Hi minna, sorry for the long delay. *Sighs* School will be starting on January Second, and thus the writing process is going to be even slower… But don't worry; one of my new year's resolutions is that I'll write one chapter of something in every three weeks at least. I won't leave y'all dangling for too long… *grin*
Neways, MERRY CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
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CLAMPraven: Wai! Thank you for all the compliments! And Merry Christmas to you too!
Z: Z-chan, you made absolutely no sense at all, as per normal. But it's a review after all… ^_^
furusawa yuki: ^_^ Thank youuuuuuuu…
Kai: Yes, Kai, I know swords are not supposed to be thrown. Tried it out with some plastic ones at home, and made mental note never to do it again.
Sansele: I have permission to be evil to Chichiri? *perks up* *Looks at various Chichiri fans* Uh… Maybe not… And pair Toroki and Dai up? *thinks* Hmmmm… And as to whether Urumiya is one of the people in Hikitsu's flashback… *shrugs*
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"……" Speech
(……) Authors Notes/ Comments
[……] Thoughts
((……)) Sounds
*……* Actions/Emotions
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[Fushigi Yuugi Belongs to Watase Yuu]
[Original characters, plotline, etc are the intellectual property of Draconsis]
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Draconsis Presents:
A Draconsis Fanfiction
The Great Wars of The World
~ King of Thieves Arc ~
[Chapter 11 – Footprints]
Many people will walk in and out of your life.
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
"…So things are progressing smoothly and as planned."
A snort. "You call that smoothly? Agent, they were nearly killed!"
"It was just a little slip up…" The high-pitched voice replied in an affronted tone. "Besides, I don't see why you couldn't just bring Suzuno and company back here."
"Suzuno and the other Seishi are perfectly happy where they are now. It would be rather mean to disrupt them."
There was a short silence in the blackness of the room.
"Agent, you know about that shrine don't you?" The second voice deepened ominously.
"Kotozukeru? Ha, the moron who designed the underground dungeon must have been a six year old!"
"To you and me, yes, but the Seishi may not think so."
There was a thoughtful pause. "Hmmm… Sou."
"I like my Seishi in one piece, Agent."
"Hai, hai." The first voice flippantly replied.
"That will be all, Agent."
"Ano…about my payment?"
"Oh. It's in the second compartment of the refrigerator. It might need some defrosting."
"Thank you."
There was a long silence. A door quietly slid shut from the far end of the audience chamber.
"Ano…Byakko-sama?" A third voice.
"Yes, Rokou?"
"Did we have to do this in the dark? It's a bit hard to take notes if I can't see anything."
A pair of amber eyes, aflame with an unearthly light, suddenly gleamed in the darkness.
"Why Rokou. Agent and I see perfectly well."
-~=*[^]*=~-
"WHAT?" Inami leapt up from his seat, slamming his hands onto the table in his shock.
The messenger cowered before him, stammering out a reply. "Ha- Hai. We have definite evidence that the Orb of Byakko has been found."
Inami left his desk and paced agitatedly around the room, brow furrowing in worry. "Impossible! They couldn't have…" He spun back to the terrified messenger, snapping at the man. "Are you sure?"
The man nodded frantically.
The Orbs of their Seikuns allowed the Seishi to combine their powers through the Orb. The Genbu Orb was safely in the Hokkan palace, and Uruki was valiantly trying to figure out how to use it. With it, their victory over Sairo and the Byakko Seishi was assured. But if the Byakko Seishi had theirs as well…
Inami stroked his beard, continuing to pace around the room. [There is only one way. The Byakko Seishi must not lay their hands on their Orb.] He clapped twice and attendants immediately appeared before him, kneeling in their green and brown livery.
"Bring Hatsui, Namame and Urumiya here." His eyes narrowed. "I have an errand for them."
-~=*[^]*=~-
The bright and airy atmosphere of the Crimson Chamber belied the edgy mood of the room. Putting the heat aside, Ryuuen would have thought it was a room in the Konan palace, what with the scarlet draperies and the rosewood furnishings. Maybe it would have been used for Konan ambassadors, if any had dared to come to Sairo. The new king kept everything tightly under control, and it was already a small miracle that Saihitei and himself had managed to take refuge in Sairo. But of course, there were no such things as 'miracles'. The new king and his predecessor had been very firm on that.
Ryuuen turned his mind from the intricacies of his home country to the current lively discussion at hand. Saihitei was doing very well to evade every question her majesty had posed to him, yet somehow answering them at the same time. Ryuuen was quite sure he himself would never be able to do it, what with Tora-sama eyeing Saihitei like a tiger after her prey. He would probably give something away, and Saihitei would be mad at him again. He sighed enviously.
"And what does your father do for a living, Sennatsu-san?" Tora-sama leaned slightly forward in her chair, eyes measuring up Saihitei. The gentle probing had been quite pointless, and now she had decided to use more direct methods.
"He works for the Konan government, your majesty." Saihitei replied, subconsciously checking his reflection in a far-off mirror. Especially with such company, his appearance must be impeccable. He smoothened the hair that was out of place.
Tora-sama tried very hard not to explode. If she hadn't known better, she would say that he had been trained how to do this! Working for the government was nothing. His father could be a servant for someone who worked in the Konan government, and thus still work for the government! Now if only he had said in the government…
"Really? It must be wonderful, the Konan palace. Have you ever been inside, Sennatsu-san?" She smiled at him once again, keeping up her outwardly cheerful expression. This question would be rather hard to evade.
Saihitei paused for a while. "Only a few times while I accompanied my father, your majesty." he replied. He sat up straighter in his chair, wondering what her majesty would make of that reply.
Tora Hikaru sighed mentally. As with the previous reply, it could be taken that he could have accompanied his father in and yet be of no importance in Konan. 'A few' could also mean anything from three to three hundred times. Saihitei was a hard nut to crack. But there was always Ryuuen… Tora Hikaru smiled as some of her natural good mood returned.
"How exciting! Is the palace really as grand as Suzaku Den describes it?" She smiled once more. Besides, it had been a long while since she had found another opponent so well versed at verbal sparing as herself. The only other one had been a long time ago, and those had been glorious years together.
Saihitei quickly pieced together the best method to describe it to her. "Your majesty, the author of Suzaku Den may have changed some facts, and naturally the palace has changed since then." He replied, "But the Konan palace is every bit as grand as the Sairo palace." A purposely-vague answer, he knew, but it would throw her off as to how much money Konan had in its treasuries. After all, that was how the treasury was generally reflected, by the grandeur of the palace. He sipped some of the tea, pleased with himself.
Tora-sama almost twitched. He was on to her… Now for a harder question. Maybe Sennatsu-san would slip on this one.
-~=*[^]*=~-
Mabataki Dai eyed his hand once more, before giving his opponent a smile. Karuto glared suspiciously at him over his own hand of cards. The game was well underway, and luck smiled only upon Dai.
The den was pleasantly cool this morning, a refreshing change from warmth of yesterday's night. A few other members of the Kuroi Kitsune ring were spread around it, either having a late breakfast or lounging around, too tired to leave. Others, like him, were simply here for a break from the routine of work.
"Your move." He smiled once more. Karuto fidgeted a little, still unsure about the outcome. He smiled to himself. Luck certainly loved him…both at cards and in ordinary work. Such as the time when he tried to break into a merchant's house, only to find that the man kept a grand total of fifteen guard dogs. There was also the time when -
"Yo, guys!" Denrei, a junior member of the ring, sped into the den, eagerness shining forth from his young face. The den was the underground common room of the Fox and the Goose, also known as the 'thieves only' section. Not that the authorities knew that. All they knew was that the Fox and the Goose was a nice place for an after-dinner drink of sake, a cozy three-storied building. They didn't know about the extra two levels below, which expanded beyond the walls of the inn.
Denrei cheerfully waved a rolled parchment in his hand. "We've got a new job!"
Heads perked up from the various tables. It wasn't often that the ring operated as a group, unless the place they were stealing from was heavily guarded or dangerous in some other way. But lately business had been a trifle slow, and besides, group jobs were always a welcome chance to test their skills.
Sentou, a senior member of the ring, rose and took the parchment from Denrei. He studied it intently, before turning back to the thieves. "Hmm…Lads, I believe we should get going. It seems a scout has located another helpless shrine for us to have a go at. This one seems to have some ancient artifact in it as well." He grinned at the members in the den. "Apparently it comes complete with traps."
There was a cheer from all assembled. The first group got up to head for the location, and the rest broke up to ready themselves. Leaving in groups made them less noticeable, and gave them a chance to scout and warn the others if it was a trap for the ring. Dai regretfully laid down his hand, certain that someone would swap a card or two before he got back. Adjusting his white and red bandana, he turned to leave.
As he neared the entrance, Karuto came up and slapped him on the back. "Hey, Mabataki. If you're really as good as the boss claims, I dare you to steal that artifact." His eyes challenged him to give up, to refuse and back down.
Dai gave him another closed eyed smile. "Heh, I can steal anything." His emerald green eyes coolly regarded Karuto. "Remember what I am."
Some older members had protested his quick rise in rank, many believing that the King of Thieves had shown him favor. Others simply doubted his abilities, what with him not having seen twenty Springs yet. To them he would always be the kid that the boss had raised, tagging along and hampering their work. Never would they see him as the young man that had earned his rank. Thus, any moment to prove himself was a chance Mabataki Dai grabbed at.
He went back to the table and pocketed his hand, placing it in one of the front pockets of his overcoat. "Ne, Karuto." He faced the other thief. "I'll be back with the artifact, and I'll win the game."
Karuto gave him a hard eyed smile from the doorway. "Just don't switch any of them cards."
"Come now, Karuto lad." Sentou strode up to them, speaking in his thick accent. "Mabataki here is so honest, the lad shouldn't be a thief." There was scattered laughter from those near the group.
Sentou smiled as well. "Best get going, ne lads?"
-~=*[^]*=~-
"Stupid horse!" Kokie muttered at the animal, which then snorted back at her. Kokie glared at it.
The four Seishi had left the palace that morning under Tora Hikaru's order to bring back to Orb of Byakko, and to make sure that Byakuya didn't follow them. Her majesty thought it was too dangerous, as well as the fact that he had a lot of paperwork to clear.
Midday was approaching, and the Seishi had made good time. At any moment they would soon come across the village where the shrine was located, find the shrine, retrieve to Orb, and be back in Sairo City by sundown.
"Oh no." Toroki moaned suddenly. She reined in her horse, signaling for the others to stop.
"Hn, what's up?" Amefuri asked from astride her gray gelding. The gray was rather skittish, and too eager for a run.
"Byakuya-kun is here." Toroki rolled her eyes. "The Seishi powers do not lie."
"He's WHAT?!" Kokie screeched out. "We're gonna get in trouble with Heika-sama! What if there are assassins after him that end up getting us? What if, what if, what if-"
"Assassins won't get us. They're ass-Ass-ins, yes?" Amefuri cackled. "Their butts are…"
Kokie gave her a flat look. "When I get off the horse, I am going to whack you very hard."
"Good afternoon." Byakuya confidently rode out from behind some bushes, interrupting them. The Seishi gave him hard looks, which Byakuya completely ignored.
"Exactly how did you get in front of us, Byakuya-kun?" Subaru asked. The pace they had been traveling at couldn't have been that slow.
"Easy." With a flourish, Byakuya produce a map of the area from his saddlebag. "I took a short cut. See?" he jabbed at the map, "Right through here." He gave them a smug, victorious look.
Toroki sighed. "I guess someone has to accompany him back to the capital." [Or else Heika-sama will have our heads.]
Byakuya shook his head. "No you don't." He drew out another parchment from his saddlebags. "I have the plans to the shrine right here." He raised the infamous eyebrow. "Complete with instructions on how to get in via the secret entrance." The plans disappeared back into the saddlebags. "The plans stay with me, Seishi-tachi."
The four Seishi looked at each other, all instantly realizing the only path available to them.
"Oh, fine," Toroki gave Byakuya a grumpy nod, "you can come with us."
The group set off towards Kotozukeru Shrine, unaware of what was going on at their destination.
-~=*[^]*=~-
"RETREAT! RETREAT!"
The plan to raid the shrine hadn't gone exactly as planned. Mabataki Dai easily elbowed one of the masked attackers, before swing around to face another. The ring had arrived to see another group of people, all masked, also after the artifact. The attackers had immediately turned onto them, and the ring had a hard time fighting back the masked men. They were professionals, easily knocking the members unconscious, all dressed in the exact same shade of green and black. The retreat had been called, and the younger members had already fled.
He retrieved a stack of Ofuda from one of his pockets. Carefully aiming the talismans, he threw them at the attackers. They fanned out in a circle before him, each one landing near an enemy.
"BAO4!" At his spoken command, the Ofuda exploded, injuring many of the masked men. But they picked themselves up, and continued to fight.
The ring was nearly gone now, only a few members like himself remained, protecting the retreat. A few more minutes, and he too would be able to leave. From the corner of his eye, he saw a scene he would never forgive, nor forget.
The white robed man, a guardian of the shrine, struggled helplessly as one of the attackers hauled him upwards and slammed him against the wall. "Where is the Orb?" The assailant leaned menacingly over the helpless man.
The man spat onto his assailant's face. "You will never have it, Genbu scum!" There was a flash of green light, blinding Dai momentarily. When it cleared, the guardian lay dead on the floor of the shrine, his blood forming a pool beneath him.
"Kisama…" He charged at the attacker, at the same time drawing out his darts. The man spun around, but he was not quick enough. The darts embedded themselves in his flesh, sinking in a good centimeter or two.
He was about to follow up with a punch, but a wall of some black substance shot up between him and his victim. The thief crashed into it, unable to stop his momentum. The barrier seemed to 'collapse' onto him as well, if you could call that collapsing as it sinuously flowed over him, pinning him to the floor and covering his eyes. He struggled uselessly against the black substance.
There was a sudden creaking noise from beyond the barrier, like many stone slabs moving over one another. Sand suddenly filled his nose, and he snorted, trying to clear it.
"We will return." The voice of the murderer of the guardian rang out, the threat in it unmistakable. The black substance suddenly disappeared, and Dai scrambled to his feet.
The attackers had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a bloodbath of bodies. The remaining thieves were helping the unconscious or wounded out of the shrine, and the guardians were frantically grabbing their valuables. Sand poured out of holes in the wall, a never-ending stream of ochre. Already it covered most of the ground, and continued to rise steadily.
"The sand trap has been activated!" A guardian yelled out to him. "We must leave!"
Mabataki Dai turned to leave, but something seemed to stop his progress. Karuto's words from that morning echoed through his head, daring him to return with the artifact. He turned and ran further into the shrine, ignoring the yells of his companions.
He was already beyond the scene of the battle, the corridor flying past as he ran deeper into the shrine. [Just you wait, Karuto. I'll be back with the artifact, no matter what you or anyone says.]
There was the sound of the stone slabs again, and a wall started to descend from the ceiling, blocking his path. He sped up, sliding the last few meters under the wall as it resolutely slammed down behind him.
Mabataki Dai picked himself up from the floor, and carefully brushed himself off. A lot of dust had come down with the door, and it covered him from head to foot. He stood up, and faced the wall behind him, smiling at his luck. He stuck out a tongue at the door.
"Nyeh." He cheerfully walked backwards, noting how close he had come to having his head squashed. Suddenly, there was no more floor beneath him, and he fell through a hole in the ground.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh------……"
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((THUD))
"Oof…" He picked himself off a pile of hay. Scanning his surroundings, a small stone room with a passageway, he decided that luck really loved him.
"Lucky, da yo!" he smiled.
-~=*[^]*=~-
The Byakko group had found the secret entrance, a small hole in a nearby cliff face covered with bush, and now they proceeded down the stone passageways beneath the shrine. Chibi-neko ran ahead, tail erect and whiskers twitching.
There has been some grinding sounds a while back, followed by more similar sounds and a loud thud from a fork up ahead. If it wasn't for the noises, the Byakko Seishi had had a rather easy trip through the underground.
They paused, waiting for the source of the thud to be unveiled.
"Two of you go check it out." Byakuya whispered.
"NANI-" Toroki quickly covered Kokie's yell.
The Katana wielder gave Kokie a stern look. "You want us to die, is it?"
Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Subaru and Amefuri will go." A glare at the Seishi assured that they would not complain.
-~=*[^]*=~-
Amefuri and Subaru crept down the passageway, pausing just before the entrance to the source of the sound. Chibi-neko had followed them, and now the cat simply ran around the corner, much to their chagrin.
"Chibi!" Subaru immediately dashed off after the cat, leaving Amefuri alone in the corridor.
Sighing heavily, Amefuri rounded the corner after her friend.
Like in a bad horror movie, her eyes slowly traveled down the length of the small room, and alighted onto a figure sprawled out on a pile of hay. Her eyes widened, as did his.
"YOU?!"
-~=*[ Tsudzuku To Be Continued ]*=~-
I guess the stuff in the chapter wouldn't be confusing enough to merit a story guide… and if it's vague, it's probably meant to be vague. But if you are confused, just ask in a review or email.
@_@ @_@ AKUGI! @_@ @_@
Toroki: Oh no.
Amefuri: What's up?
Toroki: The sky.
Amefuri: -_-;;;
Subaru: *feels bored* On the first day of Christmas Byakko gave to me- *is attacked by various Seishi*
@_@ @_@ @_@ @_@ @_@
Till the next chapter the, Ja~~~
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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Signing off,
Draconsis
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Chapter 12:
Byakuya: The Seishi now face the underground dungeon of Kotozukeru shrine. What horrors lurk beneath the surface? What if someone doesn't make it out alive?
Kokie: And what is the connection between Mabataki Dai and the Seishi? Could the thief-
Inami: Our plans have been foiled, but we'll triumph at the end!
Stay tuned!