Disclaimer: Same ole same ole
Part four: New places and old friends
Taka entered the bedroom and sat on the bed next to his wife. She was sitting, holding a pillow, and crying. Taka slid an arm over her shoulder and let her rest her head on him. "Oh, Taka, it was like talking to him. Why did he die first? Why at all, Oh, any of them, Taka." Miaka sobbed harder her tears soaking through Taka's shirt. He pulled away and wiped his hand across her pale cheekbone.
"Don't talk like that sweetie. Look what we have now. You and me are healthy and we have a roof over our heads and steady jobs. Not to mention our two beautiful children who are bright and healthy. I miss them too. Nothing can be done about that now. Please, enjoy life as it is." Even so many years after the book she was like .this. First off when the twins were born had been the worst. Miaka would wake up crying and screaming. Sometimes she relived Nuriko's death, sometimes the others, sometimes-just fragments of forgotten moment of terror. Slowly but surely, the fits had become less and less frequent. Now they were very few.
In the dining room the twins continued their argument. "I really doubt that Kourin likes you. She is very sweet, but not your type. I can tell." Chiharu was annoyed with her brother. She knew that if he went out with her it wouldn't last. The only kind of person who could ever tolerate him would have to practically be a guy. Not that he was vulgar or anything, just. he needed someone who would smack him around. Not the sweet and quiet type like Kourin. "Well who I date is none of your business, sis. Stay out of it please." The girl rolled her eyes and dumped the dishes into the sink. "You need my help desperately though. At this rate you'll be a loner at prom next year. And the year after." Chiharu giggled and dodged the water Chuei splashed at her.
Jielain awoke and rubbed her eyes drowsily; her first thoughts were of another bandit party, before she remembered her mission to the other world. The other world.this world? Jielain sat up quickly, regretting it immediately at the pain in her head. Blinking, she noticed that she was in some kind of study, on the floor next to an open book. Carefully slipping the book into her bag, she stood and took in her surroundings. Taiitsukun had been clear that the book was the portal back into her own world and if it were destroyed, she would never be able to get back. The obvious solution was to keep it under her watch at all times. Also according to the oracle, she should be in the house of the old priestess, who would help her find the other warriors. Securing the tessen to her back, she proceeded to explore the new world.
"What was that?" Chiharu asked, pausing in mid table cleaning wipe. Chuei looked up. "Probably mom knocked something over." "Mom doesn't curse like that." Chuei shrugged at the girl's worry. "Dad then?" Chiharu tossed the dishrag into the sink rolling her eyes at male logic. So pathetic. "I think you should go check anyway." Chiharu put her hands on her thin hips and glared at her brother. "Now." Grudgingly, Chuei looked into the living room, bedrooms, and bathrooms, before opening the door to the study. "See, you are just so paranoid-". He stopped short as he noticed a boy puzzling over a broken vase in the middle of the floor. He hadn't seen them yet, and all Chuei saw was the back of the boy's bright orange head. His clothes were quite bizarre, with a fan strapped to his back and a leather bag on one shoulder. Chiharu and Chuei weren't so much afraid of the stranger as startled. Chiharu cleared her throat, and the boy turned around, guiltily observing the newcomers even as he hid the broken vase under the desk. Standing, the twins saw that the stranger was very tall and thin, with clear, wide blue eyes, and orange curls. Chiharu spoke first. "What the hell are you doing in our house?" she asked. Chuei frowned. "Well," the stranger said, in a higher pitched voice than was normal for a guy, "I'm looking for some people." He whipped out a picture. "Hey! Mom has a picture like that!" Chuei said. It was of seven people and a young girl, on a dock near a boat. The twins instantly recognized their mother and father. "Did you steal that?" Chiharu asked accusingly. Jielain was outraged. What kind of a person did they think she was?! Then she remembered that she had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere in their house and they had no idea who she was. "My name is Jielain, heir to the title of bandit leader and almost a member of the Suzaku seven, sent to this world to finds the other warriors. I was told that this would be the dwelling of the former priestess of Suzaku and I assume one of her warriors Tamahome. Are you her children?" The twins looked at each other, then the stranger. Then they started laughing. Jielain was offended. There was nothing funny about her or her mission. Perhaps they needed to be told off. "I don't know who the hell you bastards think ya' are, but when I get through whippin' yer asses yer not gonna think anything is funny for weeks after the doctor sews yer asses back together!" Just then the door to the study opened again and Miaka and Taka were standing there. Miaka put her hand to her mouth and gasped, and Taka felt his strength leave him. "Oh Suzaku," she said under her breath. Jielain stopped cursing and bowed to Miaka and Taka. The twins were subdued at the entrance of their parents and the strange reaction they showed to him. "Priestess, warrior of the Suzaku seven," Miaka touched Jielain's hair. "Oh Suzaku." She said again. Jielain hadn't expected the priestess to be all shaky and teary eyed, but since she was a woman that was to be expected. Chiharu and Chuei just stared. "You really are from the Universe of the Four Gods?" Taka asked. If this was some kind of prank it wasn't funny. Miaka's hand was trembling in his. All of this so soon after one of her remembering fits was too much for his poor wife. "Yes," Jielain said indignantly. "Are you not Tamahome and the priestess? I was sent to collect the new warriors. Boshin was going to come, but he couldn't leave Hong-nan unattended." Chiharu was indeed genuinely pissed at the boy. What was the Universe of the Four Gods? Their parents never talked about that, and yet both of them seemed to understand his every word. Meanwhile and oppositely, Chuei was wondering if the boy was really in fact, a boy, but out of politeness he refrained from saying anything. "Oh, yes, I am the former priestess of Suzaku and this is my husband, former warrior Tamahome, presently known as Taka in this world." Miaka said with more dignity than she thought capable. Chiharu's jaw dropped, but Miaka ignored her children and took Jielain's arm. "Please, we have a lot to talk about. Come into the dining room and we can catch up. Do you know someone, by any chance, named.Tasuki?" The two made their way to the table, leaving the twins and Taka in a state of demented stupor. "What the HELL???" Chiharu asked her dad. Chuei elbowed her in the ribs, but also added his stare of disbelief to his sisters. Taka sighed. Neither he nor Miaka had anticipated needing to tell the kids about it. They had always told them stories about the friends from the famous picture, and a few of the adventures, but never mentioned another world. Taka looked at his kids and sighed again. "While your mother talks to our guest, I'll explain a little bit about what's going on." Chiharu glared. "You damned sure better!"
"Tasuki? That's my dad's nickname, could he be who you're thinking of?" Miaka smiled. "Oh, Tasuki, I wish I could have been there. Did he get married?" "Yes, but she's dead" "Oh, I'm sorry." " It's okay, I got along ok, and Houki helped me out." "And Boshin?"
"The brat, he's emperor. Got him a girlfriend now too. Dumb as a rock." "Chichiri?" "He's my replacement mom, still around. Taught me damn near everything I know sep how to drink." "Married?" "Who Chichiri? I'll never. He's got some kinda 'scar on the soul' I think he said once." "How's your dad?" "Great. Bandit leader till I take over soon as I get back." "Drinking?" "As always." "You drink?" "Hell yeah." "Do you have a girlfriend?" "What the fuck? Ya think I'm queer?" Miaka blinked before noting Jielain's subtle curves and fine feminine features. "Oh, dear I'm sorry. I thought you were a boy." "No need happens a lot. It's the bandit outfit. The name's Jielain Ryuuen Chou. After a friend's sister, a friend dead, and my father." "Oh," Miaka whimpered. Tamahome's sister, Nuriko, Tasuki. All of them so long ago back as if to haunt her. "I really missed Tasuki and everyone. I'm so glad I can actually hear how some of my best friends are doing. The two worlds thing really is a hassle." "You miss them? How do you think I feel, in another world for the first time in my life? I never knew anything else but the palace and Mt. Reikaku." Miaka smiled sadly at the bandit girls pissed off expression. A fang poked out of her mouth at one corner, giving the priestess a slight feeling of dejavu, as if talking to the bandit leader himself. "The same way I felt when I landed suddenly in the universe of the four gods with Yui and we were attacked by some thugs? Scared and nervous? Wondering if you'll ever get home and at the same time feeling like you need to explore and find an adventure?"
Jielain nodded. "About like that. Maybe not so scared but worried about my dad. Worried about my mission." Miaka full out grinned. "Welcome to my world." She hugged Jielain for a moment. Then let her go, looking over every detail of the girls face. "You remind me so much of your father, except your eyes, their.nicer I guess. I feel like an aunt who hasn't seen her niece in so long and is supposed to say 'oh, how you've grown!'" They laughed, and went to join the others in the living room.
Part four: New places and old friends
Taka entered the bedroom and sat on the bed next to his wife. She was sitting, holding a pillow, and crying. Taka slid an arm over her shoulder and let her rest her head on him. "Oh, Taka, it was like talking to him. Why did he die first? Why at all, Oh, any of them, Taka." Miaka sobbed harder her tears soaking through Taka's shirt. He pulled away and wiped his hand across her pale cheekbone.
"Don't talk like that sweetie. Look what we have now. You and me are healthy and we have a roof over our heads and steady jobs. Not to mention our two beautiful children who are bright and healthy. I miss them too. Nothing can be done about that now. Please, enjoy life as it is." Even so many years after the book she was like .this. First off when the twins were born had been the worst. Miaka would wake up crying and screaming. Sometimes she relived Nuriko's death, sometimes the others, sometimes-just fragments of forgotten moment of terror. Slowly but surely, the fits had become less and less frequent. Now they were very few.
In the dining room the twins continued their argument. "I really doubt that Kourin likes you. She is very sweet, but not your type. I can tell." Chiharu was annoyed with her brother. She knew that if he went out with her it wouldn't last. The only kind of person who could ever tolerate him would have to practically be a guy. Not that he was vulgar or anything, just. he needed someone who would smack him around. Not the sweet and quiet type like Kourin. "Well who I date is none of your business, sis. Stay out of it please." The girl rolled her eyes and dumped the dishes into the sink. "You need my help desperately though. At this rate you'll be a loner at prom next year. And the year after." Chiharu giggled and dodged the water Chuei splashed at her.
Jielain awoke and rubbed her eyes drowsily; her first thoughts were of another bandit party, before she remembered her mission to the other world. The other world.this world? Jielain sat up quickly, regretting it immediately at the pain in her head. Blinking, she noticed that she was in some kind of study, on the floor next to an open book. Carefully slipping the book into her bag, she stood and took in her surroundings. Taiitsukun had been clear that the book was the portal back into her own world and if it were destroyed, she would never be able to get back. The obvious solution was to keep it under her watch at all times. Also according to the oracle, she should be in the house of the old priestess, who would help her find the other warriors. Securing the tessen to her back, she proceeded to explore the new world.
"What was that?" Chiharu asked, pausing in mid table cleaning wipe. Chuei looked up. "Probably mom knocked something over." "Mom doesn't curse like that." Chuei shrugged at the girl's worry. "Dad then?" Chiharu tossed the dishrag into the sink rolling her eyes at male logic. So pathetic. "I think you should go check anyway." Chiharu put her hands on her thin hips and glared at her brother. "Now." Grudgingly, Chuei looked into the living room, bedrooms, and bathrooms, before opening the door to the study. "See, you are just so paranoid-". He stopped short as he noticed a boy puzzling over a broken vase in the middle of the floor. He hadn't seen them yet, and all Chuei saw was the back of the boy's bright orange head. His clothes were quite bizarre, with a fan strapped to his back and a leather bag on one shoulder. Chiharu and Chuei weren't so much afraid of the stranger as startled. Chiharu cleared her throat, and the boy turned around, guiltily observing the newcomers even as he hid the broken vase under the desk. Standing, the twins saw that the stranger was very tall and thin, with clear, wide blue eyes, and orange curls. Chiharu spoke first. "What the hell are you doing in our house?" she asked. Chuei frowned. "Well," the stranger said, in a higher pitched voice than was normal for a guy, "I'm looking for some people." He whipped out a picture. "Hey! Mom has a picture like that!" Chuei said. It was of seven people and a young girl, on a dock near a boat. The twins instantly recognized their mother and father. "Did you steal that?" Chiharu asked accusingly. Jielain was outraged. What kind of a person did they think she was?! Then she remembered that she had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere in their house and they had no idea who she was. "My name is Jielain, heir to the title of bandit leader and almost a member of the Suzaku seven, sent to this world to finds the other warriors. I was told that this would be the dwelling of the former priestess of Suzaku and I assume one of her warriors Tamahome. Are you her children?" The twins looked at each other, then the stranger. Then they started laughing. Jielain was offended. There was nothing funny about her or her mission. Perhaps they needed to be told off. "I don't know who the hell you bastards think ya' are, but when I get through whippin' yer asses yer not gonna think anything is funny for weeks after the doctor sews yer asses back together!" Just then the door to the study opened again and Miaka and Taka were standing there. Miaka put her hand to her mouth and gasped, and Taka felt his strength leave him. "Oh Suzaku," she said under her breath. Jielain stopped cursing and bowed to Miaka and Taka. The twins were subdued at the entrance of their parents and the strange reaction they showed to him. "Priestess, warrior of the Suzaku seven," Miaka touched Jielain's hair. "Oh Suzaku." She said again. Jielain hadn't expected the priestess to be all shaky and teary eyed, but since she was a woman that was to be expected. Chiharu and Chuei just stared. "You really are from the Universe of the Four Gods?" Taka asked. If this was some kind of prank it wasn't funny. Miaka's hand was trembling in his. All of this so soon after one of her remembering fits was too much for his poor wife. "Yes," Jielain said indignantly. "Are you not Tamahome and the priestess? I was sent to collect the new warriors. Boshin was going to come, but he couldn't leave Hong-nan unattended." Chiharu was indeed genuinely pissed at the boy. What was the Universe of the Four Gods? Their parents never talked about that, and yet both of them seemed to understand his every word. Meanwhile and oppositely, Chuei was wondering if the boy was really in fact, a boy, but out of politeness he refrained from saying anything. "Oh, yes, I am the former priestess of Suzaku and this is my husband, former warrior Tamahome, presently known as Taka in this world." Miaka said with more dignity than she thought capable. Chiharu's jaw dropped, but Miaka ignored her children and took Jielain's arm. "Please, we have a lot to talk about. Come into the dining room and we can catch up. Do you know someone, by any chance, named.Tasuki?" The two made their way to the table, leaving the twins and Taka in a state of demented stupor. "What the HELL???" Chiharu asked her dad. Chuei elbowed her in the ribs, but also added his stare of disbelief to his sisters. Taka sighed. Neither he nor Miaka had anticipated needing to tell the kids about it. They had always told them stories about the friends from the famous picture, and a few of the adventures, but never mentioned another world. Taka looked at his kids and sighed again. "While your mother talks to our guest, I'll explain a little bit about what's going on." Chiharu glared. "You damned sure better!"
"Tasuki? That's my dad's nickname, could he be who you're thinking of?" Miaka smiled. "Oh, Tasuki, I wish I could have been there. Did he get married?" "Yes, but she's dead" "Oh, I'm sorry." " It's okay, I got along ok, and Houki helped me out." "And Boshin?"
"The brat, he's emperor. Got him a girlfriend now too. Dumb as a rock." "Chichiri?" "He's my replacement mom, still around. Taught me damn near everything I know sep how to drink." "Married?" "Who Chichiri? I'll never. He's got some kinda 'scar on the soul' I think he said once." "How's your dad?" "Great. Bandit leader till I take over soon as I get back." "Drinking?" "As always." "You drink?" "Hell yeah." "Do you have a girlfriend?" "What the fuck? Ya think I'm queer?" Miaka blinked before noting Jielain's subtle curves and fine feminine features. "Oh, dear I'm sorry. I thought you were a boy." "No need happens a lot. It's the bandit outfit. The name's Jielain Ryuuen Chou. After a friend's sister, a friend dead, and my father." "Oh," Miaka whimpered. Tamahome's sister, Nuriko, Tasuki. All of them so long ago back as if to haunt her. "I really missed Tasuki and everyone. I'm so glad I can actually hear how some of my best friends are doing. The two worlds thing really is a hassle." "You miss them? How do you think I feel, in another world for the first time in my life? I never knew anything else but the palace and Mt. Reikaku." Miaka smiled sadly at the bandit girls pissed off expression. A fang poked out of her mouth at one corner, giving the priestess a slight feeling of dejavu, as if talking to the bandit leader himself. "The same way I felt when I landed suddenly in the universe of the four gods with Yui and we were attacked by some thugs? Scared and nervous? Wondering if you'll ever get home and at the same time feeling like you need to explore and find an adventure?"
Jielain nodded. "About like that. Maybe not so scared but worried about my dad. Worried about my mission." Miaka full out grinned. "Welcome to my world." She hugged Jielain for a moment. Then let her go, looking over every detail of the girls face. "You remind me so much of your father, except your eyes, their.nicer I guess. I feel like an aunt who hasn't seen her niece in so long and is supposed to say 'oh, how you've grown!'" They laughed, and went to join the others in the living room.
