Chapter 3:
Nuriko and Arisa arrived in Konan the next day, weary from traveling. Hotohori, the emperor of Konan, greeted them kindly at the gates. He supplied them with horses for the rest of the journey, and once they reached the palace, he fed them well.
"Ah, my old friend Nuriko, I haven't seen you or any of the others in awhile. And who is this, it looks like Miaka, but I know better, Miaka has grown over the years. It's been so long. And I am still as beautiful as ever!" Hotohori stated.
"Hotohori! You've not changed at all!" Nuriko laughed, "This is Arisa, the daughter of Miaka and Tamahome. She got pulled into the book while looking for them, have you seen our old priestess and that warrior?"
"Sadly, no. I would have wished to see them, especially if they were here, in Konan. But. Do you mean they are in the book now?"
Arisa shrugged helplessly, "I wish I knew where they were, I wish I knew where I was, I wish. I wish I were home!" Arisa began to cry.
A voice echoed through the room, "Don't cry dear, we'll be ok." Arisa recognized the voice, it was. No, it couldn't be! "Arisa, your father and I want to tell you to trust the people that you are with, Hotohori and Nuriko, they are good friends of ours. We're trapped within." and the voice faded out.
Arisa looked up, and began scanning the ceiling for clues of where the voice was.
Nuriko, surprised at the suddenness of Arisa's actions, walked over to her, "What's wrong Arisa?"
"Didn't you. didn't you hear that voice? It was my mother, I swear." Hotohori and Nuriko looked at her oddly, "You didn't hear it? But she said that she was trapped somewhere, I didn't hear the end of the sentence. You really didn't hear her?"
Nuriko shook her hear, but Hotohori continued to glance around. "Hmmm, well, it is possible for one to speak to a relative through a sort of "mind telekinesis" if in dire need. Miaka must have realized that Arisa had been pulled into this world, and she just wanted to comfort her. Or if she is trapped, maybe she was planning on asking for help. Arisa!" Arisa jumped at the sudden surprise of her name ringing through the room. "What exactly did your mother say to you?"
"She told me that I should trust you two, and that she was trapped within. but then it faded, I didn't hear where they were." Arisa completed her sentence, and everyone was deep in thought.
Suddenly, another voice penetrated the silence, "I see the only two free warriors have found each other! And who is this? Little Arisa, Miaka's daughter right?"
"I know that voice." Nuriko closed her eyes and tried to think.
"What does mean by free warriors?" Hotohori questioned.
Arisa curled up in the corner.
"Don't be afraid Arisa, you're in good hands, and I'm on your side. I know where your parents are."
Nuriko opened her eyes, Hotohori looked up, and Arisa stood up simultaneously.
"Where?!" They all cried.
* * *
Hikari glanced up at Kenji, tears swelling in her eyes. "I don't understand what's going on! Why is my sister the main character in a book? Where is she?" Hikari fell to the floor, hysterically.
Kenji dropped to her side, "Listen, it said that your parents knew these people, do you think they'd mind if we searched their room for any clues about this strange book?"
"Well, I guess it's kinda important. They won't mind as long as we clean up." Hikari regained her composure. "Ok, I'll start with the closet."
Kenji smiled at Hikari, "It's ok, we'll figure this out. I'll search under the bed."
They searched through all the mess in the closet and under the bed for hours. Suddenly, Kenji gasped, "Hikari! Look at this."
Hikari made her way out of the closet, and looked at what Kenji had to show her. It was a picture of eight people, smiling and posing. She recognized two of them, one as her mother, and one as her father.
Hikari glanced at Kenji, a puzzled look on her face, "Who are these people?"
Kenji turned the picture over, and on the back it said: The Seven Suzaku Seishi and the Priestess of Suzaku. And then it had names, Nuriko, Chichiri, Mitsukauke, Tasuki and on the second line, it read, Tamahome, Miaka, Hotohori, Chiriko.
"Wait, Nuriko and Hotohori were those two we read about in the book, and Tamahome and Miaka are my parents, so the rest of these must be friends. I'm so confused, why have I never heard of these friends?"
Kenji sighed, "Maybe. Just maybe, these friends aren't exactly real. I'm beginning to think that all these characters weren't pulled into this book, I think they were already in it, and they're just characters for people to encounter when they go into this alternate dimension."
Hikari looked at Kenji, "So how do we get my sister back, if she's in a different dimension, or my parents!"
Kenji just shook his head, and Hikari fell to the floor. The room was filled with sobs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this next chapter, school started back up, midterms next week. I hope I get reviews for this, cause it's my first fic, and I'm working on it. Sorry about any typos, it's late; I haven't gotten much sleep for the past few days. I hope you enjoy my fic!
Nuriko and Arisa arrived in Konan the next day, weary from traveling. Hotohori, the emperor of Konan, greeted them kindly at the gates. He supplied them with horses for the rest of the journey, and once they reached the palace, he fed them well.
"Ah, my old friend Nuriko, I haven't seen you or any of the others in awhile. And who is this, it looks like Miaka, but I know better, Miaka has grown over the years. It's been so long. And I am still as beautiful as ever!" Hotohori stated.
"Hotohori! You've not changed at all!" Nuriko laughed, "This is Arisa, the daughter of Miaka and Tamahome. She got pulled into the book while looking for them, have you seen our old priestess and that warrior?"
"Sadly, no. I would have wished to see them, especially if they were here, in Konan. But. Do you mean they are in the book now?"
Arisa shrugged helplessly, "I wish I knew where they were, I wish I knew where I was, I wish. I wish I were home!" Arisa began to cry.
A voice echoed through the room, "Don't cry dear, we'll be ok." Arisa recognized the voice, it was. No, it couldn't be! "Arisa, your father and I want to tell you to trust the people that you are with, Hotohori and Nuriko, they are good friends of ours. We're trapped within." and the voice faded out.
Arisa looked up, and began scanning the ceiling for clues of where the voice was.
Nuriko, surprised at the suddenness of Arisa's actions, walked over to her, "What's wrong Arisa?"
"Didn't you. didn't you hear that voice? It was my mother, I swear." Hotohori and Nuriko looked at her oddly, "You didn't hear it? But she said that she was trapped somewhere, I didn't hear the end of the sentence. You really didn't hear her?"
Nuriko shook her hear, but Hotohori continued to glance around. "Hmmm, well, it is possible for one to speak to a relative through a sort of "mind telekinesis" if in dire need. Miaka must have realized that Arisa had been pulled into this world, and she just wanted to comfort her. Or if she is trapped, maybe she was planning on asking for help. Arisa!" Arisa jumped at the sudden surprise of her name ringing through the room. "What exactly did your mother say to you?"
"She told me that I should trust you two, and that she was trapped within. but then it faded, I didn't hear where they were." Arisa completed her sentence, and everyone was deep in thought.
Suddenly, another voice penetrated the silence, "I see the only two free warriors have found each other! And who is this? Little Arisa, Miaka's daughter right?"
"I know that voice." Nuriko closed her eyes and tried to think.
"What does mean by free warriors?" Hotohori questioned.
Arisa curled up in the corner.
"Don't be afraid Arisa, you're in good hands, and I'm on your side. I know where your parents are."
Nuriko opened her eyes, Hotohori looked up, and Arisa stood up simultaneously.
"Where?!" They all cried.
* * *
Hikari glanced up at Kenji, tears swelling in her eyes. "I don't understand what's going on! Why is my sister the main character in a book? Where is she?" Hikari fell to the floor, hysterically.
Kenji dropped to her side, "Listen, it said that your parents knew these people, do you think they'd mind if we searched their room for any clues about this strange book?"
"Well, I guess it's kinda important. They won't mind as long as we clean up." Hikari regained her composure. "Ok, I'll start with the closet."
Kenji smiled at Hikari, "It's ok, we'll figure this out. I'll search under the bed."
They searched through all the mess in the closet and under the bed for hours. Suddenly, Kenji gasped, "Hikari! Look at this."
Hikari made her way out of the closet, and looked at what Kenji had to show her. It was a picture of eight people, smiling and posing. She recognized two of them, one as her mother, and one as her father.
Hikari glanced at Kenji, a puzzled look on her face, "Who are these people?"
Kenji turned the picture over, and on the back it said: The Seven Suzaku Seishi and the Priestess of Suzaku. And then it had names, Nuriko, Chichiri, Mitsukauke, Tasuki and on the second line, it read, Tamahome, Miaka, Hotohori, Chiriko.
"Wait, Nuriko and Hotohori were those two we read about in the book, and Tamahome and Miaka are my parents, so the rest of these must be friends. I'm so confused, why have I never heard of these friends?"
Kenji sighed, "Maybe. Just maybe, these friends aren't exactly real. I'm beginning to think that all these characters weren't pulled into this book, I think they were already in it, and they're just characters for people to encounter when they go into this alternate dimension."
Hikari looked at Kenji, "So how do we get my sister back, if she's in a different dimension, or my parents!"
Kenji just shook his head, and Hikari fell to the floor. The room was filled with sobs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this next chapter, school started back up, midterms next week. I hope I get reviews for this, cause it's my first fic, and I'm working on it. Sorry about any typos, it's late; I haven't gotten much sleep for the past few days. I hope you enjoy my fic!