Disclaimer: Don't own much…Um…Kohana…Momo…Ayame…Ruri…the story…um…I suppose the new seishi…they're names are the same as the old ones but they're kinda different people…Hmm…confusing, huh? I don't get it either.

Author notes: Please keep in mind this story won't exactly be Tamahome friendly. It's not horribly mean, but I never liked him much, I don't exactly treat him well in my stories. This will be better than the others though. For an explanation, look at chapter 22 of my other story Amethyst and Amber. That explains it all. If you want to yell at me, fine, but be sure you've read that. Otherwise, I'll be very upset.

And also, this is a rewrite of chapter 1. I was sick of how unoriginal chapters 1 and 2 were so I just about completely overhauled them, hopefully for the better.

Summary: Kohana Kurogawa led a relatively normal life. Her parents died when she was young, but her older sister took excellent care of her. A few other interesting things happened, like summoning seishi to her world. Now at the age of 16, she has to fulfill a destiny that only her brother-in-law and his friend know about.

Red Wings of Fate

Chapter 1: The Story Begins Again

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Sixteen-year-old Kohana Kurogawa sat at a table in the library with some of her friends and another girl she wasn't particularly fond of, Momo Saito. Kohana and Momo were always at odds with each other for one reason or another and only associated with each other because of their mutual friends.

Kohana lived with her sister, Ayame, brother-in-law, Tasuki, and their young son. Sometimes she stayed with her sister's friend, Ruri, her husband, Amiboshi, and their twins. It had been years since Kohana had brought Tasuki and Amiboshi out of the book and sometimes forgot how it happened.

On that particular day, the small group was working on papers for school. Kohana had a book about phoenixes in front of her. They were all writing about ancient mythology.

"Kohana, gimme that book on dragons on your left." Momo held out her hand for the book. When Kohana didn't respond, Momo frowned. "Kohana!"

Her head shot up. "Huh? What?"

"Are you gonna give me that book or not?" She growled.

Some of the other girls laughed. Kohana picked up the book. "Sorry."

"Better be." Momo snatched it out of her hand and opened it up. "You're so spacey…"

Kohana flipped through a few pages. "Yeah…I know…"

One of the girls sitting next to Kohana looked at her funny. "Hey, you're not just gonna take that are you?"

"Take what?" Kohana blinked.

"See? She is spacey." Momo laughed at her. "I'm going to the bathroom. Be right back." The fiery red head got up and left the small group.

Kohana propped her head in her hands and stared at one of the pictures in the book. Her thoughts wandered to everything but her school assignment. 'Leave it to me to pick something close to home…maybe this was a bad idea…' She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Wonder what happened to that book…haven't seen it in years…did someone else find it? Is it sitting around somewhere waiting for a couple of people to find it? I kinda miss it…it was a good book and it's done a lot for me…'

"Kohana? Can you go find Momo? She's been gone for like, a long time…it doesn't take that long to go to the bathroom, does it?" A brunette girl poked Kohana and jolted her from her thoughts.

"Me? Why me?"

"You don't look like you're doing much for your paper." She giggled.

Kohana wrinkled her nose. "Okay, okay. I'll go." She closed the book in front of her and got up. "And that girl calls me spacey…she probably saw a cute guy on the way to the bathroom…I just don't get her…"

She began to walk down the hall to the ladies' room when she stopped. Momo was standing in front of the staircase to the second floor, just staring. She looked a little pale and was standing so still Kohana wasn't sure she was even breathing.

"Momo?" Kohana reached out and poked her.

Momo inhaled sharply making Kohana stumble backwards. "What?" Momo snapped at her.

Kohana held her hands up defensively. "Hey! Don't bite my head off! The other girls were wondering where you went. Why were you staring at the stairs? You looked a little freaked out."

Momo looked at the stairs again. "I…thought I heard something…"

"Heard something? Like what? A person? A board creak?" Kohana raised an eyebrow.

"No…it was…never mind…I was hearing things…" Momo shrugged and turned back to the hallway.

Kohana to a step forward when she heard a screeching noise. She turned back to the stairs. "Not again…"

"What? You hear something?" Momo stared at the other girl.

"Umm…maybe…" Kohana scratched her head. "I don't know…"

"Well…what did you hear?"

"Like…a screeching…like a really big bird…"

"A bird?" Momo crossed her arms over her chest.

Kohana shook her head. "I think I've been looking at books for too long…"

"That's it…" Momo frowned and started up the stairs.

"What's it? Where are you going?" Kohana grabbed her arm.

"Up there! You heard a bird, I heard something roar, something is up there! And I'm going to find out." She went up a few more steps.

"We can't go up there. We don't work here!" Kohana went in front of her to stop her.

"No one said you had to come too." Momo ducked under her arm and went up. Kohana sighed and followed her. Momo looked at her. "Coming are you?"

"Well, I am curious too…" Kohana bit her bottom lip and followed Momo into the hallway.

They crept down the hall, hoping no one else was up there. As they were passing a locked door, they both heard the noises they had a few minutes ago. They turned so rapidly they crashed into each other.

"Ow!"

"Watch where you're going!" Momo hissed at her. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard a screeching again…" Kohana rubbed her head.

"I heard the roar…" Momo stared at the door. "I think it came from here…"

Kohana tried to turn the knob. "It's locked…" She started to pull her hand away when the lock clicked.

Both girls' eyes widened and they jumped back, trying to think of excuses to give to whoever was behind the door.

It opened slowly and an older woman stepped out into the hallway. She smiled when she saw Kohana and Momo. "Hello girls. Are you lost?"

Kohana thought she recognized the woman, but couldn't quite place it. "Ah…no…we…thought we heard something…"

"Heard something did you? Well, no one up here but me." She stepped away from the door. "You're welcome to look if you don't believe me."

Kohana and Momo looked at each other then walked into the room. There were many shelves lined with countless amounts of old books. They carefully inspected the walls for anything that could have created the sounds they heard.

When they found nothing, Momo let out a sigh of relief. "Guess I was just hearing things." She walked back to the door. "Thanks for letting us…huh?" Momo looked around, confused.

Kohana came back to the door. "What's wrong?"

"The lady's gone…" Momo looked up and down the hallway. "She left us up here alone?"

"Well, it's not like we're bad kids." Kohana looked around the room. "But since she's gone, I want to look for something…"

"In here? What?" Momo walked over to her.

"An old book. You can go back down." Kohana waved her off. "I can look myself."

"Well, now you made me curious." Momo huffed. "I want to see this book."

"I don't even know if I'll find it though…" Kohana's eyes scanned the shelves for The Universe of the Four Gods. This was, after all, where she had found it the first time.

"Well, I don't want to explain where I was to everyone else by myself, so I guess I'll wait till you give up." She leaned on one of the bookshelves.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kohana continued to look at the shelves while Momo idly filed her nails.

Suddenly, Momo's balance faltered and she fell to one side. She sat up and rubbed her side. "Ow! That hurt!"

Kohana came around one of the shelves. "Queen of Balance, you ain't. Wanna make some more noise?" She offered the other girl a hand.

"Shut up!" Momo hissed and grabbed her hand. "Are you done yet?"

"Yeah…I don't see what I was looking for…" Her eyes scanned the shelf Momo had been leaning on. "Or…" She suddenly perked up.

"Or what?" Momo sounded annoyed.

Kohana smiled and pulled a book of the shelf. "I found it!"

"So what is it?"

"A book my sister read me when I was 6." She ran her fingers fondly over the worn cover.

"All this for some book from your childhood?" Now Momo was very annoyed.

"Hey! I said you could go and this is really important to me!" Kohana snapped back.

Momo stuck out her tongue at Kohana. "Fine, fine. So what's it about?"

"Oh…it's a fairy tale about gods and wars and things like that. I really enjoyed it when I was little."

Momo snatched the book out of her hands. "Think we could use it for our papers?"

"Hey! Gimme that back!" Kohana grabbed the book back.

"I just want to see it!" Momo tried to grab it again, but Kohana had a much better grip on it this time.

"Would you just hold on for two seconds? I was the one looking for this!" Kohana tugged on it.

They pulled back and forth, hissing at each other until the book slipped away from them both. They both watched it fall to the ground, not doing anything about it.

It landed with a dull thud and opened to a random page. Once it settled, it began to glow with a bright red light. They opened their mouths to scream but no sound emerged.

Kohana opened her eyes to find herself alone in a world of red. Again she heard a large bird screech. She looked around for the source but found none. The only other thing in this world of red besides her was a long, bright red feather.

She reached out to grab it but was blinded by a magnificent red light before she could touch it. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft patch of bright green grass.

With a great deal of effort, she pushed herself up and looked around. Momo was lying a few feet away and they were on the outskirts of a forest. Beyond a few more trees, there was a wall, presumably a city on the other side. She closed her eyes again as something occurred to her.

'That woman in the library…it was Baba…Tai Itsukun…that's why I thought I knew her. She let us in there to find the book on purpose. But Momo too? Is she a priestess? Great…as if we didn't fight often enough as is…'

"Kohana?" Momo had gotten up and was looking around, obviously scared.

"Over here." Kohana stumbled to her feet and walked over.

Momo looked over at her. "My head…that thing…"

"What thing?"

"I'm not sure…before I woke up here, I saw nothing but blue and I heard that roar again…I didn't see anything except a large blue scale…kinda like a umm…"

"A dragon scale?"

"I dunno…something like that maybe…" She dropped the subject and looked at the nearby wall. "Wh-where are we?" Momo put her hand on a tree and pushed herself up.

She shrugged. "Kutou, Konan maybe…"

"What?" Momo turned on her with a confused look on her face.

"Never mind. It was nothing." Kohana shook her head. "Why don't we look around for someone?"

"Look for someone? Are you nuts? We could be killed out here by anyone!"

"Well, it's that or wander around like a couple of twits!" Kohana snapped back.

"Fine then! We'll wander to goodness knows where! See if I care!" Momo threw her hands up in exasperation. "Should we just go see who's on the other side of that wall and say 'Hello, we're lost. Can someone help us?' I suppose that'll work!"

"Well would you like to figure out something else to do?! Because I don't know what else to do!"

Momo's arms dropped. She sighed. "I guess you're right…we could be stuck here…wherever here is…"

Kohana straightened her shirt. "Well, let's go then, while it's still light out."

Momo nodded. "Okay."

They started to walk out of the forest towards the wall. They didn't know what to say to each other so they walked in silence. They couldn't have been walking for more than a minute when Momo stopped.

"Kohana…"

She turned and saw Momo's pale face. "Are…are you okay?"

"I don't feel too good…" She suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

Kohana rushed over to her. She knew what was happening. Momo wasn't supposed to be here. She was going back. Kohana flung her arms around Momo as if holding onto her would make her stay or send them both back.

A small cry escaped Momo's lips and she disappeared in a flash of blue light. Kohana stumbled forward through the empty air to the ground. She cringed. "Shoot…now I am alone…" She sat up and started crying, not knowing what else to do.

Momo opened her eyes and found herself on the floor of the library room, alone with nothing but the book. "Ko…Kohana?" She asked, though in the back of her mind she knew no one would answer.

She stared at the book that Kohana had picked up. Even though she was afraid of the strange book, something inside her told her to pick it up again. She reluctantly did and read the first page.

"'The two young women argued bitterly over their course of action. Eventually the red haired woman conceded to the black haired girl's plan to find someone. She had no better ideas herself. They walked in silence, as they had for most of their young lives…' Oh my goodness, what is this thing? Isn't that what I just went through?" She held the book in her shaking hands and kept reading. "'They walked until the red haired girl fell the ground, in pain, a voice thundering in her head saying she did not belong here…not yet…'"

Momo put the book down so that she could steady herself. 'What is going on? That was what I heard…am I dreaming? Maybe something I ate…I'm shaking so much but I feel like I have to keep reading…' As much as she didn't want to keep reading, she did.

"'The black haired girl was left to cry after a bright light took her companion away. She was now alone and scared in a place she'd never seen before. The young woman was so upset she never noticed someone walking up to her.' Oh Kohana you idiot! Look up! Someone's there!" Momo looked around the room hoping she was still alone and she was. "Somebody save me. I'm yelling at a stupid book…" She picked herself up and settled into a corner to continue reading, forgetting about everything else.

Kohana was curled into a tight ball, still crying, when she felt the need to look up. Someone was crouched in front of her, hand outstretched to touch her shoulder. She screamed in surprise and fell backwards. The person, who Kohana knew to be a man after he let out a startled cry of his own, jumped back to his feet.

"S-stay away from me!" Kohana swallowed her fear and got to her feet.

He held his hands up. "I wasn't going to hurt you. I heard someone crying out here. Was it you?"

Kohana wiped a final tear away. "So what if it was me?"

"Well, I was coming to see if you needed any help…" He took a couple of steps towards her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Kohana laughed cynically. "I have no idea where I am. I'm alone. I have no money to speak of. And I'm starting to get really hungry. Try what's right." She turned her back to him. "This sucks!"

"Well, you're just outside the capital of Konan if that helps any…"

"A little…I guess…" She slumped against a tree. "I don't know what to do though…I don't even know who you are."

"My name is Tamahome." After he said his name, she finally got a chance to look at him. He was tall with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He wore white pants and a teal shirt.

"I'm Kohana…nice to meet you…"

"Well Kohana, I can take you into town for some food if you want. I was going anyway." He offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Come on. You can't just walk around on your own around here." Tamahome offered her a hand.

Kohana got up off the tree. "You don't need to hold my hand. I'm lost, not crippled." She crossed her arms, her fear passed.

Tamahome rolled his eyes. "Okay…" He put down his hand. "You're quite the stubborn one."

"And?" Kohana gave him a funny look.

"Never mind…" Tamahome motioned for her to follow him. "So where are you from? I've never seen anyone dressed like you before."

Kohana looked at her clothes: jeans, sandals, a t-shirt and a bandana in her hair. "Let's just say 'far away' and leave it at that…"

Tamahome looked her over and seemed to accept her explanation. They left the forested area and headed into the city. As they walked to a small inn for a meal, people stared nonstop at Kohana. She did her best to shrink behind Tamahome, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

He led her to a table and they sat down. "Don't you think you could have worn something that attracts less attention?"

She glared at him. "Do I look like I have any other clothes on me?"

He ignored her comment. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you have is fine. I'm not that picky."

Tamahome ordered two house specials. "Why were you crying out there?"

Kohana propped her chin in her hands. "What is this? 20 questions?" She mumbled.

"What?"

"Never mind…I was…the person I was with left…disappeared really. She didn't know any more about this place than I do, but it would have been nice to have someone to be lost with…"

"She disappeared?" Tamahome raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask. I don't know what happened. She was there one second, then she was gone."

"I see…" He looked like he was on the verge of saying something else when their food arrived.

They ate silently. Tamahome finished first. "You know, I'd like to be of more help, but I don't know if I can."

Kohana fiddled with her chopsticks. "Thanks but I wouldn't know where to start either so it doesn't really matter. I'll figure something out."

Tamahome stood up. "I've got work to do here. You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Yeah…don't worry about me." She waved him off.

Tamahome lingered for a moment, concerned about her. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Suddenly she thought of something. "Oh wait. One thing."

"Yeah?"

Kohana pulled a pair of earrings off her ears and offered them to him. "Here. For the trouble. I think they're gold. Even if they aren't, they could pass for gold."

"It's really no trouble, Kohana." He did really want them though.

"No. Take 'em. They were cheap. I'll get new ones if I ever find my way back home." She put them into his hand, refusing to take no for an answer.

He stared at them for a moment then back at her. "Well, see you around."

"Maybe…" She stared at her unfinished food. "See ya."

He lingered for a moment then left. Kohana ate a little more then got up to leave. 'I guess this is the part where I become a priestess…Baba, why didn't you tell me this would happen?' When she reached the door, a tall man missing a few teeth blocked her way. She cringed. "Let me though."

"Oh, what's your rush cutie? Stay awhile." He grabbed her chin.

She pulled back immediately. "I have places to be."

"Funny. I heard you tell that guy you were with you didn't know what you were doing around here." Another man, probably a friend of Mr. Dental Hygiene, grinned at her.

Kohana desperately tried not to make a face. "Haven't you ever heard of lying? I'm sure you've done it before."

She immediately regretted her words. The first man's hand went to a jagged blade at his waist. The next few moments were chaos. People around the room got up to run. Kohana shut her eyes and felt a scream stuck in her throat. She saw a flash of silver and a flash of red. A dead silence fell over the room as metal clattered to the floor.

Kohana opened her eyes, expecting to see Tamahome's teal shirt, but no. She saw a man in red, taller than Tamahome and holding a sword. "She asked nicely. Leave her alone."

"'The young woman stared in awe at her savior. He had cut the blade off the ruffian's sword in one clean swipe. She didn't know who he was, but she was grateful for his help. He didn't turn around when he told her to move out of the way. She was too shocked to argue and moved back for cover'" Momo stopped reading for a moment when she heard something in the hall. After it had passed she continued reading. "'The young man made quick work of the rest of the ruffian's friends when they attacked. Their brute strength couldn't compare to the young man's speed and skill…'"

Momo breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness she's okay…wait, what am I saying? It's like I really believe she's in there…I must be going nuts…but this is a good story… 'The young man walked over to the woman he had saved and asked if she was unharmed. Her heart began to race and her voice was lost when her eyes met with a startling gold color…'"

-Shadow Hawk