Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
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Narrator's POV
Takiko, Tomite, and Hikitsu waited outside the wooden door that was the manager's office. Hikitsu held up a hand and knocked softly on it. At the same time as Takiko yawned. She was tired from getting up so early. To make herself a little more awake, she had eaten some of the candy that she had found in her pocket after she had come to this new world. It must have been in there without her knowing it. Unfortunately, it hadn't seemed to take effect yet.
"Who is it?" They heard the manager call.
"It's me, Hikitsu, and my friends. You asked us to come here yesterday," replied Hikitsu.
"Oh! Is it that time already? Bai-Ling, would you please let our guests inside?" The voice answered.
"Yes, Grandfather," a new, young, female voice answered. The door was pulled open, and a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, with long brown hair that was pulled back in a bun on the top of her head, stood in the doorway. She let them in giving them a strange look.
"Hello Uruki," Hikitsu greeted her. She scowled at him.
"You're that man from the other day. How do you know my seishi name? I know that I never told you. In fact, I didn't even tell you my real name!" She turned to her grandfather. "And why didn't you tell me that we were having guests. I would have made something to eat instead of deciding to let you fend for yourself today!"
"Well... You see... Um..." It was obvious that she wasn't an easy person to talk to when she was angry and that he was picking his words very carefully also that he wouldn't anger her more. "These two men are two of the legendary seven Genbu Seishi." She didn't seem impressed. "A-and the girl's name is Takiko-sama. She is the legendary Genbu no Miko that I've told you about." At that the girl's look changed. She quietly eyed Takiko, looking her up and down for a couple minutes, while the four others waited for some sort of response and Takiko fidgeted nervously. Then, to their surprise, she held out a hand to shake.
"My real name is Bai-Ling, but you may call me Uruki. It would be my honor to serve and protect you as one of the seven Genbu Seishi." A bright green light began to fill the room and the Kanji symbol for female or girl, Nu, appeared slowly on her left shoulder...
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Takiko's POV
I took the offered hand hesitantly. She gave me a firm handshake and then turned to her grandfather, just as the green light began faded slowly, as did her symbol. I just couldn't get used to this symbol thing. Why did they have to glow so brightly? Where they supposed to blind me? I wouldn't be surprised if I was blind by the time I got out of this world. Or book. Or... Whatever it was.
"I think that we should talk some things with our guests before you leave," Uruki's grandfather said to her.
"I agree," said Hikitsu. The man showed us to a small table, that was just big enough to fit all of us, and Uruki began to cook something that smelled really good in their small kitchen. Once she was done, we began to talk over a fine meal. 'Well... At least now we have someone who can cook all right,' I thought. I had learned on out journey that both Tomite and Hikitsu were failures as cooks, and I wasn't that great of one either. At least I was better than them. I giggled at that thought.
"Hey! What's so funny, Takiko?" Tomite asked me.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about Hikitsu's and your cooking skills." He blushed, embarrassed.
"Hey! You're not that great of one either!"
Hikitsu just looked at us like we were crazy. Uruki and her grandfather had an identical look on their faces.
"Well, at least I'm better than you! Say, Uruki, you're a good cook. Will you cook for us on our trip?" I asked the surprised seishi.
"Uh... I suppose so..." She replied.
"Great!" I cried. Hikitsu looked embarrassed.
"Uh... Takiko... Have you been eating that candy stuff, or whatever you call it, from your world again?" He asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"..."
"So, that explains you going from sleepy to hyper," said Tomite. Uruki and her grandfather looked really confused.
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Hikitsu's POV
It was about three more days before we were able to leave the town. As always, Takiko rode with Tomite, so that left Uruki to ride with me. I heard her grumble something about being able to ride her own horse and I retorted that we didn't have enough horses for that and not enough money to buy one. She pouted. She was actually pretty cute like that. I smiled a bit, something that I don't do often enough. As we started moving I felt her arms slowly snake loosely around my waist. Suddenly, I kicked my horse into a trot, just to see how she would react. She yelped in surprise and held onto me a bit harder.
"Hikitsu-san," Tomite said pulling his horse up beside me, "Where should we go now?"
"Well... I'm actually not really sure. I was hoping that you'd have an idea," I replied.
"Oh! That's great Hikitsu! Just great! You don't even know where we're going!" Uruki said sarcastically from behind me.
"Well then, if you're so smart, why don't you think of somewhere for us to go!" I told her.
"Well... she paused, thinking, You're going to think that I'm crazy for even thinking of it... but... we could go to Mt. Taikyou and see Taiisukun. Maybe she could help us on our quest." Tomite and I gaped at her. Takiko just looked confused. I hadn't expected Uruki to take that threat literally!
"Where is Mt. Taikyou? And who's Taiisukun?" Takiko asked us.
"Mt. Taikyou is at the center of this world, and Taiisukun is the creator of it. She is all powerful, and some people even worship her like they do the four gods!" Tomite replied.
"Um... Er... Okay... Then lets go find her. If she's all powerful, then she must be able to help us!" Takiko exclaimed. Uruki, Tomite, and I just looked at each other. None of the others really knew what they were in for. They didn't really know about Taiisukun. But I did. I had never told them but, after Sora's death, I had spent two years training with Taiisukun and recovering from a wound that I had gotten in the battle same that Sora had died in at Mt. Taikyoku. She had stopped me from killing myself, and told me that Sora would want me to live. It was the only thing that had kept me alive these past years. The others really didn't know what they were in for...
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Taiisukun's POV
So, they were going to see if they could get help from me. I knew my former pupil's worth, but what about his companions? They would have to prove their worth before they set a foot on my mountain, not to mention saw me. I would have to make a test for them. Hmm... What tricks could I use...
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End of chapter 8
Taiisukun is planning to test them just like what she would do to Miaka 200 years later. Please give me some ideas for what she could do. I don't want to use what she did to Miaka. Just put them in your review. Thanks! More coming soon! Don't forget to review!
