Hotohori called another audience with the Suzaku Chosen. He sat at his desk, waiting for them to receive the message. He smiled to himself, thinking he had won Yumi over. Why else would she dress as though she lives in the inner court? Hotohori smiled briefly. Now, finally, his attendants would stop bothering him about finding an empress. The priestess would do nicely. And now, he was sure he would win. That crude warrior, Tasuki, wouldn't know what hit him. It was too bad Tasuki was a celestial warrior, because that made them equals, and he couldn't order an equal to leave.

The door opened and Hotohori looked up to greet Tasuki and Nuriko. He tried not to frown at the bandit. He looked around, waiting on Chichiri. Chichiri was always excited; the man had too much energy. A moment later, Chichiri burst energetically into the room, followed closely by Yumi. She had changed her clothes again, but she was still not wearing her "uniform" thing. It looked as though Nuriko was sharing his wardrobe with the priestess. This time she was wearing a closely fitted dress with a low neckline, and the fabric modulated through various shades of crimson.

"Ahem." Hotohori tried to regain the attention of his subjects- no, fellow warriors. It looked as though Yumi liked being the center of attention, just like him. Perfect for an empress.

"We are now certain that the Kutou are advancing on us. Many villages have been attacked, but the casualties have been few. We are holding out nicely." He paused. "We have received a message from Kutou. They say they have acquired a priestess." He saw Yumi fidget, but continued, even knowing she would object.

"We can be reasonably sure that this new priestess is Yumi's friend, Megumi. We believe-"

"Whatever you think, Megumi would never hurt me! No matter what, she won't try to hurt me, or anything important to me!" Yumi looked slightly peevish, and Hotohori decided to change what he was going to say.

"We believe," he continued, "that because the priestesses are close friends, we do not have to fear the power of Seiryu. However, the Kutou have gained confidence, and are now willing to attack us." Tasuki yawned and Hotohori glared at him.

"What the hell do you want us to do?" Tasuki asked in a lazy voice. "Kill Yumi's friend? Out of the question." Nuriko tugged on Tasuki's tunic and whispered something to the rude warrior. Hotohori stayed patient. He could see Yumi staring off into space, fidgeting with her skirts.

"Hotohori-sama, I think we should trust Yumi and her friend." Nuriko said. "They came from the same world and grew up together, so Yumi must know what she's talking about." Chichiri nodded.

"When I was with Megumi, she did not feel evil, no da. True, she wasn't actually there for part of the time, no da, but when I could sense her chi, I could tell that her soul was even more pure than that of our own priestess, no da." Hotohori saw Yumi smile and nod reflectively. The girl wasn't supposed to agree! He wasn't getting anywhere. He would just have to wait and watch Yumi get hurt by the girl she considered a friend. He knew it would happen, but he wouldn't be able to prevent it without hurting Yumi just as badly. He sighed inwardly and gave up.

"Chichiri, Tasuki, Nuriko, you are dismissed." He looked toward his priestess, but she was already walking out. Nuriko had a hand on her arm and they were discussing a new hairstyle. He saw Tasuki watching him, and knew the rogue would pounce if he called Yumi back. Why is he so protective of her? Isn't it obvious to him that we're not in the same league? Does the priestess see anything in him? He wondered.

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Yumi wandered aimlessly through the palace corridors, deep in thought. Why does Hotohori have to be so rude to Tasuki? What did he ever do? Other than save my life, that is. Yumi couldn't help but feel closer to the bandit. She tried to think of how she could end this rivalry before it actually got violent. But, at the same time, she was enjoying it. She had never had such gorgeous guys vying for her attention, never mind fighting over her. Those kinds of men just didn't exist in her world, not for her, anyway. She knew she would have to go back eventually, and she wanted to enjoy herself while she was here.

Yumi blinked, and found that Nuriko had stopped her. They were standing outside the baths. Nuriko smiled at Yumi disarmingly. It was getting hard to remember that Nuriko was actually a man. He is just so… pretty. In a different way than Hotohori… And I can't say Tasuki and Chichiri are pretty, but… But when I'm around Nuriko, I feel like I have an older sister taking care of me. Jealous and vain as she may be…

"Nuriko, you don't have to be so nice to me…" Yumi began, but Nuriko interrupted her.

"No, it's nothing. I'm sorry I was unpleasant to you before." Yumi tried not to sigh. Nuriko was being so nice because she had secretly switched rooms with him and clarified that she had no feelings for the emperor.

"You should take a bath, and then I can do your hair and make-up for dinner. You'll want to look nice…" Nuriko looked so excited that Yumi couldn't help but smile.

"But Nuriko… If you keep dressing me up, Hotohori will just want me more! Doesn't that bother you? Because it bothers me." Nuriko laughed and brought Yumi into the baths.

"Don't you want to look nice for your bandit?" Nuriko said slyly as he began to heat the water. Yumi blushed. Was it really that obvious? Nuriko smiled at her and Yumi couldn't help but smile back. It was hopeless. There was no way to win an argument against Nuriko. She took off the confining dress and got into the bath. For some reason, Nuriko's presence while she was bathing or changing her clothes did not bother her. Yumi leaned back and let her warrior help wash her hair. Nuriko was talking about palace etiquette and giving Yumi tips on how to get the best shine out of her hair.

"I have never seen hair like yours before. You really should take advantage of the orange and gold streaks. Are they natural? If you put it up to accent the highlights, I think you will really like the result, and I think Tasuki would like it, too. He doesn't say anything in front of His Highness, but he's stuck on you, you know." Yumi smiled to herself as she relaxed in the warm water, letting the night's stiffness leak out of her.

"Nuriko." Yumi said, "Do you have any really nice jewelry? Something to bring out my eyes?" Nuriko laughed and helped Yumi out of the water.

"Now you're starting to get it! Why, yes, I think I do. Here, let's dry you off a bit." He handed her a towel and turned the other way, giving her a little privacy. Yumi wrung out her hair and wrapped the towel around her, tucking it into place. She touched Nuriko on the shoulder and he turned to face her.

"All right, then. Let's get you ready!" Yumi still didn't understand, but as long as she felt she had a new friend, she didn't care. She just felt that she could trust Nuriko for some reason.

Almost two hours later, Yumi examined herself in the mirror. Nuriko sure had done a good job on her. Yumi felt ready to go the high school prom in this outfit. Her dress was just as close fitting as the last one, except that it was in two pieces, leaving her stomach and back bare. This dress had long, filmy sleeves of pale lavender. The bodice complimented her shape nicely, though the low neckline did make her feel a little uncomfortable. The skirt was of rich lavender silk that felt wonderful against her skin. Over the opaque layer there were several layers of the same material as the sleeves, and when she moved, it swished lightly around her ankles. The whole thing was made up of various shades of purple and violet. Around her throat was a delicate gold necklace with a purple crystal charm shaped like a flower. Yumi was very aware that it rested over her heart, directly against her skin. Her earrings were also purple crystal, and her hair was arranged in soft waves that framed her face and was held up in a lovely, curly up-do in the back so that the back of her neck was bare.

"Isn't this a little, um…" Yumi tried to find words for the crime her outfit was committing, but didn't want to say them, in case Nuriko made her take it off. I could get married in a dress less beautiful than this and not feel ashamed.

"Hold still." Nuriko said, still working on her eye shadow. Yumi had already had to show Nuriko how to use the liquid and crème shadows she had brought from her own world. Nuriko still exclaimed over how wonderful it was. And that was before Yumi told him about the lip-glosses. He still couldn't believe that lip-glosses were flavored and could be sparkly and… When Nuriko finished, he took a good look at her and nodded appreciatively. Yumi smiled gratefully and sat down on a stool Nuriko had provided for her. Yumi looked outside through the small window and was surprised to see that the sun was already setting.

"Nuriko, don't you need to get changed as well?" She looked over at her warrior and blushed. He was in the process of changing his clothes and had his back to her, thankfully. Yumi turned back around and studied her fingernails. Nuriko had caught onto fingernail polish pretty quickly, too. Yumi tried not to be jealous, but this was the first time Nuriko had ever used this kind of nail polish, and it looked as though a professional had done Yumi's fingernails!

He's a man. Yumi thought to herself. So why does he have to be a better woman than me? Yumi brushed it off and remembered to be grateful that he was her friend now. After a few minutes, Yumi chanced a look over her shoulder again, and saw that Nuriko had on a simple green robe, almost manly attire by Nuriko's standards.

"You ready?" She- no, he, asked and helped Yumi up when she nodded.

"Then let's go!" Yumi still wondered why Nuriko was so excited about all this.

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Nuriko guided the priestess to the dinner hall. Everything was going as planned. He felt a little guilty for using the priestess like this, but Yumi would not be hurt in any way from it, so he brushed it off. As the day progressed, he had observed Hotohori's reaction to Yumi's appearance. He smiled to himself. It was just Yumi's bonus that the other guy, Tasuki, noticed as well. What the priestess saw in the unrefined bandit, Nuriko didn't really understand, but she obviously loved him. True, the rogue was pretty cool… He supposed that the rule-breaker, rebel sort of man was what Yumi preferred over the likes of His Highness, but that was her loss. When they neared the correct room, he slowed his pace. A lady never rushes…

Nuriko opened the doors and stepped in gracefully after Yumi, letting her have the spotlight. The priestess was actually kind of pretty… But now she's a masterpiece that no man can resist! Nuriko suppressed a giggle. He watched Hotohori's expression carefully, and was pleased. He also checked to see Tasuki's reaction. Much the same. They both looked as though they wanted to eat her, judging from the way they were drooling. Well, now. That would be interesting. Anyone up for Priestess Pancakes? Nuriko wondered why he wasn't jealous of Yumi right now, but brushed it off.

As he sat down, Nuriko found himself wondering why he cared what Tasuki thought about Yumi. Maybe I like her more than I thought. She is really nice, when you get to know her, I guess, and she cares a lot about him... Nuriko was glad to see that Yumi remembered all of the tips he had given her. Yumi's performance was flawless. If he wasn't careful, or gay, he might fall for her, too. Chichiri looked at Nuriko questioningly, but Nuriko ignored it. For some reason, Chichiri seemed to know what was going on, but he just wouldn't say. Taking the back seat, Nuriko waited for the meal to end and for everyone to go back to his or her rooms. Finally, about four courses later, Hotohori stood up.

"Shall I escort you to your room, Your Eminence?" He said, extending a hand. Nuriko shut his eyes tightly, praying that Yumi would remember the correct response.

"Thank you, but no. I need to step out to freshen up, and then I'll retire." Nuriko silently cheered the priestess. She might actually have hope for becoming a lady!

Hotohori left, no doubt for his chambers, and Chichiri left soon after. Tasuki took another look at Yumi before standing up and getting ready to leave, but stopped when Yumi stood up as well.

"Tasuki, could you take me to your room, please?" Nuriko was about to burst out laughing when he saw Tasuki blush crimson. Ha! The big brawny bandit leader is afraid of the little girl… Those two… He heard Yumi try to clarify.

"I'm staying in Nuriko's room tonight, and he told me that it's next to your room." Yumi said hurriedly. "What's on your mind, anyway?" She said sharply. Tasuki just blushed even more. Nuriko decided to wait before taking Yumi's place in her room. She had to wait for His Highness to settle down a little, so she listened as Yumi tried to explain herself.