Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi or Sailor Moon
AN: Thanks for all the reviews, but I was kinda hoping for more for the last chapter. Please review this chapter!
Ch9
Usagi looked up from her cup of tea as sounds of laughter from her children filled the background. "The ceremony to summon Suzaku is happening today?" she asked her brother.
The young emperor nodded his head. "You're going to stay in your room during the summoning, right?" he asked, trying to make sure that he knows everything that's going on.
"Hai," came the reply from the blond princess. "you should get going before the ceremony starts with one seishi short."
When Hotohori left the room, Sakura stopped playing with her two brothers and stared at her mother from the floor. "Kaa-san, they're all ready one seishi short," she said, "Aniki serves Seiryuu-papa and he's nowhere around."
"You know as well as I do that we can't tell him that," Usagi told her daughter, "We're all attached to the contract to your fathers."
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Amiboshi stood in his place as the ceremony began. The conversation he had with Setsuna the other night rang over and over again in his head. The only reason why he went along with being the decoy is for Kotou and to make sure that with Konan the chance of another war won't start. Ever since he was told of Konan's plot to gain control from Nakago, he immediately jumped to help prevent the rising number of orphans. But…
As he spent more and more time with the Suzaku seishi and their miko, she could see the kindness and friendly atmosphere surrounding them. Perhaps Setsuna was right, maybe listening to his own heart is more important.
No.
Amiboshi mentally shook his head. He won't be betraying his country and team. He's loyal to Kotou and Seiryuu…just as the Suzaku seishis are loyal to each other. They were the first to show him any ounce of kindness without asking for anything in return, other than his friendship. And now, not only is he going to betray his heart, but he'll also betray his best friends.
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Usagi entered the temple of Suzaku to see the disturbed looks on everyone's faces. "I take it that Amiboshi-kun ruined the ceremony," she said.
"You knew that he was a Seiryuu seishi all along?" Tasuki asked, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" He stomped over to Usagi. "That would've saved us a lot of trouble!" He was about to hit Usagi, regardless that she is a girl and who she is.
Everybody stared in amazement as Tasuki was surrounded by a bright blue light and flung to the other side of the room. The loud sounds of the cracking in the wall and the long string of curses that came from his mouth caused them all to wince.
"Don't you dare touch, kaa-san." Eyes turned to see Sakura standing in front of Usagi with a determined look on her face. "Kaa-san told you that she can't changed the destinies of the seishis and the mikos. Aniki was destined to deceive you all, just to understand the truth."
Sakura brought her hands and clenched the front of her dress rightly. Her light blue eyes filled up with tears as she thought of the brother that she had just known and had already lost, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. When she felt that she could no longer contain her sadness, she turned around and hugged her mom around her legs.
Usagi knelt down to embrace the sobbing child. She listened to the soft cries for Amiboshi coming from Sakura. "Oh, honey, everything's going to be okay," she whispered, lifting her up into the air, bringing her close to her chest, "At least he's in a happier place now, Sakura."
"Momma!" Katsura shouted, running into the summoning room in full speed. Everybody watched as the tiny redhead crashed into the room and run smacked against Usagi's legs. He fell down but immediately got back up, shouting, "Momma, Kay's gone!"
"What?" Usagi asked. She looked up to see her guards/sisters walk in, breathing heavily as though they were running all over the palace, looking for her missing son. "You guys checked everywhere?"
"Yup," Haruka replied.
"Your rooms? You know he likes to teleport there to surprise you."
"Yes."
"The roof? He still thinks that he could fly from there."
"Yes."
"Mitsukake-san's room? He did make it a goal to eat all the medicine there."
"Yes."
"Miaka-san's room? He did develop a liking to her hair."
"Yes."
"Onii-chan's room? He created a new game using the ink and paper."
"Yes! We looked everywhere!" Haruka shouted.
Usagi's blue eyes glazed over as she searched for her missing son's aura. After catching its location, Usagi placed her daughter back on the floor. "I'll go get him. If I'm not back within an hour, don't worry about a thing," she said with a smile on her face.
"Don't worry about a thing?" Hotohori repeated calmly. He took a deep breath and exploded, "How am I not going to worry! You're my little sister!" His golden-brown eyes glanced over to the golden statue of the phoenix. "Oh Suzaku, I can't believe you have the nerve to actually…"
"Hotohori, Usagi-san left," Miaka interrupted.
"She WHAT?" Hotohori quickly turned around to see that his sister wasn't there anymore. "She did it again? She always vanishes whenever I tell her not to go anywhere. When is she going to do what I say and just sit still?"
"Well, you can't blame her, Hotohori-sama," Nuriko said, shaking his head in amusement, "That is her son that's missing." He sighed and whispered, "She still has it."
"What if she's in trouble?" the worried emperor asked, "She didn't even bring her guards, so how is she going to protect herself?"
"I'm sure she'll improvise as she usually does," Nuriko replied.
"WHAT?" came the shout from a paranoid brother.
"Hey, why don't you guys have a bit more faith in Usagi?" Minako asked, "You are talking about the girl who manages to bypass every sicko and pervert she comes across."
Hotohori's face turned pale as he looked like he was about to pass out. "I don't that's something you should've said, Mina-chan," Rei said.
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Somewhere in Kotou, the emperor sat in the front of the throne room. He stared at the blond general and the leader of the Seiryuu seishis as he listened to his plan on what to do for the summoning of Seiryuu.
Nakago was kneeling in front of the emperor, silently disgusted with the man. He felt something tugging on his shoulder-length blond hair. He stood up abruptly and turned around to see a young child with playful mahogany eyes and bright yellow hair. Nakago's blue eyes widened when he stared at the yellow hair the child has. Other than the miko and himself, he had never seen anyone else have blond hair after the massacre of his tribe. If the boy only had blue eyes, then Nakago would've truly believed that he was part of the Hin tribe.
The emperor was also shocked to see the child as well, but his reasons were different and not as moral. He had never seen a boy with a fair girlish face or features before other than when Nakago was young. The toddler almost appeared as though he has the features of a god-like being; there's no doubt about it, when he's older, he'll probably be able to attract a lot of girls.
"Nakago, just who is this child?" the emperor asked as he eyed the child, who was trying to reach for the general's hair.
Nakago spied the emperor from the corner of his eyes and frowned in disgust to see the lustful glint in his eyes. He had suffered through the emperor's lust before and he silently swore to Seiryuu that until the day he dies, that disgusting pig of an emperor won't lay a hand on the boy.
His blue eyes glazed over as he made that promise to himself. When he felt the boy tug on his navy blue cape, he snapped out of his thoughts and glanced back at the boy. "What is your name?" he asked.
"Halt, nobody may enter the throne room without the emperor's consent," shouted the guards from the outside.
Nakago and everyone else turned their attention to the closed doors. "What about a consent from Seiryuu himself?" a firm voice asked.
Nakago felt his body freeze as he sensed a powerful force emitting from behind the doors. He heard the child laugh and clap his hands, almost as if he knew exactly who was on the other side of the doors.
The sounds of the doors bursting open and the guards shouting in pain as they were pushed forcefully into the throne room forced Nakago to take a defensive stance. He was ready to fight for his life and the child's, the emperor could die, his life wasn't important to him. Why he was willing to protect the child was beyond his comprehension, but he felt a connection to the boy, almost like he was a connection to the Hin tribe, not knowing how close to the truth he was.
A seventeen-year-old woman walked into the room, shocking everyone with her features. Her blond hair trailed down to her feet, unbound by anything. Her blue eyes were brighter than Nakago's and held a lot more innocence and purity than his.
Usagi sighed in relief when she spotted Katsuya sitting on the floor with no scratches or bruises on him. "Katsuya," she whispered, rushing over to her son and gathering him up into her arms.
"Mommy!" Katsuya shouted, throwing his arms around Usagi's neck.
"What were you thinking, teleporting over here like that?" Usagi asked. She sighed knowing full well that he wouldn't answer the question.
Nakago stared at the girl. "Who are you and how did you do that?" he demanded to know.
Usagi looked up to see the angry seishi. "There's no need to feel threaten towards me, Seiryuu seishi, for I'm not here to cause any trouble. I only came here to get my son," she said with a soft smile on her face. Nakago looked at her in shock, but Usagi just continued to smile at him. "My name is Usagi, princess of Konan."
"Konan!" the emperor shouted angrily as he stood up, "Are you here to spy on us?" His dark brown eyes glanced up and down Usagi's body in almost complete awe; his anger slowly depleted as ideas of the things he would be doing to her later. The girl might be very young in age, but she has the body of a goddess.
"I'm not here to spy on anything or on anyone," Usagi said firmly, bringing her son closer to her body. She grew wary of the leery look on the middle-aged ruler. "I was just here to pick up my son. And besides…I was told to not allowed to interfere with whatever happens with Konan and Kotou."
"By who precisely?" Nakago asked. He was slightly interested in the strange girl. Her blonde hair…her blue eyes…everything about her just screams Hin Tribe. There is a really good chance that she is actually part of the tribe he had lost all those years ago in the massacre.
"By your god and mine," Usagi replied.
"Our gods are complete enemies," the emperor exclaimed, "Why would Suzaku and Seiryuu help each other?"
"Seiryuu isn't just your god, he is also mine," Usagi replied, "I serve all four gods with my life just as I had done in the past two years."
"Past two years?" Nakago repeated in his mind. His blue eyes widened in realization. "You're the princess that was chosen by the four gods to be their servant."
Usagi smiled as she glanced lovingly at her son, who looked ready to fall asleep. Nakago's tense body relaxed as his eyes softened at the motherly love she shows her son. He was reminded of the same maternal feelings his own mother had shown towards him when he was young. Usagi kissed Katsuya on his forehead and whispered, "I love you, sweetie." Usagi looked up at Nakago and thought about his statement. "You may say that I was chosen to be their servant, but…I prefer to be called their wife," she said.
"What is this blasphemy?" the emperor shouted, "Why would Seiryuu chose a Konan princess to be his bride when a Kotou princess is better suited?" Usagi frowned at the way he said her country's name, almost as if it was the lowest on the food chain. The emperor's anger at the thought of a rival country having the upper hand and the favor of the gods built up but his frustrations depleted with the fact that perhaps the reason why Seiryuu would chose her was because of her unearthly beauty. After all, Seiryuu may be a god, but he still is a man. "Seiryuu probably went along with having a Konan princess as his wife because…"
Usagi glared at the emperor and interrupted him. "I would appreciate it if you keep that train of thought to yourself. The last thing I need is to have my one-year-old son hear things he doesn't need to hear."
"And don't you talk about Seiryuu-papa like that!" Sakura ran tin oteh room and stood in front of Usagi. She had a stubborn determined look on her face as she gave a heated glare at the emperor. "Seiryuu-papa…Suzaku-papa…Genbu-papa…Byakko-papa…they all love kaa-san very much."
"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Usagi asked. She was shocked to see her daughter when she was so sure that she had left her back in Konan. Usagi then noticed someone missing. "Where's Katsura?" she asked.
Sakura pointed to someone behind Usagi to show her little brother playing a hundred questions with a guard, who was trying to answer all the questions as quickly as they come. Sakura smiled innocently at her young mother. "Suzaku-papa sent us here," Sakura said, answering her mother's first query, "He said that we have to go with Seiryuu-papa's seishis when they travel to Hakkon."
Usagi sighed deeply. She walked over to Katsur and picked him up, driving his attention from the relieved guard. "What are those four up to?" Usagi muttered.
"Everything's gonna be fine, koneko-chan," Haruka said. She walked into the throne room with Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna behind her. "The four of us will stay by your side to protect you while the other four will be with the Suzaku seishi."
Nakago's blue eyes narrowed as he raised his ki higher. "Who are you people?" he asked. The four warriors each held a different life force, almost as if they were each part of the seishis of the four gods. But that was highly impossible. The Genbu seishis died over 200 years ago. The Byakko Seishis are either dead or old. And the Suzaku and Seiryuu seishis have everyone.
Haruka took one glance towards the general and smirked. She tossed him into a non-threatening column. "Haruka, warrior of Suzaku."
Michiru shook her head in response to her lover's superiority complex. "Michiru, warrior of Seiryuu."
Hotaru stared at the emperor and was disgusted to see the lustful glint in his eyes as he eyed her princess and family. "Hotaru, warrior of Genbu."
Setsuna just sighed and shook her head at her teammates' actions. "Setsuna, warrior of Byakko."
"More blasphemy," the emperor shouted, only to be silenced when Haruka and Hotaru took out their prized weapons and held it against his throat. Normally, people would keep their mouths shut to avoid getting their throats slit wide open, but the middle-aged man just continue ranting. "You dare lift a sword at ME…I'm the emperor of Kotou. I demand that you show me respect," he yelled.
"We only show respect to Suzaku-sama, Seiryuu-sama, Byakko-sama, Genbu-sama, and our princess," Haruka said, "Other than that, the only other people we would show respect for is those who earn it."
"Haruka, stand down," Setsuna ordered. Her dark red eyes watched as Michiru pulled the two warriors back to their side. She turned to the emperor and said seriously, "By the decree of the four gods, we and Usagi-hime are to receive a home and boarding until the Seiryuu seishi and miko leave this country to go to another."
Usagi just stood there with two sleeping boys in her arms and a girl glaring at everything around her holding tightly to her dress. She sighed and whispered softly, "I think it's best if I get a room to take these three to sleep in."
Sakura pouted at her mother. "Demo kaa-san, I'm not sleepy," she whined.
"Now Sakura, it's getting late and I'm sure that you'll like to go exploring tomorrow morning," Usagi said. She smiled gently as she spied her daughter fighting the urge to yawn and rub her eyes. She turned to Nakago and asked, "Do you mind if you can show me to a room where I can lay my children to sleep?"
"And a separate room for koneko-chan," Haruka added. Nakago nodded his head and walked out with Usagi, who was leading a tired Sakura and holding onto two sleeping twins, out of the room.
When Hotaru saw that her princess had left, she glared at the emperor and said in a strict serious tone, "No one is permitted to enter Usagi-hime's at night. The minute the doors close, they stay closed. And if anyone were to disobey that rule…" She pulled out her glaive and held it out against the emperor, almost as a sign of attacking him. "…is subjected to a punishment of death," she concluded.
"You dare order the emperor what to do?" he shouted.
Setsuna grabbed the long handle of the glaive and pushed it down. "That order is passed down by the four gods," she corrected, "They told us to warn everyone else in case they didn't wish to die a painful death that gives no chance of ever being reincarnated in life."
/-/
Nakago opened the doors and stepped to the side. His blue eyes watched as Usagi laid the children down on the same bed. He couldn't help but smile at her as she tucked them all under the same blanket and kissed each of them on the forehead. A flashback of his mother doing the same thing when he was young came to his mind. But there's one thing he didn't understand, just why is it that Konan's princess have blond hair and blue eyes?
Usagi stood up straight and looked at the general, who appeared to have conflicting thoughts. "Is there something bothering you, Nakago-san?" she asked.
"Why do you have blond hair and blue eyes? The only ones with those features are part of the Hin tribe," he said, "The entire Hin tribe was annihilated and I was all that was left."
"Technically, you weren't the last one," Usagi corrected him, "My mother was part of the Hin tribe." Nakago's shocked blue eyes revealed his disbelief from the news. She smiled kindly at him. "Why don't I tell you the story tomorrow?" she suggested, "It's getting late." Nakago nodded his head and lead her to her room, which was next door to her children.
AN: Ninth chapter is finished! YAY! Hooray for me! So, how is this chapter? Send your opinions with your reviews!