Author's Note: Now the adventure begins! Hallelujah!
Yeah and you thought we were already beginning...you have seen nothing
yet! Like Fushigi Yuugi...Im going to try my very best to loose you and
make these abrupt little inserts. So that way you can remember way back
in the beginning, after 30 chapters later some where and go,"Ooooohhhh..that
makes a lot of sense now!" LOL
Fushigi Yuugi: Internal Conflict
When you turn the page..the adventure begins....
Chapter 5: Illusions of Deceit
Miaka and the Suzaku seven went down the steps with a certain confidence that they could beat this new threat. The Seriyuu warriors were tough, yet if they worked together, they might just beat them! They returned to their horses and mounted them with a bit of serenity. It was if they were glad that the meeting was over. The way the gathering was going. they were expecting chi balls to be flying everywhere by the end! After they all mounted their horses, the Suzaku Seven went searching for a nearby town to rest before they set off for Hokkan. They searched for about four hours till they came upon a small, yet cozy village that laid in the comfort of a surrounding forest. They would of missed it if Chiriko didn't point out that smoke was coming from the trees. The young warriors went to see what was burning when they spotted the village! The clicking and clopping of their horse's metal shoes on a hard, yet dusty road made the villagers perk up to the newcomers that had arrived. They all looked strangely at them since they were not familiar. Little kids greeted the strangers and petted their horses. They looked up in awe at some of the weapons the warriors carried with them. They stared especially with their mouths gaped open at the large iron fan that Tasuki had strapped to his back. Tasuki, deciding to have a little fun, showed the kids some fan tricks as he flipped it in the air, did a couple moves, and yelled,"LEKKA SHINEN!"
A massive burst of fire came from the iron fan as it flew quickly towards Tamahome. Tamahome freaked as he tightened his grip on the reigns and shielded Miaka. Tamahome looked extra crispy after that. He looked up at his attacker furiously, gritting his teeth. Tasuki gave an expression as if to say, "Opps?" Tamahome was about to pound him, when he heard a loud ringing of a large bell. Everyone in the village stopped what they were doing and started walking towards a building on their left. The little kids ran from Tasuki and went to catch up to their parents. Tasuki gave a question mark on his face and looked up at the others. Hotohori put away the item he was looking at to see what was going on. Mitsukake stopped petting Tama and looked up with curiosity.
"What is that noise?" Miaka asked.
"Sounds like a bell, a very loud bell," Tamahome said.
"Sounds like a church bell," Miaka implied as she watched everyone go into one building.
"Awwww...I lost my audience to a dumb bell?? What is the freaken deal any how?" Tasuki whined.
"A church bell?" Nuriko asked.
"Yes. They are really large bells that ring when church is in session. It happens a lot in certain religions, which reminds me, I was suppose to take a test on the major religions of the world before I came here," Miaka said with a sweat drop. Everyone got off their horses and went to the ringing of the bell. They opened the door slowly to see that people were sitting inside. Young women came to tables to lay down beautifully decorated dishes. From what they could see, it looked really good!! Miaka's mouth was watery up in hunger as Tamahome looked away from Miaka's star eyed stare. He shut his eyes and closed his fist tightly.
"Ok...lets just go in," he said gritting his teeth. Miaka zoomed in to take a seat. The others tried not to laugh when they followed Miaka in as well. Everyone sat down at the table with a cheerful atmosphere. It seemed there was some type of banquet going on. Were they even suppose to be there???? Miaka watched as plates of food were set all over the table in a circular pattern. They were about to eat when they noticed no one else was eating themselves. So they decided to wait. Miaka pouted towards the food as Tamahome tried to hold her back. A gong rang loudly like thunder throughout the building. The villagers quickly pulled their heads towards a wooden stage area when the gong rang. An old man walked out of a nicely carved doorway to the front of the stage. He was dressed in a very decorative red robe, with golden feathers hanging off the sleeves and the bottom of the clothing. He had a semi long bead and soft oriental eyes. The old man took off his little black hat that seemed to cover a bald spot on his clearly distinguished head. He smiled at the large crowd that came to his party. He stared especially at the Suzaku Seven which seemed to take a seat on the far right of his view.
"Thank you for all coming to our great feast! We are here today to celebrate the Phoenix's blessings that he showers on us each year. Please enjoy the wonderful food that we prepared for all of you!" he said happily as everyone cheered towards him.
"Who is that guy?" Miaka asked Tamahome as she watched him.
"Him? I have no idea," Tamahome said as he began to eat some food. Hotohori seemed quieter than usual, he was looking at something from under the table. Nuriko peered over to see what it was. He couldn't see it very well because, it was too dark. When Hotohori noticed him, he gave the violet hair warrior a glare and put the object away. Nuriko hit the floor, face first, trying to follow the object in Hotohori's hand. Everyone looked down to stare at Nuriko curiously. They then turned back to notice all the food gone. They then turned to Miaka who was happily stuffing her face. Everyone sweat dropped.
"MIAKA!! HOW COULD YOU???" Tamahome yelled. Everyone stared in shock at his abrupt anger.
"Whoa...calm down there!" Tasuki said trying to defend Miaka. This was nothing new after all, right? Miaka gulped and looked at everyone.
"Uh...whoops??? Sorry...I was really hungry..." Miaka said embarrassed.
"THAT WAS A FOURTEEN COURSE MEAL THOUGH! That could of been enough for three times our own group!" Tamahome roared. Everyone shook in fear of his rage and backed up a little in their chairs.
"Im sorry Tamahome.." Miaka said sadly. Tamahome stopped immediately and looked down at Miaka. He felt bad for yelling at her after that. The restless green haired warrior sat down quietly without saying anymore.
"What's your problem man???? You don't need to yell at something as stupid as that! Especially at Miaka!" Tasuki snapped. This was abnormal for Tamahome to do such a thing.
"Calm down, Tasuki. Its ok, everything is fine now, ya know," Chichiri said quietly as he put his hand on Tasuki's arm. Tasuki bit his lip and growled as he turned the other way.
"Im going for a walk," Hotohori implied as he got up from his seat. Everyone turned their attention to Hotohori now.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Chiriko asked as the food was being replaced.
"No, I'm not very hungry. I actually feel sick," Hotohori said as he walked out the door. Nuriko looked at Mitsukake quietly with a saddened face. Will the Suzaku Seven fall apart?
As the warriors ate, it was continually quiet all throughout the course of the meal. Everyone ate without even saying a word, nor even bothered to look at each other. It seemed that the food was great, yet no one cared to comment on it. After they were finished, they decided to pay whatever was necessary to the servants who brought them the food. The servants refused for their payment though and Tasuki got into a huge shouting match with one of the servants. Finally the servant won over a huge smack in Tasuki's face. Tasuki grumbled and walked out of the restaurant with the others. He swore a couple times before he left the area though. The Suzaku Seven, well Suzaku six, were all full and they were looking for a place to stay for the night. They went to several inns to find out there was not enough space for the whole group. Losing hope, they decided to go sleep out in the woods. They found Hotohori first and brought him back to the group. He seemed to be hanging around the edge of the village, according to Mitsukake. They were told he was sitting under a tree thinking. So they took him back to where the horses were, then they left to find a good spot to stay. While they were trotting out on their horses, they saw the same old man from the banquet stop them. They all stared curiously as to what he wanted.
"Please don't leave! Are you looking for a place to stay? I got a house that is by the brook! Please come stay if you need a place to rest for the night," the old man pleaded. The Suzaku Seven looked at each other in a confused manner.
"How did you know we needed a place to stay?" Mitsukake asked him.
"I heard rumors from the villagers about it," the man replied.
"Why do you want us to stay with you?" Tasuki asked suspiciously.
"You are the Suzaku seven correct? I'm worried about our small village. I was thinking if you guys stayed here for the night, the great phoenix will bless us with good times for a couple more years. Since we catered and took care of his warriors," the old man replied. Everyone looked back and forth at each other. Was this guy for real? It seemed like a logical explanation. Most small villages had a very strong belief in the gods of their regions. They all nodded to each other.
"Are you sure it is ok for us to stay with you sir?" Miaka asked.
"Yes! Yes! I got plenty of room!" he said excitedly.
"Lead us to your home," Tamahome said. The man nodded happily and called his horse over. He slowly got up on the horse and rode off with the Suzaku seven close behind him. They soon arrived at his house with no trouble. As the man said, it was near a brook. It had a beautiful garden with a beige colored bridge that went over the brook. The plants seemed out of this world. They were so beautiful and healthy! He had a nice sized house that could probably fit a family of four in it's roomy quarters. Miaka and the gang tied the reigns of their horses near the brook so their steeds could drink at night. They fed the horses and left them there. They then went in to the house in a single filed line. It seemed plain inside as if he was the only person living there. Come to think of it, it probably wasn't unusual for him to be living alone. He seemed very old and he might of had a family at one time. The kind man showed them the rooms where they were to stay for the night. The Suzaku Seven were extremely tired and decided to go straight to sleep. Half went to the room on the east side of the house, the other half went on the west side. There was a room that was exclusively just for Miaka to stay in since she was the priestess. In short time, everyone fell asleep very quickly on the floor where the man helped roll out blankets and pillows made of soft feathers for them to rest on.
"I can't seem to get to sleep," Miaka whispered to herself as she stared at the ceiling. It was late at night this thought occurred to her every time she thought about today. Thinking about the fact she might have to fight Yui again and making Tamahome mad. It all seemed so different from the last time, yet it seemed almost the same. Something was very wrong, yet she couldn't figure it out. So Miaka got up and walked out of her room quietly. She didn't want to wake any one up, nor concern them with her problems. She then saw the old man walk into the west room where Hotohori, Tasuki, Chiriko, and Mitsukake stayed. Miaka wondered what he was doing, yet she paid no mind. He was probably checking up on everybody. What a nice old man he was. Miaka decided to walk out of the house towards the bridge. She wanted to be alone to think about her situation. The young teen stared at the image of herself rushing in the water, making a quiet gurgling noise. Her auburn, wavy hair, flowing softly in the whistling wind. She picked up a couple pebbles and tossed them in the water. Her yellowish green eyes fixed on the small stones as they dropped in. The pebbles rushed quickly away from her view till they started to sink and settled in a comfortable spot. The thunking sound of the stones made her calm down a bit. She continued to do this repetitively to feel better.
In the house, the old man tip toed around the sleeping warriors in the room. His sly face made a passive rush to his destination across. His feet were so light it seemed as if they were floating on the wooden floors, for he made no sound. He went near Hotohori's robe and grinned sneakily at it with pride. The old man searched through the emperor's outer clothing on the chair till he pulled out a golden beaded necklace. It had red sparrow feathers every other bead and in the center, it had a rectangular marble stone. On one side of the stone it had a picture of a baby that was painted it seemed with a skilled hand. On the other side it had small carvings of the interior of the palace. The marble piece had one room with a circle in it marked with the character for Boushin. There was another circle marked on it with the character for star. The sly man then crept quietly out of the room without arousing any of the warriors inside. He closed the door softly and went out to the back of the house, so he wouldn't be seen. He leaned against the wall and smiled evilly. His old face morphed into a pale white one with blue and black stripes. The morphed face then started to laugh with great enthusiasm at the piece of jewelry he acquired.
"Nakago should be pleased with this," he laughed. The painted face man then put it in his pocket and looked around, he thought he heard something.
"This time...there will be no mistakes," the young man whispered coldly as his young and bold eyes looked towards the inside of the house. Some one was up.
Miaka was still outside when she heard a noise from the old man's home. Her eyes moved to her left only to spot Tamahome out of the house and watching her. Miaka pulled her head up from the bridge she was resting on to stare at him.
"Tamahome....why are you up so late?" Miaka asked. Tamahome strolled up to his love quietly and rested on the bridge with her.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," he commented.
"Oh, well...I couldn't get to sleep. I'm really concerned about fighting Yui again," Miaka explained.
"I can understand that. After all, she is your best friend and you had to fight her once before already," Tamahome said understandably. His talks seem different than usual. He didn't even bother to look into her eyes or anything. He just stared at the brook with a look of concerned on his face. Miaka turned her view up to him with great concern.
"Tamahome.....I'm sorry about today," Miaka said hoping he can forgive her.
"Don't worry about it," Tamahome replied. It seemed whatever she said, he would just through out a mature, yet cold reply. Miaka seemed to get a little upset about it.
"What do I do about fighting Yui?" Miaka asked.
"Well, maybe the Seriyuu seven have changed and you won't need to fight her. After all, this seems to be a fight for dominance in the rank of the gods. The dragon prides himself too much any way. That will be his downfall," Tamahome told her.
"That doesn't sound like him," Miaka thought.
"Tamahome....what did you do while I was away?" Miaka asked trying to change the subject. She remembered him dying, yet does he remember?
"I.....I.." Tamahome stuttered. He tried to think hard, yet he seemed to be drawing a quick blank. He tried to make something up instead.
"I just trained under Tokaki for the rest of the time. When I heard you were back, I rushed over from Sairo to greet you," Tamahome said. Miaka knew he was lying. He couldn't have known that fast that she had arrived back in Konan. She remembered clearly he greeted her in a matter of about two hours after their arrival.
"I see," Miaka whispered as she looked back down at the brook. Her eyes looked hurt, yet she pulled her face away so he wouldn't see her like that. Tamahome's greyish-blue eyes watched her pull away a bit. He became uneasy and touched her hand softly. She looked up at him quickly with hope. He looked into her eyes and brushed her hair softly back. She was so beautiful, yet he didn't know what to do. It was only a matter of seconds that he wasted staring at her before he gave up. He could of kicked himself for that night as he started to walk away.
"I..I hope you feel better Miaka," he said quickly before he walked inside of the house. Miaka watched him as he went back in quietly. What was wrong with him? Why did he just tease her like that? She then remembered what Chichiri said before the trip. "You know..they sound a bit different don't they?" she remembered. Miaka then started to think hard about those words. They now just struck her as a concern. She folded her arms and leaned against the bridge. Her eyes locked in a deep thought, as her face turned serious. She will ask Chichiri tomorrow about what he meant. The night ended when Miaka finally went back into her room. She had a restless sleep and woke up several times during the night. The thought of this almost made her sick with grief.
The next morning, everyone packed up to leave. Miaka was the last to come out of the house. She seemed still disturbed about last night, yet she put on a fake smile and a happy face. That way, she wouldn't concern the others with her problem.
"Hey Miaka!! Everyone's ready to go! Come on!" Tasuki said waving at her. Miaka nodded and bowed to the old man for his hospitality.
"Thank you for letting us stay for the night, sir," Miaka said softly. The old man patted her head with a smile.
"Oh it was my pleasure priestess! Thank you for staying for the night!" he said sweetly. After they said their good byes, they then left with their horses from the village area. They started to ride hard once they got into the fields. The Suzaku seven will have to try to get to Hokkan as quick as possible. After all, they were a lot farther off then the rest of the celestial warriors. Miaka was on the horse with Tamahome as usual. Yet she now felt uncomfortable around him. They all remained silent for hours till they decided to take a rest in the shade. Everyone stopped near a rushing river in the woods. They all jumped off and brought their horses to drink. Everyone sighed and rested in the shade. It was a nice day outside, the sun was shining, yet not so harsh and the wind was blowing. It was perfect weather. Hotohori reached inside his pocket when all of a sudden he gave a strange face. He digged deeper into his robe, then gave another peculiar expression. The emperor then started fumbling through all his robe pockets. There was nothing there.
"My necklace...my necklace is gone!!!" Hotohori said frantically. All of the Suzaku seven looked up at him.
"What necklace?" Chiriko asked.
"Before I left the palace...I kept the necklace that was especially made for Boushin so I would never miss him when I had to leave," Hotohori teared.
"Boushin?" Miaka asked.
"My son," Hotohori replied. Miaka's eyes opened widely.
"YOUR SON???" Miaka freaked.
"Hello! This is nothing new!" Tamahome snorted.
"Oh yeah....its been a while," Miaka said embarrassed as she looked at Tamahome. She didn't remember Hotohori having a son. Was she missing something?
"Where did you leave it last?" Nuriko asked.
"It was in my robe! I had it just yesterday!" Hotohori grieved.
"Calm down ya know! I bet it must of fell out when we stayed at that man's house, ya know," Chichiri said softly as he pushed the tuft of sky blue hair away from his face. The wind was blowing it in his eyes. Luckily most of his head was trimmed, so he had extremely short hair. Yet his only concern was to worry about the part that stood up in the front of his forehead.
"We have to go back!" Hotohori panicked.
"NO WAY! ARE YOU FREAKEN NUTS? We are miles away from that guys home Hotohori! You got to be insane to go back for that one little object!" Tasuki yelled.
"Well then you guys go on ahead. I'm going back!" Hotohori told them as he took his horse and jumped on its back. Miaka watched as he rode off towards the village.
"This can't be good," she thought. Maybe we should follow him?
"We have to go after him," Miaka said to Tamahome. He shrugged as he watched him leave.
"He can take care of himself," Tamahome replied.
"What if gets captured or worse???" Miaka yelled in concern.
"He won't! All of the Seriyuu seven are too busy trying to rush to Hokkan. They wouldn't waste their time going back for one celestial warrior just to torture him," Tamahome shouted back.
"TAMEHOME WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Miaka finally yelled. Tamahome all of a sudden became quiet when she yelled at him. He looked at her with shock written all over his face. Chichiri put his hand on Miaka's shoulder.
"Miaka...he will be fine. For the time being, I got to talk to you, ya know," Chichiri said to her. Miaka turned to him and nodded. She then left Tamahome there leaning against the tree.
"TAMAHOME WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" was the only thing that kept repeating through his head.
"I wish I knew," Tamahome whispered. Nuriko looked up at him and then watched Miaka and Chichiri walk deep within the forest. Tasuki followed them as well.
"Miaka's right. I want to know what is wrong with you too," Nuriko replied.
"Shut up," Tamahome hissed. He didn't want to answer any one's questions right now. Mitsukake and Chiriko kept their mouths shut. Tama meowed in a sad tone.
It seemed only that the hours of victory have passed by for the old man and his mission. He now viewed his house and the brook with a certain glee that cross his face. The man only grinned and took a good look at the piece of jewelry again. In an instant, the house disappeared and what was left was a large patch of grass. The old man morphed back into his original form and a young man with a golden crown and shiny black hair appeared. His crimson painted eyebrows highlighted the definition of the happiness that danced across his face. The warrior's long black and gold outfit moved softly in the small gust of wind that flowed by.
"So it begins Suzaku Seven. Your doom will slowly come your way and
just in case it doesn't, we are always three steps ahead of you," he replied
to the world. As his words ended, all you could hear was a cackling laugh
that echoed through the trees.