Disclaimer: 'Tain't mine.
AN- IKITERU!! It's been… *pauses to count* Oh my holy- I had no idea it's been this long. I'm so sorry people!! But I felt unloved and stuff and life got in the way. *sigh* The time really came to me when I realized I hadn't updated since my good friend the ottersaw stopped coming to school. THAT was a shock. (He's really sick n' can't walk long enough to make it to class. Something like that anyways.) gomen gomen minnasan! But it's spring break now n' I'm writing writing writing writing…
Miryokuteki Yuugi- The Alluring Game- Chapter 5- Aren't seraglio members usually female?
"Are we there yet?" Houjun sulked from his spot on the back of a chestnut stallion, looking for all the world like a six-year-old on vacation. Sitting on a horse for a day had already gotten to him, and his head still hurt.
"Oh no," Nuriko answered, huge shoujo eyes widening further. "We've still got li upon li to go. We'll be walking forever!" (AN: li equals unit of distance in China.)
"Aww shut up," Tasuki complained from below. He'd refused to touch the horse offered him, and so was stuck walking. Not that it was all that bad, time-wise, since the bandit had Suzaku-granted speed on his side, but it was something of a challenge to guess who was more irritable, Houjun or Tasuki.
Hotohori rode somewhat apart from the trio, occasionally sparing them a shocked glance. He'd appointed himself the scout for the group, not trusting the sickling, the bandit, or the girl to make educated decisions. Tension had developed between Tasuki and Nuriko the moment they'd met, and it was only getting worse as the journey dragged on. He wouldn't put it past one of them to lead the rest into a swamp as an ill-tempered joke.
Houjun shifted uncomfortably on the saddle, cursing the thin material of his khakis. If he'd known he'd get sucked into a book that day he might have thought to wear something more suitable. As it was, he now had an opportunity to go home, and maybe change into some jeans. Thank whatever God I'm supposed to be worshipping.
Tasuki glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky, frowning slightly. "It's gonna be too dark t' see soon," he remarked.
"Oh, is the big bad bandit scared of the dark??" Nuriko smirked. She'd been unbearably hyper the entire day, constantly grinning and hitting on the emperor. It was quite frankly disturbing. So far as Tasuki was concerned, NOBODY had the right to be so dang perky after riding so long.
"Nuriko," Hotohori began after a particularly uncomfortable pause, making a brave stab at conversation in the hopes of getting all three seishi to Taikyokuzan alive, "What's your family like? Do you have any siblings?" Truth be told, he was actually quite interested, almost never having known much about the outside world. If he'd only relied on his upbringing for information, he would almost certainly have believed that all people lived in rich places. His mother had always considered him too good to associate with the common people. As it was, he had never truly seen the depths of poverty.
The willow seishi's eyes darkened for a second before she answered. "I have two brothers." She looked down at the saddle, seeming to consider the discussion over. Houjun eyed her from his horse; he'd sensed again that something was distinctly off in her ki.
"Had." She glanced up suddenly. "I had two brothers. Ryuuen died when I was nine. He was hit by a carriage. We were walking together. I saw it hit him. He died right there."
In her choppy, broken sentences, Houjun sensed a need to convince herself of the truth of her statements. He could feel the slight wavering in her ki, the hesitance. There was much more to this seishi than met the eye, he could see, and he was curious as to what she was hiding.
Koutoku stretched lazily, dropping the book on the floor. He'd been reading for a full hour now, and it getting on his nerves. The persistent headache he'd developed didn't show any signs of disappearing, and he was starting to feel a saddle sore, no doubt thanks to Houjun. Of course he wanted to see what happened to his friend, but he had already missed an entire class period, and was about to miss another. He was going to have a heck of a lot of explaining to do if he was found in the restricted room of the school library reading about his best friend's adventures in a book. On the other hand, this Nuriko character was quite intriguing. He sighed and picked the book back up.
"Where are we now?" Houjun cracked one eye open, scanning the landscape. It looked something like a forest, albeit a rather dark and uninviting one. He could sense water nearby, past that nothing.
"We are near a hot spring, actually," Hotohori offered. "Perhaps when we stop you could go there. It is said to have healing powers. The people of this area believe strongly in that sort of thing."
"All right no da," Houjun agreed skeptically. He may have had strange abilities in a world of technology, but that didn't mean he was just going to believe some folklore or whatnot about healing powers. Still, his head throbbed, and he was willing to try anything at the moment.
"Ah, yuya…" The priest of Suzaku hummed softly to himself, sinking lower into the water. Now this was the good life. No longer deathly ill, and with a hot spring to boot. Nobody to bother him, nobody to interrupt his beautiful state of euphoria…
"Hou-kun!" Nuriko's voice, burned into his memory after long hours of listening to her talk and talk and talk and TALK AND TALK AND TALK… *ahem*, rang out across the still forest.
"HouJUN desu no da, Hou-kun ja nai ne!" Houjun grumbled. "Doushita nka?" (It's Houjun no da, not Hou-kun! What happened?)
"Ah, nothing." Nuriko's smile broadened as she strolled over. "Just wanted to see how you were doin'."
He rolled his eyes. "Just peachy now that you've turned up."
"Great!" Her smile seemed on the verge of cracking her face open.
"Of course, now if you'll just…" He paused. Blinked. Realisation hit him like a dump truck, and he leapt halfway out of the water. "WAITAMINUTE you're a GIRL! Out out out out out!!!"
She dodged him nimbly, grin now big enough to contain all of Konan and more. Unfortunately, she dodged a bit too far, and the sleeve Houjun had succeeded in snatching stayed put, dragging the other half of her outfit with it.
There was a pause.
Silence.
"WAITAMINUTE you're NOT a girl! What the—" Houjun twitched ever so slightly.
Nuriko's smile stubbornly refused to disappear. "Yes yes yes. I'm a guy, gotta problem with that?"
"B-but you've been hitting on Hotohori this whole trip na no da…"
"GOTTA PROBLEM WITH THAT?!"
"N-no…"
Koutoku sighed, staring almost pityingly at the characters on the page. He wasn't yet sure whether the story was already written, or was created as Houjun experienced things, but either way, just as nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news, not many people can be fond of bearing such odd news as he was reading. What with Nuriko being a cross-dresser, and Tasuki being a woman hating bandit, leaving Hotohori to appear most normal, he would hate to see what the other seishi turned out like.
Oh, if only he were psychic, Koutoku would drop the book and run far far away… ANYWAYS. I started this during spring break, and while I was waiting to finish, school ended and I'm on summer break. And the ottersaw came back, so now I have somebody to annoy. Well I DID. He left again, a couple days ago. Anyways, I'm going on a trip tomorrow, and I won't be back to check my reviews for a couple weeks, and I'm hoping for some when I get back. *Hint. Hint*
I'd like some input as to what ya'll think. Since I wrote this in two-line bursts of inspiration, I kinda get the impression that the whole thing's rather choppy and overall sucky. But review anyways, nee???
Till next chapter!