This chapter is dedicated to my younger brother, who
managed to fix my computer so I could write this
(after being without a computer for over a month).
Thanks, Rand - no Robotech jokes for at least a month,
PROMISE....

Please enjoy!

Raye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starlit Reflections

by Raye Johnsen
raye_j@yahoo.com

*******

	Fushigi Yuugi is copyright Watase Yuu, Flower Comics,
Studio Perriot, Viz Communications and Pioneer
Entertainment. 
	This fanfiction is written to entertain, not make
money. If it did, the Mt. Leikaku bandits would
undoubtedly (and gleefully) practice their craft and
take all the profits.
	Previous parts of this fic can be found at
http://www.thejohnsens.com/sr.html .  The author
recommends that the reader have read them first,
otherwise this chapter is going to make utterly no
sense whatsoever. 
	This chapter is rated PG-13; there is a death scene. 
However, I consider it more gruesome than scary;
please use your own judgement, and please don't read
it while you're eating.  Crumbs are very bad for
keyboards.

*******

Chapter Ten: Dragon Waking

*******

	Taiitsukun was relaxing in Her reception hall.  The
dispatching of the Priestess of Suzaku - silly girl,
but she couldn't escape her destiny, even if she did
try, so there was no real need to worry - was a tiring
piece of magic, even for the Creator of All.

	She didn't expect to feel an entry into the world
quite so soon after that leavetaking.  Sitting up, she
called a mirror to show her exactly what had just
happened.

	The Creator of All, naturally enough, has quite an
impressive vocabulary of profanity.  She invented it,
after all, along with everything else; it therefore
follows that She knows every foul word that has ever
been spoken by man or God.  It took Her four hours to
run through all of them.

	By that time, even if She had been inclined to stop
the events She was witnessing, it was far too late.

*******

	Yui woke with the mild headache that one always feels
when one oversleeps.

	However, given the fact that she was wearing her
school uniform, not pajamas, and lying on a stretch of
cobblestones, rather than her bed, she sincerely
doubted that this was the explanation.  She seemed to
be all in one piece, though, so she apparently hadn't
been mugged, either.  Yui had a healthy dose of
egotism, and was well aware that she was a very pretty
girl.  This was not a problem in Tokyo, when walking
on well-lit city streets with a group of her
schoolmates.

	Alone, in a city she didn't know, without any kind of
lighting on the street at all, was a different matter
entirely.  

	Standing up, she looked shakily around her.  There
was no sign of Miaka at all; and she wasn't even in
the National Library anymore either, but a strange
city.  This city was not what she was used to.  The
wall that bordered the street was made of mud and
wattle, while no building on the street was taller
than two stories.  She could hear bustle and noise in
the distance, but none of it near - a bad sign every
citydweller learns to fear.  There were no footpaths,
the street stretching from wall to wall on either side
of the road, and the ever-present scent of bitumen,
motor oil and petrol that marks cities with a large
number of motor vehicles simply didn't exist. 
Instead, she smelt oily smoke and a nasty smell that
was sort of like pot-plant fertilizer and sort of like
dog poop.  Except that it wasn't.

	Then a man rode past on a horse.  The horse lifted
its tail and deposited a load of droppings on the
street.  The smell hit her nose so suddenly that she
lurched, almost hitting the building, but gave her the
answer - that was the smell.

	Yui glanced around her nervously.  Where was she? 
Where was Miaka?  This city was almost mediaeval, and
she had no idea if it was even Japanese.  She... she
might even have fallen into the book, herself....

	Swallowing against her nervousness, she began to walk
down the street.

	"Where you goin', pretty girl?" a man's voice slurred
behind her.

	/Oh, no,/ Yui thought.  But she didn't make the
mistake of responding, and began to walk faster. 
/Miaka? Oh, Miaka, where are you?/

	A man, grubby, unshaven and unkempt, stepped out of
the shadows in front of her.  "He asked you," he said,
ponderously, "where you were going, girl."

	Yui stopped.  "Away," she replied shortly and tried
to step away from him.

	"That's not very nice," another voice interjected. 
Yui glanced to the side, to see a young man, just as
repulsively dirty and ragged as the other two.  "You
haven't given us a chance to demonstrate our
hospitality yet."

*******

	"Yu~ui! Where are you?" Miaka called down the street.

	She'd found herself sitting on the floor of the
National Library's Special Materials Room, alone.  So,
naturally enough, she'd set out in search of Yui.

	She wasn't home, as the Hongou's answering machine
informed her.  She wasn't at the library, and she
wasn't on the street.

	Miaka sighed and decided to go home.  When Yui got
home, she'd get her message and ring back, and then
they'd talk.  What else could she do?

*******

	Suboshi felt the quiet urgency in his belly that was
pulling him along increase in intensity.  No longer
quiet, it was a churning mass that burnt his nerves,
making it impossible to ignore.

	He ducked into the maze of alleys that made up the
back districts of Xi'entu, vaguely recognising the
signs as wealthy districts graduated into poorer ones,
until he found himself in a clearly criminal area.

	Setting the Taisuisen spinning in lazy readiness
about his body, he forged on, heading ever deeper into
the territory of those outside the law.

*******

	There were six men surrounding her now - escape was
impossible.  They hadn't touched her yet... but it
wouldn't be long.  Her skin crawled at the idea of
those dirty fingers touching her.

	Wherever she was, this wasn't Tokyo.  She was - she
had to be - in the book.  /Miaka! Miaka, can you hear
me?/

	"What - what do you want?" she stuttered, scrabbling
in her pockets.  "Money?  I don't have much, but...."

	"You have what we want, pretty," said the young man
who'd spoken earlier.  The youngest, he was apparently
also the ringleader.  "And when we're finished, if
you're good and don't scream too much," he reached and
stroked a finger down her cheek, leaving a streak of
dirt on the paled skin, "we might not kill you."

	One of the men behind her uttered a short bark of
laughter.

	Yui sucked in a deep breath, and charged into a gap
between the two men in front of her.  Maybe it
wouldn't work, but she couldn't *not* try.  Not with
what they were promising.  

	A blue glow sprang up around her, a pale azure haze
that clung to her body.  The men ignored it.  They ran
after her, taller, faster and with longer legs.  She
didn't even get to the end of the street before a hand
landed on the shoulder of her jacket.  Twisting her
shoulder as the grip closed, so all her pursuer caught
was cloth, she didn't stop even as the jacket
tightened and the button tore open. 

	Another hand closed on her upper arm, using the
inertia she'd built up to spin her against the wall. 
Her head hit hard, and all she saw for a second were
stars.

	When they cleared, the ringleader was looming over
her.  This was not a significant improvement.  "Right,
you little bitch," he hissed.  "I was going to be
nice, but since you like it rough -" he pulled out a
wicked, hooked dagger, stained with dried blood that
hadn't been cleaned off, "- why the hell no-"

	A gold-and-blue striped ball burst out of his chest. 
No sooner had it appeared than it equally abruptly
disappeared.  The thug stared at the massive hole
where his heart had been, looked up, and fell over. 
His eyes, glazed in death, stared forever into
nothing.  Yui blinked.  The thug's blood was spattered
on her hair, face and chest, and his corpse lay at her
feet in an exaggerated pose of obeisance.  She would
later recognise it as ironic, but at the time she was
holding onto rationality with her teeth.

	The street was almost empty.  The other would-be
rapists had run for their lives; there was only she,
the still-bleeding corpse, and the boy.

	He looked about her age, maybe a little older.  His
messy blond-brown hair fell over a bandanna tied
around his forehead, and his grey-blue eyes shifted
with emotions she was too wrought-up to read.  The
bloodstained ball that had stopped her attacker spun
on his left index finger, matching the blue and yellow
of his clothing.

	Stepping forward, his bright eyes ran over her.  "Are
you all right, My Lady?" her rescuer asked anxiously. 
"They didn't hurt you before I got here, did they?"

	"I... I...." Yui suddenly couldn't form a coherent
sentence.

	"Don't worry," her young knight assured her. 
"They'll pay for accosting you.  Even I can tell who
you are, so there'll be no mercy for the men who
attacked the Priestess of Seiryuu."

	/*Priestess* of *Seiryuu*?!?/

	At this point, Yui's brain decided to shut down, and
she tumbled forward into a dead faint.

*******

	The Emperor of Konan's overall verdict was: Some days
just weren't worth waking up for.  

	Hotohori was tired, hungry and bored.  /When I get
back to Court, I swear to Suzaku, I'm going to decree
that all the people of Konan *will* observe at least a
half-hour luncheon,/ he resolved.

	As they were about three days travel from Eiyou, they
had decided that there was no point in staying.  As
Tamahome had pointed out, "The country needs us, now
more than ever."

	This time, however, they were avoiding the mountains.
 The official excuse was the lack of inns there, but
Hotohori had decided that, as Nuriko was still far too
quiet and lethargic, they would try to reach
established shelters rather than camp in the open.  A
white bandage on Nuriko's arm was an all-too-clear
reminder of the danger his country, and they, were in.

	Nuriko had dressed herself as a boy that morning -
and it was startling to realize how *odd* that
suddenly appeared.  The idea that Nuriko was a girl
was somehow no longer alien, but *right*, and the
sight of her in her boyish disguise, with her curves
bound and hair tied in a mannish braid, was all wrong.

	The inn they stopped at, just after sunset, was both
quiet and clean, but crowded, and there was only one
room available.  It had four beds in it, though, so
they took it.  

	Hotohori's last thoughts, before he went to sleep,
were of Miaka.  He hoped she was getting better... he
hoped she'd come back soon... he hoped she knew what
to wish for....

*******

	Suboshi wished he'd brought his brother along.  Or a
wagon.  Or *something*.  The Priestess was *heavy*!

	People were staring as he carried her unconscious
body through the streets towards the New Palace.  He
didn't get it; maybe it was the Taisuisen that he was
spinning around them, to make sure the Priestess
didn't get jostled and more injured.

	When the Palace came into view, he was very relieved.
 Barely noticing the crowds, he pressed on.  Nearly
there!  

	He almost bumped into Soi, Tomo and Amiboshi as the
three of them came charging out of the crowd.

	"Suboshi! What have... you...." Soi began, then
stuttered to a halt as she stared at the youngest
Shichiseishi and his bloodstained burden.  His eyes
were flashing with triumph and pain as he cradled the
girl close.  The girl... there was something about
that girl....

	"Older brother! Elder sister Soi! Lord Tomo! I found
our Priestess!" Suboshi announced at the top of his
lungs.  Every person in the crowded square stopped
dead and turned to stare at the small group.  A
susurration of whispers began to blow through the mob.
 

	"She was being attacked by a group of thugs, but I
got there in time and rescued her!" he crowed
exultantly.  "But I think she's been hurt so I brought
her back for the healers to see," he added, more
quietly.

	The three older Shichiseishi surrounded the two,
staring at the girl.  Amiboshi was the first to speak.
 "He's right," he finally said.  "This girl *is* the
Priestess of Seiryuu.  We'd better take her inside." 
He looked around, glancing at the crowd.  "Before
*more* rumours start," he added quietly, holding out
his arms for Suboshi to place the Priestess in.

	Suboshi felt something clench as his brother made the
offer.  The Priestess was *his* responsibility. 
*He'd* been the one Seiryuu had sent to rescue her. 
Just handing her off was... well, wrong.  But he could
trust his brother; Seiryuu had chosen him, too.

	Soi watched as Suboshi's lips thinned in a petulant
scowl, and how he clenched his arms around the girl,
before very gently settling her into Amiboshi's grasp.
 Suboshi gently adjusted the Priestess' slack form,
resting her head securely on Amiboshi's shoulder,
revealing one of the most elegantly lovely faces Soi
had ever seen.  /Oh dear,/ Soi thought, suddenly
reminded that Suboshi's sixteenth birthday was three
days away. /Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  I hope she
likes him back, or life is going to get *very*
complicated./  

*******

	When the party of Suzaku Shichiseishi rode into the
Palace of Eiyou's courtyard, they were expecting a
welcome.  Perhaps a feast.  Certainly a 'hello'.

	They didn't expect Lord Yukino to come charging out
of the Council Hall, looking as if he hadn't slept for
days, with his hair all falling out of its bun and his
robes mismatched.  "Oh, your Majesty, thank goodness
you're back, it's terrible!" 

	"Whatever is the matter, Lord Yukino?" Hotohori
demanded, dismounting and handing Takehito and Kae
over to the stablehand who came rushing up.  "You
don't look well."

	"It's the worst of all possible news, your Majesty,"
the Chief Advisor gasped out, ignoring the slight
breach of politeness.  He took a deep breath and
blurted it out.

	"The Priestess of Seiryuu has appeared in Koutou!"

*******

Author's Notes:

	1. There's a small conflict between the manga and the
TV series... in the TV series, when Miaka phones Yui's
place the phone is answered by Yui's mother, thus
alerting her to a potential problem; but in the manga,
Yui is a latchkey kid.  She goes home to an empty
house and then returns to the library to read the book
(having twigged to what happened to Miaka a fair bit
quicker than Miaka does to Yui's plight), and her
parents figure there's a problem when they arrive home
to an empty house.
	I've decided to combine the two - things are
happening a little faster in my version than they did
in the original Fushigi Yuugi, so I'm having Miaka
make the phonecall, but before Yui's parents get home.
 I'm not sure if the Hongous have an answering machine
(due to the two differing versions, the subject never
comes up), but it seems logical.

	2. I don't believe that the capital of Koutou was
ever named in the series.  The name I have chosen is
my own reconstruction of the name "Chengdu" (also
romanized as "Ch'engtu"), a major Chinese city
situated in Yunnan province in the far west of China. 
Yunnan is the area of China directly north of Vietnam
and Laos, bordering on Burma, south of the Himalayan
Mountains. Unlike more northern provinces, it is not
in the rain shadow of the Himalayas and is thus a
fertile area.  As the World of the Four Gods is a
fantastical version of China, it seems to me that this
area best corresponds to the probable centre of the
Koutou Empire - with slight variations, of course. ~_^


=====
raye_j@yahoo.com
http://www.thejohnsens.com/index.html

Everyone is a philosopher.
Some people just get paid.

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