lot!
FallenAngelYen: Here you go! Hope you like this one!
Warrior-of-the-Flames: Oh that's okay! I understand what a pain assignments can be! Am glad you're getting a break! :D
Moirochi: Yeah... but too bad he is an emperor and unlike what most people think, there is not much one can do against Royalty! Sad... but that's the fact. Sucks! And thanks for the review! Made my day! :)
Lady Seiryu: Updated! :D And hope you like this chapter!
Aoihand: I know what you mean! :D And am glad I didn't go down the beaten path! ;D Hope you like this chapter!
Karina: Awww... everyone loves Amiboshi! LOL personally I felt Watase-sensei overdid the 'seiryuu is evil' thing. But hey, she's boss! Enjoy this chapter!
kt: Thanks for the review! Hope you like this chapter!
Luciana: Here you go! Hope I didn't make you want for too long! :D
Veronicastefan: That's perfectly okay! I'm really honoured that people actually take the pains to review and let me know how I am doing! Thank you! And enjoy this chapter!
On with the story now! ^___^
Note to self No.14:
Even Gods can have Doppelgängers!
The courtyard shone in the sunlight. I looked to my right to find the emperor, the one… the only… Shoukitei, grin at me from under what could only be described as a graduation hat! A graduation hat that had beaded tassels at the front and the back. I gave him a hesitant smile. He fingered his paunch as he turned to one of his wives who giggled at something he said and proceeded to rub his belly for him. If I thought he repulsed me, I was wrong. The man made me want to thrust a sword up his rear! My vision now turned to the people who had gathered up in the middle of the courtyard. Seven people…seven of my seishi. Suddenly there was a 'Whoosh' from the gong and everyone seated around the courtyard clapped and applauded. And I had not a clue as to what was going on.
"Your eminence," A minister now stood bowing in front of me. Weird how the same kind hated me to teensy-weensy bits back in Khonan! I smiled at the old man. He continued,
"The Seishi await your order to display their talents in front of you, Miko-sama. This is to assure you of the level of protection that you will have with them serving you, your eminence!" I nodded. Now I understood why I was here… but why call the whole of the city to come and watch? It seemed like the emperor liked to show off a lot.
There was another toll from the gong and silence reigned over the arena.
First came, Amiboshi. He held a flute in his hands and it surprised me. I thought seishi powers included fighting and martial arts. But then again… there was a lot about this world that I didn't yet comprehend and so, I remained silent.
It was then that I noticed that there were a few people who were placed before the seishi. People who were dressed in rags and who were chained to pegs nailed to the stone.
"Who are they?" I asked. The emperor snorted before replying,
"They are traitors. Treacherous bastards who deserve to die!" I didn't miss the contempt with which the emperor spat the words out. A sense of foreboding swam over me.
Amiboshi was now within a few yard's distance from the prisoners. The flow of serene tunes signaled that he had begun playing his flute. The prisoners looked on befuddled as did I.
"I don't think I understand." I said. There was another chuckle from the emperor as he nodded.
"Oh that boy loves to lull people into a false sense of security. You should wait and watch, girl."
Girl? What the hell?!
I turned to glare at Amiboshi who was now in the middle of a difficult rendition of the flute. But for some reason, the prisoners didn't seem to enjoy it. They were now writhing in pain as one by one, they all fell to the ground, clutching their heads. Something was definitely wrong. I turned to the emperor who had gotten back to rubbing his belly, taking in all that happened with apparent satisfaction.
"Just what is going on there?" I asked, aware that my voice sounded stern and trembled a little. The emperor's reply was just a laugh. The prisoners were now screaming. I wasn't aware of getting up from where I sat. The emperor stopped his belly rubbing to give me a calculating look from head to toe. I was openly glaring at him.
"Make him stop."
He laughed again.
"Why does it concern you so much what happens to traitors, Miko-sama?" one man asked and I could discern from his armor that he was another general in the army.
"This is cruel. Stop it now, your majesty."
The emperor chuckled.
"I'm afraid nothing I say will be heard. Why do you think we're still alive? A barrier has been placed around the dais and the audience to protect us from the power of the seishi. And I should say… it is quite terrible to behold, Miko."
A barrier?! I turned around to find the prisoners silent. But Amiboshi still didn't stop playing. That only meant that the prisoners were near dead.
"Will you not stop it?"
The emperor sneered as he shook his head, "I told you before didn't I? The barriers will be lifted only after the whole affair is over. I'll suggest you sit back and – hey! Seiryuu no Miko!"
I didn't dally behind to listen to what nonsense the emperor was sprouting. I was busy sprinting towards the open courtyard. I had to save those prisoners. And as I left the stands and stepped into the courtyard, I realized what the emperor meant by terrible to behold.
Suddenly, the melody morphed into jarring, discordant noises that clanged against my head, making it seem as though someone was hacking my brains open! I raised a hand towards Amiboshi who played on with closed eyes.
"A…Amiboshi…p….ple…ase!" And soon, I sank into darkness.
"Why did you do it, Aredhel?" I opened my eyes to stare right into Seiryuu's. I screamed as I backed away a little. I was back to the many pillared halls where I had met the dragon the second time. I was now lying on the floor with the dragon god crouched beside me.
"Phew! You scared me there for a moment there, mister!" I clutched my heart. He only smiled.
"Why did you risk your own life back there?" He lifted an eyebrow. I frowned as I tried to comprehend what he was talking about and then everything came crashing back.
"Shit! Those people! Amiboshi's flute! I need to stop them! Or else they'll die!" I scurried up to a stand. Seiryuu shook his head, as though he was amused.
"You've already stopped him...what with your stunt like that… you could have died!"
I lowered my eyes to the marble floors below.
"Well… there was little else I could do! The barriers made it impossible for me to call out to him!" I squared my hands and huffed.
Seiryuu said nothing. And then,
"I see…"
I looked up to find the dragon deep in thought.
"And just so you know, I personally think Khutou is doomed. The emperor's a joke, the people desire nothing more that war, they enjoy taking lives away like there's nothing more enjoyable than that….I could go on! Why would anyone want to save such a horrendous place?!"
The dragon mused, "Why indeed!"
Suddenly a mirror appeared out of nowhere.
"Okaaaay… what are you trying to pull here, Mr. Seiryuu?" I asked suspiciously.
The dragon merely smiled and waved his hand over the mirror's surface and it started to smoke over.
"Waitaminute! Is it like those magical mirrors that allow you to view anything you want? Can I view the future? I'd love to know what grades I'll be getting, seeing that I'm missing what seems like a whole semester!"
"Aredhel…" the dragon sounded amused and tired. I smiled sheepishly as I mumbled a sorry.
Once the mirror's surface became stoic again, I found myself gazing at an abandoned field… many bodies were littered around the vegetation. It looked like a huge massacre had happened. And then suddenly, there were two boys… both of them looked identical. One of them was crying over a dead man while another sat, dazed, next to a dead woman.
"Are they…" I looked up at Seiryuu. He neither smiled nor frowned.
"Are they Amiboshi and Subo…" my sentence trailed.
The mirror smoked over…and I beheld a golden statue of Seiryuu surrounded by a stream.
"This is my shrine. Go there… you will know more…understand more."
"Aredhel…I shall await you there…"
"Aredhel…"
"Aredhel! Aredhel!" I woke up with a jolt to find Soi cradling my head as she attempted to wake me up.
"Uh… Soi…what happened?"
Her face broke into a relieved smile as she hugged my head to her chest.
When she released my head to glare at me, I didn't miss the tears that formed.
"Please don't do such silly an antic again, Aredhel-sama!"
I smiled weakly as I nodded. I looked round to find myself in the same courtyard. I was surrounded by ministers, the Emperor, Nakago, Amiboshi, Suboshi and random people I didn't know (one of them even had a freakily painted face)…I looked up at Soi.
"Can we take this convention inside?" She laughed, nodding.
I let out a relieved sigh as I lay down on my bed and Soi arranged my coverlets around me. Just then, the emperor walked in followed by Nakago and some other random people (including the one with the painted face).
"Miko…why ever did you do that silly stunt? Do you not realize you need to be alive to summon Seiryuu? Or have you taken leave of your senses?" I heard the emperor scold. I merely glared at my coverlets.
"Bah! To think that our guardian deity would entrust the safety of our country in the hands of someone so careless!"
"Your majesty…Miko-sama is a valued person… should we not-" I heard someone mumble.
"Don't order me as to what I am to do and what I shouldn't, fool!" the emperor's voice rose.
There were footsteps and then I felt someone yank my face up by force. I was staring at the pallid face of the emperor.
"Look here, girl. I do not care who you are or who you are not! Personally I do not give a horse's ass if the Seiryuu no Miko appears or not! I will have my way with things. And if I am to do it without the Miko and her precious seishi, so be it!"
He left the hold he had over my jaw. It hurt a little but for the pride in me, I didn't flinch. I merely glared at the emperor.
"Your majesty!" one of the ministers exclaimed. But the emperor did not stick around to hear the rest of the lecture. He had already left the room and the ministers followed him after giving me apologetic glances.
There was silence once more…
Someone had covered my trembling hands with their own. I looked at them to find Soi's hands adorned with gauntlets rubbing my knuckles gently.
"I hate it here."
Nobody replied. I looked up to find Nakago look at me with the same stoic expression. For some reason, that infuriated me.
"You heard him! He doesn't need a Miko! And I personally feel no god can save this wretched place!" I was aware that my throat had a weird burning sensation and I was having great difficulty in keeping the tremble out of my voice. Soi's grip on my hand got tighter.
"Take me to the shrine, Nakago." His expression flickered into bemusement for a minute before he nodded.
"And bring all my seishi there. I am sure all of them have been summoned. We need to be introduced."
"Yes Aredhel-sama."
The walk to the shrine was in total silence. I was aware that Nakago and Soi both had things to tell me. But none of us talked and soon, we stood in front of the shrine doors. I smiled involuntarily as I remembered the last time I had stood in front of a shrine's doors. I turned to Nakago,
"Open the doors, Nakago." I still felt a little weak after the incident in the courtyard but I needed to enter the shrine. If Seiryuu himself considered it important that I visited this place, it had to be done.
The doors creaked open and the burnished statue of Seiryuu soon loomed into our sight. There was a 'certain splendour' in the way Seiryuu stood there, one of his talons clutching a globe, fire sprouting in delicate swirls from his flared nostrils, his scales glistening in the rays of light that fell on him from above. It was exactly like how I had seen it in my vision. Even the stream that surrounded the idol was exactly like what I'd envisioned.
"So… this is Seiryuu…" I breathed as I slowly walked towards the statue. I turned around to find Nakago and Soi kneeling before me. Or maybe it was before Seiryuu! Five more people walked into the shrine. Nakago stood up and turned to the five.
"These are your Seishi, Aredhel-sama. They have all been summoned as you had requested."
I nodded as I walked up to them. I observed that one of them was really huge and really 'really' hairy! He growled as our eyes met revealing sharp canines… I shuddered. Then, I turned to Amiboshi and Suboshi who grinned though I could see a tinge of guilt in the flautist's eyes.
"Hello! I guess most of you must know this already. I am Aredhel. I am the Seiryuu no Miko." I smiled. All seven of them sank into a bow as I said this. It was all it took to make me panic!
I jumped back a step,
"Oh please! Get up! I'm honoured to have your respects. Please get up!"
And thank god, they rose from the bow. For some reason, I wanted friends right now. And to be treated as the high and unapproachable Miko felt a tad bit asphyxiating… I now realized how he must have felt. I knew it was silly of me. But that lump in my throat returned and my eyes stung as I thought of Hotohori.
One by one they introduced themselves. I learnt that the one with the painted face was Tomo and his specialty was illusions. The huge one was Aishitare and he was half were-wolf and it did unsettle me a little when he greeted my smile with a growl. Nakago had quickly intervened, saying that Aishitare had never actually held 'conversations' with anyone before.
That much I figured! Just my luck! My own seishi attempts to kill me!
Miboshi was an old man, his eyes roving over my face as I smiled at him. He let out an 'Hmmph' as he shook my hand. He apparently was a black magician. Soi could control lightning and 'ki'…whatever that was! Amiboshi could heinously injure people with his flute – as I had experienced firsthand. He smiled a little embarrassed as I came to him.
"I am very sorry, Miko-sama…I-"
"Don't worry about it, Amiboshi." I brushed his apology aside and turned to his twin brother. He stared at me as he extended his hand.
"I am Suboshi, Miko-sama." I nodded.
"I've heard. So what can you do? Chop down ten people at once? Kill an entire village? Upturn peaceful mountains? Lay fertile plains to waste?" I was aware that a small amount of bitterness had crept into my voice and Suboshi seemed to have noticed it too for he lowered his eyes and said nothing.
I exhaled a little,
"I am sorry, Suboshi…so… what can you do?"
He raised his eyes and suddenly there was a strange humming in the air. And before I knew it, the rope that was tied around Suboshi's waist, 'sprang up' to life and encircled him loosely. There were two balls that whirred and span around at the ends.
"Okaaaay….erm…. interesting!" I commented, not knowing what else to say.
"My powers are basically psychokinesis, Miko-sama."
"Ah! I see." It was now clear what those balls were for. And now that I observed, those balls had sharp edges running around them in spirals. Surely for cutting through things…
And then I came to Nakago. He stood silent and stoic. Ever since the discussion about the war on my first day here, he wasn't being that free. And it bothered me more than I showed out.
"And what can you do, Nakago…?"
His gaze was unwavering. Suddenly, I could feel the air around us crackle. A symbol was slowly forming in the middle of Nakago's forehead… a symbol that I recognized – Kokoro…heart.
As he extended his hand, something blue glowed at the tip of his fingers. It gradually grew in size until it was the size of a soccer ball. And then, with a low whine, it leapt from his hands and into the wall opposite. There was a very loud bang followed by a rain of debris. When the dust did settle down, there was a gaping hole in the wall where the weird light had made contact.
I was awestruck. No… I was more than awestruck… I stared at Nakago, my mouth open like I'd never seen him before. He casually closed my mouth and smirked. I started back to reality, trying with no success to clear my mind of the incident that had happened a few minutes before.
"I hope that clears Aredhel-sama's doubts?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes it does!" I stated and returned his smirk with a weak smile of my own. It occurred to me how each of the seishi had powers that would only be good in combat. Why couldn't I have a seishi who was super intelligent or a super healer? I turned to glare at the statue of Seiryuu. Oh that dragon! How the hell was I supposed to work out peace when my own seishi brandished nukes from their fingertips?!
I laughed weakly. "Now isn't this a better way to introduce ourselves? What a waste it would've been if all those people had died!" Nobody laughed or even smiled.
Riiight… my seishi were surely peace-loving folk! Oh brother!
The glisten on Seiryuu's idol caught my eye.
"I guess we should pray to Seiryuu-sama before we leave?"
They all nodded and walked behind me towards the idol.
I sighed as I closed my eyes in contemplation.
"Welcome, Seiryuu no Miko!" A voice resonated around the room. I started and opened my eyes to find nobody but the seishi, myself and the idol in that room.
"I…I think… Seiryuu-sama…he…" I heard Suboshi stutter.
Now that he mentioned it, there was an odd gleam in the idol's eyes.
"It is I, Seiryuu, the guardian deity of Khutou." I gaped as I heard the gleam brighten and fade and then brighten again with every word that was spoken.
Someone screamed and I had strong suspicions that it had been Tomo.
Something felt out of place. I turned to my left and nearly screamed myself! Seiryuu was standing right beside me, glaring at the idol.
Wait… if you're here… then who's there over there?!
I turned to gape at the idol, beads of sweat already forming on my brow. Something was horrendously wrong! And I had to find out what.
Author's Note: There you go, folks! For those who've read Nakago's novel, you'll know where I'm taking this! And for the others, ah you'll know soon enough! MWAHAHAHA!!! Ahem…thanks for reading! Do review and let me know what you think! Until next time,
Yours in fellowship,
Anarya of Lorien.