"Star Lovers" by Ai Yuukan Chapter 3 "Shogun?"
"Nani?" Nakago looked away from the view of the gardens to face his guard.
The soldier bowed. "Shogun. the Seiryuu Seishi, Taishi, has requested an audience."
Nakago turned. "She shall have it."
"You have my thanks." Lilian said quietly. The soldier bowed reverently to the general and walked away. Lilian stared at the back of the general, her mind calm and collected. She still hated the general, but if all Seiryuu said was true, then she had no choice but to do as he said and follow him. She quietly took her place beside the shogun and stared out onto the garden beside him.
"You wished to speak with me?"
Lilian closed her eyes. "Hai."
"You will apologize for your earlier rudeness?"
Before, Lilian would have told him to stuff it, but now, she only sighed. "If that is what it will take to have you answer my questions."
Nakago never looked at his fellow seishi. "I will answer your questions, Seiryuu seishi, Taishi, if you will answer mine."
Lilian closed her eyes. "My name is Lilian. Call me by my true name and I will answer all your questions." She said quietly.
"Very well. I will call you Lilian."
"Thank you."
There was a peaceful silence for a few minutes before Lilian spoke again. "You are the Seiryuu Seishi, Nakago?"
"Hai."
"Have you persuaded Yui-chan to become the Seiryuu no Miko."
"Not yet."
A tear trickled down Lilian's cheek. Yui. I'm so sorry. "I. will help you."
"I see."
Lilian wiped away her tear but didn't open her eyes. "I served the center god, Taittsukun. I trained on her mountain for five years. That was. three years ago. Somehow, my memory of my time there was erased, and they only returned to me earlier. Seiryuu has chosen me to prevent the disruption of balance that is to occur some time from now. I am Lilian Smith from the Miko's world. There, I am an American." Lilian almost smiled as she heard the note of pride in her voice.
"American?"
"Yui comes from a different country in our world. In her country, I am a foreigner. I only know how to speak English, the tiniest bit Japanese, and some Gaelic, but here, when I speak English, I hear myself speaking in your language of ancient Chinese. In my world, this story has already ended and all the Mikos have summoned their animal gods. I was sucked into this world for the one purpose of preventing the disruption of balance that will happen because of a summoning. If I fail, I will be sent out from this world and will never be able to return. If I succeed, Seiryuu and the center god will grant me a wish apiece. Seiryuu told me I must fulfill my duty and I wouldn't have if he hadn't told me three of my sisters are also in this world and must fulfill similar duties. If I fail, all three of my sisters will be punished for it. They will be trapped in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho forever. I won't see them again." Lilian opened her eyes and stared at the night sky sadly.
"I know our futures, but I am not allowed to change any of our pasts. except that of the Miko's." Lilian sighed. "My power is that of water and I am eighteen years old. I am the eldest of my sisters and have a horrible temper when confronted with the impossible. I am a scholar, and I hate you. I know what you will do and I hate you for it. I will also come to hate myself, as I am not allowed to stop you from doing the hateful things that you will do. The only thing keeping me from screaming your ears off is my remarkable, unfortunate self-discipline. For that you should be grateful." Saying that, Lilian looked as calm and collected as ever. "Have I answered all your questions?"
Nakago finally turned to the seishi. His eyes were impenetrable. Lilian turned to face him and met his gaze unflinchingly. "Is there any reason for me to question your loyalty?"
"I will never endanger my sisters' lives. Because of that, I will remain loyal to Seiryuu, to the seishi, to your despicable self, as long as that danger exists. I have answered all your questions." It wasn't a question.
"Not all of them."
A flash of black hate flashed in Lilian's eyes, but her face remained impassive. "What else do you want of me?"
"You know the future, you say. What did you see?"
Lilian thought of his death. "Something so beautiful that I think I'll be crying with joy when it happens. I will not tell you what I know, for I was instructed to let the events that happened happen, and I will try my best not to alter anything. I will see you in the morning." Lilian moved away, dismissing herself.
Nakago's eyes hardened. "Where are you going?"
"To my chamber."
"You were in my chamber."
Lilian didn't skip a beat. "Then I will sleep in the empty room next to Yui's. Good night, Nakago." She never looked back.

"Lily. can I talk with you?" Yui shyly asked the seishi. She watched as the tall, silver-haired woman brushed her hair. Lilian put down her brush and turned to her friend. She forced a smile to her face.
"Yui-sama. Are you well?"
Yui hesitated, closing the sliding door behind her. "I. I've been better."
Lilian tried not to look away. "I see." It had been three months since she had arrived in Kotou, and Nakago had been planting the seeds in Yui's mind, making Yui doubt her best friend more and more every day. Lilian knew that Yui called out for Miaka, every night, and every time, Nakago would tell Yui that Miaka had betrayed her. Lilian knew this was what Yui wanted to talk to her about.
"Lily. do you think Miaka abandoned me?" Yui asked her friend quietly, sitting on Lilian's bed.
Lilian didn't want to answer, but she had to. She must think of her sisters. "Is that what Nakago told you?"
Yui looked startled. "Yes. how did you know?"
Lilian had to look away. "I. Do you believe him?"
Now it was Yui's turn to look away. "He saved us. Shouldn't I trust him?"
No. Never trust a rat. "If you believe he could be trusted." Lilian had to force the words out.
Yui clenched her fists. "If it weren't for Miaka, then you wouldn't have been." Yui saw Lilian's stricken face and immediately regretted her words. "Oh, Lily, I'm sorry, I."
Lilian forced herself to calm down. "It was. nothing." Her eyes flashed with pain.
Yui, to Lilian's surprise, hugged her. "Lily. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." Lilian's own eyes tickled with the prospect of oncoming tears as she felt Yui's eyes moisten on her shoulder.
"Iie. I'm fine, Yui-sama. really, I am." But she wasn't.
Yui knew she wasn't. Her eyes hardened. "It's Miaka's fault! She's to blame!"
Lilian took Yui's face in her hands. Her pained eyes stared into the Miko's. "Is that what Nakago said?" She whispered.
Yui started to cry. "Yes."
My sisters. But Lilian couldn't hurt Yui like this. "Yui. you have the right to choose whether to believe Nakago or not. but I also think you should hear what Miaka has to say, first."
Yui's eyes widened and Lilian withdrew her hands. "She's coming? Here?" Lilian knew she wasn't allowed to answer, but thankfully, Yui had drawn her own conclusion. She stared at Lilian. "How do you know that? Is it another of your seishi powers?"
Lilian smiled softly. "You could say that."

Lilian wandered in the garden the next morning. She knew that, any day, now, Miaka would come alone to try to rescue Yui. She dreaded what she knew would happen and she knew she hated herself for being incapable of preventing the coming events.
"The Shogun! The shogun has returned!" Lilian heard the guards exclaim. Lilian didn't think much of it, until another guard also exclaimed. "There's are two girls with him! One of them is in Yui-sama's clothes!"
Lilian whirled around and started running in the same direction the guards were running. Her mind raced, panicked. Miaka? Miaka was already here? It was too soon! She raced to the courtyard. Sure enough, Nakago was riding into the courtyard, one girl sitting before him and another girl riding a horse behind him. She raced to them and when she came to them, she was fairly out of breath.
"Nakago!" Lilian's eyes widened with dismay when she saw the girl riding in front of the Seiryuu seishi. Miaka! Miaka looked at her curiously, her eyes shadowed with anxiety.
"Taishi." Nakago frowned. What was she doing here?
Lilian didn't notice that Nakago had called her by her seishi name. She rushed to his horse and looked up at Miaka. "Miaka-sama."
Nakago's eyes narrowed at the name. Miaka paled. Lilian realized what she had just revealed and nearly cursed herself for her loose tongue. The rider behind Nakago drew in a breath.
"Lily!" Lilian looked at the rider for the first time and her breath rushed out in surprise, pleasure, and fear. Vivien!
Vivien was looking at her with the same expression on her face. She looked well, garbed in the clothes she had worn back in their world. Her knuckles were white, clutching the reins of her horse. Tears rushed to Lilian's eyes. "Vivi." She breathed.
Vivien jumped off her horse and rushed to her sister. "Lily!" The two sisters embraced. Vivien was crying. "Lily, I was so worried."
Nakago stared. Vivi? His eyes narrowed with surprise. Was the girl with the red-gold hair her sister? Miaka stared at Vivien. "Kyoku. is she Lilian?"
The two sisters drew apart. There were tears in both their eyes. Vivien nodded and wiped her face with her sleeve. "Hai. this is my sister, Lily. Lilian Smith."
Lilian faced Nakago. "Nakago. this is my sister, Vivi. Vivien Smith."
Lilian suddenly turned to face her sister again. "Vivi. Kyoku?"
Vivien smiled sadly. "I'll explain. later." She turned to Miaka. "I serve... the Seiryuu no Miko."
Lilian frowned. "Seiryuu no." Realization dawned. "Ah! Soka!" She bowed reverently to Miaka. "Welcome to Kotou, Seiryuu no Miko." She fervently prayed Vivien knew what she was doing.

The Emperor of Kotou, whom Lilian had only seen once in the three months she had been here, was reading from the Seiryuu copy of the Shi Jin Ten Chi. Lilian nervously glanced at Vivien, who was looking equally nervous. Lilian had a startling realization. Did Vivien know about the original story?
The Emperor looked up and smiled. "Ah, Nakago, they said you have brought me the Seiryuu no Miko!" He looked and frowned when he saw the two girls standing beside Lilian and Nakago. He had never seen Lilian before either. "Nakago. who are they?
Nakago took off his helmet. At seeing his face, Miaka looked startled. Lilian tried not to smile. Nakago looked to Miaka first. "This girl claims to be the Seiryuu no Miko." He looked to Vivien, who looked as if she was about to have a fit of apoplexy, and introduced her. "She is Vivien Smith. she serves the girl. She is sister to Lilian Smith, a Seiryuu Seishi." He did not tell the Emperor Lilian's seishi name.
The Emperor did a double take. He stared at Lilian and Miaka. "You have the priestess and a Seiryuu seishi! Well done, Nakago." He looked thoughtfully at Miaka. "Is she really the miko?"
Nakago didn't blink an eye. "Apparently she is."
The Emperor grinned triumphantly and laughed. "Ha! Ha! I shall soon that that young fool, the Konan Emperor, crying and kneeling at my feet! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Vivien and Lilian both closed their eyes as Miaka blurted out, "Don't underestimate Hotohori-san!"
The Emperor blinked. "Hotohori?"
Miaka looked stricken. "Ho-ho-ho."
Vivien rushed to Miaka. "Ah, gomenasai. she's been in the sun too long. ano."
Lilian almost smiled. Nakago looked at the Emperor. "Your Highness, there's someone else I want you to meet."
Lilian covered her mouth. Oh no. Miaka looked puzzled and somewhat nervous. Vivien looked like she wanted to cry. Lilian glared at Nakago. Nakago looked at her, his face expressionless. Lilian wanted to hit him. Instead, she clenched her fists and turned around.
She heard footsteps, and a few seconds later, the broken whisper from Miaka. "Yui."
Lilian closed her eyes. She was going to kill Nakago.