"Let me go!" Zakuro screamed and clawed Taiitsukun, as he flew across the sky. "I'm tired of being kidnapped. LET ME GO!"
She pulled Taiistsukun's hair.
"Ow!" Taiitsukun shouted. "Stop that!"
"PERVERT!" Zakuro shouted, as they flew over a village. "MOLESTER! HELP!"
Taiitsukun looked at Zakuro scandalized.
"I'm the apprentice God, Taiitsukun, you insolent brat!" Taiitsukun said angrily.
Zakuro paused for a moment.
"A PERVERT WITH A GOD COMPLEX!" Zakuro shouted. "HELP!"
"Stop shouting!" Taiitsukun said, as he curved around a mountain.
"I thought you were a God." Zakuro said condescendingly. "Make me."
Taiitsukun glared at Zakuro.
"Gods do not control the will of humans." Taiitsukun said, in a dignified voice.
"Ahan." Zakuro said. "But they seem perfectly fine with kidnapping. HELP!"
Taiitsukun sighed and continued towards rocky cliffs.
"Where are we going?" Zakuro asked, tired of screaming.
"Mt. Taikyoku." Taiitsukun replied, with a sense of pride.
They took a sharp turn and emerged at a beautiful red and green Chinese style palace adorned on the cliff tops. Golden staircases laced the palace together. Flecks of purple energy seemed to be radiating from palace. Taiitsukun landed at the end of the staircase leading to the main palace. He looked proudly at the palace.
"Wow!" Zakuro murmured in awe.
"I know right." Taiitsukun said, excited. "I will live here when I become a God. It's still a work in progress though."
An aqua green haired maiden wearing beautiful white and pink robes quickly descended the stairs.
"Taiistukun-sama." She said, a little out of breath as she bowed to Taiitsukun. "Unme-sama has arrived before schedule. She demands to see the girl."
Taiitsukun blinked.
"Unme-san?" Taiitsukun said, looking at Zakuro.
He then nodded decisively.
"Get Zakuro ready." He said as he snapped his fingers.
A stream of girls with the same aqua green hair and clothes descended towards Zakuro.
"Apprentice God with a harem of girls!" Zakuro said. "PER..."
Zakuro stopped mid word. Taiitsukun wasn't there anymore.
The girls caught Zakuro by the hand and lead her towards a smaller staircase leading away from the main palace.
Zakuro arrived at tall water fall splashing towards a lake. The girls started undressing Zakuro.
"Hey!" Zakuro protested.
"We don't have the time, Zakuro." One of the girls said, a sense of urgency in her voice. "We've to get you ready before the Council convenes."
"Council?" Zakuro said, confused as one of the girls started washing her hair.
"Taiitsukun-sama didn't tell you?" Another girl replied, as she scraped the dirt from under Zakuro's nails. "That is most worrisome. Did you do something to offend him?"
Zakuro thought back to her ride till here.
"I might have said some things..." Zakuro said, her voice trailing off.
"Heaven doesn't have a council." A girl said, as she dunked a bucket of water on Zakuro. "But the decision has to be made unanimously. Unme-sama will be the one you will have to watch out for."
"Watch out for whom now?" A voice replied from the trees.
The girls immediately jumped out of the lakes and got to their knees, with their heads on the ground.
"Unme-sama." The girls said with reverence.
"Unme-san!" Zakuro heard Taiitsukun called out. "We must wait..."
Taiitsukun arrived at the clearing with a gorgeous blue eyed girl with long silver hair which reached the forest floor. The girl spun golden yarn in her hands at a mind numbing speed. She wore pure white robes which accentuated her shapely figure. She walked with quiet grace and dignity.
Looking at Taiitsukun, Zakuro yelped and covered herself, going underwater. Taiitsukun looked confused.
"It's modesty." Unme said, looking sideways at Taiitsukun.
Taiitsukun couldn't control his smile.
"Would it help if I looked like this?" Taiitsukun said, turning into a short, wrinkly old woman, floating 4 ft above the ground,
Zakuro looked at him aghast.
"Sand-witch." Zakuro mumbled.
"What was that?" Taiitsukun replied in a wheezy voice.
"Where is her destiny?!" Unme cried in frustration. "I see Moruku. I see Paul. I see Houki. But where are you, Zakuro?"
Unme's eyes flashed at Zakuro, as a couple of strings on Unme's hands snapped.
"You are an anomaly to the Equilibrium." Unme said, her voice decisive. "You must be killed."
Unme started to move towards Zakuro but Taiitsukun stopped her, looking like his usual self.
"We've to wait for the others to arrive." Taiitsukun said, hovering in front of Zakuro.
"The Gods do not decide the fate of humans." Unme said, her voice dripping in anger. "Only a servant of Equilibrium can. Get out of my way, apprentice."
"Nyan-nyan." Taiitsukun said, looking at his harem.
"Yes." The girls nodded.
They converged on Zakuro and flew towards the palace.
"COME BACK!" Zakuro heard Unme shouting.
The girls landed at the main palace and immediately started dressing Zakuro. They dressed her in clothes very similar to their own, except the pink was replaced by bright red.
A few moments after they had tied Zakuro's hair, a woman's voice rang through the palace.
"The Council has arrived."
The palace squealed as the harem ran helter making last minute preparations. Zakuro was left to her own confusion for a while.
"What?" Zakuro mumbled.
The door of the chamber burst open and Taiitsukun walked swiftly towards Zakuro.
"They'll see you now." Taiitsukun said.
Zakuro hesitated. Taiitsukun held out his hand and smiled.
"Don't you worry." Taiitsukun said. "The Council is fair."
Zakuro took Taiitsukun's hand and was led to the throne room.
A tall man dressed in full battle gear looked out the window at the green expanse on the rocky barren cliffs.
"Earth magic." He murmured.
"It makes me happy that you noticed, Genbu-san." Taiitsukun replied.
Genbu turned to face Zakuro and Taiitsukun.
"Hello, Zakuro." Genbu said, smiling.
"Genbu..." Zakuro murmured, thinking back to the portrait in Zui Gao's room. The man standing in front of her looked nothing like a giant turtle with snakes.
Zakuro looked at the man in his late-20s with a thin mustache. He held a turtle shell shield and spear in his hand.
Following Zakuro's gaze, he put his weapons away and took of his armor revealing a white undershirt.
Though he eerily looked human, something about what he was, was unbecoming. Zakuro could feel warmth emitting from this man.
"Would the rest be joining us soon?" Taiitsukun asked, looking at the door.
Genbu shook his head sadly.
"Another seal breaks." Genbu said, looking at Zakuro.
Zakuro frowned. Looking closer, Genbu seemed tired. Was it ever a good sign when Gods tire?
Unme barged into the room at that moment.
"So, it's just you." Unme said, her voice like acid. "How convenient! Leave it to a half human to defend the human. The Equilibrium will not allow it."
Genbu chuckled.
"It's nice to see you too, Unme." He said, indulgently.
"Half human?" Zakuro mused.
"Let's talk, shall we?" Genbu said, offering his hand to Zakuro.
"Oh no you don't!" Unme said, marching towards Genbu. "We resolve this right now!"
Zakuro was starting to like Unme less and less every passing moment.
"Don't mind her." Genbu said, taking a seat at the foot of the throne. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"Genbu-san!" Taiitsukun said, scandalized. "The throne is reserved for you."
"But the palace is yours." Genbu said, simply. "Now, Zakuro. If you would please."
The palace wasn't like a demon cave. Until a few moments ago, Zakuro felt at ease. But now she felt like she being interrogated. Zakuro coughed a little before starting. How do people talk about themselves anyway?
"My name is Kinomoto Zakuro." Zakuro started. "I got transported to this world roughly four months ago."
"And who were you in your world?" Genbu asked patiently.
Unme clicked her tongue.
"I'm from Tokyo, Japan." Zakuro said, expecting the Gods to frown. "I'm a high school student from Yotsubadai. I live with my parents in an apartment complex 10 min from school."
Talking about her world hurt.
"What do you think of this world?" Genbu asked, a few moments later.
Zakuro kept quiet. She didn't know how to answer that question.
"I don't see the point of this." Zakuro replied, slowly. "Why am I here?"
"That's what I'm trying to ascertain." Genbu said, frowning in confusion. "Tell me, Zakuro. Are there Gods in your world?"
It was funny how Genbu had asked a question so casually in this world. In Zakuro's world, this question was a pandora's box.
"I don't know." Zakuro replied, uncertainly. "I can't confirm nor deny their existence."
"No, no." Genbu said, waving his hand. "You misunderstand. Am I worshiped in your world? Or Taiitsukun?"
Zakuro shrugged in reply.
"I can't be too sure." Zakuro replied. "But you aren't popular Gods."
Taiitsukun looked shocked. But Genbu was unfazed.
"You see it too, don't you?" Genbu asked Taiitsukun.
Taiitsukun rearranged his features and nodded.
"See what?" Unme asked what Zakuro was thinking.
"There is a possibility that Zakuro comes from a Godless world." Genbu said, scratching his chin. "I see no divine touch on her, other than a little residue from a few months ago. That should overlap the time Zakuro said she got here."
"That's impossible!" Unme exclaimed, a few threads on her hands snapping.
Genbu frowned at Unme. Unme rolled her eyes in response.
"I don't..." Zakuro started.
"Gods play a major role in all human life." Taiitsukun started. "Whether you actively pray or not, there is no human who is untouched by a God. And similarly, no human whose life is not spun on Unme-san's hand."
"Wait, what?" Zakuro exclaimed. "Those strings on her hands are human lives! I have seen her absent mindedly snap so many!"
Genbu glared at Unme.
"They will be replaced by others." Unme said, defensively. "You can't expect me to be perfect at my job. They're just strings and they snap when I flex my fingers the wrong way."
Two more strings snapped as Unme talked.
"The Equilibrium works in mysterious ways." Unme said, looking away.
"Who sent you here?" Genbu asked.
"Tall guy." Zakuro described, looking away from Unme. "Blue hair... Pointy eyebrows... Emitted a blue light..."
Genbu frowned.
"He doesn't seem familiar." Taiitsukun mumbled.
"Do you have pictures of Gods?" Zakuro asked looking around the room.
"The trace of his power is unfamiliar." Genbu said. "That God has no dominion here. Do you know his name?"
Zakuro shrugged.
"An unfamiliar God, huh?" Unme said, her voice drenched in sarcasm. "Maybe it's the God that you're planning on promoting from mortality. I told you before, I will tell you again. Humans cannot be trusted. If you're to win, you do that on your own terms."
"The new God cannot interfere." Genbu said confidently.
"There could be another reason." Taiitsukun said, hesitantly.
Unme's eyes narrowed. Genbu nodded.
"Zakuro is the answer to our carrier problem." Taiitsukun said, against himself.
"NO!" Unme said, stamping her foot. "If the Gates to Hell are opening, it's because the Equilibrium wills it. I will not stand around and watch you come up with flimsy excuses as to why an anomaly should exist."
"Unme-sama." Taiitsukun said more confidently. "Maybe you don't have her string because she is fated..."
"I"M FATE!" Unme said angrily. "Even if she is from a different world, her string should be with me. Only very powerful magic can stop such a transfer."
Zakuro stepped away from the person in the room trying to kill her.
"You always hated humans." Taiitsukun said, unable to control his anger. "You look at them as mere strings. Humans are important. We were born to protect them. How can you forget your sworn duty?"
Unme pointed at Taiitsukun and Taiitsukun flew back to the wall.
"ENOUGH!" Genbu roared.
The palace walls shivered. Zakuro stepped back, shaking in fear. The previous warm aura was replaced by a murderous glow.
Even Unme and Taiitsukun looked scared.
Unable to stand any longer in the presence of Gods, Zakuro fell to her knees.
"I'm sorry." Zakuro mumbled, for no apparent reason. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."
Zakuro kept chanting for forgiveness. Genbu rushed to her side, his warmth back. He embraced Zakuro. His hug reminded Zakuro of the ones her Dad gave her. She missed her family. She missed her friends. She missed her old life. And as though split in two, she thought of her friends in this world. She thought of all the kindness and love that had touched her in this world. She started crying.
"You asked me before." Zakuro said, in between sobs. "How I felt about the world... This world is so unlike mine. It's scary. It's filled with monsters that I only grew up listening about in stories. Life here is so hard. But the people here are warm. I have seen genuine strength and courage. I have seen people risk their own precious lives for others. It's stupid and crazy."
Genbu gently patted her break. One of the harem girls offered her some water. Zakuro took a few sips.
"Do you fully know what is happening to this world?" Genbu asked calmly.
"The Gates of Hell are opening." Zakuro said, clutching Genbu's sleeve. "And you're losing."
Taiitsukun looked angrily at Zakuro.
"Insolence!" He murmured angrily.
"That is true." Genbu said, gently pulling away from Zakuro. "And hence, the God challenges. But there is one part that the messengers left out. In order for a mortal to become divine, another mortal must host the nine Gods who will give up their divinity."
Zakuro looked at Genbu confused.
"For a mortal being to become divine, the Gods have to couple with a single host mortal." Genbu elaborated. "The mortal vessel will then grant divinity to the chosen mortal and the seven generals, making them Gods. But in the process the vessels soul will be ripped apart. The vessel most probably will perish."
Zakuro sort of knew what was coming next. The catch to becoming a God. For Suzahara to become a God, somebody would have to die. Somebody noble and pure and all that jazz.
"That's where we face our challenge." Genbu continued, sitting eye level with Zakuro. "All the souls of this world are favored by at least one God. Even if the God agrees to allow one of his favorites to become a vessel, the influence of the God's divinity taints the soul, making it unstable for coupling. Nine Gods coupling with a single soul is challenging enough as it is. The soul has to be pure for this to work. Your soul is unlike any I've ever come across. It's unique because no God has ever favored it. By a simple purification process, I can completely cleanse your soul."
Zakuro frowned. She didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Zakuro." Genbu said, an edge in his voice. "Any mortal who completes the God challenges can become a God. But only you can be the host vessel."
The palace was eerily quiet for some time.
"But the host vessel gets ripped apart." Zakuro said, her voice hoarse.
Genbu glumly nodded.
"There is a very high chance you'll die." Unme added.
Tears streamed steadily down Zakuro's cheek.
The only way to save this world is if I die. Zakuro thought, clutching her chest.
Most of her thoughts were drowned in her internal screams of protest.
"You're kidding, right?" Zakuro said, her voice choking. "There has to be another way. There has to be a way to save this world that doesn't involve me dying."
"I'm afraid..." Genbu started.
"YOU GUYS ARE GODS FOR HEAVENS SAKE!" Zakuro shouted, scooting away from Genbu. "THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY!"
The Gods looked worse that any demon she had encountered in this world. Why did they look at her with eyes that almost pleaded?
"But there is no guarantee, right?" Zakuro said, clutching her hair. "There is no guarantee that the new God can save this world. Or..." Zakuro said, standing up. "The new God can make sure I don't die."
Their silence was Zakuro's answer.
"I just can't be the only hope." Zakuro said, panic setting in.
"Zakuro..." Taiitsukun started.
"NO!" Zakuro shouted. "No! Don't use my name. Just don't."
Zakuro looked at the high ceiling, tears running down her throat.
"Don't tell me that the only way this world can be saved is through me." Zakuro said, sobbing.
"You've to be willing to be the vessel." Genbu said, a few moments later. "Gods cannot couple with a human without consent."
"Consent?" Zakuro said, sarcastically. "In my world, I'm not the legal age for giving consent to anything!"
Zakuro clutched herself.
"I'm only 16 years old." Zakuro said. "I haven't decided what I want to do in college. I haven't properly attended high school. I haven't even had my first kiss. Do you have any idea how many movies are based on the high school experience?"
Zakuro clutched herself tighter.
"I don't want to die." Zakuro said, in a small voice.
"The decision is yours, Zakuro." Genbu said with a heavy voice. "You can choose to stay here or you can go back to your world."
"Genbu..." Taiitsukun started.
"I will not have another innocent soul's blood on my hands." Genbu said, ending the conversation.
"Go back?" Zakuro said.
Genbu nodded.
"But what about this world?" Zakuro asked, a pit forming in her stomach.
Genbu walked towards the window and looked out.
-X-X-
Meanwhile in the present, in the palace of the four heavens.
Seiryuu lazed on his throne, scratching his stomach. He was dressed in his PJs even though it was high noon.
"Man!" He said, as he yawned. "Having no power sucks! Sending Zakuro took all I had."
He yawned again, exposing his fang like teeth.
Seiryuu could hear commotion in the outer edges of his mansion.
"What wild party have they thrown without me?" Seiryuu said, sinking lower in his throne. "Having no powers sucks!"
"SEIRYUU!" A familiar voice thundered through the palace.
Seiryuu sat upright, surprised.
"No way." Seiryuu said, smiling. "SUZ..."
He was about to call out to his old friend when the door flew towards him. Seiryuu managed to duck in time.
"What the..." Seiryuu mumbled.
"I'm gonna rip you with my bare hands!" Seiryuu watched as a red blur of Suzaku charged towards him.
Seiryuu yelped and started running.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Nakago and Nuriko talking.
"NAAAAAKAAAAAGOOOOOOOO!" Seiryuu shouted as he ran.
Nakago paid no heed to him.
"Your gift was very thoughtful, Nuriko-san." Nakago said, bowing slightly.
His dark orange hair fell across his handsome face.
"It's no trouble at all." Nuriko said, waving her hand. "It's the least I can do after all the trouble Suzaku puts you through."
"Nuriko!" Suzaku called out. "Assemble all the generals. We're marching East!"
"We're doing no such thing, Suzaku." Nuriko called out, watching as Suzaku chased Seiryuu.
"Is this a coup, Nakago?" Seiryuu called out.
Nakago snorted and looked away.
"Traitor!" Seiryuu shouted as he ran into the yard.
"It's always a pleasure when you visit, Nuriko-san." Nakago said.
"We've known each other for millenniums now." Nuriko said, giggling. "I think it's time we drop the honorific."
Nakago gently smiled.
"Nuriko..." He started.
"When will you guys hook up already?!" Amiboshi said, as she entered the room, pushing her blonde hair back. "All this back and forth is getting annoying for the universe."
Nakago frowned as Nuriko giggled.
"Was that Suzaku I saw on the palace wall?" Soi asked, as he entered the room. "It's rare to see him away from his Zakuro monitor."
Nuriko frowned.
"If only I could have warned the poor thing that a pervert God was watching her every move." Nuriko sighed. "Didn't you know? Seiryuu sent her back."
"WHAT!" Nakago exclaimed. "How did Unme-sama allow this? How did he do this under his wife's nose?"
Nuriko looked at Nakago surprised.
"I was sure you'd helped." Nuriko said, scratching her chin. "Seiryuu doesn't have the power to pull it off."
"I had no idea." Nakago said, honestly.
"I know Suzaku was thorough." Nuriko said. "He protected Zakuro ever since she was born from all Gods, even himself. It was heart breaking to watch all the misfortune that followed her. Imagine being unlucky because a God loved you too much, protecting you from even luck! I'm surprised that Seiryuu slipped through."
"What is he thinking?" Nakago said, his tone finally worried. "I thought this had to do with the whole priestess business. Isn't getting defeated and sealed once enough? Suzaku just unsealed us too. I want to be able to go to the convenience store on my own, damn it!"
Nakago punched a hole through the wall.
"There, there." Nuriko said, patting Nakago on the back.
Amiboshi started making sucking noises. Soi bonked her head.
Just then, a blast of red light lit the horizon.
"What the..." The four exclaimed, simultaneously and ran out.
A giant crater separated Suzaku and Seiryuu, ending barely at Seiryuu's toes. The soles of Seiryuu's shoes got burnt off. Chichiri and Tamahome were holding Suzaku's arms, pulling him back.
"Oi!" Nuriko shouted as she flew towards Suzaku.
She hovered over the crater in front of Suzaku.
"Have you lost your mind?" Nuriko said, angrily.
"I trusted him." Suzaku said, his voice shaking. "I trusted him and he condemned her. He killed her."
"Stop that!" Chichiri said, pulling Suzaku back. "We are all to blame for that."
"I wanted to protect her." Suzaku said, falling to his knees.
He punched the ground.
"I wanted to protect her, even at the cost of my divinity." Suzaku said, unable to cry. "I killed her again."
Seiryuu walked across the crater.
"It was my destiny." He mumbled.
Suzaku looked up at Seiryuu, his face masked in pain.
"I couldn't save her again, Seiryuu." He looked at Seiryuu, his voice drenched in guilt. "It's too much to bear."
Seiryuu got to his knees and embraced his friend. Suzaku put his head on Seiryuu's shoulder.
"Unme-sama." A woman's voice called out.
Unme ran to her husband and Suzaku, carefully twirling yarn in her hand.
"The Equilibrium is going to seal us." Unme said, her voice worried. "It will not allow any more interference."
"What..." Suzaku said, as his body began to rise.
Chichiri, Tamahome and Nuriko rose too, unable to control their movements.
"We're to be sealed in limbo until our fates are decided." Unme called out. "We cannot interfere. I cannot interfere."
Suzaku looked at the palace of the East, horrified, finally understanding what Unme meant.
"Please..." Suzaku shouted out to Seiryuu. "Make sure she doesn't go back."
-X-X-
A flash of green light lit Toya's room.
In the wake of the light, Toya knelt on the ground, the book a few feet from him, as though dropped in shock.
"Thank god!" Toya said, as he tightened his grip. "Thank god you're back!"
Zakuro sat on her knees, looking at Toya's study table. She had seen this table a million times in her life. She was finally home. This was where she wanted to be, right?
She could feel Toya's warmth as he embraced her. She clutched Toya's arm, unable to control her guilt, and succumbed to tears once more.
AN:
Say what! Two chapters in one day. :)
A few chapters ago, I sort of mentioned that I would be making an announcement in this chapter. Well, the thing is I'm working and studying part time. My work becomes more demanding each day. And I have been neglecting studying. Though the module is flexible and I can write my exams anytime, it's really important that I do write them. For me to attempt an exam, I will have to study. And studying means I will have to give up on writing for a while. That's a total shame because I was really getting into writing this story. I estimate a 2 month hiatus on the story. I will update a new chapter on April 9th 2014, if I stick to schedule.
However, I would really appreciate it if you guys reviewed/PM'd me, pulling me back into the story. Maybe a stroke of inspiration will be so overwhelming that I would end up posting sooner.
Thank you so much for sticking to this story so far. Hope you've enjoyed it!
As always, keep reading!