Title: The Prophecy of Genbu

Series: Fushigi Yuugi

Rating: MA

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THIS SERIES. The Fushigi Yuugi universe belongs to Watase Yuu-san and I do not claim this universe whatsoever. I am only writing a story for fun, not profit. For other notes, please refer to chapter one.

Chapter Ten

Friendship in Konan

Cassandra and Iname had been traveling for several days, exploring the countryside of Konan, and still had not been able to find the fifth warrior. Both were starting to become discouraged as they rode into the capital after four days of searching the countryside. There was still no sign of the person they were looking for, even with the Four Gods of Heaven and Earth scroll in their possession. Cassandra had suggested that they could ask the Emperor of Konan for help, but Iname had immediately squashed that idea flat, stopping the horse.

"No. We are not revealing you to the Emperor! You saw what it was like in Kutou; you're not safe because of it. I won't let you put yourself in danger like that, Cassandra. It's not happening."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "Oh…you won't let me will you? Is that it, Iname?"

"That's right."

"…I don't think so."

"Cassandra, what are you-?"

But she had already slid off the horse, pack in hand, and disappeared into the bustling marketplace. Iname cursed and wheeled his horse around. His eyes scanned the market for a sign of her blonde hair, so distinct from the other tones in the area. It was too crowded for him to see her and he cursed again.

"Cassandra! Cassandra, where are you?" he slid off his horse. "Damn, it's that cloak. The hood…shit, Cassandra, what have you done? If anything happens to you I'll never live it down from the old fart."

Although she knew that she shouldn't have run, Cassandra decided that her best course of action was to go to the palace. Sorry Iname. But if you're not going to help me, then I'll go on my own. With that, clutching the bag containing Genbu's scroll and other essentials, Cassandra made her way to the palace of Konan. I wonder who the Emperor is. Will he be kind like Tokoyami or will he be more like Kutou's Emperor? She shuddered at that thought as she began her trek up the stairs to the main gates, lost in thought.

"Stop!" one of the guards stepped up and blocked her way. "Lower your hood and state your business."

Brushing back her hood, Cassandra gathered her courage as the guards stared. "My name is Cassandra and I am here to seek an audience with the Emperor. I come in peace as a representative of Hokkan."

"Do you take us for fools, girl? The Emperor of Hokkan would never send a female representative, let alone a foreign one. Get out."

"I am no ordinary female," and she reached into her bag and removed Genbu's copy of the Four Gods of Heaven and Earth. "I am the Genbu no Miko and have come to speak with his Majesty, the Emperor of Konan. Let me pass please."

The guards were silent for a few moments and a few started to mutter. They began to debate amongst themselves whether or not her story was true in hushed voices. While they were talking, Cassandra waited and tapped her foot impatiently. This is ridiculous. I have to get inside. Slipping past the guards was easy enough. They were too busy arguing to notice her and she chuckled. Cassandra tucked the scroll back into her bag and walked through the impressive courtyard. The red and gold decoration of the buildings glowed in the sunlight and reminded Cassandra of fire and the sun. I suppose that's logical, since Konan's guardian, Suzaku, is a phoenix. She smiled as she looked around, managing to hide from the guards that were wandering around. Can't let them see me…

"Still, this place is beautiful, just like the palace in Hokkan. Let's see…" she began to look around, peering into the buildings. "Now if I was a throne room, where would I be?"

Peering around corners and wandering the halls of the different buildings was tedious, but Cassandra had to do it. After a while though she sighed and finally admitted it. She had gotten lost. Very much like the Hokkan palace indeed. I've already gotten lost in here. Now wishing that she hadn't snuck in so she could ask for directions, Cassandra started to look for servants or someone to help her get to the throne room. Pausing outside a stretch of hallway, she heard raised voices behind closed doors. One sounds pretty young. One's older…a woman's voice. She listened closer and edged towards the room, eyes darkening as she listened. It was the familiar sound of a child arguing with their parent. That was something she could understand and Cassandra knocked on the door, wanting to help if she could.

"Who's there?" the door flew open and a beautiful woman with golden eyes and black hair stood in the doorway. "I thought I specifically told the servants we were not to be disturbed. Are you dumb, girl?"

"Honored Mother, please, I'm certain she-"

"Be silent, Saihitei!"

Cassandra was starting to wonder if Iname had been right about seeking help from Konan. "I do apologize, but this cannot wait Madame. Someone is claiming to be the Genbu no Miko and wishes to see the Emperor."

The woman raised her eyebrow imperiously but Cassandra didn't flinch. After a beat, she turned to her young son and scowled.

"You will go to the throne room at once and see this girl in your father's place, Saihitei. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Honored Mother."

With that, she strode off down the hall, her head held high, and Cassandra fought the urge to stick her tongue out at her retreating back. Bitch. Reminds me a lot of my own mom. She turned back to the young boy who was looking up at her with wide gold eyes very much like his mother's. It was apparent that he had never seen someone quite like her with her odd hair and pale green eyes. So, Cassandra gave him her best smile and winked.

"I'm sorry for interfering and I know I shouldn't have butted in, but you sounded as though you could have used the help. Are you all right?"

Saihitei simply stared at this strange girl in shock. No one lied to his Honored Mother unless they wanted to die…and yet here she'd done it just to save him. She's most assuredly a foreigner judging by her accent and her appearance. But the way she smiled at him made his heart fill with warmth and he wanted to hug her. Thankfully he remembered that he was going to be Emperor on his fourteenth birthday and Emperors didn't go around hugging random people. Even if they do appear to be kind. His features relaxed into one of the most beautiful smiles Cassandra had ever seen, even if it did look a little sad.

"Yes, young lady, I am. However, I must ask who you are as you don't look familiar to me and in these times, one can never be too careful."

"Oh of course. My name is Cassandra. I've come from Hokkan to see the Emperor. I managed to get myself a little bit lost and am wondering if I should leave. If that woman's anything to go by, the Konan Emperor might be a bit too much like the Konan one for my liking."

"Please forgive my Honored Mother, she is a rather harsh woman. But you're here to see the Emperor?"

"Yes."

"And you're from Hokkan?"

"Well, it's not where I live, but it's where I've traveled from."

He glanced to her pack and his eyes widened when he saw a bit of the black scroll. "You're the Genbu no Miko! You are, aren't you? But that's impossible! The Genbu no Miko already appeared…"

Giggling, Cassandra touched a finger to her lips and winked playfully. "It's a secret. I'll never tell."

Now that shocked Saihitei. He was the future Emperor; no one kept secrets from him! This girl has to be the Genbu no Miko. Why else would she be carrying around the black scroll? But I don't understand. Legend says that another girl appeared nearly 200 years ago and became the Genbu no Miko…does that mean there can be more than one priestess? If that was the case then the legends had been gravely mistranslated. Saihitei didn't know what to make of Cassandra; especially considering he'd never met a girl like her before. Still, there is another matter to attend to.

"Why do you wish to see the Emperor, Lady Cassandra?"

"Well…I'm not sure if I should say…" but after a bit of thought, Cassandra smiled and touched his cheek gently, making Saihitei blush. "Still, you're such a sweet young man and you seem to have a good heart. I suppose I can tell you. The truth is, I'm searching for someone here in Konan. I was hoping that the Emperor would help me find them. Of course, I wouldn't ask the Emperor to do it for nothing. I would be in his debt after all and would make certain to repay him when I could."

"You're going to ask the Emperor for help searching for someone? What makes you think he would agree or that there's even a Genbu Shichi Seishi in Konan? We would have known."

"We're looking in Kutou as well, so we aren't ruling out the possibility."

"There was a Genbu warrior in Kutou? How did he survive for so long?" Saihitei didn't have the heart to tell her she'd just revealed herself as the priestess. "I'm certain that their General, Nakago, would have felt their presence and killed them by now. He's one of the Seiryu Shichi Seishi."

"Well, I haven't met the guy yet so I'm not sure how he survived in Kutou for so long. However he did it, it must be an interesting story. Especially if he had to survive being around Nakago all this time. Don't you think?"

She sounded so excited at the prospect of meeting the new warrior that Saihitei had to smile. Someday, when the Suzaku no Miko appears, I hope that she is as warm as this girl.

"Where are your warriors, Lady Cassandra?"

"Well, Urumiya left with Uruki for Kutou and Iname's…" she paused and blushed, cursing her big mouth. "Well it looks like the cat's out of the bag isn't it? Yes, I'm the Genbu no Miko but please don't say anything. I don't want to make enemies here and I have no idea how relations are between Konan and Hokkan. Please will you keep my secret, Saihitei? Just until I find the Emperor and ask him for his help? I would truly appreciate it."

"All right, but you must do me a favor in turn when I ask. Agreed?"

"Of course. Thank you, Saihitei."

"Good. Now let's go see if we can find the Emperor."

With that, he and Cassandra began to scour the palace grounds. Saihitei didn't want to tell her that he was the Emperor just yet. He had to know what sort of girl she was before he revealed himself. Cassandra was too busy looking around and asking questions about the different decorations, paintings, and tapestries to notice that people were stopping and bowing to Saihitei wherever they went. He was enjoying her company as she spoke of her warriors, family, her impressions of the countries and their rulers, and then she paused, looking thoughtful.

"What is it, Lady Cassandra?"

"I was just thinking…"

"What about?"

"About my duties as a priestess. It's my duty to bring peace to Hokkan once more, and I want to do that for the people I've met there and care about. But what difference would one wish make if the other three countries were still at war? There would continue to be threats from the outside and the people would be in a state of fear, not knowing if the priestess' wish was still strong and protecting them."

Saihitei paused as well, thinking. He hadn't considered that. Everyone merely assumed that the priestess would bring peace, but…it would be an empty peace if the threat of war was still there. She's right. The priestesses can only do so much. He glanced at Cassandra, who sat on the railing and waited for his answer. Saihitei took some time to think about it before he answered. He looked past Cassandra and out at his kingdom as he spoke.

"I think you are quite right, Lady Cassandra. There wouldn't be peace in any land while they still feared threats from the other three countries. The priestesses can only do so much with their wishes. It is then up to the rulers of the countries to strive for peace as well. Otherwise the calm they bring will only be an illusion."

Cassandra beamed. "Exactly. Wow, Saihitei, you sound just like an Emperor. How old are you anyway?"

"I'm thirteen. And thank you, Lady Cassandra."

"You're only thirteen? That's amazing! And please, Saihitei, just call me Cassandra. There's no need to be so formal with me."

The two of them sat in silence after that as they watched the birds fly above and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The silence was broken when the sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor interrupted them. A large group of guards approached the pair and knelt immediately.

"Your Highness, we have reports that there is a strange girl in the palace! She claims to be the Genbu no Miko and-" the guard stopped when he spotted Cassandra. "That's her! Seize her!"

"Halt!" Saihitei ordered and stood in front of her, his voice suddenly sharp. "You will not touch her!"

"But Your Highness…"

"Am I the acting Emperor or am I not? I have given you orders, Captain. You are not to harm Lady Cassandra. Lower your weapons, I command you!"

"Yes Sire."

The guards all lowered their weapons and bowed their heads in abject apology. As Saihitei barked admonishments and orders, Cassandra just stared at the boy. No. The acting Emperor. Does that mean his father is unable to do his duties as the Emperor? She didn't know and her hands clenched the edge of the ledge she sat on. He's still so young. How did he come to bear such a burden? Even though Cassandra was glad that Saihitei was the Emperor, she also felt hurt that she hadn't figured it out and he hadn't told her.

"Now leave us," and he waved his hand dismissively.

The guards rose and bowed, leaving quickly. Cassandra was still frozen as Saihitei turned to her. He wondered what she would say now that she knew. Silence stretched between them until…

"So, Emperor Saihitei, would you be willing to help me search for my Genbu warrior? It would mean cooperating with me, but-"

"Lady Cassandra, it would be my honor and my pleasure to help you find your Genbu Shichi Seishi."

When she heard that, Cassandra looked up at Saihitei and beamed. She leapt down from the sill with a happy laugh. He's going to help! He's really going to help! And she wrapped her arms around Saihitei in a tight hug. Well that nearly knocked the poor boy off his feet. He'd hardly been hugged before and certainly not so enthusiastically. The feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant. He blushed and awkwardly patted her back as Cassandra released him.

"Oh thank you, Saihitei, thank you so much! Now we just have to find Iname and bring him here. He knows I was heading here and might have followed me. Oh just wait until he hears that you're going to help. I'm gonna make that guy eat his words! Oh," she glanced at the Emperor. "Do you think your guards might have detained him? And I was wondering, what's an 'acting' Emperor?"

"They most likely have detained him. Come; let's go see if we can find Iname. As for what an 'acting' Emperor is…" he looked at the ground as they walked. "My father is very ill and doesn't have much longer to live. I am acting as Emperor now although he still holds the official position. I will be crowned Emperor on my fourteenth birthday in a few months."

"Oh…I see…" she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your father."

"It's all right. He was nothing more than my Honored Mother's puppet. He will find peace soon enough," and he smiled sadly.

Cassandra saw that heartbreaking smile and couldn't fight her urge to hug him. Taking Saihitei into her arms again, even though he was the Emperor, she hugged the young man tightly.

"It'll be all right, Saihitei. It may not be for some time, but things will work out. I know they will. After all, you are the most wonderful young man I've ever met. Inside and out. Most of the boys from my world at your age are obnoxious brats. You're not though…trust me. You're also very pretty," she suddenly teased and released him. "It's not fair that you're that pretty."

"Why thank you, I am quite beautiful am I not?"

"Eh…?"

"That was a joke."

At first she was a little confused. Then she laughed merrily and walked with Saihitei to the throne room. Cassandra was nervous and excited at the fact she got to walk in at Saihitei's side. Tokoyami didn't get a chance to formally introduce me to the people of Hokkan. Sorry Toko, but this is for the good of everyone that Saihitei introduce me. The doors to the throne room flew open and the two stepped inside. Everyone bowed deeply as the Emperor and priestess walked forward and approached the raised dais where a golden throne rested. Saihitei stood in front of his throne as Cassandra stood off to his right, waiting.

"We welcome a new ally here to the palace and the kingdom of Konan. Lady Cassandra, the Genbu no Miko, and her warriors, the Genbu Shichi Seishi, will be honored guests in Our palace. For the priestess has earned Our trust and friendship. Lady Cassandra has come to search for one of her warriors and We shall assist her. Lady Cassandra," Saihitei smiled and turned to her. "What does the scroll say?"

"Let's see…"

Cassandra opened the scroll and searched for the clues for her warriors. There was only one problem.

"Your Highness, I can't read your country's language. Would you be so kind as to translate for me?"

"Of course, how foolish of me. I apologize, Cassandra," and he accepted the scroll. "Here it is. 'Farmer' and 'son' are the first clues. Then 'sorrow' and 'memories' for the second. 'Woman' and 'wind', 'noble' and 'Kutou', and 'shadow' and 'Konan' is the last."

"That must be the one. But is there anything else, Your Highness? A clue as to where he might be?"

"I am sorry but there is nothing else. So we must work with what we have," Saihitei turned back to his assembled nobles, advisors, and soldiers. "Send word throughout the land that the Genbu Shichi Seishi of shadows is to be brought to the palace safely and unharmed!"

"Yes Your Highness!"

With that, everyone was off to send word about the Genbu warrior of shadows. He or she was to be brought to the Konan palace unharmed at the Emperor's command. Iname was also found and brought to the palace where he yelled at Cassandra for running off and apologized for the Emperor if she had been any trouble. Even though he was relieved that she was all right, Iname still felt that she had acted recklessly and had been very lucky the Emperor took a liking to her before he found out she was the Genbu no Miko. Saihitei invited Cassandra and Iname to stay in the palace for as long as they needed and extended the invitation to her other warriors as well. Iname immediately sent out a messenger pigeon to Urumiya and the others with the invitation and what had happened on their journey.

Everything was going well, but no one had noticed the Emperor's personal guard as he slipped silently from the room behind the throne. So after all these years she has arrived. The Genbu no Miko. The one who was prophesized…the man's name was Mu Chang and he had served the Emperor in his personal guard and then as his personal bodyguard for years. Chang didn't know what to make of the young girl who claimed to be the Genbu no Miko. Absently, he glanced at the mirror and a glowing black symbol for "wall" appeared on his left cheek. The one they were searching for was right before their eyes. Only they did not think to look into the shadows to find the warrior within. Even though he was known as Chang, his true name was-

"Namame. That is my name and I am the one they search for. Still, I must judge this priestess before I agree to serve her. I will not leave my Emperor so easily," and the symbol vanished.

With that, Change disappeared into the shadows that lined the walls. He simply stepped into them and vanished. He would meet with the priestess when he was ready and not before. Days passed and on the fifth day Urumiya, Hatsui, and Uruki arrived at the palace. Hatsui was introduced to Cassandra and Iname while she introduced them to the Emperor. When Urumiya asked how things were going in the search, Cassandra blushed and Iname coughed.

"Well? I'm waiting," Urumiya's tone was impatient.

"We…well…we haven't found him yet."

"…You…haven't found him?"

Iname winced at the look he was getting. "Well…no."

"It has been five days since we received your message. You should have found him by now!"

"Urumiya please calm down," Cassandra stepped forward to try and soothe her father figure. "We've been searching for him for nearly two weeks. Konan is a large country and we aren't going to find him in a few days."

"It's smaller than Hokkan."

"Yes, but it also has far more people than Hokkan. I'm serious on this, Urumiya, do not blame us for not trying," and she glared at the older man, daring to challenge him. "Understand?"

Urumiya raised his eyebrow as she stared him down and finally relented. "My apologies priestess. And to you, Emperor Saihitei. I find that the journey here was more stressful than I thought."

"What happened Urumiya?" Cassandra asked. "Were there problems?"

"Nothing too extreme."

"Oh nooo…" Uruki's drawling voice dripped with sarcasm tinged with venom. "If you don't count the dozen or so assassins from Kutou that we killed. Then there were the mountain bandits, the wild beasts, and dealing with the old man. Other than that, the trip was a sheer delight."

"Assassins? Are you all right? What happened? Did they follow you here?" now Cassandra was worried.

Urumiya's mouth crooked up at the corners a little. "We are fine, Cassandra, don't worry. No, they didn't follow us to the Konan palace. What happened was that after Hatsui joined us, Kutou decided to send its assassins after our group. They chased us to the border and attacked us. But-"

"Thanks to my brilliant recovery and Hatsui's quick thinking, we sent those bastards to an early grave," Uruki interrupted and wrapped an arm around Hatsui's shoulders. "Hatsui was brilliant."

"Of course," Urumiya rolled his eyes as Hatsui blushed. "So here we are…and no closer to locating our comrade."

He was going to say more, but Urumiya decided not to when he saw the glares coming from Cassandra and Saihitei. Iname snickered under his breath and glanced at Hatsui, who was blushing from Uruki's closeness. Well, well, it looks as though Uruki's got a boyfriend.

"What do we do now then?" Hatsui asked, stepping away from Uruki.

"I say we pause the search. After all, we're exhausted, Saihitei's exhausted, and we could all use a few days recovery," Cassandra suggested and smiled at Uruki as he sidled up to Hatsui again. "There really isn't much more we can do until we come up with new plans and I don't know about the rest of you, but my brain's really burnt out. What do you think?"

"I agree, Cassandra," Iname went to her and wrapped an arm around her. "We could all use the rest."

"You would agree with Cassandra," Uruki teased as Iname flushed. "But I suppose I'm inclined to agree. It has been a hard journey for us all."

"I know I can use some rest," Hatsui's exhaustion was finally catching up to him and he allowed himself to lean against Uruki for support. "My life has been completely uprooted…"

"We outnumber you, old man," Iname turned to Urumiya and grinned. "Are you going to put up a fuss?"

"For once, brat, I'm inclined to agree with you. Let's take a few days to rest and come up with a new strategy."

"You're all welcome to stay as long as you like," Saihitei spoke up. "You have but to ask and the servants will do all they can to attend you and make your stay more comfortable. I'm only sorry that the search didn't produce results."

"It's all right Saihitei and thank you, you're most kind."

"Cassandra! You've picked up some manners while we were away!"

"Shut up Uruki."

Dear Christ on a cracker, I AM SO SORRY for the long hiatus. Unfortunately things haven't been going so well with Ree. I'm currently jobless and don't know whether or not I'll continue being able to live in my apartment. I don't know, we'll have to see, but I'll try to get back into the swing of writing the Prophecy of Genbu. Although, we're eleven chapters in and I've only got one review! I'm starting to think my story's bad…Laughs Anywho, please read and review and I hope everyone had a happy holiday season!

-Ree