Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ The Next Act in a Mysterious Play ❯ A New Priestess ( Chapter 2 )

"...Warm. It's so warm," Katsura thought to herself as she floated inside the light. She was so comfortable that she could have fallen asleep, until she felt herself begin to drop suddenly.

"Aagh!" she screamed as she fell out of thin air onto something hard and cold.

With her eyes shut tight and afraid that she might be dead, she clutched tightly to the object she had fallen on. It felt smooth and slippery. It was definitely of an odd shape. If she let go, she would probably slip right off to the ground, and she did not know how far down that was.

"Praise Suzaku! He answers our prayers with great haste!" was the next thing heard.

"Suzaku?" Kat said out loud. "Then that means..."

Katsura quickly opened her eyes to find herself clutching to a giant golden statue of Suzaku she was on top of. Looking around, it turned out the she was in a magnificent shrine decorated with red and gold banners. On the alter below, were several items she instantly recognized.

"The items of the Suzaku warriors! I'm in Suzaku's shrine at the imperial palace at
Konan!" she shrieked with excitement, causing her to forget to hang on and slipped onto the hard floor.

"Ow," she moaned, rubbing her backside.

"Allow me to assist you," came a sweet masculine voice with an outstretched hand in front of her.

When Katsura looked up, she had to keep herself from drooling. Before her was the sexiest man she had ever seen, and strangely familiar.

"Emperor Caietay?!" she gasped as he pulled her to her feet.

"No. Though, I thank you for the compliment. It is nice to have a beauty recognized as equal to my grandfather's," he grinned.

"Grandfather?"

"Yes. My given name is Hotohori. I am the second grandson of the deceased emperor Caietay, or the Suzaku celestial warrior Hotohori. This is my brother, the emperor Kurotaki,"

Hotohori then indicated an equally tall and handsome man in his own right standing next to his guards in the garb of an ancient Chinese emperor.

"Please," Kurotaki came forward. "Are you the priestess of Suzaku?"

"I don't believe so," Katsura admitted softly. "My grandmother, Miaka Yuki was the priestess of Suzaku. But, she's dead now, along with her husband, the warrior Tamahome. I came to see if her soul was here, because I miss her."

Her eyes were beginning to get misty, but she quickly composed herself.

"I apologize, your highness. I do not think I am the person you seek."

"But, we prayed to Suzaku to help us in our time of need," the emperor protested.

"And, at that very moment, you appeared...on top of Suzaku I might add. If you are not the priestess, then how can this be?"

"I don't know, sire. But if I am a priestess, then where are my warriors. I assume that since the object on the alter all once belonged to the Suzaku seven that they are all dead now.

Surely Suzaku would not leave me with no warriors to protect me," Katsura deduced unhappily. She would have loved to have met the people who had devoted their lives to protecting her grandmother.

"And he has not, my priestess."

Katsura looked down to see Hotohori bowing at her feet.

"What do you mean?"

As Hotohori stood, he brushed aside his long bangs. There, on his forehead was the Chinese character symbol for 'star.' It glowed a bright red. It was the mark that originally resided on the neck of the former Hotohori!

"Wha...how?!"

"I believe," he calmly started, "that since, all the original warriors have know passed on, Suzaku needed new ones. I was conceived the very day that my grandfather died. It is possible that I am a reincarnation. Our perhaps I simply have been given his powers. Either way, I was born with this mark. And, like my grandfather, I took this mark as a sign of my destiny, that I would one day protect a priestess. It may be the same with you. Now that the first priestess is dead, you are the new priestess."

When Hotohori finished with his explanation, Katsura sunk to the ground in shock. It all made sense in a way. All the priestesses were dead now, along with their Seishi. Maybe she was the new priestess of Suzaku!

"Okay," she shrugged. "When do I get started?"

Hotohori and Emperor Kurotaki grinned happily.

"We shall start immediately," the latter declared. "I decree here and now that you are the new Priestess of Suzaku!"

Suddenly, all of the guards and advisors bowed to Katsura.

"Dude," she smiled and got to her feet again.

"Brother," Hotohori rose from where he had been kneeling as well, "might I suggest that we allow our new priestess to freshen up before we continue with the day. I'm sure this has been rather shocking. Perhaps we can discuss the country's needs at lunch."

"Very well," Kurotaki agreed. "Escort her to her chambers. Until later, priestess."

After bowing, the emperor exited the shrine with his men in tow. Hotohori then took Katsura's hand and escorted her out a different door. As they walked, she was amazed at how beautiful the palace was. All of the grounds were lush and colorful with exotic flowers. Every building gleamed in the sunlight. Had she not known otherwise, she would never have guessed that Konan had been in a brutal war two generations ago.

"Here we are, priestess," Hotohori said when they stopped in front of two large sliding doors.

"Please," Kat looked up at him, "you don't have to call me 'priestess' all the time. My name is Katsura Sukenami."

Hotohori seemed to gleam at her words, "As you wish, Katsura Sukenami."

He then slid the door open to reveal the most beautiful and spacious room Kat had ever seen in her life.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she laid down on the enormous bed.

"It has stayed exactly as it was when your grandmother left."

"What?! You mean, this was Miaka's room?"

"Yes. This is the room that was given to the priestess of Suzaku then, and so it is
now. I will send some ladies to assist you. Will there be anything else I can get you?"

Katsura could tell by Hotohori's voice that he would be a loyal warrior and an even better friend. Already she trusted him with her life. He believed in her, so she was not going to let him down.

"I'll be fine. Thank you, Hotohori."

After Hotohori left, Katsura wondered around the room. It was amazing. She was actually in her Grandmother Miaka's old bedroom in the 'Universe of the Four Gods!' What would her grandparents think if they knew? What would her parents think if they knew?!

"I guess I'll have to deal with that later," she looked into a silver mirror hKatng on the wall. "But for now, I am the priestess of Suzaku."