~ Chapter 12 ~

Journey into the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho

(10 Minutes Later, Sakura's Point-of-View)

                Knock, knock, knock.

                Tasuki sprang from his spot. "I'll get it!!"

                I pushed Tasuki back down onto the bed. "No, I will."

                For a full 20 minutes we waited for Joanna to finally return to the house, once the coast was clear and her mother was gone to work. Tasuki, Chichiri, and I melted into human blobs on her bedspread as we waited … and waited … and waited. Once she had come back, we would go right to our plan and get inside the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, in other words: the enchanted 20th-century television we stole from the school library media centre. Joanna was anticipating our arrival inside very much, feeling lucky that she could at least watch - if she couldn't come. I stopped in front of the closed door and opened it.

                "LET'S GO!" She whipped open the door the rest of the way as she leapt inside and dragged me into her bedroom. Tasuki and Chichiri sat up in acknowledgment, and when they did, they were both forced to their feet and squished behind where I was standing: in front of the TV.

                Joanna picked up the remote and made herself comfortable on her bedspread. "Soo, Chichiri, you say I have to press some button?" She studied the remote and started pressing all the buttons, one at a time. None worked.

                "You might have to press two or three at the same time no da," Chichiri advised as best as he could, as all three of us were crammed into one spot by the walk-in closet.

                "Okay then …" She pressed a few buttons, and that didn't work either.

                "Try "Input" and "1" no da."

                She pressed the 'Input' button, then, holding down 'Input', she pressed '1'.

                All I remember after that was Joanna cheering, a bright light, Tasuki and Chichiri squishing me even more till it almost hurt, and then, everything going black.

~~ At least a few hours later ~~

                My eyes flickered as I slowly returned to consciousness. I could hear Tasuki and Chichiri talking, but in lowered tones.

"No, I think we should head straight for the Konan Capitol … we have to sort things out a bit no da, and anyway, we have no where else to go no da!"

                "Ya think Hotohori-sama was reborn?"

                "I would definitely suspect as much no da, and the same for the rest of the seishi na no da --- but …"

                "Yeah, yeah, I know: we wouldn't even know where ta start lookin'."

                "Sometimes I think you know me too well no da …"

                I opened my eyes slowly and took in my surroundings. There were masses of trees and green grass, and birds chirping amongst the quietness … and everything seemed very clear, very … unpolluted. Very unlike our modern world.

I was laid in a patch of grass by one of the trees, and from my position, I could see the sunlight breaking through where the leaves didn't cover the sky. And what I saw of the sky, it was perfectly blue. This definitely wasn't our modern world, but the world of ancient China.

I could still hear Tasuki and Chichiri talking, which gave me a secure feeling, since they knew the area by actual knowledge of previously being here, and I only knew it based on the information the series had given me. I turned my head; they were sitting about two trees away, facing one another and creating a plan. I sat up, and quicker than I had blinked, they were on either side of me, and I was holding my head.

"You okay (no da)?" They said at the same time.

I didn't respond to that, because I obviously was 'okay' since I was awake. "What happened? Where are we?"

Chichiri and Tasuki both blew a sigh of relief. "You were unconscious no da … I think it was the dramatic changes of going from one world to a totally different one was a little too stimulating no da."

"An' th' transportation business ta get here was rough … musta been worse fer a first-timer."

I nodded, the lightheadedness almost totally faded and forgotten. "So … we're going to the Konan Capitol then first?"

Chichiri blinked. "H-hai no da … to look for the first reborn seishi, Hotohori-sama."

"Well, I hope Joanna isn't too disappointed!" I shrugged and rose to my feet, making sure I wouldn't stumble and fall over. Chichiri drew out his kesa, laid it on the ground, and stepped into the center followed by Tasuki and I.

"We're too far to walk there no da … so we'll just be lazy and take this route no da!" He slammed the end of his staff into the middle and we were gone.