Ji-na went over to the courtyard to take a walk. She found Chichiri fishing
in the pond.
"Hey!" Ji-na called to Chichiri.
"Hello no da," Chichiri replied.
"Catch anything yet?"
"No, but it doesn't really matter. If I catch something, I always throw it back no da."
Ji-na walked over to the pond, took off her shoes, and stuck her feet in. The water felt cool against her legs.
"The water sure is nice," she said to no one in particular. "I wish I knew how to swim. If I did, I would right now."
"How come you don't know how to swim no DA?"
"I've never told anyone because I find it sort of embarrassing, but...." Ji- na took a deep breath. "I've never learned how to swim because I'm always so scared that I'll be dragged under and drowned."
"If you want to, I can give you lessons no da."
"No, that's O.K...." but Chichiri was already taking off his shoes and socks.
"Come on, it'll be fun no da!" he rolled up his pants past his knees and stepped into the water. He took off his shirt and kesa threw them onto the ground. He held out his hand to Ji-na.
"I don't want to!" Ji-na protested. Chichiri grabbed her hand.
"Get in no da!" He started to pull her forward.
"No!" she protested, pulling herself back.
Chichiri put his foot up on the ground so he could brace himself and pulled hard. Ji-na pulled back equally hard.
Her eye caught the symbol on his knee. Suddenly, she found herself sitting in a small house with a dirt floor. A boy older than her with hair like Chichiri's was sitting across from a girl who looked about the same age as the boy. Ji-na was standing a few feet away from them.
"Look," the boy said, rolling back his pants and showing the girl something on his knee. What it was, she couldn't see.
"See this? This means that I'm a Suzaku seishi. So when the Suzaku no Miko comes, she has to collect seven people with symbols on their bodies in order to conduct the ceremony and summon Suzaku. Each seishi has special powers."
"What's yours?" the girl asked him.
"I don't know," the boy responded.
"But I'll know by the time the Suzaku no Miko comes."
"You have a symbol on your body? That's so amazing!" Ji-na cried, running forward to look at the boy's knee. She could see the girl roll her eyes.
"My mother sometimes tells me stories about the seven seishi." she grabbed his knee and looked at the symbol. "So your symbol is 'well', huh? Then your seishi name must be Chichiri! Am I right, Houjun? Am I?"
"Yup," Houjun/Chichiri said, giving her a wink. "You sure know a lot about the seishi. How old are you? Six?"
"Uh-huh." "Your sister's pretty smart," Chichiri/Houjun said to the other girl.
"Tell me about it," the girl said as she rolled her eyes again. "She won't shut up about it. She talks about the constellations more than a person can stand. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes the Suzaku no Miko."
Suddenly, Ji-na found her self surrounded by water. She couldn't breathe. She was surrounded by water, swirling water. She felt herself sinking. Suddenly, she felt the back of her robe get grabbed by something. She was being pulled upward.
Her head broke the surface and she found herself able to breathe again.
"Are you O.K. no da?" Chichiri asked. She latched herself onto him, needing to hold something stable.
"I was so scared!" she sobbed, burying her head in his chest.
"So scared!"
"I was pretty scared, too no da," he said, stroking her hair. "When I was pulling your hand, your eyes rolled back into your head and you went limp. I pulled you into the water without meaning to. Let's go back inside so we can dry off no da." Ji-na didn't move.
"Look, I can't get you inside if you don't let me walk no da."
"Don't let go of me," Ji-na whispered into his chest. "I don't want this to turn out like last time."
"Last time no da?" Ji-na looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.
"When I was about six or seven, there was a flood that destroyed my hometown. I don't remember any of my life there, because during the flood I hit my head on a rock or something along those lines. I don't remember and my parents don't know. The royal family came the next day, my parents with them. I think it was because they were doing their routine inspection. Hotohori was about eleven then. They saw me lying on the banks of the river out cold, and my parents decided to adopt me. I couldn't remember anything about my life, let alone my name, so they gave me the name Ji-na. I never asked them why, but there must be some reason for it." Ji-na shrugged her speech over.
"So that's my life."
"You don't remember anything about your life before being adopted by the royal family no da?"
"Sometimes...I have nightmares about being in a flood. I remember I'm being tossed around, and then I see this hairpin. I grab it and think 'I have to keep it safe for him.' I'm also calling for my mother and someone else. I can't remember who it is, though."
"So you remember nothing else no da?" Ji-na paused for a moment. Should I tell him about the flashback? she thought. She decided not to.
"No." She shook her head.
"Well then, let's get inside no da." "Chichiri," she said suddenly.
"What's your real name?"
"Houjun."
"Weird."
A/N: *evil grin* Interesting, huh? This is what I meant when I said that the story would have a long and complicated plot. Now to dish out the thanks.
Princess Peach: Thanks for the title! No, the title wasn't my idea, it was Princess Peach's. So if you like the title, don't give me the credit, give it to her!
TA Maxwell: Thanks for the fact! I'll try to incorporate it into the fic somehow. Btw, send my regards to Nuriko. He shouldn't feel so down. He's a great muse!
Kittiegoneinsane: Um, could you please explain that in english?
Gloriaklompen: I'm glad you like the story so much! Crackers are in your mouth. Ba boom! (That was random, but as we all know, randomness is good!)
Faeriesinger: I'm really glad you also like this story. Hotohori threatening Ji-na to marry him was defenitly exciting. It's O.K. that you didn't review any of the other chapters before. As long as you enjoyed the story, that's all that matters! ^_^
"Hey!" Ji-na called to Chichiri.
"Hello no da," Chichiri replied.
"Catch anything yet?"
"No, but it doesn't really matter. If I catch something, I always throw it back no da."
Ji-na walked over to the pond, took off her shoes, and stuck her feet in. The water felt cool against her legs.
"The water sure is nice," she said to no one in particular. "I wish I knew how to swim. If I did, I would right now."
"How come you don't know how to swim no DA?"
"I've never told anyone because I find it sort of embarrassing, but...." Ji- na took a deep breath. "I've never learned how to swim because I'm always so scared that I'll be dragged under and drowned."
"If you want to, I can give you lessons no da."
"No, that's O.K...." but Chichiri was already taking off his shoes and socks.
"Come on, it'll be fun no da!" he rolled up his pants past his knees and stepped into the water. He took off his shirt and kesa threw them onto the ground. He held out his hand to Ji-na.
"I don't want to!" Ji-na protested. Chichiri grabbed her hand.
"Get in no da!" He started to pull her forward.
"No!" she protested, pulling herself back.
Chichiri put his foot up on the ground so he could brace himself and pulled hard. Ji-na pulled back equally hard.
Her eye caught the symbol on his knee. Suddenly, she found herself sitting in a small house with a dirt floor. A boy older than her with hair like Chichiri's was sitting across from a girl who looked about the same age as the boy. Ji-na was standing a few feet away from them.
"Look," the boy said, rolling back his pants and showing the girl something on his knee. What it was, she couldn't see.
"See this? This means that I'm a Suzaku seishi. So when the Suzaku no Miko comes, she has to collect seven people with symbols on their bodies in order to conduct the ceremony and summon Suzaku. Each seishi has special powers."
"What's yours?" the girl asked him.
"I don't know," the boy responded.
"But I'll know by the time the Suzaku no Miko comes."
"You have a symbol on your body? That's so amazing!" Ji-na cried, running forward to look at the boy's knee. She could see the girl roll her eyes.
"My mother sometimes tells me stories about the seven seishi." she grabbed his knee and looked at the symbol. "So your symbol is 'well', huh? Then your seishi name must be Chichiri! Am I right, Houjun? Am I?"
"Yup," Houjun/Chichiri said, giving her a wink. "You sure know a lot about the seishi. How old are you? Six?"
"Uh-huh." "Your sister's pretty smart," Chichiri/Houjun said to the other girl.
"Tell me about it," the girl said as she rolled her eyes again. "She won't shut up about it. She talks about the constellations more than a person can stand. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes the Suzaku no Miko."
Suddenly, Ji-na found her self surrounded by water. She couldn't breathe. She was surrounded by water, swirling water. She felt herself sinking. Suddenly, she felt the back of her robe get grabbed by something. She was being pulled upward.
Her head broke the surface and she found herself able to breathe again.
"Are you O.K. no da?" Chichiri asked. She latched herself onto him, needing to hold something stable.
"I was so scared!" she sobbed, burying her head in his chest.
"So scared!"
"I was pretty scared, too no da," he said, stroking her hair. "When I was pulling your hand, your eyes rolled back into your head and you went limp. I pulled you into the water without meaning to. Let's go back inside so we can dry off no da." Ji-na didn't move.
"Look, I can't get you inside if you don't let me walk no da."
"Don't let go of me," Ji-na whispered into his chest. "I don't want this to turn out like last time."
"Last time no da?" Ji-na looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.
"When I was about six or seven, there was a flood that destroyed my hometown. I don't remember any of my life there, because during the flood I hit my head on a rock or something along those lines. I don't remember and my parents don't know. The royal family came the next day, my parents with them. I think it was because they were doing their routine inspection. Hotohori was about eleven then. They saw me lying on the banks of the river out cold, and my parents decided to adopt me. I couldn't remember anything about my life, let alone my name, so they gave me the name Ji-na. I never asked them why, but there must be some reason for it." Ji-na shrugged her speech over.
"So that's my life."
"You don't remember anything about your life before being adopted by the royal family no da?"
"Sometimes...I have nightmares about being in a flood. I remember I'm being tossed around, and then I see this hairpin. I grab it and think 'I have to keep it safe for him.' I'm also calling for my mother and someone else. I can't remember who it is, though."
"So you remember nothing else no da?" Ji-na paused for a moment. Should I tell him about the flashback? she thought. She decided not to.
"No." She shook her head.
"Well then, let's get inside no da." "Chichiri," she said suddenly.
"What's your real name?"
"Houjun."
"Weird."
A/N: *evil grin* Interesting, huh? This is what I meant when I said that the story would have a long and complicated plot. Now to dish out the thanks.
Princess Peach: Thanks for the title! No, the title wasn't my idea, it was Princess Peach's. So if you like the title, don't give me the credit, give it to her!
TA Maxwell: Thanks for the fact! I'll try to incorporate it into the fic somehow. Btw, send my regards to Nuriko. He shouldn't feel so down. He's a great muse!
Kittiegoneinsane: Um, could you please explain that in english?
Gloriaklompen: I'm glad you like the story so much! Crackers are in your mouth. Ba boom! (That was random, but as we all know, randomness is good!)
Faeriesinger: I'm really glad you also like this story. Hotohori threatening Ji-na to marry him was defenitly exciting. It's O.K. that you didn't review any of the other chapters before. As long as you enjoyed the story, that's all that matters! ^_^