Suzaku's Fire
Chapter 2
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Chiriko stopped at the temple door when he was just about to enter and I followed his suit, ignoring the weird tinkling sensation when I leaned to the door frames behind Chiriko and my hands and legs turned into goose bumps. I watched the people in front of the altar, the roaring fire blazing behind of them. Miaka was arguing with Tasuki and rest of the seishi was watching them.
"Don't say so, Tasuki!" she snapped, being in verge of tears "Chiri-, I mean Amiboshi wasn't like that!" she clenched the sad, lonely looking, flute on her hands "Somebody… Somebody like him… Someone who could play such a beautiful and soothing music can't be a bad person." She sniffled. Tasuki lowered his head, not being able to argue with his Miko.
My head snapped up when a tiny melody pulled me away from my gloomy thoughts and I looked down at my final seishi in front of me. Chiriko was playing a tiny, simple tune with his leaf whistle. Everybody on the room was now staring us, first time noticing our presence. And now we had got 100 per cent of their attention as well as the guard's attention. Five or six spears were pointing at us and ten guards in their red armors stepped between us and the Miko.
"Hold it!" Hotohori shouted, using his royal tone. "Don't harm those two." The guards pulled away their spears and backed away when Miaka and my seishi stepped closer. Miaka leaned closer to Chiriko's eye level, looking at him curiously.
"Who are you? What's your name, little one?" she asked from Chiriko, smiling warmly.
"My name is Ou Dokun." He smiled back, bowing politely for her "But my celestial name is Chiriko." He said pulling his long robes enough to reveal a red character of 'cho' for stretch that was faintly glowing on his right feet. "I used this simple leaf whistle to interrupt that double-ganger's chi."
"No shit! Do ya mean that yer the REAL Chiriko?!" Tasuki exclaimed in disbelief, dressing everybody's thoughts into words. "But you're just a kid."
Chiriko decided to ignore the bandit's mouthing "And I agree with you, Miko-sama. I didn't sense any true evilness from him." Miaka smiled at this, the young seishi's words giving her a little comfort.
"What about that gaijin then?" Tamahome asked suspiciously, nodding towards me.
'Gaijin? What is he talking about?' I wondered confusedly when everybody in the shrine turned their attention from their newest member into me.
AN: In Japanese, gaijin stands for a foreigner from far away or western people.
"May we ask what are your intends here, stranger?" Hotohori asked on his deep, calm voice, as he stepped forth and glanced Tamahome and Tasuki to quiet them down. "You are wearing some unusual clothes." He stated. After what Seiryuu's Nakago had done to them their miss trust towards outsiders was justified.
"He is not an enemy, your highness." Chiriko said and bravely stepped between me and Hotohori "This man helped me to win Amiboshi's song. I'm not sure if I'd have been able to break his spell whitout his aid." The 13 years old boy tried to stand tall.
Miaka straightened herself and looked at me closely, as if trying to remember something and for some reason her studying gaze made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn't used to being looked at like that or having so many people around me and it was making me slightly nervous. Heaven is a quiet place after all.
"Hey. I think I know you." Miaka suddenly said in awe.
'WHAT?!' I turned inwardly SD and sweat dropping 'She can see through this cursed pendant? How is that possible? Though she IS my Miko, but still…' My new mortal body had started to pump adrenaline into my veins, making my heart beating faster, though I was still calmly leaning against the doorframes. My face was a mask of calmness when she stepped closer with that sweet smile on her face and I felt my brows slightly frowning in polite confusion.
"We haven't been introduced, but I am Miaka Yuuki, Keisuke's little sister. He has told me a lot about of you. You are that foreign exchange student, who came to his class on this spring. And once he even showed me you from the crowd on the mall." Miaka chirped excitedly.
'Excuse me?...' I though dryly.
"Your name is Yuki, right?" Miaka continued.
"Miaka. What's going on? Do you know this weirdo?" Nuriko asked quietly from her. The answer for that question came from a surprising direction. I felt my head nodding lightly and my lips curling into a faint smile.
"Mm-hm." I heard my own voice humming the simple tone of confirmation. "That's me." What the heck?... "I think Keisuke has mentioned of having a little sister." Something or –body was controlling my new body. Could it be that I wasn't as alone in it as I had thought? Then something Nuriko had said registered in my mind.
"Weirdo?… Me?…. Right…." I said slowly in a tone that made the beautiful crossdresser grimace for his choice of words. I sighed and lightly shook my head in defeat. "Anyway. What are you doing here Miaka?" I asked, looking around "Or do you usually hang around in weird temples wearing funky clothes?" I lightly tilted my head questioningly, trying desperately to lead the conversation away from me. "I bet Keisuke would be worried if he'd know about this…"
My Miko looked at me stunned for few moments before she recovered and whirled around. "That's right, the ceremony!" she looked at the holy fire "The fire is still burning. So we might still have time to summon Suzaku." She said, pointing at the fire "Hey, everyone! Let's go for it and pray. We still have a chance." everybody took their places hurriedly around the fire, leaving me to stand alone by the door.
"Everybody! Concentrate to the fire!" Miaka ordered and started quietly praying. All seven Seishi did the same and concentrated their chi into the prayer and sudden quietness filled the temple.
'Sorry. Wrong number. Nobody home.' I thought dryly sarcastically as I watched them looking at the fire hopefully, their voices flowing through my mind, whispering the hopes and fears hidden in their hearts. I froze when I realized what I had just thought and felt like banging my head to the nearest pillar. 'Where all these thoughts and reactions are coming from?! This is not like me at all.' Thought shakily as I finally stepped inside of my temple.
I had only taken few steps when sudden feeling of nausea and dizziness took over me and I felt the blood escaping from my face. It was like thousands invisible daggers of ice were piercing my crushed body and here was tiny red lights dancing on my vision. Was my own temple rejecting me? My own temple?!
So it wasn't that much of a surprise that when a old face, that resembled raisin from distant stone age, jumped out of the flames I fell on my burnt back to the ground from the shock along with my seishi, clenching my poor mortal heart. The scream that almost brought down the roof of the temple made my ears ring painfully.
When I finally felt like almost living again I carefully made my way to sit up, just to see my priestess to get scolded by Tai Itsukun. I winced at the sight, remembering the bashing that my brothers and me sometimes got from our mother when the world was still young. For example, the kitten Byakko had had the unhealthy habit of trying to drown Seiryuu, who had been just a little lizard, to the bond in the garden just to see if a) lizards really could breath under water and b) if they wouldn't, how fast Seiryuu would learn to hold his breath. I really did feel sympathy for my poor Miko and the Nyan-Nyans….
I probed my ear to stop the nerve racking whistling and with a satisfying pop I finally could hear what they were talking about of.
"Now you'll never be able to summon Suzaku, you little fool!" Tai-Itsukun boomed and Miaka's shoulders were shaking from held up tears. I slowly limped to her when Tai-Itsukun had turned her attention to Tamahome and put my hand to her shoulder, falling to my knees.
"No." I slowly shook my head, feeling dizzy "There's another way." I muttered, trying to gather my thoughts "The other Gods… the summonings…" I whispered, trying to hold my thoughts together, feeling sick when my temple doubled its efforts to rebel me. Both Miaka and Tai-Itsukun looked at me surprisedly.
"Yes. That is possible. First you need to travel to the country of Hokkan, which is under Genbu's protection, and find the holly Shinzaho." Tai Itsukun said slowly to Miaka, who was staring at her open mouthed. I also stared at the creator. "But the hardships you must face will be beyond anything you have yet faced. The bond between the warriors and the miko must be unbreakable. And you must have absolute determination. Do you have such strength of will?"
I looked at the old creator dizzily. 'Unbreakable bonds. Doh! What is she blabbering about? This is my seishi we're talking about of.' I thought slightly hurt. When I saw Miaka's eye's hardening from inner fire, I smiled. That was why had chosen her as my miko. She had a gentle heart but her spirit could be as strong as the best of swords. I sat down when the decision had been made, holding my sides and trying hard not to throw up. 'I really don't feel so good.' I groaned and felt blood escaping from my face again.
"Consider this as a reward of your hard work." I looked up when Tai Itsukun's voice echoed from the fire and her face wrinkled even more on concentration and I noticed my Seishi being surrounded by bright lights.
I tried to focus my eyes to what was happening. Soon the balls of light turned solid and taking new forms and I took a rasping breath when I saw what they had turned into. Mitsukake was holding a small jar and Tasuki's Tessen had turned into solid diamond. Nuriko was admiring his new bracelets and I dimly recognized the scroll Chiriko was holding and Chichiri's new prayer beads. I wasn't sure if I was wanted to see what Hotohori and Tamahome had gotten. 'What is Tai-Itsukun doing?! What is this, a heavenly garage selling? Giving away my old things like that.' I huffed and turned SD, sweat dropping at the thought 'AND WHAT THE HECK IS A GARAGE SELLING?!?' I felt like I'd be going insane soon, if I wouldn't die first.
"Cool!!" Tamahome smiled chibily "What about me?! What do I get?" he asked from Tai-Itsukun.
"You get nothing." Tai-Itsukun said bluntly and Tamahome stared at her in shock "After all, you don't need a gift from this old 'sunakakebaba' to help you to make more money." She cackled, obviously enjoying of my seishi's shock. I was dimly aware that Tamahome darted around the room, trying to take Mitsukake's jar and Miaka talking with Tai-Itsukun, but their voices were a blur as I tried to stadn up, feeling my strength draining and my vision starting to turn black.
"Hey… guys… I don't feel so good…" I heard myself slurring quietly when I felt myself falling and my body being wrapped in a world of pain before I slipped into unconsciousness.
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Hi! I'm glad that you liked of the previous chapter, and I hope that this chapter wasn't too much of a disappointment. I'm really sorry that it has taken for so long of me to update, but I'll put up a new chapter as soon as I get one done and run by my beta. (And then some re-reading, taking a dull axe, re-writing…)In other words, this'll take some time, so please be patient.
Chiri26 - -laughs and hugs- You're my first reviewer! I'm glad that ya liked of the new ficcy! I haven't written anything else for it yet though I'm gona type it as soon as I come up with something and have the energy and time for it. --;;;
Curious Koneko – Thank you, sweetie! Glad that you enjoyed. -smiles and winks- I did update, didn't I? Though this fic will be coming out a tad slower, because I post as soon as I get something done…. -.-;;
paws-bells - -sniffles- -aw- thanks! I'll try to write some more soon, but how soon I can continue (later) may also depend of how quickly do Viz release a new book of FY. I'm thinking of following more of the manga than anime version…. (excuses, excuses. I know.)
whiteangelguardian - -smiles- thanks! I'll try to update sooner.
Shou Rei - laughs Thanks! And don't worry of the 'ole bird boy. I have some -heh- plans for him…. -smirk-
Suzaku: Why do I suddenly got this slightly chilling feeling that I might not like of these plans of yours?.....
-innocent whistle-