Disclaimer- Strangely enough, I still don't own FY. (Now how did that happen, I wonder…?)

AN- Well… I'm stunned. According to the site, I got TEN reviews for ONE chapter!  In any case, most of the reviewers were for TasChi. There's still going to be a couple of chapters before any pairings come out though, so if you reviewed against it, keep trying. Maybe there'll be a revolution. I mean, it COULD happen…

Miryokuteki Yuugi- The Alluring Game- Chapter Two- Into the Den of the Phantom Wolf

{excerpts from the book in here}

{The young man found himself in the den of wolves, more accurately known as the home of the Mount Reikaku bandits. Though he knew that he should have been frightened, he only stared ahead as they surrounded him. There was a friendly ki nearby, and he had a suspicion that the owner would soon reveal himself…}

"All right, what's th' problem here?"

The bandits jumped up, dropping the bonds they had been securing in shock. "B-boss!!" They looked scared to death; obviously they had been caught doing something without permission.

Houjun, for his part, studied the newcomer with interest. He was about the same age as him, perhaps younger, though a bit taller. His red hair gave off the impression of flames, and narrow amber eyes held a commanding air. He seemed to be putting on an overly cocky act though, and Houjun scoffed at the idea that this young man was the leader of the group around him. 'And what's with the character on his arm? Looks like the kanji for wing… Do they have tattoos wherever this crazy place is? I'm thinking China, even if they're speaking Kansai and not Chinese… It certainly reminds me of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.'

"Well?" the man pressed. "What's goin' on here? Where'd he come from?" He jabbed his finger at Houjun. "Don' tell me ya picked him up from the city. We've got enough problems 'round here since Hakurou died." (Hakurou= the old boss)

"Well… actually…" one of the older bandits began, looking a bit embarrassed. "We dunno where he's from. He jus' turned up here. Got past our security somehow. Prolly cuz he's a kid," he added savagely. "Kids kin fit through anythin'."

"HEY!" Houjun protested angrily. "Just because I'm shorter and smaller than your beloved boss doesn't mean I'm a kid na no da! I'm eighteen already, for heaven's sake!"

"True…" The amber-eyed bandit sized him up. "I was pretty small when I first came here… Say, why d'ya talk like that? Ya sound so darned happy. An' what's with yer hair? Are those bangs natural?" He poked the aforementioned strands, which were sticking up at a particularly odd angle. "Yer a weird one, that's fer sure. So what happen'd t' yer face? Why's it look like some cat?"

"I-it's nothing no da…" Houjun stammered.

"Well, what is it?"

"Genrou!" a new voice scolded. "Ya know he doesn't wanna talk about any of that, so why're ya still botherin' him? I told ya when ya first got t' be leader that ya had no delicacy! I mean, look at how ya abused Reirei! She ended up dyin' fer ya too!"

"Kouji," Genrou growled. "I. Hate. Women. All women. No exceptions."

Houjun watched this exchange with some amusement. It almost reminded him of some light-hearted conversations with Koutoku, just banter between friends. At the thought of Koutoku he sighed. Hopefully he had already figured out that Houjun had been sucked into the book and wasn't dying from the shock and total implausibility. Hopefully.

"So… who are ya anyways?"

"Oh… Oira wa Ri Houjun da na no da. I'm actually kinda lost around here. Do you think maybe I could stay with you for a bit? I could help you with stuff no da…" He grinned as he realized that he was offering assistance to bandits, after all his parents' hard work in teaching him morals. Still, anything to shut up the little voice in his head. "I can… umm… no da…"

"What?" Kouji asked skeptically, obviously expecting him to pull a Reirei on him and yank out a hairpin. Well, either that or the more plausible him revealing that he had no powers.

Instead of explaining, Houjun conjured a small ball of energy and sent it through the wall opposite them, after which he just teleported over and calmly repaired the hole. He then dusted off his green slacks and smiled. "I can do that, and blow up stuff na no da!" he announced cheerfully.

"A mage, hn? We could use one, ne, Aniki?"

Kouji shrugged. "Maybe. Yer the leader."

"All right, kid! Yer in!"

"I'm hardly a child na no da."

"I still say ya act like one with all th' 'no da's… All right, adult! Yer in!" Genrou amended with just as much enthusiasm. Houjun noted that he was desperately in need of drug testing. Did ancient-China-where-the-residents-speak-like-Japanese-people have speed? Ecstasy?

"Here's th' deal," Kouji started explaining, totally ignoring his friend's overall loudness. "We're th' Mount Reikaku bandits. We guard th' holy mountains from evil people and whatnot. Plus, we steal from th' rich and give t' th' poor. We don' kill unless we hafta (most of th' time), but we can."

"Robin Hood," Houjun said suddenly, resisting the urge to laugh hysterically. "Robin Hood and his Merry Men no da!"

"Huh?"

"Erm… never mind that…"

"Boss!!" A younger, though definitely powerful bandit ran up, gasping for breath. "There's some sorta procession thing goin' on! Th' guys told me t' tell ya right away, cuz we think it's th' emperor! He's got all sorts of rich stuff with 'im!"

"Thanks, Tabito." Genrou grinned, exposing sharp fangs. "Th' emperor, ne? Tell th' other guys t' get ready." Once the boy ran off, he turned to Houjun. "So whaddaya say, kid… adult? Feel up t' goin' with us? Th' emperor almost never comes with gold… this'll be worth it."

"Sure no da! I'd love to go!!"

{And so, the young man accepted the invitation extended by this man despite his doubts about the decision. For at the time, he could not have had any idea how much it would shape his life and that of those around him. He did not yet understand that he had just set into motion a legend as old as the universe itself, and was about to meet his destiny in this world that was so much unlike his own…}

"Genrou!! It'd be nice if you'd wait up for me na no da!! I thought you were going to kinda show me around seeing as it's my first time at this kinda thing no da!"

"Oh… gomen." He slowed down a bit to allow the older boy to catch up. "I ferget that not everyone can run as fast as th' great Genrou!" He took the time Houjun spent running to "Rekka Shin'en" some unsuspecting guards with the iron harisen he kept with him.

""How… do you… run… so fast… no da?" Houjun panted, lifting a hand instinctively to smooth out his mask. "Could you slow down some more? I didn't make track this year, so I'm really out of practice no da!"

Genrou shrugged and began moving at what to him must have been a ridiculously slow pace. Unfortunately, the speed or lack thereof caught up to him, and he and Houjun were quite abruptly captured by the few remaining guards. Naturally, Houjun's body chose that moment to turn red and seem to vanish. He felt himself almost… melt, and even saw Koutoku's shocked face for a moment before feeling returned to him and he found himself back-to-back with Genrou in the middle of a circle of imperial guards.

"I think now would be an appropriate time to say 'uh-oh'…" he mused.

OK, everybody! That was chapter two! Did you like it? If not, tell me why and I'll fume about it for a month! (No, I'll more like try to fix it). The polls for TasChi are still open, and I count by reviews, not reviewer. (This does NOT mean you go off and flood me with anonymous reviews!!) So… right now it's more for TasChi, but relatively close. So if you're against it, better review! If you're for it, still review!! Umm… and if you think I should have a version of the Miaka by Hotohori thing, then tell me who Hotohori will be replaced by and I'll consider it. And if you demand that I keep Tamahome alive, better have some chocolate around because I hate him and hope that he can get the shinzahou or die trying… preferably the latter. More chapters some day!!