*grins cheerfully* Well then, I did get some nice reviews after all. Since I've gotten a bit of confusion, I'll just clear this up a bit… it only makes sense in my head.
1) The rankings of colour…. Silver is the highest, then black, then red. I think those are the only ones I've introduced so far. It'll become clearer later on, I promise.
2) Everyone's personality is indeed twisted around. I wanted to do different things, and it hit me one day that an evil adult Chiriko might very well be quite cool.
3) Erm……… yeah. Big trouble with Houki. Big trouble. Another cool thought of mine… more to come as story progresses, as well as the side story to that.
4) Lastly, I hope I haven't confused with all the new sides and alliances people are on.
Chapter 3
"Shokka-san! Are we out of that herb that stanches blood?" A rather plump man ambled into the room, holding a list.
"I'm grinding it up now. Who wants it?" She replied, pausing to check the texture of the herb.
"Seventy orders for the rebels, one hundred and twenty for the Gasshou." He said, and scratched his nose. "More fighting going on, looks like."
"Chizuo, the paper, please." He handed her a stack of thin rice paper, and she began distributing the ground herb evenly onto several sheets. "I'm quite surprised the Gasshou needs so much of this." She said.
"Why?" He asked curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing really. Just that Gasshou have Jua-... Mitsukake." Shokka said, keeping her voice steady and staring down at the packages. "He can heal them all."
"Then why doesn't he?" Chizuo flopped down onto the floor with a thump and began helping her in folding the packages of medicine.
Her eyes suddenly flashed. "That's what I want to know. And that's what I will find out."
Houki bit her lip, grimacing, as Nuriko finished tying the last bandage to her arm. "Meddling bitch," she muttered. "Why the hell is my dear husband traveling her?" she growled.
Nuriko shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's helping her with something." He looked at Houki strangely. "Do you think he's in love with her?"
"Perhaps." She answered slowly, sipping water out of a flask. "All the more reason to kill her."
A man walked into a run down village that giant tress overlooked. It had the appearance of a once prosperous town that was abandoned by its rich inhabitants. He stopped by a stooped old woman by the village gate.
"Have you seen a woman pass by this town?" he asked roughly. "She wore red silk and a silver sash, nothing like you'd see today."
"I might have." She wheezed. "If you can pay me for my information."
He clenched his fists, then dug into his pockets and threw a coin at her. "Talk."
"She had black hair, I remember." She nodded to herself. "Didn't talk to anyone, but went right through. Looked like she was going to help the town that's north of the forest."
The town Tomo burnt. He walked away brusquely, heading into the forest.
"It's Cookie's birthday today," Kasumi said, grinning. "So I'm cooking dinner for her tonight."
"Most people don't treat their cooks this well." Hotohori said, surprised.
"Most girls don't live on their own. Well, for a bit, anyway." She countered. "And I got bought her favourite sake."
Hotohori raised and eyebrow as she folded another dumpling. "Have you tasted sake before? Wait. Let me re-phrase that. Are you old enough to drink it?" he teased.
She looked at him indignantly. "I'm old enough to get - " She bit her lip and continued silently.
"Old enough to get…?"
"Um… drunk." She finished lamely, looking embarrassed.
"Ah." He changed the subject deftly. "Is anyone else coming?"
Kasumi nodded. "Cookie's cousins that live in the city. Just two of them."
The image dissipated slowly.
Hotohori blinked. "Why did you stop?"
"I told you already." She replied distantly, looking shaken. "Showing you this requires effort on my part. Besides, we'd better get back to Yuiren and Chuei. It's already been many hours since we left."
He shrugged at the impersonal reply. Fine. Be that way, I can be like that too. "Okay." Without waiting for her, he began striding back to the cave. She didn't follow. When he reached the clearing, he looked around warily to see if any enemies were present.
"Oh no, it's okay, there's no one else here." Said Chuei who was sitting outside the cave. "I'm keeping watch while Yuiren sleeps."
"That's good of you." Hotohori commented. "You're Tamahome's brother. Did you receive any abilities after the split?"
"Not… really. But I'm not sure, anyway, nothing special has surfaced." Chuei replied, sighing heavily.
"You might not be aware of it yet." Hotohori said, snapping a twig and throwing it into the fire.
"Maybe…" he stopped and looked around. "Where is Kasumi?"
Hotohori shrugged, looking like he didn't care. "How should I know?"
"I'm…here." She walked back into the clearing, looking disgruntled. "Where's Yuiren? We have to go."
"She's sleeping." Chuei said, standing up. Should I wake her up?"
"No." Hotohori cut in. "We're staying here for the night."
"It's nearly dawn." She countered. "And we have to go."
"Alright." Chuei said compliantly. "I'll go wake her."
"Stop." Hotohori commanded. "There's no reason to go."
Kasumi's voice rose. "There are plenty of reasons to go! And if we don't go now, they'll find us. "
" 'They' being…" he replied, a small smirk on his lips. "An imaginary ghost?"
"You're so… infuriating!" She nearly shrieked, waving her arms around. "Why can't you listen to me? If there will be one time in your life you decide to listen to someone, NOW WOULD BE THE TIME!"
Hotohori was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to ever lose her composure. Not in front of him. He shot her a questioning look. "Alright." He said quietly. "Let's go."
Chuei immediately went to wake Yuiren up. "Little sister," they heard him say. "We have to go."
She yawned as she exited the cave. "Okay." She said, stretching her arms.
"Hotohori will take the front and lead us make to the rebel hideout," Kasumi said softly. "Yuiren will go behind him, then Chuei, and then me." The air around her shimmered and a slivery cloak materialized over her body to replace the torn robe she was wearing. She placed the hood over her hair. "We must hurry." She watched Hotohori's face carefully, and blinked slowly.
"Can't you transport all of us like you did before?" Hotohori asked after awhile.
"Oh, could you?" Yuiren echoed eagerly.
Kasumi shook her head heavily. "It will attract too much attention. Anyone with a bit of fighting skill will pick up the power. Too dangerous."
They continued walking in silence as the sun rose.
A man watched the sun rise. His green eyes blazed and he spoke quietly, though no one was there. He angrily clutched the arm of his chair in silence, until it broke and fell apart. He looked at the splinter in his hand, watching the crimson drops fall to the polished marble floor.
"Find her…bring her to me… but follow her first…" the words echoed in his mind uselessly. He growled and slashed at an overhanging bush with his sword.
"What is the point of sending me to capture someone if I'm not allowed to capture her?" he muttered, shouldering his ryuseisui.
He smiled in pleasure as he recalled the look she had on her face when he found her. And with Hotohori, no less. Chiriko wouldn't stop bitching about that. And now they were running, trying to hide, hoping that he wouldn't get to them.
Oh, but you'll see…the hunter always will trick the prey.
A man in swirling black robes sat down on a plush couch, reclining and sipping wine. He narrowed his eyes as a woman with flowing blond hair entered and sat on another couch without invitation. "And what might you want from me?" Chichiri asked in a low voice.
"Tell me where Mitsukake is." She said, crossing her arms and meeting his cold stare.
"I have no idea where he is." Chichiri said flatly. "Although I could find out."
"Then do so." She barked. She smiled viciously. "Or should I withhold medical supplies from the Gasshou?"
In a sudden movement, Chichiri threw his glass at the wall next to her. "It would make no difference to me… as for Chiriko…" he shrugged.
Shokka didn't blink. "What then, would you have me do for payment?" She inquired blandly.
Chichiri leaned forward, looking satisfied. "I hear that you have knowledge with herbs…and poisons." He sat up and smirked. "Chiriko has been getting too cocky about everything. Whip up something that is undetectable."
"And you think that you can actually pull this off?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Whether I can pull it off or not is none of your concern." Chichiri snapped and closed his eyes. An intense black glow surrounded him for a moment. When he opened his eyes to look at Shokka, they were completely black. "Mitsukake is at the southern border of Gasshou territory, looking for survivors from the battle with Nakago and Soi. But his ki is lowered as he is very close to the rebel's area, to remain undetectable." The dark light blinked out.
Shokka stood up, reached into her sleeve, and dropped a packet wrapped in rice paper onto the oak table. "Your payment." She inclined her head slightly and strode out the door.
Yui grasped her bleeding arm and stared into the bleak distance. She was disconcerted, and had little idea where the Gasshou complex was, but kept walking doggedly in the same direction. I'll kill them for leaving me to die… I'll kill them all.
Her sharp blue eyes saw man in Gasshou uniform atop a horse, and called to him. He rode over disdainfully, not recognizing the Gasshou leader.
"What do you want?" He said rudely.
She felt a small smile tugging at her lips, but said nothing.
"Lady, out with it! What do you want?" he said impatiently.
From behind her back she swiftly produced a small dagger.
She left him on the ground and took his horse. However, it was not the dagger that killed him, but the poison on it.
Yui rode away, smiling.
Houki rode on her horse next to Nuriko, brooding.
"Why are you so quiet?" Nuriko asked, flicking the reins.
She shut her eyes and scrunched up her forehead. "I can't feel their energy at all… they must be hiding."
Nuriko shrugged in response. "That's not unusual. They're being chased by everyone else on the universe, so at least their smart enough to hide."
"They're being chased by other people?" Houki said, staggered, and sat up in her saddle.
Nuriko snorted. "Where have you been? Chiriko practically wants the enchantress's head on a plate."
Houki narrowed her purple eyes. "Then we have to find them before little Chiriko does. Or I won't have the satisfaction of killing her."
He rolled his eyes at her melodramatic statement. "So make them come out if hiding. Whip up a thunderstorm, hurricane, whatever."
She abruptly stopped her horse, an expression of cruel joy on her face. "What an idea…" she murmured.
Nuriko groaned good-naturedly and stopped as well. "Get on with it, then. We don't have all day, you know."
Houki watched the clouds in the sky intensely for several minutes. She raised her right hand and made a brushing motion with it. The clouds immediately moved to block the sun and form an ominous gray pillar. A sharp, biting wind picked up, and thunder began rumbling in the distance. She smiled, pleased with her work.
"They'll have a hard time dealing with this storm without their powers…" Houki said, satisfied.
Nuriko whistled when he saw the sky. "Yikes…. What the heck did you make?"
Houki chuckled. "I'm not sure, really. Just a mix of the worst storms you can imagine." She stirred her nervous horse back into motion. "Let's go."
Soi looked up to have an ice pellet strike her face. "Looks like a bad storm is coming." She commented to Nakago.
Nakago cursed. "It's a created storm. We'll have to take cover…" He growled in anger. "And we're just on the border of the Gasshou territory!"
"Can't we just keep going? Will it really be that bad?" She asked, and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
He shook his head. "This storm… will be bad. Whoever created must be furious about something right now. All we can do is keep riding and find some sort of shelter."
Soi nodded. "Alright…" Her face held a look of discontent. "But I wanted to get into the Gasshou territory and beat them into a pulp."
Nakago smiled dryly. "So did I." With that, they kicked their horses into canter, leaving a trail of dust behind them.
Yuiren shivered nervously. "The weather is getting bad." She commented, peering at the sky.
"Yeah… and it happened so quickly." said Chuei, glancing back at Kasumi to check her expression. It was unreadable, and she remained silent.
Hotohori suddenly stopped at the front. "It's Houki." He stated lowly. "She's trying to find us."
"She created this?" Kasumi asked after a pregnant pause.
"It's like she's challenging us." He answered. "Try to survive my storm without using any energy. Because she knows we'll have to if we want to survive… and then…"
"She'll find us." Kasumi finished flatly. "So will the Gasshou."
"But… what will we do?" Yuiren asked anxiously.
Hotohori and Kasumi looked at each other, but she quickly looked away. "I don't know." She said, shutting her eyes tightly. "But it looks bad…."
Chichiri tucked the small package into a pocket. Now was not the time for action, Chiriko was far too cautious… but when the emperor and the enchantress begin wreaking havoc upon him….the time would be ripe.
"Master Chichiri?" A girl with black hair and soft purple eyes appeared at the door.
He turned around. "What do you want?"
She was slightly taken aback by his rough tone. "But you sent for me."
"So I did." He said candidly, he motioned to a couch. "Take a seat." He watched as she did so, perching nervously on the end of a plush cushion. "I understand your siblings think you were killed in one of our invasions." She nodded, but he held his hand up. "You also have the ability to connect with them. I want you to find Yuiren and Chuei while Shunkei recovers. Can you do it?"
Gyukuren was speechless. "But, why?"
"That's not for you to know now. But you do want to be reunited with them, right?" He asked passively, crossing his arms.
"Yes…" she said faintly. "All right. But I'll need a room with candles and white curtains. And I'll need to be alone." She stood up and moved slowly to the balcony.
"Good. I'll have one of my staff prepare a room for you. You may wait here in the meantime." With that, Chichiri strode out of room, smiling darkly.
That's all….. except I've decided to acknowledge my reviewers! Ahem… heeeere we goooooo!
Faerie_X: *bows* I apologize for any confusion I have caused, hence the note at the top. ^_^
DragonGoddess: Wow… a whole 2 reviews. I'm actually quite surprised people like this weird fic of mine. Thank you.
Chipminkz : Yes, I think that sums it all up. ^_^
Chu Chu: I guess the fact Chiriko is a baddie has gotten through. *sighs in relief* I thought it wasn't forward enough.
Princess_yumin: Ha ha… that one word is very kind of you.
Oh yes. I forgot to mention: Fushigi Yuugi sadly does not belong to me.