Fushigi Gakkou

Chapter Five

~*~

Miaka stretched her arms above her head.  "I'm glad school's over.  I can't wait to get home."

            "I'd be tired too with the day you've had.  I cannot believe you tackled Kou Shunu."  Yui shook her head.

            "Kou-san was a jerk and deserved to be tackled.  I just want to go home and eat."

            Yui laughed, "So how did you like drama club?"

            "It was great!  I'm going to join it for sure.  And Hahm-sensei was really nice.  She's one of my favorite teachers."

            Chatting, the two girls didn't notice they had grown extra shadows until they turned down a side street.

            "Give us your money," a voice demanded from behind.  Spinning, the girls belatedly saw the bullies.  When the girls hesitated in confusion, one of them grabbed Yui.

            "Yui," Miaka cried out as she heard her friend scream.  To late she noticed they had circled the girls.  "Let Yui go!" Miaka demanded.

            The gang leader smiled, "Not until you pay us."  Miaka frowned in worry; her mother never gave her much extra cash from Miaka's tendency to spend it on food right away.  Just as a gang member broke the circle to grab Miaka…a voice cut through the spell of fear the gang had cast.

            "Picking on girls?  And you call yourselves men."  Miaka turned around to see Sou Kishuku leaning nonchalantly against a wall.  A murmur ran through the group and on a silent command from their leader, the gang moved as one to attack Kishuku.  Kishuku stopped leaning on the wall and got into an attack stance.  "Let's go."  Alas, moving as one did little to help the gang.  A quick punch to the nose to one member, a side kick to the solar plexus of another, a back hand to the back of the skull, and a hook-heel kick to the back of the neck and they were all down.  Miaka looked at the man still holding Yui saw he was slowly choking her to death.  With a battle cry she ran at the man in a football tackle style and slammed into his open side.  Letting Yui go, he fell to the floor while rolled over him and landed on a dizzy heap on the sidewalk.

            "Miaka, Miaka.  Daijoubu?"  Yui asked concerned as she helped Miaka to her feet.  Miaka looked at Kishuku as he walked over to them.

            "Arigato," she said with a smile, "that's the third time you've helped me."

            "If you're so thankful," he began seriously, "you should pay me!"  He grinned widely.  Both girls blinked uncomprehending.

            "Huh?" they asked at the same time.

            Kishuku scowled, "By 'huh' I take it you don't have any money."  He sighed, "I hate poor people.  Ja ne."

            "Matte kudasai," Yui called out.  But it was too late and Kishuku rounded the corner leaving Yui to stare after him in disbelief.  Miaka, who had been rummaging in her pocket, finally held up 500 yen in triumph.

            "Here," she called out, "I found some money."

            "Don't bother," Yui said turning back around, "he's already left.  I can't believe he wanted us to pay him."

            "I'm sure he had a good reason for needing that money," Miaka put in diplomatically.

            Yui smiled, "Perhaps.  Right now we should probably get going before these guys wake up."  With a quick "Hai" from Miaka, the two girls continued on their way.

~*~

            "Ja mata," Yui waved good-bye at the place where she had to turn to go the library.

            "Ja ne Yui," Miaka waved good-bye too before she crossed the street that was on her way home.  Turning around, Yui continued on her way.  After a block, Yui winced and started to rub her temples.

            'Oh no,' she thought, 'I can feel a headache coming on.'  The pressure in Yui's head kept rising and rising and rising…

            "Awaken."

            Yui dropped her school bag in shock at the sound of a voice inside her head.

            "Awaken Seiryuu no miko!"

            The pounding in her head increased.  Yui fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

            "AWAKEN!!"

            Blue light surrounded the kneeling figure on the pavement.  When she rose, the girl expressed no sign of any earlier discomfort.  Her blue eyes glowed slightly.  Her clothes had also changed.  Now she wore Chinese outfit with a black rose pinned on.  (picture here )  The girl smiled coldly, she was no longer Yui Hongou.  Walking out into the middle of the strangely deserted street, she began to make symbols with her hands.  Blue magic shimmered in the air where the Seiryuu no miko had made the signs.  Finishing, the girl stepped back and admired the glowing design.  It was an excellent summoning portal if she did say so her self. (And she did say it-out loud, to the empty air, several times, and then she laughed insanely)

            "Seiryuu's serpent, minion of the dragon god.  Come to me, come to his miko, come to his portal and pass into his new domain.  Come and do his bidding, come and reek havoc on this world!"  The girl spread her arms wide and the portal blazed brilliantly.  Coming through the portal was a snout, then a mouth, then eyes.  The portal widened and proportioned itself to serpent as it crawled into the streets of Tokyo.  Finally it was fully out.  The miko shut the portal and looked at the serpent that was taking in its new surroundings and hissing softly.  The serpent was long like a snake, though it did have four short legs that ended in powerful claws.  It used the claws for just climbing and grabbing it seemed, for it also moved like a snake.  While it was around one-story tall slithering, it could rise up onto it's feet and become three-stories tall.  The serpent was almost as long as a city block and it's thrashing tale was destroying the buildings on either side of it.  All in all, the perfect welcoming gift to Tokyo.