Disclaimer: BLAH BLAH BLAH! You know how it works by now. Adema=mine!
**********
Adema worked her fingers through soft silk sheets and wrinkled her nose trying to discern the pungent aroma drifting around her head.
"Where am I?"
"You are in a guest room in the Suzaku complex," came the concerned reply.
"G'morning to you too, Emperor," Adema smiled wearily and opened her eyes to look up at Hotohori. Hotohori smiled back at her and leaned back in his seat.
"Good to see you'll live."
"Oh, I don't know about all that. I feel like I got tossed around pretty bad," Adema muttered as she sat up.
"As you should. You fought past at least three of the Seiryuu Suzaku and that's no small feat."
"Hey, she's awake," cried a small young woman in a strange set of what appeared to be a uniform. The girl came and sat on the edge of the bed, grinning cheerfully from ear-to-ear.
"Miaka, please, she's still weak," Hotohori admonished, shaking his head with rueful amusement as Miaka turned that innocent smile upon him.
"Hi there. I'm Miaka Yuki, who are you?"
"Uh- Well," Adema mumbled, drawing back in consternation as the girl came uncomfortably close to her.
"Miaka, give her some breathing room, won't you?"
Adema sought the voice and found the woman from last night standing in the doorway looking extremely annoyed.
"Oh shuddup Nuriko," Miaka shot back.
"Good morning Lady Nuriko," Adema said softly with a bow of her head.
Nuriko laughed, "Oh, I'm no lady."
He pulled his kimono apart and Adema felt herself flush and sunk down into the pillows shaking her head.
"Yes, she is awake, no da."
There was a puff of smoke and then the man from last night was standing there. In daylight it was obvious that his silver-blue hair really did defy gravity. And his expression was one of the goofiest things she'd ever seen, unbelievably bland and happy.
"That's Chichiri," Miaka whispered to her. Adema flashed her a thankful grin.
"How is our patient doing?" This from a tall man, with yet more gravity defying hair, this time brown and short.
"She's doing very well this morning Mitsukake," Hotohori smiled.
"Where's Tasuki?" Nuriko asked from his perch at the foot of the bed. "And what was last night all about anyway?"
Adema flushed as everyone's gaze turned to her. She reflexively reached to her arm where she had stowed her mother's necklace last night.
"I believe this belongs to you. Tasuki explained to me the circumstances," Hotohori handed her the rope of beads and gold medallion and she hung it gratefully around her neck.
"Did I miss much?" Genro asked from the doorway, a plate of food in his hands.
Adema immediately tried to leap at him, only to be caught by Hotohori and Mitsukake firmly by the shoulders and pressed back against the pillows. She continued to glare at him as he moved cautiously towards the bed, holding the plate out as a peace offering of sorts. It wasn't enough, but it was a start. Adema let the plate be set next to her on a table and regarded Genro as he moved to take a seat next to Chichiri on a couch. Adema did the math in her head.
"Aren't there supposed to be seven of you? I only count six. Who's missing?"
"Tamahome," Miaka supplied softly.
"What happened to him?"
"He turned himself over to our enemies to buy Miaka more time to find the other constellations," Hotohori said softly, gazing at Miaka sadly.
Adema merely made a soft sound and sat quietly in the midst of the silk-covered bed, feeling greatly out of place.
"So why were you skulking around Tasuki's rooms last night?" Nuriko asked with lewd suspicion.
Reflexively, Adema reached out and punched, not even realizing what she was doing until she'd done it. "Oops, didn't mean to do that, it's a reflex, sorry." She gazed down unhappily at Nuriko, who lay on the floor with stars in his eyes.
"Wow, you should be more careful with that right hook," Miaka grinned impishly. "So what were you doing last night? Tasuki said the first thing he remembers was someone climbing in bed with him."
"Who's Tasuki?" Adema asked blankly.
"I am," Genro said flatly, not looking up.
"Oh, well, it certainly wasn't what you all are thinking." Adema quickly explained what had happened two years ago. "So I've been looking for him since then. I found out he was here three, now four I guess, four days ago. So I made my move and got my mother's necklace back."
She touched the familiar medallion like an old friend and smiled warmly.
"And you got caught on the way out," Nuriko gloated from the floor.
"I got in first."
"I'm not surprised. After all, you helped me pick out the palace's defenses," Hotohori chuckled.
"True enough," Adema laughed.
"What do you mean by that?" Nuriko asked sharply.
"Adema is a spy for me and on occasion a thief. All of you, this is Adema Tamoe, our cousin and Royal Agent," Hotohori said with mock formality.
"Your cousin?" Miaka squawked.
"It's very distant and he only uses the connection to call in favors where the Emperor would otherwise be powerless." Adema spared her royal cousin a half-hearted glare. "I am far out of the line of succession. I am also one of the best in my line of work."
"Wh-oh-ow!" Miaka breathed in awe and leaned closer, driving Adema deeper into the pillows.
"Miaka," Mitsukake barked.
"Sorry!"
**********
Adema worked her fingers through soft silk sheets and wrinkled her nose trying to discern the pungent aroma drifting around her head.
"Where am I?"
"You are in a guest room in the Suzaku complex," came the concerned reply.
"G'morning to you too, Emperor," Adema smiled wearily and opened her eyes to look up at Hotohori. Hotohori smiled back at her and leaned back in his seat.
"Good to see you'll live."
"Oh, I don't know about all that. I feel like I got tossed around pretty bad," Adema muttered as she sat up.
"As you should. You fought past at least three of the Seiryuu Suzaku and that's no small feat."
"Hey, she's awake," cried a small young woman in a strange set of what appeared to be a uniform. The girl came and sat on the edge of the bed, grinning cheerfully from ear-to-ear.
"Miaka, please, she's still weak," Hotohori admonished, shaking his head with rueful amusement as Miaka turned that innocent smile upon him.
"Hi there. I'm Miaka Yuki, who are you?"
"Uh- Well," Adema mumbled, drawing back in consternation as the girl came uncomfortably close to her.
"Miaka, give her some breathing room, won't you?"
Adema sought the voice and found the woman from last night standing in the doorway looking extremely annoyed.
"Oh shuddup Nuriko," Miaka shot back.
"Good morning Lady Nuriko," Adema said softly with a bow of her head.
Nuriko laughed, "Oh, I'm no lady."
He pulled his kimono apart and Adema felt herself flush and sunk down into the pillows shaking her head.
"Yes, she is awake, no da."
There was a puff of smoke and then the man from last night was standing there. In daylight it was obvious that his silver-blue hair really did defy gravity. And his expression was one of the goofiest things she'd ever seen, unbelievably bland and happy.
"That's Chichiri," Miaka whispered to her. Adema flashed her a thankful grin.
"How is our patient doing?" This from a tall man, with yet more gravity defying hair, this time brown and short.
"She's doing very well this morning Mitsukake," Hotohori smiled.
"Where's Tasuki?" Nuriko asked from his perch at the foot of the bed. "And what was last night all about anyway?"
Adema flushed as everyone's gaze turned to her. She reflexively reached to her arm where she had stowed her mother's necklace last night.
"I believe this belongs to you. Tasuki explained to me the circumstances," Hotohori handed her the rope of beads and gold medallion and she hung it gratefully around her neck.
"Did I miss much?" Genro asked from the doorway, a plate of food in his hands.
Adema immediately tried to leap at him, only to be caught by Hotohori and Mitsukake firmly by the shoulders and pressed back against the pillows. She continued to glare at him as he moved cautiously towards the bed, holding the plate out as a peace offering of sorts. It wasn't enough, but it was a start. Adema let the plate be set next to her on a table and regarded Genro as he moved to take a seat next to Chichiri on a couch. Adema did the math in her head.
"Aren't there supposed to be seven of you? I only count six. Who's missing?"
"Tamahome," Miaka supplied softly.
"What happened to him?"
"He turned himself over to our enemies to buy Miaka more time to find the other constellations," Hotohori said softly, gazing at Miaka sadly.
Adema merely made a soft sound and sat quietly in the midst of the silk-covered bed, feeling greatly out of place.
"So why were you skulking around Tasuki's rooms last night?" Nuriko asked with lewd suspicion.
Reflexively, Adema reached out and punched, not even realizing what she was doing until she'd done it. "Oops, didn't mean to do that, it's a reflex, sorry." She gazed down unhappily at Nuriko, who lay on the floor with stars in his eyes.
"Wow, you should be more careful with that right hook," Miaka grinned impishly. "So what were you doing last night? Tasuki said the first thing he remembers was someone climbing in bed with him."
"Who's Tasuki?" Adema asked blankly.
"I am," Genro said flatly, not looking up.
"Oh, well, it certainly wasn't what you all are thinking." Adema quickly explained what had happened two years ago. "So I've been looking for him since then. I found out he was here three, now four I guess, four days ago. So I made my move and got my mother's necklace back."
She touched the familiar medallion like an old friend and smiled warmly.
"And you got caught on the way out," Nuriko gloated from the floor.
"I got in first."
"I'm not surprised. After all, you helped me pick out the palace's defenses," Hotohori chuckled.
"True enough," Adema laughed.
"What do you mean by that?" Nuriko asked sharply.
"Adema is a spy for me and on occasion a thief. All of you, this is Adema Tamoe, our cousin and Royal Agent," Hotohori said with mock formality.
"Your cousin?" Miaka squawked.
"It's very distant and he only uses the connection to call in favors where the Emperor would otherwise be powerless." Adema spared her royal cousin a half-hearted glare. "I am far out of the line of succession. I am also one of the best in my line of work."
"Wh-oh-ow!" Miaka breathed in awe and leaned closer, driving Adema deeper into the pillows.
"Miaka," Mitsukake barked.
"Sorry!"