Disclaimer: Please see the Prologue of Suzaku's Oracle for a blanket disclaimer.
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Warnings: Rated PG-13 or Fiction T.
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Notes: 7-11-13 Hello again! I thought you might be wondering when this story happens, reckoning FY events according to time as passed in Konan. Last chapter we visited a bit with Empress Houki and Prince Boushin. Boushin has just turned three, so this story takes place about a year after Miaka last entered the book in search of Tamahome's memory stones. (Personally I like to think that Tamahome lost his marbles!) I don't take into consideration the events of "Eikoden" since that would still be in the future at the time this story takes place. In fact, I will pretend it never happens. ~Sapphire
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Oracles of the Four Gods
"Suzaku's Oracle"
By: Sapphire
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Part Two ~ Strange Land
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Aneko opened her eyes, blinking at the brightness of day. Around her, it seemed as though red lights danced in the air, then faded slowly away. She discovered herself surrounded by vibrant green leaves, swaying as they dangled high above her from the branches of the surrounding trees. She stared upward, lying on her back, confused and disoriented. Hadn't she just been standing in the misty woods outside the Shizuku Ichi Village? A light breeze passed over her, ruffling her messy hair. Aneko reached a hand up and pushed the wayward locks out of her face as she took in the scents carried on the wind. She could smell damp earth, recent rain, and sun-warmed grass. "This isn't right," she thought to herself. "It's autumn." Startled, she sat up, only to find herself lying in the green summer foliage of a forest floor.
There had been mist, thick drifting mist. And it had been cold. She had been walking along the deserted wooded paths in lonely solitude. She couldn't exactly recall why. There had to be a reason, she mused, as it wasn't like her to do such things. But try as she might, she couldn't recall the reason. She only felt strange pangs of sadness in her heart. She shook it off and concentrated again on where she had been. There had been a cave, she remembered. A little cave and a very strange clearing. She could visualize the uneven, blackened rock and the intense feeling of being held there by some invisible force. And then a strange light; a red light that seemed to swallow her up. But that was all.
Slowly, she rose from the ground and scrutinized her surroundings. To the right the forest deepened, growing darker and denser. To the left the trees thinned and she could see sky beyond them. She brushed off her navy blue skirt and started walking toward the patches of sky. She thought that if she made her way out of the trees, she would be able to figure out where she was.
Aneko gaped breathlessly as she stood atop a high hill at the edge of the forest and looked out over the landscape. Below her lay a village nestled against the side of the towering hill. Beyond that lay a vast land covered in fields of grain and rice, interrupted only by the dots of intermittent farms. Far beyond that she could just make out the edge of a large city. It looked nothing like the cities she knew, though. There was no skyline of towering skyscrapers, no glow of distant city lights, and no smog hanging over the city in a hazy cloud. She had absolutely no inkling as to where she was.
"What do I do now?" she asked herself. She stood in silence, skimming over the scene before her once again. Her eyes were drawn to the village right below her. There would be people there, people who could help her, she thought.
As she entered the village, Aneko was struck by the strangely unfamiliar but familiar feel the village had. A slow, mule drawn cart ambled along carrying a big load of hay. She watched it go by, her eyes following it curiously. Moments later her attention was captured by a woman scurrying across the road carrying a large basket of vegetables. Then two children ran by, a girl chasing a boy, shouting at him to slow down and wait. Another woman crossed the road, her skirts flapping behind her as she hurried on her way. They all seemed normal, but her feeling had grown stronger.
It occurred to her then, that it wasn't so much what she saw, but what she didn't see that was bothering her. Aneko realized there were no neon signs, no automobiles, no electrical lines, no telephone booths. The streets were dirt and there were no sidewalks. She saw no trace of the modern conveniences. Could it be that this village didn't have any of those things despite the modern age? But surely they would have bicycles, wouldn't they?
"And their clothes," she thought as a man carrying a load of fabric bolts walked by. "They're so old fashioned, and foreign." There was something significant in that, she suspected. She ambled down the street, looking left to right at the different shops. She paused at one to inspect the wares. There was nothing electronic or electrical among them. They had some beautiful hand carved items for sale, she noted. Cooking spoons, bowls, trunks, hair sticks, even children's toys. But there was absolutely nothing hinting of modern technology.
"You like something you see?" the shopkeeper asked her. She looked up.
"They're beautiful," she said quietly, pointing to several intricately carved jewel boxes.
"Yes," the shop keeper agreed. "The Empress is partial to them, too. She has several of my jewel boxes," he boasted. "Seven gold ryo and this one can be yours." Aneko blinked at him.
"Ryo?" she repeated, unfamiliar with the word.
"You must be a stranger here," the shopkeeper said knowingly. "Your clothes say as much." Aneko looked at her clothes, suddenly self aware. She looked around and noticed that several people were staring at her from the street. She flushed in embarrassment under the scrutiny, then put them out of her mind.
"I'm lost," Aneko admitted to the kindly shop owner. "I'm not sure where here is." He smiled warmly.
"This is the Guri-nkoyama Village in the far west of Konankoku," he said. "Where do you come from?" Aneko looked at him a moment, hiding her ignorance as to where that was.
"I'm from a place called Tokyo," she replied finally.
"Tokyo?" the merchant replied. Aneko sighed. "It must be very far away," he said.
"Yes," Aneko agreed absently, her mind whirling, trying to think of something sensible to say and do. "Can-can you tell me what that big city is? The one I saw from the top of the high hill?" Perhaps that would give her a better idea of her whereabouts, she thought.
"Why, that's Eiyou, the Imperial Capital of Konan," he replied. "Is that where you're headed?" Aneko considered her answer for a moment. She'd never heard of that city before, and yet... She felt frustrated, as if there were something there, in her memory, that was again evading her grasp.
"Yes," she finally said decisively. "I'm traveling to Eiyou."
"Oh!" the shopkeeper said excitedly. "Are you traveling with a delegation then? Have you come with an Ambassador from this To-ky-o you speak of?"
"No," Aneko shook her head. "I'm just a lone traveler."
"So dangerous, to travel alone!" the shop owner exclaimed in surprise. "There have been strange things happening. Women, children, they disappear without a trace. They say it is slave traders. It has been outlawed here, but, there is still an underground. You will have to be careful."
"Thank you for the warning," Aneko said seriously. "Thank you for everything you've told me. It was very helpful." She stepped away from the shop with a smile and a wave to the kindly gentleman. "I must be going. I have a long way to go." The shopkeeper smiled and waved back, and Aneko turned and hurried off up the street.
Aneko hoped that once she arrived in Eiyou she would be able to discover where she was and what was going on. A small little country village like this one simply didn't know enough of the world to be able to help her. Her hope was that a large city would have resources that could help her find her way home. Someone there was bound to know where Tokyo was, and point her in the right direction.
Engrossed in her thoughts, Aneko failed to notice a pair of piercing eyes following her every move. As she headed out of the village and into the countryside, a shadowy figure slipped from the dark concealment of a small hut on the edge of town and began to follow after her at a distance. As she walked toward the Imperial Capital she could no longer see on the horizon, three other figures fell into step behind the first, all of them intent on keeping the lone woman in their sights.
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…...
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To be continued…
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End Note: This was a short chapter. All one scene, in fact! Hmmm. Yes, I think I'll address chapter length and story structure next chapter. ~Sapphire
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