And here I am again, back to you with the next installment of this little adventure. Sorry it's a couple of days late, but I figured it was better to wait until all of this weekend's craziness on the site was over and done with before I tried posting anything -_-;;
Things are starting to pick up now, setting the stage for events to come, as Chichiri and Elwing head for Taiitsukun, while Tasuki takes Iris to the capitol…
Chapter 03:
An Explanation
The sun was just rising as Tasuki entered Iris's room to wake her to start their journey to the capital.
"They look so damn innocent when they're asleep." he muttered, "You'd never guess how cunning they are when they're awake!" As he bent down over the bed to shake her shoulder she turned over, whacking his face with her arm as she did so. "Ow! What'd you fuckin' do that for? Shit! Even in their sleep women can hurt you!"
Iris sat up, startled, "Wha... what happened?"
"What the Hell do you mean, 'what happened,' you fuckin' hit me in the face!"
"Oh, I did? Sorry, I'm a bit of a restless sleeper sometimes. Now you know, you won't do that again, will you?"
"Hell no! You're fuckin' dangerous when you're asleep!"
"Why are you here anyway?"
"We have to get goin' to the capitol. I was comin' to wake you up, that's all." Tasuki turned to leave.
"Wait!" Iris called after him, "I really am sorry I hit you, I honestly didn't mean to."
"I'll take it as a warnin'." he told her, "I usually watch what the fuck people are doin' more carefully. You'd damn well better get ready quick, though. I'm fuckin' leavin' in an hour, and if you want breakfast before you go, you hafta be ready in half that time." And with that, he left and closed the door behind him.
"Arrgh!" Iris exclaimed as he left. "He doesn't have to be so grumpy. Just because I whacked him in the face... Well, I guess maybe he does." She sighed, "I wish I wasn't so violent when I'm asleep. When I'm awake it's fun, but I don't even know who I'm hitting when I'm asleep." she sighed again, "Well, I guess it's time to get up now."
Tasuki had gone back to his own room to finish his packing, and could hear most of what was going on in her room, although he couldn't make out what she was saying, so when she once again tranced and fainted, he heard the thud as she hit the floor and came running.
"Dammit, this isn't the time to be pullin' that shit again!" he told her, even though she obviously couldn't hear him. He went over to the washbasin and filled a cloth with water, then knelt by her and squeezed it out over her face. She coughed and spluttered for a minute, but she was awake.
"I fainted again, didn't I?" she asked him.
"Yeah." he confirmed, "How often does this usually happen with you? I mean, you seemed fine all through dinner... "
"Actually it's never happened before in my life. Oh sure, I've fainted before, who hasn't? But never in such close succession, and I've never zoned out like that, saying stuff I don't remember and all that. Last night was the first time."
"God, you talk a lot!" Tasuki sighed.
"I do not!" Iris objected, "Well, actually, yes I do. Everyone tells me that." she admitted.
"Well, get back to your packin' and I'll see you at breakfast." he told her as he went back to his own room.
Without further incident, Iris changed into jeans and a t-shirt, washed her face from the basin, and packed all her things back into her bag. She was brushing her hair when a knock came at the door.
"Who's there? It's Kouji come to collect the strange girl for breakfast with Genrou. Oh, Hello Kouji, please come in." The door opened, "Arigatou!" said Kouji as he entered the room. "Genrou says you'd better be ready by now."
Iris stood up and slipped her brush into her bag as she picked it up. "I'm ready to go," she said. They walked out and Iris shut the door behind them.
"So, you're another one of those weird girls from the other world."
Iris just nodded, a little intimidated by the thought of having a serious discussion with this strange bandit who seemed to be Tasuki's best friend.
Kouji smiled. "Don't worry, I'm on your side, I just worry about Genrou. The last time he went on one of these journeys he came back emotionally drained and hardly himself. He's barely gotten over it and he's back to normal, and now he has to go away again. I just hope you can try to prevent such a thing happening again."
Iris looked seriously at him. "I'll try. I don't even know myself what's happening here, but he seems such a happy-go-lucky person, and I wouldn't want that to change."
Kouji grinned at her and placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Thanks. I'm sure Gen-chan will be fine." he knocked on the door to the dining hall, "Who's there? It's Kouji with Iris who's packed and ready to leave. Oh good, now we can eat, please come in Kouji." Kouji opened the door, "Arigatou!"
When Chichiri peeked through the door to Elwing's room, she was still asleep, curled up around Tama-neko.
"Elwing, wake up, no da." he called softly.
She just groaned. "Mmmm... 'stoowerly." she mumbled.
"Breakfast is on the table, no da."
"Doncare. Warmncozy. Dowannageup!"
Chichiri grinned and went over to the bed. First he picked Tama up and moved him to the pillow so he could purr in Elwing's ear, then he went down to the foot of the bed. Taking the cover in both hands, he gave it a swift yank and pulled it all the way off the bed.
This, at least, resulted in movement. Elwing sat bolt upright. "Hey! What did you do that for?"
"It's time to get up, no da." Chichiri grinned widely, "Are you always like this in the morning? If so, I'll have many fun mornings, na no da."
"Only about half the time." Elwing admitted ruefully, "Morning just isn't my time of day. I function better after the sun's gone down." she sighed, "Well, I guess I'm awake now, so I might as well get up. There's no point in staying in bed if there aren't any warm covers to snuggle under." Throwing a mock-glare at Chichiri, Elwing swung her feet over the side of the bed and rose and stretched, making a squeaky sound which closely resembled a purr. "I'd better go see if my jeans are dry yet," she said as she wandered out into the main area of the cottage.
"How can anything that lightweight take that long to dry, no da? Surely they must be dry by now, na no da."
"They're mostly dry, I'll grant you that, but the waistband and pockets are still wet. Oh well, I can deal with that." She looked out the window, then turned to the west and slowly mapped out a clockwise circle with her chi. Once this was done, she gathered heat between her hands and held it over the still-wet parts of her jeans. After a minute or so, she was satisfied that her pants were, if not completely dry, at least warm and damp instead of cold and damp, so she dismissed the excess borrowed "heat" energy into the earth and gathered the circle back into herself.
Chichiri just looked on, stunned. "Have you always been able to do that, no da?" he asked.
"Not always, no. It took a lot of practice to learn to control energy this way, but I figured it out when I was twelve or so, and I've been working on it since then. Actually, that's about the most powerful thing I can do, warm things up. Not really all that impressive." with that, she picked up the rest of her now dry clothes and went back to her room to change. About five minutes later, Elwing came out of the room, dressed and ready to face the day. "So, did I hear you say something about breakfast?"
"You'll have to eat quickly, no da. We have a long way to go today, and the sooner we get going, the better, no da."
Breakfast was a bowl of cold rice, and as soon as she was done, Elwing apologized for leaving Chichiri with the dishes and hurried back to her room to pack her dry clothes back into her bag.
After bolting down a quick couple of bowls of rice themselves, Tasuki and Iris headed for the stables.
"I hope you can ride," Tasuki told her, " 'cause I don't have the fuckin' time to teach you right now."
"Well, kinda. I'm okay once I'm on the horse, but getting up there has always been a bit of a problem." she looked down, a little sheepish.
Tasuki sighed. "What's it with fuckin' women anyway? They never seem to be able to do things by themselves. Damn bloody annoyin'." he muttered. He saddled two horses and put his saddlebags onto one, then led them out.
'Boy I hope I can remember how to ride, now that I've said I can.' Iris thought to herself.
Tasuki handed her the reigns of her horse, and they walked their mounts down the path to avoid attracting the attention of the rest of the bandits. They knew Genrou was leaving, of course, but still, it was best to avoid a scene. They might find out too much about Iris, and although Tasuki was loyal to the Emperor and the Empress Regent, and the bandits were loyal to Tasuki, still, they were bandits, and always open to main chance. Better they didn't know anything which might prove vulnerable later.
Once they were in the forest, Tasuki stopped.
"Okay, time to get on the horse." he told Iris.
Iris just looked at the unfamiliar saddle, the height of the horse, then Tasuki. "There's no way I can get on that thing without help," she told him bluntly.
"Alright, fine then, I'll give you a boost up." He interlaced his fingers and made a step for her. "Put your left foot in my hands and hold onto the reigns and the front of the saddle, and pull yourself up when I boost you." he instructed her. "Damn women who can't even get on a fuckin' horse." he muttered to himself.
Iris did as he instructed, and was soon seated comfortably atop her horse. Tasuki swung himself up onto his own horse, and they were underway. They hadn't gotten far, however, when Iris tranced.
"Those there are who would change the truth." she said, then briefly snapped back to reality before fainting.
"Oh no. Dammit not this shit again!" Tasuki swore as he saw her trance and pulled his horse alongside hers to catch her before she fell off the horse. He took her in his arms and was about to dismount when he had a better idea. Holding the two horses close together, he laid Iris across their withers until she woke up. He didn't want to have to go through getting her on her horse again.
When she opened her eyes, Iris evaluated her strange view. "Um... I fainted again, didn't I?" she asked Tasuki.
"You'd damn well better believe it." Tasuki confirmed, "You said somethin' about people wantin' to change the truth, then keeled over. It's a good thing I caught you or... Suzaku's flamin' balls! Woman, I thought I told you to stop doin' that shit!" he exclaimed as she tranced again. When she fainted, she was still lying across the horses' withers, so he didn't need to catch her, he simply held the horses still. When she woke, she sat up and got back into her own saddle.
"I'm really feeling funky. I've got to stop doing that." Iris moaned.
"That's what I fuckin' told you!" Tasuki said, "Why didn't you listen to me in the first place?"
"Hey!" Iris snapped, "It's not like I have any control over it. I don't even know what triggers it! Believe me, if I could stop doing this, I would. You think this is fun? I'm constantly passing out, and I feel like somebody is hammering on the inside of my head demanding to be let out. I am NOT a happy person right now, dammit! Just give me a break, okay?" her sudden flash of anger dissolved into tears, "I just want this to stop!" she sobbed, "I want some control again."
Tasuki brought his horse back level with hers, and laid a brotherly arm over her shoulder. "We'll figure this out." he assured Iris, "Chichiri's real good at magic and meditation and shit like that, I'm sure he'll be able to teach you how to control your power."
Iris tranced again. "The strength of the enemy is your own weakness." This time she didn't even snap back to reality for an instant, but went immediately limp.
"Damn, this doesn't look good." Tasuki said, "She's obviously gettin' weaker. I'd better get her to the nearest town with a doctor." As soon as she moaned to wakefulness, he told her, "C'mon, time to get off the horse for a minute." He dismounted from his own horse and caught Iris as she almost fell off hers. "Just lie down while I reorganize this." he told her. Taking her pack off her back, he tied it to her saddle, then tied her reigns to the back of his own saddle. "Alright now." he said kindly, "You're obviously not well, and we need to go faster, so I'll take you up in front of my saddle. That way, if you faint again, I won't need to stop to catch you."
Iris just nodded, dazed and barely understanding.
Tasuki mounted, then leaned down over the saddle and extended his hands down to her. Iris stood unsteadily and took his hands and was pulled up onto the horse, where she immediately tranced again. This time, she didn't even have enough strength to say anything before she fainted against Tasuki's chest. He gathered her close with one arm and began to gallop off in the direction of the nearest village. This time, she didn't seem to be waking up.
Elwing and Chichiri had set off as soon as she was packed, and were now at the edge of the forest within sight of Mt. Taikyoku.
"Wow!" Elwing gasped, "That's incredible! Is that where this 'Taiitsukun' lives?"
"Right on the top of the mountain, no da."
"The TOP?! I hope there's a road or something!"
Chichiri pretended to think about it for a minute, then smiled, "Well, there are stairs, no da."
"Oi! Somehow that doesn't encourage me all that much. Lemme guess, this is the only way to get there."
"That's right, no da." Chichiri confirmed, "But don't worry, I'll make sure you make it to the top. After all, you landed by me, so I must have some responsibility toward you, at least until we find out what's going on, no da."
Elwing smiled. "Thanks, that's really reassuring." she told him, "It's nice to think there's someone looking out for me, even if it's only for a little while."
They walked on in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. As they reached the stairs, Chichiri asked her, "So, you said you started learning about chi-manipulation when you were twelve, no da?"
"If that's what you call it, yes."
"Who taught you, no da?"
"I taught myself, actually. Mostly just by doing what seemed to work, along with a little book-learning. I'm pretty sure there are some glaring gaps in my knowledge, but since I've never found anyone else with more knowledge than mine, the only other way I've had of getting teaching is by reading books."
"You've done pretty well with almost no direction. That should make it easier for me to teach you to control your power, no da."
They climbed the stairs in silence for another little while until Chichiri asked her, "So, tell me about this friend of yours, Iris, who landed with Tasuki, no da."
Elwing smiled pensively. "She's a little younger than me, and full of energy. She likes to talk a lot, but she can keep secrets well. She's a really good friend, always trying to cheer me up. She and I are coven sisters."
"Coven sisters, no da?"
"We're witches, er... Wiccans, that is."
Chichiri gave her a strange, confused look.
"It's the old religion of our ancestry, a religion of nature, and magick is a part of it," she explained. "Actually, you can do magick without being Wiccan, but it does help if you are."
"But why would it make a difference, no da?" Chichiri asked, confused.
"It helps because it gives more of a focus for the magick and sets out some rules and guidelines to follow." With her explanation done, Elwing clammed up again, and seemed to concentrate solely on climbing one stair after another.
As they passed the halfway point, Chichiri turned to her. "Why so silent all of a sudden, no da?" he asked.
Elwing jumped slightly and tripped as he suddenly spoke. Having no other options, and not wanting her to fall down the stairs, he caught her and quickly lowered her to a seat on the nearest step.
"Sorry for startling you, na no da." he apologized.
"That's okay." Elwing forgave him as she sat with palms flat on the steps and eyes closed, trying to once again centre herself in her own body, "It's easy to do. I've been jumpy nearly all my life."
"I'll try to remember, no da. The question still stands though, no da."
"Why am I so quiet suddenly?"
Chichiri smiled and nodded.
Elwing sighed. "To explain that properly, you'd have to hear most of my early life history, and I'm not really that eager to tell it," she explained, "Suffice it to say, it takes me a little while before I'm very comfortable around any man."
"Alright," Chichiri said solemnly, "I'll accept that. I'm sure you'll explain it to me when you're ready, no da."
"Thanks." she said gratefully.
They hadn't gotten much further when Taiitsukun popped up right in front of them. Chichiri was used to this, of course, but Elwing was not, and she jumped again, and slipped down about two steps. Chichiri caught her before she could fall, but that didn't really help her situation much, as she was still slightly nauseous from the last time he had caught her. She groaned and closed her eyes, and he quickly sat her down and let go of her.
"I see that you, at least, have arrived, Elwing." Taiitsukun said, "Why isn't Iris with you?" she asked accusingly.
"She landed in a different place than I did." Elwing explained, "Apparently she's with someone called Tasuki, and he's taking her to the capital."
Taiitsukun gave Chichiri a stern look. "The four of you need to be together when they summon the spirits of the other seishi, so I'll have to make this quick." she sighed, "Hop onto this carpet and I'll take you the rest of the way up."
Elwing and Chichiri got on the carpet, and they all flew up to Taiitsukun's palace, Elwing marveling at the view and trying to ignore the drop...it was, after all, a very small carpet.
"Now, you'd better pay attention." Taiitsukun said sternly once they had reached her palace and were seated before her, "You and Iris are here to create a new prophesy for Konan-koku. In order to do this, you will have to become integrated with this universe. Only when you are fully grounded here will you be able to recite the prophesy. There are many connections you will have to make with specific places, and all of these must be done to fulfill your quest. That is all I will tell you until you are with Iris. You must meet her at the shrine of Suzaku in the palace. Only then will you know what must be done."
"Do you mean a prophesy like the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, no da?" Chichiri asked politely. Taiitsukun nodded, and Chichiri reached over to tap Elwing on the shoulder, since she was lost in thought, but pulled back at the last second, snapping his fingers to catch her attention instead.
"Good." Taiitsukun said, "You already know not to do that. I wouldn't suggest you touch Iris either. They're both very volatile right now, and use of their powers is extremely draining. At present, only seishi touch can awaken their powers, and they can't really control what they do. It will be your job, Chichiri, to teach them to tap into their powers and gain control over them. I suggest you do this as soon as possible. Tasuki is impossibly dense, and he hasn't figured out yet what's triggering Iris's bouts of prophesy, and she's becoming very weak. If he doesn't clue in soon, she may die, and all of this will be for nothing before it even begins."
"What?!" Elwing exclaimed, shocked and very worried for her friend, "Oh Gods, how can this be happening?" She reached out with her mind to the aura she knew to be Iris's, and as soon as she had drawn a quick protective circle, she pulled a ball of glowing blue energy between her hands, then sent it streaming to the south. As soon as it reached the edge of her protective circle it became invisible, but continued to stream toward Iris, who was in dire need of it. Elwing maintained this as long as she could, stopping only when she could no longer control the direction of flow. Through all this, she hadn't noticed Chichiri yelling at her to stop, she had been entirely too absorbed in what she was doing.
"What did you think you were doing, no da?" he demanded of her.
"I was helping Iris." Elwing said simply.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is, no da?" Chichiri asked her, calming down slightly.
"I'm fine." she insisted, and tried to stand up, only to have her legs buckle under her, as she was much weaker than she thought. She reabsorbed the circle, and the small amount of energy released by that helped a bit, but she was still very weak.
"Nyan-nyan," Taiitsukun called.
Suddenly Elwing was surrounded by teal-haired little girls shouting "We fix! We fix!" They tackled her to the ground and began "healing" her.
"Chichiri, help!" she called from amidst the mob of Nyan-nyans.
"You're on your own, no da," he grinned.
"Grr... I'm gonna get you back for this somehow," Elwing warned him, "just you wait!"
And so it goes. Will Tasuki figure out what's going on in time? Will they all ever make it to the capitol in one piece? Will the author e4ver stop making stupid references to antiquated TV shows? Join us again next week, same Suzaku time, same Suzaku channel
**whaps self over head with empty CD reel and heads off to work**