Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Generation - Part 27
Disclaimer: I own all the new original characters and story aspects. Yuu Watase own Fushigi Yuugi. The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are owned by others. I'm just borrowing.
Author's Note: Kouji's son is the last and missing seishi. Have any of you seen the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is exactly the way I would visualize how the real Universe of the Four Gods of Earth and Sky would look like. I saw the previews, but 'sniffle' I haven't seen it. I wish I could. Anyway, the fighting style that Shiro has is absolutely gravity defying. Think that way when you think of his fighting skills. How long have we been in Konan? I forget. Oh, for those of you who would like to get a better idea of how Hono'o looks like, think Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Except taller and with a little less attitude. Well…maybe.
Shiro was at another competition. He was getting ready for his next opponent. Shiro hadn't been home in the past two years. He sent sporadic messages back to Mt. Leikaku to say that he was alive and well. Shiro shuddered to think of what happened the morning he left Mt. Leikaku.
Shiro unlike a lot of the seishi knew he was seishi early on. When he was training at a temple, he found his kanji. He was only fourteen when he found out. The temple priest told him that one-day he would have to fulfill his promise as a seishi. Shiro began to train harder. Before he knew it he was a champion fighter. Shiro never wrote home about his triumphs. He thought that his father would want him back home. He used his seishi name rather than his given name, Wei Kauirong. He trained all over Konan. He had plans to eventually go home, but something always came up. He trained with both men and women. When the trainers found out that he was a seishi, they were more than willing to teach him. Shiro learned how to use all sorts of weapons. He favored his two swords and his bullwhip. The raw power of Shiro's fighting style was gravity defying. He could do flips and stop in mid air. Shiro would stay with a trainer for only a short time before moving on. He was a quick learner, so he wouldn't have to train for too long with the same trainer.
Shiro didn't accept the fact that one day he would have to serve his miko. He didn't want to do what the norm was. He wanted to things his way. Some might have accused him of being selfish, but others called him stubborn. Many agreed that he was unorthodox.
* * *
The Suzaku Group continued on their journey back to Eiyou. It was taking much longer than Hono'o had expected. She was feeling more and more exhausted from her trauma. Hono'o hoped that her powers would return like they did before when she over exhausted them using that fire swirl earlier. Her powers couldn't regenerate. It was pointless. All she had was the tessen and the skills that Miss Zhang had taught her. Her body was weak, and it was going to stay that way as long as her powers were gone.
Hono'o was physically tired. Her confidence was low because she thought what had happened to her was her fault. She wasn't saying anything to the others. 'Will we be able to summon Suzaku still? Who was Zhenyou? How could he be so powerful?' thought Hono'o as she rode on her horse. Everyone was noticing that Hono'o hadn't been talking in a while. She was too quiet.
"What's wrong, Hono'o?" asked Mariko. She was worried more than anyone else.
"Nothing. It's been a long day. I just really want to go home," lied Hono'o.
"Are you sure?" asked Mariko.
"Yes, I'm sure," answered Hono'o in an exasperated voice. She rode ahead of Mariko to avoid any more questions. Mariko was even more confused. They stopped in another village for the evening. It was the village of Kou-shuu, Taito-shi, at the base of Mount Leikaku. Tasuki's home village. Hono'o was a city girl like her mother, but she still had her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the area. She was too tired to notice where they were.
"Kou Lei! It's your grandmother," said a big-breasted woman. Hono'o froze in her place. "Please no. Please no. Not now," whispered Hono'o. All the other seishi were looking at her with question marks around them.
"Hi Grandma Kou," greeted Hono'o with a weak smile. Hono'o dismounted. The woman grabbed Hono'o and gave her a big hug. Hono'o was getting smothered against the woman's breast.
"GRANDMA! I CAN'T BREATHE! STOP SMOTHERING ME! LET GO!" Hono'o mumbled against her grandmother's ample breasts.
All the other seishi were sweatdropped. They were hiding behind Mariko. "Hey! You people are suppose to be protecting me!" exclaimed Mariko.
"But, who's going to protect us?" asked Sei. Everyone agreed with him. They all took a giant step back away from Hono'o's overbearing grandmother. Her grandmother turned her attention to the group.
"Who are these people, Lei?" asked her grandmother.
"These are my friends. Seijitsu, Odayaka, Shitsu, Kawa, and Taki. This is our miko, Mariko," answered Hono'o.
"Miko?" asked a voice from behind Hono'o. It was a tall woman with red hair. She and Hono'o had the same family resemblance.
"Aunt Aidou," said Hono'o. Her aunt came up to her and gave her a short hug.
"Hello Lei. What are you doing here? Where's your father? Don't tell me that my brother would send his daughter all by herself here," said Aidou in a tone of annoyance. She always used it when referring to her younger brother. Hono'o didn't like anyone talking about her father that way.
"No. He didn't send me here by myself, Aunt Aidou. I'm a seishi. Mariko is the new Suzaku no Miko. The rest of these people are seishi," said Hono'o. They all glowed their kanji. Hono'o glowed hers, but it took a lot to do it.
"Oh my. I think there's a story we should hear," said Aidou. Hono'o grandmother invited everyone inside the house. Aidou was married, but she still came over to the Kou house to help out Hono'o's grandparents who were getting on in years. They were all invited to stay the night. Odayaka, Sei, and Mariko agreed by the home conditions in that house it was no wonder Tasuki turned out the way he did. Everyone was now comfortable. Kawa, Shitsu, and Taki decided that they were tired. They wanted to get some sleep before arriving at the capital.
Mariko, Odayaka, and Sei stayed up later. Hono'o was talking with her grandfather. Odayaka was busy writing things down in a scroll. Sei and Mariko realized that he had been doing that during the entire trip.
"What are you writing down exactly?" asked Mariko. She and Sei were dying of curiosity.
"I'm writing down what I'm seeing. It's a journal. I'm keeping track of things that I want to change. I'm going to be proposing this at the council meeting when we get back to the palace," answered Odayaka.
"Wow. And here I thought you weren't interested in your job," said Sei.
"That's because they never let me do anything. They still think I'm a kid. The council is used to running things. They have since I was born. I think it's time I take over completely. I never really stood up at the meetings and made demands. But, now that I've seen some of the country I fully intend to do my job," said Odayaka in a firm voice.
"That's great, Odayaka. You go. They shouldn't be pushing you around," said Mariko in a happy voice.
"I agree. Besides, I doubt those council members have been out of Eiyou in the past twenty years at least," said Sei, "You've seen things for yourself."
Odayaka smiled and continued writing. Sei and Mariko talked quietly so that he could concentrate.
Hono'o was sitting across from her grandfather. Her grandmother was studying her carefully. Hono'o was worried that she would notice something was wrong. Her grandmother and all her aunts had grilled her about what was up with her father, mother, and brothers. They were very proud to have another seishi in the family. Hono'o thought that the other seishi were lucky to get away from them. Hono'o knew why her father ran away from home when he was her age. She recalled dreaded visits from them when she was younger. Hono'o had never had to see them by herself without her immediate family there.
"What has your mother been feeding you, Lei? You are nothing, but a sack of bones," commented Grandma Kou. Hono'o felt her cheeks get red. They were always saying stuff like that to her and her mother. Grandma Kou thought that everything Ling did was wrong.
"I'm fine this way, Grandma. Papa doesn't mind. Why don't you just ask about the boys again?" asked Hono'o weakly. She would rather talk about her brothers than herself.
"Speaking of boys, did your father get any offers for you?" asked Grandma Kou. Hono'o was fifteen. It was a marriageable age.
"No. Papa hasn't been doing anything like that with me. At least I don't think so," answered Hono'o with perplexed look on her face. 'Thank Suzaku for that!' she thought.
"Leave it to my brother to ignore such responsibilities. Damn him!" exclaimed Aidou. Hono'o shifted uncomfortably. She hated this. Her family started talking amongst themselves coming up with possible matches for her. Hono'o turned her attention to her grandfather. He was a taciturn man. Hono'o couldn't believe he was the father of her father. The man was obviously whipped by her grandmother.
"Hello Grandpa. How have you been?" asked Hono'o with a smile. She loved the fact that he was quiet. Her grandfather smiled at her. Hono'o was grateful for just a smile from him. She decided while the rest of them were distracted it was a good time to get away from them.
Hono'o got out of the house. She kept walking until she couldn't hear them anymore. She just wanted to be alone to think about things. 'If my powers don't come back we may not be able to summon Suzaku. It'll be all my fault if the world ends. God! How could I have been so stupid? It's my fault for thinking I could face off with him. Mariko and the others are counting on me. They're my friends. I've spent so much time training with Miss Zhang that I never made friends until now. I wish I could tell Mariko what's wrong. I hate myself for making her worry so much. But, I can't tell her what's wrong,' thought Hono'o as she punched a nearby tree trunk. She was just so pissed off, and she didn't feel any pain when she punched that tree. Hono'o wasn't thinking straight through her anger and exhaustion that she didn't hear a group of men surrounded her. Otherwise, she would have grabbed the tessen right away.
Hono'o was grabbed from behind. She panicked because it was the same way that Zhenyou had grabbed her. Hono'o struggled against the man who had grabbed her. There were six of them. The man had grabbed her over her breast. "LET ME GO!" screamed Hono'o. What was left of her chi rose, and the man who was holding her suddenly let her go. Hono'o fell on the ground. She couldn't stand up.
"My arms! She burned my arms!" cried the man.
"She couldn't do that! She ain't got a thing on her!" rebuked another man.
"Such a pretty thing like her. Come on, Sugar. We won't hurt you," cajoled a man. Hono'o was about to grab the tessen when someone came to her aid.
He was tall. He had dark hair and tanned skin. He had two swords in sheaths on his back and a bullwhip at his side. It was like he came out of nowhere. Hono'o thought there was something familiar about the young man.
"I don't think she's interest. Maybe you should leave her alone before I have to hurt you," warned the young man.
The men lunged at him. The young man flipped back, and it was like he was stopping mid air just to turn and kick two of them in a split. The young man was a fierce and fast fighter. He didn't even draw his swords or use his whip.
"So, you guys insist on playing. Well, It's been a little while since I've had the exercise. But, you guys need some lessons," said the young man with a smile. One of the men smiled and snapped his fingers. More than two-dozen other men appeared out of the darkness. The young man's eyes widened.
'There's too many of them. I can't do it. What if the girl gets hurt?' thought the young man. He didn't betray a look of surprise or fear on his face. He smiled and grabbed Hono'o 's hand.
"Looks like it's a rough neighborhood, Doll Face. Let's go," said the young man as he took off running dragging Hono'o by the hand. The men took off after them. Hono'o was barely keeping up with the young man. He looked around frantically for a place to hid until they weren't being chased. He thought that the rooftops were a good choice.
"Come on, Doll Face. Now isn't the time for sightseeing," said the young man. Hono'o gasped as he picked her up and jumped up to a rooftop. The men continued their pursuit of them. The young man was surprised that Hono'o could keep up with him. Hono'o wanted to stop and use the tessen. However, when she went to draw it out, the young man grabbed her wrist. The men were everywhere. He threw ninja stars at them.
"The things I do for a pretty face," muttered the young man as he threw more ninja stars. Hono'o was getting more and more pissed at him for referring to her as just a face. He threw something else down. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, the young man and Hono'o were on a higher part of another rooftop. The pursuers wiped their eyes, and spotted them.
"Do you swim?" asked the young man.
"Of course, I can swim. Why?" asked Hono'o. She looked down. There was a river below them. The men who were chasing them were coming closer. "Oh, no. I don't do water. I'm a fire person! Wait!" exclaimed Hono'o.
"Too bad, Doll Face. Brace yourself," instructed the young man as he took her hand again. They took a flying leap out off the rooftop. The men stopped their pursuit. Those two were obvious crazy if they were willing to take a three-story leap off a roof.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Hono'o as the plunged into the water below. They were in the water. Both of them swam for shore. Hono'o was now wet and mad. 'Who the Hell does this guy think he is?' she thought as she glared at him.
The young man offered her his hand to help her up.
"I can get up by myself," snapped Hono'o. The young man looked at her strangely.
"Fine. Get up on your own, Doll Face," said the young man as he followed his arms over his chest. 'What an ingrate?! I just saved her! Who the Hell does she think she is?!' he thought. He gaze traveled down her body. Her blouse was wet. It was obvious that she was cold. He quickly turned around. WHACK!
He swirled around. "OW! What the Hell was that for?!" he exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head. Hono'o was holding the tessen in her hand.
"You were looking at my breasts, you Hentai!" shouted Hono'o.
"What's that thing made out of?" mumbled the young man.
"Iron," answered Hono'o. She was now standing up.
"IRON?! YOU HIT ME WITH IRON?!" yelled the young man.
"I could have handle them myself. I don't need a hentai like you saving me," said Hono'o as she folded her arms over her chest, and turned away from him.
"Oh yeah. Is that so? Well then, you're on your own, Doll Face," said the young man.
"Fine. I wish I could say it was a ple-" Hono'o stopped because by the time she had turned back around the young man was gone.
'Well, at least he's gone. I hope I never have to see him again,' thought Hono'o as she went back to the Kou house soaking wet.
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Miaka: That was very interesting. That was Shiro who saved Hono'o.
Nuriko: I think that was cute.
::We would like to interrupt this omake to bring you a special message.::
Soi and Ashitare are sitting at an anchor desk.
Soi: We would have a special report. Isn't that right, Ashitare?
Ashitare makes all sorts of animal noises: growling and grunts.
Soi: Um. That's right. Anyway, let's go to field reporter, Suboshi.
Suboshi (at the statistics page): As you can all see there are a lot of hits for this fic, but not very many reviews. ClareBear wants more feedback from you people. Let's go back to the studio with Soi and Ashitare.
Soi: Stop eating the crew, Ashitare!
She shocks him with some lightning. He's now black and burnt to a crisp. Tomo comes to the desk, and pushes Ashitare off camera.
Tomo (cackling): I get to anchor!
Soi: You're the make up person. You shouldn't be anchoring.
Soi and Tomo start to fight. Ashitare is still in big burnt lump. Miboshi takes over.
Miboshi: Things seem to be very um…back to you, Suboshi.
Suboshi (muttering to himself): Look, it's bad enough Lady Yui married someone. It's even worse that she borne him two sons. Her son is a Suzaku seishi. Amiboshi gave away Lady Yui's earrings. I can't believe he just did that. My own aniki.
Miboshi: Suboshi. You're on. People can hear you.
Suboshi (blushing, then going back to normal): Yes. Right, Miboshi. ClareBear wants more reviews from you people. She would like to thank those of you who have reviewed. However, for all the hits that she has, she doesn't get a lot of reviews. So, please review. You don't want to see me angry. Do you? No one wants to see me angry. Some say I'm unstable…but…
Signal cuts back to studio. Miboshi is doing the gesture to cut the signal to Suboshi. Tomo and Soi are fighting in the background. Nakago is at the producer's chair, and he's reading a book ignoring the chaos around him. He is drinking a cappuccino.
Miboshi (stops gesturing, folds hands neatly, and grins at camera): We bring you back to the regularly schedule omake.
::Returning to the Schedule Program already running.::
Nuriko has slammed Tamahome into a wall. Tamahome has a flag of surrender.
Chiriko: He shouldn't have said that.
Everyone nods in agreement.
Disclaimer: I own all the new original characters and story aspects. Yuu Watase own Fushigi Yuugi. The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are owned by others. I'm just borrowing.
Author's Note: Kouji's son is the last and missing seishi. Have any of you seen the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is exactly the way I would visualize how the real Universe of the Four Gods of Earth and Sky would look like. I saw the previews, but 'sniffle' I haven't seen it. I wish I could. Anyway, the fighting style that Shiro has is absolutely gravity defying. Think that way when you think of his fighting skills. How long have we been in Konan? I forget. Oh, for those of you who would like to get a better idea of how Hono'o looks like, think Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Except taller and with a little less attitude. Well…maybe.
Shiro was at another competition. He was getting ready for his next opponent. Shiro hadn't been home in the past two years. He sent sporadic messages back to Mt. Leikaku to say that he was alive and well. Shiro shuddered to think of what happened the morning he left Mt. Leikaku.
Shiro unlike a lot of the seishi knew he was seishi early on. When he was training at a temple, he found his kanji. He was only fourteen when he found out. The temple priest told him that one-day he would have to fulfill his promise as a seishi. Shiro began to train harder. Before he knew it he was a champion fighter. Shiro never wrote home about his triumphs. He thought that his father would want him back home. He used his seishi name rather than his given name, Wei Kauirong. He trained all over Konan. He had plans to eventually go home, but something always came up. He trained with both men and women. When the trainers found out that he was a seishi, they were more than willing to teach him. Shiro learned how to use all sorts of weapons. He favored his two swords and his bullwhip. The raw power of Shiro's fighting style was gravity defying. He could do flips and stop in mid air. Shiro would stay with a trainer for only a short time before moving on. He was a quick learner, so he wouldn't have to train for too long with the same trainer.
Shiro didn't accept the fact that one day he would have to serve his miko. He didn't want to do what the norm was. He wanted to things his way. Some might have accused him of being selfish, but others called him stubborn. Many agreed that he was unorthodox.
* * *
The Suzaku Group continued on their journey back to Eiyou. It was taking much longer than Hono'o had expected. She was feeling more and more exhausted from her trauma. Hono'o hoped that her powers would return like they did before when she over exhausted them using that fire swirl earlier. Her powers couldn't regenerate. It was pointless. All she had was the tessen and the skills that Miss Zhang had taught her. Her body was weak, and it was going to stay that way as long as her powers were gone.
Hono'o was physically tired. Her confidence was low because she thought what had happened to her was her fault. She wasn't saying anything to the others. 'Will we be able to summon Suzaku still? Who was Zhenyou? How could he be so powerful?' thought Hono'o as she rode on her horse. Everyone was noticing that Hono'o hadn't been talking in a while. She was too quiet.
"What's wrong, Hono'o?" asked Mariko. She was worried more than anyone else.
"Nothing. It's been a long day. I just really want to go home," lied Hono'o.
"Are you sure?" asked Mariko.
"Yes, I'm sure," answered Hono'o in an exasperated voice. She rode ahead of Mariko to avoid any more questions. Mariko was even more confused. They stopped in another village for the evening. It was the village of Kou-shuu, Taito-shi, at the base of Mount Leikaku. Tasuki's home village. Hono'o was a city girl like her mother, but she still had her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the area. She was too tired to notice where they were.
"Kou Lei! It's your grandmother," said a big-breasted woman. Hono'o froze in her place. "Please no. Please no. Not now," whispered Hono'o. All the other seishi were looking at her with question marks around them.
"Hi Grandma Kou," greeted Hono'o with a weak smile. Hono'o dismounted. The woman grabbed Hono'o and gave her a big hug. Hono'o was getting smothered against the woman's breast.
"GRANDMA! I CAN'T BREATHE! STOP SMOTHERING ME! LET GO!" Hono'o mumbled against her grandmother's ample breasts.
All the other seishi were sweatdropped. They were hiding behind Mariko. "Hey! You people are suppose to be protecting me!" exclaimed Mariko.
"But, who's going to protect us?" asked Sei. Everyone agreed with him. They all took a giant step back away from Hono'o's overbearing grandmother. Her grandmother turned her attention to the group.
"Who are these people, Lei?" asked her grandmother.
"These are my friends. Seijitsu, Odayaka, Shitsu, Kawa, and Taki. This is our miko, Mariko," answered Hono'o.
"Miko?" asked a voice from behind Hono'o. It was a tall woman with red hair. She and Hono'o had the same family resemblance.
"Aunt Aidou," said Hono'o. Her aunt came up to her and gave her a short hug.
"Hello Lei. What are you doing here? Where's your father? Don't tell me that my brother would send his daughter all by herself here," said Aidou in a tone of annoyance. She always used it when referring to her younger brother. Hono'o didn't like anyone talking about her father that way.
"No. He didn't send me here by myself, Aunt Aidou. I'm a seishi. Mariko is the new Suzaku no Miko. The rest of these people are seishi," said Hono'o. They all glowed their kanji. Hono'o glowed hers, but it took a lot to do it.
"Oh my. I think there's a story we should hear," said Aidou. Hono'o grandmother invited everyone inside the house. Aidou was married, but she still came over to the Kou house to help out Hono'o's grandparents who were getting on in years. They were all invited to stay the night. Odayaka, Sei, and Mariko agreed by the home conditions in that house it was no wonder Tasuki turned out the way he did. Everyone was now comfortable. Kawa, Shitsu, and Taki decided that they were tired. They wanted to get some sleep before arriving at the capital.
Mariko, Odayaka, and Sei stayed up later. Hono'o was talking with her grandfather. Odayaka was busy writing things down in a scroll. Sei and Mariko realized that he had been doing that during the entire trip.
"What are you writing down exactly?" asked Mariko. She and Sei were dying of curiosity.
"I'm writing down what I'm seeing. It's a journal. I'm keeping track of things that I want to change. I'm going to be proposing this at the council meeting when we get back to the palace," answered Odayaka.
"Wow. And here I thought you weren't interested in your job," said Sei.
"That's because they never let me do anything. They still think I'm a kid. The council is used to running things. They have since I was born. I think it's time I take over completely. I never really stood up at the meetings and made demands. But, now that I've seen some of the country I fully intend to do my job," said Odayaka in a firm voice.
"That's great, Odayaka. You go. They shouldn't be pushing you around," said Mariko in a happy voice.
"I agree. Besides, I doubt those council members have been out of Eiyou in the past twenty years at least," said Sei, "You've seen things for yourself."
Odayaka smiled and continued writing. Sei and Mariko talked quietly so that he could concentrate.
Hono'o was sitting across from her grandfather. Her grandmother was studying her carefully. Hono'o was worried that she would notice something was wrong. Her grandmother and all her aunts had grilled her about what was up with her father, mother, and brothers. They were very proud to have another seishi in the family. Hono'o thought that the other seishi were lucky to get away from them. Hono'o knew why her father ran away from home when he was her age. She recalled dreaded visits from them when she was younger. Hono'o had never had to see them by herself without her immediate family there.
"What has your mother been feeding you, Lei? You are nothing, but a sack of bones," commented Grandma Kou. Hono'o felt her cheeks get red. They were always saying stuff like that to her and her mother. Grandma Kou thought that everything Ling did was wrong.
"I'm fine this way, Grandma. Papa doesn't mind. Why don't you just ask about the boys again?" asked Hono'o weakly. She would rather talk about her brothers than herself.
"Speaking of boys, did your father get any offers for you?" asked Grandma Kou. Hono'o was fifteen. It was a marriageable age.
"No. Papa hasn't been doing anything like that with me. At least I don't think so," answered Hono'o with perplexed look on her face. 'Thank Suzaku for that!' she thought.
"Leave it to my brother to ignore such responsibilities. Damn him!" exclaimed Aidou. Hono'o shifted uncomfortably. She hated this. Her family started talking amongst themselves coming up with possible matches for her. Hono'o turned her attention to her grandfather. He was a taciturn man. Hono'o couldn't believe he was the father of her father. The man was obviously whipped by her grandmother.
"Hello Grandpa. How have you been?" asked Hono'o with a smile. She loved the fact that he was quiet. Her grandfather smiled at her. Hono'o was grateful for just a smile from him. She decided while the rest of them were distracted it was a good time to get away from them.
Hono'o got out of the house. She kept walking until she couldn't hear them anymore. She just wanted to be alone to think about things. 'If my powers don't come back we may not be able to summon Suzaku. It'll be all my fault if the world ends. God! How could I have been so stupid? It's my fault for thinking I could face off with him. Mariko and the others are counting on me. They're my friends. I've spent so much time training with Miss Zhang that I never made friends until now. I wish I could tell Mariko what's wrong. I hate myself for making her worry so much. But, I can't tell her what's wrong,' thought Hono'o as she punched a nearby tree trunk. She was just so pissed off, and she didn't feel any pain when she punched that tree. Hono'o wasn't thinking straight through her anger and exhaustion that she didn't hear a group of men surrounded her. Otherwise, she would have grabbed the tessen right away.
Hono'o was grabbed from behind. She panicked because it was the same way that Zhenyou had grabbed her. Hono'o struggled against the man who had grabbed her. There were six of them. The man had grabbed her over her breast. "LET ME GO!" screamed Hono'o. What was left of her chi rose, and the man who was holding her suddenly let her go. Hono'o fell on the ground. She couldn't stand up.
"My arms! She burned my arms!" cried the man.
"She couldn't do that! She ain't got a thing on her!" rebuked another man.
"Such a pretty thing like her. Come on, Sugar. We won't hurt you," cajoled a man. Hono'o was about to grab the tessen when someone came to her aid.
He was tall. He had dark hair and tanned skin. He had two swords in sheaths on his back and a bullwhip at his side. It was like he came out of nowhere. Hono'o thought there was something familiar about the young man.
"I don't think she's interest. Maybe you should leave her alone before I have to hurt you," warned the young man.
The men lunged at him. The young man flipped back, and it was like he was stopping mid air just to turn and kick two of them in a split. The young man was a fierce and fast fighter. He didn't even draw his swords or use his whip.
"So, you guys insist on playing. Well, It's been a little while since I've had the exercise. But, you guys need some lessons," said the young man with a smile. One of the men smiled and snapped his fingers. More than two-dozen other men appeared out of the darkness. The young man's eyes widened.
'There's too many of them. I can't do it. What if the girl gets hurt?' thought the young man. He didn't betray a look of surprise or fear on his face. He smiled and grabbed Hono'o 's hand.
"Looks like it's a rough neighborhood, Doll Face. Let's go," said the young man as he took off running dragging Hono'o by the hand. The men took off after them. Hono'o was barely keeping up with the young man. He looked around frantically for a place to hid until they weren't being chased. He thought that the rooftops were a good choice.
"Come on, Doll Face. Now isn't the time for sightseeing," said the young man. Hono'o gasped as he picked her up and jumped up to a rooftop. The men continued their pursuit of them. The young man was surprised that Hono'o could keep up with him. Hono'o wanted to stop and use the tessen. However, when she went to draw it out, the young man grabbed her wrist. The men were everywhere. He threw ninja stars at them.
"The things I do for a pretty face," muttered the young man as he threw more ninja stars. Hono'o was getting more and more pissed at him for referring to her as just a face. He threw something else down. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, the young man and Hono'o were on a higher part of another rooftop. The pursuers wiped their eyes, and spotted them.
"Do you swim?" asked the young man.
"Of course, I can swim. Why?" asked Hono'o. She looked down. There was a river below them. The men who were chasing them were coming closer. "Oh, no. I don't do water. I'm a fire person! Wait!" exclaimed Hono'o.
"Too bad, Doll Face. Brace yourself," instructed the young man as he took her hand again. They took a flying leap out off the rooftop. The men stopped their pursuit. Those two were obvious crazy if they were willing to take a three-story leap off a roof.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Hono'o as the plunged into the water below. They were in the water. Both of them swam for shore. Hono'o was now wet and mad. 'Who the Hell does this guy think he is?' she thought as she glared at him.
The young man offered her his hand to help her up.
"I can get up by myself," snapped Hono'o. The young man looked at her strangely.
"Fine. Get up on your own, Doll Face," said the young man as he followed his arms over his chest. 'What an ingrate?! I just saved her! Who the Hell does she think she is?!' he thought. He gaze traveled down her body. Her blouse was wet. It was obvious that she was cold. He quickly turned around. WHACK!
He swirled around. "OW! What the Hell was that for?!" he exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head. Hono'o was holding the tessen in her hand.
"You were looking at my breasts, you Hentai!" shouted Hono'o.
"What's that thing made out of?" mumbled the young man.
"Iron," answered Hono'o. She was now standing up.
"IRON?! YOU HIT ME WITH IRON?!" yelled the young man.
"I could have handle them myself. I don't need a hentai like you saving me," said Hono'o as she folded her arms over her chest, and turned away from him.
"Oh yeah. Is that so? Well then, you're on your own, Doll Face," said the young man.
"Fine. I wish I could say it was a ple-" Hono'o stopped because by the time she had turned back around the young man was gone.
'Well, at least he's gone. I hope I never have to see him again,' thought Hono'o as she went back to the Kou house soaking wet.
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Miaka: That was very interesting. That was Shiro who saved Hono'o.
Nuriko: I think that was cute.
::We would like to interrupt this omake to bring you a special message.::
Soi and Ashitare are sitting at an anchor desk.
Soi: We would have a special report. Isn't that right, Ashitare?
Ashitare makes all sorts of animal noises: growling and grunts.
Soi: Um. That's right. Anyway, let's go to field reporter, Suboshi.
Suboshi (at the statistics page): As you can all see there are a lot of hits for this fic, but not very many reviews. ClareBear wants more feedback from you people. Let's go back to the studio with Soi and Ashitare.
Soi: Stop eating the crew, Ashitare!
She shocks him with some lightning. He's now black and burnt to a crisp. Tomo comes to the desk, and pushes Ashitare off camera.
Tomo (cackling): I get to anchor!
Soi: You're the make up person. You shouldn't be anchoring.
Soi and Tomo start to fight. Ashitare is still in big burnt lump. Miboshi takes over.
Miboshi: Things seem to be very um…back to you, Suboshi.
Suboshi (muttering to himself): Look, it's bad enough Lady Yui married someone. It's even worse that she borne him two sons. Her son is a Suzaku seishi. Amiboshi gave away Lady Yui's earrings. I can't believe he just did that. My own aniki.
Miboshi: Suboshi. You're on. People can hear you.
Suboshi (blushing, then going back to normal): Yes. Right, Miboshi. ClareBear wants more reviews from you people. She would like to thank those of you who have reviewed. However, for all the hits that she has, she doesn't get a lot of reviews. So, please review. You don't want to see me angry. Do you? No one wants to see me angry. Some say I'm unstable…but…
Signal cuts back to studio. Miboshi is doing the gesture to cut the signal to Suboshi. Tomo and Soi are fighting in the background. Nakago is at the producer's chair, and he's reading a book ignoring the chaos around him. He is drinking a cappuccino.
Miboshi (stops gesturing, folds hands neatly, and grins at camera): We bring you back to the regularly schedule omake.
::Returning to the Schedule Program already running.::
Nuriko has slammed Tamahome into a wall. Tamahome has a flag of surrender.
Chiriko: He shouldn't have said that.
Everyone nods in agreement.
