Miko no Chikyuu, Gejo no Nihon

AN: Hey! I told you I was going to update soon. Besides I wanna get as much as this story completed before school starts and I've still got my ways to go. =P And thanks everyone who reviewed for my last chapter I really appreciate it. Thanx!

Usagi: 19

Hotaru: 17

Duo/Quatre/Heero/Wufei: 19

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"Wufei-sama. You're father he's-" He quickly took in a deep breath. "You're father. He's dead!"

Those words radiated through his mind. It was minutes before it actually sunk into him and he realized that his father was actually gone. "Where- Where is he?" He said a little nervous.

"He's in his bed chamber Sir. Shall I take you to him?" Wufei nodded in response and the servant nearly tripped over his own feet in a frenzy of confusion. After a few mumbled words he took off at a rather quick pace and everyone followed behind Wufei, at a small distance.

When they finally reached the doors Wufei spoke. "I want you all to wait here for me." He said opening the bedroom doors and then shutting them as he walked in the room.

Tense moments raged outside the doors and everyone, at one point or other, tried to gather up the courage to say something. But each time when they tried to speak nothing came out, everyone was completely baffled as to what to say. And so silence engulfed the emperor's antechamber.

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Wufei saw his father's bed with his lifeless body laying in it. Looking to the bed's right hand side he saw his older half-brother Milliardo, looking as if he was weeping. His footsteps slowly approached the bed until Milliardo finally acknowledged his presence in the room.

"I'm sorry brother. Our father has finally gone into the next life." Milliardo faked a sad and sobbing voice so as to sound realistic.

'Finally?' Wufei thought looking at Milliardo with a face that held suspicion.

Bending down by his father's left-hand side he grabbed his father's hand and held it tightly. "Father. You were a strong leader and I will-" Fighting back the tears that were threatening to break free of their confines. "I will always follow in your ways and make you proud." He turned his head away from his father's stone cold face and hid the tears that were coming out.

"Brother I feel that I should tell you something." Milliardo said with a more serious tone now. Wufei wiped away his tears and slowly lifted his head from the bed to look up at Milliardo, his face no less than angry. Milliardo cleared his throat and raised his voice, so others would hear as well.

"He said with his last breath that his dying wish was for me to be anointed Emperor of Japan." Wufei gasped and got up off his knees.

"What? What're talking about?! Ever since I was five he told me that I would be his heir to the throne and rule once he was gone, Mizurei even-" But he stopped himself before he said anything else.

"Mizurei what?" Milliardo asked with a sort of enraged curiosity.

"Nothing." Wufei replied looking to his feet.

"Father said that it was a mistake to anoint you and that I always was the true heir but he didn't want to hurt you. So I think it would be best if you continued with your marriage as father wanted and I could give you as much land as you want outside of Tokyo." Wufei raised his head and his onyx eyes looked as if they could shoot daggers at anyone who stared at him.

"You mean after my marriage you intend to kick me out of my home and ditch me in some different province so I won't mess with your rules and regulations." Milliardo opened his mouth to speak but Wufei just grunted and left stomping out of the room.

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"So what do you think?" Hotaru lightly asked Heero. But Heero hushed her as he heard angry footsteps inching closer and closer to the door. Moments after Hotaru had spoke Wufei came blasting though the doors, extremely pissed off about something. He didn't even look at the others as he walked right past them and down the hallway from which they came.

Hotaru was getting a little nervous but she and the others quickly kept up the pace with him, but still decided to stay a fair distance behind him. They finally emerged into the garden where they saw Wufei pacing back and forth until he let himself fall to the ground and cover his eyes, obviously from tears.

Hotaru took a step forward but stopped herself immediately, unsure of what to do. Sure she was to be his wife and she was expected to give comfort as well as other things but she didn't love him deep down. Since deep down, no matter how much she denied it, she loved another whom also returned her affections.

Usagi saw this as well and however much she hated him for what he did all those years ago she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. So taking in a deep breath, and swallowing her pride, she walked forward a little timidly and bent down in front of him.

Slowly he lifted his head to look into her eyes. "What do you want?" He choked out his very own words. No matter how much he hated to admit it, when he looked into her eyes he felt something strange build up in his gut, a feeling he couldn't quite explain.

"I just wanted you to know that I too know what it's like to lose a loved one. I've lost many people I loved but I knew that I couldn't just fall apart or else I wouldn't have survived. I went on to find my sister and I have to say that all the horrible things I've experienced were well worth meeting her one last time." Usagi began opening her hands.

"Usagi." Hotaru quietly said to herself, thinking about all those years apart and the very moment their eyes met.

"Well that's what you got to think about. This may be a little fall but you got to get back up for what you know you must do. What would your father wish of you?" Usagi asked reached her hands out to take hold of his. Looking down at their hands he regained his composure and got up of his feet, and helped her up as well.

"I do know what he'd want me to do." He said to Usagi as he walked up towards Quatre.

"I know how you hate to fight but for this task I'm going to need your leadership skills. Will you help me Quatre?" Quatre just slowly nodded his head to his old comrade.

"And Heero. You've always helped me and always watched out for my best interests. For this job I'll need you more than ever. Will you be there?" Heero saluted him first before speaking.

"I'll always be there, Wufei-sama." Wufei nodded his head and looked down at Hotaru, he began to lift his right hand to touch her but stopped himself quickly and turned around and walked away from her.

"Wufei if you don't mind could I ask what's going on here?" Quatre asked.

"My brother told me that my father's dying words were that be become the next Emperor and asked me to move out of the palace after my wedding. But I don't buy it! There's no way he would want that, I know. And his voice just didn't possess sorrow only manipulation. I think he killed my father so he could become Emperor." Wufei looked over to everyone.

"Killed? Why would he kill his own father?! That's mad!" Quatre said looking over towards Wufei.

"You and I both know he was insanely jealous that he, the elder child, wouldn't get the throne after father's death so he decided to take the matter in his own hands and kill him off before he made my anointing public at my wedding. Now no one else knows but us and Mizurei." Wufei said clenching his fists tightly together.

"Mizurei!" Hotaru spoke up making everyone look over to her. "If I consult with Mizurei I'm sure she'll know what to do! She always has the answer for things like this. Wufei, please allow me to go and speak with her!" Hotaru seemed to beg from him, which he just nodded to. "Sister I hope you don't mind but I must go see Mizurei." Hotaru said looking over to Usagi.

"Of course I don't mind. I know we'll meet again now that I know where you are." Usagi said as Hotaru gave her one last hug before walking away.

"Wait, I'm coming with you Hotaru." Heero spoke up grabbing onto her wrist before she could go. Wufei looked at him oddly. "If you want Heero." He continued to stare at them with curiosity, but the two never looked over to see it as they were quickly gone from the garden.

'I think I've been overlooking something here.' Wufei thought as he began to recall how those two were always going off somewhere together, alone. 'Guess they've been doing this right under my nose.'

"Wufei-sama, I must leave now. If you'll let me I'd like to come up with a plan on my own, at my house." Wufei once again simply nodded a reply as Quatre began to leave, stopping in front of Usagi.

"Are you going to come with me?" Quatre asked her. Before responding she looked towards Wufei and they both caught the others eyes, breaking it off Usagi looked back at Quatre and nodded.

"Then lets go." He said once again offering his arm, which she accepted. And Usagi could hear a slight grunt behind her, she had to admit he had a bit of an attitude that got on her nerves but she didn't really care about it at the moment.

"Good-bye, I'll tell you my idea once I come up with one and you can change it in any way you like." Quatre said just before Wufei entered the palace.

"Don't worry, I trust you." Wufei said disappearing in the shadows.

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Hotaru and Heero were rapidly approaching the temple and Hotaru was on edge the whole time.

"I hope she'll know what to do!" Hotaru said clasping her sweaty hands together.

"All we can do is hope." Heero said putting his hand on hers and slowly calming her down.

The carriage then stopped and Heero quickly got out and was followed by an anxious Hotaru.

"I would feel a lot better if you came with me." She said looking up at him.

"Of course." He said giving her a little bow, making her smile.

"Just follow me." She said as she took off at a quick pace into one of the Temple's hallways. She stuck her head in each room where Mizurei would most likely be but to no avail. She was in none of the rooms.

"She must be in her secret garden. If she is you'll have to wait outside for me, nobody but royalty and priests are allowed in there." She said as she walked closer and closer to the back door, which led to Mizurei's garden.

"I don't think she'll be to happy if you go in there now." A hidden female voice said. Heero, very protectively, stood out in front of her but she pushed him to the side to see who it was. But when she saw who it was, she wished she hadn't.

"Tanoshige?" Surprising Hotaru the feminine figure emerged from the darkness. (Remember her from chpt. 15!)

"That's right, it's me. And you're still the same old brat you always were!" Tanoshige said venomously. "If you must know I was the one that told your nanny about sneaking off!" She openly said stooding in front of Hotaru.

"What?"

"That's right I told her because I thought that she would have told Mizurei. So then Mizurei would kick you out and I would once again become the heiress to the Temple." Tanoshige looked up at Heero suspiciously.

"What do you mean 'once again?'" Hotaru asked taking her attention away from Heero.

"I mean that before you came here and ruined my whole life I was to become the heiress to the Temple and the future wife of the prince because I am Mizurei's birthchild." Hotaru gasped and she stared at her with her mouth hanging open.

"That's right but when you showed up she disowned me, claiming I never was her daughter. She gave everything that was to be mine to you and completely ignored me. But that's not really what got me, oh no! What makes me furious is that she handed you a bright future on a silver platter but every time she offered you something you selfishly rejected it. She gave you everything but you were too filled with contempt and ignored her and everyone else, thinking you were better than us!"

"I never thought any of those things! And how dare you call me selfish! I didn't accept them because I didn't want any of this. I don't want to be an Empress or a Head Priestess! I just want to be a common young girl who can chose her own destiny!" Tanoshige just squinted her eyes at Hotaru.

"Well it doesn't matter anymore!" Tanoshige said turning her back to Hotaru.

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean since your maid didn't tell Mizurei, I did. If you think you have the guts to face her then go ahead, but let me tell you one thing. When I told her Mizurei became infuriated, I doubt she'll even want to look at you!" Tanoshige chuckled.

Heero jumped forward and pulled his sword out. "Heero what're you doing?!" Hotaru became more frightened then she had ever been in her life.

"How could you do that to a friend?" Heero angrily growled at her, sword pointed at her back.

"I don't consider her my friend." Tanoshige turned her head around to glance at him.

"To a royal guard the two most important virtues in our lives are trust and loyalty. But you seem to just throw them aside as if they meant nothing. I don't think you'd ever be a righteous Priestess. I can see why she disowned you." The words seemed to penetrate through her calm cruel exterior and stab her where it hurt. She turned around and glared at him as best she could but he showed no fear and he glared right back.

With the sword still in her face she let a small smile grace her lips. "Well no one cares about what a guard thinks. Their opinions don't matter, all they can do is take orders." Tanoshige smiled in victory as she turned around again and disappeared down the hallway.

Heero put his sword back in it's sheath and turned around to see Hotaru shaking uncontrollably. "She- She told Mizurei! I can't believe it! I'll surely be kicked out now!" Hotaru could feel the all to familiar tears roll down her cheeks.

"Don't think like that!" Heero said standing out in front of her. "It's your word against hers! Once Mizurei hears from you I'm sure she'll believe you, especially since that girl doesn't hide her jealousy." Heero lifted his left hand out to clear away her tears, she smiled at him warmly.

'Heero you've always been there for me when no one else was. And yet I still don't have the courage to tell you what I feel.' Hotaru thought as she grabbed his hand with her own. The two stood there for a few moments just looking into each others eyes.

What broke them apart was the door behind them swinging open and revealing Mizurei. Before they could even move she already had flames growing in her eyes.

"First I hear about you sneaking off with one young man now I see you coming onto the Prince's royal guard! How dare you even show your face around here! I won't let my Temple become some kind of brothel. Just get out, I don't feel like talking to you right now." She pushed her way through them and glared at Heero as well.

"Tonight you can sleep with the dogs for all I care but you may not sleep in this Temple." Mizurei said without even bothering to look at Hotaru. And so she too disappeared down the hall, leaving Hotaru in despair.

"I have no where to go now." Hotaru fell to her knees and began sobbing, she hadn't cried this hard since the death of her mother, she felt totally alone.

TBC………….

AN: Aren't I evil leaving you with ANOTHER cliffhanger! ^.^ Well I hope you liked the Wu/Usa moments, even I thought they were cute. As for Hotaru you can find out what happens to her in the next chapter, along with Quatre and his plans. Also Duo is going to be popping back up in the next chapter! ^.-v Please review, thanx!