Disclaimer: Please see the Prologue of Suzaku's Oracle for a blanket disclaimer.
.
Warnings: Rated PG-13 or Fiction T.
.
Notes: 5-4-14 Here begins the second half of book one! That sounds more impressive that it really is. When writing OFG, I organized it with ten chapters per word processor document (eleven chapters for those documents that contain the prologue and epilogue). It takes up ten documents, roughly thirty pages each. That means, with this chapter, the OFG trilogy is only 16% complete! (Or thereabouts.) I don't know if other authors spread their lengthier stories out in multiple documents like I do. I only do it because once, when I was in college, I had a story saved t inch floppy disk that was a little over sixty pages in length. The next day, when I went to pull it up and work on it, everything was gone except the first page. I didn't have a back-up copy. I was quite devastated. More in End Notes. ~Sapphire
.
.
.
Oracles of the Four Gods
"Suzaku's Oracle"
By: Sapphire
.
Part Sixteen ~ The Seven Stars
.
…...
.
Aneko was very quickly going out of her mind. After the first hour spent there, her room held little interest. After the second day, she was ready to paint the walls in neon colors just to have something to do. It was maddening. When Chichiri and Tasuki came to sit with her for lunch, she decided to tell them what's what and get herself released from her temporary prison.
"I'm not a child," Aneko said putting her foot down, quite literally, by stomping it on the floor. She was well aware it was a very childish thing to do, but she just didn't care. She had had enough. "I know what I am and am not capable of. Right now, what I'm most capable of is going stir-crazy!"
"Okaaay," Tasuki said slowly, regarding her with caution. "Whatever ya say, kid." Aneko took exception to that. She was not a kid, no matter how childish her current behavior might be.
"Don't call me 'kid'!" she exclaimed angrily. "I'm older than you are!"
"Then quit actin' like one!" Tasuki shot back.
"I'll quit acting like one when the two of you stop treating me like one!" Aneko returned, glaring at him then turning on Chichiri before he could open his mouth and offer an unwanted opinion on the subject. "And you," she said, pointing angrily at him, "I don't want to hear another word about me resting again. I've rested about all I'm going to."
"But-" Chichiri had the audacity to say.
"Aiyah!" Aneko punctuated her frustration by flinging a pillow cushion at his head. "Out! Out of my room right now!" She pointed the way to the door. Both Seishi hurried towards it. They had barely passed through when Aneko slammed it shut behind them.
Tasuki looked at Chichiri. The monk was just as surprised by Aneko's outburst as he was. He couldn't exactly blame her, though. She had been cooped up in that room for two days straight. If it had been him, he'd have broken out long before. Suddenly a muffled stream of muttering came floating down to them through the open windows above their heads. The only things Tasuki could definitely pick out were 'bothersome bandit' and 'mothering monk' and a few random colorful words that usually came out of his own mouth.
"Damned women, nothin' but trouble," he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. He'd never been able to figure out how a woman's mind worked, despite growing up in a house with five noisy, obnoxious older sisters. Not that he found Aneko obnoxious. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was one of the rare females he could tolerate. Even so, Aneko was a woman, and he had no idea if she expected him to wait around, or if he was supposed to high-tail it out of there.
Chichiri, on the other hand, seemed to have a better sense about women. He had always dealt well with Miaka and Empress Houki, at any rate. Chichiri didn't look like he was going anywhere at the moment, so Tasuki decided he'd stick around. If Aneko came out looking for someone to take her frustration out on, at least he wouldn't be alone. Suddenly the door opened, and Aneko stepped out fully dressed and with a smile on her face.
"Ah, fresh air and sunshine," she said congenially.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Tasuki asked Chichiri in a whisper so Aneko wouldn't hear. The monk only shrugged.
"Do either of you want to take a walk with me in the gardens? You're both welcome to come if you like," she offered. Chichiri nodded.
"Why not?" Tasuki shrugged, curious. Usually women went from saccharine sweet to raging volcano, not the other way around. The three fell into step as they descended the stairs down to the gardens.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking these past two days," Aneko started to say. As if ya had somethin' better ta do, Tasuki thought to himself. He remembered all too well what it was like to be laid up. "I have a lot of questions I need to ask both of you."
"Like what?" Chichiri queried, glad he didn't have to goad someone into something for a change. Suzaku had told them to teach Aneko. He could only assume Suzaku meant telling her about the legends, and he suspected the answers she sought would be related in some way.
"For starters, what is Suzaku? I mean, I know Suzaku is a god, but..." Aneko queried.
"Suzaku is the guardian beast god of the Southern Cardinal Point," Chichiri began, a thoughtful expression on his face as he decided upon the best way to explain it. "Suzaku controls the seven celestial constellations of the southern region, known as The Suzaku."
"Constellations?" Aneko echoed.
"Each star constellation is the identity of one of Suzaku's chosen, the Shichiseishi or Celestial Warriors," Chichiri explained.
"Ah," Aneko said knowingly. "Tasuki is a Constellation, and you, Chichiri, are another."
"You heard this before?" Tasuki accused. Aneko shook her head.
"No, but it makes sense since Suzaku asked the two of you to protect me," Aneko said. "I have a question, though. If there are seven constellations, why are just the two of you here?" Chichiri understood her question was simply innocent curiosity, but it hurt. Tasuki wasn't immune to the hurt, either. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked?" Aneko said, sensing their grief.
"No, it's all right, no da," Chichiri was quick to assure her. After all, they'd have to tell her about it eventually. "Tamahome was reborn into the other world to be with Miaka. The others died before the Priestess could summon Suzaku."
"I'm so sorry," Aneko apologized.
"It's not your fault, no da," Chichiri said. "You didn't know."
"But I did," Aneko said, frowning.
"What?" Tasuki demanded, his gaze locking with hers.
"I- I know all about it…" she trailed off, looking somewhat confused.
"You do?" Chichiri was surprised, to say the least. "What do you mean?"
"It all started when Suzaku no Miko- Miaka- appeared in this world and met Tamahome," Ankeo said. Chichiri nodded, exchanging a look with Tasuki. The bandit was just as surprised.
"That's right, no da," Chichiri said, prompting her to continue.
"Not long after, they were brought here to the palace where they met first Hotohori, and then Nuriko," Aneko related. "Miaka met you next, beside a river," Aneko said, turning to Chichiri then in a scolding tone adding, "although she didn't know who you were until later."
"Da!" Chichiri was very surprised she knew that. It wasn't a detail anyone outside the Suzaku Seven knew. He never discussed any of this with Aneko before, and as far as he was aware, Tasuki hadn't either. "How could she know that?" he wondered in silent thought. By the look on Tasuki's face, he was thinking the same thing.
"She found Tasuki on a mountain," Aneko said, turning to the red head. "You're a bandit?"
"How'd you know that?" Tasuki demanded. "I never told ya that." Aneko hesitated to answer. "Well?" Tasuki pressed.
"I thought it was a dream…" Aneko answered in a small voice.
"Dream, no da?" Something in Chichiri's head clicked. He recalled finding her asleep by the pond, a faint red aura around her. "The dream I woke you from two mornings ago?" She looked at him, startled.
"Yes. How did you know?" She wondered.
"Suzaku," Chichiri said simply. "I saw the aura of Suzaku around you, no da."
"It figures this was Suzaku's doing," Tasuki interjected with a roll of his eyes.
"Aura? You mean I was glowing? Do you think..." Aneko trailed off as a cold darkness stole over her. She felt her body tense as her mind was assaulted by flashes of scenes depicting death and destruction. Buildings crumbled to dust and debris. Many already lay dead, those still alive ran wildly, looking for a way to escape. There was none. Fires burned with or without something to fuel it, but the air was strangely clear of smoke, though it felt thin. Aneko wanted to run, escape it, but she was frozen in place. Before she knew it, the entire settlement lay before her in ruins. Not a single structure was left standing. Every man, woman, and child lay dead.
"Aneko?" Chichiri watched as her eyes glazed over, unseeing. Her face went pale, and her expression was blank as a faint red glow stole over her. Chichiri took a step closer to her. He could feel the presence of Suzaku as though it were tangible "Aneko?" he repeated, hoping she'd snap out of it.
"What the hell's wrong with 'er now? Why's she glowing?" Tasuki demanded, irritated. Chichiri only shrugged and shook his head. They watched her a moment as she stood there, rooted to one spot, unseeing and unmoving.
"Aneko?" Chichiri tried again. He looked up at Tasuki, and even Tasuki was worried. Chichiri shook the woman again. "Aneko, answer me." For a moment there was no response, and then she wavered before her knees gave out.
.
…...
.
.
To be continued…
.
End Note: After that, I stayed away from writing for a while. When the urge to write became too much to ignore, I played around with dummy documents first. I took one of my English papers and copy-pasted it over and over to create different document sizes and saved them to disk. I discovered that any time the document was over 60 pages, I'd lose it, for whatever reason. So 60 pages became critical mass, so to speak. I have never since saved a document that was longer than 59 pages. I've never lost another document, either. I also keep back-ups of everything on a portable hard drive just in case! ~Sapphire
.