Translations:

On'na - Japanese curse word, literally means "woman"

Tasukete - Help/Help me

Arigatou - Thank you

Ahou - Moron

Chapter 2: Inside the Shijin Tenchi Sho: Fated by Illness

The only way Kaede could describe the sensation that engulfed her body was nausea, but all over. When felt solid ground under her, the feeling faded away from her. Slowly opening her eyes, her first thought was how the room of the library had sudden illuminated itself, and that she hadn't realized the floor was so rough…

A gasp escaped her and she bolted upright, eyes darting about her surroundings. She wasn't in the National Library, but a large field—covered with stubs of dried grass, weeds, and random spots of gravel. Noticing the immodest position of her skirt, Kaede adjusted it, taking in the landscape one more time. There were mountains in the distance, but they looked much smoother than the ones she was used to. The air was warmer and drier than the library… and she was alone.

Kaede cautiously stood up, almost afraid her legs wouldn't work. Again, she looked at the foreign area, turning around slowly as she did so. "Where… am I?" She voiced her thought. "I'm not… hallucinating again…?" She brushed dirt off her plaid school uniform and clasped her hands tightly. There was no way a hallucination could be this real… was there?

Taking a few steps forward, her foot hit something, and she peered down to see her black duffle bag lying on its side in a puddle of wilting flowers. She picked it up and brushed it off, thankful that it had come with her. The idea came to her that she may have blacked out and someone had taken her home from the library… but why would she be in the middle of a field, and by herself? And this field… she didn't recognize it--or anything around her.

Carefully putting the duffle on her shoulder and holding onto the straps as though it were a life preserver, she slowly walked across the field, hoping to see something--or someone--that was familiar to her. She reached the end of the field and found a dirt road, and though the idea of staying where she was until a person found her seemed a good one, she decided to follow this path to what hopefully would be some answers.

It wasn't long before she could hear noise in the distance, and upon further listening it sounded like a crowd of people. As the noise grew louder, Kaede could pinpoint it to be on the other side of the wall of trees the road followed. Seeing no turn in the lane, she climbed up a small slope to the brush and winded her way through the oaks. When she got on the other side, she froze.

Before her was some sort of market place, but nothing like the malls she went to in Tokyo. There were booths and animals everywhere, and when she looked closer, she noticed the third-world look of the place. The cloth tops to the small shops were dirty and worn, and so were the people in them. A transaction was being made to her far left, and both merchant and customer avoided eye contact and mumbled to each other. The awe of what was happening to her brought up memories of a favorite childhood film.

"I don't think I'm in Tokyo anymore…" Kaede breathed, touching a hand to her chest. One foot after another, she wandered into the thin streets of the town, blue eyes gawking at what surrounded her. The further in she got, the worse is became. She saw a sick man leaning against the side of one of the shops, using the collar of his shirt to hide his face.

His shirt… she thought, then glanced at the people passing by her, what clothes are these people wearing? They're… Kaede's eyes met with a woman's who was looking back at her, and she felt embarrassed for staring. What is going on?

A loud tenor voice sounded ahead of her, and a few people quickly rushed by her to get away from it. She stepped to the side of the street to get out of the way, looking ahead to see what the fuss was about. There were three men, all rather large, dressed in armor and clad in blue, a gold symbol of some sort of serpent on their breastplates. The one shouting was holding up the arm of a woman no older than 30 and shaking her violently, while a man guarding a child pleaded with him, anguish written on his face.

"You want to do that again!" The soldier shouted, spitting in the woman's face and cursing loudly at her.

"Gomen nasai!" She cried out, obviously in pain.

"Please sir," the man, assumingly the husband, begged, "she didn't realize it!"

"Konan stupidity." A second guard grunted, folding his arms tightly. "No one, especially this woman, may speak in our presence! Righteous pigs! We'll make an example out of you!"

"No!" The woman cried, shielding herself with her free arm as the soldier holding her drew his sword.

Kaede covered her mouth in horror at the sight she was witnessing. Where were the police? Were these guys serious?

Knowing better than to hesitate, she dashed forward, running towards the guard right before he brought his arm down. Though her weight compared to his was ridiculously pathetic, she managed to shove him enough to cause a stumble and get him away from the helpless woman.

"Are you okay!" Kaede asked, sounding panicked. The family gazed at her in disbelief. She got a quick nod from the father as the three scurried out of the way.

"Why you…" the soldier's voice was thick with anger. He lifted up his sword and swung down at her, hitting the very edge of her shoe as she leapt away.

Kaede shrieked and looked at the damage. "Those are real swords!" She made the observation clear and loud.

"Damn right they are, and you're their next meal!" The second one bellowed, drawing his as well. The third man behind him followed suit.

Adrenaline like Kaede had never felt before rushed though her veins and she nearly fell over as she broke out into a run, the three men rushing after her. She whizzed passed the shops she had just come by, barely missing a goat that casually strolled into her way.

"Someone help me!" She cried, pumping her legs in desperation to get away. The sound of the heavy boots chasing her grew louder, and before she could try to dodge another direction, a strong hand grabbed her elbow and yanked her backwards.

"You won't be getting' any help outta this town!" The large man yelled, raising his sword as the other two grabbed her arms and help her in place. Kaede's tearing eyes looked into their faces and saw nothing but merciless grins staring back at her.

She shut her eyes for the impact. "NO!" She screamed.

At the sound of the shout, a bright, red light encircled her body like a shell, then shot outwards into the soldiers, sending them flying back without any physical force at all. Kaede opened her eyes, recognizing the light as the same phenomenon that had shot out of the Chinese book at the library. The light encompassed everything around her, a few bystanders gaping at its brilliance.

Opening her hands, Kaede watched the supernatural color dance on her palms, and then slowly fade around her until it was replaced with the normal atmosphere of the day. She was awe-struck at witnessing such a marvelous wonder, and whispered thanks to it in her mind.

"What… What kind of sorcery is this?" One guard stuttered, getting back to his feet. A rage more severe than the one before illuminated his face. "On'na!" He cursed, his fellow soldiers standing to back him up. "You will die a thousand deaths where you stand!"

Panic once again filling her; Kaede tore through the streets, the previous chase picking up again. Like before, the thudding of feet behind her grew louder and louder, and she knew without a doubt she'd be caught again, and felt sure that the red light that had saved her only seconds ago would not make a reappearance.

"Tasukete!" She screamed, feeling her legs tire beneath her. She felt something smash into her, but from the side, not from where the guards were. She grabbed whatever she could hold onto of the body that was suddenly next to her, and the air whipped by her so fast she was near paralyzed. She felt herself and the person holding her fly up into the air, giving her a chance to open her eyes to see what on earth was happening. However, she only caught a glimpse of a jaw line before something hard hit her stomach, and the world around her became dark.

When Kaede woke up, she found herself staring at a wood ceiling covered in dozens of support beams. She stared at it as she fully woke into consciousness. She sat up, feeling the beginning of a headache, and a bit of queasiness in her stomach.

"I've got to stop doing this…" She moaned, rubbing her head. The clip that held her bangs back was about to fall out, so she fixed it into place before taking in her surroundings. Again, they were foreign, but much homier than the field had been. As she softly touched the quilt underneath her, the memories of the market place flooded back crisp and clear. Who were those men? That light? Who had saved her? How did she wind up in this strange place, and more importantly, where in the world was she now?

She got off the small bed and looked herself over, everything seemingly still intact. She was about to explore when a sense of fatigue washed over her, and she sat back onto the stiff mattress. She could easily tell the impression apart from the queasiness in her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch that day, and she always felt like this when she went too long without eating…

The sound of creaky hinges alerted Kaede to another presence. At the other end of the room, in a doorway, stood a thin-looking man, one who was probably just a little older than her. He had an almost grimy appearance about him, and he placed his hands on his hips while he looked her up and down.

Kaede couldn't help but feel a little violated.

"Well, looky here. I leave for a few hours and come back to find this in my room." He smiled. "I guess it's m'lucky day, a pay off for all th'work I've be'n doin'."

Kaede's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

He slowly stepped away from the door. "Just be quiet, we can't be lettin' too much noise…"

His speech was cut off by a swift smack to the head by a much taller and more hygienic-looking male.

"Get off it, Isho." He muttered, pushing the scrawny boy back to the door. "She's in here 'cause th'room was open. Go find some use fer yerself."

Isho frowned, cast one eye towards Kaede, and obediently left the room. Kaede was indeed grateful for the interjection by this new person, but was weary of what his intentions were.

The two had a sort of staring contest before she spoke up.

"Who… who are you?" She asked.

She didn't get a reply right away, but instead saw this new man look her up and down, and her worries became more prominent. She crossed her arms over her chest as though she was under an X-ray.

The man shook his head. "I wasn't lookin' at nuthin'." He met her eyes. Kaede noticed how different his eyes were from the people back home… his hair too. There was no way a mane that orange was natural.

"Where… am I?" She changed the question, avoiding an awkward silence.

The man hesitated, "I'm not sure I c'n tell ya that."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Can you tell me something?" She asked. "Like, who you are, for example?"

"Genrou." His response was quick that time.

"Gen… rou." She repeated the name. "Now," she took a deep breath, "how did I get here?"

"Why don'cha tell me who you are first?" He remarked, folding his arms. He looked at her like she was a suspect in some murder case.

"I…" Kaede searched for words, "My name is Kaede, Hoshihara Kaede. And…" She looked around, a look of desperation crossing her features. She leaned her weight onto the bed. "Where am I?"

"I said I couldn't tell ya that." He said a little harsher than he had meant to. The stranger glanced up at him with a hopeless expression, and he regretted saying it. "…sorry… but, it's fer yer own good."

Kaede stared off for a moment. "One second you're doing homework in a library, and the next, you're in some strange place that looks like ancient China…"

Though she hadn't been looking at him, she could sense his stiff reaction to those words. Had she said something wrong?

Genrou looked her over again. Her strange clothes were a similar fashion to the girl's he had met two years before—but one thing was sure, they were foreign. Very foreign. And that light…

"That light," he said, his voice almost a whisper, "what was that light?"

Kaede gave him an inquisitive glance.

He seemed to be getting a little frustrated. "In the market place, when those damn guards were chasin' ya like chickens with their damn heads off."

Kaede stood again, realization hitting her. "It was you!" She pointed.

"What?"

She walked up to him. "You were the one who saved me!"

"Don't go changin' the subject!"

A smile lit on her face. "But… it was you, wasn't it?"

Genrou paused, then nodded. "But before you get all mushy or somethin', I only did it cause of that light n'all—"

"Arigatou." Kaede whispered. "You saved my life, Genrou."

The man looked uncomfortable, and scratched the back of his head. "Yer welcome, but…"

"The light." Kaede remembered. "I… I don't know what it is, what it was—it's the same light that brought me here."

The same reaction as before struck Genrou, but Kaede didn't notice.

Kaede paced for a moment in thought. "If you can't tell me where I am, can you tell me how I got here? It's like…" she pondered, "a whole other world."

"There's no way," he said, barely audible.

"Huh?"

He shook his head in disbelief, and backed up a bit. "Miaka… she died… could there really be… another one?"

Kaede stepped towards him. "What are you talking about?"

Genrou seemed seriously ill. "I don't know." He looked away, peering down the hallway the door to the room lead to.

He didn't speak for a long time with so many thoughts plaguing his mind. He ran a hand through his orange hair. Could she be…?

A faint thud sounded behind him, and he turned around to see Kaede on her knees, hand on her forehead. Concerned, he quickly knelt beside her. "You okay?" He asked.

Kaede shook her head in the negative. "It's been a while since I last ate… my blood sugar's getting low." She glanced around the room. Oh no… I must have lost my bag when I was running in the market… my meter's in there…

"Blood sugar?" Genrou questioned. "What th'hell are you talking about?" When she didn't reply, He stood up and took her arm, helping her do the same. "If yer hungry, just say so. I'm sure we got somethin' layin' 'round here."

Genrou lead the fatigued girl through the hallway, getting a few odd looks from others that passed him. It wasn't too long before the narrow hallways lead into a small dining area.

"Sit." He ordered, and Kaede obliged him. He went to the other side of the room, made some clamor, and returned with a pear in his hands. "Here."

Kaede took the pear and bit into it, hardly taking time to taste it before she swallowed. "Thank you."

Genrou sat down across from her, watching curiously as she ate the fruit. "We don' got nuthin' sweet, sorry."

Kaede shook her head. "No, this is perfect. Thank you."

He watched her a little longer before another question arose. "But didn't you say… somethin' 'bout blood sugar?"

Kaede looked over. "If I go too long without eating, my blood sugar goes down. I have to be careful. It's just what comes with diabetes."

Genrou was completely lost, but didn't say anything. Kaede finished the pear, and he threw the rest of it away.

"My meter was in the bag I had when I came here," she explained without being asked, "I really should test myself, but…"

"What did it look like?" He inquired.

Kaede easily recalled the duffle. "It was black, with yellow handles—"

"Ya mean that thing?" Tasuki pointed across the room. Kaede turned around and saw her duffle back sitting by the entrance.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, getting up from the table and running over to it. "Thank goodness…" She unzipped it and found all of her belongings in there, unharmed. Her meter case, swimsuit, towels, even her granola bar hadn't been touched.

She pulled out a black case and unzipped it as well. It opened up to several syringes of insulin on one side, and a blue colored device on the other. She popped open the meter and took a small stick out of it, along with a thin strip of paper.

Genrou sauntered over and peered over her shoulder, watching Kaede place the small stick on her finger and hitting a button on the end of it. After a quick click! She moved it away, a droplet of blood forming on her finger.

"What th'hell are ya doin'?" Genrou pulled the needle out of her hands.

Kaede turned as if offended. "What? Give that back! Don't tell me you've never seen someone do this before!"

She held out her hand, and Genrou reluctantly returned the item. Going back to her work, she put the drop of blood on the paper and inserted it into the meter, placing the pierced finger in her mouth for a moment. A number in bold, black print popped up on the screen, and Kaede seemed relieve.

"What the…" Genrou grabbed the meter away from her and examined it. "How does this thing work?"

"Like I know." Kaede retorted, grabbing it back. "I just stick the strip in and it tells me if I'm dieting right."

Genrou raised an eyebrow, but dropped the subject.

"Ne, Genrou," Kaede's voice called behind him as he lead her through the cramped hallways of the strange place she was in, "where do I go after this?"

"What d'ya mean?"

She slowed down, gazing at the walls of the corridors that were complied of either wood or packed dirt. "I mean… I don't know how to get home. I don't even know how I got here." She sighed, "am I staying here, or am I just the day's charity case?"

"I don't do charity cases." Genrou replied. "Yer stayin' here 'til I c'n figure out what ta do with ya."

"And your ideas are?" Kaede questioned.

Genrou turned around, but didn't say anything. He turned back and kept going.

"Hey!" Kaede ran ahead of him, stopping him. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

Still, no answer. He just kept walking.

"Do I just sit around and wait for your whimsical desire?" She interrogated, "Do I get to play housekeeper for a while? Or do I get to be knocked out again and wake up in another strange man's bedroom?"

"Hey!" Genrou raised his voice, turning around. The motion startled Kaede. "Jus' cuz these guys chose banditry fer a livin', doesn't make us criminals or nuthin'."

"Bandits?" She repeated, "You're a bandit?"

"Like it's a big surprise." He continued on his previous path.

Kaede found herself speechless, and followed him a bit further before finding her voice. "Genrou…" she said, softer.

"What?" He turned again.

Kaede looked away. "What… what is going to happen to me?"

The bandit's hard exterior alleviated. "Kaede… It's Kaede, right?"

A nod.

He sighed. "Kaede, you may jus' be the answer t'our prayers."

The sentence surprised her. "Your…prayers?"

He looked thoughtfully down the hallway again. "When Miaka died, everythin' went downhill. It jus' got bad, y'know? But… if yer the next priestess, if there really could be a 'nother priestess, then maybe…"

"Wait," Kaede stopped him, "Priestess? What do you mean?"

He just turned up the corridor again, and the guest had no choice but to follow him. The area got more and more narrow until the path came to a dead end, a rope ladder hanging down from the ceiling. Genrou started climbing up it, and pushed a wooden board at the top of it, rays of sunlight streaming passed him as he did so. He climbed out, then poked his head back into the hole.

"You comin'?"

Kaede secured her bag on her shoulder and took hold of the ladder, struggling a bit to reach its top. Genrou lent her a hand and pulled her up, replacing the board over the exit and covering it with dirt and leaves.

Looking around, Kaede found herself in the middle of a forest. "We were underground?"

"Yep, only place fer a bunch of outlaws like us t'go." He replied, brushing his hand off and walking past her. "Used t'live on a big mountain, but ever since Kutou brought their sorry asses over here, we've had t'do a bit of sneakin' around."

"Kutou?"

Genrou looked up into the trees, selecting one to begin climbing. "I guess I'll have t'catch ya up on that."

Kaede moved to the tree and watched the man scale its branches. "What are you doing?"

Near the top of the tree, Genrou perched himself on one of the branches, opening up what Kaede made out to be a cage. He reached his hand out and pulled out a bird that had a likeness to a Mourning Dove.

"See that tree over there?" He pointed.

Kaede shielded her eyes and scanned where he was directing her. "Yes."

"Go break me off a piece of it."

Complying, she went to the rather small willow tree and broke off a seven-inch piece of one of its branches, returning to find Genrou stroking the bird's back.

"Here." She handed him the twig.

He broke it in half and tossed the other piece, holding the shorter stem out to the bird. The bird leapt to his hand and grasped it in its small feet, then took off towards the sky and out of sight.

"What was all that for?" Kaede queried.

"Guess it's a sort of homin' signal… somethin' like that." He headed back to the hidden entrance to the underground tunnels, carefully revealing it. "Hopefully that bird won't take too long, it would make this a lot easier. Can't send a real note in case it gets intercepted."

More confused than ever, Kaede went back into the hideout, waiting at the bottom of the ladder for her new acquaintance.

"Can you tell me where I am now?" She said when he reached the floor.

"Reikaku." He answered without hesitance. "We're in Konan, not too far away from where I found you."

It helped to know where she was currently, but not knowing the place "where he found her" proved it difficult for her to draw a map in her head. She did know one thing for sure though—She definitely wasn't in Tokyo anymore. In fact, she didn't think she was anywhere near Japan.

"There's a room close t'mine you c'n stay in, fer now, anyway." Genrou said as he lead her through the place she had declared a maze after a small dinner. "It's pretty cramped'n all, but it's probably better if ya stay closer to me."

Kaede smirked. "I thought you said there weren't any criminals down here."

Genrou reached a door and opened it, giving the younger person a defiant stare. "There ain't, but most girls are afraid of mice and dumb stuff like that."

She rolled her eyes and entered the room. He was right; it was cramped. It was smaller than the one she had in her apartment, which would be considered quite tiny by today's living standards. However, it did have a bed and a table, which was enough for her to ask for.

She sat on the bed while Genrou fiddled with the lantern to make it brighter.

"I don't have anything." Kaede spoke, meaning it only for herself.

"Any of what?"

Kaede shrugged. "Well, I wasn't really planning on a sleepover—I don't have a toothbrush, or a change of clothes…"

"I'll see what I can do." Genrou replied, sounding as if she was being picky.

While the bandit was working with the lighting, Kaede reached into her duffle bag and pulled out her meter case. She unhooked one of the syringes and took out a travel-size package of baby wipes. Cleaning off her arm, she popped off the cap to the needle and chose a spot to insert it.

"WHAT ARE YA DOIN'!" Genrou exclaimed, darting for the needle and confiscating it. "You on drugs or somethin'?"

"Genrou!" Kaede stood up, trying to get the needle back. "That's my insulin, Ahou! I'm a diabetic, remember!"

At the sight of her fury Genrou returned the syringe, and Kaede sat back down and practically shoved the thing into her arm.

"Whaddya mean a diabetic?" He repeated the alien word.

Kaede looked at him in frustration, but the confusion on his face made it fade away. "You really don't know what diabetes is?"

He shook his head no.

"Do you know what a pancreas is?"

He paused, then pointed to his abdomen. "That's a thing down here, right?"

"Right." Kaede assured. "The pancreas releases insulin into your blood stream to help process the sugars that your body takes in with the food you eat. When you have diabetes, the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, if any at all, so you have to take it artificially." She looked for a place to put the empty syringe, but not finding a waste bin, replaced the cap and put it on the table. "Luckily the diabetes I have only requires I take one shot a day, unless I get stupid with what I eat. Some people have to take insulin every time they put food into their mouths."

Genrou nodded in understanding. "That sucks. I ain't ever heard of someone havin' a disease like that."

Kaede ignored the comment at first, but then froze, holding her meter case in her lap. She glanced at Genrou, blue eyes filled with worry. "You mean… you've never heard of someone having diabetes?"

"No."

"There's no way…" she trailed off. When she had come into this world, she had noticed how ancient it seemed. Even now, with the lantern, she noticed there wasn't any electricity. Plus, there was the way Genrou had reacted to her meter earlier that day.

"That means… the disease doesn't exist in this world…" She breathed, sounding flabbergasted. "Genrou… I can't get any insulin here, can I?"

"Uh… no." He said, as if it was obvious. He saw the anxiety on her face and worried a little himself. "What happens if ya don't get any of this insulin stuff?"

Kaede's eyes watered lightly as she shook her head in disbelief. "When my insulin runs out…

…I'll die."

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Author's note: Thank you to those who reviewed. This is my first fic having a complete OOC be the main character, so let me know what you think!