Well, there's not anything to say about this ch.
really. If you've been reading the story so far then
you'll understand pretty much what's going on.
My friend, Crikit-chan, is actually writing Misao's
side of the story, but she's such a busy girl she
hasn't really finished it yet. ^_^
Anyhoo, I guess that's really it. Enough of my
babbling and on to the FF.
Sakuya-sama ^_^ no Jurai
A Legend Reborn
Chapter 4
"My priests have been informing me that the gods have
become restless. There has been a great
disturbance...."
"I have become aware of it as well, no daa."
"My father was one of the warriors along with
Chichiri and Tasuki... In the end only three of the
seven survived... Tamahome, Tasuki, and Chichiri.... I
have been told that my father died courageously in
battle while I was still in my mother�s womb...,"
Boushin reaches for his collar. He pulls it down to
reveal a red symbol. "I have been given the mark of
Hotohori, the sea snake, my father�s seishi name....
You, Ryunosuke, you are the new Tamahome...."
"How.... how did you know...?" Ryunosuke asks.
"When you saved Chisa, I saw the mark appear on your
forehead."
"Your highness," Shyoka says, showing him her open
palm, a red symbol appears.
"I see... You are the new Mitsukake..... Five of the
seven have already been gathered quite
effortlessly...."
Chisa seems to be deep in thought.
"Chisa...."
A voice breaks into her thoughts.
"Chisa, are you willing....?"
"Willing.....?"
"Willing to become the Suzaku no miko of the second
legend and save Konan?" the emperor asks staring
straight into Chisa�s eyes.
Chisa diverts her eyes from his glare. Her eyes
wander around the room for a moment, across the faces
of each person in the room.
"Would... would you mind... if I had a little time to
think this over....?"
"I understand.... in the meantime, I would like for
you all to stay here, in the palace, as my personal
guests."
"Really?!"
"Here in the palace?"
"I�ll have your rooms prepared right away...."
"Staying in the palace.... I never dreamed I would
ever even see the inside.....!" Shyoka says.
"Feel free to explore as much as you like...."
"Thank you for your most gracious hospitality, your
highness," Shyoka says, bowing.
"Please, you may call me Boushin...."
Shyoka blushes again.
The emperor departs, leaving the five of them alone.
"I think I�m going to take a walk," Shyoka says, "Do
you want to come with me, Chisa?"
Chisa watches as Ryunosuke exits.
"Uh... no, thank you... I�ve got a lot on my mind and
I need to go do some thinking alone...."
"All right... I guess I�ll see you later then.... Just
don�t get lost!" Shyoka smiles.
***
"Please tell me that�s all we have to climb! I�m
pooped..."
Tamahome pulls Miaka up to a landing spot on the
mountain.
"It shouldn�t be much further...."
"Come on, Yui....," Tamahome takes hold of Yui�s hand
and helps her up as well.
"Thanks....."
"Is this the right mountain?"
"It better be! I�m not going to climb up every single
one of them, ya know!"
"I expected you three would come sooner or later...."
"Aaah!" Tamahome whirls around to come face to face
with the wrinkled face of Taiis-kun, "It�s the old
hag!"
"Nice to see you, too, Tamahome...."
"Taiis-kun! It�s really you!"
"Hey, you guys!"
Miaka hears a voice from behind Taiis-kun.
"We didn�t expect to see you back here......"
"And Nuriko and Hotohori and Chiriko and Mitsukake...
it�s great to see you all again....," she says
excitedly, "You all still look so young......"
"Well, we are dead after all, Miaka...," Hotohori
says.
"And you all look so..... old.....," Nuriko says.
"Miaka, you remind me of my mom....!" Chiriko laughs,
"All wrinkled and everything....."
Miaka shoots an annoyed look at Chiriko.
"Miaka! Tamahome! Yui! You�re here!!" Nyan-nyan
appears suddenly, hugging Miaka.
"Nyan-nyan! You look so much older.....!"
"Everyone�s grown some," she says, "except for the
ghosts over there...."
"How are Chisa and Misao?" Mitsukake asks.
"Actually, we don�t really know.....," Miaka says.
"Something happened and now.... they�re in this
world...," Yui explains.
"What?!"
"But what about the seal that Chichiri put on the
book? It was the strongest seal he could possibly
create!" Chiriko says.
"We don�t know... We were hoping Taiis-kun and the
rest of you could help us figure this out.....,"
Tamahome says.
"Come with me and I�ll explain as much of this as I
can...," Taiis-kun says. She begins to lead them up to
her temple high on top of the mountain.
***
"That must be the pond, over there, where the girl...
my mother.... almost drowned.... I wonder which room
was hers......"
Day has faded into night as Chisa meanders around the
grounds of the palace, gazing at the beautiful
scenery, watching the sky as the stars come out
one-by-one, the moonlight dancing on the surface of
the water.
"What am I gonna do....? I�m just a normal
twenty-first century girl... How can I be expected to
take on something like this.....?" Chisa holds the red
bird on her necklace on the tips of her fingers,
"Mom... it�s times like this I wish she was around to
tell me what to do... She would know.... and Dad,
too.... They went through all this... I still find it
somewhat hard to believe that the people in that story
were.... my parents... Where are they....? Didn�t they
come looking for me...? They must be worried.... And
what about Misao.....? What could have happened to
her?"
Not watching where she�s going, Chisa suddenly bumps
into someone.
"Hey! Watch where you�re goi...."
"Oops! Sorry about that....."
The someone was Ryunosuke.
"Did.... did I hurt you at all...?"
"Of course not....."
"I�m sorry... It just seems like I�m bumping into a
lot of things lately....," Chisa says.
Ryunosuke smiles causing Chisa to smile in return.
"I... I was just walking around the palace.... you can
join me..... if you want.....," Ryunosuke offers.
"Well...... all right....."
The two of them wander about the palace together,
neither of them saying a word.
"I�ve gotta say something.....," Chisa thinks.
"Umm...."
Suddenly she has Ryunosuke�s attention. His stare
makes her nervous.
"Uh.... I meant to thank you.... for helping me
earlier today....," she stutters, "I guess I kinda
forgot about it..."
"It�s no problem...."
"No...., really..... you saved my life....."
The two stand in silence again.
"Gotta find something to talk about....! These
silences are too uncomfortable....." Chisa thinks. "Do
you mind if I ask, where are you from?"
"I�m from a little village just outside the city,"
Ryunosuke says, "So, what about you?"
"He�s going to think I�m a total nutcase... that is,
if he doesn�t already...," Chisa thinks, "Should I
really tell him...?" "Well, if you really want to
know.... I�m from another world... twenty-first
century Japan.... to be exact..."
"Oh....," Ryunosuke says, "I knew you were from
another world.... I just didn�t really know
where....."
"How.... how did you know....?"
"Well, if those legends are really true and you�re
really the priestess of those legends, then you
wouldn�t be from this world," he explains, "That�s
what the legend says anyway....."
"So... you... you don�t think I�m out of my mind...?"
"Why should I....?" he shrugs, "I mean, except for the
way you seem to keep running into things you seem like
a sane person....."
"Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment?!"
Chisa thinks.
Ryunosuke sits down on a step to a small pavilion near
the pond.
Hesitating a little, Chisa sits next to him.
".....beautiful....."
"What?!" Chisa whips her head around.
"...the stars... the Suzaku constellations are really
bright tonight......"
"...yeah.....the stars.....," Chisa says with relief.
"Look at them...," Shyoka thinks watching Ryunosuke
and Chisa from a distance, "After knowing each other
not even a full day.... I kinda hate to disturb them,
but..." "Hey, you two!"
"Hi, Shyoka! What�s up?"
"Well, the cook�s got dinner ready if your
interes...."
"Dinner?!" Chisa exclaims, "Good I�m starving! Well,
c�mon, Ryunosuke! Let�s go already! It�s time to eat!"
Chisa grabs him by the arm and drags him back to the
palace, all the way to the grand dining hall.
Shyoka smiles to herself.
***
Night has also fallen on Mt. Taikyaku. Taiis-kun has
set up bedding for Tamahome, Miaka, and Yui.... but
that doesn�t mean that any of them are really able to
sleep....
Yui lays in her bed dreaming.
"Mommy!"
"Misao?!"
"Mommy! Help me! Don�t let it get me! Mommy!"
"Misao! No.......!"
"....mommy......"
"NO!"
Rivers of tears begin to stream down Yui�s face. She
holds her wrist.
"You won�t get Misao... I won�t let you take her from
me......., Seiryu......."
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