Everything was silent and dark. The world had vanished, and so had everything else except Yumi. She looked around, but saw nothing for a moment. Then, she saw a light in the distance. The light rushed towards her, and came into focus. It was Megumi! Her short, light brown hair was unmistakable. Megumi was staring off in the distance. But then, she seemed to be distracted by something else, and looked another way. She started to walk toward it, and as Megumi moved away from Yumi, her destination became clearer. It was a beautiful meadow suspended in the dark space. Somehow, Yumi knew that if Megumi went there, she would never see her best fiend again.
"No! Megumi!" Yumi yelled as loud as she could, but her voice came out small and stifled.
"Megumi! Come this way! Don't go there! Please! PLEASE!" Yumi called, even though she was sure Megumi couldn't hear her. However, Megumi stopped and looked back at where Yumi was standing.
"Yumi?" She heard Megumi say quietly. Yumi ran through dark suspension of space to her friend and threw her arms around her.
"Megumi! Megumi! I missed you!" Yumi said happily, glad to be reunited with her friend. Then, everything disappeared in a bright light.
"Yumi?" She looked up when she heard her name, confused.
"Where am I?" She muttered, looking around the inside of a cozy room.
"Hey, girl, you awake yet?" Yumi looked on the direction the voice was coming from, and saw a man in his sleeping clothes looking at her. Yumi was confused and a little nervous for a moment, but then she recognized the man's bright orange hair. It was already perfectly in place, but Yumi couldn't see any sign of hair gel or a comb. Maybe it was natural. Why am I thinking about his hair? Yumi thought to herself as she extricated herself from the blankets. Her eyes fell upon a tray of food nearby, and she suddenly felt hungry.
"You hungry?" The man asked. Yumi nodded, trying to remember his name. She fell upon the plate with only a little less enthusiasm than the night before. Genro! That was his name!
"Where am I, exactly?" Yumi asked between mouthfuls.
"This is my place." Genro answered. "We're on Mt. Reikaku, where my gang lives." Yumi dropped the piece of bread she had been eating and clenched her fists.
"What are you planning to do with me?" Yumi said, very proud of how calm her voice sounded. Never mind the fact that she felt safe around Genro, it didn't change the fact that his people were of the same kind that had tried to rape her the day before.
"I'm not going to do anything to you that you don't want me to do," he said confidently, "...but whether you want me to or not..." He paused, and Yumi winced, preparing for the worst. "Whether you like it or not, I'll protect you."
Yumi looked up at him in confusion, and remembered hearing about the legend of a girl from another world. Yumi decided to ask him a thing or two about this "Priestess of Suzaku" person she had been hearing about. But when she saw the expression on his face, Yumi couldn't ask for trying not to laugh. She couldn't believe that she thought he looked scary at first. Genro wore a cheeky grin that exposed his fangs. To avoid laughing at him, Yumi redirected her attention to the tray in front of her and continued with her meal.
"Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Priestess of Suzaku?" Genro asked suddenly. Yumi looked up, trying to read the expression in Genro's eyes. Yumi didn't know how to respond to that question. She had heard the words "Priestess of Suzaku" yesterday, but it didn't mean anything to her. So she told Genro what she knew. He nodded.
"The Priestess of Suzaku tells the legend of a girl that comes to us from another world to save us when we are in trouble. She's supposed to gather the seven stars of Suzaku and summon the beast-god in order to have her wishes granted." Genro put on a scholarly air and tried to sound professional when he was saying this. Yumi gasped. This sounded just like some of the stuff she had been reading about in the library before she came here, but it was all considered heresy.
"Suzaku. He's the protector of the south, right?" Yumi asked, "And the priestess, she's supposed to summon the god?"
"And use the god's power to protect the country." Genro said. Yumi narrowed her eyes.
"And you think I'm this priestess, right?" She said bluntly.
"Damn right, I do!" Genro said. "It's obvious that yer not from 'round here. I've never seen eyes or hair the shade of yours, and the way you talk is foreign, not to mention the funny clothes ya got." Yumi thought about this for a moment, and then nodded.
"If I am the priestess, which, according to the legend, I am, because I come from a different world, then what do I have to do?" Genro smiled widely, and launched into an explanation, adopting his accent again, clearly enjoying himself.
"As the priestess, you need to find the seven stars of Suzaku. Each 'star' is in the form of a Celestial Warrior, and his duty is to protect the priestess until she summons the god. All of the warriors must be present in order to summon the god. Then, the priestess is given the god's powers, and she makes a wish."
As Genro went on about the warriors, Yumi looked intently around the room. All in all, it was very cozy. Blankets, clothes, and cushions were spread everywhere. Instead of looking messy, it had a warm, welcoming feel. When Genro realized he had lost his audience's attention, he told her where to find a nice pond to clean off, and he got up to lead her there.
"I know that you women folk always feel like you need to clean up, and I think you'll feel better after a bath. Plus, ya smell."
Yumi huffed indignantly before following Genro out into the hall. This time they went through the main part of the house instead of leaving the back way. Without warning, Genro put an arm around Yumi's shoulders. Yumi flinched, but Genro didn't do anything to her, so she tried to relax. As the two went through the house, Yumi saw many assorted men, all between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, it seemed. None of them looked directly at her, but Yumi knew she was noticed. Finally, after what seemed like at least ten different hallways, they were outside and Genro let go of her.
"Sorry about that, but they had to see." Genro said.
"See what?" Yumi asked, confused. Genro looked thoughtful for a moment.
"How should I put this? Hmmm... They're supposed to see that yer with me, so they won't bother you." Yumi cocked her head to one side, hoping for more explanation. Genro began walking down a path, and Yumi hurried to keep up.
"Ya see," Genro continued, "I'm the boss around here, and if I claim something as my own, no one else can touch it, and I was showing them that you are mine."
"Oh." Yumi said quietly, and they continued walking. Usually she would mind if some guy started calling her "his," but for some reason it didn't bother her this time.
Just ahead of her was a small pond, perfect for taking a bath. The sight of the pond caused a rush of excitement to run through her. Finally! I'll be clean! Brush and trees protected the pond, and Genro turned around, starting to walk back. Yumi waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps, and then, feeling filthy, Yumi peeled off her clothes and hung them on a low branch before wading into the water. Yumi shivered. The water was really cold. She wished she had thought to make a fire, but then again, she didn't know how to, so gave it up.
Yumi took a deep breath and dunked her head under the water, scrubbing her hands in her hair, hoping to get some of the dust and grime out of it. When she came up again, she scrubbed off as best she could without soap, cursing the fact that there were no hot baths here. Feeling cleaner and extremely cold, Yumi got out of the water, grabbed her clothes, and began washing them, too. As each article became cleaner, she hung it up to dry in the sun, which was rising and quickly becoming warmer. When she had finished and hung the last article up, she sat by the pond and waited for her clothes to dry.
Suddenly, Genro jumped out of a nearby tree, calling to Yumi to hurry up and get dressed.
"C'mon, you can't monopolize the pool forever, and, as much as it may surprise you, men take baths, too." He leaned against a tree waiting for Yumi, watching her out of the corner of his eye, grinning.
Yumi hurriedly grabbed her clothes and pulled them on, ignoring the fact that they were still wet.
"Genro!" She called indignantly, "Were you watching me that whole time?"
"Of course! I have to protect you, right? This part is just one of the perks!" Genro put on a cheeky smile and laughed when he heard her spluttering, and started back down the path to where he lived. When he saw that Yumi was safe in his room again, he left her alone, telling her that he would be back soon.
Yumi flopped down on the pile of blankets and made herself comfortable, thinking of life here. It could be fun, at least until Genro decided he wanted to sell her or "have fun" with her, but he didn't seem like that sort of man. How do I know what kind of man this Genro is? I just met him last night! Yumi gave up any hope of waking from this dream, finally accepting it as reality, and turned her thoughts toward the role of the priestess that she was supposed to play. If she really was the priestess, she would have to find the "Seven Stars of Suzaku" that were actually warriors. It was all very confusing, but at the same time, it was extremely simple. With the same questions running through her head over and over, Yumi dozed off.
Yumi heard the door click shut and opened her eyes, trying to focus. She was expecting to see Genro, but there was a stranger in the room. Yumi remembered what Genro had said about being "claimed," and hoped that she was safe. The man looked to be about twenty years old. He had long hair tied back loosely, and his eyes were taking in every inch of Yumi. He smiled in a way that made Yumi feel sick, and what he said made Yumi forget any thoughts of being safe.
"Hey, there, girlie. Looks like Boss found a little jewel to entertain him, huh?" He walked toward her. "You should feel honored, yer 'is first, as far as I know." Yumi tried to get away from the man who was slowly advancing on her. Her heart was racing from the fear she felt at being caught like this, and she continued to avoid her unwelcome visitor. The guy's technique was better than she first gave him credit for, because he quickly managed to trap her in a corner. Yumi had been trained in defense, as much as you'll ever learn in P.E., and knew she was hard to corner. He was smiling the whole time.