YUME-MI

A fanfic by Jashi Warning: This chapter is rated PG for language and angst.

Chapter FIVE

(Saihitei (also known as HOTOHORI)'s POV)

I gasp inaudibly as the girl bows down low before me.

*flashback*

"Your majesty, Saihitei-sama, I am the yume-mi Ayako."

*end flashback*

The yume-mis are a sacred, foreboding, intimidating kind. This girl, whom I do recognize from two days ago, seems completely innocent and…… I contradict my own thoughts. She is intimidating.

"Lady, if you are a yume-mi, as you claim, you must prove it to me." I say carefully.

(Ayako's POV)

Prove it to him? I never thought about this! Oh, crap what do I do now?? I can't rely on anyone else. Just myself. I close my eyes.

"If you do not believe me, half of Konan will die, but if I must prove it to you, I will." I think in my head.

Something strikes me.

"Your majesty, last time we met I gave you some advice, remember? I told you that, as an emperor, you should treat all subjects equally, no matter how poor and no matter how forlorn. You did that, yesterday, by telling a young man that if one man could do something, so could another man. Am I right, Kiju Mishin?"

A younger guard blushed. "Yes. He did tell me that, lady."

Some of the advisors gasp. The emperor looks at me with strange eyes.

"How did you know that?" he asks.

"I saw it." I say.

He nods. "That is proof enough in my eyes. Yume-mi Ayako, tell us what you have to say."

I take a deep breath. "I have seen a plague that will kill half of Konan. This is very hard to believe now, I am sure. But if it is a reassurance, I have also seen the cure. More or less, I have seen parts of it, but there are blank spaces too. You need an advanced doctor to figure this out. A grave thing is, that if you think I am lying, half of Konan will die and YOU will be the one to blame, because you knew." I scare myself with the intimidation in my voice. Intimidation. It's a strange word. It means "striking fear in others". I never have looked at myself this way.

Well, there is a first time for everything.

Saihitei looks at me like 'who the hell are you' and motions his councilmen to a small room. I fall to my knees; this has taken a lot out of me. Chichiri walks up and stands behind me.

"How did I do?" I ask timidly. "Did I screw it?"

He laughs. I hear Tasuki mumbling, "You just scared the living f*ck out of 'em."

"Yes, you certaintly did no da. But Saihitei believes you, and he's trying to make the feeling unanimous."

"Oh."

"Saihitei will do anything to protect his country and his miko no da. He really is a great emperor, though he is very young."

"Young for an emperor, true. Hey…. Wait a sec.." I say, coming to a realization. "He's a Suzaku seishi! I thought I saw something on his neck. It was his sign."

"You f*ckin nailed it, but Hotohori wants to keep it private."

"That would mean Hotohori is in love with Suzaku no miko."

"WHAT!" yelled Tasuki and Chichiri face faulted.

"How did you know that no da?" Chichiri asked

"I felt it; that's why he believed me. He doesn't want the miko to get hurt or sick. It's amazing; the feelings he harbors for her….and she's in love with another man." I say tragically.

Whoa. How the hell did I know that? This is getting too strange for me. Am I insane? That is my mantra lately.

Am I insane Am I insane Am I insane Am I insane Am I insane…….. You get the picture

Saihitei comes out and speaks. "We have accepted the lady's trial. You shall begin work tomorrow."

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE NEXT DAY:

(still Ayako's POV)

Wow. That's the first time I've slept in a real, live bed in two weeks. It's still pretty early in the morning, so I'm just looking around. It's quite pretty here in the palace. But, then again this is the first time I've been in one. It might be white trash to someone else, but I don't know who. I get dressed and walk out, look at the pond. I can't tell if there are any fish or not. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I almost hit the ceiling.

"Gomen nasai." a deep, gentle voice says, and I turn around to face a giant. Wow. He is really tall. I'm pretty tall too, but I am god be damned dwarfed by him.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" I say, and bow.

"Ohayo. I am Mitsukake. And you are…Ayako, the yume-mi, I believe."

"Hai. And you are a Suzaku Shichiseishi, I think."

"Correct. I am a healer, and in order to fulfill the prophecy…"

I finish his sentence. "…I need to work with you to fill in the missing parts."

He smiles. "Let's see what you saw, Ayako-sama."

I hold up my hand. "Just Ayako, please. I'm not that great…am I?"

He gives me an odd look. "Yume-mis are the great prophets of the world. The lineage is great, the power is undeniably unbelievable."

I feel…ano…strange. The power is undeniably unbelievable. What power have I shown, other than the future-seeing? That is a great power in itself, but it is…deniable…and believable.

So what else must happen? What else must show? Who the hell am I related to that is a yume-mi?

Not anyone I know.

Mitsukake sees the look of confusion on my face and chuckles.

"This must be very confusing for you."

"Ano…hai. It is…confusing…and sudden….I only found out I was one yesterday…"

He chuckled again.

"Come with me, and we can start to work. You'll need to show me exactly what you saw."

"I can do that with no problem."

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Hiya! This is kinda short…but I needed it to be, because the next chapter will be loooooong.

There is going to be romance but it will come later in the story. Please review!!!!!!!!!!!

Go see the 1st chapter for disclaimer.