CHAPTER TWO

	Things were not going as the Book had planned.
	It hadn't anticipated the two girls being rivals already.  Seiryuu no
Miko, it seemed, would be more than happy to rip her companion's head
off, and ignore the whole wish thing.  Besides, the girls were more
powerful than most of their Seishi, which made searching for them rather
anticlimactic.  Perhaps if it rewrote things so that the Seishi were
already collected...
	"Lum!  Ran-chan!"  A voice belonging to a young man suddenly called
out.
	Uh-oh.  The Book once again attempted to look innocently immobile. 
Sometimes it hated not having eyes...
	"I'm sure I saw her come up here."  That was a different voice, one
that, as far as the Book could discern, sounded rather sexy.
	"Lum-san!"  A deeper voice, ringing with authority.  "Ran-san!"
	"Eh!"  A child's voice.  "It's Lum-chan's bookbag!"
	There was a general outcry - the Important Documents Reading Room
sounded very crowded.
	"I sense great evil in this place."
	*WHAM!* "Shut up, you monstrosity!  The only evil here is you!"
	"No, Cherry's correct - there's something not right here."
	The Book started to get nervous.
	"If you say it, Sakura-chan, then I believe you."
	"Get off me, you degenerate!"
	"Mendou, I'm frightened!"
	"Don't worry, Shinobu-san - I will protect you with my life."
	"Mendou..."
	The Book found itself being lifted and inspected.  "Obento."
	"It's not food, you single-minded moron!  It's called a book!"  The
Book was snatched away.  "Hmm... �Four Gods' Earth and Sky'."
	"What's it about?"
	The Book was suddenly opened and waved about rudely.  "Can't you read
it, Jariten?"
	"Urusai!  You know I can't read kanji that well!"
	"Nyaaaah!"
	"Aaaah!"  The Book was grabbed away again, and slammed down on the
floor.  "I saw Lum's name!"
	"You're right, Shinobu-san!  But why..."
	"She's in the book," the sexy voice said solemnly, and was rewarded
with gasps of astonishment.  "Her and Ran-chan - I can sense it."
	"Moroboshi!  This is all your fault!"
	"How can it be my fault?  I was with the rest of you!"
	"Would someone read it and tell me what it says?!"
	"All right, all right.  Ahem.  �The girl from the other world carried
Tamahome over the city...'"

	Tamahome held onto Lum's hands with a death grip.  Which, to him,
seemed appropriate - he didn't fancy his chances if she were to let go,
plunging him three hundred feet down into the city below...
	"Stop wriggling!  You're making me lose my grip."
	He suddenly held very still.
	"That's better."  She carried him toward the palace, her flight
creating a light, bubbly sound as she moved.  "So, you're saying there's
a prophecy that I'll show up?"
	"H-hai..."  He swallowed nervously.  "You're supposed to be the Suzaku
no Miko, and those of us with characters on our bodies are your Seishi,
who protect you."
	She peered down at him, looking at the �oni' sign on his forehead. 
This was an additional source of worry to him - if she was looking at
him, she wasn't looking where she was going.
	"AAAAA! Abunai!"
	"Oh, stop crying."  She swerved to avoid the flock of rather surprised
birds that were in her path.  "I've been doing this all my life - I know
what I'm doing.  Now, where are these Seishi?"
	"I told you before - they're at the palace."  He frowned momentarily. 
Yes... they were at the palace.  He'd known them for years.  Where else
would they be?  The height must have been making it difficult to think. 
"Definitely at the palace.  The emperor was born with the mark, and last
year he sent his soldiers out to find the rest of us."  Somehow that
didn't sound right... oh, well.
	"There's probably been a mistake," she decided.  "Well, we'll get it
sorted out when I meet this emperor of yours."  She picked up speed, and
Tamahome reflected once again that Suzaku no Miko was nothing like he'd
ever imagined her to be...

	The first thing Ran became aware of as she regained consciousness was a
dull pain in her head, and an aching lump at the top of it.  The second
thing was that she was resting on a large, comfortable bed, between
smooth silk sheets.
	The third thing was that someone had undressed her.
	She opened her eyes with a start, turning a bit red.  Whoever did
this...
	"Seiryuu no Miko."
	"Iyaa!"  Ran demurely clutched the sheets around her as the voice - the
definitely *male* voice - spoke right next to her.   "Who... who are
you?"
	He smiled, with only the barest of motions, apparently unaffected by
her near-nudity.  "I am Nakago, the general of the army of Kutou and the
one who rescued you from those men."  He leaned forward.  "I must tell
you something - your friend, the one you arrived with, is truly your
enemy.  She..."
	Nakago suddenly found a potted plant imbedded in his face.  He fell
backwards without a sound.
	"Aho."  Ran, still holding the sheet over her essentials, also had one
arm outstretched after throwing the fern.  "You violate the privacy of
an innocent girl's chambers to tell her that?  I already know Lum is my
enemy!"
	In an instant, Nakago was back in his chair, as if nothing had
happened.  "Then you will be happy hear that, with my help, you can do
away with her once and for all."
	"Che... I don't need your help for that.  Where are my clothes?  Just
point me in the right direction, and I'll flatten her myself!"
	If things weren't going the way Nakago had intended, he didn't show
it.  He just smiled in that small, infuriating way he had.  So calm.  So
in control.  So... smug.  "Then you won't be interested in the...
wishes?"
	That stopped her.  "Wishes?"
	"Three wishes, to be exact.  And ixnay on the..."  He stopped.  That
definitely wasn't right.  "But only Seiryuu no Miko may use them.  All I
want is one wish - if you agree to help me, two of them are yours.  And
you can wish for anything."  She was thinking about it, he could tell. 
He smiled again, the kind of smile that makes you want to punch his face
in.  "That won't be too much trouble, will it?"
	"An... anything?"  Her eyes glistened happily.  "Even to make Rei-sama
marry me?  And..."  She laughed girlishly.  "And to grind that bitch Lum
into hamburger and feed her to the dogs?"
	"Anything."
	She smiled.  "When do we start?"

	Tasuki leaned back, watching Hotohori explain the details of Miko-hood
to Lum.  "Hey, guys... what do you think of her?"
	"She's not what I expected, na no da."
	"And her fashion sense stinks."
	"Oh, I don't know..."  Tasuki subjected Lum to another appraising gaze
- she had removed her school uniform, revealing her tiger-skin bikini
beneath.  This had scandalized most of the members of Hotohori's court. 
"You won't get any complaints from me."
	Lum listened patiently until Hotohori's explanation drew to a close. 
"Well, that's very nice, but I just want to get home."
	He was about to reply, when she suddenly looked upwards.  "Darling?!"
	*Lum!*  Ataru's voice was audible only to her. *What are you doing in
that book, flirting with all those men?*
	"Urusai!  I'm trying to find a way out!"
	*Stop making excuses!  Get out here right now!*
	"I wish I could!"  Lum ignored the looks everyone was giving her.
	*Che... in fact, you can just stay in there!  You can't zap me from
inside the book, can you?  And I've got Shinobu-chan and Sakura-chan to
keep me company!*
	She started to crackle with pent-up energy.  "Darling, tara!  I'm going
to..."
	*Aaaa!  Ataru-kun, let go!*
	*Don't you dare touch me, Moroboshi!*
	*Hee hee!  This is so much fun, eh, Lum?  Biiiiida!*
	Lum gritted her teeth.  "I swear, Darling, if I ever get out of
here..."
	"Ano..." Chichiri spoke up.  "You can use one of your wishes to get
out, na no da."
	"Eh?"  She stopped and looked at him.  "So ka... I can use it for
anything, can't I?"
	Everyone nodded.
	An expression of malicious glee passed over her face.  "Then I can also
use one on Darling!"  She looked back up at the ceiling, grinning
evilly.  "Do you hear that, Darling?  I'm going to wish that you'll love
me, and only me, for the rest of your life!"
	Tasuki nudged Tamahome with an elbow.  "You're a fast mover, aren't
you, you old rascal."
	"Urusai!  She's not talking about me."
	The bandit shrugged.  "You're the only one she's really met.  And she's
an oni, you're an oni... it'd work out well between you two."
	*Ch-chotto!  You can't do that!*
	"Try and stop me!  I can't zap you, it's true... but you can't stop me
from using my wishes any way I want!"  She turned around and patted her
rear insultingly, causing the remaining members of Hotohori's court to
retreat in embarrassment.  "Finally, your girl-chasing days will be
over, and we'll be together forever and ever and ever..."
	A scream of horror was her reward.