Battle of the Four Gods

Added 6-13-05

Greetings folks. Well, this first chapter was pretty…not bad exactly, but not good either. So I've decided to do a rewrite. This was the only one that just felt wrong to me – probably because I wrote it about two years before finally starting the second chapter. So, I hope it's much better now! Enjoy, and please read and review! I don't write to get reviews, but it's difficult to fix things without some feedback. Besides what's the sense of going through the business of posting them if no one's going to read them:grin: I might as well just leave them on my computer and save myself the grief of fighting with the internet! Thanks bunches. :hugs:

-Windborn (formerly Elwing Silme)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yugi. Not one little bit of it…not even a particular monk whose picture graces my computer screen. Alas!

Notes: I know, I know, yet another "girl falls into the Universe of the Four Gods." I couldn't help it! I bow helpless before the whims of my dear muse. :laughs: Or at any rate, the story struck, and I couldn't help but write it down. Stick with me, please – I enjoy taking over-used plot ideas and freshening them up a bit. And one quick warning, just to prepare you in advance – the names I use for the countries and things are a combination of the names used in the English translation of the manga (ie: Hong-Nan, Qu-Dong), and those from the anime series (shinzaho, etc.). Why? Mostly, I prefer the Chinese versions of the names, but a few (like shentso-pao) aggravate me. So don't be too confused. Anyway! That's enough notes, don't you think? Have fun!

Chapter 1: Lost

Riana laid her sleeping bag on the ground, tossed her pillow down, and flopped on top of them. Staring up at the sky, she waited for her friends to get themselves situated. A shooting star streaked across the sky. "Hurry up, guys, you're missing it!"

"We missed one Ria – there'll be more," yawned Krystin. "Geez, you're like a little kid sometimes."

"Only when it comes to nature," Brook laughed in Riana's defense, winking at her. Riana smiled.

"And books, and anime, and language, and whatever else decides to strike her fancy for the moment," countered Siene, the eldest of the four of them. Ria was the next eldest, followed by the reluctant Krystin, and then Brook.

"I can't believe I let you guys convince me to sleep on the ground," Krys moaned, huddled in her sleeping bag. She was too miserable to enjoy the spectacular sight above her.

Brook had just about had enough. "Quit whining, will you? You didn't have to come, you know. You could have stayed at home, and had we known all you'd do was complain, we'd probably have insisted you did."

Siene rolled her eyes and grinned at Riana. Had anyone ever asked them who their best friend was, Siene would have said Krystin, and Riana would have insisted she was closest to Brook. However, Riana and Siene shared a very strong bond, and could tell each other things that they couldn't say to their "best friends."

"Listen to the children bicker!"

Ria, who was only a few days older than Krystin, laughed. It was their private joke, being the two eldest. "Let them work it out on their own. It'll be good for them." Siene had a bad habit of always intervening when Brook and Krys got going.

Brook's family had brought Riana here for every meteor shower in the past six years. This summer, Ria had gotten the bright idea that the four of them should go together this time. Siene had readily agreed, but Krystin wasn't very fond of the outdoors. It had taken a lot of convincing to get her to come along. However, this particular shower was supposed to be incredibly good, and the other girls wouldn't let her back out. When she and Brook finally stopped arguing, Krys fell right to sleep.

Riana heard the other two drop off soon after, and soon Brook was snoring peacefully. She smiled, knowing that it would be some time before she too was asleep. Eyes shining in the darkness, she stared upward and sighed. These rare moments of utter peace were the times she lived for, when she could forget that other people existed at all. As close as she was to her friends, Ria couldn't escape the feeling of being shut out sometimes. Something about her was different, secluded, isolated. She drank in the stillness until it lulled her to the verge of oblivion. Just as her eyes fluttered shut, a magnificent shooting star cut across the sky, leaving a trail of flame in its wake.

Whenever you see a shooting star, Ria, her mother had told her when she was little, always make a wish. Shooting stars carry messages straight to Heaven, and the gods will answer one wish from every star. She had died six years ago, when Ria was thirteen. A terrible car accident had in one fiery instant wrested from her the only person who ever really understood her.

Remembering her words, Riana closed her eyes. I wish…Oh, I wish – I wish I didn't feel so alone…

The sun streamed through her eyelids, disrupting her sleep. Riana reached out to pull her sleeping bag over her eyes. It was too early to get up! Her hand encountered only brittle grass. Frowning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Had she rolled off her bag again? Heaven knew it had happened before. Blinking she looked around.

Her sleeping bag was nowhere to be found.

What's more, neither were her friends, the clearing, or the forest they had been in the middle of. Ria sat on a grassy plain that stretched as far as she could see, broken only by a few random clumps of trees like the one to her right, which had kept her in the shade until now. She stared about her, completely at a loss.

"I've got to be dreaming. Where the heck am I?" For a while she was too shocked to even move. Finally, deciding that if this was a dream it would do no harm to explore, she got up and started walking. If it wasn't a dream, she needed to find someplace to get water. Having a purpose, she headed towards a cut in the plain that looked like it might contain a stream.

Damn, distances are deceptive on flat terrain, she thought upon finally reaching the stream after what felt like forever. She scrambled down the bank and stood in the water, letting it run over her sore feet. The grass was dry and hard, and she didn't have any shoes, since she had arrived in this place in only her pajamas. Stepping back up on the bank, she knelt and took a long drink. "Boy, I really hope this water's not polluted or anything," she muttered when she came up for air.

Standing, she turned away from the stream to examine her surrounding again, and found herself face-to-face with a bearded, middle-aged man in strange robes. There was a gleam in his eyes that frightened her.

"Well, well. What have we here?" He licked his lips. "Now what would a pretty girl like you be doing out in the middle of nowhere? It's dangerous for ladies to travel alone." He slowly advanced on her.

"Um, yeah, I'm aware of that," she stammered. "Ah, actually, I was just now heading to, um, rejoin my group." She started to back away. "Thanks for the advice."

Ria stumbled over a rock and slid down the bank again. He leapt after her, but his momentum carried him past her and into the water. She quickly regained her footing and dashed off, following along beside the stream. Realizing the stranger was gaining on her, she momentarily turned her concentration inward. When she again focused on the path ahead of her, she shot forward with an extra burst of speed. It was a technique she often used in track to heighten her abilities.

"What the hell! Get back here you little bitch!"

Riana followed the stream until it narrowed slightly, and then leapt across to the opposite bank. When she hit the ground, she dashed off and took a course perpendicular to the streambed. By the time her pursuer scrambled down the bank, crossed the stream, and climbed up the other side, she was out of reach.

Knowing the man would still be able to see her, and thus follow her, for quite some distance yet, she continued to run for as long as she could. Her feet were killing her! Soon, she began to catch glimpses of houses ahead of her, realizing at last that she approached a small village. She stumbled onto the dirt track that led into the village proper and fetched up against the door of the first house she came to.

"Oh, god, help me!" she gasped, pounding on the door. "Please–" The door flew open, revealing a woman in a very oddly cut dress.

"What's going on, here?" she scolded. "Who are you?"

Ria nearly wept with relief that someone was home. "Oh, please ma'am, you've got to help me! Some man is chasing me – I don't even want to think about what he'll do if he catches up with me! And I don't know where I am, or how I got here. I'm completely lost, with no food, no money to buy it and–"

The woman raised a hand to stop Riana's explanation. "Easy there, child. One thing at a time, now. Here, come inside – I'll get you something to eat and you can tell me your story at a more sedate pace." She held the door wide for her odd visitor.

"Thank you so much!" Ria sighed, unable to believe her good fortune. "I don't mean to intrude upon your hospitality, but…" The single step to enter the house took the last of her strength, and she fainted on the woman's doorstep.

"I think she's starting to wake up. Bi-Jun, heat some soup please."

"Yes, mother."

Riana slowly blinked awake, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Looking around, she discovered that she was lying on a straw mattress in a strange hut. A woman sat on a stool beside the bed, watching her carefully, worry etched into the lines of her face. In the far corner of the room a young man stood stirring the contents of a pot that was heating over a stone oven. Though modest, the house was large enough to have several rooms, Ria noted by the curtained-off doorways in two of the walls.

If I keep waking up in a different place every time I go to sleep, I'm just going to have to stop sleeping! she admonished herself. "Wha-"

"Hush, child," the woman scolded. "Just rest. I don't know what you were doing before you got here, but you apparently wore yourself out quite badly."

"What I was doing?" She couldn't remember. For a moment she simply lay frowning at the ceiling, trying to remember how she had come to this place. "I don't-"

"You said something about someone chasing you?" the woman prompted.

That's right, Ria thought. I woke up in a field, and some guy started chasing me. I ran until I got…here. Wherever here is. "Yes, that's right. I remember now. He frightened me. I thought he might…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it. Sitting up, she pulled the blankets tightly around her, shivering at the thought.

Folding her hands in her lap, the woman scowled. "It's such a shame that young girls cannot even wander the fields alone for fear of the ruffians. Few undefiled women are left even in this little village, where we are so careful of our daughters. You were fortunate to escape unharmed." Her expression softened, but the look in her brown eyes said plainly that whatever she asked next, Ria had better answer. "Where do you come from, child, that your family would let you wander alone? It must be very distant, for your clothes are unfamiliar to me. I would recognize any garments belonging to one of the four kingdoms, for I was a seamstress in the capital in my youth."

Startled, Riana took a moment to study the woman's dress before answering. It was true – though the material was simple and coarse, the stitching was very fine. Not that I'd be a good judge, but it's better than any sewing machine I've ever seen could do! There were also, as one could see with a closer look, tiny patterns stitched into the material in a thread of the same color. She would have loved to see something formal made by this woman's skilled hands.

"I'm from…far away." Helplessly, she spread her hands before her. "Forgive me – I don't even know where here is, so I can't exactly explain where I came from."

The woman stood as her son approached with a bowl of hot soup, allowing him to place it on the stool she had just vacated. "Well now, that is easily remedied! You are in the village of Jiesho near the southern border of the kingdom of Qu-Dong."

The blood drained from Riana's face as she felt herself go cold. Images swam through her memory, creating a cacophony of inseparable pictures in her mind. Qu-Dong! Those "Four Kingdoms" she mentioned must be… How did I get here? The Universe of the Four Gods…is it even a real text? Have I wound up inside Fushigi Yûgi? It's just a story! Or is this some other time, in the same world? And I'm in Qu-Dong…would that mean…that I'm-

The woman patted her on the knee. "Easy, child! Whatever is the matter? Are you ill?"

"I'm in…Qu-Dong?" She choked.

"Yes. Are you alright?"

"I-" I have to think of a reason to get out of this country. I cannot stay here and risk being found by the Seiryu… "Yes, I'll be okay. It's just – my father traveled a great deal when he was younger, and he told me about this kingdom. He said…" she trailed off, trying to think. Riana had never been a very good liar, much less on the spot like this. Gods help me! "He said he made some powerful enemies during his time here, who threatened to kill any of his kin that set foot in this land. One of them was some sort of wizard or shaman or something, and keyed into my family's common life force so he could track us if we stepped inside Qu-Dong's border." Ria started shaking very convincingly – she didn't have to feign fear. The young man's eyes had narrowed slightly during her explanation. It was plain that he didn't quite believe her.

His mother, on the other hand, was totally convinced. "Oh, you poor dear! How on earth did you manage to come here, then? You should have been more careful." She smiled. "Don't worry, no harm will come to you while you're here, and we'll try to get you out of the country as soon as possible. Hong-Nan is not far, though why anyone would want to go there… Now you just eat up." Her son looked ready to protest, but instead merely bit his lip and walked out.

"I'm sorry if I upset your son." Ria commented, watching him leave.

The woman smiled, following her gaze. "He's still young, and has a tendency to be rather temperamental."

Young? He looks older than I do! "How old is he?" He was not that bad looking, either…

"Bi-Jun is going to be sixteen in a few weeks."

Riana thought her eyes would pop out of her head. "He's only fifteen? My word, he looks older!"

Nodding sadly, the woman replied, "Yes, he does. His father died four years ago, and ever since he's felt he needed to act like the man in the family. My daughter's husband helped us for a while, but they have three children of their own now, so Bi-Jun takes a great deal onto his own shoulders." She smiled slyly. "He spends a great deal of time alone, and pays little attention to the girls in town. It's a pity you can't stay."

Taking a sip of her soup, Ria thought about how best to answer without being offensive. "Forgive me, but even if I could stay, I doubt there would be much I could do to help." She smiled. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself! I'm Riana. I apologize for bothering your family…"

"No, no, that's quite alright," she waved the girl's apology aside. "It's no trouble. You may call me Leng-Si." She turned and started to busy herself with cleaning up what looked to be the dinner dishes. "You just eat up and rest a bit. We'll worry about what to do with you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay, and thank you." Ria finished her soup rather quickly, set the bowl back on the stool, and lay down again. Dear lord, what am I going to do now? she thought. I have to somehow find out if this is the same era as when Miaka called Suzaku. If it is, I should be okay, though I have no clue how I'm supposed to get home… Violently shoving that thought into the back of her mind, Ria continued to deliberate on the best course of action. If this isn't the same time… Hmm. That could be trickier. Obviously I cannot let the Seiryu find me. She wiped a hand across her forehead. Damn! I can't be the Seiryu no Miko…I won't let it happen. The Suzaku Seishi were willing to harbor Yui – maybe they'd protect me, too. If they're even alive in this time. With this hope firmly entrenched in her heart, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

When Riana woke the next morning, the first thing she noted was that her surroundings were the same as those she had fallen asleep in.

"Well, good morning, Miss Riana!" exclaimed a vaguely familiar voice, pulling her the rest of the way out of sleep. "How do you feel now that you have slept? Better?"

She sat up and smiled at Leng-Si. "Yes, much. Thank you." Noting the odd cloth bundles the woman held in her arms she added, "What's this?"

"Oh, just some clothes Bi-Jun recently outgrew. Nothing of my daughter's is left here, but these should fit you well enough," she said, grinning. "You will have to keep out of sight, though, for it's a punishable offense for a woman to impersonate a man in this country." She laid several pairs of thick stockings on the bed and held out three outfits for Ria to try on. One was black with blue and white trim, another green with pale gold, and the third was brown, edged in violet and red.

"This land has strange customs," Ria commented, slipping into the first. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to this."

"Oh, you'll manage. Now turn 'round." Leng-Si carefully eyed the fit of the garments. They were a bit loose across the shoulders, tight in the chest, but other than that the fit was nearly perfect. "There! That's not so bad. If this one fits then the others should be all right as well. How does it feel?"

Ria stretched and twisted, testing the give of the fabric. "It's just a bit uncomfortable in the chest, but-" Leng-Si's comment about impersonating a man had given her an idea of how to get out of the country without much trouble. She smiled. "I know how to fix that."

Clearly not understanding, Leng-Si nodded. "Alright then, I'll leave that to you." Pointing to the foot of the bed, she added, "There are several pairs of boots you may try on, as well. Bi-Jun's feet grew so fast that they're still in good condition." She walked over to the stove. "Now, where is he? I need some water for breakfast."

Ria went around the bed and looked over the shoes. "You have a well?" she asked, pulling on a pair of the socks. When the woman nodded, she added, "If you tell me where it is, I can get it for you. There's no way I can repay your kindness. This is the least I can do." The smallest pair of boots was a bit too tight, which surprised her; she had small feet. Fortunately the next larger pair was a reasonable fit, with the socks.

"That's very sweet of you dear, but you don't have to repay us at all. There's a well that the entire village shares just a short way from here, between this house and the next. The bucket is just outside the door." She pointed Ria in the right direction, and, with an impish grin, Ria headed out.

Catching up the bucket, she strolled amiably out into the yard. It was as beautiful a day as she had seen in a long time – the sun shone warm and bright out of a clear sky, empty of everything but birds. Combined with the quaintness of the village, it was a very picturesque scene. Every house was built simply of planks of wood, roofed with thatch, and scattered among them were trees heavy with foliage.

She walked over to the well, set Leng-Si's bucket beside it, and dropped the well-bucket down, watching the rope uncoil as it fell. It hit the water with a muffled splash, and she carefully reeled it back up.

"Why are you taking advantage of my mother's kindness?"

Riana jumped, nearly dropping the bucket back down the well. "Bi-Jun!" she exclaimed, turning to face him, "don't creep up on me like that! What do you mean, take advantage of her?" She emptied the bucket into the one she'd brought, then straightened, staring at him.

"You're not what you say you are." He held up a hand to stall her protests, and looked at her steadily for a few moments. She was shorter than he, though he guessed she was older, and her delicate frame leant a feminine elegance even to his old clothes. Her long, golden hair fell in bright waves to the small of her back. Though undeniably feminine, there was something in her manner that suggested an inner strength. He sighed, bewildered.

"How would someone from such a distant land as you say you come from be able to speak our language so well? Your accent is a little strange, but otherwise… And why would you travel barefoot? You look like little more than a child, yet you are alone. I don't doubt that someone threatened you, or that you have enemies in Qu-Dong, but somehow your story just doesn't make sense."

For a long moment, Riana was silent, then picked up the bucket and headed back toward the house.

Bu-Jun was furious and being ignored. "Hey! How dare you just walk away? Do you think I intend to let you keep this ruse up? Get back here! We're not finished."

"No, we aren't."

"Huh?" he replied, taken aback.

"Calm down." Ria paused and looked back at him. "I'm trying to think of how best to answer you. Let me take this water to your mother, then I'll come back out here and tell you what I can."

He stared, watching her walk back to his home, amazed at her composure in the face of his fierce accusations. Thoughtful, he followed.

Ria pushed open the thin wooden door. "Here's the water, Leng-Si."

The woman looked up from the vegetables she was slicing, pushing aside a lock of graying hair that had refused to be restrained by her kerchief. "Thank you, child. Just set it there by the stove." She watched the young woman cross the room, moving like a gentle breeze. Despite her young appearance, Riana did not move or act like a child – it seemed she was older than she looked. "It's a pity I have none of my daughter's gowns here, Riana. I think the cut of our dresses would suit you quite well."

Ria turned, blinking in surprise. "I'm afraid I'm not one to wear dresses often…"

"No, I thought not. You seem more comfortable in pants, though they don't properly display your beauty."

"My…what?"

"You're really quite lovely. Exotic, but lovely nonetheless."

"Exotic?" Ria was completely shocked. "Where I come from, I'm actually considered quite ordinary."

"Perhaps, but that is not the case while you are in this country." Leng-Si walked over and took Ria's chin in her hand, searching her face. The girl's eyes were tempered by living, lacking the raw, childish innocence she expected. "How old are you, dear?"

Smiling, Ria stepped out of the woman's grasp. "I'm nineteen, ma'am."

"What?" Both women heard a scuffling noise near the door.

"I realize I look young." She sighed. "Bi-Jun, you might as well come in, and I can answer what you asked me a moment ago."

Timidly, he crept inside, and his expression made him look like a fifteen-year-old boy for the first time since Riana had arrived. His face flushed with embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping.

"Bi-Jun?" Leng-Si looked first at her son, then her guest. "What's going on?"

"Your son is incredibly insightful, Leng-Si. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful about how I came to this country." Ria frowned at the hard dirt floor, wondering how best to continue. "I think we'd best sit down – this may take a few minutes."

When all three were settled – Leng-Si on the edge of the bed, Riana on the stool, and Bi-Jun on a chair he'd pulled away from the table – she began her tale.

"I can't explain everything. Some of it doesn't make sense even to me…" She gave them a brief account of her arrival in this world – that she had just woken up the morning before in a place she'd never seen. To the best of her ability she explained why she needed to get out of the country, never once mentioning Seiryu or Suzaku, or even that her goal was Hong-Nan. She merely convinced them that she had "enemies" in Qu-Dong and needed to leave the country as soon as possible. If they found her, the results would be… horrific. Hong-Nan's was the closest border.

When she had finished, Bi-Jun stood. "You could have told us that in the first place. The soonest you can get to the border is dinnertime, if you leave now. I can lead you to the border and still be back here before midnight-"

Ria shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I don't want to put either of you out of your way any more than I already have. I intend to go alone. Just point me in the right direction and I will leave as soon as possible."

"That would be unwise, Riana," Leng-Si cautioned. "You were already nearly attacked. If you travel alone again you increase your chances of coming to harm."

"I've taken that into consideration. Do you have some long bandages to spare, and maybe some plain squares of cloth and strips of ribbon?"

"Certainly!" Leng-Si replied. "But I don't see how-"

"I do." They looked at Bi-Jun. "And I won't let you do this. It's more dangerous than just going alone as you are. If anyone finds out…" He broke off, unable to think of any punishment drastic enough.

"No one will, I assure you."

Still bewildered, Leng-Si retrieved the requested items and handed them to Riana. The girl then went into one of the back room for several minutes. When she emerged, the difference was startling.

Before them stood a small, hard-faced, seemingly male youth. His golden hair was restrained beneath the scrap of cloth in a bun on top of his head, tied securely with a short, plain ribbon. The general build and features were the same, of course, but there was a set to his shoulders and a defiance in his posture that suggested a hidden ferocity. It was a convincing disguise.

Bi-Jun's jaw dropped, and his mother gasped. "Riana?"

She smiled and shook her head with a sad laugh. "I'm going to have to think of another name to use until I can be myself again. I hate to just run off, but I should probably leave now if I want to make any progress away from the border before nightfall," she sighed, stepping further into the room. She even moved differently, lacking her former grace. Aside from binding her breasts flat, she had also wrapped her ankles, making her more conscious of her gait.

Sensing her resolve, the older woman stood, putting out a hand to stop her. "Wait." She stopped Ria's impending protests with a smile. "You are not leaving this house with just the clothes on your back. Bi-Jun," she added, "fetch that pack from the cupboard." He nodded, then disappeared into the far room, while his mother gathered two wrapped loaves of bread, one wheel of cheese, and salted meat. She then filled a small pouch with coins that were acceptable in all of the four kingdoms. When her son returned, she placed these in the pack he set down, along with the clothes Riana had tried on earlier. The full pack was then set in front of the girl.

"I can't take this!" she protested, wide-eyed.

Leng-Si put her hands on her hips. "You can, and you will, young lady. I know it doesn't look that way, with the condition of this place, but we're well enough off that we can spare it." She hugged Ria. "I realize we've only known you a little over a day, but I feel that we are responsible for you, in a way. If you don't reach the border safely, the gods may well place the blame on us."

Tears were threatening to spill out of Riana's eyes as she returned the embrace. "It that case, I'll be extra careful." She smiled and extended a hand to Bi-Jun, who took it with a gentle squeeze of farewell. "May the gods bless you both!"

Suddenly, the boy's eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He dashed back into one of the other rooms, quickly returning with a small, rectangular bundle. "I want you to take this," he said, holding it out to Ria.

Carefully, she removed the cloth wrapping. Inside, lay a sheathed dagger, its blade not quite as long as her forearm. She stared. "You think I can use this?" she asked, incredulous.

He shrugged. "You can learn, and at least you have some defense now, other than running."

The three went outside, where Riana took leave of her newfound friends. "Take care," she told them, "and thank you."

"Be careful!" Leng-Si called as Ria walked away. "And if you ever happen to find yourself in Qu-Dong again, come visit!"

"I will." And with that, Ria left the village, heading for the Hong-Nan border, praying no Seiryu Seishi found her before she found Suzaku's.

Well, it didn't change quite as much as I had expected, but short of starting over entirely, I'm not sure what I can do. Ideas? Suggestions? Or should I just leave it be? I don't normally edit my fanfiction very much, since I write these purely for enjoyment. My original stores get all the hard work, I'm afraid.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess which Seishi finds her first:laughs: And no cheating just because chapter two is already up!

Muse: And why are you doing this now?

Windborn: …?

Muse: Shouldn't you be dusting, or crocheting that baby blanket for your friend?

Windborn: Why are you arguing about my wanting to write?

Muse: Ah… :ponders: I don't know?

Windborn: grrrr:Ties muse up and deposits him in a corner until he decides to be helpful: