~An American Miko~
Chapter Sixteen
Mama & the Mountain
"Mount Reikaku is up ahead. We should be at the foot of it in about an hour at this pace."
Myst nodded. "Thank you Nuriko. I take it you've been this way before?"
Nuriko shook his head and smirked. "No, I'm just a good judge of distance."
Chichiri piped up from behind them. "He's right, and I've traveled this way in my wanderings many times before no da."
Myst nodded to herself. "All right then. We have a few choices. I am assuming that there is a village at the base of the mountain?" She turned in the saddle and looked at Chichiri who nodded. "All right. Well we can stop now and get something to eat from our rations, and rest up here for a bit. Or we can stop by and inn and eat there maybe even stop early and stay the night since we've been on a road for a few days. We can also stop and eat, then keep going since we're so close and try to tackle the mountain and the bandits at night. Could take them by surprise if we do that."
Hotohori was the one to answer in his smooth voice. "Why don't we stop at the inn and eat, and talk about it then."
They all nodded. Myst's horse fidgeted and she had to reign it in again. Myst laughed. "You silly horse. Do you want to run?"
The horse snorted and bobbed it's head as if understanding. "Okay!" With that, she kicked her heals and the horse bolted off at full speed, throwing dust up in it's wake.
The seishi all sighed and Nuriko spurred his own horse on. "I'll go with her."
Hotohori nodded his thanks as Nuriko shot off after his miko.
When they finally caught up with the two, they were already sitting in the first inn eating. They all sat and Myst looked up, speaking between bites of her wanton. "Sorry I didn't wait for you guys to get here. I was really hungry."
Nuriko chuckled. "With an appetite like that, you'd think she was still pregnant."
Myst's facial expressions didn't change and she didn't miss a bite as she reached over and smacked the purple-haired seishi over the back of the head.
Tamahome patted Nuriko's back. "She is multitalented though isn't she?"
Hotohori grinned evilly and looked across the table at his munching wife as he stated, "Oh in many things."
Myst stopped chewing her full mouth of food and glared at her husband. She slowly swallowed. "What is this? Pick on the miko day? All right. If you want to play it that way." She put her food down and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward towards Hotohori and said simply, "Yo' mama."
Tamahome choked on his full mouth of food and Nuriko struggled not to burst out laughing. The fey seishi had seen Tamahome and the Empress get into this play fight many times and it could last for hours.
Hotohori blinked. "What?"
"I said. yo'. mama."
Tamahome started waving his hands and shaking his head, trying to signal to Hotohori not to get into it. Myst's evil eyes stopped him flat.
Myst looked back at her baffled husband. "Is that it? You're not going to fight back? Do I win?"
Hotohori looked even more confused. "What do you mean?"
Myst pointed at him. "Yo' mama's so old, when god said let there be light she went and lit a match."
Hotohori sputtered. "My mother was a wise woman."
"Yo' mama's so stupid, when someone called out 'duck', she looked up."
Hotohori's face began to flush and so it went on like this for about five minuets. Finally Hotohori stood up too. He hid his anger well, but it could still be seen by someone who knew him.
Myst shook her head and she and some of the others followed the emperor out as he stormed out of the inn. She caught up to him and ran around to the front of him, wrapping her arms around his stiff body. "Saihitei, it's just a game from my world. You can ask Tamahome. I've played it with him so many times." She looked up into his eyes. "My husband, I would never insult anyone in your family without good cause. I never knew your mother and nothing I said was directed at her. Yo' mama, is just the catch phrase."
Hotohori sighed and his shoulders sagged. "I know. I just keep forgetting some times that your customs and jokes differ greatly from ours."
Myst chuckled and leaned up to kiss his chin. "Well I guess I'll just have to make it up to you later huh?"
Hotohori smiled and kissed her back. "Indeed. Well, I shall also feel a little better once we are on the road."
Chichiri stepped forward now that he too had come out of the inn. "I have all the food all ready packed up for later your majesties no da. We can go when you are ready no da."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you Chichiri. Are we ready to set off again my Empress? Mistyc? Are you all right? Myst?" He walked the few feet to his wife who was staring off into the woods that slopped up the mountain.
When he touched her shoulder she jumped and stared at him. "Oh. I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
"I said we should start off again. Did you see something?"
Myst looked to the woods again. "Maybe." She took a deep breath her brows drawn slightly together. She seemed to decide on something and beckoned to Chichiri. She walked a few more feet away and spoke in a stern voice befitting of an empress. "Chichiri, a word with you in private."
"Yes empress no da." The monk followed.
The others watched as the two spoke in hushed voices. Hotohori took a step toward them and Myst held out her hand without looking at him or ceasing to speak, and stopped him in his tracks. He was a little flustered because as emperor he was not used to not knowing what was going on and felt that he had a right to know. Yet as a seishi, he must obey his miko as he had stated himself that his first duty to her now was as a seishi.
Chichiri nodded and Myst laid her hand on his shoulder as they walked back to the others. She let go when she was within reach of Hotohori. "Shall we go my husband?"
Hotohori just sighed, knowing that he would not get an answer if he asked for one.
They all mounted and followed where Myst lead.
**********
They had just finished up the leftovers for dinner and were about to break camp for a few more hours of travel.
Myst suddenly snapped her head up, as did Chichiri. The two looked at each other as the others looked on. Myst nodded stoically. "Remember and trust me."
Chichiri nodded and at that moment a man jumped out of the bushes behind Myst and struck her over the head with a club. The empress collapsed unconscious as Hotohori's cry of rage echoed through the clearing.
Hotohori started to draw his sword but stopped when another man stepped from the bushes, held a sword to Myst's throat, and smirked. Hotohori leaned back and whispered to Chichiri, "Do something. Use your magic. I know you can."
He looked back in astonishment when the monk answered. "I'm sorry your majesty, I already have orders not to na no da. We must let them take us no da."
Hotohori's astonishment turned to anger as they were surrounded. He and the others raised their hands, but he never stopped staring at Chichiri. "What do you mean you." Anger turned to realization and then turned into another kind of anger. He turned to look at the limp form of his wife who was now slung over one mans shoulder. "She knew. She knew this was going to happen."
There was a sharp pain on the back of his head and the last thing he knew was that he was falling.
**********
Myst woke slowly and groaned. "Ohhhhh. did someone get the number of that truck?" She opened her eyes when she heard Hotohori's worried voice calling her name and she breathed out, "Oh good. It worked."
Hotohori wormed his way over to his way over to her since they were all bound hand and foot. He glared at her as she sat up. "What were you thinking?! Don't ever do that again! You could have been killed! And what's this telling Chichiri not to fight back and to keep Mitsukake from using his abilities?"
Myst looked at him calmly. "I took a chance. Of course I saw this in a vision. The journey to summoning Suzaku, to finding all the seishi, is a challenge, a test. Suzaku is the god of love. As a phoenix he too goes through trials. He burns, then rises again from the ashes only to be born again. His end and death, is his beginning and birth. So too shall we go through trials. We must face the possibility of our own deaths to further strengthen this family. We must test ourselves to see if we are worthy to summon Suzaku." She smirked. "Plus what were we going to do? Just waltz right up to the front gate and tap on it calling, 'Room Service'! What are we? Door to door salesman?"
Hotohori shook his head and opened his mouth to speak when another voice broke the silence. "Well look. They're awake. You gave us a nice little hull today. Not to mention this ones really pretty. Strange and exotic. I might like to keep you for myself." He gripped Myst's chin and she jerked her head away.
"Bite me bandit-boy! We're here on business."
The man straitened up and glared at the 'bandit-boy' comment but he was interested anyway. "Business huh? What makes you think you could make a deal with us? We already have everything that you brought. What more do you have to offer us?"
She said the next softly and without an ounce of sarcasm as she looked the green-eyed, dark-skinned bandit in the eye. "A cure for Hakurou."
All the bandits eyes went wide, then the green eyes she looked into narrowed. "How did you know our boss was ill, and how did you know his name?"
"I know many things Kouji. About your leader, about Genrou, and about you. I am Suzaku no Miko, and these are my seishi." She nodded to each of them. "Hotohori, Nuriko, Tamahome, Chichiri, and Mitsukake. Mitsukake is a healer and I believe he can help your boss."
Kouji was amazed to hear all of this, but bandit instincts were still in the forte. "What do you want in return for this?"
Myst smiled. "Your trust and a place for us to stay for a while."
Kouji nodded. "We'll see if you hold up your end first. Only you an the healer guy can come. The rest will stay here just in case."
Myst nodded. "Agreed. You may even keep my hands tied if you wish, but Mits must be free."
Kouji nodded but cut them both free. He winked at her. "You said trust right? Lets go."
They left without looking back at the others.
**********
A.N.: There's another chapter for you. Keep reading. The next chapter will hopefully be a little more interesting. Keep giving me feedback and enjoy!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman
"Mount Reikaku is up ahead. We should be at the foot of it in about an hour at this pace."
Myst nodded. "Thank you Nuriko. I take it you've been this way before?"
Nuriko shook his head and smirked. "No, I'm just a good judge of distance."
Chichiri piped up from behind them. "He's right, and I've traveled this way in my wanderings many times before no da."
Myst nodded to herself. "All right then. We have a few choices. I am assuming that there is a village at the base of the mountain?" She turned in the saddle and looked at Chichiri who nodded. "All right. Well we can stop now and get something to eat from our rations, and rest up here for a bit. Or we can stop by and inn and eat there maybe even stop early and stay the night since we've been on a road for a few days. We can also stop and eat, then keep going since we're so close and try to tackle the mountain and the bandits at night. Could take them by surprise if we do that."
Hotohori was the one to answer in his smooth voice. "Why don't we stop at the inn and eat, and talk about it then."
They all nodded. Myst's horse fidgeted and she had to reign it in again. Myst laughed. "You silly horse. Do you want to run?"
The horse snorted and bobbed it's head as if understanding. "Okay!" With that, she kicked her heals and the horse bolted off at full speed, throwing dust up in it's wake.
The seishi all sighed and Nuriko spurred his own horse on. "I'll go with her."
Hotohori nodded his thanks as Nuriko shot off after his miko.
When they finally caught up with the two, they were already sitting in the first inn eating. They all sat and Myst looked up, speaking between bites of her wanton. "Sorry I didn't wait for you guys to get here. I was really hungry."
Nuriko chuckled. "With an appetite like that, you'd think she was still pregnant."
Myst's facial expressions didn't change and she didn't miss a bite as she reached over and smacked the purple-haired seishi over the back of the head.
Tamahome patted Nuriko's back. "She is multitalented though isn't she?"
Hotohori grinned evilly and looked across the table at his munching wife as he stated, "Oh in many things."
Myst stopped chewing her full mouth of food and glared at her husband. She slowly swallowed. "What is this? Pick on the miko day? All right. If you want to play it that way." She put her food down and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward towards Hotohori and said simply, "Yo' mama."
Tamahome choked on his full mouth of food and Nuriko struggled not to burst out laughing. The fey seishi had seen Tamahome and the Empress get into this play fight many times and it could last for hours.
Hotohori blinked. "What?"
"I said. yo'. mama."
Tamahome started waving his hands and shaking his head, trying to signal to Hotohori not to get into it. Myst's evil eyes stopped him flat.
Myst looked back at her baffled husband. "Is that it? You're not going to fight back? Do I win?"
Hotohori looked even more confused. "What do you mean?"
Myst pointed at him. "Yo' mama's so old, when god said let there be light she went and lit a match."
Hotohori sputtered. "My mother was a wise woman."
"Yo' mama's so stupid, when someone called out 'duck', she looked up."
Hotohori's face began to flush and so it went on like this for about five minuets. Finally Hotohori stood up too. He hid his anger well, but it could still be seen by someone who knew him.
Myst shook her head and she and some of the others followed the emperor out as he stormed out of the inn. She caught up to him and ran around to the front of him, wrapping her arms around his stiff body. "Saihitei, it's just a game from my world. You can ask Tamahome. I've played it with him so many times." She looked up into his eyes. "My husband, I would never insult anyone in your family without good cause. I never knew your mother and nothing I said was directed at her. Yo' mama, is just the catch phrase."
Hotohori sighed and his shoulders sagged. "I know. I just keep forgetting some times that your customs and jokes differ greatly from ours."
Myst chuckled and leaned up to kiss his chin. "Well I guess I'll just have to make it up to you later huh?"
Hotohori smiled and kissed her back. "Indeed. Well, I shall also feel a little better once we are on the road."
Chichiri stepped forward now that he too had come out of the inn. "I have all the food all ready packed up for later your majesties no da. We can go when you are ready no da."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you Chichiri. Are we ready to set off again my Empress? Mistyc? Are you all right? Myst?" He walked the few feet to his wife who was staring off into the woods that slopped up the mountain.
When he touched her shoulder she jumped and stared at him. "Oh. I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
"I said we should start off again. Did you see something?"
Myst looked to the woods again. "Maybe." She took a deep breath her brows drawn slightly together. She seemed to decide on something and beckoned to Chichiri. She walked a few more feet away and spoke in a stern voice befitting of an empress. "Chichiri, a word with you in private."
"Yes empress no da." The monk followed.
The others watched as the two spoke in hushed voices. Hotohori took a step toward them and Myst held out her hand without looking at him or ceasing to speak, and stopped him in his tracks. He was a little flustered because as emperor he was not used to not knowing what was going on and felt that he had a right to know. Yet as a seishi, he must obey his miko as he had stated himself that his first duty to her now was as a seishi.
Chichiri nodded and Myst laid her hand on his shoulder as they walked back to the others. She let go when she was within reach of Hotohori. "Shall we go my husband?"
Hotohori just sighed, knowing that he would not get an answer if he asked for one.
They all mounted and followed where Myst lead.
**********
They had just finished up the leftovers for dinner and were about to break camp for a few more hours of travel.
Myst suddenly snapped her head up, as did Chichiri. The two looked at each other as the others looked on. Myst nodded stoically. "Remember and trust me."
Chichiri nodded and at that moment a man jumped out of the bushes behind Myst and struck her over the head with a club. The empress collapsed unconscious as Hotohori's cry of rage echoed through the clearing.
Hotohori started to draw his sword but stopped when another man stepped from the bushes, held a sword to Myst's throat, and smirked. Hotohori leaned back and whispered to Chichiri, "Do something. Use your magic. I know you can."
He looked back in astonishment when the monk answered. "I'm sorry your majesty, I already have orders not to na no da. We must let them take us no da."
Hotohori's astonishment turned to anger as they were surrounded. He and the others raised their hands, but he never stopped staring at Chichiri. "What do you mean you." Anger turned to realization and then turned into another kind of anger. He turned to look at the limp form of his wife who was now slung over one mans shoulder. "She knew. She knew this was going to happen."
There was a sharp pain on the back of his head and the last thing he knew was that he was falling.
**********
Myst woke slowly and groaned. "Ohhhhh. did someone get the number of that truck?" She opened her eyes when she heard Hotohori's worried voice calling her name and she breathed out, "Oh good. It worked."
Hotohori wormed his way over to his way over to her since they were all bound hand and foot. He glared at her as she sat up. "What were you thinking?! Don't ever do that again! You could have been killed! And what's this telling Chichiri not to fight back and to keep Mitsukake from using his abilities?"
Myst looked at him calmly. "I took a chance. Of course I saw this in a vision. The journey to summoning Suzaku, to finding all the seishi, is a challenge, a test. Suzaku is the god of love. As a phoenix he too goes through trials. He burns, then rises again from the ashes only to be born again. His end and death, is his beginning and birth. So too shall we go through trials. We must face the possibility of our own deaths to further strengthen this family. We must test ourselves to see if we are worthy to summon Suzaku." She smirked. "Plus what were we going to do? Just waltz right up to the front gate and tap on it calling, 'Room Service'! What are we? Door to door salesman?"
Hotohori shook his head and opened his mouth to speak when another voice broke the silence. "Well look. They're awake. You gave us a nice little hull today. Not to mention this ones really pretty. Strange and exotic. I might like to keep you for myself." He gripped Myst's chin and she jerked her head away.
"Bite me bandit-boy! We're here on business."
The man straitened up and glared at the 'bandit-boy' comment but he was interested anyway. "Business huh? What makes you think you could make a deal with us? We already have everything that you brought. What more do you have to offer us?"
She said the next softly and without an ounce of sarcasm as she looked the green-eyed, dark-skinned bandit in the eye. "A cure for Hakurou."
All the bandits eyes went wide, then the green eyes she looked into narrowed. "How did you know our boss was ill, and how did you know his name?"
"I know many things Kouji. About your leader, about Genrou, and about you. I am Suzaku no Miko, and these are my seishi." She nodded to each of them. "Hotohori, Nuriko, Tamahome, Chichiri, and Mitsukake. Mitsukake is a healer and I believe he can help your boss."
Kouji was amazed to hear all of this, but bandit instincts were still in the forte. "What do you want in return for this?"
Myst smiled. "Your trust and a place for us to stay for a while."
Kouji nodded. "We'll see if you hold up your end first. Only you an the healer guy can come. The rest will stay here just in case."
Myst nodded. "Agreed. You may even keep my hands tied if you wish, but Mits must be free."
Kouji nodded but cut them both free. He winked at her. "You said trust right? Lets go."
They left without looking back at the others.
**********
A.N.: There's another chapter for you. Keep reading. The next chapter will hopefully be a little more interesting. Keep giving me feedback and enjoy!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman