Chapter Two: Awakening
Yume didn't know when the beast god had left her, but she awakened alone on a bed of soft grass, a halo of red light surrounding her body and filling her with soft warmth. Raising to a seated position, she rubbed her eyes quickly and pinched herself.
No way... she thought. It was clear that she was no longer in her bedroom, let alone home in Japan. She felt the night breeze caress her face as she regarded the scenery around her, and took a guess that she had landed somewhere in Asia. And based on the apparent absence of cities, the smell of automobile gas and the roars of low-flying planes, Yume surmised that it was ancient China.
She rose to take a few steps, halting when her bare foot kicked something soft. Looking down, she saw with a smile that Suzaku had not sent her to this place without supplies of some sort, for there was her treasured blue bag, her notebook and meager foodstuffs still safe within. She flung the bag over one shoulder while gazing around again in wonder, curious as to where the god had intended her to go. A small fear filled her heart at the sudden pang on loneliness she felt, but at the same time the rush of excitement ran through her veins... this place, this adventure, was something she had craved for years.
"But where to go?" she asked aloud, and resolved to just pick a direction and walk. Ignoring the protests of her naked feet, Yume set off towards the mountains in hoped of finding someone who could aid her.
After almost two hours of seeing nothing but trees, rocks and grass, Yume grew tired of wandering. She blew out a sigh of impatience, pausing to sit and braid her hair.
Well, I hope something exciting happens soon, or I'm gonna be stuck here dying of boredom...
As if on cue, the girl began to hear voices nearby. One was somewhat high-pitched and playful, the other a low and growling bass. Instantly her mood perked up, and without stopping to brush off her grass-covered sweatpants, Yume took off in the direction of the voices.
"Daa! You're as bad as Miaka, na no da! Already you ate all of the fish!"
"Well, it ain't my fault ya decided to take off an' get some stupid firewood!"
"You could have saved me something, no da, since you were too lazy to get the wood yourself!"
"Aw, quit yer bellyaching. I'm too tired to deal with ya."
Yume approached the campfire cautiously, straining her eyes to see the two men surrounding it. One lay with his back against a tree, dressed in a wine-purple tunic with cream-colored trousers. His hair mimicked the flames in both style and in color, framing exotic features that reminded the girl of a wolf. His companion, upon closer inspection, looked even more curious with a fox-like face and short blue hair with long bangs that seemed to defy gravity with ease. From the prayer beads he wore, along with the shakujo in one hand and cone-shaped kasa hanging on his back, she assumed he was a Buddhist monk.
The red haired one grabbed for a nearby flask, taking a long draft before tossing it carelessly back towards the fire. The monk frowned at him, but said nothing. Yume tried not to giggle at the scene; she had no clue who they were, but from the apparent differences in personality she wondered why in the world they were traveling together.
Much to her surprise, the monk's sharp ears picked up on the faint sound, rising smoothly to his feet and reaching out with his shakujou to move aside the underbrush that was Yume's hiding place. The girl froze beneath the sharp gaze of the monk, and a voice in the back of her mind scolded her for coming so close. Unconsciously she began to shake, thinking a little too late that these men might be dangerous...
Oh, great. My first day here and already I'm in trouble.
"Who are you, na no da?"
"Oi! Chiri? What's up?" the other called, reaching his comrade's side to look over his shoulder.
Yume backed away further, clutching her bag to her chest. The monk suddenly knelt down, looking levelly at her. "I won't hurt you... come on out, no da."
She stared at him for a moment, petrified and unmoving, until he sighed and reached out his hand, carefully handing the shakujou to the redhead. Yume was still wary despite the sign of friendship and trust, but she somehow remembered something that Suzaku had told her before.
You will not be alone on your journey, Yume. There are two warriors that you must find, before seeking out the oracle, Taiitskun. he had said. You will know them, though perhaps not by sight. Use the power within you to search the souls that cross your path, and you shall know them.
And so she tried to look deep into the monk's eyes, searching him for something, though she knew not what. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth that had surrounded her when with the beast god return, and saw red light filling the void of blackness. Somehow, Yume felt their good intentions, and sensed the power within them...
Her eyes shot open at the exclamation of the red-haired man. "Chichiri, look at that!"
"I see it, Tasuki-kun no da."
"What?" Yume asked, as the two looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Are you guys... the warriors of Suzaku?"
The monk, Chichiri, furrowed his brow. "How do you know that, na no da?"
"I... was sent here by Suzaku... and I was supposed to find the two of you, then go to see this oracle called Taiitskun."
Tasuki's eyes widened at mention of the old Creator, then narrowed in suspicion. How did they know if this girl was really an emissary of Suzaku? His hand moved to the holster of his tessen, fingers grasping the handle of the iron fan threateningly.
"Look, girl, you got some proof that yer tellin' the truth?"
Chichiri shot him a startled glance, but allowed the bandit to take over the situation... for now. He, too, was wondering about the validity of her statements... why hadn't Suzaku sent Miaka, instead?
Yume, for her part, was terrified. Her bag slipped from her grasp, and she stared down at it blankly for a moment before an idea hit her.
"If... if I can prove that I've seen the human form of Suzaku, will you believe me?"
The two celestial warriors stared at her, silent and dumbstruck.
"You... you've seen Suzaku Seikun?" Chichiri stammered at last. Yume nodded, and immediately pulled out her notebook and a pencil. The monk glanced down at her belongings, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"You're not from this world, are you?" he asked, though he was sure of the answer. "Do you know... a girl named Miaka Yuuki?"
"Chichiri..." Tasuki warned, but didn't speak further. The girl looked up, and Chichiri could see that she was still greatly frightened of them. She seemed to strain for a memory, and then her eyes lit up in recognition.
"Miaka... kind of short, with long brown hair and green eyes? Hangs out with a dreamy guy named Taka?" They nodded. "Yeah, I know her... a little, I mean. I remember her through Keisuke, her brother, who I knew in school for a while. Let's see... I'm nearly twenty, so that must make her... eighteen now? I know she was a real glutton and a big klutz, but she's gotten better... she and Taka are engaged now..."
A chuckle caught her off-guard. Looking back up, she saw that Tasuki was attempting to hold back his laughter at her descriptions of the younger girl.
"That's our Miaka all right!" he guffawed, pounding the tree for emphasis. "Dead ringer! Ya proved yourself, girl... no need for any more suspicion."
"Tasuki, no da... are you sure that's wise?"
"Aw, damn, Chichiri, lighten up! The poor thing's scared to death already! I think I'd know a truth-teller if I saw one!"
"Demo... daaa..." the monk sighed, hanging his head in exasperation. "I suppose you're right."
Tasuki plopped back down next to Chichiri, who was meditating next to the fire with a look of heavy concentration on his face.
"Did she say anything to you, no da?" he asked quietly, so that the girl could not hear.
"A bit," the bandit replied, eyes still on the one in question. She was sitting near the fire, eating a bag of candy from her bag and silently picking grass off her clothing. "Her name's Yuusei Yume, and apparently, Suzaku sent her here instead of Miaka to save Konan from somethin', but she doesn't know what. All she knows is that she had to find us, and then go visit the old hag."
"Great. Another strange girl just pops in without explanation, na no da." Chichiri sighed, placing his fingers on his temples. "Will this never end..." he muttered.
"I know what ya mean, buddy," the bandit agreed, running a hand through his flame-colored hair. "But it's our duty and all, and it looks like she's our new Priestess, if my hunch is right. And y'know, she's kinda cute."
"Tasuki-kun no da! Now is not the time to be looking at her like that!"
"Yeah, I know, I know... anyhow, ya got any idea what this new evil could be?"
Chichiri thought about that for a second. If Suzaku had gone for another girl to become his Priestess other than Miaka, then his decision could only mean one of two things, or possibly both of them. Either something to Miaka where she couldn't carry the burden of being Priestess... or the situation was graver than anyone thought and Miaka did not have the power to combat it.
And what of Yume? he mused in silence, staring out into the fire. He couldn't sense any sort of outward power from the girl, and something told him that if she did, it was meant to be awakened sometime or another in this world, and she may not even be aware of it. Then it struck him. Normally, when one is not aware of the power within them, it meant that either the energy was too weak... or too strong for them to realize. And from the way things were looking, it had to be the latter with Yume.
The poor girl... I wonder if she realizes the danger she's in...
"Chiri? What are ya thinkin'?" Tasuki prodded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder in concern. The monk didn't answer at first, instead turning to the girl who was staring up at the heavens with clear, but troubled, eyes.
"I'm thinking, Tasuki, that we're in for something that could be completely beyond us to control."
The bandit jumped at the flat monotone in Chichiri's tone, noting the lack of his usual 'no da' phrase. He wished that his friend would remove his mask and show him what he was really feeling, but lately the monk had rarely removed the magical object for anyone, even Tasuki himself.
Somethin's wrong with him... and Suzaku help us if he falls apart... he was, and still is, the strongest of us all.
With a frustrated moan, he returned to his bedroll and, grabbing his sake to take a final drink, settled down to sleep for the night.
Yume knew that they were talking about her, and the fact made her feel extremely self-conscious. She looked up at the sky for a while, wondering if the wandering stars could provide her with the answers. She remembered the beast god Suzaku, how he had promised that he would watch over her... but what was she to do? She had power, or so she'd been told. But how could she use it? Would she know how to find it? Furthermore... could she control it?
A shiver ran over her at the thought. What if she couldn't control it? What then? Unable to consider such a thing, Yume resigned herself to digging through her blue bag again, pulling out the treasured notebook. Flipping it to a blank page, she took her pencil and began to draw. First an eye, then another... the more lead filled the paper, the more immersed she became with her work. It was a common thing... Yume would often become obsessed with a drawing to the point where she refused to do anything else until it was completed. And in a strange world with strange people and having no place among them, the stress became so much that she lost herself within the rhythmic scratching of pencil on paper.
A face began to take shape, and she took the time to fill in every detail as she recalled them, sometimes vigorously erasing a tiny area that was out of place or needed adjustment. Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration, and beads of sweat began to gather on her forehead. Her pencil began to slip from her fingers from the intensity she was pushing her hand to, but she ignored the ache in her wrist that begged her to stop...
As she toiled, Yume was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. Chichiri was staring at her from the corner of his eye, mahogany gaze fixed upon her tall and slender form as it hunched over the small notebook. He continued to study her, still slightly suspicious, as a red glow began to surround her body and her eyes took on a haunted look. He turned slightly to better regard Yume; yes, she was definitely glowing, though very faintly.
"Yume?" he asked softly, but she didn't seem to hear him. On the contrary, her concentration seemed to increase, and in turn he noticed the strain she was placing upon herself. No longer able to contain his curiosity as to what she was doing, Chichiri silently rose and moved to take a seat by her side.
What he saw caught him completely off-guard. There, appearing as if by magic by Yume's hand, was the unmistakable form of Suzaku Seikun himself. With impossible clarity and precision she recreated him from her own memory, the god's expression identical to the one Chichiri himself had seen a year ago; one of love and compassion, but hardened by war and the duty to protect his followers.
The monk slowly let out the air in his lungs; he hadn't realized he was holding his breath. He was mesmerized by the image forming on the sketchbook page, and found himself in awe of the girl he sat beside. He felt that he could almost touch the features of the god, but knew it was impossible, being only an image.
"Yume..." he breathed. Suddenly, the girl dropped the pencil and grasped at her left hand -- the one that had been drawing -- as it began shaking uncontrollably. Chichiri felt the girl's chi flicker for a moment, and placed a hand on her arm in mild alarm. Her eyes shot up to meet his, wide with amazement.
"I didn't see you there..." she admitted, shying away from him and looking at her hands. "Was I bothering you, Chichiri?"
"Nani? Er, no! Of course not, na no da," he assured, gesturing to the pencil sketch. "I was just trying to see what you were drawing... you're quite an amazing artist, no da."
She began to blush, and refused to meet his gaze. "Oh, this? It's all right... nothing special really..." She bit her lip, still trying to stop the convulsions in her hand. Worried, Chichiri brought his other hand to rest over hers, holding them tightly and concentrating his chi.
"What are you--" she began, but fell silent as their joined hands began radiating with white light. After a moment she felt a strange energy surging through her, then it, along with the light, died away, leaving her hand feeling good as new.
"Are you all right?" he inquired, and was answered by a brisk nod. She mumbled her thanks and tried to pick up her pencil again, but Chichiri's hands held her captive for a moment longer.
"Does it always do that?"
"No..." she answered, shutting her eyes. "That's the first time. Sometimes, when an image is firmly ingrained in my mind, I want to capture it on paper before it fades away. I can work for hours on end trying to finish it, but when I'm finally done sometimes it hurts a little... but never like this."
"Such a terrible price to pay, no da," he murmured, "...perhaps you worked yourself too hard. It is a beautiful gift you have, your artwork, no da." She said nothing, and the monk gazed at her for a second, feeling a strange wave of emotion pass over him. "You should sleep now, Yume. You've had a long night, and tomorrow we have an appointment to keep."
"All right... oyasumi, Chichiri-san."
"Good night, Yume. May Suzaku protect your dreams."
