The Next Priestess

Chapter 1

She laid down upon the soft green grass, twirling her fingers around the strips of pointy ends. Her long dark blue hair spread out as to protect her back from any annoyance, as her hazel green eyes searched the sky. It was unusually clear yet foggy that day. The birds weren't as cheerful as they were a week ago, and the trees were dead still. Something strange was in the air.but what was it?

"Hikari! Come on inside! It's going to start pouring!" called her mother.

The young teen quickly stood up running inside her house. The smell of fresh chicken ran through her nose as she walked over to her mother. "How could it rain? It was supposed to be all sunny today, wasn't it?" She asked pulling out a soda.

The young mother, Miaka Stunami turned to her daughter with a strong sigh. "I suppose not. Considering the temperature and the little rain drop on your forehead." She said wiping the drop away with her apron.

Hikari smiled as she sat down at the table. "Hey mom, where's daddy?" She asked.

"I have no idea. He better get home soon, this chicken is going to get cold and then it won't be fitting to eat." She said placing it down on the table.

Hikari Stunami gave a slight giggle. Her father, Taka Stunami had always come home giving them wonderful hellos and such, kissing her mother deeply and then giving her a kiss. He was always there for her mother and her. From she had been told, her mother and father fell in love at first sight and when her mother was 15, around her age, she had vowed herself to him. Her parents still acted like newly weds even though they had been married for about 17 years.

Miaka slipped off her apron revealing her long red skirt and blue long sleeved blouse. Her long brown hair held tightly in a high ponytail. Hikari caught sight of her mother's wedding ring. It was the same as her father's. A white banner with a single red jewel in the middle.

Their silence was broken by the sound of the front door closing when Miaka entered the front hallway. "Taka! It's about time. The chicken was about to get cold!" She said slapping her hands on her hips.

Taka turned his brawny figure toward his beautiful wife hugging her tightly. "Sorry, they kept me in late. Can you forgive me?" He asked leaning his nose into hers. She gently kissed his lips showing a sign of forgiveness.

"Taka, don't play Mr. Guilty on me." She said leading him into the warm kitchen. Hikari bolted up from her chair running into her father's arms. "Hey daddy!"

Taka slipped on his usual warm smile toward his daughter. "Hey, there's my princess." Hikari smirked as she leaned away looking toward her mother. "Thought Mom, was your princess daddy." She giggled.

Taka's eyes traveled to Miaka's. "No she's my queen, you're my princess." He said pulling her into another hug. Miaka smiled as she watched them.

"All right now. Let's eat this dinner before it gets cold." She quickly sat down serving each of them. Taka sat down at the head of the table placing the napkin in his lap.

"So Hikari, anything new happen at school today?" he asked taking a bite out of his dinner.

Hikari continued cutting her chicken. "Uh, no not really."

Miaka leaned forward resting her arms on the table. "No grades?" She asked.

The teenager suddenly looked up at her parents who were staring at her waiting for an answer. "Um." She bit her bottom lip. Miaka and Taka both exchanged glances knowing what was next.

"Hikari, what did you get on that English Final. The one you were supposedly studying for all night." Said Taka narrowing his eyes at his young daughter.

Hikari looked from her mother to her father not knowing what to say. She suddenly looked down. "D+." She muttered.

Miaka closed her eyes with a sigh. "Oh Hikari." She began.

Hikari suddenly stood up. "I know what you're going to say! I have to study harder! But I do! The more I study, the more tired and brainless I get!" With anger she threw down her napkin turning away from her parents. She ran to her room slamming the door behind her.

"Taka, she knows we're disappointed, but I don't think she understands how important this is to her future." Said Miaka looking down. Taka wandered back and forth thinking of what he should do.

"I don't know Miaka. I really don't know. Hikari has to realize that herself. We've explained it to her so many times, and each time we talk to her about it, she grows even more angry."

Miaka looked up at her husband as she sat down on their couch. Her hands held together as if they were glued. Her hazel eyes stared at the floor. Hikari.had actually been acting strangely today and last week as well. She always seemed to be dreaming about something.

Taka sat down beside his wife wrapping around her with his strong arms. "Have you noticed anything different about her? Miaka?" He asked.

Miaka looked up at him resting her head on his shoulder. "Yes actually.she's been day dreaming a lot lately, and she hardly ever does that. She's always laying down outside, and she looks as if she's spacing out."

He blinked. "But I don't think that's really the reason. You used to day dream all the time. Remember?" He asked holding her chin between his fingers.

Miaka smiled gently at him. Yes she was always day dreaming after she had met him. Even before that she had always been day dreaming. Daydreaming about her future, knowing who she would want to marry what sort of life she'd like to have. But that didn't matter now. Her life was perfect.

"You know Taka, I had a strange dream the other night. About our friends. You know, Tasuki, Chichiri, Hotohori, Nuriko, Mitsukake, and Churiko. They were all calling me, telling me they missed us. I woke up to see that I was crying." She said.

Taka smirked. "Well we do miss- wait a minute.do you think that that has something to do with Hikari?" He asked looking at her.

Miaka suddenly broke her head away from his shoulder. "Why would it?" She said.

"Well- never mind.it's was a crazy theory." He slowly stood up adjusting his shirt. "C'mon lets go to bed. Ok?" He asked holding out his hand.

Miaka stood up taking his arm. "Taka…I love you." She said quietly.

Hikari sat upon her bed flipping the pages of a magazine not really paying attention to it. She wore a pair of blue pajama pants, with a large white shirt covering her entire top half. Her long hair in a slight ponytail.

With a sigh, she closed the magazine looking out her large window. The large full moon reflected off the glass causing her skin to blanch.

"I know mom and dad mean well.and I love them deeply, but…they don't understand how I feel. How I long to live somewhere else."

She gently sat on her knees in front of the window leaning on her elbows. Her eyes gently looked around the night sky. A soft knock came from her door just then. As she turned to the door, she watched as her father slowly walked in.

"Hey." he whispered.

She turned from him ignoring his hello to leave him standing there. Taka walked to her and sat beside her looking out the window. "They're pretty aren't they? I remember when your mother and I went to my hometown just to go stargazing. It was during the time when she was pregnant with you." He said gently stroking her cheek.

Hikari looked down allowing a strand of hair to fall over her eye. "I'm sorry, that I ran off like that dad. It was wrong of me to do. I shouldn't be so selfish."

Taka smiled switching his position. "Well I don't think selfish is the proper word, maybe childish is better. But certainly not selfish."

She gave a little smile at her father's statement. "You and mom are mad at me aren't you?"

"Well, we're not mad, but we aren't happy. We're just disappointed Hikari, because we know you can do better than a D+." As he pulled her into his arms he held his finger out toward the sky.

"See those? Those seven stars? Do you know what they are?" He asked looking down at her. She shook her head following his finger.

"Those are the constellations of the Suzaku Seven. The seven warriors who were destined to protect the priestess of their god. Let's see there's, Hotohori, Tasuki, Nuriko, Churiko, Mitsukake, and Chichiri."

Hikari tugged at her father's arm. "Dad that's six, what about the seventh one?" She asked.

Taka smirked as he looked down at her once more. "The last one is Tamahome." Hikari stood up walking to her bed, and slipped under the blanket. "How do you know about that dad?" She asked.

He sat down on her bed as he began tucking her in. "Well, do you remember that story I told you? A long time ago? About the Universe of the Four Gods?"

"Oh yeah, about the 4 beast gods of each region, and how the main one was Suzaku the god of the south. And how the seven warriors were destined to protect their priestess. Yeah I remember that." She stated.

"Well those constellation represent the seven warriors who protected Suzaku, and the priestess."

Hikari looked at her father. He seemed to know a lot about this story that he had told her about. She used to be so obsessed with it, that every night she would ask her mother and him to tell her it over and over. But now she didn't really want to hear the story that much anymore, now that she was 17.

"Didn't one of the warriors fall in love with the priestess?" She asked.

Taka looked down at the soft cushion on which he sat down on. "Yes, he did, the warrior was Tamahome, and he had spent his entire life selling goods in order to make money for his family. To other people it seemed as if that was all he cared for. For a while it was, until he met the priestess. He felt as if he had to be with her forever in order to live. The priestess had also been in love with him but never had the courage to tell him. Finally on one stormy night, they expressed their love to each other and vowed that one day they would marry and be together forever."

Hikari laughed at her father's sensitive tone. "A bit into that aren't you dad? It's as if you were Tamahome, or at least knew him." She continued with her giggles as she laid down. Taka stood up kissing her fore head and turning off her lamp. He silently walked to the door watching his little girl sleep.

"If only you knew sweetheart, if only you knew." He whispered as he closed the door.