Title: Sweet Love (2)

Title: Sweet Love (2)

Author: Yih

Written: March 2001

Dedication: To the following Reviewers- Celestial Phoenix, moonbaby1987, Iona, Sailor Wolfie, wren, Mysticwolf, Lanen, Stormlight, Rymsie, LJ, and Shadowess.

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Disclaimer: All rights are Yu Watase.

Part 2: Finding the Dream

"Your majesty?" asked his advisor, bowing.

Hotohori glanced up from some papers that he had been looking over. He stared for a brief second at his advisor before commanding, "I'd like the strange girl to be brought to the gardens outside my private apartments. I will be waiting outside, expecting her in the next hour."

"Yes, your majesty," responded his advisor, bowing before leaving to fetch the girl from the prisons.

Hotohori stamped one of the documents with his golden seal and took off his crown, setting it down on his desk. He had had enough work for today, he decided. He brushed his hand through his silky dark brown locks. He glanced down at what he was wearing and asked one of his attendants to fetch his favorite robe from the closet inside his personal chambers.

He made a half careless attempt to tie back some of his gorgeous hair before leaving to go to the gardens just outside of his private apartments. It was time for him to relax for a while before he had to confront the possibility that the girl might be the Priestess of Suzaku. He leaned back against the bench outside the building where he preferred to live in the immense palace. The wind had caused his hair to half cover his face as he thought about the prophecy that said that the girl of the legends would come when the empire fell into disorder and was on the verge of collapse.

What better time to appear than now? He thought to himself. Our enemy, Kutou has grown stronger by the hour and is now encroaching on our border's--Konan's borders… If the Priestess will not come now… then when? What greater disorder would have to come for the girl of the legends to emerge from her world to save ours?

"Wow, she's so beautiful!" exclaimed a girl's sweet voice of praise.

Hotohori was jerked from his thoughts as he glanced up to see a vaguely familiar face. He thought, yes, I know this face. She has been in my dreams. I have dreamt of her--she must be the girl of the legends.

He was about to ask her who was so beautiful when he realized that he was wearing a beautiful, but feminine silk robe. He smiled suddenly, pleased. He saw the surprise in her eyes at the fact that even more loveliness descended upon him with such a simple smile. He cleared his throat, a signal for the guard that had escorted the girl to return to whatever duties that he had previously occupied.

When the guard was gone the girl asked, "who are you? Do you know why I was brought here?"

"I am called by many names, but mostly by Hotohori," he replied easily. But he wondered how he should phrase the second answer without startling her unduly. "You--we believe are the Priestess of Suzaku!"

"We?" she said with confusion. "But I'm just a normal high school girl! All I want to do is help free the guy whose saved me so I can return to my own world!"

"You came from another world?!"

"You probably don't believe me…" her voice trailed on. "And I understand that."

"NO! Not at all! I just love things like that!" cried out Hotohori eagerly.

She must be the girl of the legends. She has to be. I don't she could fake an expression of that intensity with such sincerement. She has to be the Priestess of Suzaku who has come to protect Konan and--and perhaps fulfill the dreams I've had since I was a mere child?

Hotohori felt like he had to touch her to make sure she was real and that she would not disappear from him. He was quick to his feet and began touching her strange garments before he asked, "what is your name?"

"Yuki Miaka," the girl responded, her heart pounding.

Why is my heart beating so--so excitedly? The girl thought with embarrassment. And it's over a woman… a very beautiful woman. Hotohori…

"Miaka…" he tested her name with his thin lips, caressing her cheek lightly. How he had dreamed of this moment!

"MIAKA!" cried out a masculine voice as the owner burst through the gates of the private garden, the symbol of the ogre blazing on his forehead.

He is one of the protectors. No wonder he saved her life, twice, thrice, he thought. He was born to protect her. Why didn't I think of this before? And his name is Tamahome… demon constellation.

"Come back here! You aren't allowed there!" shouted the guard, running after the prisoner.

Hotohori felt a sense of annoyance over the incompetency of his guards as he had turned away from Miaka to see what the trouble was. He saw the young man running even faster, powered up by his symbol, trying to be the savior of the girl again, protecting her… always. But from what? He thought. There is no danger here… unless he means to save her from me? Hotohori sighed heavily, dropping his robe with his agitation.

"Your majesty!" cried out the other guard, dropping to his knees. The guard behind followed his comrade's actions.

The young man suddenly whirled around to meet the face of his emperor; he dropped to his knees as well.

"What?!" Miaka glanced at Hotohori in bewilderment. "How could a girl who's so young and beautiful be an emperor?"

Tamahome couldn't resist the urge to shout, "GIRL?!! His majesty is all man!!!"

Miaka felt a large sweatdrop roll down her back as she stared at Hotohori.

Is she really a man? But she's so beautiful, she thought. Aww! But there is one way to know for certain… a test of sorts.

Miaka's hands suddenly shot out and touched Hotohori's chest.

"It's flat!!!" she exclaimed out loud her shock. "Nothing above. A-and below is some mysterious object I know nothing of."

Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! She is a he. She is the emperor--I mean he's the emperor!

Tamahome yelled, "stop thinking about that RIGHT NOW!!!"

Hotohori smiled gently and murmured comfortingly, "Miaka, we didn't mean to trick you."

"I'm so sorry!" Miaka cried out her apology. "I'm so sorry that I thought you were a girl! I mean, you're just so beautiful; I mean, you're really handsome! I mean, you're pretty enough to be a girl, I don't know what I mean?"

"It's okay," he said calmingly. "I get that a lot, actually."

She saw the amusement in his eyes and sighed with relief. "Will you free my friend?"

Hotohori gazed intently into her eyes, searching for something. "Will you protect Konan?"

"How are you so certain that I am the girl you think I am?" she asked with a shaky voice.

Hotohori smiled.

"There are many reason, actually. The accent of your voice is strange, obviously not native to this world. You are wearing strange clothes I have never seen. You, yourself admitted that you were from another world. This young man also proves it… he is one of your sworn protectors, one of the seven celestial warriors that will serve under the Priestess of Suzaku, to keep you safe and help you in the search for the other seishi. And… I have this feeling that I know that you have to be she. I've seen your face in my dreams--and you were the Priestess of Suzaku in all of them."

"Dreams?" she queried.

"Yes, you were in my dreams."

Author's Note: See… lots of changes. I tried not to change it too much, but I ended up cutting out the Emperor scene from the Manga version just because it's hard to fit and really unnecessary for this series. The next major part will of course be introducing Nuriko! Awww… how to change the scene without changing it? Any suggestions?

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