The emperor studied her. Her short hair hanging about, the desperate amethyst eyes. The fierce set of her jaw, he didn't know what to say. After some hesitation, the emperor replied, "Yes, if you wish to return to your world." He said. The girl looked at him, and then she relaxed, slowly.
"What... Is your name?" she asked.
"Our name is Ishidoro." He replied. The girl nodded. "And your name is?"
"Celestial, Daikoku." She seemed uncertain, but replied none the less.
"We are sure you are tired and want to clean up, are we right?" Ishidoro asked with a small smile. Celestial nodded. "Koukyuu... Please show her to her room." Ishidoro looked at celestial and told her that a servant would come to her room and tell her when her bath was ready.
Sitting in the bathtub, Celestial was thinking about the whole priestess business.
Shiho walked out of his room. He had just finished kendo with his older brother, Ishidoro. He was sweating and exhausted. A servant walked up to him telling him that there had been a bath drawn for him. Shiho nodded and was led away by that servant. After showing him to the room, the servant left Shiho to himself. Shiho slowly slid the door open. It was the biggest mistake he had made in his short life. As soon as the sight fully registered, he was sure he was going to die a very slow, excruciatingly long painful death!
Celestial looked at the person through the steam from inside of the room. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU PERVERT!!!!!!!" A few seconds later, Shiho was hurling out of the room with quite a few bruises and scrapes. Shiho thought, It' wasn't even my fault. It's not like I saw anything... Okay maybe a little... Okay maybe a lot! But it still wasn't my fault.' Koukyuu walked toward him and couldn't help saying, "Your highness, what sort of a brute would do this to you?" She asked sarcastically. Shiho looked up at Koukyuu and replied, " A very pissed off girl who I've never seen in my life."
"Oh... Was she in there?" Koukyuu asked sweetly.
"Who is she?" Shiho replied.
"Well... She is only possibly the future Tenkyoku no Miko."
"Only... Possibly?"
"Well...She hasn't really quite agreed to this yet."
"Well we all know that she is going to say no."
"Yeah... Especially once she figures out that you would be one of her seishi."
Celestial walked out of the bathhouse. She looks at the mutilated man and at the unsympathetic girl. "What the hell is that?" Celestial asked Koukyuu.
"Oh great... Now I'm a "that". What next?" Shiho said sarcastically. Celestial gave Shiho a dirty look. Shiho returned it. Koukyuu breaks there staring contest to say, "That is the emperor's little brother... His only brother." Celestial retorted unemotionally, "His parents must have been afraid to bear another child after bearing that pervert."
"Ummm... Your eminence, his majesty requires you to join him with the court at dinner." Koukyuu said after a while.
"In front of the whole court?"
"Yes your eminence. I have come to get you ready. Please, follow me to your room." Celestial followed Koukyuu to her room. They had both left Shiho behind. Shiho just stared after them and at the dark haired girl. Was she really the girl who would bring them peace?
Celestial had just came out of her room, fully dressed in an ancient Chinese dress with a silver skirt that hung loosely around her legs. The sleeves were a silver color; they were so fine that they were transparent. A ribbon was tied around her waist and was fluttering in the wind like her dress. Blue and pale purple flowers with silver vines embroidered down the front of the dress and across the front. The dress was a silver material that shimmered in the setting sun. Celestial's hair hung around her head fluttering about, with her dress. Koukyuu had came into her room to put her hair up, had decided it was to short and instead wove an assortment of flowers into her hair. And then Koukyuu said, "Please follow me." Celestial stood up gracefully and followed her uncertainly.
A beautiful girl walked into the room. She didn't look older than fifteen didn't. Her eyes were amethysts. Her hair hung about her shoulders loosely with flowers threaded carefully into her hair. The upper half of her dress was silver that shined and glimmered. The upper half of the dress was embroidered with blue and pale purple flowers with silver vines. The sleeves were a transparent silver color. The lower half shimmered with the same silver and the ribbon that tied at her waist was a sky blue. The court all stared at her. Who was she? Where did this girl come from? Celestial followed Koukyuu to the seat next to His Majesty. Koukyuu, then herself sat down on the other side of him. Celestial glanced around her. She curtsied elegantly. Ishidoro nodded, and Celestial sat down. The court just stared at her, knowing as little as they did when she appeared. Ishidoro smiled slightly and said, "I think everyone here is wondering who this lady is." The court whispered to each other in agreement. "This is Celestial Daikoku, the priestess of Tenkyoku." There was silence in the room. Celestial broke the silence with a question.
"Wait. Your majesty! With all do respect, I would like to question this decision. "Celestial asked surprised. Ishidoro looked at her with his eyes. Celestial just looked back at him with her amethyst eyes, they were questioning him innocently. He couldn't ignore her. "Could we talk about that situation later?" Celestial looked away from those eyes and nodded.
"I'm sorry, but I did think I heard that I was going to be the priestess of Tenkyoku." Celestial said.
"You heard correctly." The emperor said.
"What does that mean. I never agreed to be the priestess of anything. I don't even know what this priestess business is all about."
"Every country has a guardian, or a god that they worship. It is said in legends that a girl from another world will appear for each of these gods to summon them and grant them each three wishes."
"Yes I know that, but you don't suppose that I'm the priestess, do you?"
"Yes I do. And if you want to return to Tokyo, than I would suggest that you become the priestess and wish to return to your own world." Celestial stood there thinking, looking at the ground. If I become the priestess I could go back home.' "All right. What do I need to do?" Ishidoro smiled slightly and handed her a scroll. "This is the...version. This is our countries' version of the Universe of the Five Gods. In that scroll is the clues you will need to find the seven celestial warriors of Tenkyoku, or the seishi of Tenkyoku."
"I have to find the seishi of Tenkyoku?"
"Yes. Once you have gathered all of the seishi you will summon Tenkyoku and be granted three wishes." Celestial looked at the emperor then at the scroll.
"Okay." She replied.
"I also mean to tell you that Koukyuu and Shiho, my brother, are both seishi of Tenkyoku " Celestial nodded at him, then said, "Right. Well... Good night." Ishidoro nodded and Celestial walked back to her room accompanied by a maid.
Yue opened the book again and started reading. She was in the book. The book was talking about her at the moment. What was he going to do? He himself couldn't go into the book. The bell of her door suddenly rang. "Shit" he muttered aloud. He went to get it. Standing in the doorway was Etsuko. "Yue? What are you doing at Celestial's house." The red headed girl asked. Etsuko had long copper hair that blew in the wind. Her eyes were an amber color. Matching the color of her hair. "Et...Etsuko... Nice to see you too." Yue said.
"Um...Yue, what are you doing at Celestial's house?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Celestial invited me over today."
"I...I... I was just visiting her."
"Ahhhh. Okay. Then where is she?"
"She isn't here at the moment, but I could leave her a message."
"Yue, you sound like a telephone person. So, where is Celestial really at?"
"Okay... Come in. It really is a long story, and she really isn't here." Yue said as Etsuko walked in. "Yue, why are you caring a book around with you?"
"I'm getting to that part. You know Celestial-."
"Duh. Yeah I know Celestial. No I don't know her at all. In fact, I've never heard of her, I don't think that Celestial goes to my school or anything like that."
"Okay okay. Well Celestial is in this book." Yue said holding up the book with Ancient Chinese characters on it. The title read the universe of the Five Gods.
"Tha... That's the same book that Yui and Miaka were in." Etsuko said shocked.
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter." Etsuko said shakily. "How did she find it? Yue, do you know how much danger she will be in? Can't we do anything?"
"She just took it out of the shelf and opened it while I was trying to tell her something. I think she was nervous."
"Look, the only way to get her out of the book is if we have a connection to her. Was there anything that you and she both had, like the same object or something?" Etsuko seemed desperate.
"Is the book really that bad?"
"Yes it's really that bad, or else I wouldn't be frantic, Yue, just answer me!" Etsuko was now practically screaming at Yue.
"Okay, you go shopping with her right?"
"Yes, so...?"
"If you two bought similar things at one point than wouldn't you two be able to connect with each other, or whatever?"
"I don't know? What did she have with her?"
"Celestial was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt. She had a necklace, wait, you're wearing the same necklace she was wearing!"
"Celestial... Celestial, can you hear me?" Celestial heard a muffled voice coming from under her shirt. She pulled out the necklace and looked at it frowning. "Celestial? Are you there? Please come back. Yue and I are so worried about you."
"Etsuko? Etsuko is that you?" Celestial asked breathlessly.
"Celestial, that's you right?"
"Yes. Where are you Etsuko?"
"I'm still in our World. You need to come back, though. Please, come back." Etsuko's voice was urging and desperate.
"I can't. I'm sorry Etsuko. I don't know how to return to our world. You know about the story right? Well I have to summon Tenkyoku before I return. You know about that right?"
"Yes, I do know, but they got back by other ways. You must return. And please, keep the necklace. If anything ever happened to the necklace, than we could never get in contact."
"I will try to find a way. I have to go now, Shiho is coming."
"She- who?" But Celestial had already gone.
Celestial opened the scroll to find it blank. She kept pulling open the scroll only to find it all blank. Celestial sat there panting. She then heard a small chuckle as Shiho walked up to her. She glared at him. "What is this? Some kind of joke?"
"Not at all. You'll just have to find out how to read the scroll. I suppose it's a test of patience." He smiled. Celestial looked away from him thinking, Oh no... I'm blushing.' Celestial looked back at Shiho. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Well you could soak it into water and see if anything appears." Celestial then asked a maid to get a bucket of water. Celestial dipped part of the scroll into the water. Nothing happened. "You could also put the scroll over a fire." Celestial asked a maid for a fire to be started. Shiho watched in enthusiasm. Celestial went to the fire and carefully put the scroll above the flames. Nothing happened. "You could try to put the scroll in front of the sun." Celestial looked at him then put the scroll up against the sun. Nothing happened. "Why don't you write something with ink on the scroll and see if anything happens." Celestial looked at him and she called for a maid and asked her for a brush and ink. Celestial dipped the brush in the ink and made a dot on the scroll. Absolutely nothing what so ever happened. Celestial sighed. Shiho was laughing slightly. "You just love to see me working I suppose." Celestial said irritated.
"Indeed you're very entertaining." Celestial picked up the bucket full of water and poured it all over Shiho. Shiho grabbed a bucket of ice cold water and he poured that all over Celestial. She froze, turned around and glared at him. Shiho shrugged. "Serves you right." He said. Celestial had to restrain herself from hitting him. Instead she shook her head and went to her room. Shiho, too, went to his room and changed.