Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play

Chapter 29

For the Sake of Love

: Or:
Have I mentioned that I don't like riding?

By:
NightMare

With Competition Pieces and electronic shoes from:
Annikia Valentine

Dedicated to:
The one and only Halo-boy

---

Author's Whatever: Whatever. ;p

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Sharon opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. So it was morning…again. She wished they'd get rid of mornings. They were so inconvenient. She yawned and rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. The birds were chirping merrily outside and the breeze creeping in through her slightly open door was warm. It was the beginning of a great summer day and she found herself wanting to go out and enjoy it.

Sitting up she blinked at the floor. Konan was murder on her biological clock. She looked around and spotted a note on the bedside table. She opened it and tried to read it. A few minutes later she realized it was in Chinese and she didn't have a chance.

Sharon placed the note on the bed, grabbed her bookbag and upended it on the floor. Then she knelt on the floor and sorted through the mess, wondering what had possessed her to bring so much junk. She lifted up a bottle of green hair spray and shook her head. What in the world had she wanted to use that for? She found her two dresses, tossed them onto the bed and underneath them were the English/Chinese Dictionary and Ann's Advanced Chinese III textbook.

Sharon grabbed the note from the bed, shut it in the dictionary, then stood and stared at her plaid skirt that was draped over the chair. She decided against putting it on. Her shirt was long enough to function as a short dress and anyway she wasn't going to anything formal. Her stomach growled to remind her it was there. She yawned at it and padded out of the room to find a meal. Halfway to the kitchens, someone called 'Your Grace' behind her. She turned, and smiled as she saw Keiki.

"Hey…it's pretty late in the morning. Don't tell me Hotohori wants breakfast with me. He must have been up hours ago."

"Yes, Your Grace. His Majesty has not yet eaten. He wishes to know if you would dine in a new place."

"Yeah sure…as long as I get food."

"Of course, Your Grace." Keiki led her through the halls in the southern wing of the palace. This was near where the temple was.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"The old conference chamber."

"Uhh…interesting place to eat. May I ask why?"

"While Your Grace was away those three months, His Majesty moved the conference chamber to the western wing and had this one converted to a dining hall for your pleasure." Sharon blinked. A dining hall? What would she need with a dining hall? Oh well…it was the thought that counted.

"That's great!" she said, sweatdropping a little. Keiki stopped, pushed open a door for her then bowed low. She thanked him and walked in. As soon as she saw the table she knew why Hotohori had done this. Now all of her seishi could eat together with her. Hotohori, Nuriko and Chichiri were already there. Hotohori was sitting at the head of the table as usual and Sharon decided to let him. He wasn't the emperor for nothing after all.

"Does this please you?" Hotohori asked.

"You know it does," she said and pecked him on the cheek. Then she plopped down on his right hand side, across from Nuriko and slapped her books on the table. Chichiri, who was sitting beside the purple haired seishi, was smiling at her. Then again…he smiled at everyone.

"Morning, Chiri. Sleep well?"

"Yes I did, no da. Sharon…do you remember that redheaded young man we ran into while we were traveling?" Sharon snorted.

"Ran into? Try more like kidnapped by. Yeah I remember that fang faced pig headed annoying ugly thieving bastard. Why do you ask?" Chichiri sweatdropped.

"Never mind, no da. It's not really important yet."

"Yet?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Chichiri didn't add anymore and Sharon was about to press when a servant came up and asked what she would like to have.

"Uhh…anything's fine…and some of those stuffed mushrooms, those are great."

"Yes, Your Grace." Sharon shook her head as the woman walked off.

"Your Grace…why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"Because you are the miko and they are being respectful," Hotohori said.

"Yeah. I kinda knew that. There isn't a possibility that I can make 'em stop is there?"

"No. I'm afraid you'll just have to suffer."

"Dang."

"Oh poor pitiful you," Nuriko said dryly. Sharon stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're just jealous because you don't have what I got."

"You're right. I've got more," Nuriko said, patting his hair. Sharon grinned and shook her head.

"You're a trip, you know that, 'Riko?" she said, pulling the dictionary closer and opening it.

"Do you give everyone nicknames?" Nuriko asked.

"Only people I like."

"Would ugly pig-faced bastard be considered a nickname?" Chichiri asked. Sharon stared at him.

"No."

"Didn't think so, no da."

"Chichiri, why do you keep bringing up Genrou? Is there something about him that I should know?" The blue haired man took a sudden interest in his food.

"How would I know, no da? You've known him longer then me, no da. I was just curious."

"And I thought I was a bad liar," Sharon said, rolling her eyes.

"It's nothing to worry about, no da. Just forget I said anything." Sharon leaned forward and stared at him.

"What are you hiding, monk?"

"I'm not the one who's in hiding, no da."

Sharon gave up. Chichiri was just going to continue to dance around the question and she didn't feel like waltzing at the moment. She began to translate the note. It was difficult going even with a dictionary. It didn't even make sense. She then realized she was reading across rather then up and down. She flipped back a page or two and started again.

She only had a word or two by the time her meal arrived. She ate with one hand and translated with the other. She was really glad Hotohori had taught her how to use chopsticks. Doing both would be impossible otherwise.

Let's see, she thought. That is…left…that's angry what the heck is that? It doesn't say. Grr. This is so hard! Oh wait, here it is…love. Now why is that in there I wonder? A lot of the characters she couldn't find. She flipped through the dictionary for the one at the end of the note. She found it fairly easily. Ogre? No…she must have read it wrong. She double-checked. Sure enough the kanji meant ogre. Well that didn't help! What did an ogre have to do with anything? She had the distinct feeling she'd seen that kanji somewhere before.

"What are you doing?" Nuriko asked.

"Trying to read this darned note."

"Let me see."

"You can read this?" she asked, holding it up.

"Of course. It doesn't look too complicated."

Sharon sweatdropped. Of course Nuriko would be able to read Chinese… Duh. She handed it over to him and began to tackle the rest of her mushrooms.

"It's from, Tama-kins."

"Really?" Sharon bit her lip. Maybe it was a love letter. She hoped not. Nuriko, being the nice person he was, would probably read it aloud so everyone and his neighbor could hear. Great. Suddenly Nuriko slammed the letter down so hard he made a crack in the table.

"That moron! I can't believe he did that!"

"What? What?"

"Tamahome went to Kutou!"

Sharon jumped to her feet.

"No way!"

"That's what it says! Sharon, by the time you read this I will have all ready left for Kutou. I'm sorry for sneaking out but I know you wouldn't have let me go if I hadn't. Please don't be angry with me. I'm doing this for you. I will come back when you have gathered all the seishi and hope it will be soon. Use your head for once and try to stay out of trouble. Wo ai ni. Tamahome." Nuriko read the letter very fast and very furiously…but Sharon had gotten every single word. She slammed her fists on the table.

"That idiot! He's gone off to Kutou by himself! I'm going to kill him," she snarled. Nuriko stood, clenching his hand into a fist.

"I'll help! He always puts himself in danger like this! How dare he worry us!"

"I know! We have to go after him!"

"No. We are not going to risk losing you in Kutou again," Hotohori said. "Tamahome can take care of himself."

"But…but…what if they change their minds and decide to kill him?"

"We'll just have to find the seishi before that happens."

"But who knows how long that will take?"

"There isn't any other choice, no da."

Sharon turned her attention to the monk. "We were lucky to have escaped Kutou the first time. I doubt they'll let the Suzaku no Miko slip through their hands again. Finding the other seishi is the best thing to do to help Tamahome no da."

Sharon nodded, put the note in her shirt pocket, and gathered up her books.

"Well that settles it. We'll leave as soon as possible."

"I wish I could go with you," Hotohori said with a sigh. Sharon's anger faded a little. Oh right. Hori-kun couldn't go with them. Aw man…she'd miss him all over again. She couldn't let him see her sad though, she had to cheer him up.

"Don't worry, Hori-kun. It's just a routine seishi search. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" she said cheerfully. Hotohori rubbed his temples.

"At this point? Everything."

---

Sharon was comfortable for once. Well…as comfortable as could be expected. She was riding behind Nuriko on a cute little black mare. For once she wasn't riding sidesaddle. With shorts under her skirt, she could enjoy the usual style of riding without worrying. She didn't feel as precarious either.

Chichiri was riding beside her on a larger gray gelding. He seemed to be lost in thought. They had been riding in peaceful silence for a while and Sharon didn't want to break the silence just yet. How could he have gone to Kutou like that? He could be killed. Or even worse things could happen to him. Well…at least he'd get a chance to get to know Amanda.

A small, selfish part of her didn't want him to know Amanda. 'Manda was gorgeous and most of the guys at school had fallen all over her. If Tamahome got to like her, Sharon wouldn't have a chance in hell with him again. Well at least now she knew what it felt like to be kissed…and nuzzled. She grinned…and raspberried. Amanda was so lucky.

She sighed, her happy mood gone. This wasn't fair. Tamahome was affecting her moods and he wasn't even here. Well…she just had to take her mind off of him. How could she though? She watched absently as a man in a hay cart passed them on the road. She grinned.

"Hey, 'Riko, why don't we buy a cart? That might be fun."

"It might be fun shoving you off this horse too," the seishi said dryly. Sharon giggled and tossed her hair. The horse slowed to a stop and she tensed. She hadn't actually thought he had been serious!

"Well, Sharon? Which one do you suggest?" Nuriko asked.

"Huh?" She peered over Nuriko's shoulder. The wide main road broke off into two smaller roads. Her eyes were drawn to the one on the right.

"Where does that one go?" she asked, pointing.

"That goes straight into Jozen, no da."

"Hey! That's where Doukun lives. Maybe we can visit her on the way back."

"That sounds like a good idea. It's been a while and we can pay them back for their hospitality," Nuriko said.

"What about left?"

"The mountains and Tamahome's village, no da."

"The mountains are dangerous this time of year," Nuriko said. "I heard summer is when the bandits are most active."

"Bandits? As in Reikaku bandits?"

"There are lots of bandits…but Reikaku Mountain has the largest group."

"Great. Then left it is!" she said cheerfully. Nuriko sighed.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" He nudged the horse into a walk and they started down the road. Sharon smirked. Genrou had better watch out. She was going to kick his butt!

"I hope we find another seishi along the road," Nuriko said anxiously. "The two of us aren't much of a defense against a bandit army. They gave the last emperor a load of trouble and I don't even want to know what they'll do when they find out you're the miko."

"Ah, I think you guys are more than enough to take care of a handful of stupid bandits. You can bend them into a pretzel and Chichiri can…uhh…use magic on 'em! Ain't that right Chichiri?" There was no answer. Sharon looked over. The dappled gray horse was trotting beside them, but the rider was gone.

---

Hotohori was in his rooms brushing his hair. It was one of his favorite things to do in his limited free time. He had such beautiful hair, so soft and full. He almost envied himself. It matched his eyes so well. He stared into the mirror. Yes…his eyes were attractive too. Light brown with gold flickering in the depths. He was just…so beautiful. He wasn't even vain about it…just honest.

He sighed and put the brush down. He just couldn't take as much enjoyment from it. Not a day had passed and he was worried about Sharon's safety. He wanted to be there for her this time. He knew it was impossible. If only he could get out of being Emperor. Just this once. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he saw two faces in the mirror. One of them was definitely not his.

---

"Looks like it's just the two of us again," Nuriko grumbled.

"It's okay. We did all right the last time," Sharon said. The purple haired seishi glared at her. Sharon blinked. "What? I'm still alive aren't I?"

"Unfortunately."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Nuriko rolled his eyes and dismounted. Sharon felt a little nervous about being on the horse all by herself and carefully slid off. Her legs didn't even feel wobbly anymore. Maybe she was getting used to this.

"Well I guess you'll have to ride this horse then," Nuriko said, taking the gray's reins.

"I can't ride."

"We have to take him with us."

"But why can't you hold the reins and ride on the other horse…you know…lead it?"

"So you want me to direct a stubborn horse one-handed while trying to lead another one and keep you out of trouble all at the same time?"

"Maybe," Sharon joked.

"I'm just one man you know."

"Well sort of anyway," Sharon said. Nuriko glared at her. She giggled and walked over to him.

"Just kidding. You are what you want to be I guess." She looked up at the horse and whistled. "And you want me to get on him, how?"

"I'll help you." He bent over and cupped his hands together. "Now put both hands on the saddle and I'll give you a boost." Sharon put her hands on the saddle, her foot in Nuriko's hands and hoped that the horse didn't decide to move.

"On three…ready? One…two…three." Sharon found herself vaulting over the saddle. She landed on the other side of the horse with a breathtaking thud. The lack of air was bad enough. She just wished someone would answer the phone in her head.

"Ow," she whimpered when she had the oxygen to do so.

"Oops. I think I boosted a bit too much."

"Just a bit," Sharon squeaked.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah…sort of…not really." She sat up and waited for the world to stop spinning before she tried to stand. "Have I mentioned that I don't like riding?"

---

Hotohori jumped and looked over his shoulder. The blue haired seishi was standing there looking nonchalant. It took a few minutes for the emperor to organize his thoughts.

"Chichiri! How did you…why are you here? Has something happened to Sharon?"

"No. I just thought you'd like to join them no da."

"I do, but that's impossible. Isn't it?"

"Not if you're willing to give the empire into someone else's care for a while."

"Whose?"

"Your own of course." There was a poof of smoke and Hotohori blinked as he suddenly saw an exact copy of himself standing in front of him. For once the articulate emperor didn't know what to say.

"Uhh…"

"I'll pretend to be you and you can go take care of the miko," Chichiri said with Hotohori's voice.

"Uhh…"

"Should I take that as a yes?"

"It will never work. Even though you are beautiful you are not as beautiful as I am. Someone will surely know the difference!"

"Then I'll make sure no one gets a close look, no da," Chichiri said, sweatdropping. Hotohori weighed the decision carefully in his mind. He soon decided to go along with the plan. Chichiri would be able to handle things and it wasn't as if he couldn't be trusted. His empire would be safe for a short while at least. After all, what could possibly go- Hotohori forcibly stopped that thought in its tracks. He loved his miko dearly but he couldn't afford to think like her.

---

Chichiri watched Hotohori leave and shook his head. The man was arrogant to be sure…but he was very loyal to the miko. He had seen nobles think twice about doing anything that required hard work and danger and the Emperor was ready and eager to do both. He wouldn't say anything against him. Suddenly a servant rushed in and bowed low.

"Are you prepared to leave Your Majesty?"

"Leave where?"

"To the merchant district, Sire, for an imperial inspection."

"Oh that. Yes. What else do I have to do today?"

"A thousand pardons, Sire, I'll have to check." The man scuttled away. He returned soon with a long slip of paper. Chichiri sincerely hoped he didn't have to do all of that.

"As you approved earlier Your Majesty… After the inspection Your Majesty is scheduled to finish reading the governor's reports from the northern quarter of the empire, then is Lord Agumi's audience to discuss the problem of quartering troops in Xong. Afterwards the meeting with Captain Chang to inform Your Majesty of the news from the border, then a delegate from Rou village to complain about the increasingly violent activity of the Reikaku bandits. Afterwards…" Chichiri groaned inwardly as the man continued. What in the world had he gotten himself into?

---

Sharon held the reins loosely. After much struggling she had finally managed to get up on the huge horse. They were riding along at a comfortable pace and they were nearing a village. Sharon was glad. She didn't know how much more abuse she could take.

"I still can't believe he went off like that. Tamahome I mean," Sharon said. "He tells me not to do it and then he goes off by himself…that's not fair."

"He probably had a good reason."

"Yeah…but still. Nuriko why are men so…so…"

"Annoying?"

"Yeah."

"I wish I knew."

"It's not just that, they're confusing too. Take Ann's brother Matt. He won't even go out to get the mail without emptying a few cans of hairspray but his room is a disaster area."

"I guess it's just one of those things."

"Really. I understand them better then most girls I guess. I grew up around men. I used to live with four but Uncle Carrot got remarried and him and Ricky moved to Tennessee."

"Carrot?"

"Yeah…it's just his nickname. He doesn't like his real name. I don't even know what it is."

"What's your brother like?"

"David? He's into clothes and is kind of a pansy. He can be a real jerk at times but I love him anyway. I kinda miss him a little too. It's funny how you don't know how much you really love someone until they're gone."

"I know the feeling." They continued to ride in silence until they entered the village. It was just after noon and the village was alive. Enticing smells wafted from an open tavern door.

"I'm starved. Let's go eat," Sharon suggested, pointing her horse to the tavern.

"Sure. Why not? It will be nice to get out of this sun." They pulled up at the tavern and Nuriko tied his horse to the hitching post. Sharon didn't dismount…instead she stared at the ground…bewildered.

"What's wrong?" Nuriko asked.

"How do I get down?"

---

Nuriko didn't like it. It was too quiet. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. Sharon wasn't affected by it. She just plopped down, plunked their money bag on the table and ordered something. Nuriko sat cautiously and scanned the room. The tavern was populated mostly by men. As he looked them over, they looked away. A small group of men in a shady corner met his gaze. He didn't like the looks in their eyes. Of course that could mean more then one thing. Still, it was better to be careful, especially where the miko was concerned.

"Umm…this stuff looks so good!" Nuriko turned his attention back to the sixteen-year-old. His eyes widened at the amount of food being laid on the table. Sharon met his stare with a grin and picked up her chopsticks.

"Ya can't get enough Chinese food! Especially these stuffed mushrooms. I wonder what's in them?"

"I thought this was lunch."

"It is lunch."

"Looks more like dinner to me."

"It's really good though," Sharon muffled around a mouthful of bean sprout. "Dig in!" Nuriko took a small bowl of rice and poked at it absently. He was still uncertain about the tavern. He shrugged the feeling off and lifted the bowl to his mouth. Before he took the first bite, his instincts told him to look up. The men in the back corner were still staring…then one of them smiled.

"Sharon, don't eat any more. I think the food might be poisoned." He looked at her. She was pale and one hand was pressed against her throat. She tried to stand but fell to the ground. Nuriko stood and rushed over to her side. He had been too late. As soon as he reached her the men attacked.

Nuriko didn't know what to do. He needed to help her but if the men got to her it wouldn't help at all. The faster he got rid of them, the more chance Sharon had of surviving. There were four men in all. He was outnumbered but not by much.

"We don't gotta fight," the first man said, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"What do you mean?" Nuriko asked, making his hands into fists.

"You give us the gold and the girl and we'll leave ya alone."

Nuriko answered his question by punching him in the face. The man sailed through the air, hit the wall and slumped to the ground unconscious.

"You shouldn't have done that!" one of his companions snarled. "Come on, let's hit him together!" He shouted to another man. They charged him. Nuriko grabbed the larger man and kicked him toward his friend as hard as he could. Both men went flying and crashed into a table. Table and men went skidding across the room a few feet before stopping in a dazed heap. The remaining man snarled and pulled a sword. Nuriko sweatdropped. Things had just gotten complicated.

---

Sharon's vision was darkening. She couldn't breathe. The bean sprout was blocking the air to her lungs. Great. She was going to die. She could just see her obituary. Sharon Alissa Glace, sixteen, killed by a bean sprout.

She tried to cough but didn't have the air. She heard someone shouting her name. Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up sharply. She was forced to cough and the bit of bean sprout dislodged itself from her throat and went skittering across the floor. Sharon leaned back against her rescuer and took a deep breath. That was close. Next time she'd have to remember to slow down.

"Thanks. Any longer and I would have passed out," she said. Her vision cleared and she saw Nuriko standing beside her, fists raised. He was staring down at her, shock on his face.

"Sharon, are you all right?"

"Yeah, just ate a bit too fast."

"So you weren't poisoned?"

"Nope."

He was glaring at her now. Sharon saw a strange man raise a sword above Nuriko's head.

"Watch out!" she yelled. Nuriko turned around just as the sword was whistling down. The purple haired seishi yelped and threw himself back, narrowly avoiding getting his face sliced open. As soon as the man's sword was down, Nuriko darted forward, put a hand on the man's face and slammed him down onto the floor so hard the wood broke.

"That was impressive," said a familiar voice right behind her. Sharon twisted her head and looked up at her rescuer. She gaped.

"H…Hori-kun?" she stammered. He smiled.

"Yes."

Sharon looked at Nuriko who seemed just as stunned as she was, then back to the emperor.

"What are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously.

---

They were riding again. Sharon rode in between the two of them on a spirited palomino. Although she was new to riding, Hotohori could tell that she would be a fairly good horsewoman in time. She sat straight in the saddle and held the reins with ease. The reins were a bit slack…but that was fine for walking.

They had traded horses since the palomino was a bit easier to mount. He felt uncomfortable letting her ride it. He couldn't explain why. There was something about the horse the he knew he should remember. He shook his head…it would come back to him later.

He refocused his attention on the rider. She was beautiful. He remembered when he had first met her he hadn't thought of her as much. Now her beauty had grown on him…she had grown on him. If he were to live without mirrors he would take the same enjoyment out of staring at her. And he could stare at her forever once she decided that she loved him. There was still a chance.

---

Nuriko tried not to glare in Sharon's direction. The emperor was staring at her again and he knew she couldn't help it. That didn't stop him from being jealous. What did she have that he didn't? Besides the obvious?

He sighed. There was no help for it. If only he had been born female. He glanced at Sharon…then at the horse. There was something about that horse. He had rarely ever been to the palace stables…but he remembered a vague rumor about that horse. It had some sort of reputation. The memory eluded him and he would have given up…except a tiny warning bell had gone off in the back of his mind.

---

The horse pulled at the reins. They were so slack. The legs around his ribs were tight, almost pinching. This rider was unfamiliar and inexperienced. Not that the horse minded much. He'd never felt so much freedom outside of the grazing field before. Well he wasn't about to let the moment slip from under his hooves. He pulled at the bit once more…just to test. The rider murmured some words and scratched his head. The horse chuckled to himself. This was going to be fun. They didn't call him Imperial Lightning for nothing.

---

Nuriko suddenly remembered something. There was a horse in the stables that had the reputation for suddenly bolting for no apparent reason. It seemed to love to catch riders off guard. Could this be the same one? He looked to the emperor.

"Hotohori-sama… isn't that-" Before he could finish Hotohori's eyes widened.

"Sharon, stop the horse."

"Huh?"

Imperial Lightning let out an earsplitting neigh and tore down the road, taking the miko with him.

---

"Gaah!" Sharon screamed. The thing was going fast…way to fast. The ground whizzed underneath flashing hooves. If she fell off right now it would really hurt. She wasn't about to take that chance. She let go of the reins and wrapped her arms around the animal's neck.

The ground made her dizzy. She closed her eyes tightly. Now that she couldn't see it wasn't so scary anymore. The wind whipped through her hair and she had the incredible feeling of flying. Only the horse's warmth and her rather precarious position reminded her of her current situation. She heard other hoof beats behind her.

"Pull up on the reins!" Hotohori shouted.

"Are you crazy! I'll fall!"

"You will fall if you keep that speed going for much longer!" Sharon knew he was right. But if she sat up she knew she was going to fall backwards and that was going to hurt a lot worse. She slowly sat up and grabbed the reins. She put one hand on the saddle and with the other pulled back as hard as she could. The horse slowed its pace and tossed its head. The reins flew out of her grip and over the horse's head. Oh gah. Well at least it couldn't get any worse.

---

Imperial Lightning heard the others coming up behind him. Oh they were chasing! Oh what fun! He felt like a colt again. He dove off the road and into the forest, stretching his legs to their fullest extent and weaving through the trees. This was great! If there was anything better then running he had no idea.

---

The black was frothing and slowing down. She was a light, fast horse but burdened down with packs. There was no help for it. Nuriko slowed her to a walk and watched as Hotohori thundered past him after the miko. He hoped the emperor would be able to catch up to her. The gray was had more endurance then the mare but also had more packs. It was just one thing after another wasn't it?

The horse shifted. Something fell and clattered to the ground. He stopped the mare and dismounted to see what it was. There was a silver mirror lying on the road. It had probably fallen out of Sharon's open satchel. Picking the mirror up, he turned it over to see if the glass was scratched and gasped. Instead of his reflection was a red kanji that meant mountain.

He looked up at the mountains and saw one not too far away that made his heart jump. This mountain rose into the air in the shape of a howling wolf. He had heard of it before. Reikaku. The bandit mountain. Suddenly the runaway horse wasn't the only problem.

---

The hoofbeats were getting further and further behind. She was slipping. If she fell at this speed she might not ever get up again.

"Somebody stop this damned horse!" she screamed. No immediate help came but she knew Hotohori or Nuriko would be there soon. She was sure her seishi would be able to help her. At least she hoped so.

---

Hotohori looked around desperately for the miko. The gray could no longer keep up and he had lost her.

"Suzaku, please help her," he murmured. Suddenly a gust of wind rushed along at ankle level, making the gray rear. Hotohori struggled to calm the horse knowing with dead certainty that his prayer had just been answered.

--

Sharon screamed as she hung onto the saddle for dear life. She was hanging sideways off the horse. She'd managed to jam one foot in the stirrup but the other was dangling and she clung to the saddle for dear life. The horse obviously did not like being ridden this way and began to tilt toward trees as if hoping to rub her off.

"Get yer foot out of the stirrup and let go!" shouted a voice near her ear. Gah! She was so startled she nearly did let go. Where the hell did that come from? If she wasn't so terrified, she would have opened her eyes and looked. It must have been someone in passing.

"Damnit little girl! I can't keep up this speed for much longer! Just let go!" Well so much for that idea. And what did he mean 'this speed'? Was he on a horse beside her? She couldn't hear any other hoof beats.

"Are ya deaf, moron?"

"I'm not going to let go! You must be out of your mind!"

"I'll catch you! Just trust me or you'll be draggin' along behind that thing."

Well it wasn't as if she had anything to lose. She closed her eyes, yanked her foot from the stirrup and reluctantly, let go. For a brief second she was airborne. Then she slammed into someone who stumbled. Sharon yelped and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slowed to a stop.

"Can ya stand?" the guy asked in a gentle voice. A voice that was very, very familiar. Sharon opened her eyes and stared at the redhead staring back at her. At this point she wasn't sure what to think.

"Huh?" she said, more then a little dazed.

"I said can ya stand?"

"Huh? Oh…oh yeah." He set her gently on her feet. Sharon's legs immediately gave out beneath her and she sat hard on the ground. Genrou rolled his eyes and crouched to be on eye level with her.

"You all right?" he asked.

"I almost…I almost died," she muttered, still a little windblown. He grinned.

"Yeah I know. You can't ride worth shit."

Sharon narrowed her eyes. "I can so! Just not that horse."

"Yeah right.

"I can!"

"Can not."

"Don't mess with me, dork," she said, trying to stand. He laughed and helped her up. She shoved him away and leaned against the tree for support.

"What are you doing out here anyway, little girl?"

"That's none of your business! Give me back my necklace, dork." He turned away from her and folded his arms behind his head.

"I just saved your ass and that's the thanks I get. Women. I tell ya. Bunch of ungrateful crones…the lot of 'em. I don't owe you nothin', little girl."

"You do if you want this back, bandit boy," she said, pulling his necklace out of her pocket. His eyes widened.

"Where th' hell did ya get that! Give it back!"

"I'll give it back as soon as you give me my locket." He hesitated a moment.

"I'll give your locket back as soon as ya give me my beads."

"How can I trust you?"

He grinned. "'Cause I just saved your life."

Sharon narrowed her eyes, thinking it over. Finally she handed out the beads.

"You grin too damn much," she grumbled as he took them. He retied the beads around his neck. She was about to ask for her necklace back when the sound of hoofbeats interrupted her. Thinking it was Hotohori she turned, only to see the palomino. Genrou grabbed its reins. The horse laid back its ears and tried to nip him. The bandit cursed and shoved its head to the side. Sharon snatched the reins from him just in case he decided to steal the horse too.

"You got your friends with ya?" he asked.

"Yeah. They're not far behind." He glanced around him.

"I don't see anyone. Which direction did ya come from?" Sharon looked around at the trees and realized she had no earthly idea.

"Great. Now what am I going to do?"

"Well I'll take ya to Rou village. It's the biggest one and I'm sure your friends will look for ya there," he said, mounting the horse. Sharon stared up at him suspiciously. For some annoying reason she knew she could trust him. She handed the reins to him and clambered up onto the horse in front of him. She wanted to be the first to see where they were going, just in case.

"Can't you sit in back? It's hard to see over your big head," he said. Sharon narrowed her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach.

"That hurt ya stupid female!" he shouted. The horse started. Sharon grabbed hold of the palomino's mane and tossed her hair.

"You deserved it dork."

"Next time I'm just gonna let you fall off the damned horse."

"Next time I'll aim my elbow lower." He muttered something incoherent and kicked the palomino into a trot.

---

Genrou dismounted and lifted the girl off the horse. The ride had been silent for the most part but that was more out of fear of making the horse nervous. Now though her eyes were gleaming with anger and he prepared himself for an onslaught of insults. Then she smiled. It was like the clouds parting from the sun. Her whole face lit up.

"?" was all he could think of to say.

"Thanks for saving me. You didn't have too but I'm glad you did. Otherwise I would have been a dead little miko."

"M…miko?"

"Yep. Suzaku no Miko." Suddenly the full realization of what she was hit him like a flying brick. She was the destiny he was trying to avoid. He knew she was. This girl was the Suzaku no Miko and he had just been found.

"You ain't gettin' me without a fight," he muttered.

"Huh?" He had to do something to dissuade her. He had to be totally and completely obnoxious. He knew he would hate himself later but now self-preservation was his only thought.

"Well now that we're here I guess I'm just gonna take this horse for payment."

"Payment?"

"Well yeah. Ya didn't think I'd take ya here fer nothin' did ya?"

"You jerk! You didn't mention payment! If you had I would have told you to shove it! You aren't taking the horse."

"You gonna stop me little girl?" He grabbed the horse's reins. She tried to snatch them from his hands. There was a brief and violent struggle ending with her holding the reins. She smiled triumphantly.

"Ha!" she said. He shoved her hard. She landed on her butt on the ground and blinked up at him, startled. Then her face twisted with anger.

"You dork!"

"You ain't worth my time little girl," he said, turning and finding himself facing several angry looking village guards armed with spears. Uh-oh. Before he could move the captain of the guard slammed a hand on his shoulder.

"Is this man bothering you ma'am?" the captain asked.

"He tried to steal my horse!" she yelled. Genrou looked at the odds. There were twelve of them and one of him. He could escape, but it would probably hurt. Ah hell…why bother? He could escape painlessly from prison later. He let the guards lead him away, stealing a glance back at the girl. Hopefully he would never have to see her again.

---

Sharon decided that even though the gray was hard to get up on, he was a hell of a lot easier to stay on. She was riding in the middle again, Hotohori and Nuriko on either side of her. Hotohori had wanted to stay at the village for the night, but Sharon had begged him to move on. She didn't want to stay in the same village as that…that dork.

She couldn't believe she had trusted him…and he still hadn't given her the locket back. Ann was going to kill her when she found out…if she didn't know already. She hadn't told the others about him. She'd just told them some stranger had saved her, then run off and she'd discovered Rou village on accident.

Genrou was her problem and she wasn't about to let anyone else deal with him. Although it would be half worth it to see the look on his face when Hotohori put the sword to his throat and threatened to execute him. Hori-kun would do that too…if she asked him.

"Do you still wish to go to Reikaku?" Hotohori asked suddenly. Sharon stared at him for a moment, wondering how he knew. Then she remembered the dinner conversation and nodded.

"Let's do it tomorrow though. I'm getting tired." Which was true enough. She was getting tired. Besides, Genrou would probably be let out tomorrow and Reikaku would be the first place he would go. Maybe she could let Hotohori and Nuriko in on her secret. It would be a lot easier to deal with Genrou with two of her seishi backing her up. She really wanted to do this on her own though…. Well, she would see how things turned out and decide from there.

"Sharon, you know that little silver mirror of yours? Is it from your world?" Nuriko asked.

"Nope. Taiitsukun gave it to me to find the seishi in place of the scroll. Why?"

"I think there is a seishi in Reikaku." Huh. Well that was convenient.

"Is that why you wanted to go there? Because you knew of a seishi?" Hotohori asked.

"Actually no. It's a long story. Hey. Let's find a place to camp." Nuriko sidled his horse closer to hers and peered into her face with narrow eyes. Sharon tried to look innocent but Nuriko wasn't buying it.

"You're hiding something." It wasn't a question. Sharon laughed and flapped her hand dismissively.

"Who me? You're imagining things. What could I possibly be hiding?"

"I don't know miko but it had better not be anything to get us into any more trouble."

"It's nothing, really."

"But if it is something, you need to tell us, Sharon," Hotohori said. "We need to know in order to protect you."

"It's just something really trivial. Don't worry about it."

"Uh-huh. Well until I know what it is I will worry about it," Nuriko said. Hotohori didn't say as much but she could see him thinking about it too. Sharon sighed. She should have kept her mouth shut…or lied. She didn't like them to worry about her.

---

They rode for a short while longer until they found a comfortable spot in which to camp. They had dinner around sunset. The night slowly fell and everything was peaceful…for the time being.

----

Hmmm…strangers were here. The man watched the three from the darkness of the trees. He hadn't seen these people around before. He grinned. Unwary travelers and probably lost, considering how close they had camped to Mt. Reikaku.

Their loss. He would have to get some of the others then come back to the camp and see what…and who…they could steal. Un-noticed, a shadowy figure slipped through the darkening night.

---

"So Hori-kun, how exactly are you here anyway? I thought you had to look after the empire."

"Chichiri is…covering for me."

"From a monk to an emperor no da. I wonder if he has any idea the workload he's going to get."

"I wonder if he has any idea at all," Hotohori said, sweatdropping. Sharon smiled at him and patted his hand.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Chichiri can take care of things well enough."

Hotohori didn't look entirely convinced and Sharon didn't know what else to tell him. Instead she leaned against a tree and pulled Tamahome's note from her pocket. There was still enough light to make out the characters. Even though she couldn't read it, she could remember what it said. Then she remembered the word Nuriko had said at the end. Now what was it? Woni? Woini? She knew it started with a wo.

"Woaini," she murmured.

"Did you say something?" Hotohori asked.

"Yeah. Woaini. Tamahome wrote it, but I don't know what it means."

"I love you," Nuriko said. Sharon grinned.

"You too 'Riko? I'm just attracting everyone aren't I?" Sharon giggled and ducked to avoid being smacked across the head.

"You know what I meant. Wo ai ni means I love you."

"Aww…and all this time I thought you cared." Nuriko rolled his eyes. Sharon smiled to herself and looked the note. Wo ai ni huh? She liked that. It was very pretty. She wished she could hear him say it. She closed her eyes and held the note to her.

"Wo ai ni, Tamahome."


A red book flips open and the words at the top say…

Tomorrow's Episode: Dangerous Reunions

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is a creation of Yu Watase

All other characters are under my jurisdiction and cannot be used with my permish although why you'd WANT to use 'em I dunno