Ha! Another update by yours truly::accepts adoration of fans: This one was fun cuz I finally got to be evil! D Hee! What am I talking about? Read and find out yourself::evil laughter: We're back to Yuko finally. Poor thing. I've been neglecting her a bit. Ah, well. This chapter and the next few ought to clear that up….Well, anyway! On to the RR's…
Silver: P I DID update fast…or at least…..faster than normal…STOP RUINING MY FUN::cries: And yes…I seriously contemplated having him blow up the car but…I'll save that for a later date… D LOL Seer::also drinks a truck load and is as wobbly as Silver: Whoa…I didn't know the world could move like that….::falls down:
DE8:lol Yes…I could totally see Tasuki as Godzilla. He'd rampage and everything! Only he'd look much sexier doing it than the lizard! . And all that will come in time! I love being a mysterious author…:is shot by rabid fans: Ooh…maybe not…
ET:Hey! P No guessing the plot before I write it! That takes all the fun out of torturing you! And yes…go back to the part where Mieri is reading from the book and that should tell you how long they've been out. And maybe I should let Tasuki blow it up….Everyone seems to want it! o.O
Elena:Hope you recognize your new name…XD Thank you! I feel like that's the whole point of a fanfic. To remind people how much they love the original!
Star:Of course he was gonna blow up the car! This is Tasuki! And I'm gonna read your chapters as SOON as I post this thing! Promise!
Mint:No problem of course. Homework is the devil! Maybe that's why I never do it…:sweatdrop: ANYWAY…that's my fav episode! The New Years Eve one! It's so sweet! TT Yeah…are you talking about the manga? Manga is good! It's got SO much stuff that the anime left out. Plus it extends after the anime ends so that's a plus! Yes…big mystery around that…Lost Ones…Mieri's dream…lol poor readers you just don't know WHAT'S going on do you::evil laughter: And don't tell Mieri but I like Kyo better, too!
"Are we ever going to get out of here?" Suboshi walked into the inn, turning to face Soi, Amiboshi, and Yuko. He grabbed a chair and spun it around before sitting down. "We've been cooped up here for two days! I'm tired of 'resting'!"
"Take it up with Lord Nakago," Soi suggested with a sniff. "He's the one who's waiting for something."
"Like what?" Yuko snapped running her fingers around the rim of her sake glass. One good thing about Ancient China. No legal drinking age. "We know Ashitare is way to the east of us…So wouldn't it make more sense to ― you know ― go to him?"
"And Nakago's been closeted up with Tomo and Miboshi the whole time." Amiboshi smiled wryly. "You'd think he didn't trust us."
"He lets me in!" Soi protested.
Yuko snickered. "Yeah. At night."
Soi gazed at her priestess with reproach and a little hurt.
"Just kidding!" Yuko added hastily, earning a smile from Soi. "But really! What is he up to?"
"You'll find out tonight," Miboshi floated into the room.
Yuko only barely suppressed a shiver. No matter what Miboshi had told Nakago or her, she didn't feel right about the…whatever he was…in the little girl's body. Dying or not. His eyes were too dead. To unreadable. "What do you mean?"
"We have received correspondence from a certain party for the last day or so. He's agreed to meet us at this location tonight. That is what Nakago has been waiting for."
"Thanks for telling us," Suboshi muttered.
Miboshi immediately fixed his blank stare on him. "Whom Nakago tells is none of our concern. He probably didn't want to distract you from…guarding the Priestess." The pause left little doubt that he'd been about to say something else. Like 'babysitting'. Yuko scowled. But Miboshi had done all the talking he was going to apparently. He turned and floated back up the stairs and into his room as quietly as he'd come.
"Well, you only say that cause you know," Suboshi muttered, but he made sure it was after Miboshi had left.
Yuko rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining. Now. Who do you suppose this 'correspondence' could be?"
Soi shrugged, "Beats me. He hasn't told me anything about any letters."
"If Nakago's meeting with him, he must be pretty bad," Amiboshi commented.
"Hey! Play nice!" Yuko protested. "Nakago's not all bad! He's just a little…cool."
Amiboshi barked out a laugh. "Yes, Priestess. If that's what you say."
Yuko glared at his sarcasm. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!"
"And more than a little tipsy…" Suboshi sang out softly.
But not softly enough. "I'll make sure you get an extra training session with me tomorrow," Yuko promised darkly.
She spoke of the sword lessons Nakago had insisted she take until she learned her powers as a Priestess. These lessons consisted of Nakago instructing and rarely going a round with her while the other seishi ― with the exception of Miboshi for obvious reasons ― took turns practicing with her under Nakago's strict eye. Amiboshi had so far been the one chosen most often for these wearying battles. For a reason Yuko had yet to discern, the others were a little cool to Amiboshi. Even Suboshi ― his own twin ― sometimes hesitated in front of his brother.
Suboshi winced. "Aw, come on! It's true!"
"I'm drunk!" Yuko smiled wickedly. "I don't have to have a reason!"
Suboshi groaned and pointed up the stairs. "Let's go to bed. I do know that by the time this stranger appears, we'll be long asleep."
"But I wanna see him!" Yuko whined.
"No. Suboshi's right," Soi admitted. "He probably won't come until everyone else is asleep. We should rest while we can."
"I'm not tired," Amiboshi volunteered. "I'll wake you up when he gets here."
Soi looked at him oddly but shrugged. "Now will you rest, Priestess?"
Yuko eyed Amiboshi for a moment and finally sighed. "Whatever. It's not like you'll let me stay down here anyway…" She trudged up the stairs and into her room followed by Soi. Although they shared a room, Yuko mostly had it to herself.
Suboshi hung back. "Amiboshi…" he began.
"Stop looking at me like that!" Amiboshi snapped. "I'm not going to do anything, okay! I'm just going to sit here and play my flute because I'm not that tired."
"But ―"
"I said I'd help you, "Amiboshi looked away. "Stop treating me like I might turn into a monster and eat you. As long as they don't give me reason ― and probably even if they do ― I'll stay with you."
Suboshi sighed at the bitterness in Amiboshi's voice. But what did he expect? He had turned his back on them all. Faking amnesia and hiding in a village only to suddenly reappear with the Suzaku no Miko of the time and actually aid her. It was no wonder Nakago didn't trust him and Tomo and Miboshi thought he should be sent away. If he wasn't a seishi and needed they'd probably have killed him by now.
That thought turned Suboshi cold. What would happen when they didn't need him anymore? Would they just get rid of him? Mouth set in a hard line, Suboshi swore again to protect Amiboshi. He'd killed once for his brother. He'd do it again.
"Are you going to sleep, brother?" Amiboshi asked quietly with a worried look on his face.
It was only then that Suboshi realized that he'd been standing motionless with one foot on the steps, a frown on his face. "Oh! Sorry. I got lost in thought is all."
"About what?" Amiboshi asked gently.
"Oh, the stranger," Suboshi lied. "I can't think of who he might be."
Amiboshi stared at him for a split second then smiled. "Go to sleep. Maybe it'll come to you in your dreams."
"Yeah…maybe." Suboshi continued up the stairs and into their room.
"Hey! Wake up!"
Yuko mumbled crossly. "Rika, I'm not going sightseeing with you again! Leave me alone!"
A few seconds later, "Who's Rika?"
Yuko's eyes shot open as she realized where she was. She bolted up and turned to look at Amiboshi. "Get out! Get out, get out, get out! Now!"
"Geez! I'm going!" Amiboshi threw up an arm to shield himself from the sudden flood of pillows. "I just thought you'd like to know that guy is here. He wants to talk to you, too."
Yuko paused. "The guy that was supposed to talk with Nakago?"
Amiboshi nodded.
"Why didn't you say so!" Yuko fumed as she rolled out of bed and shook Soi awake.
"I did…" Amiboshi muttered as he turned to leave the room.
In record time, Yuko and Soi were dressed and headed down the stairs. When they reached the bottom they scanned the room. Seeing as how it was around three in the morning, no one but their group was in sight. They quickly crossed to the tables and sat warily down, eyeing their visitor.
He had a pretty face and long silver hair that probably would have fell to his knees had he been standing. His eyes were a gold color and cold. "You are the Priestess?" he asked, and his voice was like honey. It seemed almost musical. Yuko found herself liking it at once.
She nodded. "Yeah. Who are you?"
The man inclined his head. "I am Lord Tenkouu."
"Lord Tenkouu?" Yuko stressed his title and looked at him skeptically. "And what exactly do you want with me?"
"I wish to ask for your aid in a…pet project of mine."
"Uh….huh. And what pet project would that be?" Yuko was being pretty rude, but the man didn't seem to mind at all.
"Since you are the Priestess, you have come from another world. Is that correct?"
Yuko nodded, bored. What was this guy getting at?
"This world is failing. Without the Priestesses, we have no reason to exist. So….we will not after a while."
That made Yuko sit up and listen. She hadn't told anyone about her suspicions that this world was the book Rika had been translating. It had occurred to her several days after she'd been ― separated ― from Mieri. The others seemed to be clueless that they were actually characters in a story, but this Tenkou…he acted like he knew and didn't care…
"And you want me to use one of my wishes to save the world?" Yuko couldn't help the sarcasm that rose in her voice.
"No." Tenkou leaned forward, and his voice seemed to deepen. "I want you to create a portal between the worlds, so that we can cross over."
"Do what!" Yuko yelped. "Are you insane! I don't think that could even work! And I'm not totally sure it would be a good idea!"
"So you'd rather let the rest of us fade away into oblivion when you return home?" Tenkou raised a brow.
Yuko stopped and glanced around at all her seishi that she'd gathered. Nakago and Miboshi were as expressionless as ever. Tomo and Soi looked like they were trying to hide some alarm. And Amiboshi and Suboshi ― aside from looking shocked ― were both looking a tad hurt. She sighed. "No. I don't want the rest of you to fade into oblivion. But what would you do when you got to my world? Tokyo has things that these people would never have dreamed of. They'd die of shock!"
"Precisely. Things we've never dreamed of. Since our world is already failing, doesn't it make sense to take us to a world that has more than we do?"
"How did you get that?" Yuko was confused now.
"Think of it, Priestess. Children are dying right now from diseases that would be laughable in your world. Mothers are dying in childbirth because they don't know any better way to do things. I have visited your world once. I know. You could give these people a better life."
Yuko winced as she realized the reality of Tenkou's words. He was right. These people were dying from things like colds. And if their world was already dying…"Alright. I'll help you out. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do it, though."
Tenkou's eyes shone. "For now all we need do is discover your powers as Priestess."
Yuko took the time to watch the twins before she headed back up to her room for some much needed sleep. It surprised her that while Amiboshi looked a bit unhappy, it was Suboshi who was truly frowning. She shrugged it off. Who knew what those two were thinking? And she had enough to think about as it was.
4
