Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Souden - the Seigyuu Saga ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

On the eve of Kenja's 17th birthday, the small country began preparations for the wild celebration of his highness's ascension to the seat of Emperor. The kingdom had been holding it's collective breath for the day when the reign of the court would finally come to an end.

Kenja had grown into a rather mellowed young man, his eyes staying the same shade of bright gold, though the hue seemed to have darkened only slightly. The ebony hair was, more often than not, pulled into a high knot with the side bangs hanging just off his face. Tried as he might, Kenja was never able to grow a beard - which brought frustration to the young prince and endless amusement to the young seishi, Futago.
The young girl had grown taller, and her once ratted hair was now pristinely combed and twisted into either braids or swept up into a high pony-tail so as to keep it from getting into her face.

Ever since Futago had been brought to stay as Kenja's guest and as a celestial warrior, the pair were rarely separated. It was as if they were siblings who took longer than usual to find each other. Much to Futago's annoyance, it had been suggested that she become the Emperor's first wife when she became of age. However that thought only lasted a few moments before Kenja himself objected loudly and strongly, warning that any further thought into that particular plan would result in much suffering of the court. Naturally, it was never brought up again.

Now the pair sat in the palace gardens... well, Futago sat while Kenja stood grumpily still as the seamstress pinned fabric around his stiff arms.
"Honestly, your highness, it's as if I had chained you down and was burning your flesh with a branding iron," the seamstress admonished gently as she worked on the hem of Kenja's right sleeve. The victim sighed restlessly and grunted, "I'd handle it better if you did..."
Futago smirked and said in a serious tone, "His highness detests being restrained into sitting or standing without something to do."
The dark look that Kenja sent over his shoulder towards the young seishi caused her to break down into laughter. Kenja snorted and frowned darkly, "I just don't see why I have to go through the fittings over and over again. I would have thought you'd know my measurements by heart by now, lady seamstress."

The seamstress looked up with a grin, "Oh, I know them, Highness. But it was ordered by Ame-sama that you should have new robes for your coronation."

Kenja sighed and muttered, "Ame is going to be the death of me, I just know it."
Futago chuckled and swung her hair off of her shoulder, "Just breathe, Kenja-sama. It'll be over soon enough, and then we can go pester our favorite merchant. But this time, you flirt with him. His hands got a little frisky the last time we went. I'd hate to have to kill him if he did it again."
Kenja smirked menacingly at the young red-head, "You wish for me to deprive an old man one of the few pleasures in life?"
It was Futago's turn to snort in disgust as Kenja laughed, and the seamstress gave one last tug on the hem she'd been working on, "Alright, highness, your robe is ready for tomorrow evening, but you'll leave those sleeve-hems be. The thread is very fine and easily broken with too much worrying."

Kenja let out a great sigh of relief as he stepped off of the small stool he had been confined to and rolled his shoulders, "I'll make sure it stays in good condition, lady seamstress, as I do not wish to repeat this afternoon."
The woman chuckled and turned to her supplies, "Then enjoy the rest of your day, highness."
Kenja and Futago walked from the garden into the palace halls, Kenja already trying to work his arms out of the robe. Futago spun to watch him with amusement until they reached Kenja's personal rooms, where he dashed inside and called to Futago, "Go change, we'll need to look like normal people if we're going out into the market."

Futago rolled her eyes and folded her arms, "I've already changed twice today, Kenja-sama. Once for court, and then to bathe - I really don't want to change again."
"You look too royal in those clothes, Futago, you'll get noticed, " came the muffled reply as Kenja was currently in the middle of putting on a light brown tunic. Futago shook her head, "Sorry, Kenja, but I'm not changing."
The prince stepped out of his room, clad all in light brown and his hair tied back into a high ponytail and four golden rings adorned his upper right earlobe, "Fine, but you're on your own if you get noticed and converged upon."
Futago shrugged and agreed. The two made their way out through the servant's entrance and jogged through the crowded streets of Omo shigai.

The duo easily chatted with the local merchants, and Futago restrained herself from decking their favorite merchant, Zhu-kai. The elderly man cackled good-naturedly as the girl slapped his hand away from her hip, "Your temper is always so refreshing, Shuka, forgive me for baiting you."
The red head lifted a brow and snorted, "You're a glutton for punishment, Zhu-kai. How did your wife ever tolerate you?"
"She didn't, she'd take a switch to me instead," he crowed and broke down into laughter again, Kenja snorting a laugh as well.
"Uncle, you really need to concentrate more on selling our stock then chasing anything and everything in a skirt, " came a dark mutter as a young man, slightly older than Futago, set down a basket of vegetables with a disgruntled thump. He brushed his dark blue bangs back from his face and snapped his braid back over his shoulder, and his earth-colored eyes seemed to spark out of annoyance, "Honestly, I don't know how you sell anything!"
Zhu-kai shook his head, but still held a smile, "You-hui, you don't know how to live life..."
Futago watched as the boy snarled as his uncle and stomped back into the tent behind him, and she remembered to breathe. Kenja lifted a brow and smiled briefly before another voice sounded from the tent, "You-hui! Stop kicking stuff! We can't sell those pot if you break them!"
The bearer of that second voice, a slightly shorter boy with wildly green hair and nearly black eyes, stepped out from the tent and grinned brightly at them, "Sorry for my brother's temper... he's got a bug up his butt about something. I'm Xie-shuai."
Kenja nodded politely, "It's a pleasure to meet-"

Kenja didn't have a chance to finish before an explosion rocked the marketplace, and clouds of smoke rolled towards them. Futago stumbled and started coughing as the smoke rolled past them. She felt a hand grasp her upper arm hard and all but dragged her to her feet. Still coughing, she followed where the grasp dragged her, but her blood nearly froze in her veins when she opened her eyes enough to see that the hand dragging her along was not a hand at all - but a scaled claw, covered in glossy, metallic scales.

Stumbling again, Futago struggled to free herself from her captor, and she heard a growl above her, "Stop fighting me! I don't need you, I need those two idiots to follow... I have a bone to pick with them."
Futago struggled more, "Let me go! I don't even know who you're talking about!" She glared upwards and managed not to gape at her captor. He was about the same age as Kenja, if not slightly older, but he was mostly covered in scales and looked more like a cross between a human and a dragon.
His scales were a glossy blue-metallic color, while his hair, horns, and eyes were all brilliant blue. And the character Teng shimmered gold on the back of the young man's knee.
Futago was still stunned when he dropped her arm and snarled, "I know you both are there! Afraid to face me now that I have powers of my own?"
Xie-shuai stepped from around the corner first, "Qui-ta? What are you talking a-" but his question died quickly as his eyes widened in surprise, "What happened to you?"
Qui-ta snarled, "You two always used your stupid powers on me, forcing me to act like your little puppet! Well now I have powers of my own, and it's time for some payback!"
You-hui stepped up beside his brother, "You never could take a joke, Qui-ta. You always picked on us when we were growing up, but we never resented you... we always wanted to hang out with you..."
Kenja leaned against the wall and gave a theatrical sigh, "I wonder if the Miko's from the other countries have to deal with bickering seishi..."
All eyes snapped to him, and he smiled lightly, "It's obvious that you, Qui-ta, are a seishi, your changed form proves that." Then those golden eyes focused on the other pair, "And if you two have some sort of power, it must mean that each of you are a seishi..."
The two boys frowned and You-hui shook his head, "Neither of us has a seishi character, and our power works only when we're linked..."
Kenja lifted a brow and motioned with a hand, "Then, please, show us."
Futago silently got to her feet, "Show me. I want to see if our powers work on other seishi..."
Qui-ta narrowed his eyes at Futago and growled, "You're a seishi?"
The girl nodded and smirked, "You'll have to guess what they are though."
The brothers looked wary, but they clasped each other's forearms and You-hui reached out a hand towards Futago, and the girl felt like many strong, invisible hands grabbed hold of her all at once and forced her knees to fold from beneath her. Panting, she smiled and fought the forces holding her head to grin at Kenja, "They do have a power... and a character. Look at their arms"

The brothers, and Kenja looked down and, where the brother's arms met, the character Di glittered a dark gold. Kenja smiled widely and clapped each brother on their shoulders, "Well, this is something new. Two individuals that create one seishi. Definitely not something one sees every day."
Xie-shuai grinned widely as he let go of his brother's arm, "And supposedly, Seishi are to become guests to the Emperor himself! Are you two Seishi as well?"
Futago rose, once again, and brushed off the knees of her pants and chuckled, "Well, I'm a seishi... Kenja-sama isn't..."
It took the three boys about 30 seconds before the name registered, and they each knelt and bowed their heads towards the golden-eyed young man, "Highness"
Kenja rolled his eyes and Futago broke out into giggles, "You'll have to get used to it 'highness', since you're to be crowned tomorrow."
Futago then tugged on each of the bowed figures and and chuckled, "You guys can grovel later. Let's get back to the palace and get you guys rooms, clothes, and food. You'll be expected to appear at the coronation tomorrow!"


Translations
Teng - chinese Flying Dragon
Di - Chinese closely joined; connection