Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi.
The story has moved forward to the Suzaku arc in this chapter.
SPOILERS Alert! If you haven't got to the part where the Suzaku seishi leave Konan, you may want to not to read on.
Chapter 4: Suzaku Seishi
"Xi-fan, how are our guests?" Subaru asked when her young foster-child came with the water for her to wash up. What happened the night before was so surreal. Tokaki had brought an injured youth back. A Suzaku seishi. Then other four Suzaku seishi came. So did their miko. Everything was a whirl. Even now, Subaru struggled to make sense of it.
"They're still resting, Foster-mother…" Xi-fan replied. They had taken Xi-fan in when her parents died last year. Their own offspring have long married and left the roost. She was an intelligent girl, a good housekeeper and cook. She was of marriageable age and with Xi-fan's looks, it'd only be a matter of time…
"They're a joke!" Tokaki barged into their room. Xi-fan took her leave of her foster parents. Subaru washed her face and asked. "Who's a joke?"
"The Suzaku seishi! Who else?" So the events of the night before were not a dream… The Suzaku no miko and her seishi are here in Sairou.
"Tamahome, baka, got stabbed by an illusion and the others were fooled by an illusion into spending four days in the desert… Why, in our time…"
"Darling, didn't you get fooled by an illusion demon yourself back then?" Subaru smiled sweetly. Tokaki spluttered. "The monk with them should have seen through it…" What was their purpose in coming here?
Their guests were all awake and about by the afternoon. Are the Suzaku seishi so weak? Back in his heyday, he and Tatara were capable of facing such an ordeal in the desert and still be fighting fit to take on an army of demons. The look on his face as he watched them must be clear enough, for Subaru added softly.
"Darling, don't judge them too harshly… They're still seishi…" She touched his hand gently. "Be nice to our guests now…"
Tokaki looked at their guests. The large Mitsukake seemed reliable enough. The man was playing with a cat. Somehow, he didn't have the aura of a fighter. They looked up as a tongue of flame shot out from around the corner of the house and scorched a willow branch.
"Help!" A small kid, Chiriko ran from an enraged redhead. The frightened lad ducked behind Mitsukake for protection. "He wants to flame me!" Chiriko was on the verge of tears. Mitsukake shielded him protectively.
"The brat called me a moron, nincompoop and idiot!" Tasuki raged as he waved his fan about. Subaru smiled broadly. The redhead reminded her of Tokaki in his youth. What a hothead.
"I-I was just reciting poetry in old Sairou-nese…" Chiriko cowered. "Well, don't!" Tasuki relented and lowered his fan. He reached over and pinched the boy's chubby cheek. "Speak Konanese now, understand?"
Tokaki summed up his idea of the Suzaku seishi living with them. Tamahome, little demon. Mitsukake, gentle giant. Tasuki, hothead pyromaniac. Chiriko, cowardly scholar-boy. And Chichiri, monk-who-should-have-known-better…
"Old man, don't you think Chiriko's so kawaii? He reminds me of our little Lunka's grandson. You do know our great-grandson is visiting at mid-autumn, don't you?" Tokaki winced. Byakko forbid that any of his descendents turn out to be book-memorizing wimps.
"Excuse me, good sir. May I have a word with you?" It was the monk Chichiri who surprised him at the garden wall while he was trying to climb it to peep into the neighbor's yard. He hadn't sensed the monk's presence. Must be getting old…
The monk told him their purpose in coming to Sairou.
The Seiryuu no miko has come to this world as well. It did not bode well for their universe. They had failed the summoning of both sacred beasts. Both sides had suffered the loss of seishis. It was a competition. It involved not only the two kingdoms but the entire world as they knew it.
It gave poor Tokaki a headache just thinking of its implications. He was walking in the garden with Tamahome. He turned to his student.
"The necklace of Genbu no miko's in their hands? And you need both sacred objects?" Tamahome nodded sheepishly. They had bungled in Hokkan. The loss was sharpened by the fact that Nuriko had given his life to help them enter the cave of Genbu.
Tokaki spun around and marched off. Taking away the sacred object of Suzuno's will devastate Kasaru… He climbed up a tree. He sat there pondering…
"Old man! Get down here!" Subaru. He pretended to be looking over the wall at the neighbor's pretty daughter. "This instant!" She had her hands firmly planted on her hips. Must have something important to tell him. He slid down the trunk.
Author's notes:
The Tiger is a symbol of strength and courage. In ancient China, armies marched into battle under banners emblazoned with tiger motifs. It may be understandable why Tokaki has a very low opinion of the Suzaku seishi.
Got my inspiration from the part in the anime where the Genbu seishi go 'Uh? These are Suzaku seishis?'or something like that. As for Tasuki trying to flame Chiriko for reciting poetry,Tasuki may prefer flaming Tamahome, but it doesn't mean the others are that safe from his temper.
BTW, medicine, being earth-based, fall under the Black Warrior (Earth). As do plants. So it's a bit strange that non-Genbu shichiseshi Mitsukaki & Tatara have such powers. Anyhow, they're cool that way... they all are.