Amaris's POV
I was sitting with Hotohori, resting my leg again. It is getting to be a real pain the butt lugging this bum appendage everywhere. I hope it heals quickly.
"Amaris," Hotohori asks quietly, taking my hands into his, "have you thought of my proposal?"
More than you know Hotohori...
I was about to answer him when the two faced prick (I mean Alex by the way) coming towards us along with a woman holding onto his arm, as if being lead. It took me a moment to notice she was blind.
A blind priestess appearing in the Universe of the Four Gods...that is an interesting twist of events... What do you have planned Suzaku? She and Alex begin to converse in French, catching our names once or twice. Finally, the violet-haired woman spoke in English, saying she was glad to meet both of us as we introduce ourselves.
Suddenly, a big hat appeared out of nowhere with a man underneath it. His face, hidden beneath a permanently smiling mask with tightly closed eyes, hid us from seeing his true emotions other than his tone of voice. His sky blue hair, pulled back into a ponytail, his bangs stood straight up, defying gravity. His clothing consisted of a white shirt, red and green beads around his neck, a blue something or other over his right shoulder and, of course, his big hat.
"Greetings No da!" he says, tipping his hat.
We were all a bit wide-eyed at his sudden appearance, but Tsuki didn't seem to be.
"Boujour, vous saves," she greets, "who may you be, vous savez?"
"My name is Chichiri, no da," he answered, coming towards her, "and who might you be?"
"I am Tsuki, vous savez," she replies, reaching out for his hand to shake.
"That is a pretty name, no da."
"Thank you, vous savez."
Well, you can tell what their quirks are...
"Nice to meet a fellow warrior Chichiri," Hotohori interrupted, "I am Hotohori, and these are our fellow priestesses Amaris and Alex. Hopefully later you can also meet our two other warriors Nuriko and Tamahome and his priestess Miaka."
I noticed a smug look on Alex's face. I bet he has an idea where Miaka and Tamahome are. Well, it's not my business to know. I could probably care less...
"I hope I can serve you all well, no da," Chichiri nods cheerfully.
Tsuki searches for him, finds him, and walks away to better acquaint themselves. Alex goes off to cause trouble, as usual, and Hotohori helps me to my room. He is really sweet sometimes. Why can't more guys be like him?
Not necessarily in looks, mind you (though that would be a perquisite) but in manners and etiquette. He's chivalrous and good-hearted (not to mention easy on the eyes.) He is also powerful, physically and politically. Anything he says, goes.
How can I refuse a man such as this?
There is only one answer to that question.
I can't refuse him. I will accept his proposal and I won't have to worry about going to my world again.
I'll just stay in his...
"Hotohori," I call out to him, catching his golden stare.
He sets me down upon the bedspread and looks at me to make my speech.
"I have thought about your proposal ever since you suggested it and I believe I have an answer.
"You are a wonderful person; anyone can see that. You have been kind and courteous to me ever since I arrived. You have also been completely sympathetic of my past and that I have great respect for someone who understands me. Thank you for that."
He takes my hands, gently smiling, and asks me to continue.
"Hotohori, I-" I begin before a crash interrupts.
The room almost collapses around us, but Hotohori grabs me around the waist and pulls both of us out of the collapsing room. In the domino effect, several pillars collapsed around us before he reached an open area where nothing could fall on us. What is it with the current trend of things falling on top of me?
"What in the name of Suzaku is going on?" Hotohori asked angrily, some onlookers looking totally surprised and horrified at the scene before them.
Luckily, no one else was hurt, but shaken by the sudden implosion. The seishi arrived at the incident and helped us to sit up. Nuriko surveyed the damage, picked a few pillars, and tossed them aside to reveal a squished note. She read aloud from it while her frown deepened.
"My dearest Suzaku Seishi and Priestesses,
"Let me first make my sincerest apologies for trying to kill your emperor and his priestess. However, I did succeed in getting your attention, did I not?
"Enough chitchat little warriors for this is not some tea party I'm inviting you to. I want you to give me the Suzaku Priestess of Sei as a peace offering. I also ask that you also retrieve the Priestess of Seiryuu, the Priestess of Genbu, and the Priestess of Byakko. You may gather your other seishi if you wish, but if you wish for the plagues to destroy your beloved land of Konan; you would do so with much haste. After I finish with Konan, I shall finish off the other gods' domains, and then go for the gods themselves. You may not believe I hold that kind of power to challenge the Four Gods, but I do possess such power that even their creator fears me. For you see, I control the book the beloved priestesses use to enter the sacred realm of the Universe. I am the true god of this universe and all of you are nothing more than pawns in a game of chess. I wish you the best of luck in your retrieval of your fellow warriors and priestesses, but until then, here is my parting gift.
The note had no signature author, but it burst into flames as the last word slipped from Nuriko's lips. Chichiri put out the fire with his magic and turned to the rest of us.
"What could that mean?" Tamahome mused quietly, keeping away from the purple-haired seishi as humanly possible while still being polite.
"We have a stalker," Alex answered for him, "and a bad egg it looks like. However, what could he mean by the "Suzaku Priestess of Sei."
"Hmm..." Nuriko thought, "'Sei' means 'star' in our language. Maybe the priestess he seeks shares the name of their fellow warrior's character. Mine means willow. "
"Mine is Sho, no da," the blue haired man said cheerfully.
"Demon," Tamahome said.
"Quite befitting," Alex snickered while Tama just glared.
"That only leaves one Seishi here unless the one without the "Sei" symbol hasn't been found yet," Nuriko said, turning to Hotohori.
The young emperor looked down when his character showed itself. The other seishi looked ashamed and turned away.
Oh...shitake...
That's his symbol... "Sei"
"He wants me and the other priestesses," I say quietly, "doesn't he?"
Everyone turned a gentle ear and nodded.
"But he can't do that!" Miaka commented.
"I'm afraid he can," I say, biting my lower lip, "if he is as powerful as he claims, then I can't risk four countries getting destroyed for being stubborn. Moreover, we have to find the other three gods' priestesses to appease him. Who knows where they could be. They could be here in the Universe or in our world somewhere halfway across the globe."
"I say we find the other seishi," Tamahome said, catching all eyes, "and maybe we can find the answers to who this mysterious stalker is and why he wants the priestesses."
We all gave him a blank look.
"Wow," Alex breathed, "Tama-baby said something intelligent!"
"Watch it Blondie," he warned before witnessing the boy turn chibi.
"You're so mean Tama!" the chibi Alex said, crocodile tears streaming down his pink cheeks, "Meanie! Meanie! MEANIE!"
The chibi bounced into Nuriko's arms, sniffling into the silk of her shirt.
"Now that was uncalled for Tamahome," Nuriko scolded.
"Why are you defending him?" Tamahome yelled, "He started it!"
The chibi whimpered as Tamahome glared and grew much larger than the little chibi before him. Alex's big green eyes stare frightened at the giant before him. Nuriko took Chichiri's staff, hit the inflated seishi to a smaller size, and comforted the scared chibi.
"Quit it Tamahome," she said, returning the staff to the sweat dropping man, "Thank you Chichiri for lending me your staff."
"Daaaaa...?" was the only response from the man.
Nuriko smiled at the chibi in her arms and glared a mother's protective scowl at Tamahome. Tamahome blanched and ruffled the chibi's hair.
"I say we call a truce," he proposed, "I know you don't like me and quite frankly, I don't like you either. However, since we are working together now, I'm afraid we are going to have to tolerate each other. You don't make rude comments, obscene gestures, ominous suggestions, or bad things in general and I'll stay off your tail for treating me like an idiot."
He struck out his hand to call the truce official. However, the chibi didn't look satisfied.
"I can't reach you from here Baka-home."
The seishi glared, but came close enough to shake hands. Surprisingly, the chibified priest hugged the blue-haired seishi around the neck, making the scene quite adorable. Tamahome smiled warmly and hugged back. The chibi smiled brightly and then turned back to normal, grinning stupidly.
"It's officially a truce," Alex said, still grinning.
What does that boy have up his sleeve? As Tamahome turned away, I noticed a piece of paper on his back. On the top half was something written in Chinese characters. In the middle was the translation, with an arrow pointed downward, which caused me to sweat drop.
Kick here while praying to your God. Your prayer will come true!
Why that sneaky little git... using the oldest high school prank in history!
I praise him for subtlety yet downgrade him on originality. We all sweat drop as all the people he passes all kick him in his arse. Talk about embarrassing...
"However," Hotohori said, regaining his composure first (must be an emperor thing), "his idea holds merit. Finding the other seishi may be our only option at the moment. We do not know when this enemy will strike again or how hard. We were lucky this time, but the next time we may not have such good fortune."
Everyone nodded solemnly. The time wasn't light anymore as we went our separate ways.
Tsuki's POV
I noticed the heavy atmosphere between my newly found comrades as we spoke of a plan to find the other warriors from legend. So far, I have pieced together that this country has a god by the name of Suzaku and that he had warriors to protect a priestess believed to summon said god. However, Suzaku has more than one priestess waiting in the real world to summon him in this world. So far, Miaka, Amaris, Alex, and I are priestesses to the four warriors Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, and Chichiri respectively.
There is one thing that bothers me, however. I sense some developing relationships grow as daisies in a field. It reminds me of my budding relationship with my amour...
...I should say was the budding.
I was deeply in love with him and him with me. He took me to Paris numerous times, showing fireworks shooting off the Eiffel Tower in magical showers of lights and sparkles. We held each close, whispering in our native language softly into each other's ear and declared our undying love for one another. It was the most magical time of my life. I was even more excited when he asked for my hand in marriage. I was lighter than air during that time.
Then...the great accident happened...when I lost my sight.
We were walking hand in hand under a full moon when some drunk drivers drove passed us, yelling French obscenities at us. My amour naturally stood up to defend my honor as a French lady. A great mêlée happened so quickly that I didn't see that one had a gun. The armed man took a hold of me as my amour called out for me to run. I tried, but he was too strong for me to fight off. I felt a frozen dagger slide down my throat as I heard the gun click, awaiting the pull of the trigger near my temple. My amour hears the click as well and springs into action, but he was not quick enough.
The trigger tightened and released right near my head and the bullet miraculously missed my brain, but my eyesight ever more would be dark and black.
I awoke inside the hospital a few days later with bandages over my eyes and a hand clutching mine. It took me a moment to realize that it was my amour's hand. I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears, but it hurt to cry with my eyes so damaged. My amour tried to comfort me, but he seemed uncomfortable with my new disability.
I found that he found me too ugly and helpless for him to share his love. I was heartbroken as I struggled to learn a new style of life without my sight.
I had hoped he would have helped me through my time of need, but I see that I was wrong to think so.
Now that I have appeared in this world, I see I will have to adjust to it, no matter the difficulties of settling in.
I smelt Chichiri as he approached. He has the most interesting scent. There was the natural musk of a male, yet this one was as if he came from the clouds his scent was so light. It almost reminded me of plain cotton candy, but not quite. He also smelt of a pine I could not identify and of the freshwater of a lake or pond. His footsteps were light, as if he was always cheerful (which seems to be his demeanor) but there is something else I cannot quite place my finger on.
Chichiri was definitely an intricate character to piece together. However, daunted I am not by such a challenge.
Although, I believe I should remain cautious. I do not wish my heart ripped forcefully out, squeezed to its last drop, and replaced only to endure the same torture again. I look up when Chichiri touches my shoulder to get my attention.
Chichiri's POV
...So my priestess is Tsuki, the blind priestess. I was surprised to say the least when I learned her...handicap. However, it seems to compliment mine as well. I cannot see out of my left eye due to...my injury, but I am more fortunate than she is because I can still see the wonders of the world around me.
I looked to her, knowing she sensed me. She may not be able to see, but that does not mean she's oblivious to the world around her. I approach her and gently tap her shoulder to get her attention.
"Hello Tsuki-san, no da," I say.
"Boujour, Chichiri, vous savez," She says in return, "how are you, vous savez?"
"I am well, no da," I say, my favorite quirk shining proudly, "and you, no da?"
"Same, vous savez," she says, smiling brightly.
We stand there, just smiling at each other before I suggest we go to the garden. She heartily agrees and takes my arm, but keeps her other outstretched. I believe she is trying to memorize her surroundings so that she does not have to be with someone constantly to be her eyes. I lend her my staff to see if it helps as being a guide. She thanks me and places it in front of her, tapping every now and then, warning her of impending obstacles. We reached the gardens and sat under a sakura tree.
"Cherry blossoms," Tsuki says softly, her eyes gently closed, "peach blossoms as well. There is also the faintest scent of lilac, roses, and lilies."
"Yes, no da," I say, noting the nearby flowers.
"There is also a faint hint of dew, vous savez. I think it may rain later on today."
"That is interesting, no da," I say, smiling softly.
"Thank you, vous savez," she says, blushing softly.
She stays quiet before she asked me something that I had feared for years.
"Chichiri," she begins, "do you mind if I touch your face? I just want to make a picture of your face."
I gulp but allow her to touch my face. Her fingers touch the mask and she frowns.
"Are you hiding something, vous savez?" she asked quietly.
"No," I say quickly, "I have nothing to hide."
"Then would you mind if I removed your mask?"
"Please don't," I say, "I have a horrible disfigurement that I do not wish for others to see."
She sighs softly.
"There is no one nearby, Mon ami," she says, "and I think you know that as well. Please let me see. I promise not to turn from you."
I sigh softly as her hands remove the mask and set it aside. I closed my eye as her hands touched my cheeks, ever going upward. I stiffened when she touched my scar over my eye. Her face shows indifference, but she did not turn from me.
She continued making her memory of me until she finished with a smile.
"I see no disfigurement on you," she says softly, "you are quite handsome, if I may say so."
"Did you not feel my scar over my left eye? It's horrible."
"I did feel it, Chichiri," she says, smiling softly, "but I do not think that it is as hideous as you make it out to be."
I stare at her as she touches her own eyes as she opens them for me to see the dull gold of her eyes. She also pulls away her black headband for her hair to move away for me to see a horrible black hole a few inches forward of her temple. I wince silently as I compare our wounds.
"That wound cost me my gift of sight as well as...the gift of love...," she says softly, replacing her black band.
We both grow into a silence as I realize we are more alike than I thought. However, I doubt that both of us are ready for a relationship at this time because of the heartbreak we've each experienced. True, the other seishi are falling for their priestesses left and right, but I must remain impartial to matters of the heart. I am a monk; therefore, I cannot have a romantic relationship. The only thing we can do is remain friends, no matter the tendencies. I lead her back inside of the palace to her room and see her inside.
"Thank you, Chichiri," she says softly, "For letting me memorize you."
"It was no trouble, no da," I say, replacing my mask.
She looked as if she wanted to say something more, but a yelp interrupts her. A few curses fly before a blonde streak passes my vision and takes my staff. I sweat drop as Alex uses it to trip a sprinting Tamahome.
"Daaaaa...?" was my only response when my staff was return and the blonde streak left as soon as he came.
Tsuki giggled at my apparent confusion and stood to hug me.
"You really are adorable Chichiri, vous savez," she says, hugging me.
"Thank you, no da," I say, "I think."
She giggled once again and bid me good night. I return the favor and head towards my own quarters to think.