"Where did that stupid light transport us?!" Aya halted and turned in utter despair to Rika. "I thought it just sent us to another city! I don't even know where the Konan Empire is! Much less how to get home from here!"

"Wait," Rika frowned in concentration. "The Konan Empire? That word came up rather often in that book I was translating for you. And if I remember my Chinese history correctly, it was an empire in the very distant past."

"The past?!" Aya wailed.

"That book!" Rika cried. "It was that book! It said that story became real once you started reading it!"

"WE'RE IN A BOOK?!"

The guard was utterly confused by this time, and several other people were giving them weird looks. "Calm down," Rika commanded. "It's all right. We're gonna get back home just fine."

Aya looked at her in what could only be described as complete frustration. "You do realize that we're not only far from home, we've gone back in time! How exactly do you intend for us to get back home?" she asked sarcastically.

Rika wavered. "I don't know, but if we're here that means Yuko and Mieri are here, too, right? So I guess we first have to find them."

"Excuse me," the guard interrupted. "But what are you talking about? I think you need to explain yourselves right now!"

"Um..." Aya looked hesitantly at Rika. "Explain ourselves? Whatever do you mean?" she smiled brightly up at him.

"Yes," Rika added. "We've already told you."

"I think," the guard said in a stern voice, "You need to follow me. And that is not a request."

Aya sighed and looked slightly aggravated. "Very well. But remember that we have places to be."

Rika trembled a bit as both girls turned around and followed the guard in an entirely different direction. "Are we in trouble do you think?" she whispered.

"How am I supposed to know?" Aya shrugged. "I do know that if this guy doesn't let us go, we're going to have to get out of here."

Rika nodded firmly. "I agree. Now the Konan Empire was a vast empire. Depending on where we are in its history, we could be under a tyrant or one of the best emperors this region ever experienced."

"Great," Aya muttered sarcastically. "Well, if he had a harem, I doubt he was a loyal guy."

"All the emperors had harems."

"Oh. So what did their wives say?"

"Nothing, I guess," Rika shrugged. "I don't think they really had a choice."

"Forget that!" Aya snapped. "Let my husband have a harem full of girls! He'd find out what a 'woman scorned' can really do!"

Rika snorted with laughter. "Somehow, Aya, I have absolutely no doubt that whatever emperor you had would be a whipped puppy within a month."

"Of course," Aya grinned evilly. "You just have to know how to handle them."

"We have arrived," the guard turned to them, his face unreadable. "You shall have an audience with the emperor."

"What?!" Aya turned ashen. "You have to be joking!"

"I do not kid when speaking of the emperor," the guard stated.

"Well, let's go then," Rika marched firmly up the steps. "Let's meet your emperor."

The guard led them in the doorway of a substantial building. Everywhere they looked was marble, crystal, gold, and other expensive materials."

"Well, you can rule out the tyrant," Rika hissed in Aya's ear. "He was a very poor man."

"That's a relief," Aya whispered back. They were led up a long hallway. At the end were two enormous wooden doors. Four guards stood guard in front of them.

The guard gave a curt nod to the four standing guard duty. The four junior officers gazed curiously at Aya and Rika. "What have you got there, Captain?" the oldest of the lot asked with a grin. Aya glared holes in him.

"I do not know what I have as of yet," the guard who was a captain replied formally. "It is up to the emperor to decide what I have."

"Oh," the guard looked wide-eyed at them. "What did they do?"

"I believe them to be spies from another kingdom. They spoke of cities that were unknown to me and did not seem to completely recognize our kingdom. They were masquerading as girls from the emperor's harem."

"I congratulate you, Captain, on ferreting them out," another guard put in. "Good job."

"Thank you," Captain bowed. "But I fear I must take these two before his Majesty. I'll see you later." He turned and motioned for Aya and Rika to follow as the heavy doors swung slowly open.

Rika looked to Aya in real fear. "Spies? They could kill us for that!"

Aya looked a bit white around the mouth as well, "Then we'll just have to convince them we're not."

They walked into a room even bigger than the courtyard they had come from. Directly in front of them was a raised dais. Two golden thrones were located in its exact center. On the throne to the right, sat a lovely young woman. She held in her arms a small boy that could have been no more than three years old. That must be the emperor's wife and child. But the throne to the left was empty! Where was the emperor? Aya and Rika looked around unobtrusively, but could find no signs of the elusive official.

"Your Majesty," Captain went down to one knee leaving Aya and Rika standing uncertainly in the middle of the room. "I have here two persons that I believe to be spies."

The woman looked up in surprise, and Rika could see that she was very young. Eighteen at the most. "Spies? I see only two young girls. They must be barely younger than I. How could you see spies in these girls?"

Captain blushed a little, "They spoke of cities I was unfamiliar with and did not appear to know key details about our kingdom, including its name!"

The girl frowned. "That is hardly cause for an accusation of this degree! They look more like two frightened young girls to me. Do you have any other evidence of these girls' treachery?"

"Unfortunately, no. I did not have enough time to gain any more information." Captain was really flaming now.

The girl turned her attention to Aya and Rika. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" she asked gently.

"Well, we're not spies!" Aya blurted out. "I'm much too clumsy to be a spy! Or so I'm told."

The girl smiled. "Any other reasons?"

Rika speared Aya with a fierce glare. "It's true we didn't know where we are. We're merely lost, ma'am. We just told the guard where we were from and began trying to sort out among ourselves where we might be when he dragged us in here. We really mean you and your husband no harm."

The girl started visibly. "I think I can believe your story if for no other reason than you do not know of our emperor. My husband is two years dead. My son is the reigning emperor. I am acting as his advisor of sorts."

"Of course!" Rika burst out. "Boshin! And you must be his mother Houki! And his father was..." Rika paused. "Saihitei? Ha! And my mother says I never pay attention in class!"

"You're such a nerd," Aya scoffed.

"That's correct," Houki answered suspiciously. "But please explain to me how you went from being lost travelers, totally in the dark as to our kingdom, to suddenly knowing not only my son's name and my name but the name of my husband as well. And a name that not many call him by."

"Uh..." Rika's face went blank.

"Good job!" Aya sighed. "Now I know that there's such a thing as being too smart!"

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Rika admitted.

"Try me," Houki stated dryly. "You would be surprised at what I will believe."

Aya looked at Rika for permission. "Go ahead!" Rika threw up her hands. "It seems that I've ruined everything already. How much more trouble could we get in?!"

"Well," Aya started. "First of all we're from another time. We were somehow transported here by some kind of red light. We have no idea where we are except for what we were told, and we just really want to get home!" Aya took a deep breath.

Silence reigned for a moment. "Y-you came from another world?" Houki's eyes were wide, but she didn't seem to have tossed their tale out of hand.

"Well, kind of," Rika admitted. "It might as well be."

"And only you two came through?" she asked in the same tremulous tone.

"Well, no, actually. We think that our two friends are also here somewhere," Aya answered.

"So there are four of you?!" Houki actually leaped up from her throne. "Four..." she breathed.