{\rtf1\ansi\deff0\deftab720{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss MS Sans Serif;}{\f1\froman\fcharset2 Symbol;}{\f2\fmodern Courier New;}{\f3\froman Times New Roman;}{\f4\fmodern\fprq1 Courier New;}} {\colortbl\red0\green0\blue0;} \deflang1033\pard\plain\f2\fs20 The Eternal Lost Lurker (EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net) \par \plain\f4\fs20 \par \plain\f2\fs20 This is just a little prelude for yet another fic I may eventually finish. I had to do it, I'm on a major FY kick lately. If I don't do an FY fic I'll go insane. \par \par \par \tab SHI JIN TEN SHYO \par \par \tab The Shi Jin Ten Shyo narrates the legend of a girl who came from another world to gather the seven "Suzaku Seishi" and summon Suzaku, gaining the power to have her wishes come true. \par \tab The story itself is an incantation. When the page is turned, the ancient tome comes to life, and the tale begins... \par \par FUSHIGI HACHIBUNNONI \par A fusion of Fushigi Yuugi and Ranma 1/2 \par \par \par \tab "Kyaaa!" Training dummies, punching posts, cinder blocks...all fell to dust under her skilled hands and feet. The girl absently swatted her long braid aside as she wiped sweat from her brow. "Ah, that felt good." \par "Tendou Akane." \par "Nani? Dare da?" Akane looked up from her practice, to see hordes of boys in sports gear gathered around her. In the lead was one in kendo garb, wielding a bokken. \par \tab "For your love, we shall do battle. Until you are defeated in honorable combat, none shall be worthy of the privelege of dating you." \par Akane growled. "I hate boys..." She punched two hockey players in the nose. \par "I hate boys..." A football player and a tennis player in the chest and groin respectively. \par "I hate boys..." "I hate boys..." \par \par "Tendou-san..." \par "I HATE BOYS!" Akane hauled off in a violent uppercut, feeling someone's jaw crunch with the impact. \par "Anou...Akane-chan..." a voice said quietly from beside her. Akane looked over at her best friend Yuka. \par "Hai, Yuka?" \par "Who did you just flatten?" \par Akane looked down at the floor, where the sensei twitched weakly, a fist-shaped impression in his cheek. \par "Sensei!" \par "Pin-pon..." \par The teacher stood up shakily. "Tendou! In the hall with you, now!" \par "Hai," Akane said, taking up a bucket of water and heading outside. \par \par After school, Akane and Yuka took the train to the Minato district. "I want to go to the national library," Yuka said. "If you ask me, we can get a lot more out of a trip to the library than we can out of cram school." \par \tab Akane nodded. "Sounds good to me. Maybe I can find a few good books on martial arts techniques while we're there, ne?" \par \tab Yuka sweated. "Akane-chan...you think about martial arts too much. Don't you care that Mizuikan is a very competitive university? We won't both have a chance of getting in if you don't do your best on the exams!" \par Akane sighed. "I know, I know...otousan tells me all the time, oneechan tells me all the time, you tell me all the time, the sensei tell me all the time, it's something I have been made aware of quite frequently. It doesn't mean I can't still have hobbies outside of cramming for the entrance exams, you know." \par \tab Yuka sighed. "I wish I felt the same confidence in myself that you do, Akane-chan." \par Akane smiled gently at her friend. "Ne, Yuka-chan, you're smarter than me, and very good with your studies. I'm sure you'll have no worries passing the exams." \par The pair continued onward to the National Library. \par \par \tab Yuka moved off to the reference desk as soon as the pair arrived in the library. Akane shook her head and began looking for the library map. She passed by a juice machine, and realized she was thirsty. Taking a fifty yen piece out of her pocket, she started to put it into the machine, and dropped it. It rolled across the floor and bumped into an "employees only" sign sitting next to a door marked "Important Documents Reference Room". \par \tab As Akane bent to retrieve her coin, she saw a flash of red light, and could swear she saw a gigantic red bird behind her. Then, it was gone, and Yuka was headed in her direction. "Ne, Akane, what's wrong?" Yuka said. \par \tab "Nothing, Yuka-chan..." Akane said. "I just thought I saw a strange bird, and a red light..." \par Yuka laughed. "You need your eyes checked, Akane." She looked up and noticed the room they were standing next to. "Hmmm....important documents? I wonder what's in here?" \par \tab "Probably just some moldy old law books or something," Akane said. \par \tab Yuka grinned. "Or maybe there's some old kenpo training manuals in there..." \par Akane was through the door before Yuka could blink. \par \par \tab Yuka closed the door behind them. "I hope we don't get caught in here," she said. \par \tab Akane shrugged. "Look at all this stuff! Scrolls and old books...wonder what they are?" \par \tab As the pair of girls began exploring the room, something pulsed on one of the shelves. Akane blinked. "Yuka-chan..." \par \tab "I saw it, Akane." The two girls stepped cautiously closer to the shelf. "It came from this," Yuka said, pulling an old, worn book, bound in soft leather. Blowing some dust off its front cover, she announced, "It's called the 'Four Gods' Sky and Earth'." She began thumbing through it, and frowned. "Looks like a religious text." \par \tab Akane looked at the book. "It's a story," she said. "Take a look at the illustrations." \par \tab Yuka read for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah, it's about a girl, and a foreign country, and seven...constellations?" She blinked. \par \tab Akane frowned. "I don't get it." \par \tab The two girls peered intently at the old tome, trying to coax some meaning from the characters on the pages. Idly, Yuka thumbed over to the next page in the book. \par \tab And the world around them exploded in a red flash. \par \par \tab Akane awoke, her head pounding. She blinked at her surroundings. Only a moment ago, she'd been in that room in the National Library. Now... \par \tab Only wilderness surrounded her, a flat rocky plain as far as the eye could see. "Yuka-chan?" she called out. "Oi, Yuka-chan!" \par \tab An elbow impacted her upside the head. "I'm right here, Akane." \par \tab "Ite!" Akane rubbed her head. "Where are we?" \par \tab Yuka shrugged. "I don't know. It looks a lot like ancient China." \par \tab Akane smirked. "That's ridiculous. There's no way it could be China, much less ancient China." \par \tab As the two girls attempted to determine what had happened, faint noises became audible from the horizon. The sounds grew louder, and could soon be made out to be the thunder of horses' hooves, intermingled with loud and decidedly raucus laughter. After a moment, the source of the sound was upon the girls, as several men in ancient travel garments, mounted on horseback and reeking of alcohol, loomed over them. \par \tab "Well, what do we have here?" one of them said. \par \tab "Foreign girls...look at those clothes they wear." \par \tab "Think they'll be worth much?" another asked. \par \tab "The girls or the clothes?" one wondered. \par \tab "BOTH!" the first three exploded into laughter. \par \tab "Akane...I don't like the looks of this..." \par \tab Akane looked at the group of drunken Chinese men. "Who are you? What is this place?" \par \tab "Oh, they can speak! They'll be worth a nice price then." \par \tab "Tell us who you are and where you're from," the apparent leader of the men said, "and we won't hurt you too badly." \par \tab "Get lost, creeps," Yuka said. \par \tab The leader spat in her direction. "Little bitch! You'll pay for that!" \par \tab The men dismounted and advanced on the two girls. Yuka backed up nervously while Akane took up a defensive stance. "Just go away!" Akane said. \par \tab "Not until we get what we want," said one of the Chinese men. Two of the less verbal, not to mention larger, men rushed forward, weilding large knives. Yuka cowered behind Akane, who was beginning to tremble slightly in fear herself. She held fast, though, and prepared to counterattack. \par \tab One man struck, and she ducked to the side quickly, grabbing his extended arm and tossing him. She turned to face the other, more wary opponent, as he circled her, knife weaving like a serpent. She watched carefully for any sign of what he was going to do, but he just wasn't telegraphing his moves. The thug finally lunged forward, striking low. Akane leapt over his strike, and extended her foot, catching him across the side of the head with a fast kick. Following through with her other foot, she used his head as a springboard, and somersaulted backwards, landing in a crouch as her attacker regained his balance. Akane inwardly applauded herself; she wasn't sure she could pull something like that off. \par \tab Yuka screamed. Akane turned to look, and found her held tightly by one of the thugs, knife under her chin, while the lecherous man groped her chest with his empty hand. \par \tab Akane scowled, and tried to rescue her friend, but found her ankles trapped in a bola. She fell to the ground, struggling in vain to disengage the tight rope from around her legs. Another man hauled her to her feet, and she was sure it was over... \par \tab Suddenly, two of the men in the rear of the party gave yelps of surprise. This was followed by two loud thumps, and more shouting. Akane was dropped; she rolled over and saw that Yuka had been similarly abandoned. Untangling her legs from the bola, she crawled over to her friend. "Yuka-chan? You alright?" \par \tab "I...I think so...what happened?" \par \tab "I don't know," Akane said. She looked back at the scene behind them. The fifteen or so Chinese men were attacking someone, and apparently getting their butts kicked rather soundly. \par \tab In the midst of the melee, stood a young man with black hair tied in a tight braid which hung over one shoulder. Loose bangs in the front swished idly across his forehead, as if stirred by an unknown wind. His grey eyes were sharp and intense. He wore an ancient style of kung-fu clothing. The youth was easily blocking and avoiding every strike aimed at him, and getting off a few of his own. \par \tab The two toughs which had attacked Akane and Yuka took up their knives and stalked the newcomer. He noticed them, and suddenly the hair covering his forehead lifted as if a breeze had stirred it, revealing a mark on his forehead. The mark flared with a red light. The thugs were momentarily daunted by this, but decided to press the attack. Within seconds, they were both unconscious on the ground, their knives plunged into the earth between their legs, just shy of puncturing their groins. The shining character on his forehead settled, and Akane could make out the symbol. She blinked. "Woman?" \par \tab Yuka wondered what Akane was talking about, and took a look at the person who had rescued them. Indeed, upon his forehead was the character for "woman". \par \tab He made his way over to them, and crouched in front of them. "Hey, you two okay?" \par \tab "Yes, thank you so much," Akane said. \par \tab The boy smiled. "Money is a nice way to say thank you," he said. Akane and Yuka facefaulted. "You have got to be joking," Akane said. Muttering, she dug around in the pocket of her schooldress and produced a few yen coins. The youth took them, and after a moment, frowned. "Hey, what kinda money's this? It'd be worthless here. Keep it." He handed back the coins, and stood. "Seeya around," he said, and took off. \par \tab "Wait!" Akane called after him, taking a few steps in his direction. "Could you help us? Tell us where we are? Hey! Hey you!" After a moment, she gave up, and turned around. "Honestly. Some hero, ne Yuka-chan?" \par \tab Yuka didn't respond. Akane blinked, and looked around. "Yuka-chan?" \par \tab No answer. Akane frantically searched around the area where they'd been standing. "YUKA-CHAN!" she called out. \par \tab Silence answered her call. Akane sank to her knees. \par \par \tab Akane trudged wearily through the wilderness. "Yuka-chan...where did you go? I hope you're alright..." Up ahead, she spotted a large town. She blinked, and couldn't help but marvel at what lay before her. \par \tab Below her, in a slight valley which apparently extended for many kilometers, stood hundreds of square stone and wood buildings with copper-tiled roofs. People robed in ancient-styled garments bustled to and fro along the busy dirt roads, some leading horses, some pushing handcarts, a few carrying rickshaws. Homesteads stood open, the housewives beating their laundry and waving at the people they recognized. Merchants shouted out their wares from canvas-topped booths and carts. Children laughed as they played among the crowds, occassionally falling down or bumping into things as all hyperactive children will. Akane smiled at the activity she could make out from her vantage point. \par \tab Then she looked up, and saw something that made her gasp. There was an enormous compound, apparently a palace, its stone walls shining, its entryway gleaming of fresh paint, its copper rooftiles polished to a golden sheen. "Sugoi..." she gasped. Then, remembering why she was here, she collected herself and strode into the town. \par \par \tab "Hmm...a girl y'say? Dressed like you?" \par \tab Akane nodded. "Yes. Have you seen her?" \par \tab The merchant frowned, then shook his head. "Nope, can't say as I have. And I'd remember anyone dressed like you, fr'sure." \par \tab Akane sighed. "Well, thank you." Then remembering something, she added, "By the way, do you know of a young man with a pigtail who has the character for woman on his forehead?" \par \tab The merchant looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Uhh...no," he said. Akane sighed, thanked him, and moved on. \par \par \tab Moments later, a young man wearing red and black fighters' garments approached a farm merchant. "Mornin'," the merchant called. \par \tab "Mornin!" the young man said. "Got some god stuff today?" \par \tab The merchant nodded. He leaned forward. "Say...someone's lookin' for ya." \par \tab The youth blinked. "Nani?" \par \tab The vegetable seller winked conspiratorially. "Awful cute, she was. Who is she?" \par \tab The boy frowned. "What the heck're you talkin' about?" \par \tab "Oh come on, Sao. The cute foreign girl in the strange garments. Came here askin' about you and another girl dressed like her. Who is she?" \par \tab The youth blinked. "I did meet two girls in foreign garments today. The damned slavers were on them." \par \tab The merchant rubbed his chin. "Musta been one of them then." \par \tab "Only one? I wonder where the other went to..." \par \tab The merchant shrugged. "I dunno. She was lookin' for another girl too." \par \tab "Hmmm...thanks for the info. Oh, and I'll take two heads of cabbage." \par \par \tab Akane had spent over an hour trying to find Yuka and the boy who had saved them. She hadn't had any luck yet. \par \tab She was just about to give up when a man, about twenty or so, approached her. "I hear you're looking for the man with the mark of woman on his head."\tab \par \tab Akane nodded anxiously. "Hai! Can you help me find him?" \par \tab "I'll take you to him. We're old friends." The man smiled slyly at her. \par \tab Something warned Akane not to trust this person, but she ignored it. "Thank you very much!" she said, and began following him. \par \par \tab Shortly afterwards, Akane regretted following him. Surrounding her were four toughs, the man who had deceived her among them. Two of them had knives, and all were leering at her lecherously. \par \tab "She'll bring in a fortune," one of them said. \par \tab "Just her clothes alone will be worth plenty," another remarked, feeling the material of her skirt. Akane punched him. "Stop that you pervert!" \par \tab The man stood, rubbing his cheek. "That huuuuurt..." he drawled, smirking at her evilly. The four advanced on her. She backed up against a wooden fence, gulping. Sizing them up, she decided, \par \tab Her decision made, Akane shouted. "Alright you jerks!" She rolled up her sleeves. "I'm ready for you! You won't take me without a fight! I've always hated perverts like you. As sure as my name is Tendou Akane, I'll punish you!" \par \tab The four men blinked in confusion at her speech. Akane launched into action, catching one with a heavy haymaker which dropped him. One of the knife-weilders swiped at her. She dodged, grabbed his arm, and tossed him. Turning to the two remaining attackers, she snapped off a multitude of punches and kicks. After a moment, all four attackers were down. \par \tab "Piece of cake," Akane decided. Then, she felt a knife pressed into her neck, and an arm wrapped around her waist. \par \tab "I don't think so, girl." The one who'd led her here whispered into her ear. "We're going to get you for that, all four of us are. Real slow and real rough." \par \tab Akane gulped as the knife moved to her school blouse and began to part one of the buttons... \par \par \tab Suddenly, her attacker cried out in alarm and dropped his knife. Akane twisted free and rolled to the side. She looked around. All of the thugs were wincing in pain as small stones struck them. She tried to find the source of the attack. \par \tab "For one young girl..." \par \tab Akane looked up. Silhoutted by the midday sun, a man with a pigtail and a handful of stones stood on one of the rooftops. \par \tab "Four strong men..."\tab \par \tab The thugs cried out again as more stones struck them.\tab \par \tab "That's not the way real men behave. It's time the four of you learned a lesson in manners!" A bright red glow emanated from the figure, casting light over his face. He had dark black hair, and sharp grey-blue eyes. The light came from his forehead, upon which was the character of woman. Akane gasped. \par \tab "You son of a bitch! Get down here and let us cream you!" One of the thugs yelled. The youth leaped down, and assumed a loose stance. \par \tab Akane watched in awe as the four thugs attacked, only to find themselves dispatched to unconsciousness in short order. She blinked in shock as the young man with the mark on his brow turned to face her, eyes calm and confident amid the chaos around them. "I heard you were looking for me," he said simply. \par \tab Akane swallowed nervously. \par \par \par }