Fire and Water
It's funny how life turns out
The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in,
The soundtrack starts,
The scene begins...
It had been just another innocent morning. And if you ignore the fact that I felt dead to the world -probably looked it too- and was being forced into another dreaded counselor meeting from hell, you could say it was going beautifully. And everything would have went smashingly if dear Miaka hadn't gotten overly nosey and hadn't went rummaging through Kyoko's bag to find It.
Everything I worked my butt off for, tossed out the window in yet again one single glance in the wrong direction.
For some reason I don't feel a good day coming on....
I just KNEW I should have stayed in bed!!
~*~*~
"Yui? Hey, rise and shine." I'd rise but I sure wouldn't shine. Ugh, who was that? I wished they'd go away, I felt like hell. "You okay?" How about a nice firm "no".
It had to have been Taka. Sounded like him anyway.
I pried my eyes open and made a valiant attempt to give him the glare of the century, but my eyes refused to adjust properly, so I simply slid them closed in defeat.
"Does it look it?" I grumbled, sounding a lot like a grumpy five year-old in desperate need of a nap. He laughed as he pulled me to my feet, not a smart move. Sure, he yanked me up, but I wasn't functioning well enough to get a good enough footing and down I went, sprawling face down, to the ground. Ouch, pardon me while I regain my breath. I pulled my nose out of the dirt and squinted at him. My Death Glare feature was still out of order for the time being. "Taka?"
"Yes?" He sweatdropped and hurriedly helped me up. This time he held on while I got my balance intact.
"I think you've just sprained my pride."
"It's about time you wake up." Who, what? Where was that voice coming from? Wait, that sounded like...
"Taiitsukun!" Still clutching my shoulder, Taka jumped in surprise, his arm jolting me off balance again. Luckily I caught myself that time, this certainly wasn't going to be a good day for me.
"Yui! You're okay!" I wasn't prepared in the least for the super sonic screech, and by the look on Taka's face, he wasn't either. I glanced behind me and saw both Miaka and Shinji walking towards us, each with a person slung over their backs, and trailing pretty close behind them was Tanaka-sensei. When they got close enough they both gently placed their unconscious person of choice on the ground and jogged over to join us.
"Taiitsukun!" Miaka smiled joyfully at the master of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho.
"Do you know who you just packed up here?" Taiitsukun had turned to Miaka, her old bulldog face slightly tugging upwards in a smirk.
"Ishino Kyoko?"
"Well, yes and no. That is her name, but here she'll be referred to as something rather different." Everyone rewarded Taiitsukun with a confused and slightly ignorant look. "Have you ever looked at the stars?" She waited for a few nods before continuing, "The sky is divided as well as this world, Genbu controls the North, Seiryuu with the East, Suzaku and the South, and Byakko's domain is the West. But if you look at the sky, in the center there is a handful of unnamed constellations waiting for their time. The Naka no Shichiseishi. They have no specific origin, they are scattered all over this world. But there is another out there, an evil force waiting for them to gather."
"Well, gee, that's a shock." Miaka swatted the insolent Taka upside the head.
Without another word said, Taiitsukun was gone, poof, just like that, much to Taka's relief. Miaka's eyebrows knotted together in confusion until she finally couldn't help herself anymore.
"What does that have to do with Kyoko?"
"Use your head Miaka, apparently she's their miko. Really, how hard is it to figure that out?" I half expected to hear Tanaka-sensei chiding me over being a little mean to her, but I was surprised when she didn't. That's when I realized that we were one person short of what we had been just minutes ago.
"What in the world?!" Drat! I was hoping she had been sent back. Of all the rotten luck! Everyone turned to where Tanaka-sensei's startled voice had come from, not really wanting to find out what was so odd. "What's wrong with him?" I realized she hadn't listened to a single word Taiitsukun had to say and had instead wandered off to check on the unconscious duo. I sighed to myself as I made my way over to her. I should have been grateful she wasn't spazing out, after all, she could be doing worse. "What's wrong with Kunio-kun's face? My eyes lazily shifted to where she was pointing. There, right smack-dab in the middle of Hirosu's right cheek was a kanji beaming proudly like no tomorrow. "Water?"
"Mizu," I confirmed solemnly, silently praying for the poor soul that'd have to explain it to him when he woke up. "He's a Naka seishi." The kanji gleamed brighter then flickered out. Poor Kyoko, not that most of my seishi were any better, mind you. I turned my head back to the majority of our group and yelled, "Hey, anybody know where we are?"
"Looks like we're just outside of Konan!" Taka offered loudly. "We should probably head to the Eiyou!" A part of me growled at the thought of going to my former enemy's capitol, and I'm sure the feeling was pretty mutual for it's inhabitants. I never really left on good terms.
"Tanaka-sensei? You wouldn't happen to have a glowing kanji on your body, would you?" She looked at me strangely, and I'm sure she would have asked if I had managed to get into some illegal drugs if earlier she hadn't watched herself get sucked into the pages of a story book. She'd probably checking herself for illegal substances later, thinking so smart ass kid slipped something in her coffee.
"Not that I know of," she trailed off, looking back down at Kyoko and Hirosu. "Hongo-san? Just where are we and what exactly is going on here?" Oh boy, that'll be a fun story. I signaled for Shinji and Taka to come over to join us.
"It's Yui, and it's a very long story. I promise, I'll explain everything when we get to Eiyou, but right now we have to worry about getting there."
~*~*~
By the time we reached Eiyou's streets everybody had already carried at least one of the two unconscious ones for part of the way, only my moment as a pack mule was cut short due to the fact that I had a rather large window-wound on my back from the night before last that was starting to re-open with the help of my human load. So now the back of my shirt looked like I tried that weird American Tie-dye crap on it with red dye, and Hirosu's front looked just as nice. I'm glad I got the idea to take his leather jacket off him, because I think he would have killed me with his bare hands if I had gotten it all bloody.
"So, Ghost, what exactly IS your plan?" I turned my gaze to Shinji, who was slightly bent over with the weight of my former load on his back. My poor pack mule. His face was gleaming with sweat and his lips tugged to one side in a slightly domestic evil smirk. I love it when he does that! Gahh! What was I thinking? I'm supposed to be worrying over all these other things, can't be off daydreaming! But, he's got the LOOK on...arg! Shinji, be serious or something! I'm supposed to be thinking stuff out! Can't do it with you when you've got the Look on!
"I'm hoping too much time hasn't passed here and Houki is still around. Besides, Miaka and I are Suzaku, after all. You don't watch it Yo-yo Boy and with a simple snap of my fingers I could have you and that miko of yours cleaning out horse stalls." Shinji's smile faded when Taka refused to give him any pleasure out of his snide remark. Much better. Only thing is, Taka now needed to be injured.
Like she had read my mind, Miaka reached over and gave him a good smack on the back of the head. Now I was happy. Of course, now, Shinji looked over at me and gave me a tender smile. Sigh. Excuse me while I go melt into a little "Puddle 'O Yui", might as well just give up on doing any deep thinking for now.
About the time I was seriously considering how much fun it could actually be to scare the living daylights out of the people who were giving us odd looks, I heard Miaka happily chime, "We're here!" And so we were. I craned my head back in hopes of seeing all the palace but those were dashed away as the sun peeking over the far walls blinded me angrily. "Wow, it hasn't changed a bit," she breathed with a grin on her face.
"I wonder just how long it's been," Taka whispered to no one in particular, a smile creeping across his lips.
"Miaka! Tama!" I glanced to my left just in timed to see an orange haired man hop off a palace wall and run towards the couple, arms outstretched.
Tasuki. The swearing pyromaniac bandit. Miaka's 5th Suzaku Seishi.
He was dressed rather nicely, or as nice as it gets when it comes to ancient China. He wore more regal looking clothes than usual, not anything a prince would wear, just something simple. Nice, but simple.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Shinji and I. I don't think that the new people bothered him so much as us "Seiryuu's" did.
"Excuse me, but did I just happen to miss something here? What the hell are they doing HERE?!" I could already picture Shinji lashing out at him for the comment, not pretty. I grabbed hold of his arm and shoulder before he could react, hopefully avoiding much bloodshed. Miaka gave her seishi a watery smile and began to explain everything to him.
After many more good swears and ranting, we got everyone bandaged to the extend of need and got Kyoko and Hirosu into rooms so they could rest. I had a good mind to ask for one of my own, but of course Miaka insisted I stay and visit with Houki and her son, Boushin. I wish I would have just taken the nap.
~*~*~
A Few Hours Later
~*~*~
What the hell kinda bad day is this?! First I get sucked back into that damned book, then get thrown in the dirt by Taka, got mildly insulted by him, then received a full blown insult from Tasuki, got my shirt looking like crap, not to mention I was completely exhausted. And NOW I had to explain to a psychopath why he's in ancient China with a purple kanji that read "water" on his cheek! Why me?!
I quietly and ever-so-carefully eased into Hirosu's room and found his leather jacketed figure sitting up on the side of the bed, back facing me. He snapped his head around in my direction and lemme tell ya, if looks could kill I would have been lying cold and dead on the floor. The glint in his cold metal gray eyes made it apparent that he was sincerely pissed, but did I take the hint? Of course not, not me.
"Are you feeling okay? You had quite a bump." He turned back around and glared straight ahead. Stupidly hoping to get somewhere with my task, I crossed the room and sat next to him on the bed.
"Cut the crap, Yui," he growled fiercely, refusing to face me. With one hand he began to fumble through an inside pocket of his jacket.
"Well, excuse me for being concerned." I literally had to bit my tongue to keep the colorful language that threatened to spill out to myself. Oh how I wished I could have let him have it, just go all out and put the bugger in his place. Had it been anyone else they'd be cringing in fear and suggesting a few anger management programs to me. But it was Hirosu, and truthfully, he scares me too much. "I swear."
I never saw it coming. I never saw him get up. Never saw him pull his hand and a shiny metal object out of his pocket. But he did it. And I found myself staring down the length of a cool metal gun barrel that was pressed firmly between my eyes.
"Tell me what the fuck is going on, now." I tried my very best to look calm and unaffected all the while my insides had turned to utter mush.
"Only if you take this gun out from between my eyes." I put my hand up against the length and tried to avert it's line of fire away from my forehead whilst trying to match his glare with one of my own.
"No. Now, talk."
"Not until you put the gun down."
"Damn it!" He bit out a few more words that I'd care not to repeat and finally backed down, allowing my heart rate to drop down drastically. I noticed he never put the gun away, but, hey, he wasn't about to blow my brains out, either. That's a definite plus there. I drew in a deep breath, readying myself for the worst.
"As totally insane, off the wall, and stupid as it sounds you have to believe me."
"I don't have to believe a single thing you say," he said, slumping against the wall. What is with him and walls?! Why can't he sit like a normal person?!
"Okay, fine, but please, just listen to me." I paused, waiting for a smart remark or a signal to keep going. He blinked, good enough. "There is an ancient Chinese book called the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, the book itself is a spell," I explained, shamelessly quoting a line from the first page that I had read out loud to Miaka four years ago. "Once when Miaka and I were 15, we found it in a library and when I read it out loud to her and turned the page, we were transported into the world within the book. Ancient China. Call it magic if you will." He raised an eyebrow at me skeptically and it made me well up with pride inside...by God! Kunio Hirosu was actually listening to ME! Hahahahaha! "While we were there she met Taka, only he was called Tamahome because he had a red kanji that appeared on his forehead. It was the kanji that represents the "ogre" constellation in the sky. She later agreed to become the priestess to the Southern god Suzaku and Tamahome was her seishi because he had the ogre symbol on his forehead. I became the priestess to a different god, Seiryuu, and Shinji was one of my seishi, Suboshi."
"Well, that's nice I'm happy for you, but tell me, what does this have to do with me? I don't plan on becoming a priestess and I didn't have any red symbols on my forehead last time I checked."
"I'm getting there! That was four years ago. Now, somehow, Ishino Kyoko got hold of the book. She turned the first page in Tanaka-sensei's office this morning and now we're here."
"In ancient China? You actually expect me to believe that?" He sneered and twirled his gun. Pardon me whilst I bit the hell outta my tongue again.
"Not really." He snorted at that closed his eyes. "Hirosu, have you looked in the mirror lately?" I smirked smugly, for some odd reason, finding his upcoming predicament funny. Weird sense of humor, ne?
"Why?" Still stupidly smiling I got up and walked over to him cautiously. I braced myself and silently prayed that I wouldn't make a totally idiot of myself as I gingerly touched his cheek where I had earlier seen his kanji. "What the hell are you doing?!" His eyes shot open but that didn't last long because an intense violet glow made him shut them.
"That's why" I struggled to keep a straight face, but inside I was grinning like a madman in triumph. "Kyoko is a priestess and you are her seishi. Your kanji is Mizu." The glowing diminished till it was no more and Hirosu placed his fingers where it had been. "By the way, WHY did you have a gun? In a counseling session, none-the-less!" He struggled to look mean and impenetrable again, but it was too late, and on the inside I was cheering that I had shaken up Kunio Hirosu!
"I take my gun with me everywhere I go," he said simply.
"In the Counselor's office?!"
"I Take my gun with me everywhere I go." This time every word in that sentence was pure threat and I got a feeling if I didn't shut up I'd end up with a bullet in my brain. That's reason enough for me!
"Fine, fine." I sighed in defeat making my way out of the room.
~*~*~
I found Kyoko sitting on the palace steps watching people go about their lives without a care in the world. The look on her face told me that she envied them.
"Hey," I spoke up sitting next to her and setting my gaze to the crowd as well.
"Hey, Yui-chan." For a while silence settled in until she broke it with, "I read what all happened last time you two were here. It's amazing how all those bad and evil things you did all originated from one lie." Yeah, real amazing. Just totally breathtaking that because of one lie ten seishi and thousands more unfortunates caught in the mighty Suzaku Vs Seiryuu War were cold and dead in the ground. Just marvelous that because of one lie I slit my wrists, turned on my best friend, and let out a part of me I never ever want to see again. Real amazing.
"I still have those scars, you know." I flipped my wrist over and held them out for her inspection, the long thin white scars standing out proudly. Her eyes widened as she traced them with her finger tips.
"For some reason I was hoping the book was lying about that much. You don't strike me as the suicidal type."
"But you're saying I strike you as the evil, revenge bent type?" I joked trying to lighten the mood, but Kyoko wasn't paying attention anymore. Rather quickly I noticed what had caught her eye. In the middle of the street, two palace guards were chasing around a red headed man who looked and moved suspiciously like...
"Takeru!" It couldn't have been him! Could it?
He stopped cold and searched for the person who had called the name. Though he clearly was, his chasers were unaffected by Kyoko's call and quickly pinned him, stomach down, to the ground.
"Come on," I grabbed hold of Kyoko's shirt and tugged her out into the street behind me.
"Hold him!" Yelled one of the captors, slamming the man's shoulder back in the dirt.
"Takeru! Let him go!" For a second he went limp, the guards beginning to ease, and at seeing his chance, he tried to buck them off again. They still didn't give. Then for about the fourth time that day, believe me it was starting to get on my nerves, I witnessed a flash of a delicate purple light. The three on the ground were absolutely still as well as Kyoko and I. After all, how often is it you suddenly see a purple flash? Wait. I take that back, I've seen it enough times for one day, and wouldn't have been too upset if I never saw another one again.
On the back of Takeru's neck was a bright purple kanji that read "Fire".
"Hi?" Kyoko questioned out loud.
They're playing you now
Take a bow
Take a bow ~ Camera One, The Josh Joplin Group
It's funny how life turns out
The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in,
The soundtrack starts,
The scene begins...
It had been just another innocent morning. And if you ignore the fact that I felt dead to the world -probably looked it too- and was being forced into another dreaded counselor meeting from hell, you could say it was going beautifully. And everything would have went smashingly if dear Miaka hadn't gotten overly nosey and hadn't went rummaging through Kyoko's bag to find It.
Everything I worked my butt off for, tossed out the window in yet again one single glance in the wrong direction.
For some reason I don't feel a good day coming on....
I just KNEW I should have stayed in bed!!
~*~*~
"Yui? Hey, rise and shine." I'd rise but I sure wouldn't shine. Ugh, who was that? I wished they'd go away, I felt like hell. "You okay?" How about a nice firm "no".
It had to have been Taka. Sounded like him anyway.
I pried my eyes open and made a valiant attempt to give him the glare of the century, but my eyes refused to adjust properly, so I simply slid them closed in defeat.
"Does it look it?" I grumbled, sounding a lot like a grumpy five year-old in desperate need of a nap. He laughed as he pulled me to my feet, not a smart move. Sure, he yanked me up, but I wasn't functioning well enough to get a good enough footing and down I went, sprawling face down, to the ground. Ouch, pardon me while I regain my breath. I pulled my nose out of the dirt and squinted at him. My Death Glare feature was still out of order for the time being. "Taka?"
"Yes?" He sweatdropped and hurriedly helped me up. This time he held on while I got my balance intact.
"I think you've just sprained my pride."
"It's about time you wake up." Who, what? Where was that voice coming from? Wait, that sounded like...
"Taiitsukun!" Still clutching my shoulder, Taka jumped in surprise, his arm jolting me off balance again. Luckily I caught myself that time, this certainly wasn't going to be a good day for me.
"Yui! You're okay!" I wasn't prepared in the least for the super sonic screech, and by the look on Taka's face, he wasn't either. I glanced behind me and saw both Miaka and Shinji walking towards us, each with a person slung over their backs, and trailing pretty close behind them was Tanaka-sensei. When they got close enough they both gently placed their unconscious person of choice on the ground and jogged over to join us.
"Taiitsukun!" Miaka smiled joyfully at the master of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho.
"Do you know who you just packed up here?" Taiitsukun had turned to Miaka, her old bulldog face slightly tugging upwards in a smirk.
"Ishino Kyoko?"
"Well, yes and no. That is her name, but here she'll be referred to as something rather different." Everyone rewarded Taiitsukun with a confused and slightly ignorant look. "Have you ever looked at the stars?" She waited for a few nods before continuing, "The sky is divided as well as this world, Genbu controls the North, Seiryuu with the East, Suzaku and the South, and Byakko's domain is the West. But if you look at the sky, in the center there is a handful of unnamed constellations waiting for their time. The Naka no Shichiseishi. They have no specific origin, they are scattered all over this world. But there is another out there, an evil force waiting for them to gather."
"Well, gee, that's a shock." Miaka swatted the insolent Taka upside the head.
Without another word said, Taiitsukun was gone, poof, just like that, much to Taka's relief. Miaka's eyebrows knotted together in confusion until she finally couldn't help herself anymore.
"What does that have to do with Kyoko?"
"Use your head Miaka, apparently she's their miko. Really, how hard is it to figure that out?" I half expected to hear Tanaka-sensei chiding me over being a little mean to her, but I was surprised when she didn't. That's when I realized that we were one person short of what we had been just minutes ago.
"What in the world?!" Drat! I was hoping she had been sent back. Of all the rotten luck! Everyone turned to where Tanaka-sensei's startled voice had come from, not really wanting to find out what was so odd. "What's wrong with him?" I realized she hadn't listened to a single word Taiitsukun had to say and had instead wandered off to check on the unconscious duo. I sighed to myself as I made my way over to her. I should have been grateful she wasn't spazing out, after all, she could be doing worse. "What's wrong with Kunio-kun's face? My eyes lazily shifted to where she was pointing. There, right smack-dab in the middle of Hirosu's right cheek was a kanji beaming proudly like no tomorrow. "Water?"
"Mizu," I confirmed solemnly, silently praying for the poor soul that'd have to explain it to him when he woke up. "He's a Naka seishi." The kanji gleamed brighter then flickered out. Poor Kyoko, not that most of my seishi were any better, mind you. I turned my head back to the majority of our group and yelled, "Hey, anybody know where we are?"
"Looks like we're just outside of Konan!" Taka offered loudly. "We should probably head to the Eiyou!" A part of me growled at the thought of going to my former enemy's capitol, and I'm sure the feeling was pretty mutual for it's inhabitants. I never really left on good terms.
"Tanaka-sensei? You wouldn't happen to have a glowing kanji on your body, would you?" She looked at me strangely, and I'm sure she would have asked if I had managed to get into some illegal drugs if earlier she hadn't watched herself get sucked into the pages of a story book. She'd probably checking herself for illegal substances later, thinking so smart ass kid slipped something in her coffee.
"Not that I know of," she trailed off, looking back down at Kyoko and Hirosu. "Hongo-san? Just where are we and what exactly is going on here?" Oh boy, that'll be a fun story. I signaled for Shinji and Taka to come over to join us.
"It's Yui, and it's a very long story. I promise, I'll explain everything when we get to Eiyou, but right now we have to worry about getting there."
~*~*~
By the time we reached Eiyou's streets everybody had already carried at least one of the two unconscious ones for part of the way, only my moment as a pack mule was cut short due to the fact that I had a rather large window-wound on my back from the night before last that was starting to re-open with the help of my human load. So now the back of my shirt looked like I tried that weird American Tie-dye crap on it with red dye, and Hirosu's front looked just as nice. I'm glad I got the idea to take his leather jacket off him, because I think he would have killed me with his bare hands if I had gotten it all bloody.
"So, Ghost, what exactly IS your plan?" I turned my gaze to Shinji, who was slightly bent over with the weight of my former load on his back. My poor pack mule. His face was gleaming with sweat and his lips tugged to one side in a slightly domestic evil smirk. I love it when he does that! Gahh! What was I thinking? I'm supposed to be worrying over all these other things, can't be off daydreaming! But, he's got the LOOK on...arg! Shinji, be serious or something! I'm supposed to be thinking stuff out! Can't do it with you when you've got the Look on!
"I'm hoping too much time hasn't passed here and Houki is still around. Besides, Miaka and I are Suzaku, after all. You don't watch it Yo-yo Boy and with a simple snap of my fingers I could have you and that miko of yours cleaning out horse stalls." Shinji's smile faded when Taka refused to give him any pleasure out of his snide remark. Much better. Only thing is, Taka now needed to be injured.
Like she had read my mind, Miaka reached over and gave him a good smack on the back of the head. Now I was happy. Of course, now, Shinji looked over at me and gave me a tender smile. Sigh. Excuse me while I go melt into a little "Puddle 'O Yui", might as well just give up on doing any deep thinking for now.
About the time I was seriously considering how much fun it could actually be to scare the living daylights out of the people who were giving us odd looks, I heard Miaka happily chime, "We're here!" And so we were. I craned my head back in hopes of seeing all the palace but those were dashed away as the sun peeking over the far walls blinded me angrily. "Wow, it hasn't changed a bit," she breathed with a grin on her face.
"I wonder just how long it's been," Taka whispered to no one in particular, a smile creeping across his lips.
"Miaka! Tama!" I glanced to my left just in timed to see an orange haired man hop off a palace wall and run towards the couple, arms outstretched.
Tasuki. The swearing pyromaniac bandit. Miaka's 5th Suzaku Seishi.
He was dressed rather nicely, or as nice as it gets when it comes to ancient China. He wore more regal looking clothes than usual, not anything a prince would wear, just something simple. Nice, but simple.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Shinji and I. I don't think that the new people bothered him so much as us "Seiryuu's" did.
"Excuse me, but did I just happen to miss something here? What the hell are they doing HERE?!" I could already picture Shinji lashing out at him for the comment, not pretty. I grabbed hold of his arm and shoulder before he could react, hopefully avoiding much bloodshed. Miaka gave her seishi a watery smile and began to explain everything to him.
After many more good swears and ranting, we got everyone bandaged to the extend of need and got Kyoko and Hirosu into rooms so they could rest. I had a good mind to ask for one of my own, but of course Miaka insisted I stay and visit with Houki and her son, Boushin. I wish I would have just taken the nap.
~*~*~
A Few Hours Later
~*~*~
What the hell kinda bad day is this?! First I get sucked back into that damned book, then get thrown in the dirt by Taka, got mildly insulted by him, then received a full blown insult from Tasuki, got my shirt looking like crap, not to mention I was completely exhausted. And NOW I had to explain to a psychopath why he's in ancient China with a purple kanji that read "water" on his cheek! Why me?!
I quietly and ever-so-carefully eased into Hirosu's room and found his leather jacketed figure sitting up on the side of the bed, back facing me. He snapped his head around in my direction and lemme tell ya, if looks could kill I would have been lying cold and dead on the floor. The glint in his cold metal gray eyes made it apparent that he was sincerely pissed, but did I take the hint? Of course not, not me.
"Are you feeling okay? You had quite a bump." He turned back around and glared straight ahead. Stupidly hoping to get somewhere with my task, I crossed the room and sat next to him on the bed.
"Cut the crap, Yui," he growled fiercely, refusing to face me. With one hand he began to fumble through an inside pocket of his jacket.
"Well, excuse me for being concerned." I literally had to bit my tongue to keep the colorful language that threatened to spill out to myself. Oh how I wished I could have let him have it, just go all out and put the bugger in his place. Had it been anyone else they'd be cringing in fear and suggesting a few anger management programs to me. But it was Hirosu, and truthfully, he scares me too much. "I swear."
I never saw it coming. I never saw him get up. Never saw him pull his hand and a shiny metal object out of his pocket. But he did it. And I found myself staring down the length of a cool metal gun barrel that was pressed firmly between my eyes.
"Tell me what the fuck is going on, now." I tried my very best to look calm and unaffected all the while my insides had turned to utter mush.
"Only if you take this gun out from between my eyes." I put my hand up against the length and tried to avert it's line of fire away from my forehead whilst trying to match his glare with one of my own.
"No. Now, talk."
"Not until you put the gun down."
"Damn it!" He bit out a few more words that I'd care not to repeat and finally backed down, allowing my heart rate to drop down drastically. I noticed he never put the gun away, but, hey, he wasn't about to blow my brains out, either. That's a definite plus there. I drew in a deep breath, readying myself for the worst.
"As totally insane, off the wall, and stupid as it sounds you have to believe me."
"I don't have to believe a single thing you say," he said, slumping against the wall. What is with him and walls?! Why can't he sit like a normal person?!
"Okay, fine, but please, just listen to me." I paused, waiting for a smart remark or a signal to keep going. He blinked, good enough. "There is an ancient Chinese book called the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, the book itself is a spell," I explained, shamelessly quoting a line from the first page that I had read out loud to Miaka four years ago. "Once when Miaka and I were 15, we found it in a library and when I read it out loud to her and turned the page, we were transported into the world within the book. Ancient China. Call it magic if you will." He raised an eyebrow at me skeptically and it made me well up with pride inside...by God! Kunio Hirosu was actually listening to ME! Hahahahaha! "While we were there she met Taka, only he was called Tamahome because he had a red kanji that appeared on his forehead. It was the kanji that represents the "ogre" constellation in the sky. She later agreed to become the priestess to the Southern god Suzaku and Tamahome was her seishi because he had the ogre symbol on his forehead. I became the priestess to a different god, Seiryuu, and Shinji was one of my seishi, Suboshi."
"Well, that's nice I'm happy for you, but tell me, what does this have to do with me? I don't plan on becoming a priestess and I didn't have any red symbols on my forehead last time I checked."
"I'm getting there! That was four years ago. Now, somehow, Ishino Kyoko got hold of the book. She turned the first page in Tanaka-sensei's office this morning and now we're here."
"In ancient China? You actually expect me to believe that?" He sneered and twirled his gun. Pardon me whilst I bit the hell outta my tongue again.
"Not really." He snorted at that closed his eyes. "Hirosu, have you looked in the mirror lately?" I smirked smugly, for some odd reason, finding his upcoming predicament funny. Weird sense of humor, ne?
"Why?" Still stupidly smiling I got up and walked over to him cautiously. I braced myself and silently prayed that I wouldn't make a totally idiot of myself as I gingerly touched his cheek where I had earlier seen his kanji. "What the hell are you doing?!" His eyes shot open but that didn't last long because an intense violet glow made him shut them.
"That's why" I struggled to keep a straight face, but inside I was grinning like a madman in triumph. "Kyoko is a priestess and you are her seishi. Your kanji is Mizu." The glowing diminished till it was no more and Hirosu placed his fingers where it had been. "By the way, WHY did you have a gun? In a counseling session, none-the-less!" He struggled to look mean and impenetrable again, but it was too late, and on the inside I was cheering that I had shaken up Kunio Hirosu!
"I take my gun with me everywhere I go," he said simply.
"In the Counselor's office?!"
"I Take my gun with me everywhere I go." This time every word in that sentence was pure threat and I got a feeling if I didn't shut up I'd end up with a bullet in my brain. That's reason enough for me!
"Fine, fine." I sighed in defeat making my way out of the room.
~*~*~
I found Kyoko sitting on the palace steps watching people go about their lives without a care in the world. The look on her face told me that she envied them.
"Hey," I spoke up sitting next to her and setting my gaze to the crowd as well.
"Hey, Yui-chan." For a while silence settled in until she broke it with, "I read what all happened last time you two were here. It's amazing how all those bad and evil things you did all originated from one lie." Yeah, real amazing. Just totally breathtaking that because of one lie ten seishi and thousands more unfortunates caught in the mighty Suzaku Vs Seiryuu War were cold and dead in the ground. Just marvelous that because of one lie I slit my wrists, turned on my best friend, and let out a part of me I never ever want to see again. Real amazing.
"I still have those scars, you know." I flipped my wrist over and held them out for her inspection, the long thin white scars standing out proudly. Her eyes widened as she traced them with her finger tips.
"For some reason I was hoping the book was lying about that much. You don't strike me as the suicidal type."
"But you're saying I strike you as the evil, revenge bent type?" I joked trying to lighten the mood, but Kyoko wasn't paying attention anymore. Rather quickly I noticed what had caught her eye. In the middle of the street, two palace guards were chasing around a red headed man who looked and moved suspiciously like...
"Takeru!" It couldn't have been him! Could it?
He stopped cold and searched for the person who had called the name. Though he clearly was, his chasers were unaffected by Kyoko's call and quickly pinned him, stomach down, to the ground.
"Come on," I grabbed hold of Kyoko's shirt and tugged her out into the street behind me.
"Hold him!" Yelled one of the captors, slamming the man's shoulder back in the dirt.
"Takeru! Let him go!" For a second he went limp, the guards beginning to ease, and at seeing his chance, he tried to buck them off again. They still didn't give. Then for about the fourth time that day, believe me it was starting to get on my nerves, I witnessed a flash of a delicate purple light. The three on the ground were absolutely still as well as Kyoko and I. After all, how often is it you suddenly see a purple flash? Wait. I take that back, I've seen it enough times for one day, and wouldn't have been too upset if I never saw another one again.
On the back of Takeru's neck was a bright purple kanji that read "Fire".
"Hi?" Kyoko questioned out loud.
They're playing you now
Take a bow
Take a bow ~ Camera One, The Josh Joplin Group