A/N: Standard disclaimers apply, I don't own the very wonderful Fushigi Yuugi, or any of the beautiful characters it contains. ::sniffle::
-------
In Konan Country, in the palace gardens, under a large shade tree, three forms were visible.
"Aaaaah, it's so hooooooooot!"
Long, wavy, violet hair that was usually in one perfectly styled braid now rested atop the head of the Suzaku shichiseishi Nuriko in a tight bun. He sat with his back leaning against the huge trunk of the tree, skirts hiked up to expose his legs to the knee, eyes closed.
"Yakamete!" A shirtless, flame-haired form lay sprawled on the cool grass next to him. "You're just makin' it worse!"
"Tasuki-san, maybe you should go for a swim," Nuriko suggested, grinning. He knew as well as the other seishi that Tasuki was deathly afraid of water, but the younger had already jumped up, and, with his hands on his hips said, "Oi, let's go!"
Chichiri, who was sitting on the other side of the tree cross-legged and meditating, stared at his best friend in confusion. "Ano... Tasuki-kun, you're afraid of water, no da."
The smile on Tasuki's face faded. "I am not fuckin' afraid of water! And, even if I was," he added, sticking his nose in the air. "It wouldn't matter now because of this fuckin' heat."
Chichiri rose to his feet, glanced toward the palace. "It'll have to wait, no da."
"Doushite?" Nuriko asked, climbing to his feet as well.
"We're needed at the palace na no da."
The violet-haired shichiseishi groaned, but followed as Chichiri and Tasuki started the trek back to the palace.
As he walked, he felt a pang of jealously toward the mountain bandit. While Tasuki was able to run around the palace grounds shirtless, Nuriko was still forced to be Lady Kourin, a girl of the emperor's harem. He sighed. Maybe it was time to quit being Kourin of the harem and just be Nuriko, the shichiseishi.
The three finally reached the palace, swear pouring from their faces. They were slightly surprised to find that the palace was only a little cooler than the shade in which they had laid most of the day.
They walked down the hall, were met but Mitsukake and Chiriko right outside the Hotohori's conference room, and all walked in together.
Upon their entrance, Hotohori glanced up from where he was talking to Tamahome and Miaka, a half-hearted smile forming on his handsome face. He, like Tamahome, Mitsukake, and Tasuki, was also shirtless. Sweat glistened off his finely tuned shoulders, chest, and abdomen.
At the sight of his beloved emperor half-naked, Nuriko's eyes bugged out of his head, and he could do nothing but stare, open-mouthed at the beautiful form of Saihitei.
"Nuriko-san," whispered Tasuki. He elbowed him in the gut. "You're drooling."
Finally, Nuriko snapped out of his trance, and tried to focus on why it was they had met.
Hotohori opened his mouth to say something, but before any sound left his throat, a husky voice cut through the silence of the room.
"Silence, Hotohori."
Tamahome jumped back as a floating figure appeared before the group. When he saw who it was, a look of pure terror flashed on his face, and he and Tasuki screamed simultaneously.
"Sunekake babaaaaa!"
Taiitsukun roared, giving both men a glare. "That's enough! There's a dire situation at hand."
Miaka stepped forward, lines of worry creasing her forehead. "What is it, Taiitsukun?"
"This heat wave is not natural," the old woman said.
"Nani?" Tamahome was genuinely confused.
Taiitsukun's hand shot out, whacking the seventeen-year-old upside the head. "I wasn't finished!"
"G-gomen," he said, rubbing the spot where her hand connected.
She cleared her throat. "There's an evil invading the entire land. All 4 countries are suffering this heat wave that's being caused by this evil."
"What can we do?" Nuriko inquired.
The ancient creator sighed heavily. "It's something that will be difficult and trying on all of you." She paused, regarding each of them with a stern look before continuing. "You must join forces with the Seiryuu shichiseishi. Only then can you defeat this evil."
"What the hell are you saying?" Tasuki jumped in. "Join those bastards? We've spent all this time fighting them and now we're supposed to fuckin' join them!?"
"Calm down, Tasuki, no da!" Chichiri yelled.
Hotohori stepped forward, head bowed in respect. "Taiitsukun, are the Seiryuu willing?"
She sighed once more. "They are still thinking about it, but I have no doubt that they will comply. This world will be destroyed otherwise."
Her purpose fulfilled, Taiitsukun disappeared, leaving the shichiseishi and Miaka staring after her, their thought's racing.
After a moment of unbearable silence, Tasuki's anger boiled over. "Dammit! Those Seiryuu bastards don't deserve to be allowed to fight evil. They fuckin' ARE the evil!"
Nuriko reached over, and with one hand, shoved Tasuki into the nearby wall. "Shuddap!" he yelled.
Hotohori slumped down into a chair, dignity forgotten in the heat and echo of the old woman's words. "Can we do it? Can it be done? Make peace with Kutou and vanquish this evil?"
He looked up as a hand dropped onto his shoulder. Tamahome was standing behind the chair, staring down at the young emperor with fierce determination in his eyes. "We'll do it, Hotohori-sama."
----------
"Tomo?"
The illusionist froze, turned stiffly to face the person who had called his name. *Of course,* he thought. *It would be Nakago.*
"Hai, Nakago-sama?"
The shogun stared curiously Tomo. He wore none of his opera makeup, his headdress was missing, and instead of his heavy red tunic, a simple white shirt hung from his shoulders. He looked nothing like the cruel, conniving seishi Nakago knew, but more like the shy young man the shogun never cared to find out about.
Nakago nodded to him, feeling no desire to embarrass the younger man. "The heat is bad, I know. I wanted to discuss some things with you, do you have the time?"
Tomo bowed, his amber eyes sparkling. "Of course, Nakago-sama."
The two walked down into the refreshingly cool dungeon of the palace to the shogun's makeshift office. Tomo smiled as the air brushed across his face. "Now I see why you spend your time down here."
Nakago smirked. "While everyone else complains about the heat, I simply stay out of it. Now then,"
Tomo forced the smile from his face, even though he couldn't help but stare at the tall, lithe body of Nakago. When the older man's voice took on a professional sound, Tomo forced himself to concentrate on his words.
"That ancient woman, Taiitsukun, came to see me today."
"Taiitsukun? What did she want?" Personally, Tomo couldn't stand the creator, but he respected her for what she was.
Nakago sat in his chair, folded his arms on top of the desk. "This heat, it seems it is being caused by some evil that is invading the land."
"You mean all four countries?"
He nodded. "She asks that we join with the Suzaku group, or we will be unable to stop it from destroying our world."
Tomo scoffed in disgust. "Those pathetic fools?"
Nakago leaned back, lips turned slightly up in a smile. "You do not like them very much."
"No," Tomo agreed. "They're weak. They and that god of theirs."
Nakago stood, and Tomo rose to his feet as well. "Well, Tomo, I suggest doing your best to get over your hate of them, because we will be fighting with them."
The silver-haired seishi bowed deeply. "Hai, Nakago-sama," he said, then left the coolness of the dungeon for the suffocating heat of the palace.
-------
In Konan Country, in the palace gardens, under a large shade tree, three forms were visible.
"Aaaaah, it's so hooooooooot!"
Long, wavy, violet hair that was usually in one perfectly styled braid now rested atop the head of the Suzaku shichiseishi Nuriko in a tight bun. He sat with his back leaning against the huge trunk of the tree, skirts hiked up to expose his legs to the knee, eyes closed.
"Yakamete!" A shirtless, flame-haired form lay sprawled on the cool grass next to him. "You're just makin' it worse!"
"Tasuki-san, maybe you should go for a swim," Nuriko suggested, grinning. He knew as well as the other seishi that Tasuki was deathly afraid of water, but the younger had already jumped up, and, with his hands on his hips said, "Oi, let's go!"
Chichiri, who was sitting on the other side of the tree cross-legged and meditating, stared at his best friend in confusion. "Ano... Tasuki-kun, you're afraid of water, no da."
The smile on Tasuki's face faded. "I am not fuckin' afraid of water! And, even if I was," he added, sticking his nose in the air. "It wouldn't matter now because of this fuckin' heat."
Chichiri rose to his feet, glanced toward the palace. "It'll have to wait, no da."
"Doushite?" Nuriko asked, climbing to his feet as well.
"We're needed at the palace na no da."
The violet-haired shichiseishi groaned, but followed as Chichiri and Tasuki started the trek back to the palace.
As he walked, he felt a pang of jealously toward the mountain bandit. While Tasuki was able to run around the palace grounds shirtless, Nuriko was still forced to be Lady Kourin, a girl of the emperor's harem. He sighed. Maybe it was time to quit being Kourin of the harem and just be Nuriko, the shichiseishi.
The three finally reached the palace, swear pouring from their faces. They were slightly surprised to find that the palace was only a little cooler than the shade in which they had laid most of the day.
They walked down the hall, were met but Mitsukake and Chiriko right outside the Hotohori's conference room, and all walked in together.
Upon their entrance, Hotohori glanced up from where he was talking to Tamahome and Miaka, a half-hearted smile forming on his handsome face. He, like Tamahome, Mitsukake, and Tasuki, was also shirtless. Sweat glistened off his finely tuned shoulders, chest, and abdomen.
At the sight of his beloved emperor half-naked, Nuriko's eyes bugged out of his head, and he could do nothing but stare, open-mouthed at the beautiful form of Saihitei.
"Nuriko-san," whispered Tasuki. He elbowed him in the gut. "You're drooling."
Finally, Nuriko snapped out of his trance, and tried to focus on why it was they had met.
Hotohori opened his mouth to say something, but before any sound left his throat, a husky voice cut through the silence of the room.
"Silence, Hotohori."
Tamahome jumped back as a floating figure appeared before the group. When he saw who it was, a look of pure terror flashed on his face, and he and Tasuki screamed simultaneously.
"Sunekake babaaaaa!"
Taiitsukun roared, giving both men a glare. "That's enough! There's a dire situation at hand."
Miaka stepped forward, lines of worry creasing her forehead. "What is it, Taiitsukun?"
"This heat wave is not natural," the old woman said.
"Nani?" Tamahome was genuinely confused.
Taiitsukun's hand shot out, whacking the seventeen-year-old upside the head. "I wasn't finished!"
"G-gomen," he said, rubbing the spot where her hand connected.
She cleared her throat. "There's an evil invading the entire land. All 4 countries are suffering this heat wave that's being caused by this evil."
"What can we do?" Nuriko inquired.
The ancient creator sighed heavily. "It's something that will be difficult and trying on all of you." She paused, regarding each of them with a stern look before continuing. "You must join forces with the Seiryuu shichiseishi. Only then can you defeat this evil."
"What the hell are you saying?" Tasuki jumped in. "Join those bastards? We've spent all this time fighting them and now we're supposed to fuckin' join them!?"
"Calm down, Tasuki, no da!" Chichiri yelled.
Hotohori stepped forward, head bowed in respect. "Taiitsukun, are the Seiryuu willing?"
She sighed once more. "They are still thinking about it, but I have no doubt that they will comply. This world will be destroyed otherwise."
Her purpose fulfilled, Taiitsukun disappeared, leaving the shichiseishi and Miaka staring after her, their thought's racing.
After a moment of unbearable silence, Tasuki's anger boiled over. "Dammit! Those Seiryuu bastards don't deserve to be allowed to fight evil. They fuckin' ARE the evil!"
Nuriko reached over, and with one hand, shoved Tasuki into the nearby wall. "Shuddap!" he yelled.
Hotohori slumped down into a chair, dignity forgotten in the heat and echo of the old woman's words. "Can we do it? Can it be done? Make peace with Kutou and vanquish this evil?"
He looked up as a hand dropped onto his shoulder. Tamahome was standing behind the chair, staring down at the young emperor with fierce determination in his eyes. "We'll do it, Hotohori-sama."
----------
"Tomo?"
The illusionist froze, turned stiffly to face the person who had called his name. *Of course,* he thought. *It would be Nakago.*
"Hai, Nakago-sama?"
The shogun stared curiously Tomo. He wore none of his opera makeup, his headdress was missing, and instead of his heavy red tunic, a simple white shirt hung from his shoulders. He looked nothing like the cruel, conniving seishi Nakago knew, but more like the shy young man the shogun never cared to find out about.
Nakago nodded to him, feeling no desire to embarrass the younger man. "The heat is bad, I know. I wanted to discuss some things with you, do you have the time?"
Tomo bowed, his amber eyes sparkling. "Of course, Nakago-sama."
The two walked down into the refreshingly cool dungeon of the palace to the shogun's makeshift office. Tomo smiled as the air brushed across his face. "Now I see why you spend your time down here."
Nakago smirked. "While everyone else complains about the heat, I simply stay out of it. Now then,"
Tomo forced the smile from his face, even though he couldn't help but stare at the tall, lithe body of Nakago. When the older man's voice took on a professional sound, Tomo forced himself to concentrate on his words.
"That ancient woman, Taiitsukun, came to see me today."
"Taiitsukun? What did she want?" Personally, Tomo couldn't stand the creator, but he respected her for what she was.
Nakago sat in his chair, folded his arms on top of the desk. "This heat, it seems it is being caused by some evil that is invading the land."
"You mean all four countries?"
He nodded. "She asks that we join with the Suzaku group, or we will be unable to stop it from destroying our world."
Tomo scoffed in disgust. "Those pathetic fools?"
Nakago leaned back, lips turned slightly up in a smile. "You do not like them very much."
"No," Tomo agreed. "They're weak. They and that god of theirs."
Nakago stood, and Tomo rose to his feet as well. "Well, Tomo, I suggest doing your best to get over your hate of them, because we will be fighting with them."
The silver-haired seishi bowed deeply. "Hai, Nakago-sama," he said, then left the coolness of the dungeon for the suffocating heat of the palace.