Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi unfortunatly. The only things I can claim ownership for are Jade Stevens, Tara Robinson, and my version of the storyline. Oh, and I wanted to point out some mild personality alterations. Hotohori is not as narcissistic as he is in the books, Nuriko isn't as in love with Hotohori, (I'm not really into yaoi), and there will be a close set of five friends later on in the story. Bet you can't guess who they are! If you want to try, I'll give you a hint: One of them is Jade. That's all I'm gonna say. Now that I took care of that, on to Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Celeste Warrior
Everyone stared in wonder as Jade stood in front of them, the sword of Suzaku in her hand. Hotohori breathed two words. "Celeste Warrior." Everyone bowed their head. Jade stood, extremely confused. "Eh? Why is everybody bowing their heads? I just drew out this sword. Couldn't any warrior have drawn it?" Hotohori smiled. "Only the chosen warrior of Suzaku could draw that sword. Many warriors have tried, but they failed. You are the Celeste Warrior of Suzaku, Kokyu." Jade laughed. "You guys are a bunch of loonies. I'm not the Celeste Warrior!" Just as she said that, everyone gasped and pointed at her forehead. She reached up to touch it, when she saw a symbol glowing on her right hand. "That's...that's the symbol for 'flame', isn't it?" Tamahome wondered aloud. Hotohori nodded. He pulled out a mirror and held it up to Jade's face. At first, she didn't notice anything. Same green eyes, same long auburn hair...but there was something definitly wrong. "Whe the hell?!? Why's my forehead glowing?" Hotohori smiled. "That's the symbol of Suzaku, proving you are the Celeste Warrior. Do you doubt your role now? You are of the four Celeste Warriors: Tei of Genbu, Taishi of Byakko, Shoshi of Seiryu, and Kokyu of Suzaku. You are to defend your god and your county to the death. Will you take your place among the Suzaku Warriors?" Jade stood, pondering the request. On one hand, this would be an awesome oppertunity to prove herself. Back home, she was just a normal kid, one of thousands. Here, she was Kokyu, Celeste Warrior, someone that a whole country counted upon. On the other hand, it was a lot of responsiblity. What if she would mess up? Hotohori, Tamahome, Miaka...they all looked at her with pride, but what if she didn't do something right? Of course, if she didn't accept the role, they would be extemely upset for sure. She decided to take the risk. After all, she might save a country! "I'll do it. I will become Kokyu, Celeste Warrior of Suzaku." Everyone cheered. Miaka inquired "Does that make me the Priestess?" Hotohori nodded. "You both will have the task of finding the remaining five warriors. The clues to the third warrior all have to do with the palace, so one of the warriors must be here." Jade grinned, determined. "Well let's go find him!" She ran out the door, followed by Miaka and Tamahome.
**************
Accidentally, Jade had ran into a room filled with Harem women. She backed towards the door. "Sorry about that! I'll be leaving now!" One of the women grabbed her arm. Her long purple flew as she spun Jade around. "What's your name?" Jade gave a surprised retort. "Jade Stevens-I mean Kokyu." The woman immidiately released her arm. "Are you the Celeste Warrior of legend?"
"Yes I am. Why?"
"N-no reason. Listen, I need to talk to you alone." She dragged Jade to a nearby closet. Shutting the door carefully, the older woman explained. "I'm Nuriko, warrior of Suzaku." Jade gasped. "But...you're a woman! You can't be one of the Suzaku seishi!" Nuriko sighed. "I'm actually a man, but I'll get killed if anyone finds out. Men aren't supposed to be in the Harem, but I had to be here so I could eventually meet the Priestess. Also, His Majesty is a very attractive man..." Jade blanched. "Ewww, you're gay?!?" Nuriko shook his head. "Not really. It's just a cover." Jade blew a sigh of relief. She assured the purple haired seishi. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I need to take you to Miaka. We found the third seishi!" Nuriko nodded. "Just don't tell anyone about me being a guy." Jade laughed. She could see that Nuriko was a really nice guy. She hoped that they could be friends eventually, since Tara was in their world. She wondered if her best friend was reading the book right now.
**************
The said best friend yawned. She had been up reading about Jade in 'The Universe Of The Four Gods' all night. The story was so interesting though! Tara was tempted to flick through the book to see what would happen, but decided against it. She would get there eventually, and besides, her best friend's firey attitude was always a constant amusement to her. "The Celeste Warrior, upon finding the third warrior, Nuriko, went to introduce him to the Priestess. Unknown to her, the Priestess was having troubles of her own..."
**************
Jade opened the door and led Nuriko to the throne room. It was deserted except for one lone guard. "Excuse me sir. Where is His Majesty and the Priestess?" The guard pointed to the open doorway. Jade and Nuriko ran out just in time to see a group of men chasing Miaka to a small gazebo. She ran inside, panting heavily. One of the men threw a hammer, which hit one of the pillers. The whole thing began to collapse on the Priestess. Tamahome ran as fast as he could. He dove in just as the roof caved in. Jade ran forward, followed by Nuriko. Jade tried vainly to lift the rubble. "Let me handle it." Nuriko's voice whispered in her ear. Nuriko lifted the rock chunks easily, throwing them aside. Jade stood, her mouth open in amazement. Nuriko lifted Tamahome and Miaka out of the debris. Tamahome had shielded Miaka with his body, and had kept the rubble from crushing her. Hotohori had ran down. "Miaka! Is she alright?" Jade nodded. She helped Miaka to her feet. Miaka was shaking from the shock. "Th-thank you, Tamahome-san." Tamahome nodded, obviously in pain. Hotohori turned to Nuriko. "Who are you?" Nuriko pulled his dress down very slightly to reveal a symbol. "I am Nuriko, warrior of Suzaku." Miaka squealed with delight. "Only four more! Thanks Jade!" Jade returned the comment with a nod. She watched the three other warriors surround Miaka and thought to herself 'Wow, we found the third warrior. I notice that they seem to be good-looking men. Of course, they're either pretending to like the same sex or they like Miaka. Will one of them end up liking me?' Miaka walked over. "Hey, Jade-chan! What's with the long face?" Jade smiled. "Oh, nothing. Let's go decide what to do next." Miaka grinned as she skipped over to the others. Discussing Jade's idea, they decided to have a meeting the next day. Jade and Miaka were escorted to their own quarters.
**************
Miaka went to ask Hotohori something, and Jade decided to follow. Miaka entered Hotohori's chambers. "Hotohori? Can I ask you something?" The emporer nodded. Miaka sat down on Hotohori's bed. "Well, you see, Nuriko doesn't seem to like me very much, and she said that she liked you a lot. So I came here to ask if you would maybe try dating her..." Hotohori pinned her to the bed. His face hovered inches away from hers. "There's only one woman for me, and that's you, Miaka. Ever since I first heard about the Priestess, I imagined her as a beautiful young woman, and you fit my imagination perfectly. Once you have summoned Suzaku, will you marry me?" Jade noticed that Tamahome and Nuriko were listening in. They all fell over at the proposal. Suddenly, Hotohori came out. The three, caught, started to do an odd dance. Hotohori rolled his eyes. "You all heard, didn't you?" Tamahome and Jade protested avidly, but Nuriko told the emporer that they had 'accidentally' heard. They all left extremely fast, three chibis running to their rooms. Miaka, meanwhile, was sitting in stunned silence. 'He just proposed to me!!!'
End of Chapter 3! This takes forever...oh well. I'll get there eventually. Onward ho!!!
Chapter 3: Celeste Warrior
Everyone stared in wonder as Jade stood in front of them, the sword of Suzaku in her hand. Hotohori breathed two words. "Celeste Warrior." Everyone bowed their head. Jade stood, extremely confused. "Eh? Why is everybody bowing their heads? I just drew out this sword. Couldn't any warrior have drawn it?" Hotohori smiled. "Only the chosen warrior of Suzaku could draw that sword. Many warriors have tried, but they failed. You are the Celeste Warrior of Suzaku, Kokyu." Jade laughed. "You guys are a bunch of loonies. I'm not the Celeste Warrior!" Just as she said that, everyone gasped and pointed at her forehead. She reached up to touch it, when she saw a symbol glowing on her right hand. "That's...that's the symbol for 'flame', isn't it?" Tamahome wondered aloud. Hotohori nodded. He pulled out a mirror and held it up to Jade's face. At first, she didn't notice anything. Same green eyes, same long auburn hair...but there was something definitly wrong. "Whe the hell?!? Why's my forehead glowing?" Hotohori smiled. "That's the symbol of Suzaku, proving you are the Celeste Warrior. Do you doubt your role now? You are of the four Celeste Warriors: Tei of Genbu, Taishi of Byakko, Shoshi of Seiryu, and Kokyu of Suzaku. You are to defend your god and your county to the death. Will you take your place among the Suzaku Warriors?" Jade stood, pondering the request. On one hand, this would be an awesome oppertunity to prove herself. Back home, she was just a normal kid, one of thousands. Here, she was Kokyu, Celeste Warrior, someone that a whole country counted upon. On the other hand, it was a lot of responsiblity. What if she would mess up? Hotohori, Tamahome, Miaka...they all looked at her with pride, but what if she didn't do something right? Of course, if she didn't accept the role, they would be extemely upset for sure. She decided to take the risk. After all, she might save a country! "I'll do it. I will become Kokyu, Celeste Warrior of Suzaku." Everyone cheered. Miaka inquired "Does that make me the Priestess?" Hotohori nodded. "You both will have the task of finding the remaining five warriors. The clues to the third warrior all have to do with the palace, so one of the warriors must be here." Jade grinned, determined. "Well let's go find him!" She ran out the door, followed by Miaka and Tamahome.
**************
Accidentally, Jade had ran into a room filled with Harem women. She backed towards the door. "Sorry about that! I'll be leaving now!" One of the women grabbed her arm. Her long purple flew as she spun Jade around. "What's your name?" Jade gave a surprised retort. "Jade Stevens-I mean Kokyu." The woman immidiately released her arm. "Are you the Celeste Warrior of legend?"
"Yes I am. Why?"
"N-no reason. Listen, I need to talk to you alone." She dragged Jade to a nearby closet. Shutting the door carefully, the older woman explained. "I'm Nuriko, warrior of Suzaku." Jade gasped. "But...you're a woman! You can't be one of the Suzaku seishi!" Nuriko sighed. "I'm actually a man, but I'll get killed if anyone finds out. Men aren't supposed to be in the Harem, but I had to be here so I could eventually meet the Priestess. Also, His Majesty is a very attractive man..." Jade blanched. "Ewww, you're gay?!?" Nuriko shook his head. "Not really. It's just a cover." Jade blew a sigh of relief. She assured the purple haired seishi. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I need to take you to Miaka. We found the third seishi!" Nuriko nodded. "Just don't tell anyone about me being a guy." Jade laughed. She could see that Nuriko was a really nice guy. She hoped that they could be friends eventually, since Tara was in their world. She wondered if her best friend was reading the book right now.
**************
The said best friend yawned. She had been up reading about Jade in 'The Universe Of The Four Gods' all night. The story was so interesting though! Tara was tempted to flick through the book to see what would happen, but decided against it. She would get there eventually, and besides, her best friend's firey attitude was always a constant amusement to her. "The Celeste Warrior, upon finding the third warrior, Nuriko, went to introduce him to the Priestess. Unknown to her, the Priestess was having troubles of her own..."
**************
Jade opened the door and led Nuriko to the throne room. It was deserted except for one lone guard. "Excuse me sir. Where is His Majesty and the Priestess?" The guard pointed to the open doorway. Jade and Nuriko ran out just in time to see a group of men chasing Miaka to a small gazebo. She ran inside, panting heavily. One of the men threw a hammer, which hit one of the pillers. The whole thing began to collapse on the Priestess. Tamahome ran as fast as he could. He dove in just as the roof caved in. Jade ran forward, followed by Nuriko. Jade tried vainly to lift the rubble. "Let me handle it." Nuriko's voice whispered in her ear. Nuriko lifted the rock chunks easily, throwing them aside. Jade stood, her mouth open in amazement. Nuriko lifted Tamahome and Miaka out of the debris. Tamahome had shielded Miaka with his body, and had kept the rubble from crushing her. Hotohori had ran down. "Miaka! Is she alright?" Jade nodded. She helped Miaka to her feet. Miaka was shaking from the shock. "Th-thank you, Tamahome-san." Tamahome nodded, obviously in pain. Hotohori turned to Nuriko. "Who are you?" Nuriko pulled his dress down very slightly to reveal a symbol. "I am Nuriko, warrior of Suzaku." Miaka squealed with delight. "Only four more! Thanks Jade!" Jade returned the comment with a nod. She watched the three other warriors surround Miaka and thought to herself 'Wow, we found the third warrior. I notice that they seem to be good-looking men. Of course, they're either pretending to like the same sex or they like Miaka. Will one of them end up liking me?' Miaka walked over. "Hey, Jade-chan! What's with the long face?" Jade smiled. "Oh, nothing. Let's go decide what to do next." Miaka grinned as she skipped over to the others. Discussing Jade's idea, they decided to have a meeting the next day. Jade and Miaka were escorted to their own quarters.
**************
Miaka went to ask Hotohori something, and Jade decided to follow. Miaka entered Hotohori's chambers. "Hotohori? Can I ask you something?" The emporer nodded. Miaka sat down on Hotohori's bed. "Well, you see, Nuriko doesn't seem to like me very much, and she said that she liked you a lot. So I came here to ask if you would maybe try dating her..." Hotohori pinned her to the bed. His face hovered inches away from hers. "There's only one woman for me, and that's you, Miaka. Ever since I first heard about the Priestess, I imagined her as a beautiful young woman, and you fit my imagination perfectly. Once you have summoned Suzaku, will you marry me?" Jade noticed that Tamahome and Nuriko were listening in. They all fell over at the proposal. Suddenly, Hotohori came out. The three, caught, started to do an odd dance. Hotohori rolled his eyes. "You all heard, didn't you?" Tamahome and Jade protested avidly, but Nuriko told the emporer that they had 'accidentally' heard. They all left extremely fast, three chibis running to their rooms. Miaka, meanwhile, was sitting in stunned silence. 'He just proposed to me!!!'
End of Chapter 3! This takes forever...oh well. I'll get there eventually. Onward ho!!!