Authors' Note: Hi! This episode has some information on Christina! From now on she's a VERY important character, just as important as Katherine. Anyways, I want to take this time to say that if you want to be notified whenever we post a new episode, email me (Nyan Nyan) at NyanNyan321 aol .com . And I will ask Mrs. Tasuki to put you guys on a mailing list. Well, I guess that's about it. Oh yeah! (I have to say this in all the Authors Notes) Please write a review! Pretty please? We LOVE getting reviews!
Nyan Nyan and Mrs. Tasuki
Episode 4:
Conflicting Emotions
By: Mrs. Tasuki and Nyan NyanChristina walked out of her room in the basement and put her new CD into the boom box. She pulled the cover back off of her pool and dove into the warm water. As she surfaced she looked through the skylights to see rolling gray clouds blocking out the sun. She glanced out the glass doors that surrounded the pool and saw raindrops falling gently. It was nice to be alone, away from her family for once.
Suddenly a sharp pain shot up her right leg. She slowly swam to the side of the pool, thinking it was a cramp. Christina lifted herself out of the blue pool water and walked into the Jacuzzi, hoping her leg would feel better. She leaned into the side of the hot tub and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, she slowly opened her eyes and looked into the clear water. It was tainted red. She quickly stepped out of the Jacuzzi and dried off. Her leg was bleeding.
"Holy crap!" she exclaimed as she hobbled into her bathroom. The blood started dripping down her leg onto the tile around her pool and into the next room. She grabbed some toilet paper to mop up the blood running down her leg. She rummaged through her cabinet until she found a large gauze bandage. She put it on her leg and secured it with medical tape. She put on a pair of jeans and a black tank top as she tossed her white swimsuit into the washer, hoping it wouldn't be tainted pink forever. Then she went back into her small bathroom with an old rag to clean up the mess she made.
"Christina!" An angry voice yelled. She quickly got up off of her knees and went to the bottom of the stairs to answer her father.
"Yes?" she asked timidly, slightly shrinking.
"You left the pool cover off again!" he yelled.
"I was going to put it back on but I was bleeding and-" she stammered.
Not letting his daughter finish, he continued, "I don't want to hear your excuses, just cover up the pool! Now go! And turn off your music! It's too loud!"
She scrambled over to the pool, covered it, and turned off the Jacuzzi. She put her CD back in its case and went back into the bathroom to finish the rest of the cleaning. Once she was done she walked back into the main part of the basement and found a pile of dirty dishes on the table. Her little brother and sister must have been eating downstairs again.
"Jordan! Ashley!" she yelled up the stairs. "Get your dishes out of the basement!" Her mother's head appeared in the doorway.
"Why don't you bring them up!" she accused. "It's your basement!"
"But it's their dishes!" Christina argued.
"Do you want to move back upstairs?" her mother threatened. "When you moved downstairs, it became your responsibility!"
Christina sighed as she loaded her arms with dishes. She balanced them carefully as she walked up the stairs. When she got to the kitchen she rinsed them out and stuffed them into the dishwasher. "This isn't fair!" she complained, but her mother didn't reply. She stomped downstairs to her room and flopped onto her bed. "Life is so unfair…" shemuttered to herself. "I just want to get out of this house!"
oOo
The birds chirped a harmonious melody throughout the courtyard. The setting sun set the ideal atmosphere in the wonderland paradise of Konan. That is, for the exception of the constant quarreling between priestess and sei.
"You're jealous of Nuriko and me...aren't you?" Tamahome asked with a smile that took up his whole face.
"Of course not!" Katherine exclaimed as she almost fell off the bench with disgust.
As if the priestess's words went in one ear and out the other, the sei continued, "I wouldn't blame you. After all I am a kind, macho, and a beefcake of a martial artist."
Katherine rolled her hazel eyes as Tamahome stood up and flexed his muscles. "Trust me. I don't, as in do not, love you," she simply stated, crossing her arms in protest.
oOo
Still dressed in her blue jeans and light blue shirt, Katherine walked down the palace hallway. It was now pitch black, but she was wide awake. She always had trouble sleeping, it seemed to be one of her presents when she became a teenager and dealt with stress on a regular basis. She saw Nuriko leaning on the railing looking sadly at the sky. She approached the courtier cautiously, knowing that she and Nuriko weren't exactly the best of friends. "Nuriko, what's wrong?" she asked once she became within hearing distance.
"Katherine!" Nuriko yelped, slightly startled. "Will you do me a favor?" she asked in a much more serious tone.
"Sure, what is it?" she replied, hoping that maybe Nuriko was starting to like her.
"I lost an earring that's very special to me. It looks just like this one," Nuriko started as she showed the priestess the light green earring in her hand. Katherine simply rolled her eyes, letting Nuriko continue with her charade. "I believe I lost it somewhere by the pond. It's easier to find it at night, since it glows, but all of my servants are too scared to go. Can you please find it for me?" she innocently asked.
Katherine just stared at Nuriko for a second to see if the courtier actually expected her to believe the story. Right when she was about to reveal she wasn't going to fall for such a feeble lie, she thought it would be better to just go along with it. This way Nuriko could be satisfied with herself for tricking the priestess and Katherine could have some time to herself. "Sure. I'll be back ASAP!" Katherine said almost too cheerfully as she turned around and ran down the hallway.
oOo
Standing in a pagoda, Hotohori looked at his two advisors in disbelief. "What?" he asked, sure his ears deceived him.
"Well highness you're already eighteen. It's time that you considered choosing an empress," the first advisor started.
"Why else have we assembled the most beautiful women here to serve as your royal escorts? But yet you continue to ignore them," the second advisor added as they started to walk out of the pagoda.
"That's because I am far more beautiful than they are," he replied. Both of his advisors look at him strangely. "That was a joke."
"Of course! Hahahaha," his advisorsexclaimed in unison, making the emperor consider whether or not the two shared a brain.
Inwardly sighing at the two's constant obedience, Hotohori continued, "Right now my main concern is calming the people for a rumor is going around that we are going to war with Kutou. I just can't think about choosing an empress at a time like this."
"But highness, what about that girl...Nuriko isn't it?" the second advisor asked.
"She is one of the Suzaku Seven; she must be relieved of her duties as an escort. And besides, I have always had the ideal woman pictured in my mind, ever since I was a boy," the emperor replied, recalling his past.
"Your ideal woman?" the second advisor questioned.
Hotohori saw Katherine sitting in the soft grass looking up at the stars. "Advisors, you are dismissed," Hotohori said, never moving his eyes off the girl.
"But Highness!" the two exclaimed in unison. Hotohori turned around and glared at the two, his usually soft golden eyes instantly turning to a cold bronze. The advisors immediately understood and scampered away, about to busy themselves in useless paperwork.
"What are you doing here Katherine?" Hotohori asked as he walkedacross the dew-covered grass.
Startledby the sudden voice, Katherine turned around in shock. "Oh! Hi Hotohori!" shegreeted cheerfully. "Nuriko tried to trick me into finding a nonexistent earring all night long, but I knew she was lying. I told her I would look for it since I thought it would be a great way to get some me-time," she rattled off, almost too fast for the emperor to understand. It was obvious though, through her overly chipper voice that Nuriko's trickery was getting under her skin.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone then," he replied as he started to turn back around.
"No wait! I want you to stay," she called after him.
Partially turning towards her, he asked, "Are you sure?" not knowing if the priestess truly wanted him there. Katherine smiled and nodded.
"Okay," Hotohori said uneasily while sitting down beside her. "I'll have to talk to Nuriko about tricking you like that."
"Oh no. Please don't," she rebutted.
"Why not?" he asked curiously.
"Well h-she doesn't like me, and I don't really blame her. I mean, I haven't really been the friendliest to her," Katherine explained, realizing she hadn't made the best first impression to any of the seishi so far.
"I'm sure she'll come to her senses," Hotohori said as he put her arm around her shoulder.
"And besides," Katherine continued, trying to stay serious, even though inside she was overjoyed, "you can't force someone to feel something they don't." Hotohori sat in silence, contemplating on the statement as Katherine continued to look at the stars.
oOo
"That girl is such a fool! Going out to a dark pond to search for an earring that doesn't even exist! I never set one foot outside the palace. To think I'd ever go there!" Nuriko said boastfully as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Indeed, I wonder if she's gotten soaked in the pond yet. That may be fitting for a girl from another world who doesn't know anything about court etiquette," her servant behind her agreed.
Nuriko heard a noise behind her and turned around to find Tamahome standing at the door frame with a shocked look on his face. "Tamahome…" Nuriko whispered under her breath.
"Is what you said true?" Tamahome asked in disbelief, but when he looked into her eyes he knew that it was. He started to run off to the pond, but he was a second too slow. Angry with the attention-hogging priestess, Nuriko grabbed Tamahome's arm, forbidding him to leave her side. "Let go of me you muscle-bound…!"
"I won't let you go, not to her!" Nuriko said raging with anger.
Just then Katherine walked by arm-in-arm with Hotohori. As she passed the doorframe to Nuriko's room, she couldn't resist the urge to give the courtier a victory sign. "Oh that girl..." she muttered under her breath, turning red as hell.
oOo
"Well, here's your room," Hotohori said, standing in front of Katherine's door. Overwhelming thoughts swarmed his mind as he stood silently looking down at the girl.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow…." Katherine said awkwardly, opening the door. She wanted to say more, but the right words were not to be found.
"Sweet dreams," he said with a slight smile.
"Thanks. You too," Katherine blushed as she closed her door.
oOo
Hotohori knelt on the ground, saying a quick prayer to Suzaku when a heard a soft knock at the door. "Who is it?" he asked, knowing his servants rarely entered his chambers. He reached his hand out touching his sword, just in case.
"It's me," Katherine answered as she opened the door slightly.
"Oh. Come in," Hotohori said more relaxed as he moved his hand away from his sword.
"I know this could have waited till morning, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep well unless if I told you now…" Katherine started. She stopped for a moment or two, not sure how to phrase what she was about to say next. Hotohori looked at her patiently as she searched through her mind for the right words. "I really kinda feelbad for Nuriko, and I'm know I'm not helping," she continued while staring at the floor, now feeling guilty for the 'victory' sign she gave the courtier earlier that night.
"How?" he inquisitively asked, trying to understand what the priestess was telling him.
"Well, she loves you...and me monopolizing your time is making her even more angry and depressed," she stated without moving her gaze from the white flooring.
"I see..." Hotohori whispered as he turned his head away from her and blushed slightly.
Finally looking up, she finished, "I'm just asking if you could pay just a tad more attention to her."
"I'll see what I can do..." he replied reassuringly.
"Thanks. And goodnight...again," Katherine said as she moved towards the door.
"Katherine. Wait."
Turning around, Katherine asked, "Yes?"
Never losing his nerve, the confident emperor asked, "Do you love someone?"
"Um…wh-why do you want to know?" Katherine stammered nervously. Ever since she had entered the mystical land of the book she waited patiently for this moment. Yet, this was not how she had imagined it. She knew if she didn't leave quickly there would only be disappointment to follow. "I should really be going..." she muttered quickly, swallowing hard as she turned once again towards the door.
"Katherine, please. This will only take a moment," Hotohori stated, reaching out and gently grabbing her arm. Unable to speak up, the priestess nervously waited for the emperor to continue. "For a long time I've loved someone...a girl I dreamed of," he started as he turned his head to the side, staring at his bedspread. For the first time in his life, he was uncertain about where his actions would lead him. "When I was a child, and first heard the story of the Priestess of Suzaku, a girl who would appear from another world I always wondered what she would be like. Katherine, you are the girl I imagined...no wait, you are better than the girl I imagined. No one else holds an interest for me. You are the only one I want to know about…everything Iwanted and more is in you. Will you become my wife and empress once you have summoned Suzaku?"
Thoughts swarming her mind like the butterflies in her stomach, Katherine nervously bit her bottom lip, not knowing how to answer. A couple days ago she would have rushed in head first, knowing that sooner or later she would wake up in her bed and start another boring day, but now the thought that this was a dream was slowly disintegrating in her mind. Suddenly, she remembered one of her favorite quotes Hotohori had once said. "The Priestess of Suzaku..." Katherine mumbled as she was backing up towards the door, "a girl who will appear from another world. Maybe she'll be able to save me from the loneliness I feel. Maybe she'll be able to love me as a person and not simply as the next emperor. Surely…" she rattled off, unable to stop herself.
His golden eyes glittering with confusion, Hotohori whispered, "What?" Only making out every other word, he looked at her nervously, not knowing what to make of it.
"Look..." she whispered, desperately trying to sort out her thoughts. "I mean, you've only known me for a couple days. This is all kinda rushed. Before we start anything serious,I think it would be better if we got to know each other. I need to make sure you love me for me and not the Priestess of Suzaku," Katherine said as she became teary-eyed. "I should go..." she whispered as she ran out as fast as she could, leaving Hotohori stranded.
oOo
The full moon shining through his window, Hotohori lay awake in his bed, contemplating over what Katherine had said a couple hours earlier. "Could I have...do I? Do I treat her the same way I've been treated? Do I only look at her as the Priestess of Suzaku and not as Katherine? Have I been blinded by my dream?" he thought as he tried to drift off to sleep. Hotohori decided that tomorrow he would apologize to her for his assumptions and ask for a fresh slate. Once that was decided,another problem absorbed his thoughts. "How could she have known?" he kept asking himself. He never told her about the night he decided he would marry the Priestess of Suzaku. He was sure of that, and he was the only one there when he said it. "It must have been my imagination...she must have been mumbling something else..." he kept telling himself until he fell asleep.
Hotohori was not the only one that lay awake that night; Katherine had problems of her own. "How could I just say it so coldly to him? What if he stops liking me period? What if he now thinks I don't like him?" Katherine thought as she buried her face into her pillow with frustration and sadness. "I'm so stupid!" she exclaimed out loud for no one to hear as she banged her head against the bed. "Has he figured out that I know what's going to happen? Why did I say it out loud? It was almost as if my mind was talking not my mouth…Even if I was just mumbling it he must have picked up on a couple of words. Does he think I'm just one huge freak now?" she asked herself repeatedly, obsessing over the very thought of waking up tomorrow to find out Hotohori wanted nothing to do with her.
oOo
Katherine woke up fairly early in the morning, considering that she didn't get much sleep the night before. She arose from her bed and saw that her clothes were now extremely worn out. She made a mental note to bring a ton of clothes the next time she entered the book with Christina. She opened her closet and saw dozens of kimonos and dresses before her. "Wow! I wonder when they did this!"she exclaimed as she picked out a violet-red kimono and put it on. "Now I have to go find Hotohori," she thought as she walked out of her room. She aimlessly wandered around the palace, watching her feet hit the flooring repeatedly. Suddenly, something blocked her path. "Oh no!" she thought as she looked at Nuriko's furious face.
"How could you!" Nuriko yelled at her, her face bright red with anger.
Rolling her eyes, Katherine asked, exasperated, "How could I what?" She was not in the mood to put up with Nuriko today, not with what happened the night before.
"Turn down the emperor's proposal!" Nuriko hollered, putting special emphasis on the word emperor.
"Oh...you heard?" she replied meekly, her form shrinking
"Gossip spreads fast, especially bad gossip…the whole palace knows!" Nuriko continued to yell for everyone to hear.
"Great..." Katherine quietly sighed.
Now in her own daydream, Nuriko continued, "At least now I can comfort His Highness..."
Right then, Tamahome casually strolled by the two. "Hi," he said to Katherine as he nodded once and continued on his way.
Glad to see one relatively friendly face, Katherine happily replied, "Hey!" Nuriko ran after him, forgetting about her daydream, and started fawning over the other male sei. Concluding they were off the sell her pepper spray at the market place, she turned her focus back to Hotohori, continuing down the palace hallway.
oOo
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Tamahome hollered to the writhing crowd as he tried to get their attention. Half of the crowd turned their heads toward the young man standing on the top of a flight of stairs.
"Who's he? What's he selling? What's going on?" several peasants wondered.
"You've all heard of the Priestess of Suzaku right?" Tamahome asked them. Everyone else's heads turned. "The Priestess of Suzaku isn't from a neighboring country, or even a distant land! She's from a completely different world! Everything, her clothes, her possessions, are from this other world!" he continued. "I have a treat for you folks! With me I have one of the priestess's possessions!" he yelled as he held up the pepper spray.
"It has foreign writing on it," someone exclaimed.
"We'll start the bidding at one gold ryo!" Tamahome shouted.
"That's way too much!" someone replied.
Pointing to the small key chain of pepper spray, he exclaimed, "Not at all! There's only one of these in existence!"
"Wait a minute...!" one of the people in the crowd exclaimed. "Why would you have anything to do with her eminence?" he cynically asked as he looked at Tamahome's commoner outfit.
"Yeah!" another person yelled. "I heard she was staying with the emperor!"
"You could have just scribbled writing on there to pass it off as the real thing!" a different person shouted. The smile on Tamahome's face immediately disappeared.
"Are you saying that he's lying!" Nuriko yelled, grabbing one random peasant's collar.
Scrambling away from the insane girl, the peasant explained, "Well we don't know if it's true!"
The crowd began to press in closer and closer. "You're an imposter aren't you?" they questioned.
"Let's get him!" one person shouted as the mob obeyed. Tamahome and Nuriko looked around them and saw no escape. All they could see was a mob, hurling insults at them. Nuriko ducked down on her knees and shuffled out of the crowd, Tamahome following close behind. They ran into an alley and leaned against a wall, trying to catch their breath.
"Sorry to interrupt this love scene, but we got business to discuss with you," the two seishi heard someone say behind them. Nuriko and Tamahome turned around and saw a bunch of thugs.
"What business?" Tamahome questioned, utterly confused.
"You wanna work in this town, you gotta pay for it," one of the men explained, seeing their attempt to sell the pepper spray.
Hearing the courtier yelp, Tamahome turned to see one of the thugs had his arm aroundNuriko's neck. "I wouldn't be doing that if I were you..." Tamahome warned as he searched his pockets for the pepper spray, thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to use it, but it had disappeared.
"What are you gonna do about it?" the leader questioned.
"Me?" Tamahome asked, now formulating a new plan. "You really shouldn't be worried about me," he continued with complete confidence. Suddenly they all heard a horrible scream of pain. They turned their heads to the man who had his arm around the girl's neck now lying on the ground in pain.
"Tell you what," the boss said, seeing her unique strength. "I'll pay you thirty gold ryo for her."
"How dare you insult me!" Tamahome started. "That's way too cheap!" Nuriko's jaw dropped and she punched Tamahome in the back of his head, causing him to fall to the ground.The courtierproceeded in beating down the rest of the thugs while Tamahome tried to stand up.
Dusting off her hands, Nuriko stated, "Let's get back to the palace before I have to hurt anyone else."
"I lost my stuff that Katherine gave me!" Tamahome complained as he frantically looked around for it.
"Who cares?" Nuriko asked sarcastically.
"I do!" Tamahome shouted back, jumping to his feet.
"Shut up!" Nuriko yelled while grabbing his collar causing him to loose his balance and fall to the ground once again. Still holding his collar, the courtier dragged the sei back to the palace.
oOo
About to give up hope, Katherine finally saw the back of Hotohori's head slowly walking down the hallway. "Hotohori...wait!" she called after him, trying to catch up with him.
Hotohori turned around to see her coming and stopped. "I'm truly sorry, but I have a conference to go to."
"Well, this won't take long...I just wanted to ap-"
"Please...can't we talk later?" Hotohori interrupted, for hearing her apologize would just make him feel guiltier. "I really have to go," he said as he turned around and walked towards the conference room.
"But wait!" Katherine shouted after him. Now completely out of breath and exhausted, she started to lose her balance. Grabbing the wall for support, she stared blankly down the hallway as the world around her started to spin. "Katherine!" was the last thing she heard before she collapsed on the floor.
To be continued...