AN: Wai! Two reviews! Thank you Ryoko-onee and Daughter of Suzaku! I'm
so happy that you think so highly of my writing. Anyway, a small note on
the last chapter that I forgot to include, about Chisa's song. Think
somewhere along the lines of "Taps" or "The Time Has Come". You know,
songs about endings and saying goodbye. I was crying myself when I wrote
that chapter. I was drawing from my own experiences, so I was really
sympathizing. Anyway, enough about last chapter. Time for this chapter!
When they were about a mile from the palace, Chisa's intuition started warning her of something coming, setting her nerves on edge. She reined in her horse. "Hotohori. Unsheathe your sword. Now." Hotohori had learned to trust his wives instincts, and did as he was told. Chisa pulled her bow out of one of her saddlebags, and pulled several arrows from the quiver on her back. For a few long moments, everything was silent.
"Haaah!" Chisa yelled, firing one arrow after another into the distance at an unseen foe. Several formidable-looking men came in riding from that direction, some wielding swords, and some holding arrows. Chisa fired arrows at them and hit most of them, but some managed to dodge. The men with swords were riding straight at Hotohori, but he managed to parry every blow.
Chisa reached into her quiver, only to find that she was out of arrows. "Crap!" she shouted, then cried out in pain as one of the enemy arrows hit her in the shoulder. "Dammit!" she yelled. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!" Things began to become hazy. *Oh no…the arrows are poisoned,* she managed to think, just as she watched her husband get hit as well and she fell to the ground.
~**~
"Nnn? Oh, my head hurts!" Chisa moaned, waking up to find herself in a dark, dank dungeon. "What the hell?" Ignoring her headache, she ran to the bars of her cell and began beating at them. "LET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!! THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT THE EMPRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ya know, it's no use trying to get out. Those (*^#ers locked all of us in," a familiar voice informed her.
"What? Tasuki?" She turned around to see the bandit standing behind her, along with the rest of the Suzaku Seven (sans Tamahome) clad in nothing but very skimpy bikinis (AN: Think Speedos). Somewhere, a million fangirls passed out from pure joy. "Gods!" Chisa cried, blushing at the sight but enjoying it all the same. Then she realized she was wearing something similar, and the guys were staring at her. "Stop looking at me, you perverts!" she yelled, whacking Tasuki over the head.
"Wha'd I do?" he cried in reply, and was answered by a furious glower from Chisa, who took a fighting stance and sent a furious, intimidating glower in his direction. "Um, never mind," he said meekly.
"Very few people can tame the wild bandit with a single glare," Mitsukake observed. "Being empress hasn't caused you to lose your edge, Chisa."
"Are you kidding? I'll never lose my edge. Hey, where's Hotohori?" The seishi pointed into a small corner, where a dejected looking emperor sat, obscured by shadow.
"I knew it. It had to happen eventually," he whispered.
"What's wrong?" His wife tried to approach him, but he stopped her.
"My…my brother. As you know, I have two elder brothers. Normally, the elder of them would have inherited the throne, but my mother didn't want them two. If they had, they would have ruled as despots. It was obvious, judging on the way they treated the servants, their behaviour…so Mother decided for the safety of the empire, I must rule. And thus I inherited the empire. My brothers were…angered. They promised they would find a way to take over, to regain their rightful inheritance. I ignored them, only to my own expense. And," a sob crept into his voice, "they cut my hair!" He left the shadows, and the others all drew back in shock. It was true. His long, brown-black hair had been roughly chopped off at a little above shoulder length.
"It's okay honey, you still look beautiful," Chisa tried to comfort him. Unfortunately, at that moment, a pair of guards came into the cell. They grabbed the imperial couple roughly, and tied their hands back. The one holding Chisa tied her feet as well and slung her over his shoulder.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked, struggling. But it was no use. She was completely helpless with her limbs tied like that. All she could do was flop like a fish. "Let me go!"
"Sorry, can't do that," grunted the guard holding her. "Orders of the emperor."
"What the hell do you mean? The emperor's right over there. You know, the one being dragged along by that other guard."
"Not anymore, he isn't," sneered the guard.
Understanding dawned in Chisa's eyes. And as it did, her heart froze.
When they were about a mile from the palace, Chisa's intuition started warning her of something coming, setting her nerves on edge. She reined in her horse. "Hotohori. Unsheathe your sword. Now." Hotohori had learned to trust his wives instincts, and did as he was told. Chisa pulled her bow out of one of her saddlebags, and pulled several arrows from the quiver on her back. For a few long moments, everything was silent.
"Haaah!" Chisa yelled, firing one arrow after another into the distance at an unseen foe. Several formidable-looking men came in riding from that direction, some wielding swords, and some holding arrows. Chisa fired arrows at them and hit most of them, but some managed to dodge. The men with swords were riding straight at Hotohori, but he managed to parry every blow.
Chisa reached into her quiver, only to find that she was out of arrows. "Crap!" she shouted, then cried out in pain as one of the enemy arrows hit her in the shoulder. "Dammit!" she yelled. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!" Things began to become hazy. *Oh no…the arrows are poisoned,* she managed to think, just as she watched her husband get hit as well and she fell to the ground.
~**~
"Nnn? Oh, my head hurts!" Chisa moaned, waking up to find herself in a dark, dank dungeon. "What the hell?" Ignoring her headache, she ran to the bars of her cell and began beating at them. "LET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!! THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT THE EMPRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ya know, it's no use trying to get out. Those (*^#ers locked all of us in," a familiar voice informed her.
"What? Tasuki?" She turned around to see the bandit standing behind her, along with the rest of the Suzaku Seven (sans Tamahome) clad in nothing but very skimpy bikinis (AN: Think Speedos). Somewhere, a million fangirls passed out from pure joy. "Gods!" Chisa cried, blushing at the sight but enjoying it all the same. Then she realized she was wearing something similar, and the guys were staring at her. "Stop looking at me, you perverts!" she yelled, whacking Tasuki over the head.
"Wha'd I do?" he cried in reply, and was answered by a furious glower from Chisa, who took a fighting stance and sent a furious, intimidating glower in his direction. "Um, never mind," he said meekly.
"Very few people can tame the wild bandit with a single glare," Mitsukake observed. "Being empress hasn't caused you to lose your edge, Chisa."
"Are you kidding? I'll never lose my edge. Hey, where's Hotohori?" The seishi pointed into a small corner, where a dejected looking emperor sat, obscured by shadow.
"I knew it. It had to happen eventually," he whispered.
"What's wrong?" His wife tried to approach him, but he stopped her.
"My…my brother. As you know, I have two elder brothers. Normally, the elder of them would have inherited the throne, but my mother didn't want them two. If they had, they would have ruled as despots. It was obvious, judging on the way they treated the servants, their behaviour…so Mother decided for the safety of the empire, I must rule. And thus I inherited the empire. My brothers were…angered. They promised they would find a way to take over, to regain their rightful inheritance. I ignored them, only to my own expense. And," a sob crept into his voice, "they cut my hair!" He left the shadows, and the others all drew back in shock. It was true. His long, brown-black hair had been roughly chopped off at a little above shoulder length.
"It's okay honey, you still look beautiful," Chisa tried to comfort him. Unfortunately, at that moment, a pair of guards came into the cell. They grabbed the imperial couple roughly, and tied their hands back. The one holding Chisa tied her feet as well and slung her over his shoulder.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked, struggling. But it was no use. She was completely helpless with her limbs tied like that. All she could do was flop like a fish. "Let me go!"
"Sorry, can't do that," grunted the guard holding her. "Orders of the emperor."
"What the hell do you mean? The emperor's right over there. You know, the one being dragged along by that other guard."
"Not anymore, he isn't," sneered the guard.
Understanding dawned in Chisa's eyes. And as it did, her heart froze.