Title: Historic Travels

Author: Cheza-chan

Rating: PG-13

Summary: As most Priestesses who travel into the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho, Amai Ritsuko has a similar set of troubling issues and a few new ones of her own. Will her upbeat attitude give her the strength she needs to succeed in her perilous journey? And can she tame the hearts of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi?

Disclaimer: I would never lay claim to any of Yuu Watase-san's work, but if I could… I'd let Miaka and Tamahome die a thousand times over and don't bring them back alive in the end. (laughs evilly)

A/N: (hums softly to herself) Another chapter!

Chapter Three – Priestess of Seiryuu

Taka stole the phone from his wife as she spoke the name lightly. "Amai-sensei?" he choked out. "That means…" He blushed deeply and picture Keisuke nodding sagely on the other line.

"Taka," Miaka drawled, glaring at the man.

He laughed loudly and swiftly turned his back to her. "But why does the book want her? Its story's been told five times already. Seiryuu must have—"

"Seiryuu?" Keisuke squawked, strangling the receiver. Mayo and Yamada stared at him oddly. "Ritsuko can't handle being with Seiryuu's Shichiseishi—Yui barely managed it. They'll eat her alive before the beast God does… Oops." He glanced over his shoulder to see the boy standing, a terrified expression on his face and the chair toppled over at his feet.

"'Oops'?" Taka mimicked. "What's going on over there?"

"Taka, sorry. I'll call you later." Keisuke sighed and hung up on his in-law's frantic yells. He faced his students, a weary smile on his face. "Guys, we have to do something, and soon. But the time Sukunami-sensei gets back to help, Amai-sensei'll probably be my age."

"No way," Mayo gasped. She had been in the book for quite some time but she hadn't paid attention to time when Taka brought her back; she was just happy to be home.

Shinji dropped back into his seat, head tilted back and hands covering his face. He whimpered softly. He really did respect Amai Ritsuko and would do anything to see her happy and safe.

Would you?

"I would," the boy replied out loud, not caring whom the voice belonged to. Keisuke and Sakaki stared at him. Mayo screamed at the bright light exploding from the book she still held and dropped it. The cover snapped open and the pages fluttered violently. Shinji Yamada's eyes shone bright blue, his hair and clothes blowing in the wind suddenly created inside the house. "Seiryuu no miko-sama," he said tonelessly.

Keisuke shielded the girl against the second explosion of light and waited for it to dim. There was no evidence of the chaos that happened in the Yuki home to be seen from the street. Mayo peered over her coach's arm as the light faded and sat up straight, looking around. "Yamada…? Yamada! Yamada's gone!"

Keisuke's eyes rolled up into his head and he blindly reached for the phone. "Yamada-san, gomen… Your son, although male, has disappeared into a cursed book we found several years ago. Why'd I mention he was a male? Because the book only takes in young girls! Funny, huh?"

Mayo watched the pages of the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho settle. 'Into the book…?'

"Ah… haha!" Keisuke laughed nervously in the background "Taka! You're not going to believe this…"

Ritsuko sighed loudly. She'd been walking in the direction her feet took her for the past two days, with little sleep, and was now positive she was lost. "Being lost is better than being a prostitute," she yelled into the sky. 'I'm sorry, Kaen-san.' She sank into the lush grass beneath her and leaned against the single tree providing shade on the small hillside. The breeze blew and Ritsuko smiled at the claming sensation washing over her. She had no idea she'd fell asleep.

"Miss. Miss. It's not wise to sleep here." The young boy glanced up at the ominous clouds that had floated in and continued shaking Ritsuko. "Miss, wake up. Please." Ritsuko waved a hand and turned her head away. With a sigh, the youth slid his arms under her knees and around her waist, lifting her. Ritusko turned and slid her arms around his neck instinctively and nestled into his warmth. He blushed deeply and hurried down the hill. The skies opened up just as the door closed behind them.

"Nomura, is that you?"

"It is, hahaue." Nomura nudged his way into his room with his shoulder and set Ritsuko on the bed there. He stared at the woman and smiled. "Hahaue, do you think you can make food for one more?"

"Nomura…" The woman looking into the room stared in disbeliefat the figure on her son's bed.

"It's a friend," Nomura laughed nervously. He stepped out with his mother and closed the door.

Ritsuko moaned softly and buried her face into the pillow. Her eyes fluttered open when her mind reminded her she should be cheek-to-cheek with rough bark. She pushed herself into a sitting position quickly and stared around drowsily. "Where…?" Had she been kidnapped again? Ritsuko swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She rushed to the door and quickly stepped back as it flew open.

Nomura stared at her, surprise and shock written on his face. Ritsuko's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around the startled boy's neck. "Shinji-kun! Thank God… Does this mean I'm home? Finally!"

"Miss…" Nomura placed his hands atop her arms and eased her away. He smiled and it was obvious he was an exact look-alike of Shinji Yamada. With the same innocent, boyish features, right down to the small nose and big green eyes, the only difference was the length of his sandy-brown hair; it was pulled back into a ponytail and hung loosely down his back. "I'm sorry. My name is Ai Nomura. I found you asleep on the hillside and took you in."

"Where am I?" Ritsuko asked with a bright smile.

"My house is on the outskirts of the Kutou border," Nomura replied. They remained locked in their embrace even as they carried on their casual conversation.

"And Kutou is…?"

"One of the four countries of China. It lies to the east. Konan lies to the south, Hokkan lies to the north, and Sairou lies to the west. Hokkan's the largest of all four and the coldest."

Ritsuko smiled and caressed the side of his face in an almost motherly fashion. "Thank you." 'I really am… in the book…'

Nomura smiled. "Ready for dinner?"

Ritsuko's stomach answered for her with a loud, unnatural growl. She laughed nervously at the sweat drop forming above his head and pushed him out of the room. For the first time in three days, Ritsuko had a warm meal in her empty stomach and a decent night's sleep.

Nomura waved goodbye to his mother the next morning and hurried to join Ritsuko at the end of the road leading out of his village. He said goodbye to those few who were up early and working. "What's your plan again?" he asked the beaming woman.

Ritsuko chuckled softly. "I'll explain my situation to the emperor and hope he can send me home."

"Your… own world?"

"Yes, sir!"

"They're going to jail you," Nomura grumbled. "They're going to jail me for just being with you." He stepped closer to the woman to get out of the way of a passing cart.

"That's why I have a back-up plan," Ritsuko snickered. "Also, I thank your mother for fixing it."

"She enjoyed the challenge," the boy smiled. "It was material she'd never seen before."

"Mm-hmm!" Ritsuko had tried contacting Mayo immediately after putting back on her swimsuit but failed each time. She fixed the front of her dress to hide the jacket beneath and smiled. Upon entering the bustling capital, Ritsuko immediately plastered herself against the boy's side; she didn't want a repeat of her first arrival. Nomura wrapped an arm around her and forced his way to the palace.

Ritsuko observed the guards at the gate and pulled her personal bodyguard aside. "Change of plans," she told him, already stripping out of her dress. The boy looked away modestly. She folded the clothes as small as she could and handed it to Nomura. Ritsuko threw her jacket open with a grin and held out her arm to the boy. "Let's go."

The emperor straightened himself on his throne as the guards escorted in a boy dragging a screaming woman along. His eyes narrowed at her strange attire then widened. 'Masaka!' "Fetch Nakago!" he yelled, waving a hand.

Nomura's grip on Ritsuko's arm tightened and he drew her closer. He could feeling her questioning gaze on him as he told her to quiet down.

"Shin—Nomura-kun…"

Without warning, he lifted the woman onto his shoulder, kicked the second guard aside, and ran back out. He didn't get far. Nomura glared up at the blonde shogun that stared down at him with cold blue eyes. "So Seiryuu decided to separate the Bu twins after all," Nakago drawled. "What's your name, boy?"

"Ai Nomu—"

"I'd rather not say," Nomura said, interrupting the answering woman. "If you could, please, just call me Nomura." Ritsuko's eyes narrowed and she allowed her hands to linger on the boy's shoulder as he set her back onto the palace's smooth tiled floor.

"Where were you going with our Priestess?"

"Priestess?" Ritsuko stared between the two men. "What are you talking about? Nomura-kun…"

The boy eased her hands away and fell to one knee before her. "Seiryuu no miko, I am here to serve and protect you."

Ritsuko stepped back, hands clasped tightly together. A half-hearted smile played at her lips. "What on earth are you talking about?"

§§§

"That's right. I'm sleeping over at Saori's. I'll be fine, mom. Bye." Mayo hung up with a sigh and turned back to Keisuke just as he was handing her a steaming mug of cocoa. She accepted it with a small smile. "What's happening now?"

Keisuke dropped onto the sofa with a loud groan and snatched up the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho. "The Priestess of Seiryuu had no idea what she had gotten into; both men were on their knees before her, pledging their loyalty. Ai Nomura was a replacement for Seiryuu seishi Amiboshi." He stopped for a moment and stared up at the ceiling. "Replacement…"

"The boy's wish had been granted and he was reborn as a star under Suzaku," Mayo read, now beside her coach. "What's that mean?"

"It means Taka will never be taken into the book again," Keisuke said dully. "Apparently, the book is fixing itself."

"The book is?" Mayo asked incredulously.

"As crazy as it sounds, yeah, the book is." Keisuke closed his eyes. 'Please let Ritsuko come back in one piece. She's a handful, but… I like her all the same.'

"Nakago and Nomura escorted the Priestess back to the emperor of Kutou," Mayo continued reading as she sipped her cocoa. "Nomura… It's Yamada, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the man sighed. He'd already accumulated a list of excuses to tell the Yamadas if the book hadn't already taken care of that problem.

"She refused," Mayo sputtered, sitting back on the coach.

Keisuke straightened himself up and stared at the book he still held. "She'll come home if she accepts. Why is she being so difficult…?"