Miko no Chikyuu, Gejo no Nihon
Author Notes: Well sorry for not putting this chapter up sooner but ff.net went down for awhile and then after that I wanted to update my other stories. Then the day after I did that I got the flu and then I had to make up a lot of school work! And I still haven't finished the work yet! =p But that gave me enough time to think of what to do for this chapter, so that a good thing. MUST READ THIS: So you know what I'm doing, I wanna start speeding up this story so from now on each chapter will be about a year later than the last chapter. Just so you know! ^.-
*1 year later*
Hotaru was running down the hallway so she wouldn't be late for her early morning lesson of reading and writing. She had been taking lessons for almost a year now and no matter how hard she tried to be on time she could never be punctual.
She then slowed down at the door and calmly opened it, only to be despaired that class had already begun.
"Miss Hakkou Hoopuno! How dare you always be late for my class. This is the third time this week! Come here now young lady!" The old teacher, with her nearsighted eyes and old dry wrinkled flesh yelled at her again this week. (AN: Well just so you know that's the name that Mizurei gave to Hotaru. It means Pale light of hope.)
"Fudanikaru-sama, I'm terribly sorry I'm late. I don't mean to be but something always gets in my way." Hakkou timorously told her afraid of the punishment which she knew too well. (The teacher's name means to always be/get angry. There will be a lot of puns in my story just so you know!)
"I will hear no excuses! Stand here child!" The teacher glowered down at her as Hakkou stood to the side of the desk and clenched her fists together.
The teacher then pulled a small wooden stick that oddly was finely polished. The teacher lifted the rod behind her head and then struck the back of Hakkou's shoulder with it. Hakkou had her teeth clenched tightly together imitating her hands, while two small drops of tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Now sit down and let me hope this won't happen again!" The teacher lifted the rod behind her head and then struck the back of Hakkou's shoulder with it. Hakkou had her teeth clenched tightly together imitating her hands, while two small drops of tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Now sit down and let me hope this won't happen again!" The teacher continued to give Hakkou a look full of dissent.
"Yes Ma'am." Hakkou replied with as much dignity as she had in her. Hakkou then sat down on her pillow with her small desk-like table in front of her. (You all know that those tables only go about to their stomachs.) That's when she heard someone snickering. She turned her head right and then directly across from her left sat Sunobbu Fukumuzouo with her smiling face and perfect sitting stance.
Nobody in the whole temple really liked her because of everything she was known for, laughing and mocking others' miseries. The only person who never saw Sunobbu's bad side was Mizurei, for Snobbu desperately seeked her approval of everything she did, some even suggested that she was jealous of Hakkou because she was chosen as the heir to the temple and bride of the prince. (This is another of my infamous little puns! =P Her name roughly means Snob full of hatred.)
No matter how badly Hakkou wanted to hurt her she knew it could only hurt herself in the end, so she always held her anger in along with every other emotion she had to hide from everyone else. Not that she was emotionless but more that she felt she was protecting herself from more pain and heartache, so she was generally secluded from all the other young girls at the temple.
Soon after class was over and Hakkou got fifteen minutes to herself, which she always enjoyed, especially now that it was spring once again with the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom outside.
"Hakkou! Hakkou!" A young girl in a red kimono came running up to her as fast as her wooden shoes allowed her.
"Oh hello Tanoshige Gaikan. How are you today?" Hakkou asked as politely as she could to her newly found "friend". (Her name means A happy facade or exterior. Little bit of foreshadowing here.)
The young girl with her silky black hair and onyx eyes stopped in front of Hakkou panting. "Well I'm fine but you always walk off so quickly. You should wait for me every once in awhile." The girl said smiling brightly at Hakkou.
"I just wanted to see the cheery trees before our tea class begins." Hakkou told her as she approached the giant trees that had always given her comfort and solace.
"So have you heard what Snobbu said?" Tanoshige may have been a relatively quiet person but around Hakkou she was always talking and filled her in on all the latest gossip that spread through the temple.
"No. What did she say?" Hakkou asked as she leaned against the tree slightly closing her eyes.
"She says that she's going to get Mizurei to sell you to an okiya where you will turn into a whore. And that she will take over the temple in your stead." Hakkou then scowled at how arrogant Snobbu was. But then Hakkou merely smiled. (If you don't know an okiya is a place where geisha's live.)
"What's so funny? What happens if she does get away with it?" Her friend worried.
"She's just trying to intimidate me with her ridiculous stories. She knows she will never take over this temple and she trying to hide behind all her fears with threats." Hakkou calmly explained as she sat down on the ground.
"You know Hakkou for someone our age you sure talk like you're a teenager or something!" Hakkou thought Tanoshige became her friend because of the way Hakkou acted and the intelligence she showed to everyone.
"The only thing that you need to work on is your emotions. You always hide your pain, anger, and happiness why is that I wonder?" Tanoshige always pried her friend for answers to all her questions.
"That's for my mind only Tanoshige." Hakkou then opened her eyes from on the ground and smiled up at Tanoshige who typically smiled back.
"Hakkou we better get going or we're gonna be late come on." Hakkou then pushed herself up off the ground.
"Alright lets go for more lecturing." Tanoshige then smiled at her. "Can I ask you something Hakkou?"
"Sure. What is it?" Hakkou then looked over her shoulder at her friend who uncharacteristically had a downcast look.
"Well you know the prince Wufei and his servant Hiiro?" Tanoshige then brought up a sour subject for Hakkou for the moment she did Hakkou looked down at the ground with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Well each time they come you always run off to the beach with Hiiro, and we all know that Mizurei wouldn't approve of that. Also we all notice you spend more time with him and always play sword fighting games together. We all want to know, are you marrying Wufei or Hiiro?" This took Hakkou totally by surprise.
"I'm marrying Wufei of course! Where could you ever come up with the idea that I'm marrying Hiiro?!" Hakkou now had a look of hatred across her features, and Tanoshige just hid her head in shame.
"Nothing. Lets just drop it." Tanoshige then ran off into the temple hiding her tears all the way.
/Tanoshige was my only friend at the temple. But before that day I had never noticed how emotional she really was. And I now knew I had to act more kind to those less fortunate than I, but then again I never really was truly fortunate. I never had wanted the "honor" of being the prince's bride or the caretaker of the temple after Mizurei was gone./
*~1 year later~*
Usagi was tending to the apples in the orchid once again. Once she got a bucket full she climbed down the ladder and handed the bucket to one of the older slaves. The moment she turned around she noticed Kiray approaching her. Usagi promptly started climbing the tree as fast as she could.
Kiray then stopped at the bottom of the ladder. "Usagi I don't know why you ignore me so. Every time I come near you, you run away and act as if I have leprosy or something." Kiray leaned against the ladder with her arms folded across her chest.
"Kiray could you please leave before we both get in trouble." Usagi pleaded with her as she began to feel weak in the legs.
Kiray then saw one of the slave managers coming towards her. "Fine but I'll see you later." Kiray then quickly walked back to her post before the young man could whip her.
Several hours of labor later lunch break came and everyone left their posts to get their ration. 'More rice porridge. This is all we ever get here! I hate it! I have to get away!' But alas Usagi knew if she even got away slave police would eventually find her and whip she so bad she might not get away alive.
Usagi then sat down against a cherry tree where her and Kiray used to sit together each lunch. Images of those times flashed in her head but she quickly dismissed them.
"Usagi! Now that we're alone we need to talk." Usagi then stopped eating to look up only to see Kiray eye to eye. Usagi then prepared to leave but Kiray pushed her back down against the tree.
"Listen you and I need a little talk. I wanna know what's up with you! When I got out of jail six months ago I expected you to be happy on my return but no all you gave me was dissent. Why may I ask?" Kiray glowered down at her young blond former companion.
"Do we have to go through this again?" Usagi asked as strongly as her voice would allow her.
"What do you mean again? We never even discussed this before because you were to busy ignoring me!" Kiray continued to give Usagi her intense look.
"They whipped me Kiray! Ten times! And now." Usagi's eyes were starting to tear up, "And now I have scars covering my back probably for the rest of my life! And it's all because of you!" Usagi then hid her face from Kiray as she tightly clung to her bowl.
"My fault! It's not my fault we were caught! It was that damn Warugaki who got us punished! You should blame her not me!" Kiray then pulled Usagi's wet face up to look into her own.
"Well we would never have been caught if you hadn't come up with that dumb plan!" Usagi almost yelled, gathering some attention from those around them.
"We were both being starved to death you and I both know that. And it's this very thing that the master loves to see. Breaking our spirits! I already told you that but your ears must have been full of wax!" Usagi then pulled Kiray's hand off her face and glared at Kiray.
"I don't care if he broke my spirit. I didn't have any to begin with. Now get away!" Usagi yelled at her.
Kiray then backed away from Usagi. "You did have a spirit when I first met you, and it's that same spirit that I loved. So don't go and give me those lies. I guess I was wrong about you Usagi. I thought you were stronger than that, but I was wrong your nothing but a sniveling little weakling." Kiray then angrily walked off never turning around.
Usagi sat their looking down at her hands and then up at Kiray with a new-found knowledge in her eyes. She realized that what she had done before were mistakes, she had lost all love and faith in Kiray.
/I realized then that I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I had been so blind by grief I never noticed how much Kiray had looked out for me and had been one of the only people I could ever depend on. I knew I had to make it up to her./
The sun was setting and all the slaves work had ended. Aching and tired Usagi ran around the fields looking for Kiray.
"Looking for something little rabbit?" Usagi then turned her head and saw Kiray leaning against one of the trees.
"Kiray!" Usagi just merely jumped into Kiray's arms crying.
"What's with all the water-works Usagi?" Kiray then kneeled down so she would be almost even in height with Usagi.
"I was so dumb. I never should have treated you with scorn like that! I am not weak, I refuse to be!" Usagi then leaned her head on Kiray's shoulder and cried.
Kiray then pushed her forward and held onto her shoulders. "Don't worry about it Usagi. I forgive you. I had a feeling I would see you again today so earlier I stole some bread from the kitchen. Here's the other half I didn't eat." Kiray then handed her a small handful of bread.
"You never learn a your lesson do you?" Usagi asked wiping the tears off on her dress.
"That's because I don't want to learn." Kiray then smiled and fell down on the grass to look up at the sky as she saw stars begin to appear.
"I hope you haven't forgotten our promise to become vagabonds and run off together cause I sure haven't!" Usagi then sat down next to Kiray as she practically inhaled the bread.
"Of course not. And I now actually know what vagabond means!" Kiray then started to laugh at this.
TBC………..
An: Sorry for not having any of the g-boys in this chapter but I couldn't see anywhere to put them. But I'll make up for it in the next chapter cause Wufei and Hiiro will be back, and I'm going to introduce two more pilots! ^.- Also I know Hiiro was OOC in my last chapter, but in case you forget this is an AU. So nothing that happened to him in the series happens to him here. I'm totally making up his past so of course he's going to act different. But I'm keeping Wufei pretty much the same because well he's a spoiled brat, I mean hey he's a prince isn't he!
Please review and thanks to all that already have! ^.-