Chapter Two - Destiny
"How long has she been out?"
"Nearly two weeks, but the fever is almost gone, thank goodness."
"Are you sure she's the one?"
"Well, how else do you explain her clothes? We'll know for certain when she wakes up."
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, her head pounding as if she had been trampled, her entire body aching. Was she back home? No. The smell and feel of everything was different, foreign. Who were those people talking? Groaning, she tried sitting up, but gentle hands pushed her back into a pillow. "Where.. where am I.?"
"Shh. Rest now. Once you gain your strength back we can talk."
A woman's voice. It was so familiar. Was she the one that saved her? Lilac. She could smell the lilac again. It must have been her. Suddenly, she felt strangely comforted. Without answering, Sakura nodded her head and relaxed, wincing slightly before allowing the darkness of sleep to overtake her.
---
Green lights. It felt so dark and cold. She was falling. Iie! Not again! Everything was turned upside down. She was falling again, falling through weightlessness, through the freezing, bitter cold, her body going numb with pain. There was nothing she could do, nothing to stop her falling. Her body felt as if it weighed a ton, and she couldn't even move. Laughter. Cruel, evil laughter rang in her ears as she continued to fall. She couldn't block it out or cover her ears, even if she tried it would have done no good. The laughter was in her head. Iie! Yamero! And then she saw it. The bottom. She tried screaming, but nothing came out. She saw the bottom, and it was coming closer and closer. She was going to hit it.
"IIE!" she screamed, bolting up right, her hands gripping the sides of her head as she breathed heavily, eyes wide in horror.
"Shh! It's all right! It was just a dream!" It was that voice again. Sakura didn't bother looking up when she heard it. Instead, she allowed the soft, warm arms to embrace her, and she did the only thing within her power. She tightly grabbed the person, hugging them for dear mercy, afraid that she was going to fall again. It was the same voice and the same scent that she had first heard and smelt when she first passed out. Although so different and unfamiliar, it was so comforting.
"Shh, it's all right. You're awake now." the voice cooed, trying to calm Sakura down. Once the woman was sure the girl had calmed down, she eased the girl back into the pillow.
Calming her breathing, Sakura looked up at the woman, surely not recognizing her. She had long midnight colored hair flowing down her shoulders in gentle cascades and kind, violet eyes. "Where am I?" she whispered, slightly taken back by the woman's outfit, a very elegant and royal looking dress made from deep shades of violet and pink.
"You're in Hokkan," the woman quietly responded, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to gently brush Sakura's bangs out of her eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"
Furrowing her brow in confusion, she tried to remember what happened. She remembered the leaves, the cold, the lights, the laughter and the book. The book! Light came out of the pages, and then she was falling. Could she. no! She couldn't. be inside the book, could she? "I'm not sure. I remember reading pages from a book, and then falling. I woke up, and I was some place outside." she spoke quietly, mostly to herself as she remembered what happened.
The woman nodded, "That's where we found you. You had been wandering around the outskirts of town, sick with a fever. You were lucky you hadn't caught pneumonia, or you may have died."
Sakura shook her head, still not understanding everything. "Who are you?"
"My name is Mao Lien. I may not be able to explain everything to you, but I may be able to clear things up. For now, you should rest, you've only just recently been cured of the fever and you don't have all your strength back. I'll bring some food to you later."
She already felt drowsy and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Sighing, she let her muscles relax into the silk sheets around her, feeling sleep coming to take her again. "Arigatou." She felt Lien get up from the bed and heard the door slide shut behind her. Not long after, Sakura fell into a deep sleep, the scent of lilac still in the air.
---
Sakura.
Dare da? Who's calling me?
Sakura.
The sun was setting, but all she could see was a sakura tree in the distance, a silhouette standing beneath it, petals from the tree falling gently to the ground. She tried running, but seemed to be getting no where; the tree and the shadow wouldn't come any closer no matter how hard she pushed herself.
Sakura.
Who are you?! What do you want from me?!
The silhouette turned around, and she could make out the outline of a man, but all she could see were his piercing green eyes. And then he was gone.
With a groan, Sakura pulled herself out of her deep sleep, blinking away the blur in front of her eyes. She slowly sat up and looked around the room, for the first time noticing how strange it was. The room was furnished with a small amount of furniture, a bed, a table and two chairs, a small bureau and a fireplace. All of it was made out of polished wood that looked like it was worth quite a bit of money. Almost all of the wood also had strange carvings in it, mostly of turtles and snakes. The bed alone was gorgeous enough, made with silken sheets and fancy cloth hanging between the tops of the bedposts.
A quiet knock sounded at the door and Lien quietly entered the room with a tray of food. "How are you feeling?" she asked, resting the tray on the night table next to the bed as Sakura sat up.
"A lot better, thanks. Uhm, how long have I been here?" she asked as Lien placed the tray in her lap, the scent of rice and vegetables wafting to her nose and making her mouth water, realizing that she hadn't eaten in quite a while.
"Nearly three weeks," the raven-haired woman replied, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Sakura as she ate the food.
Sakura nearly spit out the rice in her mouth. "Th-three weeks?!" she choked, slamming her fist into her chest and swallowing the rice. "Oh, god, dad must be so worried! Maaya and everyone else too!"
Lien blinked at Sakura, a little worried at how upset she was. "G-gomen. Maybe I should explain what I can."
Sakura, at the sudden loss of appetite, put the tray on the night table and sat back, watching Lien quietly, fearing the trouble she would be in once she got home.
Inhaling deeply, Lien sighed and began explaining what she could. "I don't know where you're from, exactly, but our legends say that you come from a completely different world. It's said, that a girl from another world will come to Hokkan to summon the god Genbu and save Hokkan from all danger."
Sakura just stared blankly at Lien.
Lien chuckled nervously, a sweatdrop sliding down the back of her head. "Erm, well, maybe my brother can explain it. He really can't wait to meet you. Do you think you're strong enough?"
With a nod, Sakura slowly moved her feet off the side of the bed, but paused, realizing what clothes she had to wear. "Uhh.. If it's not too much trouble, do you think I could borrow some clothes? I, uhh.." she just tailed off blinking.
"No need to explain," Lien smiled, getting up and moving over to the bureau across the room, opening the top drawer. "I'm sure anything in here will fit you. You may not be used to it, but it's all we have."
"No, that's fine! I'm just sorry for being such a burden."
Opening the door, Lien shook her head, "Believe me, you're no burden at all. I'll be right outside the door. Just come out when you're ready." With another smile, Lien nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
Slowly getting up out of bed, Sakura made her way towards the bureau and fished through the clothes. 'Erk. I've never worn anything like this before..' she winced inwardly. With a sigh, she grabbed the first thing that caught her eye, a very elegant looking dress made of various shades of green. It took her a while to get the dress on properly, definitely not used to wearing anything like it, but once she got it on, she smoothed it out and sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "This will have to do.." she spoke to herself, moving towards the door and opening it.
At the sound of the door opening, Lien turned around and smiled towards Sakura. "It looks good on you. Ready?"
Sakura nodded quietly and followed Lien down a few corridors, thankful that they were inside, away from the bitter cold. She moved silently, not really minding the dress now, but rather surprised it fit her perfectly. While moving down the halls, she noticed that there were no electric lights, and that small candles were hung from the walls at every few feet. The walls, like the furniture in the room she was in, had carvings of turtles and snakes. 'Genbu, maybe?'
Coming to a large set of oak doors, two soldiers stationed on either side pushed them open and bowed low, allowing Lien and Sakura passage into a large palace hall. Many people were lined on both sides, and as the young women moved forward, the people bowed. Sakura blinked a few times, wondering what exactly was going on. Was she in some royal palace? It at least looked like it, with all the fancy paintings and carvings on the walls. Not knowing anyone else, she tried to keep up with Lien, but slowed down once seeing the raven-haired woman walk up to and stand next to a man dressed in silk clothes. He too had black hair and violet eyes like Lien. Was this her brother?
The tall man smiled down at Sakura as she came closer, bowing his head to her. "Konnichiwa, Genbu no Miko. I am Emperor Shaiming, Emperor of Hokkan, and I graciously welcome you to my palace."
If it were possible, Sakura would have felt her mouth drop to the floor. Emperor?! So that meant Lien was the Emperor's sister?! The Empress of Hokkan?! Sure Sakura had never met or interacted with royalty before, but she at least knew she should have acted more civilized and polite towards Lien! And this. Genbu no Miko? Shaking her head, she looked up at the young man. "I-iie, watashi wa Sakura. Kyouko Sakura." she said quietly, trying to keep herself from acting like a fool.
Shaiming smiled warmly at the young girl and stepped down from the throne to stand before her, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. He was so happy that the legends had finally come true, that Genbu no Miko had finally appeared to save Hokkan, that he hardly minded how improper she was acting. "That may be your name, but you are much more than just 'Kyouko Sakura.' You are Genbu no Miko. You were brought here to save my country."
Sakura stood there a moment, blinking slowly. "Whoa.. No, hold on, just wait a minute!" she shouted, backing up with her hands raised, the Emperor's hand falling off her shoulder. "There's no way I can summon some. Genbu, or save a country! I'm only a high school student! All I can do is cook, clean, study and play sports!"
"Sakura." Lien quietly spoke, stepping down from the throne as well and walking up to the frightened girl, reaching out to calm her.
"No! It's just not possible! This all has to be some dream!" she laughed backing up a bit further. "That's it! It's just some crazy dream that I'm having because I hadn't slept well! The stupid hallucinations! The pain! Not being able to breathe! It's just some stupid dream! Just because I was bad!"
Lien and Shaiming backed up a bit, looks of worry and concern crossing their faces as they watched Sakura, the rest of the people in the hall just watching with terror, quiet murmurs rippling through the crowd.
A quiet jingle of bells and beads sounded, and the people to Sakura's side spread apart allowing a tall woman with long white hair to pass by. "Don't be afraid," she whispered, moving so gracefully she seemed as though she were gliding, her robes billowing out gently around her with every movement.
Sakura quickly looked to where the voice came from and took note of the woman. She started backing away, shaking her head. "No! You're just part of the dream too!" Her throat was so dry that her words only came out in a hoarse cry.
The woman stopped where she was and placed her wooden staff to the floor, the beads and chimes attached to the top jingling quietly as they smacked into each other. Closing her eyes, she tiled her head down-wards a bit and let out a long breath.
Sakura. Daijoubu-ka. I'm not going to harm you. Just calm down.
Suddenly feeling tired, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her body wavering for a moment as her eyelids fell half closed. She nodded slowly, not showing any signs that she was going to run as the mysterious woman reached out and placed her hand to the girl's forehead.
That's right. Just relax.
After a few moments, the woman pulled her hand away, and Sakura lifted her head up and looked around at everyone, feeling a slight blush come to her face. "G-gomen nasai." she murmured, bowing her head in shame.
Shaiming and Lien let out chorused sighs of relief. "What is your name?" Shaiming asked, stepping forward towards the woman.
Placing both hands on her staff, the woman turned to look at the Emperor and Empress, bowing her head in respect. "Watashi wa Liao An."
"You have my gratitude, Liao An," the Emperor replied, lightly bowing his head in thanks.
"It was nothing," An shook her head, standing up right once more. "But I must now take my leave. Sayonara, Emperor, Empress, Miko," she bowed lightly once more, looking at each of them in turn before turning back and exiting the palace chamber, her movements fluid and graceful as they had been before.
Although very impressed with the lady, Shaiming immediately turned his attentions back to Sakura. "I'm sorry if I had burdened you with so much information so quickly, it's just-"
"Iie!" Sakura spoke up, taking a few steps forward. "You... shouldn't be the one sorry. I should. It's just, all of this is happening so fast, and, I don't know what to make of it all. Please, tell me what I must know."
Shaiming smiled again and turned back to sit upon his throne, Lien doing the same at his left. "My country, Hokkan, has been on the brink of war for some time now with the rivaling country Kutou. For years, we have thought that war would come, but thankfully, nothing has happened yet, but we do know Kutou is planning something. Although Hokkan is a large country with many people, we would not be able to stand up against an army such as Kutou's, even if the environment were in our favor. That is why we depend on you, Genbu no Miko. As I'm sure my sister has already told you, our legends speak of a young woman sent from another world who will come and summon Genbu, thereby saving our country from anything that may threaten it. You, Kyouko Sakura, are Genbu no Miko. By the will of our god, Genbu, you were brought from your world to ours so that you may help us."
Sakura stared intently at the Emperor as he spoke, trying to absorb and understand every word that he said. Genbu no Miko? It would explain her hallucinations, and all the strange feelings she had been having. Maybe she was Genbu no Miko, but how would she summon a god? She was still just a high school student. "If I really am Genbu no Miko, what would I have to do? I honestly still don't understand a lot of this. but if I can help, I will do everything in my power to help you." she spoke quietly, never having been one to turn down someone in need.
Nodding, Shaiming let out a sigh of relief, looking down at the girl. "The hardest part is not summoning Genbu himself, but finding his seven celestial warriors, Genbu no Shichi Seishi, seven warriors each with a special power that they use to protect their miko. I am sorry to say that I cannot give you more help than that, but perhaps our Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho can be of help," he spoke, turning to one of his servants and signaling them over. A small man hurried over with a pillow, a scroll sitting upon the top of it. Shaiming stood, took the scroll from the pillow and stepped down to hand it to Sakura.
The scroll was old, she could tell that much when she took it from the Emperor. Being careful with it, Sakura held it close and nodded. "So. All I have to do is find seven people, summon Genbu, and then I can go home?"
"That is all. However, when you summon Genbu, you are granted three wishes. You could have anything beyond your wildest dreams! I ask that you use one of those wishes to save Hokkan, and then the other two are yours to do whatever you want with them," Shaiming explained.
"I. could wish for anything?" she asked. He nodded. Sakura tightened her grip on the scroll and looked up confidence. "Then I, Kyouko Sakura, will be your Genbu no Miko, and I shall summon Genbu to protect your country."
The built up tension was finally released as the entire hall was lit up with cheers of delight. Sakura looked around startled for a moment, but then smiled, amazed that her words could make so many people so happy. She hoped she could make them happier and keep her newly made promise.
---
Immediately after Sakura had announced her acceptance of the position, Shaiming ordered a large feast to be prepared. Sakura, in all her hunger, ate heartily, but it wasn't long after that she felt exhausted. After convincing Shaiming that she needed her rest, she hurried from the large hall, but stopped, silently cursing herself for not knowing how to get back to her room.
"Lost?" came a quiet voice from behind.
Sakura yelped and turned around, putting a hand to her chest and shaking her head. "You scared me, Lien!"
The older woman chuckled. "Gomen. Just follow me, I'll show you to your room."
"I-iie! It's okay! I can find it on my own! I don't want you to waste your time on me!" Sakura refused.
Shaking her head, Lien started forward. "Sakura, just because I have royal blood in me, doesn't mean I'm any different from you."
With a sigh, Sakura followed, "It's like you can read my mind or something."
After wandering a few halls, Lien opened the door to Sakura's room and let the younger girl inside, following her in after closing the door behind her. "To be honest, a lot of people worry about it. I often go into town to try and escape the royal obligations, but somehow or another, people usually find out and they treat me as if I'm better than them. I'm just a normal girl, like you. I'm young, and I like to have fun!"
Sakura sat down on the bed, placing the scroll next to her. "Well, I'm not really a very normal girl now," she chuckled, shaking her head. "And how are you young? You look 23, at least."
Walking towards her, Lien shook her head and sat down in one of the chairs. "23? Hah! I'm only 18!"
"Yeah right."
"Empresses don't lie," Lien grinned.
Sakura laughed, amazed that Lien was really a lot like her. She had seen the Empress on her throne and noticed how serious she looked. But not now. Now she looked like a regular teenager, craving nothing but fun. With a sigh, she leaned back on the bed and opened the scroll. Furrowing her brow, she held the scroll in various ways, but it still looked the same. "Well, this is great. How am I supposed to find these Seishi if I can't even read this," she groaned, falling back on the bed and dropping the scroll over her face.
Lien reached out and took the scroll off Sakura's face. "You can't? Strange. You can speak our language but you can't read it. Oh well, it doesn't matter since I'll be going with you to search for the Seishi."
The young girl quickly sat up, shaking her head. "What? No! You can't leave the palace! What if you got hurt? I'm sure your brother would never forgive me!"
With a chuckle, Lien shook her head and rolled the scroll back up. "My brother knows I can take care of myself. Plus, I have to go with you." She lighted the bottom of her dress just slightly so that so Sakura could see the symbol of 'woman' shining in green on her left hip. "This means that I'm one of your Seishi. And as your Seishi, it is my sworn duty to protect you, Genbu no Miko. Watashi wa. Genbu no Uruki."
Then she had already found her first Seishi! With a squeal, Sakura leapt up from the bed and tackled Uruki, flinging her arms around the girl and tackling her to the ground in a hug. Uruki let out a yelp and fell backwards, laughing. "I can't protect you if you suffocate me!"
Sakura sat back, smiling. "Gomen, gomen!" One seishi down. six left. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.
---
Shaking her head and muttering things every now and then, Maaya stormed down the many blocks to Sakura's house. "I've called her at least ten times, and she hasn't picked up once. Even if she was asleep, she would have waken up and answered. Now she's got me all worried about her, so I have to check on her," she muttered to herself, glancing at her watch. It was only seven pm. Maaya shook her head, cursing herself for not going home with her friend as she had planned.
She turned into Sakura's driveway and up the steps until she stood right outside the door. With a bit more strength than needed, she pounded on the door. "Sakura! Open up!" she yelled. When there was no answer, she tried again, but still, no answer. "Baka. baka, baka, baka!" she muttered, reaching out and grabbing the doorknob, testing it to see if it were unlocked. To her surprise, it was. Spitting a few more obscenities under her breath, the brunette walked into her best friend's house and yelled, "KYOUKO SAKURA! Answer me RIGHT NOW before I get angry!" Still, there was no response.
"Now, I'm worried." she sighed and ran upstairs to check Sakura's room. Nothing. The sheets were pulled back, but Sakura wasn't in the bed. Within two minutes, she had the entire house checked. Sakura was nowhere. "Could she have gone out?" Maaya wondered, walking back towards the front door. She figured she'd ask one of the neighbors. But something caught her attention. The library door was open. She remembered how many times Sakura said her father disliked anyone going in there. Did that mean Sakura was in there? She hadn't checked. Cautiously, she pushed the door open and stepped in. "Sakura?" Nothing.
She walked forward, but stopped as she nearly tripped on something. A book. "Strange. Guess it fell," she muttered, picking up the book and lifting it to put it away, but she suddenly got a strange feeling. "Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho." she murmured, opening the cover and skimming some of the book. Furrowing her brow, she sat down on the ground and began to read.
"The young miko slowly stepped back in fear, shaking her head. 'I-iie! Watashi wa Sakura. Kyouko Sakura.'" Maaya dropped the book, her eyes wide. Reaching out, she flipped the cover open and checked for a copyright date. "From the 1920s." she shook her head. "What is going on.?"
*cue end music XD* Glossary:
Yamero - stop Arigatou - thank you Dare da - who's there? Konnichiwa - good afternoon Genbu no Miko - Priestess/Maiden of Genbu Shaiming - Emperor of Hokkan, brother to Uruki Watashi was - I am.. Daijoubu-ka - You're okay Gomen nasai - I'm so sorry.. Sayonara - good bye
The point of the copyright is to point out that the book was written long ago, before Sakura was born, which shows that the book wasn't written recently and therefore purposely written about her.
"How long has she been out?"
"Nearly two weeks, but the fever is almost gone, thank goodness."
"Are you sure she's the one?"
"Well, how else do you explain her clothes? We'll know for certain when she wakes up."
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, her head pounding as if she had been trampled, her entire body aching. Was she back home? No. The smell and feel of everything was different, foreign. Who were those people talking? Groaning, she tried sitting up, but gentle hands pushed her back into a pillow. "Where.. where am I.?"
"Shh. Rest now. Once you gain your strength back we can talk."
A woman's voice. It was so familiar. Was she the one that saved her? Lilac. She could smell the lilac again. It must have been her. Suddenly, she felt strangely comforted. Without answering, Sakura nodded her head and relaxed, wincing slightly before allowing the darkness of sleep to overtake her.
---
Green lights. It felt so dark and cold. She was falling. Iie! Not again! Everything was turned upside down. She was falling again, falling through weightlessness, through the freezing, bitter cold, her body going numb with pain. There was nothing she could do, nothing to stop her falling. Her body felt as if it weighed a ton, and she couldn't even move. Laughter. Cruel, evil laughter rang in her ears as she continued to fall. She couldn't block it out or cover her ears, even if she tried it would have done no good. The laughter was in her head. Iie! Yamero! And then she saw it. The bottom. She tried screaming, but nothing came out. She saw the bottom, and it was coming closer and closer. She was going to hit it.
"IIE!" she screamed, bolting up right, her hands gripping the sides of her head as she breathed heavily, eyes wide in horror.
"Shh! It's all right! It was just a dream!" It was that voice again. Sakura didn't bother looking up when she heard it. Instead, she allowed the soft, warm arms to embrace her, and she did the only thing within her power. She tightly grabbed the person, hugging them for dear mercy, afraid that she was going to fall again. It was the same voice and the same scent that she had first heard and smelt when she first passed out. Although so different and unfamiliar, it was so comforting.
"Shh, it's all right. You're awake now." the voice cooed, trying to calm Sakura down. Once the woman was sure the girl had calmed down, she eased the girl back into the pillow.
Calming her breathing, Sakura looked up at the woman, surely not recognizing her. She had long midnight colored hair flowing down her shoulders in gentle cascades and kind, violet eyes. "Where am I?" she whispered, slightly taken back by the woman's outfit, a very elegant and royal looking dress made from deep shades of violet and pink.
"You're in Hokkan," the woman quietly responded, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to gently brush Sakura's bangs out of her eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"
Furrowing her brow in confusion, she tried to remember what happened. She remembered the leaves, the cold, the lights, the laughter and the book. The book! Light came out of the pages, and then she was falling. Could she. no! She couldn't. be inside the book, could she? "I'm not sure. I remember reading pages from a book, and then falling. I woke up, and I was some place outside." she spoke quietly, mostly to herself as she remembered what happened.
The woman nodded, "That's where we found you. You had been wandering around the outskirts of town, sick with a fever. You were lucky you hadn't caught pneumonia, or you may have died."
Sakura shook her head, still not understanding everything. "Who are you?"
"My name is Mao Lien. I may not be able to explain everything to you, but I may be able to clear things up. For now, you should rest, you've only just recently been cured of the fever and you don't have all your strength back. I'll bring some food to you later."
She already felt drowsy and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Sighing, she let her muscles relax into the silk sheets around her, feeling sleep coming to take her again. "Arigatou." She felt Lien get up from the bed and heard the door slide shut behind her. Not long after, Sakura fell into a deep sleep, the scent of lilac still in the air.
---
Sakura.
Dare da? Who's calling me?
Sakura.
The sun was setting, but all she could see was a sakura tree in the distance, a silhouette standing beneath it, petals from the tree falling gently to the ground. She tried running, but seemed to be getting no where; the tree and the shadow wouldn't come any closer no matter how hard she pushed herself.
Sakura.
Who are you?! What do you want from me?!
The silhouette turned around, and she could make out the outline of a man, but all she could see were his piercing green eyes. And then he was gone.
With a groan, Sakura pulled herself out of her deep sleep, blinking away the blur in front of her eyes. She slowly sat up and looked around the room, for the first time noticing how strange it was. The room was furnished with a small amount of furniture, a bed, a table and two chairs, a small bureau and a fireplace. All of it was made out of polished wood that looked like it was worth quite a bit of money. Almost all of the wood also had strange carvings in it, mostly of turtles and snakes. The bed alone was gorgeous enough, made with silken sheets and fancy cloth hanging between the tops of the bedposts.
A quiet knock sounded at the door and Lien quietly entered the room with a tray of food. "How are you feeling?" she asked, resting the tray on the night table next to the bed as Sakura sat up.
"A lot better, thanks. Uhm, how long have I been here?" she asked as Lien placed the tray in her lap, the scent of rice and vegetables wafting to her nose and making her mouth water, realizing that she hadn't eaten in quite a while.
"Nearly three weeks," the raven-haired woman replied, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Sakura as she ate the food.
Sakura nearly spit out the rice in her mouth. "Th-three weeks?!" she choked, slamming her fist into her chest and swallowing the rice. "Oh, god, dad must be so worried! Maaya and everyone else too!"
Lien blinked at Sakura, a little worried at how upset she was. "G-gomen. Maybe I should explain what I can."
Sakura, at the sudden loss of appetite, put the tray on the night table and sat back, watching Lien quietly, fearing the trouble she would be in once she got home.
Inhaling deeply, Lien sighed and began explaining what she could. "I don't know where you're from, exactly, but our legends say that you come from a completely different world. It's said, that a girl from another world will come to Hokkan to summon the god Genbu and save Hokkan from all danger."
Sakura just stared blankly at Lien.
Lien chuckled nervously, a sweatdrop sliding down the back of her head. "Erm, well, maybe my brother can explain it. He really can't wait to meet you. Do you think you're strong enough?"
With a nod, Sakura slowly moved her feet off the side of the bed, but paused, realizing what clothes she had to wear. "Uhh.. If it's not too much trouble, do you think I could borrow some clothes? I, uhh.." she just tailed off blinking.
"No need to explain," Lien smiled, getting up and moving over to the bureau across the room, opening the top drawer. "I'm sure anything in here will fit you. You may not be used to it, but it's all we have."
"No, that's fine! I'm just sorry for being such a burden."
Opening the door, Lien shook her head, "Believe me, you're no burden at all. I'll be right outside the door. Just come out when you're ready." With another smile, Lien nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
Slowly getting up out of bed, Sakura made her way towards the bureau and fished through the clothes. 'Erk. I've never worn anything like this before..' she winced inwardly. With a sigh, she grabbed the first thing that caught her eye, a very elegant looking dress made of various shades of green. It took her a while to get the dress on properly, definitely not used to wearing anything like it, but once she got it on, she smoothed it out and sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "This will have to do.." she spoke to herself, moving towards the door and opening it.
At the sound of the door opening, Lien turned around and smiled towards Sakura. "It looks good on you. Ready?"
Sakura nodded quietly and followed Lien down a few corridors, thankful that they were inside, away from the bitter cold. She moved silently, not really minding the dress now, but rather surprised it fit her perfectly. While moving down the halls, she noticed that there were no electric lights, and that small candles were hung from the walls at every few feet. The walls, like the furniture in the room she was in, had carvings of turtles and snakes. 'Genbu, maybe?'
Coming to a large set of oak doors, two soldiers stationed on either side pushed them open and bowed low, allowing Lien and Sakura passage into a large palace hall. Many people were lined on both sides, and as the young women moved forward, the people bowed. Sakura blinked a few times, wondering what exactly was going on. Was she in some royal palace? It at least looked like it, with all the fancy paintings and carvings on the walls. Not knowing anyone else, she tried to keep up with Lien, but slowed down once seeing the raven-haired woman walk up to and stand next to a man dressed in silk clothes. He too had black hair and violet eyes like Lien. Was this her brother?
The tall man smiled down at Sakura as she came closer, bowing his head to her. "Konnichiwa, Genbu no Miko. I am Emperor Shaiming, Emperor of Hokkan, and I graciously welcome you to my palace."
If it were possible, Sakura would have felt her mouth drop to the floor. Emperor?! So that meant Lien was the Emperor's sister?! The Empress of Hokkan?! Sure Sakura had never met or interacted with royalty before, but she at least knew she should have acted more civilized and polite towards Lien! And this. Genbu no Miko? Shaking her head, she looked up at the young man. "I-iie, watashi wa Sakura. Kyouko Sakura." she said quietly, trying to keep herself from acting like a fool.
Shaiming smiled warmly at the young girl and stepped down from the throne to stand before her, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. He was so happy that the legends had finally come true, that Genbu no Miko had finally appeared to save Hokkan, that he hardly minded how improper she was acting. "That may be your name, but you are much more than just 'Kyouko Sakura.' You are Genbu no Miko. You were brought here to save my country."
Sakura stood there a moment, blinking slowly. "Whoa.. No, hold on, just wait a minute!" she shouted, backing up with her hands raised, the Emperor's hand falling off her shoulder. "There's no way I can summon some. Genbu, or save a country! I'm only a high school student! All I can do is cook, clean, study and play sports!"
"Sakura." Lien quietly spoke, stepping down from the throne as well and walking up to the frightened girl, reaching out to calm her.
"No! It's just not possible! This all has to be some dream!" she laughed backing up a bit further. "That's it! It's just some crazy dream that I'm having because I hadn't slept well! The stupid hallucinations! The pain! Not being able to breathe! It's just some stupid dream! Just because I was bad!"
Lien and Shaiming backed up a bit, looks of worry and concern crossing their faces as they watched Sakura, the rest of the people in the hall just watching with terror, quiet murmurs rippling through the crowd.
A quiet jingle of bells and beads sounded, and the people to Sakura's side spread apart allowing a tall woman with long white hair to pass by. "Don't be afraid," she whispered, moving so gracefully she seemed as though she were gliding, her robes billowing out gently around her with every movement.
Sakura quickly looked to where the voice came from and took note of the woman. She started backing away, shaking her head. "No! You're just part of the dream too!" Her throat was so dry that her words only came out in a hoarse cry.
The woman stopped where she was and placed her wooden staff to the floor, the beads and chimes attached to the top jingling quietly as they smacked into each other. Closing her eyes, she tiled her head down-wards a bit and let out a long breath.
Sakura. Daijoubu-ka. I'm not going to harm you. Just calm down.
Suddenly feeling tired, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her body wavering for a moment as her eyelids fell half closed. She nodded slowly, not showing any signs that she was going to run as the mysterious woman reached out and placed her hand to the girl's forehead.
That's right. Just relax.
After a few moments, the woman pulled her hand away, and Sakura lifted her head up and looked around at everyone, feeling a slight blush come to her face. "G-gomen nasai." she murmured, bowing her head in shame.
Shaiming and Lien let out chorused sighs of relief. "What is your name?" Shaiming asked, stepping forward towards the woman.
Placing both hands on her staff, the woman turned to look at the Emperor and Empress, bowing her head in respect. "Watashi wa Liao An."
"You have my gratitude, Liao An," the Emperor replied, lightly bowing his head in thanks.
"It was nothing," An shook her head, standing up right once more. "But I must now take my leave. Sayonara, Emperor, Empress, Miko," she bowed lightly once more, looking at each of them in turn before turning back and exiting the palace chamber, her movements fluid and graceful as they had been before.
Although very impressed with the lady, Shaiming immediately turned his attentions back to Sakura. "I'm sorry if I had burdened you with so much information so quickly, it's just-"
"Iie!" Sakura spoke up, taking a few steps forward. "You... shouldn't be the one sorry. I should. It's just, all of this is happening so fast, and, I don't know what to make of it all. Please, tell me what I must know."
Shaiming smiled again and turned back to sit upon his throne, Lien doing the same at his left. "My country, Hokkan, has been on the brink of war for some time now with the rivaling country Kutou. For years, we have thought that war would come, but thankfully, nothing has happened yet, but we do know Kutou is planning something. Although Hokkan is a large country with many people, we would not be able to stand up against an army such as Kutou's, even if the environment were in our favor. That is why we depend on you, Genbu no Miko. As I'm sure my sister has already told you, our legends speak of a young woman sent from another world who will come and summon Genbu, thereby saving our country from anything that may threaten it. You, Kyouko Sakura, are Genbu no Miko. By the will of our god, Genbu, you were brought from your world to ours so that you may help us."
Sakura stared intently at the Emperor as he spoke, trying to absorb and understand every word that he said. Genbu no Miko? It would explain her hallucinations, and all the strange feelings she had been having. Maybe she was Genbu no Miko, but how would she summon a god? She was still just a high school student. "If I really am Genbu no Miko, what would I have to do? I honestly still don't understand a lot of this. but if I can help, I will do everything in my power to help you." she spoke quietly, never having been one to turn down someone in need.
Nodding, Shaiming let out a sigh of relief, looking down at the girl. "The hardest part is not summoning Genbu himself, but finding his seven celestial warriors, Genbu no Shichi Seishi, seven warriors each with a special power that they use to protect their miko. I am sorry to say that I cannot give you more help than that, but perhaps our Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho can be of help," he spoke, turning to one of his servants and signaling them over. A small man hurried over with a pillow, a scroll sitting upon the top of it. Shaiming stood, took the scroll from the pillow and stepped down to hand it to Sakura.
The scroll was old, she could tell that much when she took it from the Emperor. Being careful with it, Sakura held it close and nodded. "So. All I have to do is find seven people, summon Genbu, and then I can go home?"
"That is all. However, when you summon Genbu, you are granted three wishes. You could have anything beyond your wildest dreams! I ask that you use one of those wishes to save Hokkan, and then the other two are yours to do whatever you want with them," Shaiming explained.
"I. could wish for anything?" she asked. He nodded. Sakura tightened her grip on the scroll and looked up confidence. "Then I, Kyouko Sakura, will be your Genbu no Miko, and I shall summon Genbu to protect your country."
The built up tension was finally released as the entire hall was lit up with cheers of delight. Sakura looked around startled for a moment, but then smiled, amazed that her words could make so many people so happy. She hoped she could make them happier and keep her newly made promise.
---
Immediately after Sakura had announced her acceptance of the position, Shaiming ordered a large feast to be prepared. Sakura, in all her hunger, ate heartily, but it wasn't long after that she felt exhausted. After convincing Shaiming that she needed her rest, she hurried from the large hall, but stopped, silently cursing herself for not knowing how to get back to her room.
"Lost?" came a quiet voice from behind.
Sakura yelped and turned around, putting a hand to her chest and shaking her head. "You scared me, Lien!"
The older woman chuckled. "Gomen. Just follow me, I'll show you to your room."
"I-iie! It's okay! I can find it on my own! I don't want you to waste your time on me!" Sakura refused.
Shaking her head, Lien started forward. "Sakura, just because I have royal blood in me, doesn't mean I'm any different from you."
With a sigh, Sakura followed, "It's like you can read my mind or something."
After wandering a few halls, Lien opened the door to Sakura's room and let the younger girl inside, following her in after closing the door behind her. "To be honest, a lot of people worry about it. I often go into town to try and escape the royal obligations, but somehow or another, people usually find out and they treat me as if I'm better than them. I'm just a normal girl, like you. I'm young, and I like to have fun!"
Sakura sat down on the bed, placing the scroll next to her. "Well, I'm not really a very normal girl now," she chuckled, shaking her head. "And how are you young? You look 23, at least."
Walking towards her, Lien shook her head and sat down in one of the chairs. "23? Hah! I'm only 18!"
"Yeah right."
"Empresses don't lie," Lien grinned.
Sakura laughed, amazed that Lien was really a lot like her. She had seen the Empress on her throne and noticed how serious she looked. But not now. Now she looked like a regular teenager, craving nothing but fun. With a sigh, she leaned back on the bed and opened the scroll. Furrowing her brow, she held the scroll in various ways, but it still looked the same. "Well, this is great. How am I supposed to find these Seishi if I can't even read this," she groaned, falling back on the bed and dropping the scroll over her face.
Lien reached out and took the scroll off Sakura's face. "You can't? Strange. You can speak our language but you can't read it. Oh well, it doesn't matter since I'll be going with you to search for the Seishi."
The young girl quickly sat up, shaking her head. "What? No! You can't leave the palace! What if you got hurt? I'm sure your brother would never forgive me!"
With a chuckle, Lien shook her head and rolled the scroll back up. "My brother knows I can take care of myself. Plus, I have to go with you." She lighted the bottom of her dress just slightly so that so Sakura could see the symbol of 'woman' shining in green on her left hip. "This means that I'm one of your Seishi. And as your Seishi, it is my sworn duty to protect you, Genbu no Miko. Watashi wa. Genbu no Uruki."
Then she had already found her first Seishi! With a squeal, Sakura leapt up from the bed and tackled Uruki, flinging her arms around the girl and tackling her to the ground in a hug. Uruki let out a yelp and fell backwards, laughing. "I can't protect you if you suffocate me!"
Sakura sat back, smiling. "Gomen, gomen!" One seishi down. six left. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.
---
Shaking her head and muttering things every now and then, Maaya stormed down the many blocks to Sakura's house. "I've called her at least ten times, and she hasn't picked up once. Even if she was asleep, she would have waken up and answered. Now she's got me all worried about her, so I have to check on her," she muttered to herself, glancing at her watch. It was only seven pm. Maaya shook her head, cursing herself for not going home with her friend as she had planned.
She turned into Sakura's driveway and up the steps until she stood right outside the door. With a bit more strength than needed, she pounded on the door. "Sakura! Open up!" she yelled. When there was no answer, she tried again, but still, no answer. "Baka. baka, baka, baka!" she muttered, reaching out and grabbing the doorknob, testing it to see if it were unlocked. To her surprise, it was. Spitting a few more obscenities under her breath, the brunette walked into her best friend's house and yelled, "KYOUKO SAKURA! Answer me RIGHT NOW before I get angry!" Still, there was no response.
"Now, I'm worried." she sighed and ran upstairs to check Sakura's room. Nothing. The sheets were pulled back, but Sakura wasn't in the bed. Within two minutes, she had the entire house checked. Sakura was nowhere. "Could she have gone out?" Maaya wondered, walking back towards the front door. She figured she'd ask one of the neighbors. But something caught her attention. The library door was open. She remembered how many times Sakura said her father disliked anyone going in there. Did that mean Sakura was in there? She hadn't checked. Cautiously, she pushed the door open and stepped in. "Sakura?" Nothing.
She walked forward, but stopped as she nearly tripped on something. A book. "Strange. Guess it fell," she muttered, picking up the book and lifting it to put it away, but she suddenly got a strange feeling. "Shi Jin Ten Shi Sho." she murmured, opening the cover and skimming some of the book. Furrowing her brow, she sat down on the ground and began to read.
"The young miko slowly stepped back in fear, shaking her head. 'I-iie! Watashi wa Sakura. Kyouko Sakura.'" Maaya dropped the book, her eyes wide. Reaching out, she flipped the cover open and checked for a copyright date. "From the 1920s." she shook her head. "What is going on.?"
*cue end music XD* Glossary:
Yamero - stop Arigatou - thank you Dare da - who's there? Konnichiwa - good afternoon Genbu no Miko - Priestess/Maiden of Genbu Shaiming - Emperor of Hokkan, brother to Uruki Watashi was - I am.. Daijoubu-ka - You're okay Gomen nasai - I'm so sorry.. Sayonara - good bye
The point of the copyright is to point out that the book was written long ago, before Sakura was born, which shows that the book wasn't written recently and therefore purposely written about her.