((Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. Please don't sue. I'm just a poor teen without a job! Wah!
As usual, I own Rei, Hikari, and Motoki. I would appreciate it if I never saw these characters used in a fic not written by me or someone I gave express permission to. Thank you!
Warning: Bad puns ahead! Not that a warning is really necessary, I just felt like putting one on here. There will be some serious warnings for chapter six, however. So this is a warning about warnings. Go figure.))
Chapter Four: Oracle and Disciple
"Whoa! Hold yer horses for a minute, pardner!" Rei exclaimed, throwing her hands up.
"…Er. Horse, actually…" Chichiri responded dryly. "Here. Hold these no da." He pressed the reins into her hands, turning to Tasuki. In doing this he failed to notice the glare Rei threw at him, or the fact that the horse seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Rei sighed in exasperation. Men. Why didn't they ever listen to her? She stroked the horse's velvet nose, feeling her annoyance melt away as it nuzzled her palm, snorting affectionately. "So, what's your name, fella?" she asked.
The horse twitched white-tipped ears, bobbing its head and stamping a hoof.
She grinned in spite of herself. "I think I'll call you Twitch." she murmured. Sapphire eyes refocused on the two men. "All right, you two. Let me get this straight." Rei directed her gaze to Tasuki. "You're only lending us one horse." He nodded, and she continued, turning to fix Chichiri with the same piercing stare. "And you expect me to ride double."
"What do you suggest?" the monk asked with a raised brow. "We only have one horse, and it's faster if we both ride no da."
Rei had to admit that his logic was sound. Resigned to her fate, she nodded. "…Just be warned. I have homicidal tendencies and I'm not afraid to use them!"
Tasuki raised an eyebrow and shot a 'what did I tell ya' look at Chichiri. Although it was a challenge to take a woman that stood at about shoulder height seriously. Which reminded him…
"Hey, Nada. How old're ya?"
"What type of question is that?! And don't call me 'Nada'!" she retorted. How dare he ask her how old she was? Didn't he know that it was rude?
The bandit matched her glare for glare. "I was jus' curious, Nada. 'Cause ya look like yer fifteen!" he replied defensively. He gave himself a mental pat on the back as her eyes flashed angrily. That comment had really gotten through.
"I'm 21, fang-boy!" growled Rei, knuckles going white around the reins. There were no words to describe her hatred of that… that bandit! Somehow he knew just how to get under her skin, and she hated anyone having that type of power over her.
Chichiri noted her reaction, frowning slightly. It was true; she did look younger than 21, but Tasuki was out of line. Why the adolescent took such pleasure in tormenting Rei was still a mystery.
He sighed, shaking his head almost imperceptibly before slipping back into his carefree act. It was time they left, before Rei lost her quickly slipping temper. "C'mon, Rei. Let's go no da." he said in falsely cheerful tones, taking the reins from her and mounting the horse. "Oh! I almost forgot no da. Do you prefer front or back?"
Rei's eyebrows shot up. "…You have no idea how wrong that sounded, do you?"
Tasuki sniggered as the monk raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Wrong no da?"
She shook her head with an exasperated sigh, studying the man's face. The mask he wore radiated true puzzlement. "…Never mind." Rei muttered, allowing the monk to help her swing into the saddle behind him.
"We'll be back soon no da!" said Chichiri, waving to Tasuki as they disappeared down the mountain path.
~*0*~
Birds chirped in the leafy canopy, trees rustled in the spring breeze, insects buzzed in the underbrush, even Twitch the horse's hooves made noise on the trail. Still, an almost tangible silence reigned over the two travelers. There just wasn't anything for them to say to each other after Rei's initial flood of questions about Mt. Daichisan.
So, an uncomfortable silence had settled in. At first, Chichiri had attempted to break it, but Rei had been comparatively monosyllabic. If you were to compare her to a tree, that is. The monk had finally resigned himself to her silence with an internal sigh. He would just have to wait until she felt like talking.
…It was proving to be a long wait. They had been riding for at least two hours already.
Rei finally broke the silence half an hour later. "Anou… I was wondering… You and Tasuki don't seem fazed about my presence here at all. Why is that?" she asked.
"You aren't the first to come here no da." he said. "Exactly one year ago the gods Suzaku and Seiryu called two young women here to be their priestesses. Their names were Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo no da."
"You knew Keisuke Yuuki's younger sister?!" she exclaimed. So this is where her classmate's little sister had disappeared to.
Chichiri twisted around to look at her, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Hai. She was the Suzaku no Miko no da. Tasuki and I are the last of her seven Sichiseishi. How do you know Keisuke no da?"
"Anou… He's a-a former crush. We used to be in the same class at the University until he graduated…" Rei explained, a slight blush staining her cheeks.
"What's a 'crush' no da?"
A look of surprise replaced the embarrassed smile. 'Either he's led an extremely sheltered life, or they don't use slang here…' she reasoned. "Well… A crush is somebody you like… a lot."
The mage was silent as he considered this. "So… I guess that means I have a 'crush' on Tasuki no da?" he asked hesitantly, not quite grasping what she had meant.
"Not unless you're an okama."
"D-Da?!"
The woman felt herself smiling. On an impulse, she said, "You two make a cute couple!"
Chichiri looked horrified. "D-Demo!" he managed, speechless in the face of Rei's comment. How could she think that he and… and Tasuki were-?
Rei couldn't contain her laughter at the man's apparent discomfort any longer. It escaped merrily, leaving her gasping for breath and wiping tears from her eyes.
Twitch simply snorted at the two humans' antics, plodding along and being generally horsish. The things he put up with…
~*0*~
A few days later they reached the base of Mt. Daichisan. Ever since that fateful 'crush' incident there had been a friendship, new and fragile, between the azure-haired monk and raven-locked woman. The last days of their journey had passed happily, the two travelers teasing each other relentlessly, or at times sharing companionable silences.
There were still some barriers up between them, however. Sometimes Rei would withdraw into her own thoughts, features growing sad. When Chichiri would ask her about this, she would refuse to speak on the matter.
Now they had reached the end of their journey. It was possibly the end or their friendship as well. Rei would most likely be sent home.
For some he couldn't quite fathom, this knowledge saddened the monk. His heart wrenched every time his thoughts turned to the possibility of her leaving. He knew he should feel happy for her, she was going home. Where she belonged. And yet…
He just couldn't bring himself to feel anything but the sadness of losing a friend.
Chichiri sighed, pulling himself out of his thoughts as he finished tethering Twitch to a convenient tree. Agonizing over ifs and maybes had never gotten him anywhere. There would be plenty of time to analyze his feelings after she was gone. And if she didn't leave…
…Then there was no point in analyzing them at all. They'd disappear as if they had never existed, like so many other things that had come and gone in his life.
'…Like Kouran…' a soft voice whispered in his subconscious. No, that wasn't true! She had been the world to him, and her death had left a scar on his soul, just as Hikou's had left one on his face.
"Chichiri? Is something wrong?" Rei asked, voice and face concerned. 'Why does he look so sad?'
The monk mentally shook himself, favoring the woman with a distracted smile. "I'm fine," he lied in quiet tones. "Shall we?"
She frowned, noting the odd deepening of his voice, the lack of his habitual "no da" at the end of his sentences. Something she refused to acknowledge screamed that he wasn't okay, that seeing him sad made it sad too. She ignored the protesting facet and started heading up the slope of the mountain. She paused, looking back. "Vell? Get up her and lead, oh Fearless Leader!" she called in her best Russian accent.
Chichiri simply raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that stated quite clearly that he doubted her sanity.
"Vhat?!"
~*0*~
A small, eldritch figure watched the travelers through the gently rippling quicksilver surface of a large, ornate mirror. Thin lips, lined with age, twitched upward slightly. It had been many months since she had last seen her disciple. Mere seconds to her, but she knew that those months had been long ones to the human.
Tai Yi-Jun's piercing gaze moved to the woman traveling with him, and she frowned. Who was this woman? She couldn't possibly be a priestess, she was much too old. Yet she couldn't be of this world, either. Her face was too finely shaped, too narrow compared to the oval-faced women prized by the court. Oh, she was pretty enough, no doubt about that. The mysterious woman had probably broken many hearts when she was younger.
The creator's brow furrowed. Perhaps the prophecy was finally coming to fruition.
The prophecy had been created many hundreds of years ago, during a time few remembered. It had been a dark age, wars had rent the lands, the gods rendered powerless when the people had refused to believe in them. It stated that another dork age, worse than the last would come, and that the fate of the Universe would rest in the hands of one woman.
Tai Ti-Jun had taken steps to prevent this, creating two more godchildren. One of pure goodness and light, to help ward off the darkness.
…and one of pure dark and evil, to bind with the darkness and hold it back.
Hikari and Motoki.
Light and Shadow.
~*0*~
"Careful, there's some loose rock here no da."
Rei glared up at the mage. "Would you stop that?"
Chichiri raised his eyebrows at the venomous look. "Stop what?" he asked.
"Treating me like a child. I can look out for myself." She paused, then grinned as a wicked thought presented itself. "Besides, I don't like being mothered." Rei added.
"I'm not mothering you!" he replied indignantly. "I'm – "
"See, told ya so." she said as the monk stammered into silence. 'He really is cute…' she mused. A faint blush stained her cheeks at the thought. Why was she thinking this way? She was fiercely independent, preferring to battle through life on her own – without being tied down. 'That doesn't mean I can't notice guys.' a voice in the back of her head pointed out.
Chichiri was watching her oddly, having noticed her blush. 'What's gotten into her?' he wondered.
"Rei, you're turning pink no da."
"I-it's the thin air!" Rei stammered. It wasn't a very good excuse, but to her relief the monk chose not to pry any farther.
~*0*~
Rei gazed across the swirling mists with almost childish wonder. She'd never seen such a beautiful view. The sun reflected brightly off the low clouds, tinting them golden where they parted like a foam sea around the spearhead peaks. Atop the peak across from them was an elaborate temple, silver filigree sparkling like hammered moonlight on whitewashed walls.
"Wow…"
Chichiri favored her with a small smile. The wonder of this place had worn off long ago for him, but he could still remember how amazing it had seemed when he saw it for the first time.
The light caught the iridescent blue highlights in Rei's hair as she turned to face him, setting them ablaze with color.
That sight took his breath away.
"Anou… Chichiri? How the hell are we gonna get over there?" she asked, frowning slightly, a line appearing between her eyebrows.
"Oh! Ah… nani?"
Rei rolled her eyes heavenward. "How are we gonna get over to the temple?" she repeated in the tones of strained patience only teachers can summon.
He brushed the tips of his gravity-defying bangs away from his face with a distracted smile. "Gomen. My mind was wandering no da."
"Well, now that it's back would you mind answering my question?"
"Not at all. It's rather simple, really." He paused, trying to think of a way to explain teleportation. "All right, it isn't that simple no da. I can't really explain without showing you," Chichiri conceded.
"As long as it doesn't include walking off the cliff," she said dryly, nodding towards the sheer drop-off not two feet away.
"Da?! Nononononono!" he exclaimed. Where did she get these ideas?! "Teleporting isn't nearly that dangerous no da!"
" 'Teleporting'? Like in Star Trek?"
Chichiri looked confused. " 'Star Trek' no da?"
"…nevermind." Rei muttered, shaking her head. "All right. Show me."
The monk moved to stand behind her, unclasping the kasa and throwing it into the air with a murmured command and a flourish.
The world dissolved around them, replaced in an instant with a walled courtyard. Well-tended ornamental trees marked the four cardinal points, all of them showing signs of fall, leaves turning a beautiful hue of gold-red as they died. Each had a ring of flowers around its base, one crimson carnations, another blue forget-me-nots, yellow daisies, and finally green lilies.
Rei sank to her knees, trembling, a dazed expression on her face.
"Are you alright no da?" Chichiri asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder after re-clasping the cloak.
She flinched, then looked up into his concerned face. "…warn me before you do that again." she said in a small voice.
He smiled. "Hai."
"It's about time you two showed up."
They both looked up at the ancient and ribboned creature floating above them. Rei gave a startled squeak and darted behind an equally startled Chichiri.
Tai Yi-Jun glared. "I see that my appearance had startled your companion." she grumbled.
Chichiri glanced over his shoulder at the woman, smiling reassuringly. "Rei, meet Tai Yi-Jun no da," he said. "Sensei, this is Rei." He pulled Rei back into view.
"Ah! Anou… H-Hello?"
Tai Yi-Jun nodded regally, floating down to level with Rei. "I suppose you are wondering why you are here?"
"H-Hai." she said. Somehow she had been expecting someone not quite so… ancient. The thought that the Oracle might be old had never crossed Rei's mind, and the abrupt appearance of this withered creature had left her more than a little shaken.
"It was prophesized." was the simple reply.
Chichiri's eyebrows shot up at this. "Demo, weren't all of the god prophecies fulfilled no da?"
Tai Yi-Jun shook her wizened head. "Only those of the known gods. The Lost Gods' Prophecy is the fifth and final."
Rei stared down at her feet for a moment. Then, as so often happened, her curiosity got the better of her. "Tell me about this prophecy." she said, fixing the creator with inquisitive sapphire eyes.
"Watch your tongue child! Respect your elders!"
"Onegai, Tai Yi-Jun?"
"Oh, all right."
((End of chapter four! Whew! Longest chapter so far… Hmm… The relationship is progressing nicely… I think I'll torture them a bit first, though. So much more fulfilling when they finally get together that way… Oh, and I need to make it clear that I don't own Star Trek, either. That is the property of Gene Rodenberry, genius extraordinaire.
Please review!
Ja ne!
Neko-ane ^._.^ ))
As usual, I own Rei, Hikari, and Motoki. I would appreciate it if I never saw these characters used in a fic not written by me or someone I gave express permission to. Thank you!
Warning: Bad puns ahead! Not that a warning is really necessary, I just felt like putting one on here. There will be some serious warnings for chapter six, however. So this is a warning about warnings. Go figure.))
Chapter Four: Oracle and Disciple
"Whoa! Hold yer horses for a minute, pardner!" Rei exclaimed, throwing her hands up.
"…Er. Horse, actually…" Chichiri responded dryly. "Here. Hold these no da." He pressed the reins into her hands, turning to Tasuki. In doing this he failed to notice the glare Rei threw at him, or the fact that the horse seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Rei sighed in exasperation. Men. Why didn't they ever listen to her? She stroked the horse's velvet nose, feeling her annoyance melt away as it nuzzled her palm, snorting affectionately. "So, what's your name, fella?" she asked.
The horse twitched white-tipped ears, bobbing its head and stamping a hoof.
She grinned in spite of herself. "I think I'll call you Twitch." she murmured. Sapphire eyes refocused on the two men. "All right, you two. Let me get this straight." Rei directed her gaze to Tasuki. "You're only lending us one horse." He nodded, and she continued, turning to fix Chichiri with the same piercing stare. "And you expect me to ride double."
"What do you suggest?" the monk asked with a raised brow. "We only have one horse, and it's faster if we both ride no da."
Rei had to admit that his logic was sound. Resigned to her fate, she nodded. "…Just be warned. I have homicidal tendencies and I'm not afraid to use them!"
Tasuki raised an eyebrow and shot a 'what did I tell ya' look at Chichiri. Although it was a challenge to take a woman that stood at about shoulder height seriously. Which reminded him…
"Hey, Nada. How old're ya?"
"What type of question is that?! And don't call me 'Nada'!" she retorted. How dare he ask her how old she was? Didn't he know that it was rude?
The bandit matched her glare for glare. "I was jus' curious, Nada. 'Cause ya look like yer fifteen!" he replied defensively. He gave himself a mental pat on the back as her eyes flashed angrily. That comment had really gotten through.
"I'm 21, fang-boy!" growled Rei, knuckles going white around the reins. There were no words to describe her hatred of that… that bandit! Somehow he knew just how to get under her skin, and she hated anyone having that type of power over her.
Chichiri noted her reaction, frowning slightly. It was true; she did look younger than 21, but Tasuki was out of line. Why the adolescent took such pleasure in tormenting Rei was still a mystery.
He sighed, shaking his head almost imperceptibly before slipping back into his carefree act. It was time they left, before Rei lost her quickly slipping temper. "C'mon, Rei. Let's go no da." he said in falsely cheerful tones, taking the reins from her and mounting the horse. "Oh! I almost forgot no da. Do you prefer front or back?"
Rei's eyebrows shot up. "…You have no idea how wrong that sounded, do you?"
Tasuki sniggered as the monk raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Wrong no da?"
She shook her head with an exasperated sigh, studying the man's face. The mask he wore radiated true puzzlement. "…Never mind." Rei muttered, allowing the monk to help her swing into the saddle behind him.
"We'll be back soon no da!" said Chichiri, waving to Tasuki as they disappeared down the mountain path.
~*0*~
Birds chirped in the leafy canopy, trees rustled in the spring breeze, insects buzzed in the underbrush, even Twitch the horse's hooves made noise on the trail. Still, an almost tangible silence reigned over the two travelers. There just wasn't anything for them to say to each other after Rei's initial flood of questions about Mt. Daichisan.
So, an uncomfortable silence had settled in. At first, Chichiri had attempted to break it, but Rei had been comparatively monosyllabic. If you were to compare her to a tree, that is. The monk had finally resigned himself to her silence with an internal sigh. He would just have to wait until she felt like talking.
…It was proving to be a long wait. They had been riding for at least two hours already.
Rei finally broke the silence half an hour later. "Anou… I was wondering… You and Tasuki don't seem fazed about my presence here at all. Why is that?" she asked.
"You aren't the first to come here no da." he said. "Exactly one year ago the gods Suzaku and Seiryu called two young women here to be their priestesses. Their names were Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo no da."
"You knew Keisuke Yuuki's younger sister?!" she exclaimed. So this is where her classmate's little sister had disappeared to.
Chichiri twisted around to look at her, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Hai. She was the Suzaku no Miko no da. Tasuki and I are the last of her seven Sichiseishi. How do you know Keisuke no da?"
"Anou… He's a-a former crush. We used to be in the same class at the University until he graduated…" Rei explained, a slight blush staining her cheeks.
"What's a 'crush' no da?"
A look of surprise replaced the embarrassed smile. 'Either he's led an extremely sheltered life, or they don't use slang here…' she reasoned. "Well… A crush is somebody you like… a lot."
The mage was silent as he considered this. "So… I guess that means I have a 'crush' on Tasuki no da?" he asked hesitantly, not quite grasping what she had meant.
"Not unless you're an okama."
"D-Da?!"
The woman felt herself smiling. On an impulse, she said, "You two make a cute couple!"
Chichiri looked horrified. "D-Demo!" he managed, speechless in the face of Rei's comment. How could she think that he and… and Tasuki were-?
Rei couldn't contain her laughter at the man's apparent discomfort any longer. It escaped merrily, leaving her gasping for breath and wiping tears from her eyes.
Twitch simply snorted at the two humans' antics, plodding along and being generally horsish. The things he put up with…
~*0*~
A few days later they reached the base of Mt. Daichisan. Ever since that fateful 'crush' incident there had been a friendship, new and fragile, between the azure-haired monk and raven-locked woman. The last days of their journey had passed happily, the two travelers teasing each other relentlessly, or at times sharing companionable silences.
There were still some barriers up between them, however. Sometimes Rei would withdraw into her own thoughts, features growing sad. When Chichiri would ask her about this, she would refuse to speak on the matter.
Now they had reached the end of their journey. It was possibly the end or their friendship as well. Rei would most likely be sent home.
For some he couldn't quite fathom, this knowledge saddened the monk. His heart wrenched every time his thoughts turned to the possibility of her leaving. He knew he should feel happy for her, she was going home. Where she belonged. And yet…
He just couldn't bring himself to feel anything but the sadness of losing a friend.
Chichiri sighed, pulling himself out of his thoughts as he finished tethering Twitch to a convenient tree. Agonizing over ifs and maybes had never gotten him anywhere. There would be plenty of time to analyze his feelings after she was gone. And if she didn't leave…
…Then there was no point in analyzing them at all. They'd disappear as if they had never existed, like so many other things that had come and gone in his life.
'…Like Kouran…' a soft voice whispered in his subconscious. No, that wasn't true! She had been the world to him, and her death had left a scar on his soul, just as Hikou's had left one on his face.
"Chichiri? Is something wrong?" Rei asked, voice and face concerned. 'Why does he look so sad?'
The monk mentally shook himself, favoring the woman with a distracted smile. "I'm fine," he lied in quiet tones. "Shall we?"
She frowned, noting the odd deepening of his voice, the lack of his habitual "no da" at the end of his sentences. Something she refused to acknowledge screamed that he wasn't okay, that seeing him sad made it sad too. She ignored the protesting facet and started heading up the slope of the mountain. She paused, looking back. "Vell? Get up her and lead, oh Fearless Leader!" she called in her best Russian accent.
Chichiri simply raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that stated quite clearly that he doubted her sanity.
"Vhat?!"
~*0*~
A small, eldritch figure watched the travelers through the gently rippling quicksilver surface of a large, ornate mirror. Thin lips, lined with age, twitched upward slightly. It had been many months since she had last seen her disciple. Mere seconds to her, but she knew that those months had been long ones to the human.
Tai Yi-Jun's piercing gaze moved to the woman traveling with him, and she frowned. Who was this woman? She couldn't possibly be a priestess, she was much too old. Yet she couldn't be of this world, either. Her face was too finely shaped, too narrow compared to the oval-faced women prized by the court. Oh, she was pretty enough, no doubt about that. The mysterious woman had probably broken many hearts when she was younger.
The creator's brow furrowed. Perhaps the prophecy was finally coming to fruition.
The prophecy had been created many hundreds of years ago, during a time few remembered. It had been a dark age, wars had rent the lands, the gods rendered powerless when the people had refused to believe in them. It stated that another dork age, worse than the last would come, and that the fate of the Universe would rest in the hands of one woman.
Tai Ti-Jun had taken steps to prevent this, creating two more godchildren. One of pure goodness and light, to help ward off the darkness.
…and one of pure dark and evil, to bind with the darkness and hold it back.
Hikari and Motoki.
Light and Shadow.
~*0*~
"Careful, there's some loose rock here no da."
Rei glared up at the mage. "Would you stop that?"
Chichiri raised his eyebrows at the venomous look. "Stop what?" he asked.
"Treating me like a child. I can look out for myself." She paused, then grinned as a wicked thought presented itself. "Besides, I don't like being mothered." Rei added.
"I'm not mothering you!" he replied indignantly. "I'm – "
"See, told ya so." she said as the monk stammered into silence. 'He really is cute…' she mused. A faint blush stained her cheeks at the thought. Why was she thinking this way? She was fiercely independent, preferring to battle through life on her own – without being tied down. 'That doesn't mean I can't notice guys.' a voice in the back of her head pointed out.
Chichiri was watching her oddly, having noticed her blush. 'What's gotten into her?' he wondered.
"Rei, you're turning pink no da."
"I-it's the thin air!" Rei stammered. It wasn't a very good excuse, but to her relief the monk chose not to pry any farther.
~*0*~
Rei gazed across the swirling mists with almost childish wonder. She'd never seen such a beautiful view. The sun reflected brightly off the low clouds, tinting them golden where they parted like a foam sea around the spearhead peaks. Atop the peak across from them was an elaborate temple, silver filigree sparkling like hammered moonlight on whitewashed walls.
"Wow…"
Chichiri favored her with a small smile. The wonder of this place had worn off long ago for him, but he could still remember how amazing it had seemed when he saw it for the first time.
The light caught the iridescent blue highlights in Rei's hair as she turned to face him, setting them ablaze with color.
That sight took his breath away.
"Anou… Chichiri? How the hell are we gonna get over there?" she asked, frowning slightly, a line appearing between her eyebrows.
"Oh! Ah… nani?"
Rei rolled her eyes heavenward. "How are we gonna get over to the temple?" she repeated in the tones of strained patience only teachers can summon.
He brushed the tips of his gravity-defying bangs away from his face with a distracted smile. "Gomen. My mind was wandering no da."
"Well, now that it's back would you mind answering my question?"
"Not at all. It's rather simple, really." He paused, trying to think of a way to explain teleportation. "All right, it isn't that simple no da. I can't really explain without showing you," Chichiri conceded.
"As long as it doesn't include walking off the cliff," she said dryly, nodding towards the sheer drop-off not two feet away.
"Da?! Nononononono!" he exclaimed. Where did she get these ideas?! "Teleporting isn't nearly that dangerous no da!"
" 'Teleporting'? Like in Star Trek?"
Chichiri looked confused. " 'Star Trek' no da?"
"…nevermind." Rei muttered, shaking her head. "All right. Show me."
The monk moved to stand behind her, unclasping the kasa and throwing it into the air with a murmured command and a flourish.
The world dissolved around them, replaced in an instant with a walled courtyard. Well-tended ornamental trees marked the four cardinal points, all of them showing signs of fall, leaves turning a beautiful hue of gold-red as they died. Each had a ring of flowers around its base, one crimson carnations, another blue forget-me-nots, yellow daisies, and finally green lilies.
Rei sank to her knees, trembling, a dazed expression on her face.
"Are you alright no da?" Chichiri asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder after re-clasping the cloak.
She flinched, then looked up into his concerned face. "…warn me before you do that again." she said in a small voice.
He smiled. "Hai."
"It's about time you two showed up."
They both looked up at the ancient and ribboned creature floating above them. Rei gave a startled squeak and darted behind an equally startled Chichiri.
Tai Yi-Jun glared. "I see that my appearance had startled your companion." she grumbled.
Chichiri glanced over his shoulder at the woman, smiling reassuringly. "Rei, meet Tai Yi-Jun no da," he said. "Sensei, this is Rei." He pulled Rei back into view.
"Ah! Anou… H-Hello?"
Tai Yi-Jun nodded regally, floating down to level with Rei. "I suppose you are wondering why you are here?"
"H-Hai." she said. Somehow she had been expecting someone not quite so… ancient. The thought that the Oracle might be old had never crossed Rei's mind, and the abrupt appearance of this withered creature had left her more than a little shaken.
"It was prophesized." was the simple reply.
Chichiri's eyebrows shot up at this. "Demo, weren't all of the god prophecies fulfilled no da?"
Tai Yi-Jun shook her wizened head. "Only those of the known gods. The Lost Gods' Prophecy is the fifth and final."
Rei stared down at her feet for a moment. Then, as so often happened, her curiosity got the better of her. "Tell me about this prophecy." she said, fixing the creator with inquisitive sapphire eyes.
"Watch your tongue child! Respect your elders!"
"Onegai, Tai Yi-Jun?"
"Oh, all right."
((End of chapter four! Whew! Longest chapter so far… Hmm… The relationship is progressing nicely… I think I'll torture them a bit first, though. So much more fulfilling when they finally get together that way… Oh, and I need to make it clear that I don't own Star Trek, either. That is the property of Gene Rodenberry, genius extraordinaire.
Please review!
Ja ne!
Neko-ane ^._.^ ))