Suzaku no Saiai
Part VI
Standard disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is copyrighted by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan,
TV Tokyo, Movic, and Studio Pierrot, and maybe some other people, if I forgot
anyone.^^; Anyway, please don't sue, me. I'm just a poor college student. Kourin
and Jin Feng were created by me, but I'm not responsible for their actions in this
fanfic. I can't control them anymore! If you think you might be more successful
controlling them, feel free to borrow them. Just drop me a line at
jscaife@austin.rr.com to let me know.
"It's the big one there with the darkest red roof," Nuriko said leaning over Kourin's
shoulder to point. "We're heading straight there."
The girl smiled brightly, and the young man thought he saw Jin Feng laughing at
him in her dark eyes. "Do you want to see Hotohori that much?" he asked sadly.
"Well, I've seen him every night in my dreams," she said shyly, "but I've never
actually met him. What if he doesn't know who I am? Maybe he doesn't
remember his dreams."
"I'm sure things will be just fine," Nuriko said dryly. "The Emperor doesn't have so
many lovers around that he'd forget the woman of his dreams."
"Bad pun, Ryuuen-chan!" Kourin objected elbowing him in the stomach.
A few hours later the pair had managed to make their way through the throngs of
people and all the imperial red tape to Hotohori's audience chamber.
"Nuriko-sama," one councilor bowed. "The Emperor awaits you...and your
charming guest."
The young man had to bite back a grin. Kourin's well placed flattery and smiles
had gotten them into the palace faster than all his personal prestige ever could
have.
"Kourin-sama, please come this way," he said formally, offering her his arm. She
appeared to be praying, and judging for the yellow glow at the edge of her collar,
the sign had appeared. She clutched at his arm timidly as they entered.
Nuriko let Kourin remain behind in the shadows as he went forward to kneel
before the throne. "Hotohori-sama, I have returned."
"I am glad you are still with us," the young emperor smiled graciously. "Chichiri
informed me that you died, but a mysterious young woman from another world
brought you back to us."
"That is correct, Hotohori-sama," the kneeling seishi said ritually. "I have brought
that young woman with me for our aid in returning her to her home. I present to
you Kourin-sama."
The girl took a few hesitant steps until Nuriko took her arm and almost pulled her
forward into the light. She looked up and gazed directly into Hotohori's beautiful,
dark eyes. They stood frozen for a moment, and Nuriko felt very out of place in
this tableau.
"It's you!" Hotohori cried out in a strange mixture of pain and passion. "The
beautiful girl who keeps visiting me in my dreams!" He eyes swept over her
frantically. The short golden-brown hair, the full figure, the brown eyes with just a
hint of golden fire, they were all there. "I've been searching for you since I saw
you the very first time, and now you're here!" He rushed down the throne steps
as quickly as his ceremonial clothing would allow. The young emperor
abandoned any pretense of dignity and held out his hands. "Kourin!"
The girl unfroze, and tears began pouring down her cheeks as she threw herself
into his arms. "Hotohori! I was so afraid that you wouldn't remember me," she
sobbed.
Hotohori held her face in his hands and gently brushed the tears away. "Dearest
one, I could never forget the one thing that has brought sunshine to my dreary
life these past three weeks. You are entertwined with my soul." He held Kourin
close to his chest and rested his chin on her hair.
Nuriko cleared his throat. "Anou...Hotohori-sama, this is probably a bad time to
mention this, but what about Miaka?"
The young emperor looked up startled. "What about Miaka, Nuriko?" he said icily.
Nuriko looked down at his feet, not able to face the accusation in Hotohori's eyes.
He fiddled his hands nervously and tried to pretend that the floor tiles were the
most exciting thing he'd ever seen. "You said that she was the only one you'd
ever loved, the only woman you could ever love," he finally muttered softly.
Hotohori possesively tightened his hold on Kourin before answering. "You know
as well as I that Miaka deeply loves Tamahome. When I said those words I
believed that I still had a chance at winning her heart, but now..." He shook his
head fiercely as if dispelling painful memories. "One night about two and a half
weeks ago I was in my study alone with my melancholy thoughts. At the exact
moment when I reached the lowest depths of despair a girl appeared, a girl from
another world. She comforted me and assured me that my beloved was safe.
However, her next words surprised me..."
"I am the yin to your yang," the girl in his arms began softly.
Hotohori added his voice to the final sentence. "You may call me Kourin." He
smiled down at her before continuing. "She caressed my cheek, and my soul
filled with an overwhelming longing. I bent my head to taste her soft lips, and,
suddenly, she was gone. I was frantic. Who was she, and where did she come
from? I asked everyone at court, but no one had seen a foreign woman with
golden-brown hair anywhere. The next night though we met again, this time in
the world of dreams, but I was pulled away too soon. I could hear her voice
calling out to me in fear, but all of my strength was not enough to return. Once
again I despaired of ever seeing her again, but the next night..."
Nuriko groaned. "I think I already know what happened on the third and fourth
nights, Hotohori-sama."
Kourin sweatdropped and blushed. "How would you know what happened on the
fourth night, Nuriko?" she asked dangerously. "You were supposed to be on the
other side of the fire."
The young man waved his hands in a frantic calming gesture. "It wasn't anything
like that, hontou, Kourin," he said nervously. "I saw you together in the
dreamworld. Something guided me to where you were.
Hotohori nodded with a slightly embarrassed look. "Then you already knew that I
found this?" He carefully pulled down Kourin's collar to reveal "hoshi" glowing on
her neck. "She is marked as mine, and I will seal that by making Kourin my
empress."
A cloud passed over the girl's face, and she pushed away from Hotohori's chest
to examine his face. "Empress? Me the empress of Konan?"
Hotohori smiled indulgently down at her. "You are the one I love, Kourin, and I
never want to separate from you again. Marry me, and rule Konan at my side!"
His intense dark eyes burned into her soul.
Kourin looked down at her feet and blushed. She knew that she had strong
feelings for the young emperor, but were they really love? She shuddered when
she looked back on the disastrous experience with James. "Gomen,
Hotohori...but I just don't know," she said softly. "My heart says yes, but my
mind..."
He pressed her hands tenderly. "Daijoubu desu, Kourin. You can take as much
time as you need. I anxiously await your answer." Hotohori turned and regally
glided out the door.
Kourin fell to her knees and cradled her head in her hands. Hotohori's kindness
was overwhelming, and it frightened her. "He cares for me so much," she
thought, "but no matter what decision I make, someone will be hurt. I don't want
to make anyone feel sad on my account." Tears began to roll unbidden down her
cheeks, and her shoulders started shaking.
Nuriko looked up at the girl's crying and scowled. "What the hell is wrong with
you, Kourin?!" he growled angrily. "Hotohori just proposed to you, he loves you
more than anything. Isn't that what you wanted?!"
"How would you know what I want?" Kourin demanded through her tears. "You've
been avoiding me for the past two weeks."
"I've seen into your dreams!" Nuriko threw back. "You always meet up with him,
and you two go off together...alone."
"Ryuuen, you have no right to be looking into my dreams and visions!" the girl
accused. Her face was flushed, and there was a dangerous flicker of golden fire
in her eyes. At any second she might lose her control and threaten to lob a chi
ball in the Konan palace throne room.
"I understand," Nuriko said acidly. "If you want to whore around with the emperor
of Konan, it's absolutely none of my fucking business! Is that it?! I'm only your
protector after all!"
"I never asked for your blasted protection!" she retorted.
"Very well then. I wash my hands of you!" Nuriko said hotly. He spun on his heel
and began to stalk out of the room when he felt a painful, tight feeling in his
chest. He took another step towards the door, and the tightness doubled. He
could barely breathe. Nuriko looked back towards Kourin to see her face pale.
"Kuso, I can't leave," he thought sourly.
"You can't got until I let you," spoke a voice in his head.
"Who's there?" Nuriko thought nervously. "What do you want?"
"You've forgotten about me already, Ryuu-chan," the voice teased. "I'm someone
very close to your beloved Kourin. I'm surprised you don't remember."
Nuriko's eyebrows raised, and an image of the stunning phoenix woman flashed
through his head. "Is it you, Jin Feng?" he thought in surprise.
"How many people do you know who would speak directly to your mind?" the
golden phoenix laughed lightly. "You haven't kept up your end of the bargain,
Ryuu-chan. Kourin still hadn't spoken to me."
"I know," Nuriko apologized with embarrassment. "We haven't been on speaking
terms recently."
"To expedite matters, I've created a bond between you two that is even stronger
than the protection bond," Jin Feng pointed out. "If you try to separate from her
the pain will become so great that it will eventually kill you."
"So, that's what we just experienced!" Nuriko exclaimed. "Is there any way you
can increase the range? Kourin and I will kill each other if we always have to be
connected at the hip."
"That was just an example of what will happen if you cross me," the phoenix
woman smiled maliciously. "You two had best not kill each other fighting. She's
feisty, ne? Ja!"
"I can't go anywhere without having Kourin with me?" Nuriko thought in dismay.
He turned back to the motionless girl. "Kourin, daijoubu ka?" He flushed a little
and swallowed his pride. "About what I said, hontou ni gomen. I wasn't kind. Let's
find you a room so you can rest.
Kourin's body began to shake as she attempted to control her anger. "Do you
think that you can blow it off that easily?" she hissed. "You called me a whore,
and that I will never forgive!" She stalked past him coldly without looking back.
Nuriko's heart froze in his chest. She had been so angry that she hadn't yelled or
physically attacked him. Instead she wounded him far more deeply with her
disdain. Mindful of Jin Feng's warning Nuriko carefully moved toward the door.
He peered around the doorframe just in time to see Kourin sway slightly before
ungraciously slumping to the floor.
Nuriko rushed to the fallen girl's side and shook her gently. "Kourin? Kourin,
daijoubu ka?" She didn't even stir. He tenderly brushed the hair off her forehead
and stopped in shock. "Kamisama! She's burning up with fever! It's a pity
Mitsukake isn't here to fix her up." The young man hefted Kourin in his arms. "I
guess I'll take her to my room for the time being," he murmured. "Hotohori
probably won't be happy though."
Once again Kourin was in the dreamworld, that mysterious place lying between
this world and the next. Cold, white mists swirled about her, obscuring her vision.
The girl shivered; the dreamworld did not welcome her now. Another figure
strode purposefully toward her throught the mist. As it approached Kourin could
make out a faint golden glow, and she sighed, wondering what her new mission
would be.
The figure stopped a few feet from her, allowing a careful appraisal. The woman,
for it was female, wore a shimmering golden ball gown with matching shoes. On
her back the strange woman sported a pair of shining golden wings and an
elegant bird's tail. Her long golden hair framed her face, and her eyes appeared
to be golden flames. However, the face caused Kourin to draw back and cover
her mouth in horror.
"Who are you," the girl demanded,"that you wear my face?!"
The strange woman smiled Kourin's smile. "So at long last we meet, daughter of
the golden phoenix. I have been waiting for you, you know."
"Why are you waiting for me?" the nervous girl snapped. "I'm not even from this
world."
"Kourin-chan, why do you fight your destiny?" asked the golden woman sadly.
"You were born in your 'other world' for this moment." She stepped forward and
caressed the frightened girl's cheek softly. "Such a strong, healthy girl," the
woman murmured. "It is a pity you won't need your physical body anymore where
we're going."
Kourin leaped back and snarled,"I don't know what's going on here, but you'd
damn well better tell me why the hell you have my face!"
The woman smiled sardonically. "Haven't you realized it yet, child? I'm Jin Feng,
the golden phoenix. I'm the part of yourself you've tried to repress all your life, the
part that loves and hates equally passionately. In short, my dear, I AM you."
"You're not me!" the girl protested frantically. "I don't have any problems
accepting my emotions and the power within myself."
"Sure, keep on telling yourself that," Jin Feng smirked. "I have waited thousands
of years for you, and I know you better than you know yourself. I need you to
merge with me so I can ascend to the heavens and take my place as Suzaku's
heavenly consort."
"Suzaku? You're the destined consort of Hotohori and Nuriko's god?" Kourin
asked curiously.
"Not just me, daughter of the golden phoenix," Jin Feng countered, "you and me,
together.
"Stop there!" commanded a third voice from the mist. An older woman floated
towards the pair with a decidedly sour expression on her wrinkled, old face. "Jin
Feng, I warned you against speaking to the girl too soon!"
"Taiitsukun, creator," the phoenix woman said reverently and knelt. "I humbly
apologize. I have overstepped my bounds."
"You should leave, Jin Feng," Taiitsukun said pointedly. "I have something
important to discuss with the girl."
Jin Feng nodded silently and faded back into the swirling mist.
The creator turned back to the startled girl. "Kourin-chan, I'm sure you are very
confused, but we must talk."
The girl nodded and asked, "Why did Jin Feng keep calling me 'daughter of the
golden phoenix'and say we were the same person?"
Taiitsukun sighed heavily. "That girl is just too headstrong for her own good; I
knew she would say too much." She pulled out a small mirror and extended it to
her young companion. "This will be a constant reminder of what I am about to tell
you, but listen carefully..."
"Long ago the four gods: Genbu, Byakko, Seiryuu, and Suzaku, could descend to
the earth whenever they wanted without waiting to be summoned by a miko.
Each fell in love with a mortal woman, and they married. Each had a child with
their mortal wives, a child that was half immortal and half human. However, the
mothers were not strong enough for such a birth, and all four died. The four gods
grieved the loss of their beloveds, but the four children provided a recourse.
Those children grew up and had families and passed along the immortal blood
generation after generation. Every few generations a daughter was born in the
image of the ancestor god's beloved who had the potential to become immortal
herself. If she accepted the immortal part of herself, the girl would rise to the
heavens as a goddess and take her place at her ancestor's side. At this point
Byakko, Genbu, and Seiryuu have all regained their brides, but for many years
the Golden Phoenix clan, as your ancestor's family was known, has been missing
from the universe of the four gods. Your unexpected arrival showed that they
somehow had crossed between the worlds, and the patriarch had prevented any
girl from returning here."
Glossary
? chan, sama -- honourifics, chan implies a close relationship or something cute or
younger than you, sama is sort of like lord or lady
? yin and yang -- the female and male "essences" or "entities" in Chinese/Asian
philosophies. They each have part of the other, and they are interconnected; they
cannot exist alone.
? hontou, hontou ni -- honestly, truthfully
? hoshi -- star, this is Hotohori's seishi symbol
? kuso -- shit^^;
? daijoubu -- okay, alright
Part VI
Standard disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is copyrighted by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan,
TV Tokyo, Movic, and Studio Pierrot, and maybe some other people, if I forgot
anyone.^^; Anyway, please don't sue, me. I'm just a poor college student. Kourin
and Jin Feng were created by me, but I'm not responsible for their actions in this
fanfic. I can't control them anymore! If you think you might be more successful
controlling them, feel free to borrow them. Just drop me a line at
jscaife@austin.rr.com to let me know.
"It's the big one there with the darkest red roof," Nuriko said leaning over Kourin's
shoulder to point. "We're heading straight there."
The girl smiled brightly, and the young man thought he saw Jin Feng laughing at
him in her dark eyes. "Do you want to see Hotohori that much?" he asked sadly.
"Well, I've seen him every night in my dreams," she said shyly, "but I've never
actually met him. What if he doesn't know who I am? Maybe he doesn't
remember his dreams."
"I'm sure things will be just fine," Nuriko said dryly. "The Emperor doesn't have so
many lovers around that he'd forget the woman of his dreams."
"Bad pun, Ryuuen-chan!" Kourin objected elbowing him in the stomach.
A few hours later the pair had managed to make their way through the throngs of
people and all the imperial red tape to Hotohori's audience chamber.
"Nuriko-sama," one councilor bowed. "The Emperor awaits you...and your
charming guest."
The young man had to bite back a grin. Kourin's well placed flattery and smiles
had gotten them into the palace faster than all his personal prestige ever could
have.
"Kourin-sama, please come this way," he said formally, offering her his arm. She
appeared to be praying, and judging for the yellow glow at the edge of her collar,
the sign had appeared. She clutched at his arm timidly as they entered.
Nuriko let Kourin remain behind in the shadows as he went forward to kneel
before the throne. "Hotohori-sama, I have returned."
"I am glad you are still with us," the young emperor smiled graciously. "Chichiri
informed me that you died, but a mysterious young woman from another world
brought you back to us."
"That is correct, Hotohori-sama," the kneeling seishi said ritually. "I have brought
that young woman with me for our aid in returning her to her home. I present to
you Kourin-sama."
The girl took a few hesitant steps until Nuriko took her arm and almost pulled her
forward into the light. She looked up and gazed directly into Hotohori's beautiful,
dark eyes. They stood frozen for a moment, and Nuriko felt very out of place in
this tableau.
"It's you!" Hotohori cried out in a strange mixture of pain and passion. "The
beautiful girl who keeps visiting me in my dreams!" He eyes swept over her
frantically. The short golden-brown hair, the full figure, the brown eyes with just a
hint of golden fire, they were all there. "I've been searching for you since I saw
you the very first time, and now you're here!" He rushed down the throne steps
as quickly as his ceremonial clothing would allow. The young emperor
abandoned any pretense of dignity and held out his hands. "Kourin!"
The girl unfroze, and tears began pouring down her cheeks as she threw herself
into his arms. "Hotohori! I was so afraid that you wouldn't remember me," she
sobbed.
Hotohori held her face in his hands and gently brushed the tears away. "Dearest
one, I could never forget the one thing that has brought sunshine to my dreary
life these past three weeks. You are entertwined with my soul." He held Kourin
close to his chest and rested his chin on her hair.
Nuriko cleared his throat. "Anou...Hotohori-sama, this is probably a bad time to
mention this, but what about Miaka?"
The young emperor looked up startled. "What about Miaka, Nuriko?" he said icily.
Nuriko looked down at his feet, not able to face the accusation in Hotohori's eyes.
He fiddled his hands nervously and tried to pretend that the floor tiles were the
most exciting thing he'd ever seen. "You said that she was the only one you'd
ever loved, the only woman you could ever love," he finally muttered softly.
Hotohori possesively tightened his hold on Kourin before answering. "You know
as well as I that Miaka deeply loves Tamahome. When I said those words I
believed that I still had a chance at winning her heart, but now..." He shook his
head fiercely as if dispelling painful memories. "One night about two and a half
weeks ago I was in my study alone with my melancholy thoughts. At the exact
moment when I reached the lowest depths of despair a girl appeared, a girl from
another world. She comforted me and assured me that my beloved was safe.
However, her next words surprised me..."
"I am the yin to your yang," the girl in his arms began softly.
Hotohori added his voice to the final sentence. "You may call me Kourin." He
smiled down at her before continuing. "She caressed my cheek, and my soul
filled with an overwhelming longing. I bent my head to taste her soft lips, and,
suddenly, she was gone. I was frantic. Who was she, and where did she come
from? I asked everyone at court, but no one had seen a foreign woman with
golden-brown hair anywhere. The next night though we met again, this time in
the world of dreams, but I was pulled away too soon. I could hear her voice
calling out to me in fear, but all of my strength was not enough to return. Once
again I despaired of ever seeing her again, but the next night..."
Nuriko groaned. "I think I already know what happened on the third and fourth
nights, Hotohori-sama."
Kourin sweatdropped and blushed. "How would you know what happened on the
fourth night, Nuriko?" she asked dangerously. "You were supposed to be on the
other side of the fire."
The young man waved his hands in a frantic calming gesture. "It wasn't anything
like that, hontou, Kourin," he said nervously. "I saw you together in the
dreamworld. Something guided me to where you were.
Hotohori nodded with a slightly embarrassed look. "Then you already knew that I
found this?" He carefully pulled down Kourin's collar to reveal "hoshi" glowing on
her neck. "She is marked as mine, and I will seal that by making Kourin my
empress."
A cloud passed over the girl's face, and she pushed away from Hotohori's chest
to examine his face. "Empress? Me the empress of Konan?"
Hotohori smiled indulgently down at her. "You are the one I love, Kourin, and I
never want to separate from you again. Marry me, and rule Konan at my side!"
His intense dark eyes burned into her soul.
Kourin looked down at her feet and blushed. She knew that she had strong
feelings for the young emperor, but were they really love? She shuddered when
she looked back on the disastrous experience with James. "Gomen,
Hotohori...but I just don't know," she said softly. "My heart says yes, but my
mind..."
He pressed her hands tenderly. "Daijoubu desu, Kourin. You can take as much
time as you need. I anxiously await your answer." Hotohori turned and regally
glided out the door.
Kourin fell to her knees and cradled her head in her hands. Hotohori's kindness
was overwhelming, and it frightened her. "He cares for me so much," she
thought, "but no matter what decision I make, someone will be hurt. I don't want
to make anyone feel sad on my account." Tears began to roll unbidden down her
cheeks, and her shoulders started shaking.
Nuriko looked up at the girl's crying and scowled. "What the hell is wrong with
you, Kourin?!" he growled angrily. "Hotohori just proposed to you, he loves you
more than anything. Isn't that what you wanted?!"
"How would you know what I want?" Kourin demanded through her tears. "You've
been avoiding me for the past two weeks."
"I've seen into your dreams!" Nuriko threw back. "You always meet up with him,
and you two go off together...alone."
"Ryuuen, you have no right to be looking into my dreams and visions!" the girl
accused. Her face was flushed, and there was a dangerous flicker of golden fire
in her eyes. At any second she might lose her control and threaten to lob a chi
ball in the Konan palace throne room.
"I understand," Nuriko said acidly. "If you want to whore around with the emperor
of Konan, it's absolutely none of my fucking business! Is that it?! I'm only your
protector after all!"
"I never asked for your blasted protection!" she retorted.
"Very well then. I wash my hands of you!" Nuriko said hotly. He spun on his heel
and began to stalk out of the room when he felt a painful, tight feeling in his
chest. He took another step towards the door, and the tightness doubled. He
could barely breathe. Nuriko looked back towards Kourin to see her face pale.
"Kuso, I can't leave," he thought sourly.
"You can't got until I let you," spoke a voice in his head.
"Who's there?" Nuriko thought nervously. "What do you want?"
"You've forgotten about me already, Ryuu-chan," the voice teased. "I'm someone
very close to your beloved Kourin. I'm surprised you don't remember."
Nuriko's eyebrows raised, and an image of the stunning phoenix woman flashed
through his head. "Is it you, Jin Feng?" he thought in surprise.
"How many people do you know who would speak directly to your mind?" the
golden phoenix laughed lightly. "You haven't kept up your end of the bargain,
Ryuu-chan. Kourin still hadn't spoken to me."
"I know," Nuriko apologized with embarrassment. "We haven't been on speaking
terms recently."
"To expedite matters, I've created a bond between you two that is even stronger
than the protection bond," Jin Feng pointed out. "If you try to separate from her
the pain will become so great that it will eventually kill you."
"So, that's what we just experienced!" Nuriko exclaimed. "Is there any way you
can increase the range? Kourin and I will kill each other if we always have to be
connected at the hip."
"That was just an example of what will happen if you cross me," the phoenix
woman smiled maliciously. "You two had best not kill each other fighting. She's
feisty, ne? Ja!"
"I can't go anywhere without having Kourin with me?" Nuriko thought in dismay.
He turned back to the motionless girl. "Kourin, daijoubu ka?" He flushed a little
and swallowed his pride. "About what I said, hontou ni gomen. I wasn't kind. Let's
find you a room so you can rest.
Kourin's body began to shake as she attempted to control her anger. "Do you
think that you can blow it off that easily?" she hissed. "You called me a whore,
and that I will never forgive!" She stalked past him coldly without looking back.
Nuriko's heart froze in his chest. She had been so angry that she hadn't yelled or
physically attacked him. Instead she wounded him far more deeply with her
disdain. Mindful of Jin Feng's warning Nuriko carefully moved toward the door.
He peered around the doorframe just in time to see Kourin sway slightly before
ungraciously slumping to the floor.
Nuriko rushed to the fallen girl's side and shook her gently. "Kourin? Kourin,
daijoubu ka?" She didn't even stir. He tenderly brushed the hair off her forehead
and stopped in shock. "Kamisama! She's burning up with fever! It's a pity
Mitsukake isn't here to fix her up." The young man hefted Kourin in his arms. "I
guess I'll take her to my room for the time being," he murmured. "Hotohori
probably won't be happy though."
Once again Kourin was in the dreamworld, that mysterious place lying between
this world and the next. Cold, white mists swirled about her, obscuring her vision.
The girl shivered; the dreamworld did not welcome her now. Another figure
strode purposefully toward her throught the mist. As it approached Kourin could
make out a faint golden glow, and she sighed, wondering what her new mission
would be.
The figure stopped a few feet from her, allowing a careful appraisal. The woman,
for it was female, wore a shimmering golden ball gown with matching shoes. On
her back the strange woman sported a pair of shining golden wings and an
elegant bird's tail. Her long golden hair framed her face, and her eyes appeared
to be golden flames. However, the face caused Kourin to draw back and cover
her mouth in horror.
"Who are you," the girl demanded,"that you wear my face?!"
The strange woman smiled Kourin's smile. "So at long last we meet, daughter of
the golden phoenix. I have been waiting for you, you know."
"Why are you waiting for me?" the nervous girl snapped. "I'm not even from this
world."
"Kourin-chan, why do you fight your destiny?" asked the golden woman sadly.
"You were born in your 'other world' for this moment." She stepped forward and
caressed the frightened girl's cheek softly. "Such a strong, healthy girl," the
woman murmured. "It is a pity you won't need your physical body anymore where
we're going."
Kourin leaped back and snarled,"I don't know what's going on here, but you'd
damn well better tell me why the hell you have my face!"
The woman smiled sardonically. "Haven't you realized it yet, child? I'm Jin Feng,
the golden phoenix. I'm the part of yourself you've tried to repress all your life, the
part that loves and hates equally passionately. In short, my dear, I AM you."
"You're not me!" the girl protested frantically. "I don't have any problems
accepting my emotions and the power within myself."
"Sure, keep on telling yourself that," Jin Feng smirked. "I have waited thousands
of years for you, and I know you better than you know yourself. I need you to
merge with me so I can ascend to the heavens and take my place as Suzaku's
heavenly consort."
"Suzaku? You're the destined consort of Hotohori and Nuriko's god?" Kourin
asked curiously.
"Not just me, daughter of the golden phoenix," Jin Feng countered, "you and me,
together.
"Stop there!" commanded a third voice from the mist. An older woman floated
towards the pair with a decidedly sour expression on her wrinkled, old face. "Jin
Feng, I warned you against speaking to the girl too soon!"
"Taiitsukun, creator," the phoenix woman said reverently and knelt. "I humbly
apologize. I have overstepped my bounds."
"You should leave, Jin Feng," Taiitsukun said pointedly. "I have something
important to discuss with the girl."
Jin Feng nodded silently and faded back into the swirling mist.
The creator turned back to the startled girl. "Kourin-chan, I'm sure you are very
confused, but we must talk."
The girl nodded and asked, "Why did Jin Feng keep calling me 'daughter of the
golden phoenix'and say we were the same person?"
Taiitsukun sighed heavily. "That girl is just too headstrong for her own good; I
knew she would say too much." She pulled out a small mirror and extended it to
her young companion. "This will be a constant reminder of what I am about to tell
you, but listen carefully..."
"Long ago the four gods: Genbu, Byakko, Seiryuu, and Suzaku, could descend to
the earth whenever they wanted without waiting to be summoned by a miko.
Each fell in love with a mortal woman, and they married. Each had a child with
their mortal wives, a child that was half immortal and half human. However, the
mothers were not strong enough for such a birth, and all four died. The four gods
grieved the loss of their beloveds, but the four children provided a recourse.
Those children grew up and had families and passed along the immortal blood
generation after generation. Every few generations a daughter was born in the
image of the ancestor god's beloved who had the potential to become immortal
herself. If she accepted the immortal part of herself, the girl would rise to the
heavens as a goddess and take her place at her ancestor's side. At this point
Byakko, Genbu, and Seiryuu have all regained their brides, but for many years
the Golden Phoenix clan, as your ancestor's family was known, has been missing
from the universe of the four gods. Your unexpected arrival showed that they
somehow had crossed between the worlds, and the patriarch had prevented any
girl from returning here."
Glossary
? chan, sama -- honourifics, chan implies a close relationship or something cute or
younger than you, sama is sort of like lord or lady
? yin and yang -- the female and male "essences" or "entities" in Chinese/Asian
philosophies. They each have part of the other, and they are interconnected; they
cannot exist alone.
? hontou, hontou ni -- honestly, truthfully
? hoshi -- star, this is Hotohori's seishi symbol
? kuso -- shit^^;
? daijoubu -- okay, alright