Here's the fourth part at last! Okay, I never really planned this story out ahead of time, so it might get really weird...Anyway, enjoy!
Scouts in the Mysterious Play (Part Four)
By: Eternal Flame
Miaka ran down the hallwat, past a door that should have been there. Should have.
Chichiri disappeared and re-appeared from village to village in Konan, asking everyone whether his highness Boushin had been seen. Most people were already sound asleep in their beds under the starry night sky. Chichiri had to knock long and loud at their doors until, eventually, someone would peek through the window with sleepy eyes. The answer was always the same, "No, the emperor has not been seen in this village at all." Chichiri was beginning to get discouraged, and a little tired. No trace of the emperor was found!
Finally, he arrived at a small, poor village that was made up of 10 broken down shacks. A few shrubs dotted the landscape, but that was it. No grass, no trees, no stores, only one dusty trail going through the houses. Chichiri saved this village for last. Boushin most likely wouldn't have set foot in a place like this, but it was always worth a try.
Chichiri walked away from the trail to the first house. It was built with only a few slabs of wood. The roof was slanted, and patches of moonlight fell between the cracks. Chichiri couldn't even imagine living in a place like that. He knocked on the door loudly with his staff a few times. Finally, a harsh voice inside yelled, "Go open the door, fool! Now!"
Chichiri was startled to see a little girl, who must have been no older than five, open the door timidly. Her hair was a flat black cut above chin length. She seemed lost in the mass of loose and rough clothes she wore. Her bare arms were red and swollen from whiplashes. But it was her eyes that really made Chichiri scared. They were large and brown, but seemed dead to him. No twinkle, no light, no hope at all; just emptiness. Chichiri, in all his years of traveling, had never seen anything like it.
He bent down so that he was eye level with the girl who bent her head down shyly. Chichiri said gently, "Little girl, can you tell me whether his highness Boushin has been seen in this village at all today?" Chichiri smiled reassuringly.
Hesitating, and looking back fearfully behind her into the darkness, the girl whispered timidly, "I-I can't tell you. G-Go to the people next door. They kn-know what you seek. Go now!" Those last two words she spoke suprisingly confidently. Chichiri blinked once or twice, then nodded.
"Thank you. But, one more thing. How are you treated here?" This girl looked to weak and scared for his liking. As soon as she heard his question, she gasped, and her already wide eyes became larger. Whimpering, she shut the door quickly as the drunken voice screamed, "Who's there? Hurry up!"
Chichiri stared at the door for a few seconds, and then turned around back to the trail. Turning his head towards the house next door, he noticed the door slowly opening. A shoe stepped out, then the bottom of a bright red silk robe. Chichiri breathed a sigh of relief. Boushin was found at last!
Nothing could have prepared Raye for what she saw before her.
A colossal phoenix, with wings that swept the floor and eyes that seemed to laugh at the world, towered over the girl. She gasped slightly as it seemed to get taller and her shorter. One single red feather softly drifted down to her hand. It bowed its head slightly.
"Raye, I have been waiting for you."
She jumped slightly when she heard the voice in her mind, yet the bird never opened its mouth. This must be...
"I am pleased that you found me. Do not tell anyone of this meeting. We will meet again."
And its wings were lifted, then its head craned upwards, and then Suzaku was gone in a swirl of red light.
"Your Highness! Chichiri!"
Chichiri appeared in the middle of the hallway where Taka and the others were. Boushin gasped as he realized that the Taka, the legendary Celestial Warrior was standing in front of him, smiling.
"Y-You are Tamahome! You're just like I imagined you! You managed to come back to us! Praise Suzaku for keeping you safe!"
Taka smiled. "You know, you look exactly like your father. The last time I saw you, you were still bald!"
Chichiri added, "Yeah, and Tasuki tried to kill you, you know?"
"Hey, you aren't supposed to tell him that! You wanna get fried?"
Serena and Miaka suddenly rushed into the hallway, panting. "Has anyone seen Raye?" Serena said.
Boushin stared. He had never seen anyone with such blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Wait...didn't one of his subjects tell him long ago that the villain Nakago had fair hair and sapphire eyes as well? 'Hm...maybe I should get someone to keep an eye on her. 20 years have passed since the great war between Konana and Kutou, but Nakago and Tenkou followers could still be around. But then the Priestess seems to trust her...'
Tasuki blinked. "Huh? Who? What?"
"Has anyone seen Raye, the girl with the long black hair? She disappeared while we were showing the others around!" Miaka repeated.
Behind them, Darien, Amy, Lita, Mina, and Yui appeared. "She's been missing for around an hour now."
Boushin murmured to Chichiri, "So are these the people you said had landed in our world along with the Priestess?" Chichiri nodded.
"Soldiers! Start an organized search immediately for the girl of the other world, Raye!" Boushin commanded regally.
The soldiers, clad in thick armor, rushed off in groups to search every corner of the palace. His highness's word was law.
In one blink, Suzaku disappeared. Raye leaned against the closest wall, and gradually slid down to the floor. Her mind was spinning with wild thoughts. Why had Suzaku wanted to see her, not Miaka or a Celestial Warrior? And why couldn't Raye tell anyone? "Okay, let me get this straight," Raye said out loud. "Suzaku is the god of Konan. Miaka is the Priestess of Suzaku, and gained Suzaku's power. Taka was originally Tamahome, a Celestial Warrior of Suzaku. So are Tasuki and Chichiri. But I have no connection to Suzaku, except Miaka is my friend. So why would Suzaku want me???" She heaved a sigh. "I'll go back to the others, and then we'll see from there..."
She stood up slowly, and brushed the dirt off of her skirt lightly. For the first time, she noticed where she was. (Besides a room.) It was small and cramped, although no furniture decorating the stone walled room. There was one solitary round window on one side, but that was it. It felt eerie...Suddenly, with a jolt, she realized why. There was no door!
Frantically, she tried to remember where she had come from. "Okay, I sat down here after Suzaku appeared there... Then the door should be right here!" She tried to breath, but her throat wouldn't function right. "I don't sense anything evil... What's going on? Oh, please, Suzaku! Anyone, help! " She recklessly ran around the room, her hair flapping behind her, banging on the walls and screaming like mad. Finally, she realized that it wasn't going to work. Tears unwillingly formed in her eyes as she sat down on the ground once more. Breathing a little more calmly, the tears stopped, and her heart and mind calmed down. Her mind fell back into the serene meditation almost effortlessly. She had learned how to do this a while back without a fire before her. Images floated into her mind once again, images of Suzaku and Seiryuu, Miaka and Yui, the battle between Konan and Kutou. But then something stuck out from the rest, something she didn't understand. There were two separate Suzakus, one red and the other blue. They were mirror images of eachother except for the colors. It didn't make any sense,
Still, no inspiration came to Raye as to how to get out of there. For the next 15 minutes, she continued to meditate. Suddenly, it hit her.
"Duh! I was thinking on Serena's level! Why didn't I see it sooner?
She shot her hand up, and cried, "Mars Crystal Power!"
Sailor Mars closed her eyes, and felt the energy around her. "Mars...Flame...Sniper!!!" She aimed the flaming bow and arrow at the small glass window. With one eye shut, she let the arrow fly. The glass crashed, and the flames disappeared. Smiling triumphantly, Sailor Mars walked over to the hole in the wall. Careful not to touch the broken shards of glass, she peered outside. Once again, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
The girls decided to sleep the rest of the night although Raye still hadn't been found. Miaka and Taka had their own room, and so did Serena and Darien.
Sighing, Serena plopped down on the bed. She rolled over on her stomach to gaze at Darien, who was staring out of the window. "Darien, what's wrong?" she asked innocently.
Darien turned and smiled at her. "Nothing, really. It's just, well, I can't believe what's happened to us now, you know?"
Serena sighed. "Yeah, just as unbelievable as finding out you're a past princess of a rock in space and future queen of the earth." Suddenly, she sat up. "Darien, do you think Raye's all right? She's not the type of person to go running off and scaring us."
Darien walked over and hugged the girl. "Don't worry. Raye can take care of herself until we find her. Don't worry."
The other girls spread out blankets and pillows in one of the bigger and empty rooms. Mina pulled out her bow and brushed her thick hair using a comb she borrowed. She couldn't help smiling although the atmosphere around her was very tense and depressing. Raye's missing appearance was like a hole in their lives. It didn't matter that she didn't contribute to the conversation much and that she was very reserved from the others. If she was missing, it didn't feel right.
Of course, Mina desperately hoped that Raye would be found since Mina loved Raye as much as the other girls, but something else was on her mind. Grinning, she was glad no one could read her thoughts.
"Hey, Mina, whatcha thinking about?" Lita asked abruptly.
"WHAT?!?!?" Mina jolted. "N-nothing! What are y-you talking 'bout?"
Yui walked up to her, winking. "C'mon, Mina, you don't have to hide it. You're thinking something that you don't want the rest of us to know, right?"
Amy peered up from a book she was reading, and joined the group. They huddled around Mina with eager, mischievious eyes. Mina giggled nervously. "Uh...I have no clue what you're talking about! Seriously! You guys trust me, right? "
No comments from the girls, except they crowded around Mina even more. She realized that it was hopeless. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you as long as you get out of my face!" Closing her eyes dreamily, she murmured, "It's a really hot guy."
Amy shook her head sadly. "I should have known." She went back to reading her book, although glanced upwards at them every now and then.
Lita only urged Mina onwards. "Who? Who? Tasuki? Boushin? A guy from our world?"
Mina blushed even harder. "Er...none of them, really."
While Lita thought about it, Yui suddenly burst out snickering. Lita turned to her curiously, and Mina cried, "Yui! You know? Don't tell Lita, please! It's going to be the end of my world! Oh, come on, Yui!"
Suddenly, Lita realized who it could be. She snorted loudly. "You like Chichiri? His eyes aren't even open!"
Yui giggled, "And his hair are defies gravity!"
"And he's a monk!"
"And his hair is blue!"
Amy heard that last statement clearly and loudly. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
"Hehe... just kidding, Amy!"
Amy arrowed her eyes dangerously, and pulled out her pillow. In a blink of an eye, the pillow hit Yui straight on the forehead. Scowling, she threw her pillow with all her strengh at Amy. Wait, hold that thought! The pillow somehow flew off course (or was the course set the right way?) and landed on Mina. She stood up menacingly, and threw her pillow up and over her head, and smiled evily as she stuck it volleyball-style at Amy. Soon, the girls were caught in a exhausting war of pillows, amid laughs and threats. If only Raye was there...
Hope you like it! I'm working on two fanfics at once, so this will be going along slowly. Anyway, please review this! Suggestions are always welcome! (Suggestions, not flaming.)
Always remember, Sailor Moon and Fushigi Yuugi don't belong to me. 'Nuff said.
Scouts in the Mysterious Play (Part Four)
By: Eternal Flame
Miaka ran down the hallwat, past a door that should have been there. Should have.
Chichiri disappeared and re-appeared from village to village in Konan, asking everyone whether his highness Boushin had been seen. Most people were already sound asleep in their beds under the starry night sky. Chichiri had to knock long and loud at their doors until, eventually, someone would peek through the window with sleepy eyes. The answer was always the same, "No, the emperor has not been seen in this village at all." Chichiri was beginning to get discouraged, and a little tired. No trace of the emperor was found!
Finally, he arrived at a small, poor village that was made up of 10 broken down shacks. A few shrubs dotted the landscape, but that was it. No grass, no trees, no stores, only one dusty trail going through the houses. Chichiri saved this village for last. Boushin most likely wouldn't have set foot in a place like this, but it was always worth a try.
Chichiri walked away from the trail to the first house. It was built with only a few slabs of wood. The roof was slanted, and patches of moonlight fell between the cracks. Chichiri couldn't even imagine living in a place like that. He knocked on the door loudly with his staff a few times. Finally, a harsh voice inside yelled, "Go open the door, fool! Now!"
Chichiri was startled to see a little girl, who must have been no older than five, open the door timidly. Her hair was a flat black cut above chin length. She seemed lost in the mass of loose and rough clothes she wore. Her bare arms were red and swollen from whiplashes. But it was her eyes that really made Chichiri scared. They were large and brown, but seemed dead to him. No twinkle, no light, no hope at all; just emptiness. Chichiri, in all his years of traveling, had never seen anything like it.
He bent down so that he was eye level with the girl who bent her head down shyly. Chichiri said gently, "Little girl, can you tell me whether his highness Boushin has been seen in this village at all today?" Chichiri smiled reassuringly.
Hesitating, and looking back fearfully behind her into the darkness, the girl whispered timidly, "I-I can't tell you. G-Go to the people next door. They kn-know what you seek. Go now!" Those last two words she spoke suprisingly confidently. Chichiri blinked once or twice, then nodded.
"Thank you. But, one more thing. How are you treated here?" This girl looked to weak and scared for his liking. As soon as she heard his question, she gasped, and her already wide eyes became larger. Whimpering, she shut the door quickly as the drunken voice screamed, "Who's there? Hurry up!"
Chichiri stared at the door for a few seconds, and then turned around back to the trail. Turning his head towards the house next door, he noticed the door slowly opening. A shoe stepped out, then the bottom of a bright red silk robe. Chichiri breathed a sigh of relief. Boushin was found at last!
Nothing could have prepared Raye for what she saw before her.
A colossal phoenix, with wings that swept the floor and eyes that seemed to laugh at the world, towered over the girl. She gasped slightly as it seemed to get taller and her shorter. One single red feather softly drifted down to her hand. It bowed its head slightly.
"Raye, I have been waiting for you."
She jumped slightly when she heard the voice in her mind, yet the bird never opened its mouth. This must be...
"I am pleased that you found me. Do not tell anyone of this meeting. We will meet again."
And its wings were lifted, then its head craned upwards, and then Suzaku was gone in a swirl of red light.
"Your Highness! Chichiri!"
Chichiri appeared in the middle of the hallway where Taka and the others were. Boushin gasped as he realized that the Taka, the legendary Celestial Warrior was standing in front of him, smiling.
"Y-You are Tamahome! You're just like I imagined you! You managed to come back to us! Praise Suzaku for keeping you safe!"
Taka smiled. "You know, you look exactly like your father. The last time I saw you, you were still bald!"
Chichiri added, "Yeah, and Tasuki tried to kill you, you know?"
"Hey, you aren't supposed to tell him that! You wanna get fried?"
Serena and Miaka suddenly rushed into the hallway, panting. "Has anyone seen Raye?" Serena said.
Boushin stared. He had never seen anyone with such blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Wait...didn't one of his subjects tell him long ago that the villain Nakago had fair hair and sapphire eyes as well? 'Hm...maybe I should get someone to keep an eye on her. 20 years have passed since the great war between Konana and Kutou, but Nakago and Tenkou followers could still be around. But then the Priestess seems to trust her...'
Tasuki blinked. "Huh? Who? What?"
"Has anyone seen Raye, the girl with the long black hair? She disappeared while we were showing the others around!" Miaka repeated.
Behind them, Darien, Amy, Lita, Mina, and Yui appeared. "She's been missing for around an hour now."
Boushin murmured to Chichiri, "So are these the people you said had landed in our world along with the Priestess?" Chichiri nodded.
"Soldiers! Start an organized search immediately for the girl of the other world, Raye!" Boushin commanded regally.
The soldiers, clad in thick armor, rushed off in groups to search every corner of the palace. His highness's word was law.
In one blink, Suzaku disappeared. Raye leaned against the closest wall, and gradually slid down to the floor. Her mind was spinning with wild thoughts. Why had Suzaku wanted to see her, not Miaka or a Celestial Warrior? And why couldn't Raye tell anyone? "Okay, let me get this straight," Raye said out loud. "Suzaku is the god of Konan. Miaka is the Priestess of Suzaku, and gained Suzaku's power. Taka was originally Tamahome, a Celestial Warrior of Suzaku. So are Tasuki and Chichiri. But I have no connection to Suzaku, except Miaka is my friend. So why would Suzaku want me???" She heaved a sigh. "I'll go back to the others, and then we'll see from there..."
She stood up slowly, and brushed the dirt off of her skirt lightly. For the first time, she noticed where she was. (Besides a room.) It was small and cramped, although no furniture decorating the stone walled room. There was one solitary round window on one side, but that was it. It felt eerie...Suddenly, with a jolt, she realized why. There was no door!
Frantically, she tried to remember where she had come from. "Okay, I sat down here after Suzaku appeared there... Then the door should be right here!" She tried to breath, but her throat wouldn't function right. "I don't sense anything evil... What's going on? Oh, please, Suzaku! Anyone, help! " She recklessly ran around the room, her hair flapping behind her, banging on the walls and screaming like mad. Finally, she realized that it wasn't going to work. Tears unwillingly formed in her eyes as she sat down on the ground once more. Breathing a little more calmly, the tears stopped, and her heart and mind calmed down. Her mind fell back into the serene meditation almost effortlessly. She had learned how to do this a while back without a fire before her. Images floated into her mind once again, images of Suzaku and Seiryuu, Miaka and Yui, the battle between Konan and Kutou. But then something stuck out from the rest, something she didn't understand. There were two separate Suzakus, one red and the other blue. They were mirror images of eachother except for the colors. It didn't make any sense,
Still, no inspiration came to Raye as to how to get out of there. For the next 15 minutes, she continued to meditate. Suddenly, it hit her.
"Duh! I was thinking on Serena's level! Why didn't I see it sooner?
She shot her hand up, and cried, "Mars Crystal Power!"
Sailor Mars closed her eyes, and felt the energy around her. "Mars...Flame...Sniper!!!" She aimed the flaming bow and arrow at the small glass window. With one eye shut, she let the arrow fly. The glass crashed, and the flames disappeared. Smiling triumphantly, Sailor Mars walked over to the hole in the wall. Careful not to touch the broken shards of glass, she peered outside. Once again, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
The girls decided to sleep the rest of the night although Raye still hadn't been found. Miaka and Taka had their own room, and so did Serena and Darien.
Sighing, Serena plopped down on the bed. She rolled over on her stomach to gaze at Darien, who was staring out of the window. "Darien, what's wrong?" she asked innocently.
Darien turned and smiled at her. "Nothing, really. It's just, well, I can't believe what's happened to us now, you know?"
Serena sighed. "Yeah, just as unbelievable as finding out you're a past princess of a rock in space and future queen of the earth." Suddenly, she sat up. "Darien, do you think Raye's all right? She's not the type of person to go running off and scaring us."
Darien walked over and hugged the girl. "Don't worry. Raye can take care of herself until we find her. Don't worry."
The other girls spread out blankets and pillows in one of the bigger and empty rooms. Mina pulled out her bow and brushed her thick hair using a comb she borrowed. She couldn't help smiling although the atmosphere around her was very tense and depressing. Raye's missing appearance was like a hole in their lives. It didn't matter that she didn't contribute to the conversation much and that she was very reserved from the others. If she was missing, it didn't feel right.
Of course, Mina desperately hoped that Raye would be found since Mina loved Raye as much as the other girls, but something else was on her mind. Grinning, she was glad no one could read her thoughts.
"Hey, Mina, whatcha thinking about?" Lita asked abruptly.
"WHAT?!?!?" Mina jolted. "N-nothing! What are y-you talking 'bout?"
Yui walked up to her, winking. "C'mon, Mina, you don't have to hide it. You're thinking something that you don't want the rest of us to know, right?"
Amy peered up from a book she was reading, and joined the group. They huddled around Mina with eager, mischievious eyes. Mina giggled nervously. "Uh...I have no clue what you're talking about! Seriously! You guys trust me, right? "
No comments from the girls, except they crowded around Mina even more. She realized that it was hopeless. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you as long as you get out of my face!" Closing her eyes dreamily, she murmured, "It's a really hot guy."
Amy shook her head sadly. "I should have known." She went back to reading her book, although glanced upwards at them every now and then.
Lita only urged Mina onwards. "Who? Who? Tasuki? Boushin? A guy from our world?"
Mina blushed even harder. "Er...none of them, really."
While Lita thought about it, Yui suddenly burst out snickering. Lita turned to her curiously, and Mina cried, "Yui! You know? Don't tell Lita, please! It's going to be the end of my world! Oh, come on, Yui!"
Suddenly, Lita realized who it could be. She snorted loudly. "You like Chichiri? His eyes aren't even open!"
Yui giggled, "And his hair are defies gravity!"
"And he's a monk!"
"And his hair is blue!"
Amy heard that last statement clearly and loudly. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
"Hehe... just kidding, Amy!"
Amy arrowed her eyes dangerously, and pulled out her pillow. In a blink of an eye, the pillow hit Yui straight on the forehead. Scowling, she threw her pillow with all her strengh at Amy. Wait, hold that thought! The pillow somehow flew off course (or was the course set the right way?) and landed on Mina. She stood up menacingly, and threw her pillow up and over her head, and smiled evily as she stuck it volleyball-style at Amy. Soon, the girls were caught in a exhausting war of pillows, amid laughs and threats. If only Raye was there...
Hope you like it! I'm working on two fanfics at once, so this will be going along slowly. Anyway, please review this! Suggestions are always welcome! (Suggestions, not flaming.)
Always remember, Sailor Moon and Fushigi Yuugi don't belong to me. 'Nuff said.