Nalle: We're back!
Jess: Yes siree Bob! O.T. owns nothing so if you're going to make her feel bad by rubbing it in either call ahead and make an appointment or get in line with the rest of us.
Nalle: Let's git started!
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Chapter 2 - Choices
(Or as we like to refer to it "Do we look like cattle to you?!")
The sun beams bright
The morning gleams
The skies are blue
The calm breeze clean
Look up at spring
Decked out with life
Dance through petals
And scream in delight
But watch your step
As your mind roams free
Or you might just run
Into a tree (^____^)
It was the beginning of yet another boring day, which marked the beginning of yet another boring week, and that in turn was the beginning of the rest of a boring life. The morning sun beamed through the window's glass panes and onto a quartet of teenagers. They were dosing around the living room; their arms and legs sprawled about the furniture as is the norm. On the TV screen Trigun was playing for the six-hundredth time. The large bulbous head one of the Nebraska Family members was leering at them wickedly as the oldest girl put the finishing touches on an essay she was writing. Her fingers danced over her laptop while she spared glances at the TV. The two other girls were presently in a very intellectual discussion trying to decide whether they would choose Vash the Stampede or Knives as their koibito.
"The way I see it Nalle, Vash has the whole cute/innocent thing going whereas Knives is just flat out psychotic," explained Jessica as she flicked red-orange hair out of her eyes.
"But you do realize that the innocent moron is just an act," pointed out the younger brunette, "Vash may act like a ditz but he's very aware of what goes on around him."
"Well yeah nee-chan, but you have to agree he is a baka most of the time."
"Demo! He can get very manly and hot when he means business Jess," said Nalleli looking up at the screen adoringly, "those glasses… those gloves… and the coat…"
"And he gets sparklies! Don't forget the sparklies!" squealed Jessica as she jumped up and down on the sofa.
"Will you keep it down?" snapped Selene, "I'm trying to do an essay here!"
"You should've done that during the weekend, Selene," chided Nalleli.
"Besides, you're not the boss of us!" answered the redhead.
"As a matter of fact, since you're in MY house and using MY anime, you have to do what I say."
"That a fact?" said Ezra speaking up for the first time. He was lying on the couch in a position which forced him to watch the TV from an upside-down point of view, "Then I guess I should point out that you're also using MY DVD player."
Selene smiled sweetly.
"Screw you hermanito (little brother)," she told him in a disgustingly sugary voice.
"Back at you, ahou," he retorted in the same tone.
And so, the morning dragged on with the four teens interacting in horribly cluttered multilingual phrases. Their sentences, which were made up of bits of English, Japanese, and Spanish, would often make their parents shiver in repulsion as they passed by. If things kept going they way they were headed, pretty soon the foursome would be unable to communicate with the outside world. It was, Selene thought, not a bad suggestion. Just imagine! We would have then created a new language! She smiled as she resumed her typing.
Nothing interesting ever happened in this frame of reality. It was a fact the group had come to accept. There was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, no monster in your closet, no nymphs to offend if you cut down the forest, no unicorn to trap with a golden halter, or dragon to lure with promises of gold, and definitely no such thing as magic. It was cruel reality. Yet deep inside, everyone holds a place where they shoved all those foolish hopes. There in that place, the worlds of anime thrived. The three girls felt this.
"It's as if," Selene had once said, "you want to believe the anime is real and even though deep down you know that it's just a story, for a short period of time you also know it's real. That's the reason why we look up the Universe of the Four Gods in the library, or search for portals in wells… because as long as we don't lose that little glimmer of hope, there's a chance we might find what we're looking for."
"Or give ourselves a concussion," Jessica had added, "which, by the way, turns out to be the same thing!"
Jessica and Nalleli were sisters despite the fact that they were direct opposites in appearance and temperament. Jessica was the older of the two with vibrant carroty hair and green eyes. Her disposition was fierce and she was relatively easy to aggravate. If truth be told, this was usually what got her in trouble. Her strong willed nature also caused people to regularly label her as a brat; as a result, she had a hard time adjusting. But all was not lost because the people who were worthwhile often got used to her bossy attitude and discovered how good a friend she could be.
"If they're so intolerant that they want to label me before they know me, then they're not worth my time anyway," she would huff when her mother chided her actions.
Nalleli was younger than her sister by about two years and had dark black hair with brown eyes. She was the calm and easy going of the group. If something had to be done, then she would do it at her own pace. Her philosophy was highly biased to the "live and let live" concept. Nalleli never threw the tantrums her sister would develop on a daily basis because she usually conceded with whatever was required of her. She was sweet and unbelievably innocent in appearance. Nevertheless, she was given to sudden spurts of hyperactivity, and when she got angry it was a very scary sight. But as a habit, she exerted no control over anyone, and, in return, did not expect to be too pressured herself: live and let live. Sometimes she could take her docile nature to the point of annoyance.
"I wish you'd fight back once in a while! It's not really that hard!" griped Jessica.
"She has a point Nalle," concurred Selene, "If you don't become more assertive, people will walk all over you."
The girls' parents both worked throughout the day, and it was a perfectly sensible arrangement. That is to say, until spring break came around. Like so many overprotective couples, their parents simply refused to leave the two girls unsupervised for the day. And so, it was up to Selene, who just barely qualified as a "responsible adult", to baby-sit them. It was an arrangement the two sisters found embarrassing, but necessary. The alternative was to accompany their parents' to work. Once there, they would be the only middle-school students within the company "day-care". Needless to say, this was an even more undignified situation.
"Why can't they trust us enough to leave us home alone?" muttered Jessica.
"It's not like we'd break anything… not valuable anyway," observed Nalleli.
Selene was the oldest of the group. She was headed towards her third year of college despite being only 18. High School had lost its luster during freshmen and sophomore year. The last straw had been when her favorite subject was butchered by two incompetent teachers. Eventually, after a year of reading nothing but the rudimentary Shakespeare plays (Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar) and Pre-Civil War slavery novels, English had lost all of its appeal. She just didn't care anymore. Her teachers' statements often put on a show of offering assistance, but their demeanor and tone towards her exposed their true thoughts: "You'll never amount to more than a second rate author."
(A/N: What kind of teacher says: "Oh, being an author doesn't seem to be the career for you. You'll have to get your masters in English before you can even begin to consider becoming a decent author.")
When the opportunity presented itself, Selene took it and graduated a year early. She immediately enrolled in a nearby college and took her first real English class in two years. Now that she had returned to her element, the teen remembered why she loved writing.
Ezra was Selene's younger brother. He had plenty of acquaintances, but somehow he managed to always be alone. The fact was that people thought him weird. What other boy could name the Dodgers' starting line up along with their batting averages and at the same time know all the words to Mr. Mistoffolees from Cats? Of course, the fact that he seemed to be in a fashion coma, and his goal in life was to be a Nationally Certified Alchemist didn't help. Teachers liked him well enough, but only because they saw him as an unusual specimen. His interests varied from mecha-anime to Les Miserables. It was no wonder that his parents became more bizarre-tolerant than most. A normal conversation might include references to himself in third person or an uninterrupted chain of mindless rambles.
Soon, the Trigun episode ended with the always welcomed Kaze wa Mirai ni Fuku. The three girls sang along enthusiastically as Ezra shook his head to the rhythm.
"Ne, Selene, shouldn't you be getting to school?" asked Nalle as the effect of the music wore off.
"Nah, I still have an hour to go," she answered looking up at the wall clock, "it's only 10:45."
"I don't think so; did you make sure to set the clock ahead one hour last night?"
"Yeah, I told Ezra to do it."
"Huh? Me?" asked the boy, "I thought you did it."
Selene's eyes then narrowed behind her glasses
"What do you mean 'I thought you did it'? I clearly told you to do it before we went to bed!"
"Um… oh yeah," the boy jumped off the couch and sprinted to the clock. He gently pushed the hour hand up a notch with his finger. "There! I did it nee-chan!" he exclaimed proudly.
Selene breathed heavily before pouncing on her brother in an attempt to choke the life out of him.
"Ack! Selene, matte!" he cried out as he tried to escape his sister's clutches, "Parale mensa! Vas a lleguar tarde!" he managed to squeak. ("Stop it stupid! You're going to be late!")
The college girl froze in her tracks.
"I'M ALREADY LATE!!!" she cried out in distress and her chibi form raced around gathering her school materials. Her things always seemed to disperse themselves around her home when she was in a hurry. Selene crammed loose papers and books into her mail-man style backpack as she ran out the door…
… in her pajamas.
She immediately ran back in and changed into something decent. After a few seconds, she rushed out again and slammed the door behind her. After a while, Selene stepped back inside and screamed at the top of her chibi lungs.
"What are you doing?! Can't you see I'm late!"
Blank stares.
"MUEVANSE BAKAS!" (Move bakas!)
Prompted by her burning glare, the three younger teens jumped up and hurried out the door. The four crammed into Selene's blue X-terra. It had been a graduation present from her uncle, and she loved it despite the fact that it was far from being new. After a quick argument over who had called shot-gun first, Jessica pushed through Ezra and sat down in the front seat.
"Buckle up," snapped Selene as she backed out of her driveway.
"Do you know you get a real attitude problem when you're under stress?" asked Jessica.
"Suit yourself," answered Selene and she stepped on the gas. The car shot forward in a blue streak. The redhead became plastered against her seat and promptly fumbled for the seatbelt. Ezra tumbled and landed on the floor. He blinked and saw a lump in his line of vision.
"Hey! I found my backpack!," he righted himself and screamed, "SELENE! YOU PASSED A STOP SIGN!"
"Urusei and sit tight!" answered his sister as she swerved around a corner.
"SELENE! That was a children's crossing!!!"
"Yes it was, boy! NOW LET ME CONCENTRATE!"
"AAAHH! Watch out for that cat!" yelled her brother again.
The blue car swerved around the terrified feline.
"YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US!!!" shrieked Nalleli.
"The train! WATCH OUT FOR THE TRAIN!!!" her brother screamed shutting his eyes. The vehicle skidded to a halt as it reached the railroad tracks. The three passengers each wailed a different complaint. Selene's Evil Glare® fell upon the group.
"Shut up!" she pointed to her brother, "Buckle up!" she pointed to the redhead, "Start praying," she told the youngest brunette.
No sooner had the train passed, that the nightmarish X-terra continued its rampage. Jessica whimpered, Nalleli gripped the may-god-have-mercy-on-our-souls handle, and chibi Ezra began to cry softly in a corner of the car.
"You're going to get us all killed," moaned Jessica.
"Sue me," was her curt reply.
"Ooh! Lookie-look! Flashy lights! Pretty colors!" said the chibi boy peering through the rear window, "Hi flashy lights!" he called out waving, "You look prettyful!"
Selene's eyes widened as she saw the patrol car blinking behind her.
"No!" she cried out in frustration, "Why me? Why today of all days? This is so royally screwed up!"
She reluctantly pulled over and proceeded to slam her head against the steering wheel as the police officer made his way towards her. Ezra was still fascinated by the lights.
"Can we get blinky lights for our car too?" he asked.
Selene muttered something very unladylike.
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………-____-*………
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The middle-aged police officer took out his notorious pad and pen as he stalked towards the blue vehicle. It was the second speeder that day. With any luck, he'd be able to fulfill his ticket quota for the week. He smirked as he spotted the passengers.
"Teenagers," he muttered. Now those he could handle, unlike some of the more aggressive adults in the area. He strode on with even more confidence. Teenagers were easily intimidated, and he planned to bust them for everything he could: from seatbelts to current insurance. He approached the driver's window and tapped the glass motioning for it to open. The girl inside nodded and began to comply when a sudden beam of light burst through the atmosphere and hit the blue car. The golden intensity blinded the officer and he staggered back…
…onto moving traffic.
The sound of a horn brought him back to his senses. He leapt off the road and pressed himself against the blue X-terra just as a cement truck zoomed past.
"That was close!" he gasped as he patted his chest. The police officer turned to the vehicle only to see that it was completely deserted. The windows were completely rolled up, the doors were locked, the keys were not in the ignition, and the alarm was on. Except for the fact that the seatbelts were buckled in, the car looked as if it had been parked there all morning. The police man scratched his balding head confused beyond measure. He shook his head hoping it would help him make sense of what had just occurred. Then he reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a metallic square bottle. He unscrewed the cap and spilled an amber liquid onto the pavement. Once he was done, he hastily retreated to his patrol car and drove away.
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………@____@………
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The four kami looked expectantly at Taiitsu-kun who remained in deep meditation. Then, four golden outlines flickered against the ceiling. The outlines soon became actual people who fell painfully onto the floor.
"Ow!"
"Get off me bakas!" cried out Ezra from beneath a pile of bodies.
"Selene! You really did it this time!" snapped an SD Jessica as she popped her friend on the head.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" retorted the older girl turning chibi herself.
"Don't play dumb! You killed us!" screamed the redhead, "We died in an accident because of your crazy driving!"
"I did not!"
"Yes you did!" insisted Jessica, "I saw a bright light and everything! I was too young and beautiful to die!"
"Well, you were young anyway."
"Don't make jokes!" said Jessica as she began to sniffle, "I died and I never knew true love!" she whined as she cried waterfalls.
Selene ignored the whining girl, while Nalleli's eyes popped out of her head.
"Nalle?" asked Selene waving her hand in front of the girl's face, " daijobou-ka?"
The young brunette's mouth hanged opened and she pointed to something behind Selene. Jessica stopped crying long enough to notice her sister's behavior.
"*sniff* Nalle? Que tienes?" (Literally: What do you have? But trans: What's wrong?)
The older girls turned and saw what had captivated the youngest girl's attention. There, before them was Suzaku in all his bishie glory.
"Selene," said Jessica drooling.
"Yeah?" answered Selene dazedly.
"Thanks for killing me."
"Sure… anytime…"
Suzaku smiled warmly which made the girls melt. Without warning the trio lunged at said kami and glomped him.
"Ah!" Suzaku cried out as the weight of three chibi-fangirls pulled him down.
"Oh my god-ness you're so incredibly hot!" squealed Jessica as she snuggled him.
"Please! Loosen your grip!" the kami said as Jessica all but crushed his ribcage.
"Your hair is so shiny!" exclaimed Nalle as she tugged on it.
"Itai!"
"And your wings are so soft!" said Selene as she caressed the feathers.
"Ah! Don't!" Suzaku shuddered: he had very sensitive wings. That piece of information was registered by all three and soon six hands were stroking the crimson feathers, "Yamete!" he begged and for the first time in history, Suzaku blushed. His protests only served to spur the girls.
The rest of the kami looked down at their youngest brother with amusement. Even Seiryu smirked as the fangirls reduced his brother to a chibi version of his former glory. Taiitsu-kun cleared her throat loudly, but only Ezra turned to face her.
"Ahem."
"Wai! Wai! We died and went to heaven!" the girls sang.
-__-*
"AH~HEM!"
"Arrigato Selene! We owe you big time!" giggled the girls.
-_____-*
"Um, girls…" warned Ezra as he saw Taiitsu-kun become irritated, "you chicks might want to turn around… girls?" _
But the trio were no longer paying attention to anything other than the bishie they had pinned to the floor.
"He's mine!" yelled Jessica "I claimed him!"
"I saw him first!" replied Nalleli.
"Nee-chan…" called out Ezra.
"You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me so I get him!" shouted Selene, "Besides, you're both too young for him."
"SAYS WHO?!" demanded the sisters.
"Says me!"
"Jess…" Ezra tried again with no success.
"You just want him for yourself!" Jessica accused her.
"So do you, Red! Leggo!"
"Tu sueltalo!" (You release him!)
"No!"
"Nalle, you guys might want to…" Ezra tried in vain once more to gain their attention.
"SUELTENLO!" (Plural: Release him!)
"NO!"
"QUE LO SUELTEN!" (I said release him!)
"Yamete, onegai!" Suzaku pleaded as he became the focus of a three-way tug war.
"NO!"
*WHAM**SMACK**WHAP*
Suzaku found himself sitting on the floor. The three girls were crumpled on the ground around him with enormous bumps on their heads. Taiitsu-kun glared at everyone while she wielded a heavy hammer. Ezra winced and edged away from the twitching girls.
The trio slowly stood up as they rubbed the lumps on their heads.
"Jess," said Selene, "I don't think we're dead."
"I know, it hurts too much to be heaven," moaned the redhead.
"Now do I have your attention?" asked the old creator.
"Taiitsu-kun? The Kamis?! When did you get here?" asked Nalleli as she stood up.
"They've been here," answered Ezra. -__-0
"Okay, now I know I'm not in heaven," muttered Jessica.
"You are not dead," confirmed the old woman, "you've been transported here because Suzaku has work for you to do."
"Work?" asked Ezra, "What kind of work?"
Taiitsu-kun turned to the Southern guardian. As if on cue, the phoenix kami dusted himself and began to explain.
"I have convinced Taiitsu-kun to allow me to turn back time in order to change the past. I need four people who have a knowledge of what happened in the original timeline so they can protect my seishi and ensure their happiness."
"So you're saying…" Jess trailed off.
"I need your help," finished Suzaku.
The three girls felt their hearts stop.
"This… this is for real," stammered Selene. The phoenix kami nodded.
"Will you help me?" he asked with a kind smile.
"YES!" chirped the girls instantly.
However, Ezra raised his hand.
"Question:" said the boy, "What's in it for me? I mean, okay the three girlies have a chance to meet up with their dream-dates, but what about me? What exactly do I get out of this?"
Genbu smiled wryly, this boy mirrored his sentiments exactly.
"You impertinent little whelp! You should consider it an honor!" snapped Seiryu.
"Honor, yeah, well the thing about honor is that it don't pay the muffin man. Get my drift?" asked Ezra, "I mean, here I am putting my life on hold so I can go off to god knows where, and when I get there I'll probably be in major life-threatening danger. I'm sorry, but honor's not going to cover it. I need something real."
Selene looked at her brother with a wide-eyed "how-could-you-say-that?!" look. She deftly whacked Ezra upside the head.
"You baka! What kind of selfish and immature question is that?!" she yelled at her brother.
"Well, it's true! You guys get the lovey-dovey crap and I get nothing!"
"Ahou! No digas tarugadas!" (Don't say stupid things!)
"Why you-"
Immediately a brawl between the two siblings erupted as the spectators, kami and mortal alike, sweatdropped.
"Um, I suppose I could arrange something," said Suzaku quietly. Nevertheless, it was enough to stop the siblings' wrestling, "If you accomplish the mission I have for you, then I will grant the four of you one wish."
"Really?" asked Jessica amazed.
"Wow, I'm not sure what to ask for," said Nalleli.
"You'll have plenty of time to think about it," said the Phoenix guardian.
"Well, you can count me in! I know exactly what I want!" said Ezra.
"He said one wish for the four of us," pointed out Selene.
"Rightfully it's my wish because I was the one who asked for it!"
"So?! There's three of us and one of you. You're out numbered!" snapped his sister.
Before another clash ensued, Taiitsu-kun intervened.
"Before you are released into the universe you must prepare. What you're about to embark upon is no game. You need to have fighting and survival skills," said her weathered voice, "I have rejected the post of sensei so the responsibility has fallen upon the four kami."
The quartet glanced at the four deities nervously.
"Each kami will chose one of you to train as a sentinel, when your training is complete you will draw power from each as if you were a seishi."
"Sentinel…" said Jessica testing the word, "I like the sound of that."
"I will choose now," announced Seiryu, "Stand in line."
"Why does he…?" began Nalleli but Suzaku shook his head.
"It was part of the deal," the phoenix explained ruefully.
Inside, all four mortals were chanting a mantra of "please not me". However, after a few minutes, Jessica grew irritated. She glared at the water kami as he inspected each teenager like one would a piece of fish.
"Do we look like cattle to you?" huffed the redhead.
Icy cold eyes met her green ones. A few seconds later the green irises lowered.
"I thought as much," he said with disdain, " I suggest you keep that mouth shut."
Selene scoffed.
"Do you have a comment?" he asked turning to her.
The oldest girl rolled her eyes without so much as glancing his way.
"Look at me when I speak to you!" he snapped.
Selene put on her best "oh-ye-of-little-brain" smile and met his glare. After a while Seiryu broke eye contact.
"It would behoove you to know your place," he declared contemptuously, "but you will do."
"Beg pardon?" asked Selene.
"I will train you."
The girl felt as if she had been slammed against a wall.
"But, but…"
"I have chosen," replied the dragon guardian settling the matter.
"NO! Wait! You said I didn't know my place! That means-"
"That I will teach you your place," he said smiling cruelly.
O_____O
The college girl looked like she would burst into tears any second.
"Well, now it's my turn," announced Suzaku.
The fire kami seemed to have already made decision because he walked directly towards Nalleli. He offered his hand to the young brunette.
"I would like to train you," he told her softly.
Nalleli blushed and took his hand without hesitation. Jessica shot her a dirty look, but the girl was beaming. Suzaku had chosen her. After a small argument with Genbu, Byakko stepped up next. The tiger kami pondered the two remaining choices and finally arrived at a decision. He walked towards the pair and stopped in front of the redhead.
"I will train you, Akai," grinned the Western guardian as he ruffled her hair.
Genbu smirked and turned to Ezra.
"I guess that means you're with me ne?" said the tortoise.
Ezra shrugged.
"I have no complaints," he told the Hokkan deity.
"You have all made your choices then?" asked Taiitsu-kun.
Four nods. Selene was currently in a corner of the vast room. She was sitting facing the corner with her knees pulled up to her chin, and an unnatural darkness clouded around her. Her friends sweatdropped and decided on ignoring her.
"Then all that remains is the time reversal," said the old creator and sighed, "how far back are you planning to go, Suzaku?"
"Six years before Miaka's arrival."
Jessica's raised her eyebrows. Six years in the universe? Wow.
"Excuse me," interrupted the Byakko sentinel, "I was wondering, how will our stay here affect our world. Exactly, how much time will pass in our reality?"
"Yes, I considered that before I transported you here," replied Taiitsu-kun, "When we take mikos we slow down the time in their world so they will not be missed. In this case, I wasn't sure how much of a negative effect your absence would have, so I stopped time."
"You stopped time?" blurted Nalleli.
"Yes, a few seconds after I transferred you here, time in your world stopped."
"Oh. Okay then," said Jessica astounded by the old woman's power.
"Now where were we? Ah yes, six years before Miaka's arrival, " continued the creator, "you realize this will pose a problem."
"How?" asked the Konan deity.
"One of your seishi will be training with me during that time. Do you wish to inform him of the sentinels?"
"No. My seishi must know nothing in order for this to work."
"Then how shall I conceal the four beings walking around my palace?"
Suzaku pursed his lips.
"You obviously can't," answered Seiryu, "we shall each have to teach in our realm. The mortals can then return to your palace to sleep, bathe, and eat."
"I suppose I could magically close off a portion of the palace for this purpose," mused Taiitsu-kun as she gave Suzaku as side glance.
"Fine, we'll do it his way," sulked Suzaku irritated by the fact that his draconic brother was presenting the solution to every problem.
Taiitsu-kun hid a smirk and nodded accordingly. Her beady eyes closed in concentration. Selene looked up from her gloomy corner and rejoined the group. The kami's eyes were fixed on the ancient woman as the room shifted. The columns blurred and danced before the four teens' eyes.
"I think I'm gonna hurl," muttered Ezra as the room slowly wound down. The chamber finally stabilized and said boy fell on his face. Everyone turned to look at the fallen adolescent and the three girls snickered. Selene walked up to her fallen sibling and pulled him to his feet.
"Let's go again! Let's go again!" the two youngest girls burst into chant. Suzaku and Byakko smiled at their childlike display.
"There, it's done," said Taiitsu-kun, "Will there be anything else?"
"Just one question," said Selene, "if we're going to be protecting Suzaku's seishi why are all the kami here?"
"Well…" the crimson phoenix trailed off.
"Suzaku needed our permission to alter time," stated Genbu offhandedly, "Together, the four kami create a circle with each power canceling out the other. If one part of the circle becomes more powerful than the rest, then the Universe is thrown into chaos."
Selene nodded as she grasped what Genbu was explaining.
"So all of you had to cooperate with Suzaku or…"
"The Universe would be disrupted," finished Genbu.
Ezra had recovered an was presently humming something that closely resembled Circle of Life. His sister gave him a quick glare and mouthed "stop it".
"Not to mention," continued Seiryu, "that he agreed to let me use my sentinel for personal purposes."
The dragon kami received great satisfaction in watching Selene do a double-take and blanch significantly.
"What kind of 'personal purposes'?" she asked warily.
"Yes brother, I am curious about these 'purposes' as well," said the phoenix giving the dragon deity a meaningful glance.
"I shall not discuss my plans with those who it does not concern," answered Seiryu haughtily, "as for you girl, you shall know soon enough."
Selene frowned but otherwise refrained from commenting.
"We'll leave you to rest then, and tomorrow we will begin your training," said Suzaku. With four multi-colored flashes of light, the kami disappeared. Jessica sighed.
"I knew today was going to be weird," she muttered, "I just never expected it to be this weird."
Suddenly several Nyan-Nyans popped out of nowhere.
"Nyan-Nyans fix!"
"KAWAII!!!" squealed the girls as the little aqua-haired Nyan-Nyans swarmed around them.
"They will show you to your rooms," announced the old woman, which turned out to be redundant seeing how the little girls were chanting that very same thing.
"Nyan-Nyans show you your rooms!"
"Yes! Nyan-Nyans take you!"
Soon, with the unnatural swiftness only pushing Nyan-Nyans can produce, the four teenagers found themselves within their individual chambers. The rooms were very elegant and overwhelmed the young visitors. Rich tapestries and color scheme of each room reflected each of the sentinel's individual deity.
Ezra grinned as he saw the enormous green bed in his room. All mine… Mwahahahaa! Said teen then proceeded to jump on the bottle green bedding. The multi-colored stone walls of the room echoed his laughter. The hardwood floor of his room was set in such a manner that the grain of the wood created a tortoise shell pattern. There was a large tortoise shell being suspended like a bowl from the ceiling with heavy iron chains. Within the pine-green bowl small flames crackled and lit the room. On the far wall there was a desk and shelves on the wall filled with parchment scrolls. A wide tapestry of a tortoise and a snake amidst the snow covered the wall next to the miniature library.
Meanwhile, Jessica was presently immersed in the rich embroidered tapestry of a pure white tiger ready to pounce hanging on her chamber's wall. The cat's lifelike glossy blue eyes captivated her. Several rugs resembling a white tiger's skin were strewn all over the gray-swirled marble floor. There was yet another enormous bed this one was swathed in black and white tiger stripes. The walls were made of obsidian which also attributed them the role of mirrors. Milky agate had been embedded into the dark polished walls to form coiling patterns spiraling across the room. Across from the doorway there were several wooden targets mounted on tripods and atop the bedside table was a bow and a quiver of white feathered arrows.
Next door, Nalleli was fingering the golden tassels on the bedposts. The crimson canopy above her king-sized bed was wreathed in swirls of gold thread. Threaded ruby-hued crystals dangled from all around the edge. The way they sparkled in the light, she wouldn't be surprised if the crystals actually were rubies. The floor was covered with layers of shimmering red cloth, and there was a gilded fire pit in the middle of the room. Every now and then a miniature phoenix made entirely of flame would flicker out of the hearth and fly towards the ceiling only to fade away just before reaching the heavy beams. The walls were made of lacquered mahogany and the golden outlines of phoenixes adorned the posts and rafters. Beside her bed there was a dainty dresser with a large oval mirror. Chains of interwoven sakura blossoms hung from the girders filling the room with their sweet scent. Next to the dresser there was an ornate wardrobe made of the same wood as the dresser. Inside there were several outfits and matching silk slippers. Nalleli smiled as she took out a flat square box about the size and shape of an average textbook. Inside, the walls were surrounded by rosy silk and there were several sets of jewelry. She picked up each glittering piece and wondered at their sleek yet simple design. The young brunette quickly put on an outfit along with a necklace and is matching earrings.
"I am Nalleli, Suzaku's sentinel!" she told the mirror proudly, "Oh yeah! I definitely look the part."
Across the hall, the slate walls in Selene's room were decorated with a varied assortment of blue-and-silver daggers, swords, and spears. The far side of her chamber seemed to break apart from the rest of the room to become a large pool surrounded by natural stones. The pond had a fountain in the shape of a serpentine dragon carved out of blue crystal winding around a tall angular boulder with clear water spewing out of its jaws. Directly across the room was a white ring painted on the nondescript gray stone floor. In that same corner there was a mannequin with white marks painted all over it propped against a large tilted desk. Directly next to the desk there were three enormous chests packed with scrolls so that when Selene squinted they looked like scrubbing brushes. Instead of an elegant canopy bed, there was what seemed to be a large pillow dyed a deep shade of cobalt and three smaller pillows of the same shade but lined with silver thread. She tested the large cushion and found that it was very comfortable despite it's plain appearance. Other than the weapons the only other things on the walls were silver torch holders in the shape of (you guessed it) Seiryu and a large tapestry depicting an enormous water dragon surrounded by rain-clouds and wisps of silvery fibers denoting thunder bolts. It was a functional room for the sentinel of a functional deity. Selene sat down on a bean bag-like cushion and eyed the tapestry with contempt.
"Someone thinks much of himself," she muttered and then smirked, "I wonder if he's compensating for something."
Suddenly a Nyan-Nyan popped out of nowhere.
"Hello!" she giggled.
"Wha-!" Selene gave a start, "Hey! Don't do that! Use the door like everyone else!"
"But Nyan-Nyan has something of yours!" with that a heavy black bag fell in Selene's lap.
"My backpack! Thanks Nyan-Nyan."
But the aqua-haired child was gone. Selene shrugged, I should start getting used to people disappearing and reappearing this is Mt. Taikyoku. She pushed up her glasses and dug out her laptop.
"While I'm here, I should catch up on my FY. It has been a while."
As she started her laptop a question floated through her mind. In fact the same query was being though by the others:
What will happen tomorrow?
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O.T.: THERE IT'S DONE! *throws chapter 2 at muses*
Jess: Finally! Geez, took you long enough!
Nalle: I know huh? You need to seriously pick up the pace O.T.!
O.T.: Or else what?
Jess: *looks at O.T. with narrowed eyes* Do you really want me to answer that?
O.T.: Um… no. (.)
Nalle: You need to work faster. How's chapter three coming along?
O.T.: Um… fine ju-… just fine.
Jess: Oh really? Lemme see it then.
O.T.: NO! It's not ready! *grabs paper and clutches it to chest*
Jess: Give it now! *reaches for paper*
O.T.: NO! *tries to pull away*
Jess: *thinks then brightens* (O.O….¬.¬) Look! It's Chichiri strip-teasing!
O.T.: WHERE?! *looks about frantically*
Jess: *snatches paper* HA!
O.T.: NO! Don't read it! It's not ready!
Jess: *ignores her and reads* "Chapter Three- Lessons…" *turns paper looking for print* That's it?!
O.T.: *quietly* Yes.
Nalle: You haven't even started?!
O.T.: Technically yes… See I named the chap.
Jess: *lunges at O.T.* WHY YOU!!!
O.T.: AH! MATTE!!! *is getting beaten to a bloody pulp*
Nalle: Okay you do that Jess and I'll go answer the reviews:
Chiri26: Of course it's not retarded we just get that through her thick skull. As for who gets who… we're still battling each other about it… you know clubs and shields and all that. ^__~
CosmicMoon: Thank you! Now if we could just get her to get into the spirit! You know deep down O.T. wants to. She's just embarrassed because she has to write about herself. But worry not! She will continue. As you can see we're making progress as we speak!
Otaku-no-miko: It's not so much the writer but the muses that make a story, but yeah, O.T. is pretty good… ONCE SHE GETS HE BUTT IN GEAR!!! *glares at authoress who is presently receiving bruises everywhere*
Ryochan8: I'm glad someone appreciated the deity's accuracy. The way O.T. has it structured, Genbu is a bit on the snobby/know-it-all side 'cause he's the oldest, Byakko is the good-humored and playful one, Seiryu is just arrogant, uptight, and obviously still sore about losing to his lovey-dovey brother, and Suzaku is… Suzaku! The cute and gentle lover, but he can be dangerous when aggravated! And if you think these chapters are long, you should check out the ones in her other FY Fanfic. I still think they're modeled after Charles Dickens… Can you say "rambling"? Again, we will keep her posting and ALL SEVEN seishi WILL receive the happiness they deserve… RIGHT O.T.?
O.T.: *looks up at Nalle* well you see it's still a working process and… ACK! NO!!!
Nalle: *Takes out glitter covered sledgehammer* Okay Jess now it's my turn! *WHAM*
Jess: Fine by me, I'll take over the reviews now:
Koneko03: Yes, some self inserts are terribly tacky, but we the muses will continue to… *ahem* inspire O.T. to be as realistic as possible. Since we are the "sentinels" it makes sense for us to be unusually powerful. HOWEVER we will emphasize [read: nag to death] that we are NOT omnipotent meaning we won't fight all Seiryu seven and still be back in time for crumpets. In fact now that I think about it there is very little that we can do seeing how we might seriously alter the timeline and that's no good. Anywho, I admit that Character Development is very important it's just that O.T. gets carried away and as important as a CD chapter is, it just doesn't reel in the reviews a good action chappy would ne?
Samurai-Nashie: Of course it's cute! We're in it! And let me just say: Welcome aboard!
Rhapsody: Daughter of the Sky: Well I can't guarantee it will be soon, but we'll beat the chaps out of her soon enough! *grins evilly*
Bronze Dagger: HEY! I KNOW YOU!!! You were the new review in other fic! It's always nice to see a new face! (figuratively speaking) Welcome and feel free to join in the bashing! *gives Bronze Dagger a personalized blue mallet*
Well, that's a wrap!
O.T.: *is twitching on the floor* Please make the room stop, I want to get off.
Nalle: Our work here is done. Question, comments, and personal threats to the author will be appreciated.
Jess: Till next time then we'll see you all in…
Chapter 3 - Training