Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Generation - Part 22
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. Yuu Watase owns Fughigi Yuugi. I own all the new original characters. MINE! ^_^ Don't worry…I'm on medication.
Author's Note: Who would have guess that the Byakko group would finish first? We're now in Hokkan. The Genbu group now takes center stage. I am writing more than one fic at a time, so bear with me. If there is anything that is total out of place here…tell me, but I'll make sure nothing is wrong. There might be some spoilers from the T.V. series. To tell you all the truth, I haven't seen the entire anime, but I've gone through the first six volumes of the manga and the last half of the series. ^_^ Not bad! By the way, if you guys want to check out our cast of celebrities that we matched up with the Fushigi Yuugi cast. Some of it is funny. Look who we cast with Tomo. We think that he's perfect for Tomo's role. http://www.dreamwater.org/animelunacy That's the advertising I give you.
The snow was coming down fast in Hokkan. Yoko let out a sigh. Everyday it snowed. Every single day it snowed. It was starting to become tiresome. 'Why am I the miko for this country? I should have asked for some place warmer,' thought Yoko. Half their time was spent looking for shelter away from the storms. Yoko thought that she would be some glorious heroine out of a manga and an anime. She was wrong. Most of the time was spent arguing with Kokoro over small, petty things. The others were smart enough to stay out of all the arguments.
"What are you thinking?" asked Yogensha.
"I was wondering how the other girls are doing," said Yoko truthfully. She worried about them. Yoko didn't have many friends, but she felt a kinship with the other girls. Her will was stronger than theirs because she was the one who was willing to go to this world the most.
"I'm sure they're fine. We're in great shape, too," reassured Yogensha.
"We still need the summoning scrolls, the shinzahou, and three more seishi," said Kokoro.
"It's like a grand scale scavenger hunt," said Yogensha with a sigh.
"This isn't going to get us anywhere. I say we go to Mt. Black tomorrow," said Seizonsha.
"I agree," called Kasumi from his meditation spot.
"Where is Mt. Black?" asked Yoko. Everyone fell over. The seishi native to the world had already told Yogensha and Yoko more than once. "What?" asked Yoko. She was superdeformed.
"You stupid, stupid woman! We've already told you!" exclaimed Kokoro. The others were now sweatdropped. Yoko was looking at him funny.
"Oh yeah! That's right," said Yoko smiling brightly.
"She still doesn't know for sure, does she?" whispered Kasumi to Yogensha and Seizonsha.
"Apparently not…look at her face," whispered back Seizonsha. Yogensha nodded in agreement.
Kokoro was still yelling at Yoko and he was now superdeformed. He was waving his arms frantically. (AN: He's saying more than just that, but I don't typically write stuff like that…use your imagination ^_^.)
Finally, they got moving. As they took a path towards the village near Mt. Black, they had to eventually get off the horses because there was too much ice and snow. It wouldn't have been very safe for the horses. Yoko was walking behind Yogensha. He was behind everyone else. Someone grabbed Yoko's wrist from behind. She let out a yep.
"LET ME GO!" screamed Yoko in a panicked voice. All her seishi turned around. There was a man who pulled her close to him. He had a knife to her throat. He held on to her wrist. Her eyes were wide with fear.
"LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!" ordered Kokoro.
"You will not harm our miko," in toned Kasumi.
"If you hurt her, then we'll hurt you," warned Seizonsha.
"Let her go," said Yogensha.
"Give me all your valuables. I won't hurt the maiden," said the man. His face was buried in her golden locks. The man's knife was at her throat, right on her jugular. "I don't usually threaten women, but times of desperation call for desperate measures."
Kokoro drew his sword. Kasumi built up his chi. Seizonsha's kanji glowed from underneath his shirt.
"So, you're a weird bunch. Let me show you something," said the man. There was a green aura that surrounded him. There were daggers of ice that formed all around the seishi. Yoko was breathing deeply. She had to do something. Without thinking she elbowed him hard in the stomach. The dagger would have cut her throat had it not been for Kokoro's quick reaction. All the other seishi took a dive into the ground as the ice daggers came at them.
"You're seishi!" declared Seizonsha. He could see the bright green kanji on the top of the man's left foot. He could see it from where he was.
"What the HELL are you talking about?" shouted man. He was rubbing his stomach where Yoko had elbowed him. Kokoro was on top of Yoko. They were both lying on their stomachs.
"You are the stupid person I have ever met. You could have gotten yourself killed. Then, where would we be?" Kokoro scolded Yoko.
"Um.." started Yoko.
"What now?" asked Kokoro in an exasperated tone.
"Could you get off me?" asked Yoko in a small voice.
Kokoro got off her quickly. One would have thought he was embarrassed by the situation the way he was moving. He offered her his hand, and she took it. Kokoro pulled her up. The man was giving her a death glare. "You didn't have to do that. All I wanted was all your money and jewels," said the man.
"You're a bandit!" declared Kasumi.
"Stop it. All of you," ordered Yogensha. They were wasting time.
"Yes, please," pleaded Seizonsha.
"Yes. I'm a seishi. Wait…there's only one female here. Are you the Genbu no Miko?" asked the man. Yoko nodded. "Great. I just attacked my own miko." He smacked his forehead. All the other seishi and Yoko were superdeformed.
"You're damn right you attacked your own miko, you dumbass!" exclaimed Kokoro.
"Now, now. Let's give him a chance to explain himself," interrupted Yogensha.
"Yes. I'm a Genbu seishi. My name is Shen Ruishuo. My kanji is brain or head. Atama," said the man with a causal shrug.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! The kanji on his foot, and he's got nothing in his head," laughed Kokoro as he hit his thigh in a fit of laughter.
The other seishi were sweatdropped. Atama was forming more ice.
"STOP IT!" yelled Yoko, "LET'S GO TO MT. BLACK. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE FROM ANY OF YOU!!"
Kokoro looked like he was going to say something else, but a glare from Yoko stopped him. She marched ahead of them. They followed her with all with sweatdrops. She stopped all of a sudden.
"I just remembered. I don't know where we're going," said Yoko in a silly voice.
All the seishi fell over with swirls in their eyes. Yoko was superdeformed.
* * *
They settled down for the evening in an inn outside the village. Kokoro and Atama suggested it because it would cost less than anything in the village. There was a place to eat. Yogensha thought about the things around him, 'Let's see our group has a student that's me. We have an out of work assassin. A monk. A wander. And now a bandit. How did I end up in a group that has mostly criminals?' Yogensha sighed. At least he was on the good side of the criminals.
There was a man with short blonde hair and brown eyes who walked into the tavern. He looked out of breath. "Where is the Genbu no Miko? I need to find her," said the man. He was wearing a cloak that was covered in snow.
All the seishi looked up in alarm. They heard him talking. Yogensha took Yoko's hand. They went got up slowly to move to another place. The other seishi would work as a distraction. The man at the bar knew that the seishi were there, but he was an avid temple worshipper. He wasn't about to just give the information away. He was careful not to look at where the seishi and miko were sitting at.
"Please. I'm a seishi. I have to find them. I've got to catch up with them," pleaded the young man. Yogensha froze at the staircase. He focused his chi. His eyes lit up. Yogensha could feel the young man's chi. His kanji was on upper left thigh.
"We're the seishi for Genbu," announced Yogensha. Everyone looked at him. They knew he was right, so they lowered their guard slightly. Yoko was still standing next to Yogensha. She smiled at the young man gently.
"I'm Kong Rongnu. My kanji is Tetsu. Iron. My powers are to make chi balls," said the young man. He bowed to Yoko.
Yoko smiled brightly. She turn to look at the others.
"Welcome to the team," said Kokoro with a smile.
They now had six seishi. All they needed was one more. They all sat down to talk about what was going on. They found out that Tetsu was from a fishing village that was once very prosperous. However, when the world began to crumble the water had gotten too cold to yield anything. The village had made it's living and survived on things from the sea. When his village found out that he was a Genbu seishi, he was sent out to find the others.
"How did you know that we would be here?" asked Yogensha.
"Because of the old legends. The shinzahou was at Mt. Black before the Suzaku group got it about twenty years ago. I thought that you would go there. Over two hundred years ago, the scrolls were in the Imperial Palace just like all the other first sets of the summoning scrolls. But, I don't know about now," said Tetsu. They found out that he was a scholar who knew the legends of the four empires extensively.
"That's where we're going. Yogensha saw where the shinzahou was. It's back in the temple in Mt. Black," said Seizonsha.
"I still don't know where the scrolls are," said Yogensha. He really had no clues.
"There's the village. That's were a sacred stone is. It was the clue that lead to Mt. Black," said Tetsu thoughtful.
"That means we'll have to go to the village again," said Yoko. Everyone nodded in agreement. They all went to go get some rest. Yoko had her own room because the innkeeper knew that the miko must be pure. All her seishi were men. All the seishi had to split two rooms up between the six of them.
* * *
Yoko got up the next morning was a happy sigh. It wasn't snowing outside. There was some sun outside. It had been a while since Yoko had seen any sun. She was so happy. She didn't think about her seishi. Yoko went outside alone. She was enjoying the sun. Her arms were stretched out, and she was smiling.
"Oh, look at her," murmured a man to a group of men. She was ignoring them. Yoko was breathing the wonderful air around her. It looked like a winter wonderland.
"Miss, come here," said one of the other men. Yoko turned. She didn't like the look that they had in their eyes. She took an unconscious step away from them. 'Maybe, Kokoro's right. Why was I stupid enough to off on my own like this?' thought Yoko in a panic.
The men approached her. One of them took out a dagger. There were too many of them to fight off. She tried to get away. Someone put a gag over her mouth. She couldn't even scream. Another man carried her, despite the fact that she was kicking her legs and waving her arms. There was five men. The one that carried her took her into the woods. There was a tear coming down her cheek. They pushed her face up down in the ground. She was wearing a shirt. The man with a dagger cut the shirt in the front side. Yoko felt like a gutted fish. He opened it up and was about to touch her thighs. When someone came from behind them.
"I don't think the lady's interested," said a handsome man with dark hair and deep blue eyes.
"Mind your own business," said the man with the dagger. There were two men holding her arms. The other two were now holding down her legs with their sweaty palms.
"Not when there's a lady in distress," said the handsome, young man.
"What are you going to do about it?" demanded the man who was holding down one of Yoko's arms with a menacing smile. Yoko was praying that one of her seishi would come to help the man who had come to her rescue.
"You asked for it," said the handsome man with a smile. There was a green chi the built up around him. There were storm clouds that had formed in the sky above them. The sky was just clear. He had a bright green kanji on his chest just underneath his left collarbone.
There was a large storm over all their heads. The men looked at the young man with fear in their eyes. The man with the dagger dropped it and ran. The other men followed him. There was lighting that struck the ground close to them from behind. That bolt made them run faster. The young man stopped and the cloud disappeared. He walked up to Yoko and helped her up from the ground. He took off his cloak and gave it to her. Yoko smiled at him.
"Are you alright?" asked the man. Yoko nodded. He gave her a soft smile, "Do you have a name? I'm Bei Sihua."
"My name is Soohoo Yoko. I am the Genbu no Miko. You're the seventh seishi, Kori," said Yoko. His kanji was the character for ice.
"You're the Genbu no Miko. Well, it's a good thing I saved you," said Kori.
"Come with me. You have to meet the other six seishi," said Yoko.
"I guess I'm late for the party," said Kori.
The seishi woke up to find Yoko gone. They all had to go look for her. Yogensha was calmly trying to focus on looking for her using his powers. Kokoro, Seizonsha, Atama, and Tetsu wanted to go look for her right away without Yogensha giving them directions. Kasumi was in agreement with Yogensha. He convinced the others to stay and let Yogensha find her first. They all were facing Yogensha. Yogensha was looking out. He saw Yoko walking up towards them. He smiled. "She's behind you guys," said Yogensha simply. Everyone turned around to see Yoko walking up in a forest green cloak with a man next to her. She had a sheepish look on her face.
"Wow. You're powers are really strong, Yogensha!" exclaimed Atama.
"You dumbass! He saw them coming with just his eyes, you idiot. Man, Genbu named you wrong!" shouted Kokoro as he smacked Atama upside the head.
"OW! STOP THAT!" yelled Atama.
"Who is this? "asked Yogensha.
"This is Kori. He's the seventh seishi," announced Yoko proudly, "He saved me when I was attack by some-uh…never mind," said Yoko in a shaky voice.
"By some what? Why are you wearing that?" asked Kokoro as he clamped his hand over Atama's mouth. Kokoro had Atama in a headlock.
"Men. There were about five of them. One of them cut her shirt open," said Kori calmly. Kokoro dropped Atama. They both got up and walked up to Kori. Kori walked away from them both. They looked angry with him. Kasumi and Seizonsha checked if Yoko was fine. She reassured them that she was fine, but refused to open the cloak.
"There is no way I'm letting you check. I tell you I'm fine. I'm not flashing myself," said Yoko empathically as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. The other seishi realized that their request was inappropriate and backed off.
Yogensha and Tetsu were trying to stop Kokoro and Atama from hurting Kori. Kori had a green aura built up around him. There were storm clouds above all of them. "Where did the clouds come from all of a sudden?" asked Kasumi. He was sure this wasn't an illusion. That was his powers.
"It's coming from him. He's the one generating the storm," said Yogensha. Kori stopped. He looked at Yogensha funny. "I'm a seer," said Yogensha knowingly.
"I didn't do anything to the miko. I saved her. I know full well that she has to be a virgin," said Kori flashing a smile, "You should be grateful. I would have saved her even if I wasn't one of you." Yoko tried to walk away from the conversation before anyone would realize any of this was her fault.
"Yoko! Don't go sneaking off. We're not done here yet!" said Kokoro loudly, "You shouldn't have gone off by yourself. You should know better. One of us should go with you. You're just making our jobs harder." He had a very stern tone on his voice.
Yoko looked at him with a trembling bottom lip. She bit it, and started crying. The other seishi were sweatdropped. Atama punched Kokoro in the stomach. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE NOW! SHE'S CRYING!" shouted Atama.
"We should move on to the village near Mt. Black to look for the summoning scrolls and the shinzahou," said Yogensha.
"The village near Mt. Black?" asked Kori.
"Yes," said Yogensha.
"Hee. Hee. I can't go there," said Kori.
"What do you mean?" asked Yoko. She had gotten over her crying fit, and Kokoro was apologizing profusely.
"Oh, nothing! Let's getting moving," said Kori.
Kori marched up ahead of all of them. He was humming happily to himself. The others followed him sweatdropped.
* * *
The village near Mt. Black looked about the same way it did when the first Suzaku group came there twenty years prior. The new Genbu group looked around. The village was a buzz with activity. There were villagers who smiled at all of them. Kori was walking around like he was afraid or nervous about something. He was trying to cover up his face. His eyes were shifty.
Everyone noticed. Especially Atama. Being a bandit, he knew suspicious behavior when he saw it. Yoko didn't seem to notice. Atama was keeping a closer eye on him than anyone else.
Yoko was wandering off by herself again. This time her seishi were keeping closer tabs on her. "Yoko, where are you going?" asked Yogensha.
"I don't know. I just feel like something is telling me where to go," said Yoko.
"Don't do anything dangerous," said Kokoro cautiously.
"Just let her lead us," said Yogensha. If he couldn't see anything, then maybe she could.
Yoko continued walking. The seishi followed her closely. There were people staring at them. They must have thought it was odd for a group of men to follow one beautiful girl. She kept walking until she tripped on some stone stairs in front of a large block of stone with writing on it.
"Ow," said Yoko softly. Kokoro was going to help her up, but she shook her head. "I can get up." Yoko got up without any trouble. She walked up the steps. The seishi stayed put. Yoko looked at the writing for a moment it was completely incomprehensible. The characters changed into very readable Japanese: "The new Genbu no Miko has arrived. Go to the temple located at Mt. Black for your shinzahou. For the summoning scrolls, touch the stone."
Yoko placed both her palms on the stone. There was a rumble. The villagers could see what was happening. The seishi were wondering if they should move Yoko. They didn't want her to get hurt. The stone opened in two halves. Inside were a pair of pristine scrolls. Yoko smiled and pulled them out.
"It's the summoning scrolls," said Yoko out loud.
"IT'S THE GENBU NO MIKO!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"THE SEISHI HAVE ARRIVED! THE MIKO IS HERE!" someone else yelled out.
All the villagers assembled and bowed down to the group of seishi and the miko. Yoko could feel her ears turn red with embarrassment. The villagers were so happy to see them. The crowd came up to them. The crowd swallowed up the group. They paid homage to them. Yoko kept a firm grip on her scrolls. The villagers knew who she was because on the Genbu no Miko had the power to open the stone to retrieve the scrolls. The villagers gave Yoko something new to wear when they found out about the condition of her shirt. Kori was still acting very strangely. Suddenly one of the reasons why came up to him.
"Bei Sihua! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed a young woman. Yoko looked at her with question marks all around. "Oh! I see now. You're here with this slut!"
"She is not a slut! She is the Genbu no Miko! I will not have anyone insult her honor," said Kokoro in dangerous voice. He was going to draw his sword, but Yoko stopped him. Her hand was on top of his. Kokoro stopped, and shifted uncomfortably at her touch. Yoko let him go without noticing the effect that she had on him.
"Why are you coming after my seishi like that?" asked Yoko.
"Did you know that your seishi is a con man? He got himself engaged to some of the wealthy girls in this village. And then, he was swindling men out of their money by saying he knew when the next snowstorm was coming," said the young woman.
Yoko looked at Kori wide eyed. The other seishi looked at him with disapproving looks. Atama had a look of amazement. He knew all along that there was something up with Kori. Kori was superdeformed and sweatdropped.
"I-I can explain, Lady Yoko. Let me explain!" pleaded Kori.
"WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO HER? AND NOT TO ME YOU, BASTARD!" shrieked the young woman. All the seishi and Yoko were now sweatdropped.
"I just remember…we should get moving to Mt. Black," chimed in Yogensha.
"YEAH! TO MT. BLACK!" shouted Kori. He ran out of the pub in warp speed. All the seishi gave the young woman a wave and ran after him.
"It was nice to meet you," said Yoko with a friendly smile.
"We have to go!" said Atama. He came back in to get Yoko when he realized that she wasn't with them.
They both ran to catch up with the others.
"ARGH!" exclaimed the young woman.
* * *
The seishi and Yoko were hiking up the mountain to the temple. They had stopped running after a while. The other seishi were now questioning Kori.
"I don't believe this! We have a potential gang here. Let's see we have an assassin, a bandit, and now a con artist!" exclaimed Yogensha with disbelief.
"I am not a con artist!" fired back Kori.
"But, that's what you are," insisted Yogensha.
"No. I'm an entrepreneur!" said Kori with a satisfied smile on his face.
"So are we!" agreed Kokoro and Atama.
"I don't believe this," said Yogensha, "Why me? What did I do in another life to deserve this?"
Kasumi, Seizonsha, and Tetsu were sweatdropped. Yoko was ignoring the bickering around her. The three of them decided to keep following her. They were smart enough not to get involved.
"I think this is it," said Yoko. There was a pair of large iron doors in front of the mountain. Yogensha stopped complaining. Kori, Kokoro, and Atama stopped fighting. Kasumi used his powers.
"It's real," confirmed Kasumi.
"How are we suppose to open the doors?" asked Yoko as she did the doors opened on their own.
"Ask and you shall receive," said Yogensha.
"Let's go in. We should be careful," said Kokoro.
Kasumi and Yogensha went in first to make sure that there wasn't any traps. When they made sure it was safe, they signaled everyone else to come in. Kokoro and Tetsu stayed on either side of Yoko. Kori, Atama, and Seizonsha brought up the rear watching everyone's back.
"It's colder in here than it is outside," commented Yoko.
"I didn't think it would be," agreed Tetsu.
Kasumi and Yogensha stopped abruptly. Everyone one else ran into them.
"Ow! Get off of us!" ordered Yogensha. His face and Kasumi's were pressed up against some kind of glass.
"What is this?" asked Kokoro.
"It appears to be some sort of force field," commented Kasumi.
"Let's break it down!" exclaimed Kori.
"Yeah!" in toned Atama.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned a blue haired man from the other side of the shield. He looked like a monk. His eyes were closed and he had grin on his face. In his right hand he held a staff.
"Who are you?" demanded Seizonsha in a firm voice.
"I am Chichiri- no da. I assume you're the Genbu no Miko, no da" said Chichiri looking at Yoko. She nodded. "Good! The shinzahou is behind me, da. Actually, it's behind those double, iron doors- no da."
"Who built this place?! Why the hell are there so many double, iron doors?!" exclaimed Kokoro.
"What is it I have to do to get the shinzahou?" asked Yoko.
"You will have to pass the test, no da," replied Chichiri. He tapped his staff and the force field disappeared. The Genbu seishi followed Yoko as she walked towards Chichiri.
Chichiri tapped his staff again. A red aura built up around him. The Genbu seishi realized that he must have been a seishi.
"Are you a seishi? From the Suzaku group right?" asked Tetsu.
"Yes, no da. I am the fourth seishi for the first group for Suzaku, no da. I was here myself about twenty years ago to obtain the shinzahou for my miko, Miaka, no da. The last time I was here, she was tested by the spirits of two of the seishi from the first Genbu group, no da. Hikitsu and Tomite, no da. Their spirits went to the after life after the test was over, no da. So, now it is my responsibility to make sure that your are worth of the shinzahou, Genbu no Miko, no da," explained Chichiri.
They all stopped the shinzahou was encased in a block of ice including the pedestal it was on. Yoko fell over. The other's looked at her with question marks.
"I don't believe. Why is everything around here always covered in snow or ice? Even the shinzahou," wailed Yoko.
"Stop whining!" said Kokoro, "I hate whiney women!"
"Ah, no da. Memories are coming back to me, no da! " exclaimed Chichiri in a happy, high pitched voice. He was in his cute superdeformed mode.
"Um. Why don't you just explain the test?" asked Seizonsha. He and everyone else was sweatdropped.
"Oh, right, no da. Genbu no Miko, you must break the ice on your own without any help from your seishi, no da. Also, without physically breaking it, no da. You must concentrate and break the ice with your mind, no da," said Chichiri.
"We're screwed!" declared Kokoro in a high-pitched voice.
"Isn't there another way?" asked Yogensha.
"Yeah… something easier for her," intoned Atama.
"Can't you break the rules just once?" asked Kori as he batted his eyelashes.
"Don't do that! That's not a fair test!" exclaimed Seizonsha.
"You seem like a nice guy…please, please we beg of you…anything but her mind," pleaded Kasumi.
"Yeah. That's not one of her stronger suits," commented Tetsu.
"HEY! I CAN DO IT IF I REALLY WANT TO! DON'T YOU PEOPLE HAVE ANY FAITH IN ME!?" shouted Yoko. Her head and mouth was really big. Her seishi toppled over. Chichiri was still superdeformed and covering his ears. She was so mad at them.
"Why don't we get started, no da? Time isn't something that we can all afford to waste, no da. You can do it, Genbu no Miko," reassured Chichiri.
The seishi became quiet. Actually, they still hadn't recovered from Yoko's sudden outburst. Chichiri was quiet. Yoko marched up to the block of ice. She closed her eyes.
'I have to clear my mind. I can't think of anything, but the ice block in front of me. Inside that ice is the shinzahou. I cannot summon Genbu without it. I can't save my seishi without it. This is their world I have to save it for all of them. The other girls are counting on me. I can't fail there are too many people who need me. I have to break that block of ice. There are people are suffering from starvation. People who are freezing to death out there. I can't fail. I WON'T FAIL!' thought Yoko. She took a deep breath.
The seishi watched her. She had her hands in a prayer position. They had never seen just a look of concentration on her face. She looked so determined to break the ice.
'I can't fail. Too many people are counting on me. I'm not stupid. I'm smarter than anyone has ever realized. I don't have to prove that I'm smart. I just have to prove that my will is strong enough. ICE BREAK!' thought Yoko. There were cracks that started from the bottom of the block of ice. The cracks raced up the sides of the block of ice. They shattered the ice in a loud bang. All the ice pieces crumbled to the ground. All her seishi had surprised looks on their faces. Yoko opened her eyes. She walked up to the stand, and pick up a necklace. It was delicate, but intricate in design.
"You did it, Genbu no Miko, no da. You've passed the test, no da" said Chichiri in a solemn voice.
"YEAH! YOKO! WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" shouted Kori.
She turned around and smiled at them.
"We're done," declared Yoko, "All we have to do is summon Genbu with the others."
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Nuriko: I never thought that they'd finish. They were doing nothing, but arguing for the most part.
Miaka: That means that half of the groups are ready to assemble to summon the gods. We're half way there.
Tamahome: But, there's still the Seiryuu and Suzaku groups. The Seiryuu group got side track. They only need one more seishi.
Nuriko: We're so behind. The Suzaku group needs three more seishi and the summoning scrolls. Why are we always behind?
Hotohori: And there's that woman whose following them. Actually, where did she go? We haven't seen her in a while.
Chiriko: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you see what Yoko's seishi said about her?
Miaka: Yes, and that wasn't funny. That was mean.
Tamahome: Actually, when you tested for the Genbu shinzahou we didn't think you'd pass either.
Miaka: WHAT?!
Miaka is glaring at all of them. They're superdeformed. There's smoke coming out of her ears.
Nuriko: Be mad at them. Not me! I helped you.
Hotohori: I wasn't even there for the test.
Chiriko: I didn't see anything. Tasuki covered my eyes.
Mitsukake: I'm a healer!
Miaka (looking thoughtfully): So, it's just you who said that Tamahome?
Nuriko, Hotohori, Mitsukake, and Chiriko let out a sigh of relief.
Tamahome is superdeformed and trying to get away from Miaka.
Miaka: COME BACK HERE!
Nuriko: Now, I know why Chichiri said that the fighting in the Genbu group brought back memories. The group sweatdrops as much as we did.
Everyone else is sweatdropped. Miaka is chasing Tamahome.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. Yuu Watase owns Fughigi Yuugi. I own all the new original characters. MINE! ^_^ Don't worry…I'm on medication.
Author's Note: Who would have guess that the Byakko group would finish first? We're now in Hokkan. The Genbu group now takes center stage. I am writing more than one fic at a time, so bear with me. If there is anything that is total out of place here…tell me, but I'll make sure nothing is wrong. There might be some spoilers from the T.V. series. To tell you all the truth, I haven't seen the entire anime, but I've gone through the first six volumes of the manga and the last half of the series. ^_^ Not bad! By the way, if you guys want to check out our cast of celebrities that we matched up with the Fushigi Yuugi cast. Some of it is funny. Look who we cast with Tomo. We think that he's perfect for Tomo's role. http://www.dreamwater.org/animelunacy That's the advertising I give you.
The snow was coming down fast in Hokkan. Yoko let out a sigh. Everyday it snowed. Every single day it snowed. It was starting to become tiresome. 'Why am I the miko for this country? I should have asked for some place warmer,' thought Yoko. Half their time was spent looking for shelter away from the storms. Yoko thought that she would be some glorious heroine out of a manga and an anime. She was wrong. Most of the time was spent arguing with Kokoro over small, petty things. The others were smart enough to stay out of all the arguments.
"What are you thinking?" asked Yogensha.
"I was wondering how the other girls are doing," said Yoko truthfully. She worried about them. Yoko didn't have many friends, but she felt a kinship with the other girls. Her will was stronger than theirs because she was the one who was willing to go to this world the most.
"I'm sure they're fine. We're in great shape, too," reassured Yogensha.
"We still need the summoning scrolls, the shinzahou, and three more seishi," said Kokoro.
"It's like a grand scale scavenger hunt," said Yogensha with a sigh.
"This isn't going to get us anywhere. I say we go to Mt. Black tomorrow," said Seizonsha.
"I agree," called Kasumi from his meditation spot.
"Where is Mt. Black?" asked Yoko. Everyone fell over. The seishi native to the world had already told Yogensha and Yoko more than once. "What?" asked Yoko. She was superdeformed.
"You stupid, stupid woman! We've already told you!" exclaimed Kokoro. The others were now sweatdropped. Yoko was looking at him funny.
"Oh yeah! That's right," said Yoko smiling brightly.
"She still doesn't know for sure, does she?" whispered Kasumi to Yogensha and Seizonsha.
"Apparently not…look at her face," whispered back Seizonsha. Yogensha nodded in agreement.
Kokoro was still yelling at Yoko and he was now superdeformed. He was waving his arms frantically. (AN: He's saying more than just that, but I don't typically write stuff like that…use your imagination ^_^.)
Finally, they got moving. As they took a path towards the village near Mt. Black, they had to eventually get off the horses because there was too much ice and snow. It wouldn't have been very safe for the horses. Yoko was walking behind Yogensha. He was behind everyone else. Someone grabbed Yoko's wrist from behind. She let out a yep.
"LET ME GO!" screamed Yoko in a panicked voice. All her seishi turned around. There was a man who pulled her close to him. He had a knife to her throat. He held on to her wrist. Her eyes were wide with fear.
"LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!" ordered Kokoro.
"You will not harm our miko," in toned Kasumi.
"If you hurt her, then we'll hurt you," warned Seizonsha.
"Let her go," said Yogensha.
"Give me all your valuables. I won't hurt the maiden," said the man. His face was buried in her golden locks. The man's knife was at her throat, right on her jugular. "I don't usually threaten women, but times of desperation call for desperate measures."
Kokoro drew his sword. Kasumi built up his chi. Seizonsha's kanji glowed from underneath his shirt.
"So, you're a weird bunch. Let me show you something," said the man. There was a green aura that surrounded him. There were daggers of ice that formed all around the seishi. Yoko was breathing deeply. She had to do something. Without thinking she elbowed him hard in the stomach. The dagger would have cut her throat had it not been for Kokoro's quick reaction. All the other seishi took a dive into the ground as the ice daggers came at them.
"You're seishi!" declared Seizonsha. He could see the bright green kanji on the top of the man's left foot. He could see it from where he was.
"What the HELL are you talking about?" shouted man. He was rubbing his stomach where Yoko had elbowed him. Kokoro was on top of Yoko. They were both lying on their stomachs.
"You are the stupid person I have ever met. You could have gotten yourself killed. Then, where would we be?" Kokoro scolded Yoko.
"Um.." started Yoko.
"What now?" asked Kokoro in an exasperated tone.
"Could you get off me?" asked Yoko in a small voice.
Kokoro got off her quickly. One would have thought he was embarrassed by the situation the way he was moving. He offered her his hand, and she took it. Kokoro pulled her up. The man was giving her a death glare. "You didn't have to do that. All I wanted was all your money and jewels," said the man.
"You're a bandit!" declared Kasumi.
"Stop it. All of you," ordered Yogensha. They were wasting time.
"Yes, please," pleaded Seizonsha.
"Yes. I'm a seishi. Wait…there's only one female here. Are you the Genbu no Miko?" asked the man. Yoko nodded. "Great. I just attacked my own miko." He smacked his forehead. All the other seishi and Yoko were superdeformed.
"You're damn right you attacked your own miko, you dumbass!" exclaimed Kokoro.
"Now, now. Let's give him a chance to explain himself," interrupted Yogensha.
"Yes. I'm a Genbu seishi. My name is Shen Ruishuo. My kanji is brain or head. Atama," said the man with a causal shrug.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! The kanji on his foot, and he's got nothing in his head," laughed Kokoro as he hit his thigh in a fit of laughter.
The other seishi were sweatdropped. Atama was forming more ice.
"STOP IT!" yelled Yoko, "LET'S GO TO MT. BLACK. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE FROM ANY OF YOU!!"
Kokoro looked like he was going to say something else, but a glare from Yoko stopped him. She marched ahead of them. They followed her with all with sweatdrops. She stopped all of a sudden.
"I just remembered. I don't know where we're going," said Yoko in a silly voice.
All the seishi fell over with swirls in their eyes. Yoko was superdeformed.
* * *
They settled down for the evening in an inn outside the village. Kokoro and Atama suggested it because it would cost less than anything in the village. There was a place to eat. Yogensha thought about the things around him, 'Let's see our group has a student that's me. We have an out of work assassin. A monk. A wander. And now a bandit. How did I end up in a group that has mostly criminals?' Yogensha sighed. At least he was on the good side of the criminals.
There was a man with short blonde hair and brown eyes who walked into the tavern. He looked out of breath. "Where is the Genbu no Miko? I need to find her," said the man. He was wearing a cloak that was covered in snow.
All the seishi looked up in alarm. They heard him talking. Yogensha took Yoko's hand. They went got up slowly to move to another place. The other seishi would work as a distraction. The man at the bar knew that the seishi were there, but he was an avid temple worshipper. He wasn't about to just give the information away. He was careful not to look at where the seishi and miko were sitting at.
"Please. I'm a seishi. I have to find them. I've got to catch up with them," pleaded the young man. Yogensha froze at the staircase. He focused his chi. His eyes lit up. Yogensha could feel the young man's chi. His kanji was on upper left thigh.
"We're the seishi for Genbu," announced Yogensha. Everyone looked at him. They knew he was right, so they lowered their guard slightly. Yoko was still standing next to Yogensha. She smiled at the young man gently.
"I'm Kong Rongnu. My kanji is Tetsu. Iron. My powers are to make chi balls," said the young man. He bowed to Yoko.
Yoko smiled brightly. She turn to look at the others.
"Welcome to the team," said Kokoro with a smile.
They now had six seishi. All they needed was one more. They all sat down to talk about what was going on. They found out that Tetsu was from a fishing village that was once very prosperous. However, when the world began to crumble the water had gotten too cold to yield anything. The village had made it's living and survived on things from the sea. When his village found out that he was a Genbu seishi, he was sent out to find the others.
"How did you know that we would be here?" asked Yogensha.
"Because of the old legends. The shinzahou was at Mt. Black before the Suzaku group got it about twenty years ago. I thought that you would go there. Over two hundred years ago, the scrolls were in the Imperial Palace just like all the other first sets of the summoning scrolls. But, I don't know about now," said Tetsu. They found out that he was a scholar who knew the legends of the four empires extensively.
"That's where we're going. Yogensha saw where the shinzahou was. It's back in the temple in Mt. Black," said Seizonsha.
"I still don't know where the scrolls are," said Yogensha. He really had no clues.
"There's the village. That's were a sacred stone is. It was the clue that lead to Mt. Black," said Tetsu thoughtful.
"That means we'll have to go to the village again," said Yoko. Everyone nodded in agreement. They all went to go get some rest. Yoko had her own room because the innkeeper knew that the miko must be pure. All her seishi were men. All the seishi had to split two rooms up between the six of them.
* * *
Yoko got up the next morning was a happy sigh. It wasn't snowing outside. There was some sun outside. It had been a while since Yoko had seen any sun. She was so happy. She didn't think about her seishi. Yoko went outside alone. She was enjoying the sun. Her arms were stretched out, and she was smiling.
"Oh, look at her," murmured a man to a group of men. She was ignoring them. Yoko was breathing the wonderful air around her. It looked like a winter wonderland.
"Miss, come here," said one of the other men. Yoko turned. She didn't like the look that they had in their eyes. She took an unconscious step away from them. 'Maybe, Kokoro's right. Why was I stupid enough to off on my own like this?' thought Yoko in a panic.
The men approached her. One of them took out a dagger. There were too many of them to fight off. She tried to get away. Someone put a gag over her mouth. She couldn't even scream. Another man carried her, despite the fact that she was kicking her legs and waving her arms. There was five men. The one that carried her took her into the woods. There was a tear coming down her cheek. They pushed her face up down in the ground. She was wearing a shirt. The man with a dagger cut the shirt in the front side. Yoko felt like a gutted fish. He opened it up and was about to touch her thighs. When someone came from behind them.
"I don't think the lady's interested," said a handsome man with dark hair and deep blue eyes.
"Mind your own business," said the man with the dagger. There were two men holding her arms. The other two were now holding down her legs with their sweaty palms.
"Not when there's a lady in distress," said the handsome, young man.
"What are you going to do about it?" demanded the man who was holding down one of Yoko's arms with a menacing smile. Yoko was praying that one of her seishi would come to help the man who had come to her rescue.
"You asked for it," said the handsome man with a smile. There was a green chi the built up around him. There were storm clouds that had formed in the sky above them. The sky was just clear. He had a bright green kanji on his chest just underneath his left collarbone.
There was a large storm over all their heads. The men looked at the young man with fear in their eyes. The man with the dagger dropped it and ran. The other men followed him. There was lighting that struck the ground close to them from behind. That bolt made them run faster. The young man stopped and the cloud disappeared. He walked up to Yoko and helped her up from the ground. He took off his cloak and gave it to her. Yoko smiled at him.
"Are you alright?" asked the man. Yoko nodded. He gave her a soft smile, "Do you have a name? I'm Bei Sihua."
"My name is Soohoo Yoko. I am the Genbu no Miko. You're the seventh seishi, Kori," said Yoko. His kanji was the character for ice.
"You're the Genbu no Miko. Well, it's a good thing I saved you," said Kori.
"Come with me. You have to meet the other six seishi," said Yoko.
"I guess I'm late for the party," said Kori.
The seishi woke up to find Yoko gone. They all had to go look for her. Yogensha was calmly trying to focus on looking for her using his powers. Kokoro, Seizonsha, Atama, and Tetsu wanted to go look for her right away without Yogensha giving them directions. Kasumi was in agreement with Yogensha. He convinced the others to stay and let Yogensha find her first. They all were facing Yogensha. Yogensha was looking out. He saw Yoko walking up towards them. He smiled. "She's behind you guys," said Yogensha simply. Everyone turned around to see Yoko walking up in a forest green cloak with a man next to her. She had a sheepish look on her face.
"Wow. You're powers are really strong, Yogensha!" exclaimed Atama.
"You dumbass! He saw them coming with just his eyes, you idiot. Man, Genbu named you wrong!" shouted Kokoro as he smacked Atama upside the head.
"OW! STOP THAT!" yelled Atama.
"Who is this? "asked Yogensha.
"This is Kori. He's the seventh seishi," announced Yoko proudly, "He saved me when I was attack by some-uh…never mind," said Yoko in a shaky voice.
"By some what? Why are you wearing that?" asked Kokoro as he clamped his hand over Atama's mouth. Kokoro had Atama in a headlock.
"Men. There were about five of them. One of them cut her shirt open," said Kori calmly. Kokoro dropped Atama. They both got up and walked up to Kori. Kori walked away from them both. They looked angry with him. Kasumi and Seizonsha checked if Yoko was fine. She reassured them that she was fine, but refused to open the cloak.
"There is no way I'm letting you check. I tell you I'm fine. I'm not flashing myself," said Yoko empathically as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. The other seishi realized that their request was inappropriate and backed off.
Yogensha and Tetsu were trying to stop Kokoro and Atama from hurting Kori. Kori had a green aura built up around him. There were storm clouds above all of them. "Where did the clouds come from all of a sudden?" asked Kasumi. He was sure this wasn't an illusion. That was his powers.
"It's coming from him. He's the one generating the storm," said Yogensha. Kori stopped. He looked at Yogensha funny. "I'm a seer," said Yogensha knowingly.
"I didn't do anything to the miko. I saved her. I know full well that she has to be a virgin," said Kori flashing a smile, "You should be grateful. I would have saved her even if I wasn't one of you." Yoko tried to walk away from the conversation before anyone would realize any of this was her fault.
"Yoko! Don't go sneaking off. We're not done here yet!" said Kokoro loudly, "You shouldn't have gone off by yourself. You should know better. One of us should go with you. You're just making our jobs harder." He had a very stern tone on his voice.
Yoko looked at him with a trembling bottom lip. She bit it, and started crying. The other seishi were sweatdropped. Atama punched Kokoro in the stomach. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE NOW! SHE'S CRYING!" shouted Atama.
"We should move on to the village near Mt. Black to look for the summoning scrolls and the shinzahou," said Yogensha.
"The village near Mt. Black?" asked Kori.
"Yes," said Yogensha.
"Hee. Hee. I can't go there," said Kori.
"What do you mean?" asked Yoko. She had gotten over her crying fit, and Kokoro was apologizing profusely.
"Oh, nothing! Let's getting moving," said Kori.
Kori marched up ahead of all of them. He was humming happily to himself. The others followed him sweatdropped.
* * *
The village near Mt. Black looked about the same way it did when the first Suzaku group came there twenty years prior. The new Genbu group looked around. The village was a buzz with activity. There were villagers who smiled at all of them. Kori was walking around like he was afraid or nervous about something. He was trying to cover up his face. His eyes were shifty.
Everyone noticed. Especially Atama. Being a bandit, he knew suspicious behavior when he saw it. Yoko didn't seem to notice. Atama was keeping a closer eye on him than anyone else.
Yoko was wandering off by herself again. This time her seishi were keeping closer tabs on her. "Yoko, where are you going?" asked Yogensha.
"I don't know. I just feel like something is telling me where to go," said Yoko.
"Don't do anything dangerous," said Kokoro cautiously.
"Just let her lead us," said Yogensha. If he couldn't see anything, then maybe she could.
Yoko continued walking. The seishi followed her closely. There were people staring at them. They must have thought it was odd for a group of men to follow one beautiful girl. She kept walking until she tripped on some stone stairs in front of a large block of stone with writing on it.
"Ow," said Yoko softly. Kokoro was going to help her up, but she shook her head. "I can get up." Yoko got up without any trouble. She walked up the steps. The seishi stayed put. Yoko looked at the writing for a moment it was completely incomprehensible. The characters changed into very readable Japanese: "The new Genbu no Miko has arrived. Go to the temple located at Mt. Black for your shinzahou. For the summoning scrolls, touch the stone."
Yoko placed both her palms on the stone. There was a rumble. The villagers could see what was happening. The seishi were wondering if they should move Yoko. They didn't want her to get hurt. The stone opened in two halves. Inside were a pair of pristine scrolls. Yoko smiled and pulled them out.
"It's the summoning scrolls," said Yoko out loud.
"IT'S THE GENBU NO MIKO!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"THE SEISHI HAVE ARRIVED! THE MIKO IS HERE!" someone else yelled out.
All the villagers assembled and bowed down to the group of seishi and the miko. Yoko could feel her ears turn red with embarrassment. The villagers were so happy to see them. The crowd came up to them. The crowd swallowed up the group. They paid homage to them. Yoko kept a firm grip on her scrolls. The villagers knew who she was because on the Genbu no Miko had the power to open the stone to retrieve the scrolls. The villagers gave Yoko something new to wear when they found out about the condition of her shirt. Kori was still acting very strangely. Suddenly one of the reasons why came up to him.
"Bei Sihua! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed a young woman. Yoko looked at her with question marks all around. "Oh! I see now. You're here with this slut!"
"She is not a slut! She is the Genbu no Miko! I will not have anyone insult her honor," said Kokoro in dangerous voice. He was going to draw his sword, but Yoko stopped him. Her hand was on top of his. Kokoro stopped, and shifted uncomfortably at her touch. Yoko let him go without noticing the effect that she had on him.
"Why are you coming after my seishi like that?" asked Yoko.
"Did you know that your seishi is a con man? He got himself engaged to some of the wealthy girls in this village. And then, he was swindling men out of their money by saying he knew when the next snowstorm was coming," said the young woman.
Yoko looked at Kori wide eyed. The other seishi looked at him with disapproving looks. Atama had a look of amazement. He knew all along that there was something up with Kori. Kori was superdeformed and sweatdropped.
"I-I can explain, Lady Yoko. Let me explain!" pleaded Kori.
"WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO HER? AND NOT TO ME YOU, BASTARD!" shrieked the young woman. All the seishi and Yoko were now sweatdropped.
"I just remember…we should get moving to Mt. Black," chimed in Yogensha.
"YEAH! TO MT. BLACK!" shouted Kori. He ran out of the pub in warp speed. All the seishi gave the young woman a wave and ran after him.
"It was nice to meet you," said Yoko with a friendly smile.
"We have to go!" said Atama. He came back in to get Yoko when he realized that she wasn't with them.
They both ran to catch up with the others.
"ARGH!" exclaimed the young woman.
* * *
The seishi and Yoko were hiking up the mountain to the temple. They had stopped running after a while. The other seishi were now questioning Kori.
"I don't believe this! We have a potential gang here. Let's see we have an assassin, a bandit, and now a con artist!" exclaimed Yogensha with disbelief.
"I am not a con artist!" fired back Kori.
"But, that's what you are," insisted Yogensha.
"No. I'm an entrepreneur!" said Kori with a satisfied smile on his face.
"So are we!" agreed Kokoro and Atama.
"I don't believe this," said Yogensha, "Why me? What did I do in another life to deserve this?"
Kasumi, Seizonsha, and Tetsu were sweatdropped. Yoko was ignoring the bickering around her. The three of them decided to keep following her. They were smart enough not to get involved.
"I think this is it," said Yoko. There was a pair of large iron doors in front of the mountain. Yogensha stopped complaining. Kori, Kokoro, and Atama stopped fighting. Kasumi used his powers.
"It's real," confirmed Kasumi.
"How are we suppose to open the doors?" asked Yoko as she did the doors opened on their own.
"Ask and you shall receive," said Yogensha.
"Let's go in. We should be careful," said Kokoro.
Kasumi and Yogensha went in first to make sure that there wasn't any traps. When they made sure it was safe, they signaled everyone else to come in. Kokoro and Tetsu stayed on either side of Yoko. Kori, Atama, and Seizonsha brought up the rear watching everyone's back.
"It's colder in here than it is outside," commented Yoko.
"I didn't think it would be," agreed Tetsu.
Kasumi and Yogensha stopped abruptly. Everyone one else ran into them.
"Ow! Get off of us!" ordered Yogensha. His face and Kasumi's were pressed up against some kind of glass.
"What is this?" asked Kokoro.
"It appears to be some sort of force field," commented Kasumi.
"Let's break it down!" exclaimed Kori.
"Yeah!" in toned Atama.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned a blue haired man from the other side of the shield. He looked like a monk. His eyes were closed and he had grin on his face. In his right hand he held a staff.
"Who are you?" demanded Seizonsha in a firm voice.
"I am Chichiri- no da. I assume you're the Genbu no Miko, no da" said Chichiri looking at Yoko. She nodded. "Good! The shinzahou is behind me, da. Actually, it's behind those double, iron doors- no da."
"Who built this place?! Why the hell are there so many double, iron doors?!" exclaimed Kokoro.
"What is it I have to do to get the shinzahou?" asked Yoko.
"You will have to pass the test, no da," replied Chichiri. He tapped his staff and the force field disappeared. The Genbu seishi followed Yoko as she walked towards Chichiri.
Chichiri tapped his staff again. A red aura built up around him. The Genbu seishi realized that he must have been a seishi.
"Are you a seishi? From the Suzaku group right?" asked Tetsu.
"Yes, no da. I am the fourth seishi for the first group for Suzaku, no da. I was here myself about twenty years ago to obtain the shinzahou for my miko, Miaka, no da. The last time I was here, she was tested by the spirits of two of the seishi from the first Genbu group, no da. Hikitsu and Tomite, no da. Their spirits went to the after life after the test was over, no da. So, now it is my responsibility to make sure that your are worth of the shinzahou, Genbu no Miko, no da," explained Chichiri.
They all stopped the shinzahou was encased in a block of ice including the pedestal it was on. Yoko fell over. The other's looked at her with question marks.
"I don't believe. Why is everything around here always covered in snow or ice? Even the shinzahou," wailed Yoko.
"Stop whining!" said Kokoro, "I hate whiney women!"
"Ah, no da. Memories are coming back to me, no da! " exclaimed Chichiri in a happy, high pitched voice. He was in his cute superdeformed mode.
"Um. Why don't you just explain the test?" asked Seizonsha. He and everyone else was sweatdropped.
"Oh, right, no da. Genbu no Miko, you must break the ice on your own without any help from your seishi, no da. Also, without physically breaking it, no da. You must concentrate and break the ice with your mind, no da," said Chichiri.
"We're screwed!" declared Kokoro in a high-pitched voice.
"Isn't there another way?" asked Yogensha.
"Yeah… something easier for her," intoned Atama.
"Can't you break the rules just once?" asked Kori as he batted his eyelashes.
"Don't do that! That's not a fair test!" exclaimed Seizonsha.
"You seem like a nice guy…please, please we beg of you…anything but her mind," pleaded Kasumi.
"Yeah. That's not one of her stronger suits," commented Tetsu.
"HEY! I CAN DO IT IF I REALLY WANT TO! DON'T YOU PEOPLE HAVE ANY FAITH IN ME!?" shouted Yoko. Her head and mouth was really big. Her seishi toppled over. Chichiri was still superdeformed and covering his ears. She was so mad at them.
"Why don't we get started, no da? Time isn't something that we can all afford to waste, no da. You can do it, Genbu no Miko," reassured Chichiri.
The seishi became quiet. Actually, they still hadn't recovered from Yoko's sudden outburst. Chichiri was quiet. Yoko marched up to the block of ice. She closed her eyes.
'I have to clear my mind. I can't think of anything, but the ice block in front of me. Inside that ice is the shinzahou. I cannot summon Genbu without it. I can't save my seishi without it. This is their world I have to save it for all of them. The other girls are counting on me. I can't fail there are too many people who need me. I have to break that block of ice. There are people are suffering from starvation. People who are freezing to death out there. I can't fail. I WON'T FAIL!' thought Yoko. She took a deep breath.
The seishi watched her. She had her hands in a prayer position. They had never seen just a look of concentration on her face. She looked so determined to break the ice.
'I can't fail. Too many people are counting on me. I'm not stupid. I'm smarter than anyone has ever realized. I don't have to prove that I'm smart. I just have to prove that my will is strong enough. ICE BREAK!' thought Yoko. There were cracks that started from the bottom of the block of ice. The cracks raced up the sides of the block of ice. They shattered the ice in a loud bang. All the ice pieces crumbled to the ground. All her seishi had surprised looks on their faces. Yoko opened her eyes. She walked up to the stand, and pick up a necklace. It was delicate, but intricate in design.
"You did it, Genbu no Miko, no da. You've passed the test, no da" said Chichiri in a solemn voice.
"YEAH! YOKO! WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" shouted Kori.
She turned around and smiled at them.
"We're done," declared Yoko, "All we have to do is summon Genbu with the others."
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Nuriko: I never thought that they'd finish. They were doing nothing, but arguing for the most part.
Miaka: That means that half of the groups are ready to assemble to summon the gods. We're half way there.
Tamahome: But, there's still the Seiryuu and Suzaku groups. The Seiryuu group got side track. They only need one more seishi.
Nuriko: We're so behind. The Suzaku group needs three more seishi and the summoning scrolls. Why are we always behind?
Hotohori: And there's that woman whose following them. Actually, where did she go? We haven't seen her in a while.
Chiriko: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you see what Yoko's seishi said about her?
Miaka: Yes, and that wasn't funny. That was mean.
Tamahome: Actually, when you tested for the Genbu shinzahou we didn't think you'd pass either.
Miaka: WHAT?!
Miaka is glaring at all of them. They're superdeformed. There's smoke coming out of her ears.
Nuriko: Be mad at them. Not me! I helped you.
Hotohori: I wasn't even there for the test.
Chiriko: I didn't see anything. Tasuki covered my eyes.
Mitsukake: I'm a healer!
Miaka (looking thoughtfully): So, it's just you who said that Tamahome?
Nuriko, Hotohori, Mitsukake, and Chiriko let out a sigh of relief.
Tamahome is superdeformed and trying to get away from Miaka.
Miaka: COME BACK HERE!
Nuriko: Now, I know why Chichiri said that the fighting in the Genbu group brought back memories. The group sweatdrops as much as we did.
Everyone else is sweatdropped. Miaka is chasing Tamahome.
