Walking up to the National library, I couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by it.
"Wow, looks so official…" Miaka said in wonder
"This is the first time you've been to the NATIONAL library, isn't it?" I ask accusingly, making Miaka twiddle her thumbs in embarrassment.
Walking into the library, Yuui left us so that she could go return her book.
"I don't know why, but the fact that it's national makes me a little nervous" said Miaka
"Why? It's just bigger then other libraries, that's all" I stated, only to find that Miaka was already at the snack machines, thinking about what she should get.
"You and your eating habits. They're worse then a pregnant woman's." I mused as I walked over to her. I suddenly felt a chill run up my spine, like someone gently running a blade up my back. I turned around only to see a glimpse of a red something…and the glimpse was so faint I can't say for sure if it really happened or not.
"Weird…" I stated. I turn around to make my way to where Miaka was, only to find her about to turn a corner that led to the stairs to the upper part of the library.
"Miaka wait!" I exclaimed as I run over to catch up with her. I caught her arm just as she was about to go up the stairs.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"A bird just flew up there! I just saw it!" She said excitedly
"Really…well, I don't see any harm in checking it out then…" I said as we reluctantly went up the stairs.
When we were all the way up the stairs, at the end of the hall way was a lone door with a sign on it that said: Reference only, important Literature.
A sudden flapping of wings inside of the room indicated that the bird was indeed inside of the room.
"How did it open the door…?" I mused, seeing that the door was closed. Miaka opened said door and looked inside. We both ventured into it, my eyes widening in surprise. Most of these books must have been hundreds of years old and must cost at least a million yen a pop [if my math skills don't fail me, that's about 100,000 American dollars…give or take]
"Miaka, Percy?" Yuui's voice asked from behind us, making Miaka jump into my arms in fright. [Scooby do moment, couldn't resistJ]
"What are you doing?" Yuui asked
"Miaka said she saw a bird" I stated as I dropped said girl onto the ground.
"Oww! Warn me next time!" Miaka whined as she got up "And I really did see a bird! Honest!"
"A bird?" Yuui laughed
"Yea, I heard it come in here…I heard it flapping!"
"A bird was flapping in the National Library? Yea right"
"I heard it too Yuui, don't be a non believer of the mysterious flapping bird" I said in a dark voice. "You could face dire consequences!"
Right as I said that, a book fell off the shelf directly behind us and landed with a loud thump, startling the three of us.
After plucking up the courage, I went over and kneeled down and picked the book up. Flipping it to it's cover I noticed the title. Miaka and Yuui sat on either side of me and read over my shoulder as I read aloud
"The book of the universe of the four gods"
"What is it?" Miaka asked
"A mouthful if you ask me" I stated as I opened it.
"It looks like a story of ancient china" Yuui said in bewilderment.
"Wish we knew what it said, it's all in Chinese scripture." I stated bordly, not very amused by it anymore now that I knew I couldn't read it.
"There by…" Yuui read, concentrating on remembering her Chinese "the girl of legend and her sacred knight opened the door to which opened to another world."
"Wow, you're amazing Yuui! I never thought you could read old Chinese!" Miaka exclaimed
"I believe the term "ancient Chinese scripture" is more appropriate Miaka." I said
"Hey, that's it! That's the bird I saw!" Miaka exclaimed, ignoring me and pointing to a picture of an elaborately drawn phoenix.
"This is the story of a girl who made her dreams come true." Yuui continued "after she and her knight came to possess the seven stars of Suzaku, many powers were bestowed upon them. The story itself is a spell. The one who reads it through will be given these powers and a wish comes true like the girls in the story."
"So the knight is a girl?" I mused
"I suppose…how do you know?"
"It used girl as a plural, so it's only an assumption" I stated, waving her on so she would keep going.
"This story will come true the moment the first page is turned."
"What's it mean?" Yuui asked Miaka
"Don't ask me! How the heck should I know?" the book suddenly started glowing a bright red and I suddenly got the sensation I was being suck into a small tube, not being able to breath or move at all. I blacked out almost immediately.
When I awoke, I was situated in between Miaka and Yuui; I was holding Miaka and Yuui's arms were around my waist. I got up and looked around to find out that we were literally in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but rocks, bumpy terrain, some dead trees and grass surrounded our small group for miles.
"What happened?" Yuui groaned
"I have no idea, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting home" I stated, still bemused at the situation. Miaka was the last to wake up and immediately saw if we were alright. I got up and brushed myself off. Miaka and Yuui followed suit and kept close to me.
"What is this place?" Yuui asked. I wanted to see something first before I answered. I elbowed Miaka in the head as hard as I could and asked
"Does this hurt?"
"YES, check it out!" But before she could right hook my chin, I ducked and poor Yuui ended up getting the blow.
"Ouch! This hurts to much to be a dream!" Yuui exclaimed, smacking me upside the head. That's when Miaka started to have the panic attack.
"A dream with no ice cream, no double cheese burgers or triple scoops with choco mint? IT'S A NIGHTMARE!" She screamed
"ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS EATING MIAKA!" Yuui yelled, and to show my own frustration I merely punched her head.
"Calm down you idiot, stop thinking about your stomach and…" I was cut off by a chill running up my spine. The same sensation I got back at the library. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I pushed Miaka out of the way and side kicked into something hard.
"How did I do that…?" I asked a bit creeped out by myself as I looked at the big gorilla of a man that now sported a probably broken nose. To the side of him was a sword that I assumed he had dropped. I looked behind him to see that a different guy had Yuui and she was struggling to get out of his vise like grip.
"You'll pay for breaking my nose you wench!" he growled as he picked up his sword.
"We'll get a fine price off of them, these beauties"
"Are you a Chinese acrobatic troop?" Miaka asked cluelessly, which earned her a hard slap on the head from me. The big broken nose gorilla did the yelling.
"ARE YOU STUPID? We are human slave traders!" I suddenly got this tugging feeling in my stomach. Almost like butterflies, but a little harder and more painful. The urge to protect my friends grew and adrenaline started to burn through my veins. Common sense was the only thing that kept me from doing somthing on pure instinct. It was two, strong and big guys, against a girl who's only ever taken fencing a couple times before. I didn't stand a chance.
I suddenly heard Miaka yelling and charging into the gut that had hold of Yuui. Obviously, Miaka didn't hold any common sense in her at all.
"RUN YUUI, PERCY!" I was just about to say screw common sense and go on the instinct that was pulling on my internal organs when suddenly, out of no where a guy comes from behind the guy whose nose I had broken and twists his arm into a very painful position.
The fight that ensued was short and sweet as the guy completely pulverized the gorilla looking men. Miaka and Yuui looked at their savior in admiration while I simply watched the show that he was putting on. I sensed something about him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about him was defiantly…not wrong but not right either. He smelled different to. Don't ask me how I know how the man SMELLS, I just do. It was kinda like a metallic smell, mixed with a burning leaves kinda smell. It was weird, but not unpleasant.
When the two men ran away with their tails between their legs, I watched the man to see what he would do next. He didn't look dangerous, his hair was a dark blue color, which struck me as odd, but all in all, he looked normal. But that smell was still invading my nostrils and it got stronger as he got closer, and I had to physically hold my hands down to prevent them from covering my nose. Strike what I said about his smell not being to unpleasant, it now smelt HORRIBLE!
"Are you three alright?" he asked, kneeling down. I thanked the lord above it was Miaka who was directly in front of him, or else I fear I would have puked all over him.
"Yes, thank you so much for saving us!" Yuui said, a dreamy smile gracing her lips, and an identical one was on Miaka's, whereas I was doing everything in my power not to empty the contents of my stomach on this poor, smelly guy.
"I'd prefer money over a thank you" he said kindly. We all looked at him as if he had grown a third head. "Oh, don't tell me I rescued a bunch of losers! Come on now girls, money makes the world go round!" he got up and started walking away. Suddenly, puking all over him didn't seem like such a bad idea…
"We didn't ask for your help in the first place!" Yuui exclaimed as she too got up and ran after the rude man.
"I think I got some…" Miaka said as she dug through her pockets. I sighed at the ever to nice Miaka. I looked over and saw the sword that that guy had dropped. I crawled over to it and picked it up.
It was a nice sword, plain and simple, but the blood that was crusted on it made me cringe and decide against taking it. Something cursed enough it had taken the lives of innocent people wasn't worth carrying around.
"AAHA! I found it!" Miaka said, lifting up a 1,000 yen dollar [ten dollars in American money I think] You look up to congratulate her on her stupidity when you noticed something. Not only was the rude smelly guy gone, but Yuui was no where in sight.
"Yuui's…gone" Miaka whimpered
"Thank you captain obvious" I snapped as I got up and looked around frantically.
"YUUI? WHERE ARE YOU?" I and Miaka hollered in panic. No, no, there was just no way! Yuui couldn't be gone, she was just right there not a second ago!
"Alright, we need to calm down! Maybe, she went after that boy from earlier" I said, remembering she had gone after him "so maybe she's at the next town or something" I reasoned, knowing it was seriously far fetched, but it was the best guess I could come up with any how.
So, we both agreed to hitch a ride on a hay wagon to the next town. It was a trip filled with odd stares from people walking by us in old time china clothes. I decided to ignore the stares, but they really bothered Miaka and she started fidgeting and telling the people that they were weirdos.
"Maybe we're the weird ones Miaka" I stated, and she looked at me, confusion written all over her face.
"Think about it. We get teleported here by a book, and we seem to be the only ones in modern day clothing. I think maybe that book teleported us to the past or something." I saw the look of utter panic on her face, so I added quickly "It's just a theory though, I'm probably completely wrong and this is all just one big nightmare!"
"Maybe we're inside the book though" She said quietly. I patted her leg comfortingly and simply said "Anything's possible I suppose" I turn around and gasp at what I see. It was beautiful. For miles all you could see were gorgeous rooftops and a wall at the very far side of the village.
"It's like a painting…or a movie set!" Miaka exclaimed.
"It's extraordinary" I agreed