Willow no Miko
Willow looked up at the man that had saved her twice and, due to her fright, saw Oz standing in front of her, his arms open, wanting to comfort her. She ran to him, not realizing until her tears were flowing that this was not Oz. "I was scared..." she said hesitantly, trying to explain herself.
"It's alright. Those guys are gone now, I took care of it." He gently pushed her away, "I heard you were looking for me."
Willow wiped her face, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. "Yeah, I'm trying to find my friend Buffy. The girl I was with before..."
"Oh yeah, I remember her!"
Willow brightened, "Oh, you know where she went?"
"Nope, don't know." The man waved and turned around. "See ya!"
Willow's head dropped. Then she looked up, more determined than ever. She grabbed his arm. "Then help me find her!"
"Huh? Why should I do that? It costs money to find somebody, and you don't have any."
"Money? Again?"
"It's all I think about." The man said with a grin. "Gotta go, bye!" He took off at a brisk pace, attempting to lose Willow in the crowd.
While Willow had never been very good at gym, when she was determined, she wasn't going to let a perfectly good ally walk away. "Hey! Wait up! What are you doing? Are you walking away? I need help here!" She pursued him through the people. Anyone who could navigate the crowded Sunnydale High halls could keep up with this guy. He stood out like a sore thumb.
He quickened his pace. "I said wait!" Willow shouted, "What is your problem? You're just going to abandon me? What kind of MAN abandons somebody?" He stopped. Willow gulped. "Oops," she thought, "maybe I went a little to far that time."
"Who are you to tell me what kind of man I am? A man gets paid for his services." He turned and held out his hand again.
"Money, Money, Money. A little obsessed are we...you'd probably stoop to any low to..." Willow looked up, eyes wide. "You sold her, didn't you! You sold Buffy, I know you did!" The boy looked around, trying to make sure no one heard. But they did, and a crowd started to gather. "No, now, stop it!"
"You scum! You sold my friend to slavers, didn't you? When we couldn't pay you just up and handed her over, SLAVE TRADER!" Willow shouted.
"Hush! Come on, just be quiet!"
"Did you hear that?"
"Can you believe that man, trading girls. In our little city."
Willow grinned at the effect the crowd's gossip was having on her "friend." "Hey everybody, watch out for this guy, he's a SLAVER!" She pointed and shouted at the top of her lungs until he reached out and grabbed her, carrying her off as she mumbled more shouts.
"She's just joking, she does this all the time, hardly know what to do with her, hehe." The man picked her up, jogging to a nearby alley. "What do you think you're doing? I'm not a slave trader!"
"I know that." Willow grinned. This has worked better than she thought. At least until he dumped her unceremoniously on her rear in the dirt.
"Hey! That hurt! I knew nobody could sell Buffy to slave traders. I just did it to get you to stop and listen to me. I don't have anybody else to turn to, and while I'm not itching to trust you, you're all I have you know." She looked up at the hard look in his eyes. Suddenly, she was frightened that he was going to get really mad and do something rash, and she didn't have the heart to cast a spell on her boyfriend. Not to mention that at the moment, she couldn't remember any spells. Her face paled, and the events of the day came crashing in at once, and she started to cry.
The boy's frowned with concern. "Now, don't cry...." He stepped forward to hug her when he heard shouts and whispers from the crowd. They both turned to see nearly twenty soldiers marching down the street in front of an elaborately decorated palanquin. "Wow, a parade." Willow smiled, "Why?"
"For the emperor. That's his palanquin there." The blue-haired man smiled wistfully, "What I wouldn't give for once jewel from his crown."
Willow thought for about three seconds. "Well, I might know something for that...I just need to get closer." She started to push through the crowd to the fringes.
"Okay, you do that...hey! What are you doing!"
Willow's face scrunched together as she concentrated. Mumbling words to a spell that she was fairly certain she had read somewhere, she held out one hand and let the magic flow through her fingers. But the red bolt of energy was just not what she was trying to call up. The bolt of energy headed straight for the palanquin, and hit the bottom of one of the silk curtains, singing off several inches.
"What the..."
"Stop her!" The guards turned quickly in her direction. Willow gulped and started to think that was one of the dumbest things she had every tried, desperate or not when a very sharp, very pointed sword was pointed directly at her throat.
"You have threatened the Emperor of the Konan Empire, and for that offence you must die!"
"There will be no questions!" The guard shouted, pulling back his sword. Suddenly, smoke permeated the air, and Willow felt herself being picked up and carried away. She looked up and barely made out the face of the Oz-look-alike.
"What are you crazy?" He shouted, looking down at the thoroughly frightened Sunnydale resident.
"I just wanted to get on of those jewels so you would help me. It was supposed to be a replication spell, and well it just didn't..."
The boy grinned slightly, "Well, anybody that can do something like that is worth helping."
"Really?" Willow brightened.
"Yeah, sure. My name is Sou Kishuku. But most of the time people call me Tamahome."
"Tamahome?" That's going to take some getting used to, Willow thought. "I'm Willow, Rosenberg. People just call me Willow." She couldn't imagine she was introducing herself to Oz again, but she'd have to remember he wasn't Oz. But then, who was he?
"So, what sort of reward can I get from you that isn't money?" Tamahome smiled and leaned forward, planting a soft, tender kiss on her forehead. But the moment his lips touched her, a light, the same bright red as the fog that engulfed the library spread around them.
The guards scrambled to protect their emperor, and stared as Willow started to fade from Tamahome's arms. Tamahome squinted as the light brightened, and Willow screamed as she felt like she was being pulled towards the ground.
Then, before she knew what was happening, she was floating through a red fog again, and as it parted, she saw Buffy, struggling to make her way through the book that Westley had been reading. "Buffy! You made it back! I'm coming back to, we can figure out what happened!" Willow yelled with all her might but her friend didn't turn her attention from the dictionary in her lap. Willow felt herself being pulled back again, and heard the eagle screech once more. This time, she saw a red phoenix fly past.
"Guards! Capture them at once! I want them arrested!" The emperor's voice was the first thing Willow heard when she opened her eyes again. She blinked, sure that she had seen a red feather floating to the ground, but before she could figure out where it went, the guards had grabbed her and were hauling her towards the palace.
***
"Then, a strange red light engulfed the girl and the man who had rescued her. The guards rushed to arrest them, and...and...man, what is THAT character supposed to be?" Buffy had gotten the hang of reading the book for the most part, but she was still stumped on the more difficult words. She was so engrossed in the book, it didn't occur to her to wonder why she was learning ancient Chinese in one sitting, when it took three years of French for verb conjugations to sink in.
*** "Buffy! Hey!" Willow ran towards her friend.
"Willow, are you still going to help me fight evil?"
"Of course!" Willow continued to run as Buffy stood, slowly shifting form into her mother.
"I'm sorry Willow, it's too late. You can't do anything now." Willow stopped short as her mother slowly faded into blackness, and she woke up crying in Tamahome's lap.
"You gonna be okay?"
Willow sat up quickly and wiped the tears off her face. She was crying far too much these days. "I'll be fine. Man, they certainly don't skimp on the dreariness of this cell, do they?"
She looked around, trying to figure out if there was any way out of this one. When she looked in Tamahome's direction, she saw that he was staring at her.
"What was with that light you gave off?"
She ducked her head. "I, I don't know." She sighed, "But Buffy, she was back in the library, so we don't have to look for her anymore. I just couldn't make it back."
Tamahome leaned over to comfort her. "It's okay. I'll make sure you stay safe. First we've got to get out of here." Willow smiled and started to look around again. "Maybe if I use this..." Willow leaned out of the cell, and pulled a small, crude stake from her pocket. She leaned her arm back just right, and concentrated on her emotional control before she let it fly. She grinned as it hit the guard with smack. The blow to the head knocked him out cold, and she concentrated again in order to levitate the keys in their direction. "There."
Tamahome just stared at her, unable to do anything with the keys that had just floated into his hands.
***
"Your highness, we urge you to take action. She's bound to be a witch! Did you see that red light?"
"Let's not act so rash." The emperor of Konan glared at his advisors. "Aren't you at least curious as to where she came from? Her clothing is foreign. If I am not mistaken, she may be the Suzaku no Miko!" *
The advisors paled at the very idea, and the entire imperial court began to chatter in hushed tones.
***
Willow and Tamahome jogged lightly through the palace hallways. They ducked into a room as they heard the palace guard approaching.
"Are you sure you want to give me these?" Tamahome held out three small stakes Willow had stashed in her pockets. "You're not taking them back you know!"
"Geez, they're just stakes. Get over it." Willow frowned at Tamahome. Then she looked up and saw a beautiful gold statue of a bird standing over them. "Wow! That's the bird I saw!"
Tamahome's tone was suddenly hushed as he realized where he was. "That's Suzaku, the guardian god of Konan. The four gods protect the four parts of the world, the East is Seiryuu, the North is Genbu. In the west they have Byakku, and here in the south we are protected by Suzaku."
Willow walked towards the statue, reaching out a hand to touch the beautiful golden bird.
"Hey! There they are!" Three guards rushed into the temple. Willow and Tamahome ran in opposite directions, both assuming the other was right behind them. When Willow finally stopped to catch her breath, she turned and saw that she was alone in a small courtyard on the outskirts of the palace. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the predicament she was in. "Oh my god, I'm lost, what am I supposed to do?"
She frowned as a soft; familiar laughter made its way across the courtyard. She looked up to see a beautiful women dressed in flowing white robes with her black hair hanging in across her face. "Are you lost? There is a gate to your right, you might find your way through there."
"Wait! I'm on your side! Please..."
Willow turned, surprised at the pleading look on the lady's face. The lady smiled, "I won't call the guards. You have my word of honor."
***
"Where did she go? Geez, I'm never going to make it out of here if I have to keep chasing that silly girl." Tamahome looked around as he ran, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willow's red hair.
"Hey, there he is, after him!"
"Yikes!" Tamahome ran even faster, but never stopped glancing around for Willow.
***
"Well, actually. I'm looking for my friend. I can't just leave him here." Willow frowned, "It's my fault he's in this mess to begin with, and I can't go back to my world without helping him out of it, it wouldn't be right."
"Oh!" The lady practically ran over to Willow, her face brightening considerably. "You're from another world?"
"Oh darn...now I just sound crazy." Willow muttered, then she looked up at the lady who was now quite close, and grinning from ear to ear."
"Tell me all about it! This is so wonderful!"
Willow stared at the lady, speechless.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just that...I was thinking how much you look like a much more beautiful version of my friend Xander." Willow blinked, amazed at her own honesty.
If it were possible, the lady's grin would have gotten even wider. "Oh, people say that all the time. Well, not exactly, but it all means the same. People call me lots of things, but my name is Hotohori."
"Where is the girl?"
Willow and Hotohori turned, and saw the guards walking towards them, with Tamahome between them, his hands bound behind his back. Hotohori grabbed Willow and pulled her into an alcove. They watched in silence as the guards beat Tamahome. "I asked you a question, where is the little witch?"
"I told you I don't know. Maybe she got away while you were so busy asking me where she was!"
"Oh, this is it. These guards are going to get it." Willow stood from where she was hidden; ignoring Hotohori's murmured protest. "Hey stupid! I'm over here, can't you see, or do you need help finding me!"
"Willow, get away, what are you crazy?" Tamahome struggled with the ropes that held his hands.
Willow started to chant the same spell she had used earlier, the one that had singed the Emperor's palanquin. But before she could get very far, a guard tackled her. She screamed as she hit the ground.
Tamahome growled, and a bright red light began to shine from his forehead. The character of the ogre appeared, and he broke free easily. He fought all of the guards by himself, easily defeating them. "Don't you EVER touch her again or I'll kick your ass," he whispered in a voice so threatening it made Willow's eyes widen.
The guards were beginning to stand again when suddenly a voice boomed from behind Willow. "No one is to touch them without MY permission!"
Tamahome and Willow turned, and saw Hotohori standing in front of them, arms outstretched.
The guards quickly fell to their knees, "Heika-sama!"
Willow frowned, "What's a Heika-sama?"
It was Tamahome's turn to be surprised. He fell to his knees, "Your highness!"
Willow just looked around, feeling decidingly out of place, "What in the world are you talking about?"
Tamahome lifted his head barely, "Get your head down, you'll be killed for disrespecting the Emperor!"
Willow looked from the guards, to Hotohori, to Tamahome, and back to Hotohori. "You mean, this lady is the Emperor? Shouldn't she be a...That's a MAN?"
"Stop talking and bow!"
"Xander is the Emperor?" Willow was practically shouting by this point. "There's no way." She walked over to Hotohori, and he nodded.
"I am indeed the Emperor of Konan. I don't believe you've introduced yourself."
"I'm Willow Rosenberg. Are you sure you're not Xander?" Willow leaned in close and lifted Hotohori's long hair, looking for the small birthmark Xander had on his neck.
"Quit touching him, he's the Emperor!" Tamahome grabbed her before she could figure out if this was indeed her friend.
***
Willow continued to stare at Hotohori. He had replaced his flowing white robes with fancier ceremonial ones, and pulled his hair into a strange looking little hat. She couldn't help but giggle at the hat and funny shoes. The resemblance was almost more striking than Tamahome's resemblance to Oz.
"I'm sorry that I tricked you, but I had to be sure of your character. I found out you are not our enemy, and not a witch at all."
Willow stared at her feet. Hotohori continued. "I want to ask of you a great favor. The legend of our world says that when a nation is in trouble, a girl from another world appears to call upon the animal god that protects them. Willow, I believe you are that girl."
Willow looked up and blushed a deep red. "Oh no, you have to have me confused with someone else..."
"But don't you want your wishes to come true?"
"Wishes?" Willow suddenly remembered Westley's voice, ringing through the school library. "This is the story of the girl who gathered the seven Seishi of Suzaku. She obtained omnipotent power and made every wish come true. The story itself is an incantation. Whoever finishes reading it shall receive this power. As soon as the page is turned, the story will become the truth and begin." She started to think of all the things she could wish for. She and Oz would never be apart, her powers as a witch would increase. She could de-rat Amy, close the Hellmouth for good. Angel could walk in the sunlight again...
"You can have anything your heart desires." Hotohori spoke like he had read her mind.
Willow thought of all the good things she could do, "I'll do it. I'll be the Suzaku no Miko. Can't be any worse that what I have been doing."
Hotohori stood, and pointed at the crowd that had gathered behind them, "Behold, the Suzaku no Miko, the girl of legend! Show your respect to the one who will save our land!"
***
Buffy looked at the illustration. She couldn't believe what she had just read, everybody bowing down to Willow? That was a something to get used to. She couldn't believe that Willow had agreed to this. Oh well, to each his own. She shrugged and continued reading.
Notes for Chapter Two:
The Suzaku no Miko- Okay, you kinda get the idea, ne? A miko is a shrine maiden, but in the Fushigi Yuugi universe (for you Buffy-folk) she is a bit more than that...you figure that out as the story goes along, don't worry about it. In the case of FY, they usually translate miko as "Priestess."
Coming soon:
Willow, Tamahome, and Hotohori decide they must find the other five Suzaku Seishi. While testing the best warriors in the land, a structure collapses. Tamahome and Willow are in grave danger, when a new face appears.
Chapter Three: The Seven Stars of Sunnydale
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