Chapter 3: Purple and Red
Cera opened her eyes wearily and she saw a young girl around her age seated beside her bed. "Ungh…where am I?" she inquired as she sat up bringing her palm to her forehead. She had a splitting headache and she could vaguely remember what had happened. "Yes. I remember now...I'm in this weird place. Huh? Leena...I've got to find Leena!" She didn't give Yui the chance to speak as she jumped out of bed and bolted for the door. She didn't make it, however, as she felt her knees giving way underneath her once again. She sank to her knees on the floor. "What? What's happening? Why do I feel so weak?" Yui rushed to her side, supporting her back to the bed. "Miss, are you okay? You shouldn't get out of bed yet. That power you displayed…it drained you and you lost a lot of blood as well." Cera looked down at herself. All her injuries have been bandaged up. She thought, "The mirror...I did that? No...what's happening? What's happening to me? It's really strange. Being sucked into this book, losing my friend, exhibiting supernatural powers...it's really weird...' "Umm…Miss--" she spoke up to Yui. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I am Miss Yui Hongo, Seiryuu no Miko." Yui explained. "Seiryuu no Miko…" Cera repeated to herself "…and I am Cera Sparrel. Yui, um can you explain to me where I am and what I'm doing here?" "Oh yes, of course." Cera listened intently as Yui explained all the details from the book world to the legend of Miko and Seishi to the wars between the four countries. Cera couldn't believe what she had just heard. "If all this is true, then…Leena… What am I going to do?" She buried her face in her hands. "Cera, please calm down. I know how you feel…my friend, Miaka, she came with me to this world…but she betrayed me…" her voice trailed off. "No! Leena would never do that! She's here somewhere. She might be lost but I know she'll never betray me. Never." "Yes, I'm sorry, I--"Yui was cut short as the door opened and Amiboshi entered, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, Yui-sama, I'm sorry. Am I bothering you?" he asked. "Amiboshi? No, it's okay. Come in, Cera must be hungry. Cera, this is Amiboshi, one of my seishi. I'll introduce you to the others later." Cera smiled at him as he placed the tray in front of her. "Here, I brought you breakfast." "Arigato." She replied. Only when she took the first sip of her soup did she realize how hungry she was. She finished the soup then drank the tea. She looked back up at Yui. "That should help you get better soon. Now that you're through, we can get you fixed up." Yui exclaimed cheerfully. She clapped her hand twice and two servant girls entered the room. "Please prepare the bath and get her some clean clothes." Yui ordered. "Hai, Miko-sama." As the two servant girls hurried off to do their work. "Amiboshi…" Yui cued. "Hai." Amiboshi nodded and left the room. "Now, Cera, you must be itching for a bath." Yui prompted. "Yeah, I am a mess, aren't I?" Cera laughed as she thought of it. "Okay, I'm a up for a little cleaning." "Come on then." Yui led the way to the tub. "Okay, you relax while I get your clothes ready, okay?" "Thanks, Yui!"
Cera let herself sink into the bath, relaxing but at the same time, contemplating about everything Yui told her and thinking about Leena. A book world...one legend...four countries in each of the four directions...four animal gods for each of the four countries...I don't understand. In a time of crisis, a Miko from the other world will come to summon the animal god and save the world...If I remember right, I'm in Kutou-koku in the east and the other countries are Sairou in the west, Hokkan in the north, and Konan in the south. The four gods...um, Seiryuu, Byakko, Genbu, and Suzaku...Leena, where could you be? So many places...if anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself! No! I should stop being so pessimistic. Leena will be alright...I just know she will... Cera tried to take her mind off the possible things that can happen to Leena by thinking of other things. Yui...I can't believe she's being so nice to me after meeting for the first time, and even her...seishi? Is that the term? Whatever. Amiboshi was being nice. A small smile crept across Cera's face. And he's real cute too. Maybe...Hey! What am I thinking? Whoa...this is really weird...I know that I'm not exactly the summer flirt type. What the #&%$ is happening here? But it's true. He really is cute...and nice too...No no no no no!!! Stop thinking of such stuff, girl! I'd better get dressed before I get anymore crazy ideas. She hesitantly lifted herself from the bath and grabbed a towel. She didn't want to leave the comforting warmth of the water, nor the lovely aromas of the scented oils, nor the playful bubbles. She dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her body. She picked up another towel and wrapped up her hair to dry.
She poked her head out of the bathroom door and saw Yui sitting in one of the chairs. "You're through?" Yui asked, "That was quick. Here, the servants prepared you some clothes while yours are being washed." Yui gestured towards another chair where a neat set of Ancient Chinese clothing were piled. Cera picked up the clothes and went back into the bathroom. Inside, she held out the articles of clothing in front of her and carefully examined it. It was a kind of dress she usually saw only in textbooks about Ancient China and kind of resembled the clothing of the characters in "Mulan." She handled it gently and saw that it was made of silk in a color slightly darker than midnight blue and dragon prints were seen across the surface of the cloth. Silver lined the collar, the sleeves, and the hem of the skirt. Together with the clothes were a pair of small Chinese-style shoes with the same color combination as that of the dress. It's beautifully made, but back home, it would simply be a Chinese costume. She thought to herself. "Maybe I won't look too ridiculous in it...I don't have a choice but to wear it anyway." She dressed herself then went back out of the bathroom. She took off the towel and her unruly strawberry-blond hair fell almost to her waist in a tangled mess. "Yui, do you have a comb or anything I can use to fix my hair here?" Yui looked up and stifled a laugh. Her clothes looked marvelous but her hair was just a no no. "Here." Yui took out an ornate comb from the dresser drawer. "Thanks." Cera graciously took the comb and smoothed out the tangles in her hair. "Okay, would you like to tour the palace?" Leena...what if I'm worrying over nothing at all? We were sucked into the book at the same time meaning we should have been together, but we're not. She must be safe back home...at least, she'd better be...Since I'm here, I'd better find her. Maybe she's somewhere else in the palace... "Yes, I would love to, Yui." Cera followed Yui out of the room into the corridors. As they walked down the hallway, they met Suboshi. "Oyasumi, Yui-sama!" he greeted out. "Hello Suboshi." Yui replied. "Yui, I thought his name was Amiboshi." Cera asked as he left. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you, he's Amiboshi's twin. I forgot to introduce you." "It's okay. I just kinda got confused back there." Suddenly Nakago approached them, Amiboshi tagging along behind him. "Yui-sama, we need to talk," he declared, "Amiboshi will take care of our 'guest.'" Cera shot him a sharp look at the emphasis put on the word "guest." "Cera, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Let Amiboshi show you around. "Okay." Yui and Nakago left, leaving Cera alone with Amiboshi. "Umm…so, would you like to see the gardens first?" Amiboshi asked Cera. "Uh…S-Sure!" He's really handsome...No! Not again? What is up with me? I can't even calm down... Cera turned red as she tried to push those weird thoughts out of her mind and enjoy the tour. As they walked along the garden, Cera noticed some exceptionally beautiful flowers she had never seen before. She went closer and picked one. It had purple petals and looked as radiant as the sun with its petals looking like soft, purple rays of light. (a/n: here is your purple part of the title!) "Amiboshi, what kind of flowers are these?" she asked him curiously. "Those?" he answered, "I'm not sure what they are but I know that they can be found only here in Kutou. "Oh, how wonderful! These look very lovely. Where such nice flowers grow, the atmosphere must be nice as well. I bet Kutou is a very beautiful country." She exclaimed. Amiboshi's face darkened. "I'm afraid that's where you're wrong." Cera looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Kutou is not a beautiful country. Kutou is a land of civil war, treachery, deceit, everything opposite of what you are thinking. Those flowers? They grow inside the palace grounds because the emperor thinks only of the welfare of his own court." Cera bowed her head and looked down at the ground, dropping the flower. "Oh, I-I never realized…I thought…" Amiboshi lifted her chin up so they were facing each other. "Don't worry about that…It's not a problem that you should worry about. That's why Yui-sama is here. She will summon Seiryuu and everything will become peaceful again. All the wars will soon stop. Come on, don't let that ruin your day. Amiboshi picked up the flower and handed it back to her. "Here, you might want to keep this." "A-Arigato." She thanked him, and turned even redder as he came up and walked beside her. (a/n: and here is your red part of the title)
Cera opened her eyes wearily and she saw a young girl around her age seated beside her bed. "Ungh…where am I?" she inquired as she sat up bringing her palm to her forehead. She had a splitting headache and she could vaguely remember what had happened. "Yes. I remember now...I'm in this weird place. Huh? Leena...I've got to find Leena!" She didn't give Yui the chance to speak as she jumped out of bed and bolted for the door. She didn't make it, however, as she felt her knees giving way underneath her once again. She sank to her knees on the floor. "What? What's happening? Why do I feel so weak?" Yui rushed to her side, supporting her back to the bed. "Miss, are you okay? You shouldn't get out of bed yet. That power you displayed…it drained you and you lost a lot of blood as well." Cera looked down at herself. All her injuries have been bandaged up. She thought, "The mirror...I did that? No...what's happening? What's happening to me? It's really strange. Being sucked into this book, losing my friend, exhibiting supernatural powers...it's really weird...' "Umm…Miss--" she spoke up to Yui. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I am Miss Yui Hongo, Seiryuu no Miko." Yui explained. "Seiryuu no Miko…" Cera repeated to herself "…and I am Cera Sparrel. Yui, um can you explain to me where I am and what I'm doing here?" "Oh yes, of course." Cera listened intently as Yui explained all the details from the book world to the legend of Miko and Seishi to the wars between the four countries. Cera couldn't believe what she had just heard. "If all this is true, then…Leena… What am I going to do?" She buried her face in her hands. "Cera, please calm down. I know how you feel…my friend, Miaka, she came with me to this world…but she betrayed me…" her voice trailed off. "No! Leena would never do that! She's here somewhere. She might be lost but I know she'll never betray me. Never." "Yes, I'm sorry, I--"Yui was cut short as the door opened and Amiboshi entered, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, Yui-sama, I'm sorry. Am I bothering you?" he asked. "Amiboshi? No, it's okay. Come in, Cera must be hungry. Cera, this is Amiboshi, one of my seishi. I'll introduce you to the others later." Cera smiled at him as he placed the tray in front of her. "Here, I brought you breakfast." "Arigato." She replied. Only when she took the first sip of her soup did she realize how hungry she was. She finished the soup then drank the tea. She looked back up at Yui. "That should help you get better soon. Now that you're through, we can get you fixed up." Yui exclaimed cheerfully. She clapped her hand twice and two servant girls entered the room. "Please prepare the bath and get her some clean clothes." Yui ordered. "Hai, Miko-sama." As the two servant girls hurried off to do their work. "Amiboshi…" Yui cued. "Hai." Amiboshi nodded and left the room. "Now, Cera, you must be itching for a bath." Yui prompted. "Yeah, I am a mess, aren't I?" Cera laughed as she thought of it. "Okay, I'm a up for a little cleaning." "Come on then." Yui led the way to the tub. "Okay, you relax while I get your clothes ready, okay?" "Thanks, Yui!"
Cera let herself sink into the bath, relaxing but at the same time, contemplating about everything Yui told her and thinking about Leena. A book world...one legend...four countries in each of the four directions...four animal gods for each of the four countries...I don't understand. In a time of crisis, a Miko from the other world will come to summon the animal god and save the world...If I remember right, I'm in Kutou-koku in the east and the other countries are Sairou in the west, Hokkan in the north, and Konan in the south. The four gods...um, Seiryuu, Byakko, Genbu, and Suzaku...Leena, where could you be? So many places...if anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself! No! I should stop being so pessimistic. Leena will be alright...I just know she will... Cera tried to take her mind off the possible things that can happen to Leena by thinking of other things. Yui...I can't believe she's being so nice to me after meeting for the first time, and even her...seishi? Is that the term? Whatever. Amiboshi was being nice. A small smile crept across Cera's face. And he's real cute too. Maybe...Hey! What am I thinking? Whoa...this is really weird...I know that I'm not exactly the summer flirt type. What the #&%$ is happening here? But it's true. He really is cute...and nice too...No no no no no!!! Stop thinking of such stuff, girl! I'd better get dressed before I get anymore crazy ideas. She hesitantly lifted herself from the bath and grabbed a towel. She didn't want to leave the comforting warmth of the water, nor the lovely aromas of the scented oils, nor the playful bubbles. She dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her body. She picked up another towel and wrapped up her hair to dry.
She poked her head out of the bathroom door and saw Yui sitting in one of the chairs. "You're through?" Yui asked, "That was quick. Here, the servants prepared you some clothes while yours are being washed." Yui gestured towards another chair where a neat set of Ancient Chinese clothing were piled. Cera picked up the clothes and went back into the bathroom. Inside, she held out the articles of clothing in front of her and carefully examined it. It was a kind of dress she usually saw only in textbooks about Ancient China and kind of resembled the clothing of the characters in "Mulan." She handled it gently and saw that it was made of silk in a color slightly darker than midnight blue and dragon prints were seen across the surface of the cloth. Silver lined the collar, the sleeves, and the hem of the skirt. Together with the clothes were a pair of small Chinese-style shoes with the same color combination as that of the dress. It's beautifully made, but back home, it would simply be a Chinese costume. She thought to herself. "Maybe I won't look too ridiculous in it...I don't have a choice but to wear it anyway." She dressed herself then went back out of the bathroom. She took off the towel and her unruly strawberry-blond hair fell almost to her waist in a tangled mess. "Yui, do you have a comb or anything I can use to fix my hair here?" Yui looked up and stifled a laugh. Her clothes looked marvelous but her hair was just a no no. "Here." Yui took out an ornate comb from the dresser drawer. "Thanks." Cera graciously took the comb and smoothed out the tangles in her hair. "Okay, would you like to tour the palace?" Leena...what if I'm worrying over nothing at all? We were sucked into the book at the same time meaning we should have been together, but we're not. She must be safe back home...at least, she'd better be...Since I'm here, I'd better find her. Maybe she's somewhere else in the palace... "Yes, I would love to, Yui." Cera followed Yui out of the room into the corridors. As they walked down the hallway, they met Suboshi. "Oyasumi, Yui-sama!" he greeted out. "Hello Suboshi." Yui replied. "Yui, I thought his name was Amiboshi." Cera asked as he left. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you, he's Amiboshi's twin. I forgot to introduce you." "It's okay. I just kinda got confused back there." Suddenly Nakago approached them, Amiboshi tagging along behind him. "Yui-sama, we need to talk," he declared, "Amiboshi will take care of our 'guest.'" Cera shot him a sharp look at the emphasis put on the word "guest." "Cera, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Let Amiboshi show you around. "Okay." Yui and Nakago left, leaving Cera alone with Amiboshi. "Umm…so, would you like to see the gardens first?" Amiboshi asked Cera. "Uh…S-Sure!" He's really handsome...No! Not again? What is up with me? I can't even calm down... Cera turned red as she tried to push those weird thoughts out of her mind and enjoy the tour. As they walked along the garden, Cera noticed some exceptionally beautiful flowers she had never seen before. She went closer and picked one. It had purple petals and looked as radiant as the sun with its petals looking like soft, purple rays of light. (a/n: here is your purple part of the title!) "Amiboshi, what kind of flowers are these?" she asked him curiously. "Those?" he answered, "I'm not sure what they are but I know that they can be found only here in Kutou. "Oh, how wonderful! These look very lovely. Where such nice flowers grow, the atmosphere must be nice as well. I bet Kutou is a very beautiful country." She exclaimed. Amiboshi's face darkened. "I'm afraid that's where you're wrong." Cera looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Kutou is not a beautiful country. Kutou is a land of civil war, treachery, deceit, everything opposite of what you are thinking. Those flowers? They grow inside the palace grounds because the emperor thinks only of the welfare of his own court." Cera bowed her head and looked down at the ground, dropping the flower. "Oh, I-I never realized…I thought…" Amiboshi lifted her chin up so they were facing each other. "Don't worry about that…It's not a problem that you should worry about. That's why Yui-sama is here. She will summon Seiryuu and everything will become peaceful again. All the wars will soon stop. Come on, don't let that ruin your day. Amiboshi picked up the flower and handed it back to her. "Here, you might want to keep this." "A-Arigato." She thanked him, and turned even redder as he came up and walked beside her. (a/n: and here is your red part of the title)