Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter ❯ Episode Two: A New Legend ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The seishi and the girls arrive in Konan only to discover that danger looms over the city, and they're about to be stuck right in the middle of it.

Anime/Manga: Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shoujo / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Comedy / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.11.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 15.4K | Visits: 399 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other “originals” (you'll know `em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

Rating:PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

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--Episode Two: A New Legend--

Tetsuya grabbed the book out of his Keisuke's hands. "Okay, now I get to read some." He cleared his throat and began: "'A bright sky and shining sun hung abovethe four travelers the next dayin what appeared to be a sign of good fortune. The Suzaku warriors had informed their new companions that they were only a few liaway from the actual city...'"

---

"My feet hurt," Ritsuka complained.

"Shut up," Kiori and Tasuki both grumbled.

"I can't help it if they hurt! We've been walking all day!"

Kiori attempted to check her watch, then remembered that it didn't seem to work right in this world. "We all have, and I in low heels, but you don't hear me whining."

"Not whining," Ritsuka retorted. "I was voicing my opinion. And my feet still hurt."

Tasuki heaved a sigh. In a motion so swift Ritsuka didn't see it coming, he lifted her up and tossed her over one shoulder. The seishi bandit resumed his quick stride, acting as if the college woman weighed nothing at all. "Girls are so helpless."

“Who's helpless?! Not me!" Ritsuka snapped, thumping a fist into his back. "I don't need your help or anyone else's! Now put me down Fang-boy!" But Tasuki just ignored her, and after a good five minutes of fruitless struggling Ritsuka finally gave up. That didn't stop her from muttering dire threats from time to time, though, which only seemed to amuse the bandit even more.

Just as the sun was reaching its peak, the quartet of travelers reached the top of a hill and found themselves staring down at a brilliant city. A high wall surrounded the structure, stretching all the way to the horizon on both sides. Smaller shops and inns just barely managed to poke their roofs above the protective wall, the polished red- and black-tiles winking in the sunlight. But it was the building in the center of the city that caught the two women's attention. Far larger and more elaborate than anything else the capital had to offer, it seemed to be watching over the city like a protective mother, its wide awnings and sloping rooftops acting as gentle coverings against any harm that might befall its children.

"Welcome to the capital of Konan," Chichiri announced needlessly. "We're headed for the palace, so we still have a small walk ahead of us no da.”

Kiori's ears perked up at his words. Her aching feet momentarily forgotten, the brunette popped up at the monk's shoulder, gazing past him somewhat covetously. "A palace!? A real, honest-to-God palace!? It's like a dream come true!” She glanced up at her temporary guide, eyes shining. “Do you think we'll be waited on hand and foot?"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Uh, Tasuki and I are honorary guests, and since you're with us... I suppose there's always a chance, no da."

Kiori sighed happily, small hearts popping up around her head. "If this is what it means to be a legend, I might be able to handle it."

The seishi chuckled. "And I thought you were the calm one no da.”

Kiori opened her mouth to answer, but Ritsuka's irritated tone cut her off. "Hey Fang-boy, turn around or something. I can't see the city."

The redhead pounded a demanding fist into Tasuki's back, which seemed to snap his patience. He dropped his arm and rolled his shoulder, causing her to tumble unceremoniously to the ground. The seishi bandit popped his back, watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. "Damn, yer heavy. Whadda they feed ya in Tokyo?"

"Teeme...!"

Kiori and Chichiri watched as Ritsuka chased Tasuki into the city. The monk sweatdropped. "On second thought, you're still the calm one no da."

"Those two are hopeless,” Kiori sighed, rubbing at her temples with one hand. “You'd almost think they liked tormenting each other."

Chichiri laughed. "Well, Tasuki has always loved a good fight, even if it's only a friendly one." His smile dropped a little. "He hasn't had one of those since Tamahome left and Nuriko passed away no da."

"The two of you seem to be pretty close, though."

"We are," Chichiri agreed, "but I'm more of a pacifist. I'll fight if I have to, but I'd rather just," he turned chibi for a moment, flashing the young woman a victory sign, "fool around no da!"

Kiori giggled. As strange as these seishi were, she was already pretty fond of them. "I guess I'm the same way." She turned her eyes away from the monk and towards the city. Tasuki and Ritsuka were already halfway down the hill, still taunting each other and exchanging insults, flames, and stones. Kiori giggled again, though this one had a nervous edge to it. "Maybe we should get down there before they kill each other."

Chichiri nodded. He held out his staff. "You might want to hang onto this Kiori-san. It's a little steep no da." Ritsuka proved his point by losing her balance and rolling into a patch of bushes. Tasuki laughed at her misfortune, until he too toppled over and slid a couple of meters on his head.

"Since we're being informal, you may as well just call me Kiori.” The brunette smiled and accepted the offered staff. “And thanks, but won't you need...?”

She trailed off, watching as the monk marched easily down the slope, his slippers seeming to find all the right footholds. He turned around long enough to flash her a smile and a wave. “Being a wanderer, I've walked just about everywhere no da! A little hill like this shouldn't give me any problems.” He turned back towards the hill, slipped on a rock, and fell with a “DA!” to the grassy ground. The monk chuckled. “Well, not too many problems na no da.”

Kiori shook her head and laughed, following her new companion towards the capital of Konan. "Has anyone ever told you how strange you are?"

“Of course no da!” he replied with another victory sign. The monk glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ritsuka pull her eyelid down at Tasuki and receive a quick kick in the pants for her behavior. Chichiri smiled. "I think you'll fit right in."

---

"There they are, my Lady."

"I see them, Mizu-chan," a sweet, serene voice purred behind the young girl. "But seeing them doesn't tell me anything.” She paused for a moment, drumming her blood-red nails against the arm of her throne. “Tell me, Mizu-chan, can you name any of them?"

The small seeing-crystal panned to a brunette and a redheaded, angry-looking girl. Mizu's brow creased, and she paused for a moment before reporting: "I can't say, my Lady. I've never seen them before. But they look very unusual...”

"They should look unusual, Mizu-chan. They are not of this world,” the woman explained, her cold silver eyes flashing with excitement. “Now we are getting somewhere. What of the others?"

The crystal moved on to a taunting, redheaded man. Mizu nodded in recognition this time. "That's Tasuki, known to some as Genrou. He's one of the Suzaku shichiseishi." Her eyes widened a little as the young man pulled out a fan, screamed a spell and sent a blast of fire across the small clearing. “He's very strong, my Lady.”

The woman's lips curled upwards into a vicious, humorless smile. "Tasuki. A tessen. And fire," she said thoughtfully. "Very interesting indeed."

"Something wrong, my Lady?"

The girl's mistress shook her head, her long, golden hair dancing around her slim face as she did. "Oh, it's nothing you need to worry your young self about, Mizu-chan. I was only... musing. Now, the last one?"

The seeing-crystal slowly flashed to the cat-eyed man waiting at the bottom of the hill. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called to the brawlers, his high tenor ringing across the clearing. "C'mon Tasuki, Ritsuka, can't you stop fighting for half a second?" his eyebrows curled upwards in a look of moderate annoyance. "I want to get to the palace before noon no da."

Mizu gasped softly, clapping her hands to her mouth. Her mistress did not miss the gesture, nor the way her life force flared with hope. "Mizu-chan, is there a problem?" she inquired, placing a milky hand on the girl's robed shoulder. "Has something upset you?"

"Eh?” The woman's voice brought Mizu back to herself, and she shook her head hurriedly. “Oh, no, my Lady.” She kept her head down so the woman could not see her troubled face, but couldn't stop herself from whispering quietly: "Ri Houjun, what are you doing here?"

"Beg pardon?"

Mizu raised her voice again, wiping her life force of all uncertain emotions. "His name is Chichiri, another powerful Suzaku warrior.”

"As I thought," the woman murmured, more to herself than the girl.

Mizu was silent for a moment, then remarked thoughtfully, "I heard that all the seishi were dead."

"All but two," her mistress said, a whiny note in her honey-sweet voice. "And unfortunately, they are both very brave and very powerful. But it's no matter." The woman's dangerous smile returned, almost curling into a sneer. One of her hands fell to her throat, stroking pensively at her glowing seven-gemmed necklace. "We have our own weapons, do we not?"

“Hai, my Lady."

The girl's mistress leaned forward, patting Mizu's shoulder affectionately. "Thank you, Mizu-chan. Your powers and company are always appreciated, but I think that's all I need for today." She nodded towards the sunlight filtering through the room's many windows. “It's quite lovely outside, isn't it? If you want, you can go play with Tsuchi for the rest of the afternoon. I'll call if I need you again.”

Mizu nodded, standing from her perch at the woman's right side. She turned, offering her mistress a sharp bow and the use of her true name. "Arigatou, Setsuka-sama.”

The Lady Setsuka waited until the young girl disappeared from the chamber. Once she'd vanished around the corner, the woman gestured towards one of the guards stationed at the corner of the room, barking out a short, simple order. “Call in my shogun [general].”

The young man bowed and scurried off down the hallway. Setsuka drummed her long fingers impatiently against her throne, using the other hand to smooth down the folds of her robe. In a few moments she heard the thump of her shogun's boots against the fortress' hallway. The woman raised her head and flashed a cold smile at the older man. "Hataku,” she greeted.

He touched his head to the cold stone floor, glancing up through thick brown bangs but not daring to meet her sharp silver eyes. "My Lady."

“I've seen the final sign, Hataku. My signal has arrived.” The shogun tensed visibly but said nothing. Setsuka stroked her necklace again, glancing towards the sunlit courtyard as if they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather. "Prepare the army. My little group is fully prepared, so we march as soon as you can be ready."

"Hai." He turned his eyes downwards again in a sign of respect, then stood to go. The shogun clipped out his words with perfect precision and sharpness, almost as if he had rehearsed these sentences. "I will not fail you. Victory will be ours, Setsuka-sama." Turning sharply on his heel, Hataku marched out.

The Lady Setsuka looked up at the legend inscribed upon the wall of her home, the legend which had waited so long, so patiently, to be fulfilled. Her glinting silver eyes curled upwards, flashing with greedy eagerness. "It's time."

---

Kiori and Ritsuka were led through the bustling streets of the capital, up the courtyard steps, and into the shining Konan palace. The two girls, wide-eyed and slack-jawed with wonder, were practically dragged through the halls and into the expansive throne room. Their eyes traveled across the gold-and-red tapestries, the wide windows flung open to let in the spring's sunlight, the soft crimson carpet under their feet, and finally to an ornate dais and throne at the far end of the room. Atop the enameled chair sat a woman in several layers of white and purple robes wearing a gem-tipped crown. Her gentle indigo eyes still held a hint of youth in them, and her long violet hair, piled intricately across her head, held no signs of graying hairs, but the lines around her soft mouth suggested a rough, stressful life. Nevertheless she smiled as the seishi, with their female friends in tow, knelt respectfully at the foot of the dais.

Kiori peeked up through her bangs, watching as this stately woman stood, clasping her hands in front of her and offering a small bow to her guests. "Chichiri, Tasuki, what a pleasure it is to have you back in Konan."

"The pleasure is all ours, Houki-sama," Chichiri said, lifting his head to meet her eyes. He slipped his mask off for a moment, smiling at the Empress with his true face. Ritsuka and Kiori exchanged looks, raising their eyebrows in confusion at the monk's lowered voice and the jagged scar that traced across his left eye. Chichiri didn't seem to notice as he added, "I trust things are going well no da?"

The Empress Houki frowned. "As best as can be expected, though I fear our time of peace may be short-lived." She shook her head and smiled again. "But where are my manners? Come, stand and introduce me to your companions."

Ritsuka and Kiori gratefully obeyed, stretching their knees out of the crouched position. “I don't think I would've liked Imperial Japan,” Ritsuka murmured with a crooked smile. “It's too rough on the knees.”

"Houki-sama,” Chichiri announced, either not hearing or deciding to ignore the redhead's comment, “this is Ikido Ritsuka and Sakamoto Kiori no da. Ladies, this is Houki-sama.” He slipped his mask back on, nodding politely at the girls before turning to face the Empress again. "They're from Miaka's world no da."

Her eyebrows rose. "Indeed? That is a surprising bit of news. Fortunate too, perhaps."

"Fortunate? How so?" Tasuki asked.

Houki opened her mouth to explain, but one of the doors to the main room slammed open, causing guests and hostess alike to whirl around. "Mama!" a boy of about three cried, skidding across the room and latching on to his mother's skirts. "Mama, Tai-san said we had guests—"

A female servant dashed in after him and snatched the child up in her arms. She wagged a finger in his small face. "Boshin-sama, what have I told you about running through the palace? Especially when there's company. Is that any way for the Emperor to act?" She turned her tired eyes towards the Empress, ducking her head over and over in a desperate apology. “I'm very sorry Houki-sama, I only took my eyes off of him for a moment and he—”

Houki hid a laugh behind her sleeve, waving her other hand at the woman. “That is quite all right, Tai. He is only a child, after all." Tai grudgingly released Boshin, who immediately clutched his mother's dress again. The Empress looked down at the boy, smiling and gesturing towards Tasuki and Chichiri. "Boshin-chan. We have company. Do you remember your uncles?"

Boshin whirled, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the two seishi. "Uncle Chichiri!" He scurried down the dais as fast as his small legs would go and threw himself into the monk's waiting arms. "Uncle Chichiri, where'dja been? I missed you! You been gone forever!"

Chichiri grinned and crouched down a bit so they could see eye to eye. "Boshin-chan, it's great to see you no da. You look more and more like your dad all the time." The child beamed with pride. "You're going to be as brave and beautiful as your father, ne Boshin-chan na no da?"

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "Don't you mean handsome?"

"You didn't know Hotohori," Tasuki muttered dryly. He coughed. "Ah-hem! Boshin-chan, am I gonna get ignored over here or what?"

Boshin looked up. "Um..." his face registered confusion for a moment, then he smiled and waved. "Hi Uncle Scaryface!"

Tasuki face-vaulted. "Tasuki! My name is Tasuki!"

He nodded solemnly. "Gomen. Hi Uncle Tasuki-Scaryface! Have you and Uncle Chichiri been fightin' bad guys, is that why you've been away Uncle Tasuki-Scaryface?"

Chichiri smothered a laugh. "As a matter of fact, we have been beating up some bad guys no da."

"Will ya take me witcha next time?"

"Maybe when you're a little older no da."

Kiori's eyes shifted towards Tasuki, who had recovered from his small meeting with the floor. The bandit, teeth gritted, had a distinctly bluer complexion. He clenched and unclenched his hands helplessly, muttering to anyone who cared to listen. "Tasuki. It's just Tasuki. It's ain't that hard t'figure out, is it?"

"I'd say Boshin-chan's a smart kid!" Ritsuka interjected.

Tasuki shifted his gaze and his words to the smirking young woman. "Say that again, Red?"

"Why? Will you pull out your big fan and fry me? Or maybe you'll just look at me with your scary face?" Ritsuka taunted.

"It's not a fan, it's a tessen. And my face isn't scary!"

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Too."

"Not."

Kiori grabbed Ritsuka by her long red braid again, dragging her away from Tasuki and another potentially violent conflict. "Such an intelligent conversation, but maybe you can continue it later?"

"Preferably not in the Empress' presence na no da."

Houki ducked her head but couldn't stop her laughter from echoing across the throne room. "Oh, how I have missed the two of you. I had forgotten how much more, ah, exciting it becomes around here." She nodded to Kiori and Ritsuka. "I am sure I shall enjoy friends' your company as well."

"We're not friends," Ritsuka and Tasuki growled.

"Why would I like some fiery troublemaker?"

"Who would I like a Fang-boy pyromaniac?"

Sparks flew between their eyes.

A chibi Chichiri stepped between them, waving his arms wildly. "Can't you two just get along no da?"

"NO!"

The monk sweatdropped and sighed. "Well, it was worth a try no da."

Houki smiled at her son, who was giggling at Tasuki and Ritsuka's fierce response. "Boshin-chan, why don't you go back with Tai? Mama has to talk to Uncle Chichiri and Uncle Tasuki, but maybe they can play with you later."

"Okay Mama." He smiled up at his unofficial uncles, waving one pudgy hand in farewell. "Bai-bai, Uncle Chichiri. Bai-bai Uncle Scaryface."

Tasuki searched wildly about the room as the child made his exit. The girls watched him curiously, then Kiori finally asked: "What exactly... are you looking for?"

"My dignity. Have you seen it around?"

The two college women couldn't help but snicker at the miffed bandit, but before he could retaliate Houki interrupted. "You look tired.” Ritsuka jerked her attention towards the Empress and nodded wildly in agreement. Houki motioned to a nearby servant. “Could you please take these ladies to the baths? See they are properly bathed, clothed, and fed, then given one of the best rooms.”

Kiori and Ritsuka were quickly led off. They just managed a startled “Domo arigatou!” as the door closed behind them, leaving the two seishi alone with the Empress.

“What about us?” Tasuki asked with a hopeful smile. “Do we get the works too?”

“In time,” Houki promised. She gazed solemnly at the two young men, her mouth parted in a small frown. “For the moment, though, I must speak to you about some pressing matters.”

“What sort of matters na no da?” Chichiri wondered.

The Empress' eyes fell on a tapestry on the nearby wall, and for the first time that afternoon she truly looked like a busy, overworked ruler of one of the world's four great Empires. She spoke only one quiet word to the crisp spring air, but it was enough. “War.”

---

The Lady Setsuka glared at the boy standing before her. He was rather short and scrawny, as if just on the verge of adolescence, with lightly tanned skin and hair the color of pine needles. He looked up meekly with wide golden eyes, though he kept glancing to the side as if afraid to meet her irritated gaze. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the arms of her chair, silver orbs narrowing in his direction. "Tsuchi-kun, what have I told you and the others about coming up here uninvited?"

The young boy winced, glancing down at the floor and squeaking out a response. "Gomen nasai, Setsuka-sama, but Hataku-sama wanted me to inform you that the army is ready for battle. All you have to do is say the word."

The Lady's serene voice held only the slightest bit of anger, but Tsuchi could sense her displeasure. "Will you not bow when speaking to me?"

"Mizu-chan isn't made to—”

She snapped her reply through gritted teeth and her silver life force flared around her body. "Mizu-chan is a special girl, Tsuchi-kun, and is not always subject to the same rules that the rest of my people follow. See that you don't forget that.” The Lady's rebuke, though small, still managed to slice him to the bone. The boy looked down, fighting against the tears filling his eyes. Setsuka sighed, her tone once again returning to honey-sweet normality. "Ah, no matter. You are forgiven. After all, you are still a child."

"Arigatou, Setsuka-sama," he said with a touch of both frustration and gratitude, kneeling to the floor and keeping his head down. "I'll remember that."

He relaxed visibly as both her body and tone slowed to a smooth purr, radiating the soothing, goddess-like quality that always captivated the boy. "Now, Tsuchi-kun, whatever are you - one of my seven - doing delivering Hataku's news?"

"He is my elder, my Lady."

She pursed her lips. "You may be a child," his fists clenched at his sides, "but that is no reason for you to act as Hataku's messenger boy. Tell him that, Tsuchi-kun. I will not have my warriors ordered around by inferiors."

“Hai, my Lady.” He paused, then asked, “Setsuka-sama, what should I tell Hataku-sama?”

She fiddled with her seven-jeweled necklace, pretending to have lost interest in the conversation. “Tell him...” Setsuka smirked, showing her pearl-white teeth. “Tell him to come to his Lady when he wishes to speak to his Lady.”

“I... I don't wanna make him mad,” Tsuchi objected quietly. “Hataku-sama's very busy right now, and sometimes he can have a temper, so...”

Setsuka's eyes blazed and her voice once again snapped like a whip. “If he hurts you, it will be his head, my young fighter.” Tsuchi wondered how a voice could be so comforting yet send such a chill down one's spine. She chuckled. “You can tell him that, too.”

“Ha... hai, my Lady.”

“Oh, and Tsuchi-kun?”

He stood, reluctantly meeting her cold gaze. But once their eyes met they wouldn't let go, and the boy seemed to go almost slack, like a puppet awaiting its master to pull the strings. His eyes practically glazed over as all resistance slipped from his young body, for he had only one will, and that was the will of his Lady. “Hai, Setsuka-sama?”

“Please, send this message to the Two,” if Setsuka realized the irony in her asking him to deliver news, she didn't let it show, “tell them their time will come soon. They should be glad to hear that.”

“The Two?” A confirming nod. He fidgeted nervously; he disliked any conversation he had to have with that pair, but didn't disagree. He wouldn't dare. He couldn't dare, not when she looked at him like that. “A-all right. Your will is ours, my Lady.”

Setsuka released her hold on the boy and dropped her gaze to her hands. “Of course it is, Tsuchi-kun,” she said in an offhand manner, studying a bit of nonexistent dirt under one fingernail. “Let's hope, for your sakes, it stays that way.”

---

“War? In a peaceful place like this?” Tasuki queried.

He and Chichiri had been led to Houki's private quarters and served a delicious - though, in Tasuki's opinion, somewhat small - lunch. They now sat at Hotohori's old writing desk, the Empress positioned directly across from them.

The seishi monk, laced fingers placed thoughtfully on his chin, nodded his agreement. “It doesn't seem very likely no da.”

Houki sighed, leaning back in her chair and meeting their concerned eyes with her own. “Normally I would agree, but there have been some tensions building between Konan and Takkan, a small neighboring nation to the north. I sent some of my better spies to research the situation, and—”

“Eh, pardon me fer interruptin'...” Tasuki shot the Empress an accusing look, “but is it proper fer a peaceful nation's Empress t'even have spies?”

Houki smiled innocently, turning her gaze towards the ceiling. “It is not illegal, anyway.” The two seishi sweatdropped. “At any rate, the reports explained that, under the rule of Lady Setsuka, Takkan has quite suddenly begun recruiting soldiers and stockpiling weaponry. Worse still, the shogun and his captains have been holding many secret meetings within the nation's fortress walls. Tongues in the region's cities are whispering news of war.”

“And all th' news points t'Konan, right?” Tasuki assumed.

“Exactly,” Houki agreed. She clenched her fists against the desk. “We are not in a favorable position, I am afraid to say, for though our army could by some small chance be larger, we do not have the same experience as Takkan warriors.”

“Those guys always out pickin' fights?” Tasuki asked. Houki nodded and the bandit scowled. “Man, I hate people like that!” Chichiri nearly fell over.

“But why would they suddenly want to go to war with you?” the seishi monk queried. “Nations, especially the smaller ones like Takkan, don't just attack Empires unless they have a very good reason no da.”

Houki frowned. “That is hard to say. They may wish to obtain more territory or better trade rights. Both are plausible answers, but neither seems to fit, does it? There is admittedly little interaction between us, but Konan has always been on fairly decent terms with Takkan... until recently... ” she sighed, her head drooping in a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. “Perhaps those old wives' tales have some truth in them, after all.”

“Hm?” Chichiri and Tasuki jerked upright.

Houki glanced up again, waving a dismissive hand in the two young men's direction. “Oh, ignore me. As I said, it is nothing but a ridiculous riddle, little more than a myth, really.”

“Every myth has some truth behind it,” Chichiri reminded her quietly. “What is it, Houki-sama?”

The Empress bit her lip, but decided not to argue anymore. “I hear it behind closed doors all the time, these days. It goes, if I remember correctly: `When the seven are gathered, Konan shall fall; the Elements lady shall rule over all.'”

“Odd sort of myth no da,” Chichiri said. He rested his chin in his hands, mouth pinched in a thoughtful frown. “That's how riddles are, though.”

The seishi bandit jumped up. “Well, Houki-sama!” he assured her with a grin. “You don't have anythin' t'worry about! The seven can't be gathered! After all, Tamahome's with Miaka an' Hotohori 'n' the others're dead—” Chichiri whacked him over the head with his staff. “Ow! What was that for!?” The monk pointed towards Houki, whose face clouded over at the mention of the deceased Emperor. “Ah!” Tasuki clapped his hands in front of him and executed several small, apologetic bows. “Sorry `bout that Houki-sama, I really didn't mean t'mention Hotohori's death... an' I just did it again.” Both seishi sweatdropped and sighed.

The Empress looked up, forcing a smile. “That is quite all right, Tasuki. Three years is a long time... I should... I should move on...” Houki shook her head and went on. “But as I was saying, I do not believe the seven mentioned are the Suzaku warriors.”

“Why not?”

“There is more. It continues: `If the seven should fail to be joined, Konan still may not rest; for even if fire should waver, water shallfinish the quest.'”

“Which means...!?” Tasuki demanded. Houki offered him an apologetic smile and a shrug. He grabbed his head. “Man, I hate legends that don't make sense! Why couldn't they have jus' said it plain `n' simple like ours?”

Chichiri ignored his friend's complaints and turned to the Empress. “I don't see why this myth would have any meaning right now, Houki-sama, but I do understand your concerns no da. You might want to have the palace scholars look around and see if they can learn anything else about this.” He tilted his head to the side, smiling crookedly at his friend and Empress. “But I don't think you called us in here to talk about old wives' tales no da. You want Tasuki and I to help out if there's a war, right no da?”

“Quite true, and astute as always,” she agreed, keeping her eyes on the old writing desk. “I do hate to put this on your shoulders, but two warriors of Suzaku would certainly give our side the advantage.” Houki looked up through her bangs and smiled winningly at the pair. “Especially ones as powerful and as brave as you.”

Chichiri and Tasuki both blushed and rubbed the backs of their heads.

“Well, yeah, that's true I guess.”

“We just do what we can no da.”

“Then would it be possible for you handsome, strong seishi to assist your Empire in its hour of need?” Houki asked, ducking her head in absolute respect.

“Aw, I guess so...”

“It's the least we can do no da...”

The Empress leapt to her feet, clapping her hands together happily. “Wonderful!” She bowed low to the pair, bouncing right back up as if on springs. “Arigatou gozaimashita! This means so much to me! Now, we shall hold a council of war tomorrow. In the meantime, how about you two get cleaned up for dinner?” She was on her way out the door, but turned to smile at them once more. “After all, you cannot lead an army on an empty stomach.”

The seishi's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They jumped up, whirling to face the Empress and nearly knocking over their chairs in the process. “Lead a what!?”

But before either could argue, the door slid shut on two very chibi, wide-eyed Suzaku warriors.

“I get the feeling we've been roped into this no da.”

“Dragged in by our fat egos is more like it.”

Their heads hit the writing desk with a resounding clunk. “We're in trouble.”

---

While the seishi discussed legends with Houki, the pair of college girls had been shoved around the palace by a pair of very forceful serving girls: first into the baths, then into simple but well-made dresses (their own clothes were filthy, or so the servants said), then into a private room for lunch, and finally to a small bedroom where they were asked to stay until the Empress summoned them. With nothing better to do, the young women pulled out their math homework and attempted to finish what they had started at the library.

Ritsuka leaned over her schoolmate's notebook, scribbling several extra notes into the margins as she dictated her instructions out loud. "Okay Kiori, see, you have to use the sigma notation on this part, otherwise you won't be able to integrate the formula. So, what does `x' equal?" The brunette glanced up and stared at her friend blankly. The redhead sighed. "Okay, I'll go through it again..."

Kiori echoed the other woman's sigh, though hers was uttered from within the pages of a fat Calculus book. "Ritsuka, I think I'm a hopeless cause."

The redhead smiled and patted Kiori's head. "You are, but with a little luck you might still pass mid-terms."

"Ikido-san? Sakamoto-san?"

The two looked up to see a servant standing in the doorway of their temporary room. Kiori closed the textbook and stood, still not entirely sure how she should act around servants. "Um, what's up?"

The serving girl bowed hastily. "The Empress requests your presence at dinner this evening."

"Oh? And here I thought she'd forgotten all about us," Ritsuka remarked, hands placed somewhat irritably on her hips. “But you know, I'm really not in the mood to see that fanged flame-boy again tonight and listen to her Majesty talk politics about a place I'm fairly certain only exists in some strange dream I'm having, so—”

Kiori smacked her over the head with the hard math book. "Ritsuka, you have absolutely no tact whatsoever!" She pivoted sharply on her foot and smiled at the servant. "Please, tell her we have a lot of homework and are very tired, so if we could just have the food brought to us..."

"That may be difficult to do," the servant interrupted. “Her Majesty ordered a full spread, and I doubt we can fit all those dishes into your room.”

Kiori's mood performed another turnaround. "Ah... excuse me, but did you say `full spread'?" The servant nodded. She and Ritsuka exchanged hungry looks, wiped the drool from their mouths, and grinned at the confused serving girl. “We've changed our minds!” Kiori grabbed her long skirts in one hand and her friend's arm in the other and dashed out the door. "Homework can definitely wait!"

"Amen!"

They dashed down the palace's outer walkways, following their noses (and the servant's shouted directions) towards the Empress' private dining hall. The pair of girls burst through the doors, their eyes trailing across a table of Konan delicacies.

Tasuki and Chichiri stood by the door to greet them.

"Hey Red, in that dress ya almost look like a girl."

"Konban wa [Good evening] no da. C'mon in and have a seat..."

The two were ignored as Ritsuka and Kiori ran right past them, grabbed plates and chopsticks, and began collecting every steaming item they could get their hands on.

"Mm-mm, I just love Chinese food!"

"Konan food, Kiori dear - `Konan food.' Oh, and look! Dumplings!"

"Yay!"

"That's mine!"

"No, give it here!"

"I saw it first! Grr!"

Chichiri and Tasuki face-vaulted as the chibi girls fought over a plate of fried noodles.

"What is it with earth girls and food?”

"Maybe there's a shortage in there world, no da?"

The doors at the far side of the dining hall opened with a quiet swish, and all eyes fell on the Empress. Though she had discarded her formal attire for a double-layered set of summer robes, her serene presence still commanded respect. Her four guests grew quite and bowed respectfully. Houki smiled, nodding her head in a return greeting. "Konban wa, minna-san [everyone]." She glanced at Kiori and Ritsuka, whose plates were as full of food as they could get. She smiled. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

They blushed and quickly sat down.

Tasuki snacked on some spiced shrimp, watching as Ritsuka began devouring her enormous meal. He poked her in the shoulder with his chopsticks. "Yer gonna get fatter," he warned.

"Shut—" she turned on him, eyes blazing. "Fatter!?" Tasuki was sent crashing into the wall with one swift punch.

"You should know never to mention a girl's weight," Kiori remarked as she unpeeled him from the wall.

"I'll make a mental note-a that."

For once, Chichiri didn't join in the conversation. Instead he ate quietly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, before finally shaking his head with a frown and setting down his half-finished plate. "Houki-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt the meal, but I know you didn't call this private dinner just because you wanted to enjoy our company no da." His voice lowered like it had when they first arrived, somehow drawing everyone's attention. "This is about the war, isn't it no da?"

Ritsuka and Kiori looked up, chopsticks halfway to their mouths. "War?"

"As I said before, you are astute as usual," Houki remarked calmly. She took a long, slow sip of her tea, then set her cup down and turned to meet the monk's inquiring gaze. "This is a small council of war, I suppose you could say. I thought I should let my captains know a bit more about the riddles."

Tasuki choked on his sake. "Houki-sama, when we agreed t'help ya out, we didn't exactly mean as captains!"

"Oh? Would you prefer the title of shogun?"

Tasuki coughed, turned blue and fell over, twitching slightly. Kiori leaned over the motionless bandit. "Ano..." She looked up at Houki. "I think you killed him."

Ritsuka hopped over as well, bent down, and oh-so-gently poked the seishi with a stick. "Fang-boy? Tasuki? Taaaaaaaasuki-chan?" She stabbed him hard in the eye.

"OW! RED!"

While the two tussled, Kiori and Chichiri turned their attention back to the Empress. The monk spoke slowly, putting careful emphasis on each word. "After we finished our meeting, I kept thinking about that riddle you mentioned. I couldn't understand why you would bring it up, since it didn't seem to have anything to do with Takkan no da. Unless...” he cocked an eyebrow at the Empress, his hands once again laced thoughtfully before his mouth, “unless you already knew more about it no da.” Houki never let her indigo eyes drop from his slanted ones, even as she nodded slowly. The seishi frowned. "Houki-sama... why did you wait to tell us this? Couldn't you just as easily have explained it earlier, without the girls around no da?"

She smiled weakly. "You should not ask questions whose answers you already know." Houki reached calmly into her soft golden robes, pulling a slim scroll from the folds and handing it to Chichiri. "But, if you must be certain..."

The monk opened the scroll, skimming the ancient text. After a moment he nodded, face surprisingly grave. "Yappari [I thought so] na no da."

"Chichiri..." Kiori began.

He cut her off. "You wanted to know if your coming here was an accident or not, right?" A small nod. "Do you still want to know no da?"

There was a slight tremor - excitement or fear? - in the girl's voice. "H-hai."

Ritsuka and Tasuki froze with Tasuki's teeth still firmly attached to Ritsuka's arm.

"Mph?"

"What is it, Kiori?"

Chichiri heaved a sigh, then picked up the scroll and read aloud:

'All is not lost for Konan
For brave hearts can defeat danger that looms
A new seven must now be assembled
To save a nation from doom.
Two worlds shallcollide once again
Enlist help from the Priestess' kind
But to take on the northern insurgence,
More than one may be needed this time.'"

Ritsuka giggled nervously. "Wait a second! You're trying to tell me that that scroll says Kiori and I are here to... to f-fight... in a war...?" She shook her head violently. "That can't be possible! You must be reading it wrong! We're here because of a fluke, and any minute now the great god of practical jokes is going to sail down and carry us back to where we belong, and..." she trailed off as she watched Kiori, who was now reading the rhyme over the monk's shoulder. "I'm right, aren't I, Kiori? Ki... Kiori?"

"'...The young woman read the rhyme through once more, but the words remained the same. They had been summoned to help save the Empire from a powerful enemy, and would be unable to return to their own country until the deed had been completed.'" Tetsuya handed the book over to Keisuke, his eyebrows scrunched together in a thoughtful frown. "End Chapter Two."

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Author's Mundane Ramblings:Jan. 23 2005; 3:50 PM

Hao, minna-san!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in the first chapter! For those of you who were in the middle of reading this for the first time (or re-reading this, as the case may be), please don't feel like you have to start all the way back at the beginning! Just send me an e-mail telling me what the last chapter you read was called, and I'll send you the off-site links to those chapters (I have them saved on my personal homepage as sort of a back-up file). A huge apology for not mentioning that earlier, but sometimes my wandering mind forgets important details like that, and...

Oh, look, a bunny!

See? I rest my case.

Like I promised last time, here's a crash course in Japanese suffixes (or at least the ones you'll see in my fic). Chances are you already know these (manga are good about that these days), but just in case...

No suffix: Depicts familiarity, or sometimes disrespect.

-san: Respectful. “Mr” “Miss” “Mrs”

-sama: Uber-respectful. “Lord,” “Lady” “Master”

-chan: Endearing. Usually used on close friends, animals, and little kids.

-kun: Respectful/affectionate. Used on younger people, typically boys, or people who rank below you.

-sensei: Teacher. It can also be used on doctors and other figures of that nature.

-senpai: Senior. Typically used on older classmates.

I hope I didn't forget any. As I've mentioned before, I can be a little forgetf - Hey, another bunny!

Your Authoress - Dee