Author's Notes: See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.
Love, Life, and Death By Annie-chan Chapter Nine: SummoningKôran awoke reluctantly. She didn't want to leave the warm circle of Hôjun's arms. She opened one eye and looked balefully at the beam of sunlight that fell near their bed.
Morning already? she thought. She sighed mentally. Might as well get up.
Hôjun groaned slightly, just coming out of sleep himself. It had been a month since the flood, and Shôryû was slowly but surely being rebuilt. Only about seventy-five people had survived, and it was turning out to be a very small town indeed. Better than no town, I guess, Kôran told herself. She and Hôjun had been married the day before. It had been a beautiful day, and Hanabira had insisted they make it their wedding day. Hôjun's energetic imôto had taken the liberty of asking the town leader, one of those to survive, to perform the ceremony before she had even brought the subject up to Hôjun and Kôran. Kôran smiled. I'm glad she did.
She looked down at the man who had made love to her for the first time last night. As bad as his wounds had been, they were healed almost completely, and it was like they weren't even there anymore. His broken bones were mended to the point of no longer needing to mind them every move he made, and his face no longer needed to be bandaged. There was still a large red mark where his eye used to be, and there would be a permanent scar for sure. Nevertheless, Hôjun was almost as good as new. But, how could that be? It was usually about six weeks until a cast can be removed, and two months until the bones are completely knitted. There was something odd about her husband, but she didn't know what. Nobody knew what.
"Mmm…Kôran, no da?" Hôjun was awake, but he was still a bit dazed from sleep.
"Ohayô, Koibito," Kôran replied, leaning down to kiss him. "Sleep well?"
He grinned up at her. "Very well, no da." He stroked her cheek. "Finally, no da. Finally, I can call you my wife, no da."
They spent the next few minutes just gazing lovingly at each other before they got up and dressed. It was fixing to be a warm day, so Hôjun wore only his shirt and pants, opting not to wear his tunic over it, lest he overheat himself helping with rebuilding the town. His father had been a carpenter, and he had learned the tricks of the trade early on, so his skills were especially needed at a time like this. They finished dressing and went outside.
"Aniki!!!!!!!!!!!" Hanabira came out of nowhere and launched herself into Hôjun's arms. It was all he could do not to fall over. "You're finally married, Aniki! Omedetô gozaimasu!"
"A-a-arigatô, no da," Hôjun replied, trying to pry the ten-year-old's arms from his waist. She was making it hard to breathe. By the gods, this girl is the most excitable person I've ever known in my life, no da. She'll be a chore for whoever marries her later on, no da.
The day started out normal, or as normal as it could only a month after a flood as devastating as what had hit the valley. The general mood of everyone was better than it had been immediately after the disaster, but there was still a bit of gloom that had settled on their spirits.
Kôran had noticed something that had changed about Hôjun, and she knew some of the townspeople had as well, including Hanabira. He kept saying "no da" at the end of nearly all his sentences. "No da" was a nonsense word, and the way Hôjun said it indicated he was in an abnormally good mood. It was as if Hôjun was trying to hide immense grief from everyone, including himself. After a few weeks, the townspeople had gotten used to it, for Hôjun had been known for a long time as someone who occasionally had quirks just pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes those quirks went away, and sometimes they didn't. Kôran was deeply disturbed by it, as was Hanabira to a lesser degree. Something told her that this particular quirk wasn't harmless like the others thought.
He holds himself responsible for Hikô's death, she thought, no matter how much I try to convince him otherwise. And, he hates himself for it. Hôjun's self-loathing frightened her. It wasn't healthy to hate yourself, and that hate can make you do terrible things.
She had confronted him about three days ago about the "no da," when they had finished the day's work and were watching the sunset together from the top of a small hill outside the growing town. His reaction had been nothing like what she had expected. His eye had widened, his hands had curled into fists, and he had started to tremble. She had put a hand on his shoulder and was going to ask him what was wrong, when he jumped up and moved a few paces away, his whole body ridged. Everything about him said, "Don't touch me."
Kôran knew something was wrong, now. "Hôjun, what—"
"Don't!" he had interrupted, his tone hostile. "Don't bring it up again. Don't you ever bring it up again!!!!!!!!!" With that, he ran back down to the town, leaving Kôran in shock. He had never spoken to her like that! And certainly never over something like a speech anomaly!
Later, when she had the courage to face him again, she returned to the village and entered the small house they were living in and found Hôjun sitting in the dark on the floor with his head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps entering the room.
"K-Kôran!" he had stammered. He had stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face into her hair. "S-sumimasen, Kôran. I never meant to snap at you like that. But, I…but, I…"
Her heart squeezed when she realized he was crying, but said nothing as he cleared his throat and continued, his voice shaky.
"Please, don't speak of that again. It's just too painful." His arms tightened further. "Gomen nasai, Kôran."
She had silently promised herself and him that she would never bring it up again. Hôjun was just too sensitive to speak of such things.
Now, however, they were both going about their business, doing their part to get the town back on its feet. That didn't last long, though.
Hôjun suddenly jerked his head up and looked toward the woods to the west, toward the hot springs. He seemed to be straining to listen to something just out of hearing range. Kôran saw it and went over to him. A few others were around him, asking him what was wrong, but nobody seemed to get through to him.
"Hôjun, daijôbu?" Kôran asked, laying a hand on his arm.
"Something is calling me, no da," he replied, unmoving. "I have to go, no da."
"I'm going with you!" Kôran said, feeling that something was about to happen that would separate them.
"Kôran, no," he said, looking down at her. "It might be dangerous, no da. I don't want you hurt, no da."
"I don't want you hurt and alone in the forest, either," she retorted. "I'm going with you."
He opened his mouth to refuse her again, but the look in her eyes told him that she wouldn't back down. "All right, come on, no da." He took hold of her hand, and they went off toward the hot springs.
The forest was oddly quiet, as if the animals and the birds were hiding from something. The stepped carefully, making sure not to disturb whatever was causing the sudden absence of noise. It wasn't long until they came across something that didn't seem to belong in the woods at all.
There, in a little clearing not far from the hot springs, stood a little girl, her sea-green hair done up in odango with braids hanging down from the centers. The way she was dressed indicated wealth, but why would the daughter of some wealthy couple be out here all alone in the middle of the forest? She was staring right at them, her eyes seemingly much older than her body. This was no ordinary little girl.
"O…ohayô, little girl, no da," Hôjun ventured. "What's your name, no da?"
"My name Nyan-Nyan!" the girl replied, smiling sweetly. Odd name, Hôjun and Kôran thought at the same time.
"What are you doing out here all alone?" Kôran asked. "Where are your parents?"
"Nyan-Nyan have no otôsama!" Nyan-Nyan replied. "But, Nyan-Nyan's okâsama wants to see Chichiri-sama!"
Chichiri-sama, no da? Isn't he one of the Suzaku Seishi, no da? "You were calling me, right, no da?" Hôjun asked. Nyan-Nyan nodded. "But, I'm not Chichiri-sama, no da. I'm Ri Hô—"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a flash of pink light as Nyan-Nyan turned into a bubble, surrounded them both, and transported them to the most beautiful mountain landscape either of them had ever seen. They gasped as one.
"S-Suzaku, no da!" Hôjun breathed. "What is this place, no da?"
The bubble had set them down on the ground and popped back into Nyan-Nyan. She replied, "This Daikyoku-zan, of course!"
"Daikyoku-zan!" Kôran gasped. "Isn't that where—"
Before they knew what was happening, they were surrounded by what seemed like dozens of little girls that looked and sounded exactly like Nyan-Nyan.
"These Nyan-Nyan's sisters!" Nyan-Nyan said cheerfully. "These other Nyan-Nyans!"
The confused couple had no time to reply before the mob of super-kawaii little girls surged forward and started feeling the fabric of their clothing, chattering among themselves. They were surrounded on all sides, so there was nowhere to run.
"Chichiri-sama! Chichiri-sama!" they kept hearing here and there among the dozens of identical voices.
"All right! That's enough!" an old gravely voice sounded behind them, and the Nyan-Nyans dropped back, still chattering. Kôran was first to turn around, and…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she shrieked, grabbing onto Hôjun and tackling him to the ground, scattering the Nyan-Nyans. She was clutching onto her husband like her life depended on it, and Hôjun was just about to demand what the hell had her scared so much, when he himself saw the newcomer.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUNAKAKE BABA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He jumped up, taking Kôran with him, and backed up as fast as he could without falling back down until his back hit a tree. Kôran was still stuck tight to him, and he stared in shock and horror at the sight that was before him.
"That Nyan-Nyans' okâsama!" several Nyan-Nyans chorused at once. "That Taiitsukun!"
"T-Ta-Taiitsukun, no da?!?!?!" Hôjun stammered, recognizing the Creator's name. "Taiitsukun's a hideous old woman, no da?!?!?!"
There was a loud thwack, and Hôjun was facedown on the ground, a large goose egg growing on the back of his head. "Is that any way to talk to your hostess?!?!" Taiitsukun demanded, tossing away the biggest mallet Kôran had ever seen. "I had Nyan-Nyan bring you here for another reason than to insult me!" Hôjun just lay there. Taiitsukun sighed. "Nyan-Nyan, fix Chichiri-sama."
Three of the little girls rushed forward and put their hands on Hôjun's suffering head, still chattering about everything and nothing. When they went back to the main group of girls again, Hôjun slowly pulled himself up.
"Why is everyone calling me 'Chichiri-sama,' no da?" he inquired. "I'm no Seishi, no da. I'm Ri Hôjun of the town of Shôryû, no da."
"Stand up," Taiitsukun told him, and he readily obeyed, not wanting to anger the Creator again. The old woman muttered a single word and pointed straight at his right knee. He felt a surge of energy and warmth, and looked down. There was a red glow emanating from his knee, bright and unmistakable. His eye widened, and he bent down and pulled his pant leg up, revealing the symbol for "water well" shining brightly on his skin.
"Na-nani kore, no da?" he murmured, stunned. So, he was Chichiri! He never knew!
A little while later, he and Kôran were sitting on the floor of a large receiving room, facing Taiitsukun. The Creator was looking him straight in the eye, and he was having difficulty meeting her gaze. It really wasn't the prettiest face to look upon.
"I summoned you here, because you, out of all the Suzaku Shichi Seishi, have the talent that is the most complex to master. It will take more than the local expert to teach you. Therefore, I will be your teacher. You must stay here and train for at least three years. Your wife may stay, as well, for you wouldn't be very happy without her, and therefore wouldn't take well to the training."
"Th-three years, no da?!" Hôjun repeated. "But, they need me back in Shôryû, no da! I'm the only one who really knows about carpentry, and—"
"That's taken care of," Taiitsukun assured him. "The Nyan-Nyans' first job is to fix things, but they are also good for building things."
Hôjun wasn't sure if he wanted to know if the townspeople could handle the little girls for as long as it took to build a town, however small it was going to be. Hanabira would probably go nuts over them and want to keep one as a pet.
"Nyan-Nyan!" Taiitsukun called off to the side. Two of the little girls came out of a side door and bounded over to the three on the floor. "Take Chichiri-sama and Kôran-san to their room. They ought to rest up a bit after being brought here on such short notice."
Giggling, they took Hôjun and Kôran's hands and led them through the halls. Hôjun didn't know what Kôran was thinking, but all that was going through his mind was, What the hell am I getting myself into, no da?!?!
To be continued…Author's Notes: Well, that's done. I really have nothing to say here, except that hope I made the reason Taiitsukun had for bringing Hôjun and Kôran to Daikyoku-zan sound plausible. Is it? Please send any comments to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!