Level 2: An Offering and a Terrible Disposition
Fuu stared distressingly at the spot where Umi and Hikaru stood, seeing only the book remaining. "Oh, Miss Hikaru. . .Miss Umi. . ." Fuu feebly crawled over to the book, picking it up. "Where on earth did you both go. . .? If you went to Cephiro. . .why am I not with you both?" She hadn't noticed the plethora of stares looking her way, finding it odd to see a girl on the ground with a book. Few considered asking if she was okay, and in the end decided not to anyways.
Fuu traced her fingers against the binding of the book, a sad frown set upon her lips. If there was danger in Cephiro, and she was not there to help her two best friends, she would feel terrible. On the other hand, instead of a bright white light, there was a red light. What did it mean? . . .Could it have had something to do with the book? Fuu scrunched her nose up. How could a book have anything to do with their disappearance?
As much as she was against the ridiculous idea, curiosity won out in the end, and she flipped the book open to the first page. Quickly adjusting her glasses, she began to read the contents of the page,
'The two had fallen upon the ground in the outskirts of the nearby town. Both woke, and began a long and perilous search for a lost friend, whom they never would figure out did not exist in this world. When stopping for a rest, the two were confronted by a gang of notorious bandits, one of girls then held hostage. The other prepared to fight the leader, a filthy older man, but was unsuccessful and was knocked unconscious by one member of the group. Just as the bandits were about to bring both to their boss, a mysterious savior fought them off with his magnificent sword skills, but unfortunately was only able to save the fallen redheaded girl. The bandits had managed to take away the sapphire haired. . .' that was all the proof Fuu needed. Somehow, Hikaru and Umi were sucked into this book, the Universe of the Four Gods! She felt tears well up, this had upset her so much. Her friends, lost and alone in a book. . .they were even looking for her!
"Miss Hikaru! Miss Umi!" she cried into the book, praying they could somehow hear her, but knew all too well that it was impossible. "You guys. . ."
~*~*~*~
'I feel so lost. . .Fuu. . .Clef. . .where are you. . .? I feel like I'm floating. . .there's nothing here. . .' Hikaru opened her eyes to pitch black. She hugged her knees tightly against her chest, feeling frightened and alone. Though she was sitting, she felt like she was floating. 'Umi? Fuu? Anybody?' she called out to the nothing. As she expected, she heard nothing. Just like she saw nothing. 'I'm scared guys. . .I don't like being by myself. . .!' A small glimmer of light peeked out from the ebony void, so that's where Hikaru turned to. To her delight, she saw the face of Clef, smiling that soft, fragile smile of his. She leaped up from her place, and ran toward his figure. 'Oh, Clef! I was so scared!' he smiled a little more and held out his hand to her. She reached out both her hands to grab his, but suddenly everything around her began to shake. 'Wh-what's going on?!' she looked to Clef, but he seemed to be drifting away.desperately she ran to him, but he never got any closer. . .
"Clef. . .Clef!" Hikaru shouted, opening her eyes abruptly. She was startled to see a figure over her, gently shaking her shoulders. She turned to who she believed to be Clef's kind, smiling face. "Clef. . ." she smiled, but suddenly his face blurred, and she rubbed her eyes back into focus, to find it wasn't Clef she was looking at. . . "Oh! You're not Clef!" Hikaru jumped up, and her body chibified as she clung to one of the bedposts. The one she thought to be Clef looked at her, and gave a comforting smile.
"Please, don't be afraid of me. I promise I won't hurt you, I am the one who saved you from those smutty bandits," the stranger said in a kindly voice, "Won't you come down from there?" Hikaru silently complied, sliding down the post and landing with a plop on the bed, her body returning to its ordinary size. Hikaru stared at the unfamiliar lady, noting her long silver colored hair. It was so beautiful, tied on the side in a loose ponytail.
'She sure has a deep voice for a woman. But, she's so pretty. . .like Umi. I'm so jealous, these two could be models! No, they're even prettier than the prettiest models!' she thought to herself, a scowl fitting on her lips.
"Is something the matter?" the stranger asked, looking slightly confused. Hikaru immediately blushed, looking down at her hands in her laps.
"Um, n-no ma'am. . .I was just thinking that, well, you are so pretty and. . ." she stopped when she heard the woman laugh, which caused her to be more embarrassed than she already was.
"I'm sorry young one, but, I'm a man." Hikaru's mouth gapped open, and her body chibified again as she ran around in circles on the bed.
"A man! I just insulted a man! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"I am the Emperor of this country, and you-" the man was cut off by Hikaru's sudden shriek.
"Emperor?! Not only did I insult a man, but an EMPEROR?! Oh, the humanity!" Hikaru continued to frantically race around in circles, crying in shame. The emperor stared at her a moment, finding her quite. . .well, odd, and he rose his voice for her to hear.
"Really, it's alright, you don't have to apologize for anything." Hikaru immediately stopped, staring at him.
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't blame you at all for believing I was a woman. You're not the first, let me assure you. Ah, the commoners are especially convinced I am a woman, because of my unparallel gorgeousness. . ." the emperor sighed contentedly, apparently fond of the thought of being thought of as a female. Hikaru blinked, finding him a bit strange.and definitely not modest. Her body shrank into a chibi form, her eyes becoming beady as she narrowed them. She lifted her tiny fist to her mouth, and after a brief pause, a small 'cough' sound escaped her lips. "Yes, my beauty is unmatched by another other, man or woman."
"Well, there is my friend Umi. . ." Hikaru muttered, looking to the side. The emperor paused idolizing himself to look at her.
"Did you say something?" Hikaru jumped, and smiled awkwardly.
"No, nothing. Nothing at all," she replied nervously, scratching the back of her head. The emperor regarded her inquisitively, but left it alone.
"Well, now that that's all cleared up, why don't you tell me your name, young one?" Hikaru tensed up a little, her fingers fidgeting with the blanket that lay beside her.
"U-um. . .my name is. . .H-Hikaru. . .Hikaru Shidou," she threw her upper body down onto the bed in an over exaggerated bow, "and what can I call you, Sire?" she asked politely, though her voice was muffled since her face was stuffed against the bed. The emperor chuckled at her gesture.
"You may rise, Hikaru." She did so, though kept her head lowered. She'd heard from somewhere that you should never be higher than a king.
'Well, he's not exactly a king. . .but he's right up there!' she thought to herself.
"You may call me Hotohori, Emperor of Konan," he said, his tone proud and deep. Hikaru nodded her head slowly, feeling incredibly nervous in front of such high authority.
"Y-yes, Hotohori Emperor of Konan," she said quickly, bowing her head down, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Hotohori chuckled again, placing his index finger under her chin and lifting her head up to look at him.
"Just Hotohori is fine, Hikaru," he told her, smiling that soft, gentle smile. She returned a smile, feeling slightly relieved. "Now, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"Well. . .I'm 14, my birthday is August 8th, I'm in junior high, I have three older brothers and a dog named Hikari. . .oh, and I love kendo!" Hotohori has a sort of bewildered look on his face.
"Tell me, Hikaru, where are you from?" he asked, his words hesitant.
"I'm from Tokyo!"
"T. . .Tokyo. . .?" he was even more puzzled at this. He'd never heard of a place called Tokyo. He looked her over, and for the first time noticed her outfit was a little different. "You have very. . .foreign clothing."
"Oh, this? This is my school uniform,"
"School uniform?"
"Yeah. Everyone in my school wears this uniform." Hikaru's face suddenly became baffled, and she tilted her head to one side. "Um, excuse me Em-. . .Hotohori, but where did you say this was again?"
"You are in Konan."
"Konan? I've never heard of a place like that in Cephiro."
"Cephiro? Konan is a province in China."
"China?!" Hikaru gasped, falling backwards on the bed, "How in the world did I get to China?!"
"You mean you are not from China?" he inquired, suddenly becoming a little suspicious of her. Hikaru nodded, sitting straight up once more.
"Tokyo is in Japan, but Cephiro is another world me and my two friends are summoned to when there's danger there. My friends and I met in Tokyo Tower today, and one of them, my friend Fuu, brought a book to show us. When Umi, the other friend, and me opened the book and started to read it, there was a red light, and we were brought here," she finished, taking a deep breath. Hotohori looked absolutely shocked.
"Tell me. . .what was the name of this book?"
"Well. . .hmm. . .oh yeah! It was called the Universe of the Four Gods," Hotohori stood up abruptly, his body trembling slightly.
'Could. . .could she be the one?' he asked himself, staring at her with dazed eyes, 'She must be. . .those clothes. . .the book. . .has she come?'
"Tell me, are you from another world, then?"
"Well, if this you people think anything like the people of Cephiro do, then yes," she replied. Hotohori was certain now; she was the one.
"Hikaru Shidou from Tokyo, as the Emperor of Konan, I have a request of great importance," Hotohori got down on one knee in front of the bed, bowing his head. Hikaru was stunned, and she scooted to the end of the bed.
"Sure, anything for an Emperor. What is it, Hotohori?"
"Hikaru, will you become the Priestess of Suzaku, and save Konan from destruction?"
"Wh-what?! Priestess?!" Hikaru chibified and floated in the air. Hotohori bowed even lower.
"I know it's a large request, but. . .there was a legend of a girl that will arrive from another world and, wielding the powers of Suzaku, will save Konan from destruction and bring peace."
"Excuse me, but what is Suzaku?"
"Suzaku is the beast god of the South," he stood, clearing his throat, "You see, there are four beast gods aligned with 28 constellations: Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu. Each god has seven of these constellations. As the Priestess of Suzaku, I am asking you to obtain your seven celestial warriors and call upon Suzaku to save our country. . .please, Hikaru, I beg of you. . ." Hikaru returned to normal, and her facial expression suddenly became serious.
"Of course I'll help you, Hotohori. I don't know how well I'll do as a Priestess, but I'll find those seven warriors and save Konan, I promise!" Hotohori smiled, and gave a gracious bow.
"You do not understand how much this means to me, Hik- no, Priestess of Suzaku. Please, wait here a while longer and rest. I must tell the joyous news that the maiden that shall wield the powers of Suzaku has appeared!"
~*~*~*~
"Let go of me, you perverts!" Umi cried, thrashing around, trying to loosen the men's grip on her. They only snickered, tightening their hold.
"You'd better calm down if ya know what's good for ya," one of the said, retrieving a knife from a pouch at his waist with a free hand. Umi fell silent immediately, and ceased her struggling. They had brought her to what she assumed to be their hideout, just a normal building high in the mountaintops. They stood outside a door, waiting for permission to enter to see the boss of the bandits. Umi gulped; with the way these guys act, she was doubly afraid at how this one would be. To her dismay, the doors creaked open, and they dragged her inside. Against the far wall was a shadowed figure sitting in a ornately fashioned chair, a group of men surrounding it. They all turned to see their guests, and many smiled an ugly smile at the sight of a young lady.
"Well, well, what have ya brought me?" the one sitting in the chair asked. When he smiled, Umi gasped in terror to see that he had fangs! The man stood from the chair, his flaming orange hair glistening from the dim light coming through the one window on the wall adjacent to where he was standing. "Hmm, not bad. Bring 'er over here. We were just about to have somethin' to eat."
The men complied, and again dragged Umi across the floor, and sat her down between the bunch of rowdy men. She cringed, glancing side to side at their grinning faces. Her body shrink to her chibi form, completely concealed from view on either side of the obnoxiously huge men. Slowly she peeked over one side of one of the men's bellies, and a miniature hand rose over his stomach, a stout, fat finger pointing at the lump of fat of his stomach. She brought her finger down, jabbing the fat. She squeaked when she saw the potbelly continuously ripple, and once it finally stopped, a sweatdrop formed over her head, and she went back to hiding between them, her body returning to normal. She looked forward to see the piles of food that sat in the middle of the circle, though none of it looked too appetizing.
"Dig in, boys." The men sitting next to Umi cackled, and reached over to grab her. Umi jumped up from her spot, her body chibified.
"He meant the food, you morons! Keep your paws to yourself you nasty pervs!" she yelled, her eyes flaring with anger. Some of them were almost scared of her as she floated back down to the ground, sitting and grabbing a plate of food, placing a generous amount in her mouth. Seconds later she spit it back onto the plate, her face turning almost green. "Yuck! This is nasty! I could make better food with my FEET!" The boss of the bandits, the orange haired one, stood from his seat, smirking.
"You got a lot of spunk for a girl. What's your name?"
"It's none of your business," she proceeded to stick her tongue out at him, which pissed him off royally.
"Listen girly, I don't mind feeding you to my boys here, so I suggest you do what I say," Umi flinched, but wouldn't give in.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh yeah? Okay boys, it seems this one wants to play with ya, so have some fun," he grinned, showing his fangs again. No sooner had he given them permission did they pounce for her, but she was able to jump out of their range. And thus a chase commenced, and Umi was losing horribly. Finally, one had caught her arm, slowing her down. Once that happened, others leapt on top of her, pinning her down. The leader walked up to the powerless Umi being held down by the men.
"By the way, my friends call me Genrou, but since you're no friend of mine, you can call me Tasuki." Umi glared at him, and continued her struggle to break free, screaming and kicking furiously. As they started to tear at her skirt, a loud crash was heard outside the door. "What the hell was that?!" Tasuki exclaimed, running for the door, whipping what looked like a white fan. A few bandits got off of Umi and followed their leader, the rest stayed to keep her in place. As Tasuki and his gang reached the door, it was knocked down from the outside. The bandits all fell back, staring up at their new foe. Umi turned her head to see who it was, seeing it was a young, attractive teenager with teal hair, the length in the back pulled into a tiny ponytail.
"You! Who the hell are ya?!" Tasuki demanded, raising his fan threateningly. Umi wondered what could he possibly do with an ordinary fan? The new guy just smirked, shaking his head.
"You know, it's not polite to pick on pretty girls like that," he said, noting the glare he was getting from Tasuki.
"Who do you think you are barging in here like this?!"
"I'm playing hero," With that, the guy jumped over the horde of men, completely catching them off guard. He dashed over to the two guys holding Umi down, and proceeded to kick one of them against a wall, and turned to grab the other by his neck with one hand, and punch him in the stomach with the other. The bandit made a gagging sound as the wind was knocked out of him, and the teal-haired man threw him to the side. He turned to Umi, offering his hand.
"You okay?" Umi hesitated, but finally took his hand and stood.
"Yeah, I guess so. . ." They both turned around to see Tasuki and his band coming at them.
"I'll teach you, you bastard!" Tasuki cried, raising his fan. "Rekka. . .Shien!" from the tip of his fan, flames sprouted, and were launched straight for Umi and the man. The man quickly took Umi in his arms and jumped towards the window, crashing through it. They landed easily, and the man turned to the window where Tasuki and his men crowded around to see them. The man let go of Umi and turned all the way around to face them, smiling.
"I guess we'll be off. Oh, by the way, my friends call me Tamahome, but since I don't have any friends I suppose it's alright for you to call me that, too," his smile formed into a small smirk, "Later." He turned and quickly grabbed Umi's hand, and both took off running. Many of the bandits tried to pile out the window, but Tasuki shouted at them to stop. When they looked at him with a surprised look, Tasuki scowled and turned around.
"It don't matter. . .it was just a lousy girl anyways. No use in wastin' our time followin' 'em."
~*~*~*~
They'd ran for a good ten minutes before they stopped in a clearing in the woods near the base of the mountain. They stood for a little while, catching their breaths. Umi faced Tamahome, and he turned to face her as well. They both smiled to each other, and it was Tamahome to speak first.
"Well, pay up." Umi's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I said pay up. You didn't think I'd save you for free, did ya?" Umi suddenly became furious at him.
"Yes, I DID think you'd save me for free since it was you who chose to come save me of your own free WILL!" Tamahome scowled, turning away from her.
"Don't have the money? That's cheap. . ."
"For your information, buddy, I DO have the money, but if you think I'm going to give it to you you're out of your mind!"
"Yeesh, could you be anymore ungrateful? I saved you from being raped by that band of losers! Little brat. . ." he mumbled, but Umi heard him quite well. She walked around him and got right up in his face, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
"I AM grateful, you good for nothing playboy! I was about to thank you sincerely for saving me, but then you go off and tell me I gotta pay you for it! The honor and pride you feel for saving a beautiful young lady like me should be reward enough!" Tamahome backed up, covering his nose.
"Man, you may be pretty, but your breath is totally disgusting! What have you been eating, rotting fish?" Umi's face turned red as she covered her mouth.
"It was the food those bandits tried to make me eat. . ." she mumbled, uncovering her mouth and sighing. "Look, I really am thankful for what you did for me, and I'll pay you if you really want me to," she offered, digging into her pockets for some change. As tempted as Tamahome was to take the offer, he sighed and shook his head.
"Look, just forget it. You don't have to pay me."
"Really? You sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Umi smiled, finding he wasn't so bad after all. Tamahome smiled back, but his expression changed suddenly. "Hey, where're you from, anyways? You dress kinda funny." Umi blinked, slightly confused.
"Oh, well, I'm from a place called Tokyo. Oh! Sorry, I forgot, my name's Umi. Umi Ryuuzaki."
"Nice to meet you. As you know, I'm Tamahome. So, tell me about this Tokyo. . ." Tamahome suddenly tensed, and began to look around frenetically.
"Hey, what's wrong, Tamahome?"
"I hear horses. . .they're close!" he grabbed Umi's hand and began to run with her again. Unfortunately, they were cut short when they ran straight into a line of soldiers on horses. They skidded to a stop, and turned around to see more soldiers come up from behind them. They were trapped in a blockade of horses. Tamahome covered Umi, getting in a stance. He lowered his defenses a little as the soldiers separated, allowing a horse, much bigger than the rest, to pass through. Tamahome returned to his fighting stance as a man suited in elaborate armor rode up to the two of them.
"Well, what do we have here? A couple of bandits on the loose?" the man on the horse said, his voice dark and icy. Umi strode out from behind Tamahome, but before he could stop her, she started to speak,
"Look here buddy, we're no bandits! In fact, this guy here just saved me from a bunch of them! So you'd better back off!" Umi was on her toes against the horse, trying to get as much in the man's face as she could. She immediately backed away as a few soldiers aimed their swords at her. She gulped, and went back to hiding behind Tamahome. The man on the horse stared at Umi, noting her alien garments.
"You girl, why are you dressed like that?" Umi was beginning to feel irritated with everyone asking about her clothes.
"Obviously I'm not in Kansas anymore," she muttered to herself, then spoke up, "Look, I come from earth in a place called Tokyo. I've never been in this part of Cephiro before, but geez, I didn't think any of the people here could be so rude!" Everyone around her seemed totally confused, which further confused Umi. ". . .What?"
"What is this. . .Cephiro?" the man on the horse asked. Umi's jaw dropped.
"You mean. . .I'm not on Cephiro. . .?" she fell over, her body chibified. "Just great. . ." she jumped up, looking at the man. "Well, where am I then?!"
"Our exact location is Mt. Leikaku in the Koshu Taito province."
"Eh. . .mind being a little more vague instead?"
"This is a province of Konan, a country in China."
"China?! Now I've heard everything!" Umi became incredibly frustrated, pulling at her hair. "How did I end up here?!"
"You. . .are not from China?" the man questioned her, his suspicions growing.
"No, I think I come from another world entirely. . ." she gasped suddenly, realizing something. 'That red light back at Tokyo Tower. . .it must have brought me here! But why? Could it have had something to do with that book Fuu had. . .?'
"Is something wrong?" the man asked, adjusting his position on his horse. Umi became nervous and shook her head side to side frantically.
"No! No! I'm just fine! Really!" The man didn't seem to quite believe her, but he ignored it.
"I want you to come with me."
"Pardon?"
"You will come with me to Kutou. There is something about you. . ."
"Hey now, pal! I'm not going anywhere with YOU!"
"Heh, my soldiers say otherwise," he waved his hand, and all his men drew their swords, aiming them at Umi. She looked at them all, then back to the man, grinning nervously.
"Eheh. . .when do we leave?" the man reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking her up onto his horse. Umi yelped in pain.
"Ow! Hey! Little more gently next time please! And how about telling me your name?"
"Nakago."
"Wow, that was easy," Umi turned to Tamahome. "Hey, what about him?"
"My men will take care of him," Nakago pulled the reigns on his horse, steering him around, and galloped off with Umi sitting in front of him. Tamahome called after her and tried to follow, but the soldiers blocked his path. He rose his arms in defense, preparing to strike if necessary. The soldiers jumped off their horses, pointing their swords at him threateningly. Tamahome smirked.
"This could get ugly."
End of Chapter 2
(Wow! I've never written a chapter that long. Well, one that's not just meant to be one chapter. Anyways, how's it lookin'? I hope I'm pulling this off!)
Fuu stared distressingly at the spot where Umi and Hikaru stood, seeing only the book remaining. "Oh, Miss Hikaru. . .Miss Umi. . ." Fuu feebly crawled over to the book, picking it up. "Where on earth did you both go. . .? If you went to Cephiro. . .why am I not with you both?" She hadn't noticed the plethora of stares looking her way, finding it odd to see a girl on the ground with a book. Few considered asking if she was okay, and in the end decided not to anyways.
Fuu traced her fingers against the binding of the book, a sad frown set upon her lips. If there was danger in Cephiro, and she was not there to help her two best friends, she would feel terrible. On the other hand, instead of a bright white light, there was a red light. What did it mean? . . .Could it have had something to do with the book? Fuu scrunched her nose up. How could a book have anything to do with their disappearance?
As much as she was against the ridiculous idea, curiosity won out in the end, and she flipped the book open to the first page. Quickly adjusting her glasses, she began to read the contents of the page,
'The two had fallen upon the ground in the outskirts of the nearby town. Both woke, and began a long and perilous search for a lost friend, whom they never would figure out did not exist in this world. When stopping for a rest, the two were confronted by a gang of notorious bandits, one of girls then held hostage. The other prepared to fight the leader, a filthy older man, but was unsuccessful and was knocked unconscious by one member of the group. Just as the bandits were about to bring both to their boss, a mysterious savior fought them off with his magnificent sword skills, but unfortunately was only able to save the fallen redheaded girl. The bandits had managed to take away the sapphire haired. . .' that was all the proof Fuu needed. Somehow, Hikaru and Umi were sucked into this book, the Universe of the Four Gods! She felt tears well up, this had upset her so much. Her friends, lost and alone in a book. . .they were even looking for her!
"Miss Hikaru! Miss Umi!" she cried into the book, praying they could somehow hear her, but knew all too well that it was impossible. "You guys. . ."
~*~*~*~
'I feel so lost. . .Fuu. . .Clef. . .where are you. . .? I feel like I'm floating. . .there's nothing here. . .' Hikaru opened her eyes to pitch black. She hugged her knees tightly against her chest, feeling frightened and alone. Though she was sitting, she felt like she was floating. 'Umi? Fuu? Anybody?' she called out to the nothing. As she expected, she heard nothing. Just like she saw nothing. 'I'm scared guys. . .I don't like being by myself. . .!' A small glimmer of light peeked out from the ebony void, so that's where Hikaru turned to. To her delight, she saw the face of Clef, smiling that soft, fragile smile of his. She leaped up from her place, and ran toward his figure. 'Oh, Clef! I was so scared!' he smiled a little more and held out his hand to her. She reached out both her hands to grab his, but suddenly everything around her began to shake. 'Wh-what's going on?!' she looked to Clef, but he seemed to be drifting away.desperately she ran to him, but he never got any closer. . .
"Clef. . .Clef!" Hikaru shouted, opening her eyes abruptly. She was startled to see a figure over her, gently shaking her shoulders. She turned to who she believed to be Clef's kind, smiling face. "Clef. . ." she smiled, but suddenly his face blurred, and she rubbed her eyes back into focus, to find it wasn't Clef she was looking at. . . "Oh! You're not Clef!" Hikaru jumped up, and her body chibified as she clung to one of the bedposts. The one she thought to be Clef looked at her, and gave a comforting smile.
"Please, don't be afraid of me. I promise I won't hurt you, I am the one who saved you from those smutty bandits," the stranger said in a kindly voice, "Won't you come down from there?" Hikaru silently complied, sliding down the post and landing with a plop on the bed, her body returning to its ordinary size. Hikaru stared at the unfamiliar lady, noting her long silver colored hair. It was so beautiful, tied on the side in a loose ponytail.
'She sure has a deep voice for a woman. But, she's so pretty. . .like Umi. I'm so jealous, these two could be models! No, they're even prettier than the prettiest models!' she thought to herself, a scowl fitting on her lips.
"Is something the matter?" the stranger asked, looking slightly confused. Hikaru immediately blushed, looking down at her hands in her laps.
"Um, n-no ma'am. . .I was just thinking that, well, you are so pretty and. . ." she stopped when she heard the woman laugh, which caused her to be more embarrassed than she already was.
"I'm sorry young one, but, I'm a man." Hikaru's mouth gapped open, and her body chibified again as she ran around in circles on the bed.
"A man! I just insulted a man! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"I am the Emperor of this country, and you-" the man was cut off by Hikaru's sudden shriek.
"Emperor?! Not only did I insult a man, but an EMPEROR?! Oh, the humanity!" Hikaru continued to frantically race around in circles, crying in shame. The emperor stared at her a moment, finding her quite. . .well, odd, and he rose his voice for her to hear.
"Really, it's alright, you don't have to apologize for anything." Hikaru immediately stopped, staring at him.
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't blame you at all for believing I was a woman. You're not the first, let me assure you. Ah, the commoners are especially convinced I am a woman, because of my unparallel gorgeousness. . ." the emperor sighed contentedly, apparently fond of the thought of being thought of as a female. Hikaru blinked, finding him a bit strange.and definitely not modest. Her body shrank into a chibi form, her eyes becoming beady as she narrowed them. She lifted her tiny fist to her mouth, and after a brief pause, a small 'cough' sound escaped her lips. "Yes, my beauty is unmatched by another other, man or woman."
"Well, there is my friend Umi. . ." Hikaru muttered, looking to the side. The emperor paused idolizing himself to look at her.
"Did you say something?" Hikaru jumped, and smiled awkwardly.
"No, nothing. Nothing at all," she replied nervously, scratching the back of her head. The emperor regarded her inquisitively, but left it alone.
"Well, now that that's all cleared up, why don't you tell me your name, young one?" Hikaru tensed up a little, her fingers fidgeting with the blanket that lay beside her.
"U-um. . .my name is. . .H-Hikaru. . .Hikaru Shidou," she threw her upper body down onto the bed in an over exaggerated bow, "and what can I call you, Sire?" she asked politely, though her voice was muffled since her face was stuffed against the bed. The emperor chuckled at her gesture.
"You may rise, Hikaru." She did so, though kept her head lowered. She'd heard from somewhere that you should never be higher than a king.
'Well, he's not exactly a king. . .but he's right up there!' she thought to herself.
"You may call me Hotohori, Emperor of Konan," he said, his tone proud and deep. Hikaru nodded her head slowly, feeling incredibly nervous in front of such high authority.
"Y-yes, Hotohori Emperor of Konan," she said quickly, bowing her head down, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Hotohori chuckled again, placing his index finger under her chin and lifting her head up to look at him.
"Just Hotohori is fine, Hikaru," he told her, smiling that soft, gentle smile. She returned a smile, feeling slightly relieved. "Now, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"Well. . .I'm 14, my birthday is August 8th, I'm in junior high, I have three older brothers and a dog named Hikari. . .oh, and I love kendo!" Hotohori has a sort of bewildered look on his face.
"Tell me, Hikaru, where are you from?" he asked, his words hesitant.
"I'm from Tokyo!"
"T. . .Tokyo. . .?" he was even more puzzled at this. He'd never heard of a place called Tokyo. He looked her over, and for the first time noticed her outfit was a little different. "You have very. . .foreign clothing."
"Oh, this? This is my school uniform,"
"School uniform?"
"Yeah. Everyone in my school wears this uniform." Hikaru's face suddenly became baffled, and she tilted her head to one side. "Um, excuse me Em-. . .Hotohori, but where did you say this was again?"
"You are in Konan."
"Konan? I've never heard of a place like that in Cephiro."
"Cephiro? Konan is a province in China."
"China?!" Hikaru gasped, falling backwards on the bed, "How in the world did I get to China?!"
"You mean you are not from China?" he inquired, suddenly becoming a little suspicious of her. Hikaru nodded, sitting straight up once more.
"Tokyo is in Japan, but Cephiro is another world me and my two friends are summoned to when there's danger there. My friends and I met in Tokyo Tower today, and one of them, my friend Fuu, brought a book to show us. When Umi, the other friend, and me opened the book and started to read it, there was a red light, and we were brought here," she finished, taking a deep breath. Hotohori looked absolutely shocked.
"Tell me. . .what was the name of this book?"
"Well. . .hmm. . .oh yeah! It was called the Universe of the Four Gods," Hotohori stood up abruptly, his body trembling slightly.
'Could. . .could she be the one?' he asked himself, staring at her with dazed eyes, 'She must be. . .those clothes. . .the book. . .has she come?'
"Tell me, are you from another world, then?"
"Well, if this you people think anything like the people of Cephiro do, then yes," she replied. Hotohori was certain now; she was the one.
"Hikaru Shidou from Tokyo, as the Emperor of Konan, I have a request of great importance," Hotohori got down on one knee in front of the bed, bowing his head. Hikaru was stunned, and she scooted to the end of the bed.
"Sure, anything for an Emperor. What is it, Hotohori?"
"Hikaru, will you become the Priestess of Suzaku, and save Konan from destruction?"
"Wh-what?! Priestess?!" Hikaru chibified and floated in the air. Hotohori bowed even lower.
"I know it's a large request, but. . .there was a legend of a girl that will arrive from another world and, wielding the powers of Suzaku, will save Konan from destruction and bring peace."
"Excuse me, but what is Suzaku?"
"Suzaku is the beast god of the South," he stood, clearing his throat, "You see, there are four beast gods aligned with 28 constellations: Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu. Each god has seven of these constellations. As the Priestess of Suzaku, I am asking you to obtain your seven celestial warriors and call upon Suzaku to save our country. . .please, Hikaru, I beg of you. . ." Hikaru returned to normal, and her facial expression suddenly became serious.
"Of course I'll help you, Hotohori. I don't know how well I'll do as a Priestess, but I'll find those seven warriors and save Konan, I promise!" Hotohori smiled, and gave a gracious bow.
"You do not understand how much this means to me, Hik- no, Priestess of Suzaku. Please, wait here a while longer and rest. I must tell the joyous news that the maiden that shall wield the powers of Suzaku has appeared!"
~*~*~*~
"Let go of me, you perverts!" Umi cried, thrashing around, trying to loosen the men's grip on her. They only snickered, tightening their hold.
"You'd better calm down if ya know what's good for ya," one of the said, retrieving a knife from a pouch at his waist with a free hand. Umi fell silent immediately, and ceased her struggling. They had brought her to what she assumed to be their hideout, just a normal building high in the mountaintops. They stood outside a door, waiting for permission to enter to see the boss of the bandits. Umi gulped; with the way these guys act, she was doubly afraid at how this one would be. To her dismay, the doors creaked open, and they dragged her inside. Against the far wall was a shadowed figure sitting in a ornately fashioned chair, a group of men surrounding it. They all turned to see their guests, and many smiled an ugly smile at the sight of a young lady.
"Well, well, what have ya brought me?" the one sitting in the chair asked. When he smiled, Umi gasped in terror to see that he had fangs! The man stood from the chair, his flaming orange hair glistening from the dim light coming through the one window on the wall adjacent to where he was standing. "Hmm, not bad. Bring 'er over here. We were just about to have somethin' to eat."
The men complied, and again dragged Umi across the floor, and sat her down between the bunch of rowdy men. She cringed, glancing side to side at their grinning faces. Her body shrink to her chibi form, completely concealed from view on either side of the obnoxiously huge men. Slowly she peeked over one side of one of the men's bellies, and a miniature hand rose over his stomach, a stout, fat finger pointing at the lump of fat of his stomach. She brought her finger down, jabbing the fat. She squeaked when she saw the potbelly continuously ripple, and once it finally stopped, a sweatdrop formed over her head, and she went back to hiding between them, her body returning to normal. She looked forward to see the piles of food that sat in the middle of the circle, though none of it looked too appetizing.
"Dig in, boys." The men sitting next to Umi cackled, and reached over to grab her. Umi jumped up from her spot, her body chibified.
"He meant the food, you morons! Keep your paws to yourself you nasty pervs!" she yelled, her eyes flaring with anger. Some of them were almost scared of her as she floated back down to the ground, sitting and grabbing a plate of food, placing a generous amount in her mouth. Seconds later she spit it back onto the plate, her face turning almost green. "Yuck! This is nasty! I could make better food with my FEET!" The boss of the bandits, the orange haired one, stood from his seat, smirking.
"You got a lot of spunk for a girl. What's your name?"
"It's none of your business," she proceeded to stick her tongue out at him, which pissed him off royally.
"Listen girly, I don't mind feeding you to my boys here, so I suggest you do what I say," Umi flinched, but wouldn't give in.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh yeah? Okay boys, it seems this one wants to play with ya, so have some fun," he grinned, showing his fangs again. No sooner had he given them permission did they pounce for her, but she was able to jump out of their range. And thus a chase commenced, and Umi was losing horribly. Finally, one had caught her arm, slowing her down. Once that happened, others leapt on top of her, pinning her down. The leader walked up to the powerless Umi being held down by the men.
"By the way, my friends call me Genrou, but since you're no friend of mine, you can call me Tasuki." Umi glared at him, and continued her struggle to break free, screaming and kicking furiously. As they started to tear at her skirt, a loud crash was heard outside the door. "What the hell was that?!" Tasuki exclaimed, running for the door, whipping what looked like a white fan. A few bandits got off of Umi and followed their leader, the rest stayed to keep her in place. As Tasuki and his gang reached the door, it was knocked down from the outside. The bandits all fell back, staring up at their new foe. Umi turned her head to see who it was, seeing it was a young, attractive teenager with teal hair, the length in the back pulled into a tiny ponytail.
"You! Who the hell are ya?!" Tasuki demanded, raising his fan threateningly. Umi wondered what could he possibly do with an ordinary fan? The new guy just smirked, shaking his head.
"You know, it's not polite to pick on pretty girls like that," he said, noting the glare he was getting from Tasuki.
"Who do you think you are barging in here like this?!"
"I'm playing hero," With that, the guy jumped over the horde of men, completely catching them off guard. He dashed over to the two guys holding Umi down, and proceeded to kick one of them against a wall, and turned to grab the other by his neck with one hand, and punch him in the stomach with the other. The bandit made a gagging sound as the wind was knocked out of him, and the teal-haired man threw him to the side. He turned to Umi, offering his hand.
"You okay?" Umi hesitated, but finally took his hand and stood.
"Yeah, I guess so. . ." They both turned around to see Tasuki and his band coming at them.
"I'll teach you, you bastard!" Tasuki cried, raising his fan. "Rekka. . .Shien!" from the tip of his fan, flames sprouted, and were launched straight for Umi and the man. The man quickly took Umi in his arms and jumped towards the window, crashing through it. They landed easily, and the man turned to the window where Tasuki and his men crowded around to see them. The man let go of Umi and turned all the way around to face them, smiling.
"I guess we'll be off. Oh, by the way, my friends call me Tamahome, but since I don't have any friends I suppose it's alright for you to call me that, too," his smile formed into a small smirk, "Later." He turned and quickly grabbed Umi's hand, and both took off running. Many of the bandits tried to pile out the window, but Tasuki shouted at them to stop. When they looked at him with a surprised look, Tasuki scowled and turned around.
"It don't matter. . .it was just a lousy girl anyways. No use in wastin' our time followin' 'em."
~*~*~*~
They'd ran for a good ten minutes before they stopped in a clearing in the woods near the base of the mountain. They stood for a little while, catching their breaths. Umi faced Tamahome, and he turned to face her as well. They both smiled to each other, and it was Tamahome to speak first.
"Well, pay up." Umi's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I said pay up. You didn't think I'd save you for free, did ya?" Umi suddenly became furious at him.
"Yes, I DID think you'd save me for free since it was you who chose to come save me of your own free WILL!" Tamahome scowled, turning away from her.
"Don't have the money? That's cheap. . ."
"For your information, buddy, I DO have the money, but if you think I'm going to give it to you you're out of your mind!"
"Yeesh, could you be anymore ungrateful? I saved you from being raped by that band of losers! Little brat. . ." he mumbled, but Umi heard him quite well. She walked around him and got right up in his face, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
"I AM grateful, you good for nothing playboy! I was about to thank you sincerely for saving me, but then you go off and tell me I gotta pay you for it! The honor and pride you feel for saving a beautiful young lady like me should be reward enough!" Tamahome backed up, covering his nose.
"Man, you may be pretty, but your breath is totally disgusting! What have you been eating, rotting fish?" Umi's face turned red as she covered her mouth.
"It was the food those bandits tried to make me eat. . ." she mumbled, uncovering her mouth and sighing. "Look, I really am thankful for what you did for me, and I'll pay you if you really want me to," she offered, digging into her pockets for some change. As tempted as Tamahome was to take the offer, he sighed and shook his head.
"Look, just forget it. You don't have to pay me."
"Really? You sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Umi smiled, finding he wasn't so bad after all. Tamahome smiled back, but his expression changed suddenly. "Hey, where're you from, anyways? You dress kinda funny." Umi blinked, slightly confused.
"Oh, well, I'm from a place called Tokyo. Oh! Sorry, I forgot, my name's Umi. Umi Ryuuzaki."
"Nice to meet you. As you know, I'm Tamahome. So, tell me about this Tokyo. . ." Tamahome suddenly tensed, and began to look around frenetically.
"Hey, what's wrong, Tamahome?"
"I hear horses. . .they're close!" he grabbed Umi's hand and began to run with her again. Unfortunately, they were cut short when they ran straight into a line of soldiers on horses. They skidded to a stop, and turned around to see more soldiers come up from behind them. They were trapped in a blockade of horses. Tamahome covered Umi, getting in a stance. He lowered his defenses a little as the soldiers separated, allowing a horse, much bigger than the rest, to pass through. Tamahome returned to his fighting stance as a man suited in elaborate armor rode up to the two of them.
"Well, what do we have here? A couple of bandits on the loose?" the man on the horse said, his voice dark and icy. Umi strode out from behind Tamahome, but before he could stop her, she started to speak,
"Look here buddy, we're no bandits! In fact, this guy here just saved me from a bunch of them! So you'd better back off!" Umi was on her toes against the horse, trying to get as much in the man's face as she could. She immediately backed away as a few soldiers aimed their swords at her. She gulped, and went back to hiding behind Tamahome. The man on the horse stared at Umi, noting her alien garments.
"You girl, why are you dressed like that?" Umi was beginning to feel irritated with everyone asking about her clothes.
"Obviously I'm not in Kansas anymore," she muttered to herself, then spoke up, "Look, I come from earth in a place called Tokyo. I've never been in this part of Cephiro before, but geez, I didn't think any of the people here could be so rude!" Everyone around her seemed totally confused, which further confused Umi. ". . .What?"
"What is this. . .Cephiro?" the man on the horse asked. Umi's jaw dropped.
"You mean. . .I'm not on Cephiro. . .?" she fell over, her body chibified. "Just great. . ." she jumped up, looking at the man. "Well, where am I then?!"
"Our exact location is Mt. Leikaku in the Koshu Taito province."
"Eh. . .mind being a little more vague instead?"
"This is a province of Konan, a country in China."
"China?! Now I've heard everything!" Umi became incredibly frustrated, pulling at her hair. "How did I end up here?!"
"You. . .are not from China?" the man questioned her, his suspicions growing.
"No, I think I come from another world entirely. . ." she gasped suddenly, realizing something. 'That red light back at Tokyo Tower. . .it must have brought me here! But why? Could it have had something to do with that book Fuu had. . .?'
"Is something wrong?" the man asked, adjusting his position on his horse. Umi became nervous and shook her head side to side frantically.
"No! No! I'm just fine! Really!" The man didn't seem to quite believe her, but he ignored it.
"I want you to come with me."
"Pardon?"
"You will come with me to Kutou. There is something about you. . ."
"Hey now, pal! I'm not going anywhere with YOU!"
"Heh, my soldiers say otherwise," he waved his hand, and all his men drew their swords, aiming them at Umi. She looked at them all, then back to the man, grinning nervously.
"Eheh. . .when do we leave?" the man reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking her up onto his horse. Umi yelped in pain.
"Ow! Hey! Little more gently next time please! And how about telling me your name?"
"Nakago."
"Wow, that was easy," Umi turned to Tamahome. "Hey, what about him?"
"My men will take care of him," Nakago pulled the reigns on his horse, steering him around, and galloped off with Umi sitting in front of him. Tamahome called after her and tried to follow, but the soldiers blocked his path. He rose his arms in defense, preparing to strike if necessary. The soldiers jumped off their horses, pointing their swords at him threateningly. Tamahome smirked.
"This could get ugly."
End of Chapter 2
(Wow! I've never written a chapter that long. Well, one that's not just meant to be one chapter. Anyways, how's it lookin'? I hope I'm pulling this off!)