Here we go again.
03/29/03
chapter uno
okay, I'm not exactly sure when this story is taking place and not all of the warriors are in it. If this chapter isn't any good, then review and I'll try to make my next one better. Thanks!
***
Chichiri looked up, startled. He'd heard a splash in the pond somewhere. 'That's odd,' he thought, 'there are no fish big enough to make such a splash.' Chichiri set his fishing pole aside, uncrossed his legs and stood up, scanning the water's surface for any sign of movement. Faintly he could hear Tasuki yelling about something inside the palace, probably having another argument with Tamahome. Those two could never be put in a room together without fighting.
There! About in the middle of the pond, he saw a number of bubbles surfacing. Suddenly a hand broke the surface of the water and a young girl's head followed. She let out a short cry before sinking back into the water.
Chichiri's mouth dropped open in surprise and he whispered, "Miaka?" Throwing off his kesa, he called, "Hold on!" then backed up a few steps to give himself a running start and jumped off the rock jutting out over the pond. He entered the water right around where the girl should be.
'Cold!' his brain yelled as he entered the water with a splash. Even though it was mid April, the pond water was still fairly chilly to his warm skin. Opening his eye (eyes? I dunno) he looked around the murky water for the girl he had spotted, the girl who'd looked exactly as Miaka had. All that met his eyes (eye?) were plants, waving in the underwater currents he'd caused. Chichiri was almost ready to go back up to the surface, thinking he'd imagined it, when a motion caught his attention. Looking down to his left, he spotted the girl, sinking quickly to the bottom of the pond. She seemed to be strapped to a bag that was dragging her down.
Chichiri quickly swam down towards her, his ears popping as he descended through the dark water. He noticed the girl was about to loose consciousness, as her struggles became more and more feeble. Chichiri swam even faster and reached out to the girl, taking her in his arms. Raising a hand to his face, he made a sign with his hand and suddenly a great burst of energy shot him and the girl in his arms towards the surface. He burst out of the water and flew through the air. "DAA!" he cried as he crashed to the ground on the shore of the pond. The girl landed on top of him, pushing the air out of his chest, causing him to gasp.
"Chichiri!"
Chichiri looked up and spotted Nuriko, standing on the covered porch that wrapped around the entire palace. His large purple eyes were wide in surprise to find a young girl lying on the monk's chest.
"Nuriko!" Chichiri called, "go get help!" Nuriko turned and ran back into the palace, calling for a doctor.
Chichiri quickly rolled over the girl as she began to cough up water. Chichiri turned her on her side and rubbed her back gently, glad that he had got to her in time. When she'd got her breath back, Chichiri took a better look at the girl. It wasn't Miaka.though she did look a lot like her. He lay back on the grass, his adrenalin rush wearing off. Hearing footsteps running towards him, Chichiri quickly sat up and picked the strange girl up, bag and all. Nuriko and Tasuki ran over to him, along with the palace doctor and a few servants, carrying blankets.
Tasuki stopped short and looked at the girl with big eyes as Chichiri stood up. "Miaka." Tasuki said, looking up into Chichiri's face for confirmation. Chichiri shook his head. The doctor, slightly nervous about the girl's unusual clothing, seemed reluctant to examine her.
"Well?" Chichiri said, a slightly annoyed tone appearing in his voice.
"Uh," said the doctor, quickly looking over the young girl. "She appears to be fine. She swallowed a bit of pond water and might catch a cold from being in those wet clothes, but she'll be all right. We'll need to get her dry and put her to bed."
Chichiri gently handed the girl to the servants who wrapped her up in blankets and carefully carried her into the palace. Tasuki grabbed a blanket from the doctor as he passed by and handed it to Chichiri. Chichiri smiled his thanks and wrapped it around his shoulders.
"Mind telling me what's going on now?" Tasuki asked. "What're you doing fishing some girl out of the palace pond?"
Chichiri ran the towel through his sky blue hair and dried off his drooping bangs. "I honestly have no idea Tasuki, no da," Chichiri said. "She was just . there."
Nuriko's purple eyes swept back and forth between the two men. He could hear the birds chirping around him and looked up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds drift lazily across the blue sky. "She was dressed quite oddly, don't you think?" Nuriko asked.
Tasuki and Chichiri looked over at the purple haired man and Chichiri said, "I don't know, Nuriko, I didn't even notice her clothing, no da."
"And she looked a lot like Miaka," Nuriko continued to muse. "Maybe she's from Miaka's world. Maybe she even knows her."
Tasuki looked at Nuriko, who was still staring at the sky. "But," he began, his loud voice quiet for once, "why would someone be coming here now?" He looked at Chichiri, hoping he had an answer.
Chichiri said nothing and walked to where he'd dropped his kesa on the ground. Picking it up, he muttered, "I need to go change," then walked to the palace. Tasuki and Nuriko watched him then slowly trailed behind him, wondering silently about the new girl and what adventures would be bringing with her.
***
Chichiri lay on the bed in his room, his arms cushioning his head, watching through the window as the sun slipped below the horizon. Since his clothing was completely soaked through, Chichiri had opted to wear his black pants and a dark blue shirt, which matched his kesa perfectly. Chichiri smiled to himself, wondering how surprised the others would be to see him in such a different outfit. He doubted if any of them knew he had different clothing.
Moving one arm out from under his neck, he took off his mask and laid it on a small table beside his bed. He stared up at the dark blue canopy of his bed, lost in his own thoughts. His free hand reached up to his face and traced the ugly scar over his right eye. He often did this when he was deep in thought, though he never knew why. Just one of those habits, he supposed.
He remembered how he'd received the scar, the physical and emotional pain it had caused. But the pain died away, slowly, ever so slowly. Then when Miaka came, it seemed the pain returned, for he now had companions he was to always be with and surly they would ask questions about his scar. He did not blame Miaka for the emotional toll that sharing the story behind his scar caused, but he wondered if this new girl would cause the pain to come back again, just when he thought he had it under control.
Chichiri closed his dark brown eye and let his hand go limp on his chest. His breathing slowed until he could no longer hear it, and could barely feel his chest moving under his hand. He'd almost fallen asleep when a knock at his door startled him and he sat up. "Yes, no do?" he asked quietly, slipping his mask back on. A servant poked his head into Chichiri's room and said, "If you want to eat anything, the dining hall is about to be closed, so you should come get some food now."
Chichiri nodded as the servant turned to leave, but then called him back. "Wait, do you know where the young girl has been taken, no da?"
"Young girl?" the servant asked nervously.
"Yes, the girl that was found today in the pond, no da, where has she been taken?" asked Chichiri.
"Um," said the servant, not wanting to anger the blue-haired monk, "she's alright where she is."
"Yes, I am sure she is, no da," said Chichiri, becoming slightly annoyed, "but I asked where she is, no da."
The servant bowed his head and said, "She's been taken to the prisoner chambers."
"What?!" asked Chichiri. "Why? She was of no harm to anyone!"
The servant man stood quiet, his head bowed.
Chichiri rolled his eyes under his mask and pushed past the servant. His long strides carried him quickly down the hallway, towards the prisoner chambers.
*** Prisoner Chambers are just something I made up, I don't know if there is really any such thing in the series.
Chichiri slowed his pace when he approached the prisoner chambers and he came to a stop in front of the palace guards who were blocking the door. "Excuse me," Chichiri said and walked towards the door. However the guards crossed their spears across the door and put their hands up.
"I'm sorry, sir," said one guard, "but we're under specific instructions not to allow anyone into this room."
Chichiri studied the two guards, wondering if they were new and did not recognize him as a Warrior of Suzaku. The one who had denied him access to the prison room was a bulky man who while in his youth must have been quite muscular. His thick black mustache hid his mouth and his eyes were tiny. The other, who as of yet had not spoken, was lean and tall, with long blond hair pulled back and stuck up in his helmet.
Chichiri sighed. 'Why is everyone being so strange today?' he wondered. "And who gave you these instructions, to not allow anyone to see the girl, no da?"
"The palace doctor," said the guard with authority. 'I'll be having a talk with this doctor when I'm through here,' thought Chichiri.
"Well, I believe my word overrules the palace doctor's," said Chichiri as he again tried to get to the door. Suddenly the two guards leapt at him and their momentum combined caused the three to crash against the walkway's railing. "DAAA!" cried Chichiri as his back hit the railing. Looking down, he saw through the darkness that he was directly over one of the small rivers running through the palace grounds. Rocks littered the riverbed and Chichiri definitely did not want to fall into a body of water twice in one day.
Chichiri's slim figure slipped easily through the two guard's reaching hands. He turned around to see the guards charging at him again when they found that he was not in their custody. Acting quickly, Chichiri raised a hand to his face and cast a spell upon the two guards, freezing them in place in the middle of the walkway. Chichiri sighed and relaxed his tense muscles when he was sure that his freezing spell was holding.
Chichiri slowly opened the door to the prison chambers and stepped inside. A lamp was lit, illuminating the room. In it he could see row upon row of beds. A toilet bucket stood in the far corner. This was were the most important prisoners of war were kept, which was why they were treated with a shred bit more dignity than the usual prisoners were. As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed one of the beds was rumpled, as though someone had slept there recently. Chichiri's eyes moved across the room again, but could not spot the girl.
His eyebrows met in confusion. Did he hear the servant man wrong? Chichiri searched for a life force in the room, in case she was hiding from him.
There. He found it.but if he was correct, then she would be directly behind him. Chichiri slowly turned around, but before his eyes could focus on the girl, something heavy was brought with a crashing force onto the base of his neck. Chichiri groaned and fell to the ground unconscious. The girl stood before him and dropped the candlestick she had used to knock Chichiri out. She knelt down beside him and felt for a pulse. Good, he was still alive.
The girl stood, then stepped over the blue-haired man's limp body and exited the room.
Whoo, how was that? Where am I going with this? Even I don't know. ha, alrighty, now it's time to review!
okay, I'm not exactly sure when this story is taking place and not all of the warriors are in it. If this chapter isn't any good, then review and I'll try to make my next one better. Thanks!
***
Chichiri looked up, startled. He'd heard a splash in the pond somewhere. 'That's odd,' he thought, 'there are no fish big enough to make such a splash.' Chichiri set his fishing pole aside, uncrossed his legs and stood up, scanning the water's surface for any sign of movement. Faintly he could hear Tasuki yelling about something inside the palace, probably having another argument with Tamahome. Those two could never be put in a room together without fighting.
There! About in the middle of the pond, he saw a number of bubbles surfacing. Suddenly a hand broke the surface of the water and a young girl's head followed. She let out a short cry before sinking back into the water.
Chichiri's mouth dropped open in surprise and he whispered, "Miaka?" Throwing off his kesa, he called, "Hold on!" then backed up a few steps to give himself a running start and jumped off the rock jutting out over the pond. He entered the water right around where the girl should be.
'Cold!' his brain yelled as he entered the water with a splash. Even though it was mid April, the pond water was still fairly chilly to his warm skin. Opening his eye (eyes? I dunno) he looked around the murky water for the girl he had spotted, the girl who'd looked exactly as Miaka had. All that met his eyes (eye?) were plants, waving in the underwater currents he'd caused. Chichiri was almost ready to go back up to the surface, thinking he'd imagined it, when a motion caught his attention. Looking down to his left, he spotted the girl, sinking quickly to the bottom of the pond. She seemed to be strapped to a bag that was dragging her down.
Chichiri quickly swam down towards her, his ears popping as he descended through the dark water. He noticed the girl was about to loose consciousness, as her struggles became more and more feeble. Chichiri swam even faster and reached out to the girl, taking her in his arms. Raising a hand to his face, he made a sign with his hand and suddenly a great burst of energy shot him and the girl in his arms towards the surface. He burst out of the water and flew through the air. "DAA!" he cried as he crashed to the ground on the shore of the pond. The girl landed on top of him, pushing the air out of his chest, causing him to gasp.
"Chichiri!"
Chichiri looked up and spotted Nuriko, standing on the covered porch that wrapped around the entire palace. His large purple eyes were wide in surprise to find a young girl lying on the monk's chest.
"Nuriko!" Chichiri called, "go get help!" Nuriko turned and ran back into the palace, calling for a doctor.
Chichiri quickly rolled over the girl as she began to cough up water. Chichiri turned her on her side and rubbed her back gently, glad that he had got to her in time. When she'd got her breath back, Chichiri took a better look at the girl. It wasn't Miaka.though she did look a lot like her. He lay back on the grass, his adrenalin rush wearing off. Hearing footsteps running towards him, Chichiri quickly sat up and picked the strange girl up, bag and all. Nuriko and Tasuki ran over to him, along with the palace doctor and a few servants, carrying blankets.
Tasuki stopped short and looked at the girl with big eyes as Chichiri stood up. "Miaka." Tasuki said, looking up into Chichiri's face for confirmation. Chichiri shook his head. The doctor, slightly nervous about the girl's unusual clothing, seemed reluctant to examine her.
"Well?" Chichiri said, a slightly annoyed tone appearing in his voice.
"Uh," said the doctor, quickly looking over the young girl. "She appears to be fine. She swallowed a bit of pond water and might catch a cold from being in those wet clothes, but she'll be all right. We'll need to get her dry and put her to bed."
Chichiri gently handed the girl to the servants who wrapped her up in blankets and carefully carried her into the palace. Tasuki grabbed a blanket from the doctor as he passed by and handed it to Chichiri. Chichiri smiled his thanks and wrapped it around his shoulders.
"Mind telling me what's going on now?" Tasuki asked. "What're you doing fishing some girl out of the palace pond?"
Chichiri ran the towel through his sky blue hair and dried off his drooping bangs. "I honestly have no idea Tasuki, no da," Chichiri said. "She was just . there."
Nuriko's purple eyes swept back and forth between the two men. He could hear the birds chirping around him and looked up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds drift lazily across the blue sky. "She was dressed quite oddly, don't you think?" Nuriko asked.
Tasuki and Chichiri looked over at the purple haired man and Chichiri said, "I don't know, Nuriko, I didn't even notice her clothing, no da."
"And she looked a lot like Miaka," Nuriko continued to muse. "Maybe she's from Miaka's world. Maybe she even knows her."
Tasuki looked at Nuriko, who was still staring at the sky. "But," he began, his loud voice quiet for once, "why would someone be coming here now?" He looked at Chichiri, hoping he had an answer.
Chichiri said nothing and walked to where he'd dropped his kesa on the ground. Picking it up, he muttered, "I need to go change," then walked to the palace. Tasuki and Nuriko watched him then slowly trailed behind him, wondering silently about the new girl and what adventures would be bringing with her.
***
Chichiri lay on the bed in his room, his arms cushioning his head, watching through the window as the sun slipped below the horizon. Since his clothing was completely soaked through, Chichiri had opted to wear his black pants and a dark blue shirt, which matched his kesa perfectly. Chichiri smiled to himself, wondering how surprised the others would be to see him in such a different outfit. He doubted if any of them knew he had different clothing.
Moving one arm out from under his neck, he took off his mask and laid it on a small table beside his bed. He stared up at the dark blue canopy of his bed, lost in his own thoughts. His free hand reached up to his face and traced the ugly scar over his right eye. He often did this when he was deep in thought, though he never knew why. Just one of those habits, he supposed.
He remembered how he'd received the scar, the physical and emotional pain it had caused. But the pain died away, slowly, ever so slowly. Then when Miaka came, it seemed the pain returned, for he now had companions he was to always be with and surly they would ask questions about his scar. He did not blame Miaka for the emotional toll that sharing the story behind his scar caused, but he wondered if this new girl would cause the pain to come back again, just when he thought he had it under control.
Chichiri closed his dark brown eye and let his hand go limp on his chest. His breathing slowed until he could no longer hear it, and could barely feel his chest moving under his hand. He'd almost fallen asleep when a knock at his door startled him and he sat up. "Yes, no do?" he asked quietly, slipping his mask back on. A servant poked his head into Chichiri's room and said, "If you want to eat anything, the dining hall is about to be closed, so you should come get some food now."
Chichiri nodded as the servant turned to leave, but then called him back. "Wait, do you know where the young girl has been taken, no da?"
"Young girl?" the servant asked nervously.
"Yes, the girl that was found today in the pond, no da, where has she been taken?" asked Chichiri.
"Um," said the servant, not wanting to anger the blue-haired monk, "she's alright where she is."
"Yes, I am sure she is, no da," said Chichiri, becoming slightly annoyed, "but I asked where she is, no da."
The servant bowed his head and said, "She's been taken to the prisoner chambers."
"What?!" asked Chichiri. "Why? She was of no harm to anyone!"
The servant man stood quiet, his head bowed.
Chichiri rolled his eyes under his mask and pushed past the servant. His long strides carried him quickly down the hallway, towards the prisoner chambers.
*** Prisoner Chambers are just something I made up, I don't know if there is really any such thing in the series.
Chichiri slowed his pace when he approached the prisoner chambers and he came to a stop in front of the palace guards who were blocking the door. "Excuse me," Chichiri said and walked towards the door. However the guards crossed their spears across the door and put their hands up.
"I'm sorry, sir," said one guard, "but we're under specific instructions not to allow anyone into this room."
Chichiri studied the two guards, wondering if they were new and did not recognize him as a Warrior of Suzaku. The one who had denied him access to the prison room was a bulky man who while in his youth must have been quite muscular. His thick black mustache hid his mouth and his eyes were tiny. The other, who as of yet had not spoken, was lean and tall, with long blond hair pulled back and stuck up in his helmet.
Chichiri sighed. 'Why is everyone being so strange today?' he wondered. "And who gave you these instructions, to not allow anyone to see the girl, no da?"
"The palace doctor," said the guard with authority. 'I'll be having a talk with this doctor when I'm through here,' thought Chichiri.
"Well, I believe my word overrules the palace doctor's," said Chichiri as he again tried to get to the door. Suddenly the two guards leapt at him and their momentum combined caused the three to crash against the walkway's railing. "DAAA!" cried Chichiri as his back hit the railing. Looking down, he saw through the darkness that he was directly over one of the small rivers running through the palace grounds. Rocks littered the riverbed and Chichiri definitely did not want to fall into a body of water twice in one day.
Chichiri's slim figure slipped easily through the two guard's reaching hands. He turned around to see the guards charging at him again when they found that he was not in their custody. Acting quickly, Chichiri raised a hand to his face and cast a spell upon the two guards, freezing them in place in the middle of the walkway. Chichiri sighed and relaxed his tense muscles when he was sure that his freezing spell was holding.
Chichiri slowly opened the door to the prison chambers and stepped inside. A lamp was lit, illuminating the room. In it he could see row upon row of beds. A toilet bucket stood in the far corner. This was were the most important prisoners of war were kept, which was why they were treated with a shred bit more dignity than the usual prisoners were. As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed one of the beds was rumpled, as though someone had slept there recently. Chichiri's eyes moved across the room again, but could not spot the girl.
His eyebrows met in confusion. Did he hear the servant man wrong? Chichiri searched for a life force in the room, in case she was hiding from him.
There. He found it.but if he was correct, then she would be directly behind him. Chichiri slowly turned around, but before his eyes could focus on the girl, something heavy was brought with a crashing force onto the base of his neck. Chichiri groaned and fell to the ground unconscious. The girl stood before him and dropped the candlestick she had used to knock Chichiri out. She knelt down beside him and felt for a pulse. Good, he was still alive.
The girl stood, then stepped over the blue-haired man's limp body and exited the room.
Whoo, how was that? Where am I going with this? Even I don't know. ha, alrighty, now it's time to review!