Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Yuugi: Daydream's Embrace ❯ Episode 25: Revealed Seductions ( Chapter 25 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Mrs Tasuki 
Katherine's mentality returns but the illusion of Hotohori's betrayal still haunts her. Now with Christina no longer by her side, Katherine must search through her memories to regain the reality an assassin stole from her.
Anime/Manga: Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 03.14.2005 | Updated On: 04.17.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 367 | Status: Completed
Katherine's mentality returns but the illusion of Hotohori's betrayal still haunts her. Now with Christina no longer by her side, Katherine must search through her memories to regain the reality an assassin stole from her.
Anime/Manga: Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 03.14.2005 | Updated On: 04.17.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 367 | Status: Completed
Episode 25:
Revealed Seductions
By: Nyan Nyan and Mrs. Tasuki
Author's Note (Nyan Nyan): I would like to right now apologize to the delay of the previous couple episodes. Mrs. Tasuki came down with a serious case of mono. I'm the last one left on the Daydream's Embrace team who hasn't had mono yet! Yay! Anyways, not only is one of us sick, but Mrs. Tasuki found a job and I found a permanent job and a seasonal job on the side. Well, enough of our excuses, on with the chapter!
oOo
The jingle of reins and the squeaking of leather were the only noises that filled the air as the boy neared his destination, the capital city of Eiyou. He had traveled through the night without stopping to eat or sleep. As Nakago had said, he was too close to the end of his quest to waste time on such trivial tasks. The sei wondered if he would see his brother leaving the city, a failure.
“I'll finish them for us, Big Brother,” said the boy, his head held high, laughing at the gods who cursed him and his brother. He glared at the city, imagining his enemies on their knees. “I'll bring honor back to our family.”
oOo
Katherine's head pounded relentlessly. A low murmuring floated about the room, and the priestess opened her eyes, finding herself in her own bed. Pale sunlight streamed through the window, telling her that it was late in the afternoon.
Sleepily, Katherine looked around, surprised at the amount of people that were standing in her room, watching her. Beside her bed sat Christina, who was in a chair that had been scooted back far enough to allow a quick escape, but close enough to make her nervous. Mitsukake and Tamahome were sitting in identical chairs at the far end of the room. The doctor's head was bandaged with gauze in several places, and Tama, his faithful cat, was lying on the doctor's lap, sleeping soundly. As Katherine struggled to sit up, Christina jumped, sliding her chair back, trying to stay as far away from her best friend as possible.
Hotohori was standing at the foot of Katherine's bed, also watching her warily, a look of sadness upon his face. Stunned at the scratch on the emperor's precious features, Katherine's eyes focused on a long, painful-looking wound that ran down the side of his cheek. His hand was set protectively upon the golden hilt of his sword, a threat to any who opposed him.
Katherine reached her hand up to her ears, feeling a strange itching, and found that her favorite tiny hoop earrings had been removed. The priestess swung her legs off the side of the bed and began to stand up, but hit her head on a solid force above her. With a loud bonk, Katherine fell back onto her mattress, rubbing her head in pain.
“I put up a barrier,” Chichiri solemnly informed, leaving out his cheerful `no da.' He turned his gaze to the opposite side of the room, where Christina was now standing between Tamahome and the door.
Katherine looked around the room, wondering what had overcome her friends. Why were they holding her hostage? Katherine thought maybe she was still dreaming, trapped in a nightmarish illusion. She lifted her hands and touched the barrier again, making sure that it was not her imagination. However, it was not the barrier that surprised her but the bandages wrapped around her hands. The stunned priestess slowly unraveled one of the ends, wincing in pain as it peeled off her bloodstained flesh. Katherine cautiously turned her hands upward, inspecting them, not believing the mutilated hands actually belonged to her.
Before she could ask one of the thousand questions swarming around in her head, Tasuki strolled into her room, proclaiming loudly,” So that's where ya are! Havin' a party without me?” It was then that Tasuki spotted Katherine, tapping on the barrier that surrounded her. “What th' hell is goin' on here?” the bandit demanded, looking around at everyone in the room.
“Help me Tasuki!” Katherine yelled out as she pounded her fists upon the barrier, ignoring the pain every time her wounds hit the invisible wall. “I don't know what's wrong with them!”
Tasuki stepped forward to help Katherine, wondering what his comrades were thinking, but Hotohori stopped him. “Do not go near her, Tasuki,” the emperor warned sternly, his hand still upon the hilt of his sword.
“What?” Tasuki questioned, utterly baffled by the entire situation.
Chichiri explained, “Katherine has not been herself lately...”
Katherine once again banged her hands against the barrier, shaking her head. “I don't know what they're talking about!” she insisted. “I just woke up! I didn't do anything!” Tasuki watched as everyone in the room turned towards Katherine, skeptical expressions upon their faces.
Christina said nothing, but simply shook her head, not believing Katherine would deny everything she had done. In one night, Christina's best friend had strangled her, smashed a mirror over Mitsukake's head, and attacked Hotohori. How could she deny any of it ever happened?
“What th' hell are ya guys doin' holdin' Katherine hostage like that?!” Tasuki questioned angrily as he strode over to the other side of the room. He pounded on the barrier that surrounded Katherine, who had frightened expression on her face. “'Chichiri!” Tasuki yelled, “What do ya think yer doin'?!”
“Get me out of here!” pleaded Katherine.
“Tasuki,” repeated Hotohori, slightly stepping foward, “Do not go near her.”
“Yer all crazy!”
Katherine cried again, “I didn't do anything!” Christina gave Katherine a look of disgust, not believing her nerve.
Tamahome stood up, his face empty, as though the emotions had been wiped away. He looked older, like a great weight had settled upon his shoulders. “Katherine,” he sighed solemnly, unable to find the words. He had been the first person that Katherine had met in Konan, and, over time, he felt as if he held full responsibility for the girl. Tamahome stifled his emotions, knowing that the words had to be said, for Katherine truly believed she had done no wrong.
“You nearly strangled Christina,” stated Tamahome, not able to look his friend in her unknowing eyes, “and then you slashed Hotohori's face with shards of broken glass from the mirror you broke over Mitsukake's head.” He stepped closer to the bed and questioned, “How can you say you didn't do anything? Especially to them?”
Katherine shook her head as she sat down, overwhelmed by what Tamahome had told her. It couldn't be true. She would never do anything to hurt her friends. Katherine was the one who had been truly betrayed, by her best friend, no less, and now it seemed they were accusing her. “First of all,” she whispered shakily, “I didn't do any of that.” Her eyes beginning to burn with tears, Katherine turned and pointed accusingly at Christina. “She's the one who slept with him!”
The entire room seemed to freeze as everyone turned to Christina, who had a look of complete confusion upon her face, her eyes wide with shock. “What?!” Tasuki shouted, sure that his ears deceived him.
“It told you! I saw them!” Katherine yelled angrily.
“Wait...who?” asked Tamahome, baffled.
Her eyes filled with hatred and pain, Katherine spat, “Christina and Hotohori!” Gasps of surprise sounded throughout the room as the seishi, eyes wide and jaws dropped, all turned as one to gawk at Christina. Katherine's rage was justified, pigs were flying, and hell had frozen over.
The slow creaking of a door broke through the hush that had fallen over the room. Nuriko entered, asking, “What's everyone doing in here? I was looking for you!”
”Nuriko!” shouted Katherine, quickly turning towards the door, where the sei was standing. She yelled, “They're holding me hostage! Get me out of here! Please!” thinking that Nuriko, with his Herculean strength, could easily break Chichiri's barrier,
“What's going on here?” inquired Nuriko.
Tamahome stepped forward, blocking Nuriko's path to Katherine. “Trust me Nuriko, Katherine had this coming.”
“I didn't do anything!” Katherine repeated. “Christina's the one who slept with him!” She angrily pointed towards Hotohori, hoping that at least Nuriko would believe her.
“What?!” screamed Nuriko, utterly taken aback. He already accepted the fact that he had lost his love to one priestess, but losing to two girls from another world was a completely different story.
“Stop saying that!” shouted Christina angrily.
Katherine turned from Hotohori to Christina and yelled, “It's true!”
“Katherine...” Hotohori said quietly as he looked at the girl, “I assure you, nothing happened between us.” He held out his hands, a gesture of truth, and prayed that she would believe him.
“How can you deny something I saw with my own eyes?!” she angrily cried. “Why would I lie about something like this?! Do you think that I wanted to see you...to see both of you?! Give me one good reason why I would lie about this!” She slammed her fists into the invisible barrier, desperate to release her pent up anger and sadness.
Tamahome slowly walked up towards the bed, his fingers tapping together as if he were a lawyer. A look of skepticism on his face, he asked, “Chichiri, can you do me favor?” The monk nodded and walked to Tamahome's side, wondering what the sei would ask. Chichiri noticed that Tamahome had quickly grown up, and was glad to see that he was taking the lead. “Could you sense Katherine's life force?” Tamahome asked barely above a whisper.
Chichiri nodded and held two fingers in front of his face. “What's he doing?” asked Katherine, wondering what her once friends would do to her next.
“Besides being a bit disturbed, her aura seems normal, no da,” the monk stated. He brought his hand back to his side and looked to Tamahome, curious at what the sei would do next.
Tamahome took one step towards Katherine and ordered, “Take down the barrier.”
“Gladly, no da,” answered the monk.
“Are you kidding?” asked Christina as she jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide. “She's going to go crazy again!”
“Says the slut,” Katherine muttered angrily. The two girls glared at each other, their fists clenching with anger and hatred. Chichiri hesitantly glanced back to Tamahome, wondering if the barrier should truly come down.
Tamahome nodded in return, and the barrier disappeared. Christina took a few, frightened steps backwards, trying to keep distance between Katherine and herself. Katherine slowly stepped off of her bed and onto the floor, everyone, with the exception of Chichiri, Tasuki, and Tamahome, uneasily stepped backwards.
“That's it!” shouted Katherine. “I'll prove that I'm telling the truth!” she exclaimed as she ran towards the door. Before she bolted into the hallway, she gave one last steel cold glare at Christina, sending chills down the poor girl's spine.
“What th' hell is wrong with you guys?!” Tasuki yelled, wondering what his fellow seishi could possibly be thinking.
“Could someone please tell me what's going on here?!” Nuriko questioned angrily.
oOo
“Let me see the blasted book!” Joan yelled angrily. She jumped up and down in a, vainly attempting to reach The Universe of the Four Gods, which Diana was currently dangling above her friend's hands.
“No!” Diana shouted, yanking the book up just in time to keep it out of her friend's grasp. “I'm reading it!”
“Well, she's my sister!” Joan shouted angrily. She clenched a fist to punch into Diana's stomach, but her friend jumped aside.
“Exactly!” Diana said. “That's why I should read it! You'll do something stupid like...try to rip it in half!”
“I will not!” the girl declared stubbornly, her hands on her hips.
“You will too, and you know it! So, just shut up so I can read it!” Diana yelled.
“What did you say?!” Joan angrily inquired, stepping back into her fighting stance, her fists held out threateningly. “I can take you easy! Wanna try? How about we fight for the book then, huh?”
“You just proved my point,” Diana stated. “So. I'm going to be reading.” Joan sat down with a huff, and Diana walked across the room and sat down on the rolling computer chair. She took a deep breath and began to read the paragraph that was slowly appearing.
“The seishi and the priestess removed the Lady Katherine's earrings, unknowingly giving back her mentality. When she awoke, the Lady Katherine quickly ran from her chambers, leaving the warriors and her fellow priestess behind. With her memories of the tragic illusion still haunting her as if it were a reality, she fled down the hallways of the palace of Konan, until she reached the great chambers of the emperor...”
oOo
Tasuki secretly followed Katherine until she had reached the main doors that lead to the emperor's private section of the palace. He hid behind a pillar as the guards opened the heavy doors for the priestess. The bandit approached them casually; only to be stopped by two long crossed spears, denying him of his entrance.
“Only the emperor and the most elite of advisors are allowed in here,” one guard greeted in an conceited tone.
“Ya just let someone in that was neither,” Tasuki snapped back.
“And who would that be?” the second guard answered, curling his lip.
“Th' Priestess of Suzaku.”
The two guards glanced at each other, holding back their laughter. The first looked back at the orange-haired fool and answered, “Naturally, the priestess is granted access to wherever she pleases.”
Flashing his trademark smirk, Tasuki asked smugly, “An' her seishi?”
“I assume they would be granted access as well. Tell me when you see one.” The two guards looked at the boy with the same arrogant smile plastered to their faces.
“Yer lookin' at one.” The sei pulled down his sleeve, showing the glowing `wing' mark on his forearm.
The cocky smiles immediately disappeared from the guards' faces. They uncrossed their spears and knelt as quickly as possible. “We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Sir Tasuki, please accept our deepest apologies.”
A large smile spread across the bandit's face. Looking up at the ceiling and casually scratching his neck, he answered. “Ah, it's no problem, I guess.” He looked back down at the guards, putting his superior status to good use. “Just make sure it never happens again,” he said through his teeth, with mock anger. Striding past the guards he proudly opened the huge doors, savoring every second. Before the doors were completely shut, he reached his hand through the crack. “Keep up the good work,” he stated degradingly, patting the guards on the head.
Hearing the two doors click shut, Tasuki turned around and faced the most private, guarded, and unknown section of the palace. The corridor contained several rooms including Hotohori's private office, chambers, and a small conference room meant for the emperor and his chief advisors. The bandit's solitary pair of footsteps echoed down the palace's secluded hallway. Knowing Katherine must be somewhere, the sei watched for any sign of the distressed girl.
“I'm a bandit, dammit. Don't be so nervous,” Tasuki mumbled, trying to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he regained his confidence and continued to stride down the hallway in search of Katherine. He passed by a large room where both doors had been left wide open, as if enticing him to enter. Curiosity getting the best of him, he could not help peering into what could have been the largest room in the palace. Finding a perfectly made white bed, adorned at the top with large, fluffy pillows, and a bare nightstand holding only a lantern, he knew that the room was the emperor's bedroom. Taking a small step inside, he noticed that the chamber reflected nothing on Hotohori's personality, besides the couple of swords mounted on the wall. Walking slowly on the spotless white floor, the bandit looked around in awe at the unrealistic perfection the room held. “Shit...” the bandit mumbled under his breath, not believing one person could need a room so large.
“It's...gone...” a voice muttered, snapping the sei out of his stupor.
Looking in the direction the voice came from, Tasuki was taken aback to find the person he was looking for. “Katherine?” he questioned, wondering what she was doing in the bedroom. He cautiously walked up to the obviously dazed girl, who was kneeling next to the nightstand and staring blankly at the floor.
Katherine turned her head and looked at Tasuki. “It's all gone...” she repeated.
Walking closer to the troubled girl, the sei nonchalantly asked, “What are ya talkin' about?”
Looking back at the floor, she slowly rose to her feet, questioning everything she had been so sure of just a few minutes ago. Her eyes never leaving the tile, she explained, “I dropped the tray when I found them. The dishes shattered. Food went everywhere.” She looked at Tasuki for a moment, before bringing her attention back to the floor. “There was red wine on the tray. The wine splattered against the wall. It would have left a permanent stain.”
“Wine fer breakfast?” Tasuki questioned, unaware of the significance of Katherine's observation. “Oooo, seducin' th' emperor while he's still in bed,” Tasuki teased, trying to lighten the mood, only to be met with a cold glare. Realizing that this was not the place or moment for jokes, he muttered, “Sorry,” while scratching the back of his neck.
The two stood in silence for what seemed to be an eternity. Snapping out of her deep contemplation, Katherine turned to Tasuki. “What are you doin' here anyways?” she asked, trying to take her mind off of the world of confusion happening around her.
Caught off guard, Tasuki nervously scanned the room, as if it possessed some sort of hidden answer to the off-topic question. “I...um...” he stuttered, wondering why he had followed her. “I got tired of listenin' to those assholes feedin' Nuriko and me all this bullshit `bout kodaka.”
Katherine froze, eyes widening. “Do you mean Kodoku?”
Oblivious to Katherine's revelation, the sei shrugged, “I guess.”
“What did they say?” she asked, anxiously looking up at Tasuki.
Finding Katherine's reaction a bit melodramatic, Tasuki questioned, “What difference does it make?”
“A lot. Okay?” Katherine answered, trying to suppress her growing impatience.
Catching the edge in her voice, the sei answered, “They just kept on goin' on `bout how last night you went all psycho on them, and there was a huge fight in Christina's room.” He stopped for a moment, surprised to see Katherine's face frozen in shock. “What's the big deal, anyways? It's all bullshit, right?” He had a hard time believing that Katherine would attack her friends. The priestess definitely had short temper, but violently attacking someone seemed inconceivable for the usually harmless girl.
Katherine snapped back into reality, her shock dissolving. The bandit definitely had a point. She would never kill Christina and Hotohori, even if they had betrayed her. “Yeah...I mean, I would've remembered something like that.” Chills shooting down her spine, she remembered Tamahome had no idea what he did while he was drugged in the series. Why would it be any different with her? “Oh, shit-taki mushrooms!” she shouted, sprinting out of the room.
“Where th' hell are ya goin'?!” Tasuki hollered after her, following her out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He chased her for a several minutes, nearly passing the hallway where she had turned. Before he had gotten too far ahead, he walked back to see her standing outside of Christina's room, her eyes wide as she stared inside.
Katherine slowly walked in, and stopped to lean on the doorway in her shock. “Oh my god,” Katherine whispered as she gazed at the chaos that had overtaken her best friend's room.
The sheets on her bed were twisted around and flung to the other side of the room. The remains of a broken mirror were tossed at the foot of the bed. Broken glass was scattered, covering the floor like tiny drops of water. Two servants were walking around the room, attempting to clean up the damage, but it seemed as though the task would take all night.
“Holy shit,” muttered Tasuki from behind Katherine. Katherine walked inside, not even paying attention to the bandit as she stared at the room in disbelief.
“Priestess,” acknowledged the two servants with deep bows.
Katherine nodded back to the two women and said flatly, “You're excused...”
“Yes, your eminence,” answered the first of the servants as they both bowed again and quickly scampered out of the room. Tasuki silently closed the door as soon as the servants left and slowly walked up to Katherine's side.
“...Did you?” the bandit asked quietly.
Katherine looked around that the damaged room again, shaking her head. “I...I don't think so...”
“Then who th' hell did?!” Tasuki asked angrily.
“I don't know!” Katherine shouted back. She watched as Tasuki crossed the room and picked up a large square frame, a few pieces clinging to the side. He watched as several small slivers of glass shattered as they hit the floor.
“I guess we know where all th' glass came from...” Tasuki muttered sarcastically.
“Oh my god...” marveled Katherine, “I did do this...” The girl stepped backwards, shaking her head in disbelief. She suddenly remembered what Tamahome had said when she was still trapped in the barrier. “I...I slammed the mirror on Mits's head!”
“Why would ya go an' do somethin' like that?!” Tasuki asked, completely flabbergasted.
“I dunno!” Katherine answered, “You heard them, I was psycho-freak!”
“But Mitsukake?!” Tasuki shouted, “What'd he ever do t' ya? No wonder th' guy's scared of everyone!”
Katherine answered sarcastically, “Well, at least I was blessed with Captain Obvious to point that out!” Katherine heard the abrupt sound of crunching glass and turned around to see Nuriko standing motionless, like a deer caught in headlights.
“I...I was just...well...” the purple-haired sei faltered.
“Seein' if Katherine was really a psycho?” Tasuki added helpfully. Katherine stepped in front of the bandit, trying to ignore him.
“I'm not gonna attack you, honest engine,” Katherine promised, raising her right hand.
Nuriko nodded at Katherine, who smiled at the prospect of at least one person trusting her. “So, Hotohori and Christina...did they really...s-sleep together?” Nuriko inquired uneasily.
“I don't know…” Katherine answered slowly, not expecting the question.
“But, you said that you saw them,” Nuriko said, wondering whether or not Katherine's tale was valid.
“Well...” replied Katherine, “Just because I saw it, doesn't mean it's true.” Had she been poisoned with Kodoku? That would mean that everything she saw, everything she felt had been a lie. It would mean that Christina and Hotohori had been telling the truth, and that she had mistrusted and attacked them.
“So you really believe you were drugged?” inquired Nuriko, who was not very convinced about the theory of Katherine being poisoned.
“Let's just say I have previous knowledge of Kodoku…” Katherine hinted as she openly winked at Nuriko.
“Oh!” said Nuriko, understanding that there had been Kodoku in the legend inKatherine's world. “I see!”
“Wait...” Tasuki said baffled. “What's that supposed t' mean?”
Nuriko put his hands on his hips and answered, “It's not like we're speaking in code.”
“Well, then why I don't I get what yer sayin'?” Tasuki shot back.
“Maybe you're just stupid,” Nuriko smiled. Tasuki gave Nuriko an angry glare, mumbling to himself. Katherine ignored the two fighting seishi, looking around the room for any clues.
“Holy crap...” Katherine said quietly.
“What?” Tasuki asked. Katherine slowly walked over to one of the walls and knelt down. She hesitantly placed her right hand on a bloody print upon the floor and gasped as she realized that the prints matched.
“That proves it...I must've done this.” She shook her head, erasing all of the doubt in her mind.
“What does that have t' do with anythin'?” Tasuki asked, hovering above her.
“No two people have the same handprint...” Katherine explained, slowly standing up. “I have to go...” she said as she headed towards the door.
“Go where?” questioned Tasuki.
“Anywhere but here,” answered the girl, quietly shutting the door behind her. Neither Tasuki nor Nuriko followed Katherine, knowing that she wanted to be alone. Instead, the seishi awkwardly stared around the room, trying to imagine that Katherine had been the one who had caused the damage. But, it was impossible.
“Ya think she's foolin' us?” Tasuki asked as he kicked at the glass on the floor.
Nuriko answered quietly, “I don't know. She seems to be herself...just...confused. But they did say she tricked Mitsukake earlier...”
“I don't care what ya think. She looks normal t' me!”
“Then why did you bother asking?” Nuriko demanded.
Tasuki opened his mouth to answer the sei, but stopped as the door opened, revealing Hotohori. The emperor entered the room cautiously, making sure not to step on any of the glass. He looked from Tasuki to Nuriko, then sighed, “I thought Katherine was with you.”
“She was earlier,” answered Nuriko. “But she just left.”
“Whaddya want anyways?” Tasuki asked arrogantly, as though the emperor was nothing more than a bother. The bandit did not want to let Hotohori get away with cheating on Katherine, with Christina of all people, the girl's best friend. He was determined to make the emperor pay, even though everyone else believed his story.
“She left...by herself?” Hotohori asked Nuriko, ignoring Tasuki's rude question.
“She's a free person, ya know. Not somethin' ya can just throw away...” Tasuki answered.
After shooting a look of warning at the bandit, Nuriko replied, “I think that you need to talk with her, your Highness.” Nuriko stopped as he said `highness'; the word seemed almost too formal. It was a strange relationship between Hotohori and himself. They were comrades, celestial warriors who had saved each other's lives time and time again. But when they returned to the palace and Hotohori donned his royal robes, he was still the emperor, and Nuriko was once again nothing more than a courtier. “The spell that was on her last appears seems to be gone,” Nuriko finished.
“Katherine still believes that something happened between Christina and me,” Hotohori murmured quietly. He did not want to force her to speak with him. He would prefer if she came to talk when she was ready.
“Ya mean ya fucked `er brains out?” Tasuki asked heatedly. After the time he had spent at the palace, he was still wondering how the emperor managed to run the country. He didn't even have the courage to admit a mistake he made. Pathetic. Tasuki stuck out his chin in a nod, challenging Hotohori to find the nerve to answer him.
“Tasuki,” Nuriko warned with a harsh glare, “I think it would be best if you left...right now.”
“Hey!” replied the bandit, crossing his arms over his chest. “I'm a free person too!”
Nuriko quickly lifted Tasuki up by the collar of his big black coat and walked across the room while firmly holding the struggling sei in his grip. He opened the door, and threw the bandit out. Tasuki slammed into the tile floor of the hallway with a loud bang and looked up to see the door slammed in his face.
With an indignant, “Fine then!” Tasuki climbed to his feet and brushed the dust off of his pitch black overcoat. “See if I care,” he added as he walked off, angrily scuffing his feet. A strange scratching sound reached the bandit's ears as something red went flying down into the garden, landing next to a tiny rosebush. Curious about the object, Tasuki quickly jumped over the balcony railing, where he landed in the soft, wet earth. He bent down to see that he had been kicking a small, red-beaded bracelet.
Tasuki looked back down to see a path of small, footprints in the dirt which had half filled up with the rain that had fallen earlier that night. He followed the line of prints until he came upon an area of the garden he had not seen before.
“It told you! I saw them!” Katherine yelled angrily.
“Wait...who?” asked Tamahome, baffled.
Her eyes filled with hatred and pain, Katherine spat, “Christina and Hotohori!” Gasps of surprise sounded throughout the room as the seishi, eyes wide and jaws dropped, all turned as one to gawk at Christina. Katherine's rage was justified, pigs were flying, and hell had frozen over.
The slow creaking of a door broke through the hush that had fallen over the room. Nuriko entered, asking, “What's everyone doing in here? I was looking for you!”
”Nuriko!” shouted Katherine, quickly turning towards the door, where the sei was standing. She yelled, “They're holding me hostage! Get me out of here! Please!” thinking that Nuriko, with his Herculean strength, could easily break Chichiri's barrier,
“What's going on here?” inquired Nuriko.
Tamahome stepped forward, blocking Nuriko's path to Katherine. “Trust me Nuriko, Katherine had this coming.”
“I didn't do anything!” Katherine repeated. “Christina's the one who slept with him!” She angrily pointed towards Hotohori, hoping that at least Nuriko would believe her.
“What?!” screamed Nuriko, utterly taken aback. He already accepted the fact that he had lost his love to one priestess, but losing to two girls from another world was a completely different story.
“Stop saying that!” shouted Christina angrily.
Katherine turned from Hotohori to Christina and yelled, “It's true!”
“Katherine...” Hotohori said quietly as he looked at the girl, “I assure you, nothing happened between us.” He held out his hands, a gesture of truth, and prayed that she would believe him.
“How can you deny something I saw with my own eyes?!” she angrily cried. “Why would I lie about something like this?! Do you think that I wanted to see you...to see both of you?! Give me one good reason why I would lie about this!” She slammed her fists into the invisible barrier, desperate to release her pent up anger and sadness.
Tamahome slowly walked up towards the bed, his fingers tapping together as if he were a lawyer. A look of skepticism on his face, he asked, “Chichiri, can you do me favor?” The monk nodded and walked to Tamahome's side, wondering what the sei would ask. Chichiri noticed that Tamahome had quickly grown up, and was glad to see that he was taking the lead. “Could you sense Katherine's life force?” Tamahome asked barely above a whisper.
Chichiri nodded and held two fingers in front of his face. “What's he doing?” asked Katherine, wondering what her once friends would do to her next.
“Besides being a bit disturbed, her aura seems normal, no da,” the monk stated. He brought his hand back to his side and looked to Tamahome, curious at what the sei would do next.
Tamahome took one step towards Katherine and ordered, “Take down the barrier.”
“Gladly, no da,” answered the monk.
“Are you kidding?” asked Christina as she jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide. “She's going to go crazy again!”
“Says the slut,” Katherine muttered angrily. The two girls glared at each other, their fists clenching with anger and hatred. Chichiri hesitantly glanced back to Tamahome, wondering if the barrier should truly come down.
Tamahome nodded in return, and the barrier disappeared. Christina took a few, frightened steps backwards, trying to keep distance between Katherine and herself. Katherine slowly stepped off of her bed and onto the floor, everyone, with the exception of Chichiri, Tasuki, and Tamahome, uneasily stepped backwards.
“That's it!” shouted Katherine. “I'll prove that I'm telling the truth!” she exclaimed as she ran towards the door. Before she bolted into the hallway, she gave one last steel cold glare at Christina, sending chills down the poor girl's spine.
“What th' hell is wrong with you guys?!” Tasuki yelled, wondering what his fellow seishi could possibly be thinking.
“Could someone please tell me what's going on here?!” Nuriko questioned angrily.
oOo
“Let me see the blasted book!” Joan yelled angrily. She jumped up and down in a, vainly attempting to reach The Universe of the Four Gods, which Diana was currently dangling above her friend's hands.
“No!” Diana shouted, yanking the book up just in time to keep it out of her friend's grasp. “I'm reading it!”
“Well, she's my sister!” Joan shouted angrily. She clenched a fist to punch into Diana's stomach, but her friend jumped aside.
“Exactly!” Diana said. “That's why I should read it! You'll do something stupid like...try to rip it in half!”
“I will not!” the girl declared stubbornly, her hands on her hips.
“You will too, and you know it! So, just shut up so I can read it!” Diana yelled.
“What did you say?!” Joan angrily inquired, stepping back into her fighting stance, her fists held out threateningly. “I can take you easy! Wanna try? How about we fight for the book then, huh?”
“You just proved my point,” Diana stated. “So. I'm going to be reading.” Joan sat down with a huff, and Diana walked across the room and sat down on the rolling computer chair. She took a deep breath and began to read the paragraph that was slowly appearing.
“The seishi and the priestess removed the Lady Katherine's earrings, unknowingly giving back her mentality. When she awoke, the Lady Katherine quickly ran from her chambers, leaving the warriors and her fellow priestess behind. With her memories of the tragic illusion still haunting her as if it were a reality, she fled down the hallways of the palace of Konan, until she reached the great chambers of the emperor...”
oOo
Tasuki secretly followed Katherine until she had reached the main doors that lead to the emperor's private section of the palace. He hid behind a pillar as the guards opened the heavy doors for the priestess. The bandit approached them casually; only to be stopped by two long crossed spears, denying him of his entrance.
“Only the emperor and the most elite of advisors are allowed in here,” one guard greeted in an conceited tone.
“Ya just let someone in that was neither,” Tasuki snapped back.
“And who would that be?” the second guard answered, curling his lip.
“Th' Priestess of Suzaku.”
The two guards glanced at each other, holding back their laughter. The first looked back at the orange-haired fool and answered, “Naturally, the priestess is granted access to wherever she pleases.”
Flashing his trademark smirk, Tasuki asked smugly, “An' her seishi?”
“I assume they would be granted access as well. Tell me when you see one.” The two guards looked at the boy with the same arrogant smile plastered to their faces.
“Yer lookin' at one.” The sei pulled down his sleeve, showing the glowing `wing' mark on his forearm.
The cocky smiles immediately disappeared from the guards' faces. They uncrossed their spears and knelt as quickly as possible. “We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Sir Tasuki, please accept our deepest apologies.”
A large smile spread across the bandit's face. Looking up at the ceiling and casually scratching his neck, he answered. “Ah, it's no problem, I guess.” He looked back down at the guards, putting his superior status to good use. “Just make sure it never happens again,” he said through his teeth, with mock anger. Striding past the guards he proudly opened the huge doors, savoring every second. Before the doors were completely shut, he reached his hand through the crack. “Keep up the good work,” he stated degradingly, patting the guards on the head.
Hearing the two doors click shut, Tasuki turned around and faced the most private, guarded, and unknown section of the palace. The corridor contained several rooms including Hotohori's private office, chambers, and a small conference room meant for the emperor and his chief advisors. The bandit's solitary pair of footsteps echoed down the palace's secluded hallway. Knowing Katherine must be somewhere, the sei watched for any sign of the distressed girl.
“I'm a bandit, dammit. Don't be so nervous,” Tasuki mumbled, trying to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he regained his confidence and continued to stride down the hallway in search of Katherine. He passed by a large room where both doors had been left wide open, as if enticing him to enter. Curiosity getting the best of him, he could not help peering into what could have been the largest room in the palace. Finding a perfectly made white bed, adorned at the top with large, fluffy pillows, and a bare nightstand holding only a lantern, he knew that the room was the emperor's bedroom. Taking a small step inside, he noticed that the chamber reflected nothing on Hotohori's personality, besides the couple of swords mounted on the wall. Walking slowly on the spotless white floor, the bandit looked around in awe at the unrealistic perfection the room held. “Shit...” the bandit mumbled under his breath, not believing one person could need a room so large.
“It's...gone...” a voice muttered, snapping the sei out of his stupor.
Looking in the direction the voice came from, Tasuki was taken aback to find the person he was looking for. “Katherine?” he questioned, wondering what she was doing in the bedroom. He cautiously walked up to the obviously dazed girl, who was kneeling next to the nightstand and staring blankly at the floor.
Katherine turned her head and looked at Tasuki. “It's all gone...” she repeated.
Walking closer to the troubled girl, the sei nonchalantly asked, “What are ya talkin' about?”
Looking back at the floor, she slowly rose to her feet, questioning everything she had been so sure of just a few minutes ago. Her eyes never leaving the tile, she explained, “I dropped the tray when I found them. The dishes shattered. Food went everywhere.” She looked at Tasuki for a moment, before bringing her attention back to the floor. “There was red wine on the tray. The wine splattered against the wall. It would have left a permanent stain.”
“Wine fer breakfast?” Tasuki questioned, unaware of the significance of Katherine's observation. “Oooo, seducin' th' emperor while he's still in bed,” Tasuki teased, trying to lighten the mood, only to be met with a cold glare. Realizing that this was not the place or moment for jokes, he muttered, “Sorry,” while scratching the back of his neck.
The two stood in silence for what seemed to be an eternity. Snapping out of her deep contemplation, Katherine turned to Tasuki. “What are you doin' here anyways?” she asked, trying to take her mind off of the world of confusion happening around her.
Caught off guard, Tasuki nervously scanned the room, as if it possessed some sort of hidden answer to the off-topic question. “I...um...” he stuttered, wondering why he had followed her. “I got tired of listenin' to those assholes feedin' Nuriko and me all this bullshit `bout kodaka.”
Katherine froze, eyes widening. “Do you mean Kodoku?”
Oblivious to Katherine's revelation, the sei shrugged, “I guess.”
“What did they say?” she asked, anxiously looking up at Tasuki.
Finding Katherine's reaction a bit melodramatic, Tasuki questioned, “What difference does it make?”
“A lot. Okay?” Katherine answered, trying to suppress her growing impatience.
Catching the edge in her voice, the sei answered, “They just kept on goin' on `bout how last night you went all psycho on them, and there was a huge fight in Christina's room.” He stopped for a moment, surprised to see Katherine's face frozen in shock. “What's the big deal, anyways? It's all bullshit, right?” He had a hard time believing that Katherine would attack her friends. The priestess definitely had short temper, but violently attacking someone seemed inconceivable for the usually harmless girl.
Katherine snapped back into reality, her shock dissolving. The bandit definitely had a point. She would never kill Christina and Hotohori, even if they had betrayed her. “Yeah...I mean, I would've remembered something like that.” Chills shooting down her spine, she remembered Tamahome had no idea what he did while he was drugged in the series. Why would it be any different with her? “Oh, shit-taki mushrooms!” she shouted, sprinting out of the room.
“Where th' hell are ya goin'?!” Tasuki hollered after her, following her out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He chased her for a several minutes, nearly passing the hallway where she had turned. Before he had gotten too far ahead, he walked back to see her standing outside of Christina's room, her eyes wide as she stared inside.
Katherine slowly walked in, and stopped to lean on the doorway in her shock. “Oh my god,” Katherine whispered as she gazed at the chaos that had overtaken her best friend's room.
The sheets on her bed were twisted around and flung to the other side of the room. The remains of a broken mirror were tossed at the foot of the bed. Broken glass was scattered, covering the floor like tiny drops of water. Two servants were walking around the room, attempting to clean up the damage, but it seemed as though the task would take all night.
“Holy shit,” muttered Tasuki from behind Katherine. Katherine walked inside, not even paying attention to the bandit as she stared at the room in disbelief.
“Priestess,” acknowledged the two servants with deep bows.
Katherine nodded back to the two women and said flatly, “You're excused...”
“Yes, your eminence,” answered the first of the servants as they both bowed again and quickly scampered out of the room. Tasuki silently closed the door as soon as the servants left and slowly walked up to Katherine's side.
“...Did you?” the bandit asked quietly.
Katherine looked around that the damaged room again, shaking her head. “I...I don't think so...”
“Then who th' hell did?!” Tasuki asked angrily.
“I don't know!” Katherine shouted back. She watched as Tasuki crossed the room and picked up a large square frame, a few pieces clinging to the side. He watched as several small slivers of glass shattered as they hit the floor.
“I guess we know where all th' glass came from...” Tasuki muttered sarcastically.
“Oh my god...” marveled Katherine, “I did do this...” The girl stepped backwards, shaking her head in disbelief. She suddenly remembered what Tamahome had said when she was still trapped in the barrier. “I...I slammed the mirror on Mits's head!”
“Why would ya go an' do somethin' like that?!” Tasuki asked, completely flabbergasted.
“I dunno!” Katherine answered, “You heard them, I was psycho-freak!”
“But Mitsukake?!” Tasuki shouted, “What'd he ever do t' ya? No wonder th' guy's scared of everyone!”
Katherine answered sarcastically, “Well, at least I was blessed with Captain Obvious to point that out!” Katherine heard the abrupt sound of crunching glass and turned around to see Nuriko standing motionless, like a deer caught in headlights.
“I...I was just...well...” the purple-haired sei faltered.
“Seein' if Katherine was really a psycho?” Tasuki added helpfully. Katherine stepped in front of the bandit, trying to ignore him.
“I'm not gonna attack you, honest engine,” Katherine promised, raising her right hand.
Nuriko nodded at Katherine, who smiled at the prospect of at least one person trusting her. “So, Hotohori and Christina...did they really...s-sleep together?” Nuriko inquired uneasily.
“I don't know…” Katherine answered slowly, not expecting the question.
“But, you said that you saw them,” Nuriko said, wondering whether or not Katherine's tale was valid.
“Well...” replied Katherine, “Just because I saw it, doesn't mean it's true.” Had she been poisoned with Kodoku? That would mean that everything she saw, everything she felt had been a lie. It would mean that Christina and Hotohori had been telling the truth, and that she had mistrusted and attacked them.
“So you really believe you were drugged?” inquired Nuriko, who was not very convinced about the theory of Katherine being poisoned.
“Let's just say I have previous knowledge of Kodoku…” Katherine hinted as she openly winked at Nuriko.
“Oh!” said Nuriko, understanding that there had been Kodoku in the legend inKatherine's world. “I see!”
“Wait...” Tasuki said baffled. “What's that supposed t' mean?”
Nuriko put his hands on his hips and answered, “It's not like we're speaking in code.”
“Well, then why I don't I get what yer sayin'?” Tasuki shot back.
“Maybe you're just stupid,” Nuriko smiled. Tasuki gave Nuriko an angry glare, mumbling to himself. Katherine ignored the two fighting seishi, looking around the room for any clues.
“Holy crap...” Katherine said quietly.
“What?” Tasuki asked. Katherine slowly walked over to one of the walls and knelt down. She hesitantly placed her right hand on a bloody print upon the floor and gasped as she realized that the prints matched.
“That proves it...I must've done this.” She shook her head, erasing all of the doubt in her mind.
“What does that have t' do with anythin'?” Tasuki asked, hovering above her.
“No two people have the same handprint...” Katherine explained, slowly standing up. “I have to go...” she said as she headed towards the door.
“Go where?” questioned Tasuki.
“Anywhere but here,” answered the girl, quietly shutting the door behind her. Neither Tasuki nor Nuriko followed Katherine, knowing that she wanted to be alone. Instead, the seishi awkwardly stared around the room, trying to imagine that Katherine had been the one who had caused the damage. But, it was impossible.
“Ya think she's foolin' us?” Tasuki asked as he kicked at the glass on the floor.
Nuriko answered quietly, “I don't know. She seems to be herself...just...confused. But they did say she tricked Mitsukake earlier...”
“I don't care what ya think. She looks normal t' me!”
“Then why did you bother asking?” Nuriko demanded.
Tasuki opened his mouth to answer the sei, but stopped as the door opened, revealing Hotohori. The emperor entered the room cautiously, making sure not to step on any of the glass. He looked from Tasuki to Nuriko, then sighed, “I thought Katherine was with you.”
“She was earlier,” answered Nuriko. “But she just left.”
“Whaddya want anyways?” Tasuki asked arrogantly, as though the emperor was nothing more than a bother. The bandit did not want to let Hotohori get away with cheating on Katherine, with Christina of all people, the girl's best friend. He was determined to make the emperor pay, even though everyone else believed his story.
“She left...by herself?” Hotohori asked Nuriko, ignoring Tasuki's rude question.
“She's a free person, ya know. Not somethin' ya can just throw away...” Tasuki answered.
After shooting a look of warning at the bandit, Nuriko replied, “I think that you need to talk with her, your Highness.” Nuriko stopped as he said `highness'; the word seemed almost too formal. It was a strange relationship between Hotohori and himself. They were comrades, celestial warriors who had saved each other's lives time and time again. But when they returned to the palace and Hotohori donned his royal robes, he was still the emperor, and Nuriko was once again nothing more than a courtier. “The spell that was on her last appears seems to be gone,” Nuriko finished.
“Katherine still believes that something happened between Christina and me,” Hotohori murmured quietly. He did not want to force her to speak with him. He would prefer if she came to talk when she was ready.
“Ya mean ya fucked `er brains out?” Tasuki asked heatedly. After the time he had spent at the palace, he was still wondering how the emperor managed to run the country. He didn't even have the courage to admit a mistake he made. Pathetic. Tasuki stuck out his chin in a nod, challenging Hotohori to find the nerve to answer him.
“Tasuki,” Nuriko warned with a harsh glare, “I think it would be best if you left...right now.”
“Hey!” replied the bandit, crossing his arms over his chest. “I'm a free person too!”
Nuriko quickly lifted Tasuki up by the collar of his big black coat and walked across the room while firmly holding the struggling sei in his grip. He opened the door, and threw the bandit out. Tasuki slammed into the tile floor of the hallway with a loud bang and looked up to see the door slammed in his face.
With an indignant, “Fine then!” Tasuki climbed to his feet and brushed the dust off of his pitch black overcoat. “See if I care,” he added as he walked off, angrily scuffing his feet. A strange scratching sound reached the bandit's ears as something red went flying down into the garden, landing next to a tiny rosebush. Curious about the object, Tasuki quickly jumped over the balcony railing, where he landed in the soft, wet earth. He bent down to see that he had been kicking a small, red-beaded bracelet.
Tasuki looked back down to see a path of small, footprints in the dirt which had half filled up with the rain that had fallen earlier that night. He followed the line of prints until he came upon an area of the garden he had not seen before.
Sighing, he looked around for any sign of human life. Thinking his was alone, he turned back towards the palace before hearing a soft murmur. Glancing around, he spotted a solitary figure, walking around one of the benches. He listening closer for the low muttering that was coming from the figure, like a stream of babble from a madman. Tasuki approached the small figure until he saw it was none other than Katherine.
He snuck closer, using a certain sort of stealth that he had learned to possess and found a nice hiding spot behind a tree. If Katherine looked at him, she probably would have spotted Tasuki right away. But she was too distracted mumbling to herself, and Tasuki was able to listen quite easily as she babbled on.
“Okay,” muttered Katherine, “I was standing right here…” She pointed right towards the ground as if trying to see the image in her mind, and then continued, “I was thinking about Christina…because she said I made more than one mistake. Oh! So I was thinking about all the crap I screwed up, mostly Amiboshi…” She began snapping her fingers quickly, as if trying to accelerate her mind along with the beat. “So I sat down right here!”
“What kind freak talks t' herself?” muttered Tasuki sarcastically, not realizing the irony in his statement.
The distressed girl immediately stopped and plopped down on the bench, losing all hope. It seemed as if whatever she had forgotten she was not meant to remember. The memories were gone forever, along with the love of the emperor and the trust of her best friend. Katherine could not let herself be defeated so easily; she tried to remember one last time. “What happened...?” she asked herself. She closed her eyes to rid herself of any distractions, pleading for any hint to help her retrieve what was hidden in the darkest depths of her thoughts.
Tasuki, who was still peering from behind a tree trunk, slowly approached Katherine, wondering if he had found a good time to interrupt her. As he walked towards her, he held out the bracelet like some kind of peace offering. Katherine held her head in her hands, as if she was exhausted by the struggle to remember. “Hey, Katherine?” Tasuki greeted. She didn't move. The bandit walked up to her and nudged her on the shoulder. “Katherine?”
Katherine's head slowly slid down her hands, until her whole face was covered by shadow. A cold chill ran down Tasuki's spine, triggering an instinct for him to slowly back away. Was Katherine going to attack him? Even after he defended her and believed her when no one else would? Just when he was about to seek some help, he heard a soft moan and placed a hand on Katherine's shaking shoulder. “Ya okay?”
Flinching at his touch, Katherine looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears. “My head...hurts...” she muttered, barely audible, as she rubbed her temples. She brought her legs up and huddled in the corner of the bench. “Tasuki, please...” she begged in a weak child-like voice.
Panicking, Tasuki looked around the gardens to see if anyone was within hearing distance. Realizing that they were deserted with no help at all, he placed his arm around Katherine and eased her off the bench. Once she was in an upright position, Katherine placed her arm around Tasuki's neck as he wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her towards the palace. “C'mon, we gotta get ya to Mitsukake,” he told her, but they had only taken three steps before Katherine started to sink to the ground.
Before Katherine hit the ground, Tasuki scooped her up in his arms and walked over to the nearby tree he had been hiding behind. He carefully set her down, leaning her back against the trunk. Realizing she was becoming pale, the bandit cupped his hand around her cheek. “Katherine, can ya hear me?!” He waited for Katherine to answer, to respond in any way, but there was only silence.
He snuck closer, using a certain sort of stealth that he had learned to possess and found a nice hiding spot behind a tree. If Katherine looked at him, she probably would have spotted Tasuki right away. But she was too distracted mumbling to herself, and Tasuki was able to listen quite easily as she babbled on.
“Okay,” muttered Katherine, “I was standing right here…” She pointed right towards the ground as if trying to see the image in her mind, and then continued, “I was thinking about Christina…because she said I made more than one mistake. Oh! So I was thinking about all the crap I screwed up, mostly Amiboshi…” She began snapping her fingers quickly, as if trying to accelerate her mind along with the beat. “So I sat down right here!”
“What kind freak talks t' herself?” muttered Tasuki sarcastically, not realizing the irony in his statement.
The distressed girl immediately stopped and plopped down on the bench, losing all hope. It seemed as if whatever she had forgotten she was not meant to remember. The memories were gone forever, along with the love of the emperor and the trust of her best friend. Katherine could not let herself be defeated so easily; she tried to remember one last time. “What happened...?” she asked herself. She closed her eyes to rid herself of any distractions, pleading for any hint to help her retrieve what was hidden in the darkest depths of her thoughts.
Tasuki, who was still peering from behind a tree trunk, slowly approached Katherine, wondering if he had found a good time to interrupt her. As he walked towards her, he held out the bracelet like some kind of peace offering. Katherine held her head in her hands, as if she was exhausted by the struggle to remember. “Hey, Katherine?” Tasuki greeted. She didn't move. The bandit walked up to her and nudged her on the shoulder. “Katherine?”
Katherine's head slowly slid down her hands, until her whole face was covered by shadow. A cold chill ran down Tasuki's spine, triggering an instinct for him to slowly back away. Was Katherine going to attack him? Even after he defended her and believed her when no one else would? Just when he was about to seek some help, he heard a soft moan and placed a hand on Katherine's shaking shoulder. “Ya okay?”
Flinching at his touch, Katherine looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears. “My head...hurts...” she muttered, barely audible, as she rubbed her temples. She brought her legs up and huddled in the corner of the bench. “Tasuki, please...” she begged in a weak child-like voice.
Panicking, Tasuki looked around the gardens to see if anyone was within hearing distance. Realizing that they were deserted with no help at all, he placed his arm around Katherine and eased her off the bench. Once she was in an upright position, Katherine placed her arm around Tasuki's neck as he wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her towards the palace. “C'mon, we gotta get ya to Mitsukake,” he told her, but they had only taken three steps before Katherine started to sink to the ground.
Before Katherine hit the ground, Tasuki scooped her up in his arms and walked over to the nearby tree he had been hiding behind. He carefully set her down, leaning her back against the trunk. Realizing she was becoming pale, the bandit cupped his hand around her cheek. “Katherine, can ya hear me?!” He waited for Katherine to answer, to respond in any way, but there was only silence.
“Oh, shit!” the bandit exclaimed as he darted towards the palace, knowing that time was quickly running out for Katherine.
To Be Continued...
AN2: This episode is dedicated to...Robyn! Yay! She was the first person to ever IM us about the story! Happy belated Birthday, Robyn!
AN3 (Nyan Nyan): By the way sorry for all the ANs, but please read them. Yay! I'm a beta. You can read the fanfic I'm editing. It's called “What if it was Different?”
Fushigi Akugi
Christina quietly leaned against one of the wooden railings of the palace, where she was silently staring up at the stars and thinking. She still could not believe that her best friend could really distrust her so much. She would have thought that Katherine would have at least listened to her. The awkward sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind the priestess, and she turned around to see the emperor standing behind her.
“Oh, Hotohori!' Christina greeted, startled by his presence.
“Were you thinking about what Katherine had said...?” the emperor asked solemnly.
“You mean about...you and I?” she faltered, unable to find the words while Hotohori's deep brown eyes were staring into hers.
“Yes.”
Christina turned her eyes back to the stars about, and softly laughed, “Crazy, huh?” Hotohori walked up and stood beside her, his gaze also up to the sky.
“Absolutely,” he agreed.
oOo
The door that led to the emperor's chambers flew open, and Hotohori stumbled inside, with Christina in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist and arms thrown over his shoulders. They stopped in the doorway, although their mouths did not pause, and the emperor stepped forward, resting Christina's back against the wall. The priestess laughed quietly then leaned forward for another kiss.
As the emperor carried his priestess across the room to his bed, their lips never parted until he set her down upon the foot of the bed. Christina smiled seductively and quickly pulled her shirt over her head while Hotohori followed suit and began to undress himself. The emperor stepped forward and lifted Christina into his arms, causing her to laugh out loud at their seriousness. He gently tossed her down at the foot of the bed and moved over her for another kiss.
Suddenly, the rustling of sheets filled the air and Hotohori looked up at the top of his bed to see that the covers had been thrown off to reveal two other people, none other than Katherine and Tasuki. Christina rolled over and looked on in shock as Katherine gasped, “Two words…pay…back…”
Tasuki sat up and smirked, “That's one word.”
Katherine looked over at Tasuki and ordered, “Shut up, bitch!”