Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I had to retype the whole thing because my comp shut down and the recovery thing came up all psychos. Anyways… Without further do lets get started!
--Dancing With Fire—
Recall of last chapter
She looked down below her seeing mountains scattered around her, without a trace of living in sight. That is, until she landed with a painful crash onto something rather lumpy.
"OWWWW!!! Ya Damn broad!! Who the hell do you think you are???!!!"
End of recall
Miaka tried to scramble off of the mysterious person she had landed on but her limbs seemed to refuse to move. She heard the person stand up near by and brush himself out.
"Well are ya gonna apologize or not?"
Miaka looked up, her vision still blurry, and made out a head of fiery red/orange hair.
"Gomen, Demo..where am I?" She asked trying to regain the strength to push herself up.
"Eh, come again?" the voice answered in a man like tone.
"Gomen?" Miaka repeated confused about what she had said wrong.
"Ugh. Women are so stupid, can't even complete a whole sentence that makes sense!" The young man stared down at the girl who was still in a heap upon the ground.
Miaka felt her face burning in anger. What kind of comment was that?? She slowly felt herself regain the strength in her arms and tried to slowly push herself up.
"Where am I?" Miaka asked through gritted teeth.
"No wonder why your such a queer! Yer speakin Japanese! My Japanese ain't all that sharp though, can ya speak Chinese?"
Miaka finally pulled herself in a sitting position and thought about his words. How did he not speak Japanese? Was she not in Japan anymore? She tried to look up at the man who she had landed on. Had he not been there she most likely would have not survived the fall. When she tried to study his face she could still only make out his hair.
"Yoo hooo" the young man waved his hand in front of her dazed face.
"Hey, wait. I bet you came from Old Man Lee's Tavern! It aint proper for a lady to be drunk but I've seen 'em hangin round tha place! I should take ya to Koji! He'd love a lil company." The man chuckled at his last statement and looked back to Miaka.
Her anger began to fume. She was not for 'hire'.
She glared up at him, realizing that she had gained her full eyesight back and that she was staring into two large golden amber orbs. Long fiery bangs hung down low, shadowing parts of his forehead. His mouth formed a frown, but there was no mistake, two fangs poked out from behind his top lip. He stood tall, almost 6 feet to be exact. Miaka's expression changed when she realized what he was wearing.
Draped over him was a large midnight blue cloak. Beneath he wore Arabian looking pants and long, dark boots. Adorned around his neck was a necklace of large multicolored beads.
"Man, Women are horrible drunks!" he began waving his hand in front of her face again.
At this Miaka stood angrily to look him straight in the face. She found however that he was much taller than her, with several inches to spare. Finally with the wind back in her, she began speaking in a fluent Chinese tongue.
"Look, MR, I'm NOT drunk, I'm NOT stupid, and I'm LOST!!!" Her fists clenched at her sides, ready for action.
"Gee, sorry, didn't know ya were pmsing!"
Miaka growled at the man's dirty humor but put it aside, she had to figure out where she was. "Look can you just point me to the nearest taxi or airport system?"
She was replied with a blank and very confused stare.
"Ok ya know what, lets start from block one. What country am I in, what year is it, and where am I?" Miaka looked back up at the tall young man.
"Damn! That was some drink Old Man Lee gave ya! I wanna try one! But if I gotta remind ya; Yer in China, It's 265 BC, and we're far from Mount Reikaku." The young man, who couldn't possibly be older than 17 looked down at her.
Miaka snorted at the boy's poor sense of humor.
"Ok, 'Mr I think I'm in Ancient China', you can stick to your fairytale land and find a lovely prince charming." At these words the angered man, in one swift movement, grabbed and pointed a hand held fan towards her.
"A fan? You're going to fight me with a fan? And you thought I was queer? I'm outta here" With that Miaka turned and began walking away from the man who had accidentally saved her life.
Only seconds after she had begun walking up the hill did she receive the largest shock she had been given since her father had left the family.
"REKKA SHINEN!!!!" A loud yell erupted behind her and huge flames immediately engulfed her and the surrounding trees.
The flames surrounded her body, but surprisingly did not burn her. Miaka felt a warmth coming from inside her body, a powerful kind of heat that seemed to calm her insides. A few seconds later the flames subsided, and the tall tree next to her collapsed, sending ashes raining down on top of her.
The young man looked towards the girl in complete shock. 'How is she not burnt??? It couldn't be…'
Miaka turned to see the man still pointing his fan towards her, its edges spewing out smoke.
"Did you say Ancient China?" The man asked, stowing his fan away in a compartment on his back.
"Yea… but now that there's a fan that shoots out flames I'm starting to rethink that…" Miaka's words trailed off as she continued to look in bewilderment at the older boy.
"What year did ya think it was?" he asked approaching her slowly.
"Possibly 2007 AC…" she blushed looking down at her feet.
"What's yer name?" the man stopped a few feet from her, still confused himself.
"Mi- Miaka" she replied looking back up at the man.
"Well Miaka, I don't usually do this but if ya want, I can take ya with me and hopefully ya can regain some of your memory along the way. If ya don't remember anything by tha time we're at my place though… I don't know what ta do. My guys would have ya pinned down before you could say tha word 'sex'"
Miaka blushed furiously at his remark and shook her head of the thoughts. This had to be a dream, there was no way this was real. She pinched her arm sharply, and it sent waves of pain throughout her body. 'That's pretty real…'
She looked up from her daze only to realize that the young man began walking down the slope of the mountain. He stopped for a second and let out a loud, ear splitting whistle.
Seconds later Miaka felt it. Hoof beats pounded on the ground, approaching the two of them and in sight, came the most unique horse Miaka had ever seen.
Its coat was a stunning shiny black that reflected the hot rays of the sun. Its main and tail however were a breathtaking white, almost so white that it hurt to look at. The only other noticeable mark was a white star on its forehead that if at night, Miaka would have mistaken for a real star. On its back was a large saddle with several bags tied on each end. The horse walked up to the tall man and nudged him playfully in the face.
Miaka watched the scene quietly, letting herself slip into a daze.
"Well, ya gonna come or what?" The young man had already pulled himself on the large saddle and stretched out his hand to hers.
Miaka walked timidly towards the man, unsure of what to do. This was the only place she could go, and he was the only person who could help her. She would have to trust him.
His large hand felt warm against hers as he hoisted her up in the saddle in front of him. She looked for a place to hold onto but the man had already taken the reigns into his own hands. Before she had any chance, the horse lurched forward into a gallop and Miaka lost her balance.
Within a split second, Miaka felt a large muscled arm grab her from behind. He immediately rebalanced her and drew her closer to his body.
"God damn! Women are so stupid! Grab hold of his mane!" The man indicated towards the horse's neck.
Miaka blushed at her clumsiness and ignored his rude comment.
After a few minutes the man broke the silence. "So how'd ya exactly get here?"
"I know this sounds retarded but I saw a big red phoenix, was taken into a red space like place, and then I blacked out! Seriously!" Miaka knew the second she said it he wouldn't believe it.
"Yea, yer right. That does sound retarded." The boy shook his head but couldn't help but think of her answer curiously.
They rode on for about ten more minutes when Miaka realized she had never asked his name. The horse was galloping at an increased pace, making the wind whistle in her ears.
"I never got your name." It felt as if the wind had captured her words and would never reach him, but surprisingly he answered.
"You can call me Genro." He replied, slowing his horse down to an easy canter.
"Well Genro, even though you may be arrogant, and sexist, thank you for this." Miaka was almost anticipating his reply.
"What do you mean ARROGANT?? I aint arrogant! Ya know, I could throw ya off tha damn horse any time I please! And trust me, ya aint want that, with the bandits around here an all." Genro seemed to smirk at this fact but Miaka didn't catch his new expression.
"Bandits? There're bandits here?" Miaka asked curiously, not caring to turn around.
"Yea. Lots of 'em. The best ones are The Bandits of Mount Reikaku!" Genro smirked to himself, knowing that Miaka was not watching him.
Miaka thought over the whole situation. There was a man with strange clothing, she was in China, almost 2300 years before her time, and there was a fan that shot out fire. She definitely wasn't at home. Then again, she probably wasn't even in her own world. Miaka tried hard to think how she had gotten here., and then it came to her.
"THE BOOK!" she exclaimed in the dead silence. Immediately she realized Genro probably thought she was insane.
"Whada ya mean 'A book'?" Genro inquired, startled at her sudden outburst.
Miaka thought about telling him that the book had engulfed her and the legend that it talked about, but he'd probably think of her being even more insane.
"Nothing, just something I was beginning to remember…" her words trailed off.
"I gotta admit, I thought ya were goin even more insane! But hey, if you say yer regaining yer memory, then I guess were ok."
After that, they took the rest of their trip in silence.
---
It wasn't until midnight or so until they stopped for a good nights rest. Genro leaped off the saddle and began untying several bags attached to it.
Miaka realized he wasn't going to help her down so she began to get off on her own. With just one swing of her leg, Genro's head was sent flying back and the shock caused Miaka to completely lose her balance. She landed with a loud "Umph!" only to realize she had landed in the last spot she would've wanted to. Immediately she began to scramble from on top of him, her hands pushing against his solid chest.
"Get off me, ya damn woman!!!" Genro roughly pushed her off and wiped his now bleeding nose.
"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to!" Miaka was going to continue apologizing until Genro interrupted her.
"What tha hell made ya do that?!" He glared at her and she realized his hand was inches away from the strange fan of his.
"Well gee, I'm sorry, Mr sour ass!" her tone became sarcastic immediately. This guy was so rude!
"Maybe, if you had been a gentleman and helped me off the horse none of this would've happened!"
"Gentleman my ass! I aint helping no lady! Don't expect me to give you any food!" With that, Genro began to clean up the bloody mess.
Miaka, feeling sorry for her actions and words ripped off a piece of her school uniform, walked up to Genro, and began tending to his bleeding nose. He immediately pushed her off and got up.
"I can do it on my own. I don't need any help from you." His words felt like a wolf's bite, they were harsh and continued to sting.
"You're so immature! Grow up! You're acting like you're SCARED of woman!!" Miaka added the last part with a smirk on her face.
The head of flaming hair turned quickly to stare her down. He glared at her for what seemed hours, his fists clenching, ready any moment to grab his tessen. He held in his anger for once however, and turned back to his duties.
"I'm setting up camp, there's a spring not to far from here if ya wanna wash up. If ya want food though ya gotta be quick." With that, Genro turned and began unloading his tiny tent.
Miaka still part angry, and part amused at her unanswered comeback headed for the spring. She definitely needed to wash up. The long day's travel in the sun had caused her to sweat more than she ever had in her life.
Within a five minute walk, Miaka came upon a quiet spring in the middle of an opening in the forest. The pale moon reflected off the warm water's surface, giving it a soothing affect. Remembering Genro's words, and her unbearably empty stomach, Miaka quickly undressed herself and stepped into the tepid water. It felt good to finally clean herself, and rid her body of the mixed feeling of whether she was in a dream or not. If she could feel water, it was definitely NOT a dream.
'What have I gotten myself into?' Miaka pondered on the whole situation. 'Maybe this was why mother never allows me to look at her books…'
Miaka's thoughtful ponderings soon turned into thoughts of food as her stomach began to grumble unnaturally loud. She leaped out of the water, threw her clothes on and sprinted back to the campsite.
----
Genro began to prepare the meal of rice and boiled vegetables while he waited for Miaka to come back to the campsite.
'Damn that girl sure is weird, but why do I have this odd feeling that I need to bring her with me? She's a horrible traveler, and that god damn sharp tongue don't help any either…'
His thoughts trailed off when he heard Miaka running towards the fire he had built easily with his tessen. His eyes widened however when he realized she was sprinting at full speed towards the trap he had set up for robbers. Immediately her ankle came in contact with the hidden rope tied between two trees.
"EEEK!!" she squealed ready for the rough impact of the ground. She closed her eyes tightly shut unable to watch the ground race towards her. Suddenly her face hit…a cushion?? She opened her eyes only to find she was looking up at two golden orbs. Somehow, in a split second, he had caught her, only just before she had hit the ground.
"Thank you…How…How'd you get here so fast?" she asked standing up and smoothing her skirt.
"I'm jus quick, thas all." He replied, turning back to the food he was preparing.
"Oh.." she didn't know what to think of it but she immediately forgot it when her eyes caught sight of the food he was cooking. Her mouth began to salivate at the smell of the fresh vegetables and spices he had added to the rice.
"Here. Eat quick so we can get some rest, we got another long day aheada us" Genro handed her wooden bowl with the steaming food glistening inside.
"MMM, 'ank 'ou!" Miaka smiled with a mouthful of rice the second after he had handed it to her.
Genro grabbed his bowl and began to eat when he realized that Miaka was almost done.
"Damn. Ya sure don't eat like a woman." He almost chuckled at the thought, she was definitely a strange one.
Soon after they were done eating, Genro let out the fire and unrolled the blankets inside the tent. For some odd but convenient reason, he had packed two pillows for this trip.
Miaka peeked in to check up on him and realized he had two sleeping bags already laid out, each with a comfortable pillow. At least in ancient China they had sleeping bags, just not with zippers.
"You sleep in that one" Genro pointed to the sleeping bag to the right as he began to crawl into his own. "And don't even THINK of moving closer to me. Keep to your side." Genro drew a line between the two sleeping bags and then rested his head on the pillow.
"Immature…" Miaka growled.
"I HEARD THAT" Genro responded, his body still lying comfortably on the ground.
Miaka sighed, it was no use. Slowly she got into her own sleeping bag and let her head fall comfortably into a sack of soft feathers. She stared up at the top of the tent, aware of the fact that she wasn't very sleepy. For about ten minutes she continued to stare and think; think of how unbelievably odd her whole day had begun, starting with the fact that she had been engulfed into a book and fallen from the sky. She had also landed quite conveniently on a young man, with a magical fan. At that thought, Miaka turned to look at Genro.
His back was turned to her, and his body was stiff. 'He must have instantly passed out.'
'He may have saved my life and given me food and a nice bed, but he's so rude…' her thoughts trailed off, but within minutes her eyelids began to get heavy. With one last look at Genro, Miaka closed her sleep and gave into a peaceful slumber.
----
Genro lay quiet, aware of Miaka still awake behind him. He could swear she was staring at him, but he didn't feel like turning back to check. She was definitely strange, but for some odd reason he believed her stories; of how she had fallen from the sky and seen a big red phoenix. And if it was all true, she was exactly what he needed for his plan.
Little did she know what he had planned for her….
----End of chapter----
Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. Softball started up again so things are once again crazy. Anyways, hoped ya like it. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! (?