Scarlet slowly sat up and asked in a weak voice, "What happened? She
pushed herself up into a sitting position. It took a moment for her to
realize that her hand rested, not on tile, but on rocks and dirt. And the
air no longer smelled of dust and books, but of arid land. Scarlet
gasped, snapped her head up, and slowly looked about. The stuffy, dim room
was gone. Instead, a vast open plain surrounded them, broken by small
ravines. Scrubby trees were scattered over the rough, unappealing
landscape. Mountains shimmered on the far-off horizon, and the sky gleamed
an intensely clean blue.
"Where are we?" She softly asked in disbelief. Suddenly, she felt an arm clamp around her, while another hand caught a flailing wrist as she screamed and attempted to swing at her attacker.
"This one's good," one of the men sneered, as they stepped into her view, except the one who still held her captive. "If we sell her, she'll bring us lots of money."
Scarlet peered at the men in front of her. 'What? Who are they?' she thought in wonderment, taking in their strange, costume-like clothing. "W- what are you doing?"
The bearded leader laughed. "We traffic in girls!"
"Ehhhhhhhhh?!" Scarlet gasped in shock.
The man who had her clamped to his front smiled to himself. "How's that? Surprised?" he asked with utter self-confidence.
In answer, Scarlet stamped on his foot with her riding boot heel, screaming in anger. The man released his grip with a howl of pain, and Scarlet launched herself free. She tumbled and rolled flat onto the hard soil.
"If you're not nice. . .!" The leader drew his sword with a snarl and leaned back to strike, , when a second hand clamped around his wrist and forcibly twisted the slaver's arm behind his back.
Gray eyes quietly narrowed with steely determination. "Quit."
"You son of a bitch!" the slaver gasped out in pained anger to the man behind him. The gray-eyed stranger turned with disdain to watch the man's partner draw his sword and charge him with a yell. He slammed an elbow into the running man's face, leaped up, and laid into the pair.
Scarlet knelt on the ground, and stared open-mouthed at the fight before them. The stranger was a blur of motion; fists, legs, and feet flying to solidly impact the slavers. Scarlet could only blink and continue watching. "Who is this?"
The stranger fought with a wild smile, his blue hair flying. Scarlet, realizing that this was her chance, leapt to her feet and ran, as fast as she could. Along the way, an old farm wagon happened along, and she leapt on, hitching a ride.
Scarlet vaguely realized that people were staring at her. She glared, then laughingly realized that, with the way they were dressed here, she was most likely the first girl with pants on they had ever seen.
Scarlet looked out from her seat, and gasped as she took in the sight below her. Countless Chinese houses and buildings spread out over the lush green landscape. 'Wow, this looks like ancient China, just like the book. . .could it be. . .?' Scarlet jumped off of the cart, and ran down the hill into the city.
Scarlet meandered down one of the busy streets. From here she was even more positive that she was in ancient China, or someplace like. Street vendors were everywhere, selling everything from clothes to jewelry to food. Ah, yes, food, Scarlet realized. She had no money on her, let alone currency that would work here. She would have to find a way home soon, or some way to eat.
Scarlet turned down an empty street, away from the noise of the crowd. Peering around, she saw that no one was there. She sat down, tired from a long day and her previous episode with the slavers, and promptly fell asleep.
When Scarlet woke, an orange sun was peeping up through the trees before her. A couple of young men were nearby, snickering about something. The memory of yesterday's attack still fresh in her mind, Scarlet leapt to her feet and ran.
The day was spent much like the last, wandering the streets, taking in the sights. Occasionally she would ask some person with a friendly face a question or two. She found out that she was in Eiyo, the capital of a country called Konan. After a while the loud mass of people became a bother, and she kept to the alleys and quieter streets.
Scarlet did a rather good job all day, avoiding creepy looking people and gangs. But as fatigue set in again, she ended up walking straight into trouble
"Oooooh. This girl looks weird."
With a gasp, Scarlet's gaze snapped over to where three scruffy men appeared, walking out of a crumbling hole in the side of the alley's walls. They joined the man she had followed to leer down at her.
You don't get an opportunity like this every day," one man stated to his friends. "We'll get good money for her clothes, as well."
The one on the right grinned. "Is it true that foreign women taste different?"
Scarlet's heart pounded in her chest. She backed up against the alley wall as the men laughed with evil anticipation. Her thoughts raced. 'This is ancient China. They're street thugs. Only one thing left to do.' Just like before, Scarlet ran.
Scarlet did not look back to see if the men were in persuit. She simply ran, and ran as fast as she could. She headed towards the main part of town, where all those people were. Surely, they wouldn't do anything to her in front of that many onlookers.
Scarlet smacked into a strong but warm body. In her panic, Scarlet had not seen the man in front of her.
Tamahome peered down at the distressed girl before him. Reaching out and grasping her shoulder, he started to ask her what was wrong. But at his touch, Scarlet let out an anguished cry and jerked away. Before even looking up to see that it was the man that had saved her, Scarlet took off running again.
Scarlet ran until she lost the men completely. Only when she was sure she was completely alone did she even slow down. Once she was in sight of the crowd of people, she stopped with a sigh of relief. . . and collapsed from fatigue, right there in the alley.
Tamahome walked along, wondering who that strange girl was. He knew it was the same one that had disappeared after he saved her the day before, because of the strange attire she wore. She had been wearing PANTS, and in a material he had never seen before.
Tamahome turned down an alleyway, and low and behold, there she was, laying unconscious in the path ahead of him. He walked over to her.
For the first time, Tamahome was actually able to get a good look at her. Long russet hair was pulled into a long straight ponytail, with small strands framing her delicate face. Physically she was still young, he noticed, (Being a hentai seventeen year old,) and allover didn't really strike him as his type.
Hotohori sighed with boredom. He always had to make these little pointless parades, and nothing exciting ever happened. Closed his eyes, willing himself to stay awake, and failing miserably.
One of the guards looked up, wondering if the emperor really was dozing off, or if he just looked like it. Peering around he spotted a peculiar sight. A young man, standing over the prone form of a young woman. . . he put two and two together.
"Hey!" All the guards milling around the emperor's palanquin looked at the man he was pointing at. Three of them leapt into action. "Hey, you, stop there! Murderer!"
Tamahome, realizing they thought he had killed her, ran away as fast as he could. 'I hate leaving her like that, but I won't do anyone any good in prison. I hope she'll be okay. . .'
One of the guards took pursuit, while the others checked on the girl. "She's not dead! What should we do with her, Heika?"
"Take her back to the palace. We shall care for her there." Hotohori studied the woman as best he could from his seat. Those strange clothes, and everything about her. . . he had a feeling this was more than just some girl. . .
It took me a really long time to get this chapter out, it was actually a bit more difficult than it looks. If it makes no sense somewhere, please let me know. I wrote this at 11:00 last night, and lord knows what went into this thing. I promise the next one will be better! Thanks, amiboshi-chan
"Where are we?" She softly asked in disbelief. Suddenly, she felt an arm clamp around her, while another hand caught a flailing wrist as she screamed and attempted to swing at her attacker.
"This one's good," one of the men sneered, as they stepped into her view, except the one who still held her captive. "If we sell her, she'll bring us lots of money."
Scarlet peered at the men in front of her. 'What? Who are they?' she thought in wonderment, taking in their strange, costume-like clothing. "W- what are you doing?"
The bearded leader laughed. "We traffic in girls!"
"Ehhhhhhhhh?!" Scarlet gasped in shock.
The man who had her clamped to his front smiled to himself. "How's that? Surprised?" he asked with utter self-confidence.
In answer, Scarlet stamped on his foot with her riding boot heel, screaming in anger. The man released his grip with a howl of pain, and Scarlet launched herself free. She tumbled and rolled flat onto the hard soil.
"If you're not nice. . .!" The leader drew his sword with a snarl and leaned back to strike, , when a second hand clamped around his wrist and forcibly twisted the slaver's arm behind his back.
Gray eyes quietly narrowed with steely determination. "Quit."
"You son of a bitch!" the slaver gasped out in pained anger to the man behind him. The gray-eyed stranger turned with disdain to watch the man's partner draw his sword and charge him with a yell. He slammed an elbow into the running man's face, leaped up, and laid into the pair.
Scarlet knelt on the ground, and stared open-mouthed at the fight before them. The stranger was a blur of motion; fists, legs, and feet flying to solidly impact the slavers. Scarlet could only blink and continue watching. "Who is this?"
The stranger fought with a wild smile, his blue hair flying. Scarlet, realizing that this was her chance, leapt to her feet and ran, as fast as she could. Along the way, an old farm wagon happened along, and she leapt on, hitching a ride.
Scarlet vaguely realized that people were staring at her. She glared, then laughingly realized that, with the way they were dressed here, she was most likely the first girl with pants on they had ever seen.
Scarlet looked out from her seat, and gasped as she took in the sight below her. Countless Chinese houses and buildings spread out over the lush green landscape. 'Wow, this looks like ancient China, just like the book. . .could it be. . .?' Scarlet jumped off of the cart, and ran down the hill into the city.
Scarlet meandered down one of the busy streets. From here she was even more positive that she was in ancient China, or someplace like. Street vendors were everywhere, selling everything from clothes to jewelry to food. Ah, yes, food, Scarlet realized. She had no money on her, let alone currency that would work here. She would have to find a way home soon, or some way to eat.
Scarlet turned down an empty street, away from the noise of the crowd. Peering around, she saw that no one was there. She sat down, tired from a long day and her previous episode with the slavers, and promptly fell asleep.
When Scarlet woke, an orange sun was peeping up through the trees before her. A couple of young men were nearby, snickering about something. The memory of yesterday's attack still fresh in her mind, Scarlet leapt to her feet and ran.
The day was spent much like the last, wandering the streets, taking in the sights. Occasionally she would ask some person with a friendly face a question or two. She found out that she was in Eiyo, the capital of a country called Konan. After a while the loud mass of people became a bother, and she kept to the alleys and quieter streets.
Scarlet did a rather good job all day, avoiding creepy looking people and gangs. But as fatigue set in again, she ended up walking straight into trouble
"Oooooh. This girl looks weird."
With a gasp, Scarlet's gaze snapped over to where three scruffy men appeared, walking out of a crumbling hole in the side of the alley's walls. They joined the man she had followed to leer down at her.
You don't get an opportunity like this every day," one man stated to his friends. "We'll get good money for her clothes, as well."
The one on the right grinned. "Is it true that foreign women taste different?"
Scarlet's heart pounded in her chest. She backed up against the alley wall as the men laughed with evil anticipation. Her thoughts raced. 'This is ancient China. They're street thugs. Only one thing left to do.' Just like before, Scarlet ran.
Scarlet did not look back to see if the men were in persuit. She simply ran, and ran as fast as she could. She headed towards the main part of town, where all those people were. Surely, they wouldn't do anything to her in front of that many onlookers.
Scarlet smacked into a strong but warm body. In her panic, Scarlet had not seen the man in front of her.
Tamahome peered down at the distressed girl before him. Reaching out and grasping her shoulder, he started to ask her what was wrong. But at his touch, Scarlet let out an anguished cry and jerked away. Before even looking up to see that it was the man that had saved her, Scarlet took off running again.
Scarlet ran until she lost the men completely. Only when she was sure she was completely alone did she even slow down. Once she was in sight of the crowd of people, she stopped with a sigh of relief. . . and collapsed from fatigue, right there in the alley.
Tamahome walked along, wondering who that strange girl was. He knew it was the same one that had disappeared after he saved her the day before, because of the strange attire she wore. She had been wearing PANTS, and in a material he had never seen before.
Tamahome turned down an alleyway, and low and behold, there she was, laying unconscious in the path ahead of him. He walked over to her.
For the first time, Tamahome was actually able to get a good look at her. Long russet hair was pulled into a long straight ponytail, with small strands framing her delicate face. Physically she was still young, he noticed, (Being a hentai seventeen year old,) and allover didn't really strike him as his type.
Hotohori sighed with boredom. He always had to make these little pointless parades, and nothing exciting ever happened. Closed his eyes, willing himself to stay awake, and failing miserably.
One of the guards looked up, wondering if the emperor really was dozing off, or if he just looked like it. Peering around he spotted a peculiar sight. A young man, standing over the prone form of a young woman. . . he put two and two together.
"Hey!" All the guards milling around the emperor's palanquin looked at the man he was pointing at. Three of them leapt into action. "Hey, you, stop there! Murderer!"
Tamahome, realizing they thought he had killed her, ran away as fast as he could. 'I hate leaving her like that, but I won't do anyone any good in prison. I hope she'll be okay. . .'
One of the guards took pursuit, while the others checked on the girl. "She's not dead! What should we do with her, Heika?"
"Take her back to the palace. We shall care for her there." Hotohori studied the woman as best he could from his seat. Those strange clothes, and everything about her. . . he had a feeling this was more than just some girl. . .
It took me a really long time to get this chapter out, it was actually a bit more difficult than it looks. If it makes no sense somewhere, please let me know. I wrote this at 11:00 last night, and lord knows what went into this thing. I promise the next one will be better! Thanks, amiboshi-chan
