Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Firebird ❯ A New Mission ( Chapter 6 )

Vera-chan: ::pouts:: She's better at that than me…………

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"Firebird"

Chapter 6 "A New Mission"

Off in the garden, the Suzaku Seven and the two miko were catching up with one another.

"Hey, Tamahome, I think I see a gray!" Tasuki said, focusing in on his friend's hair.

"Well," said Miaka. "I saw some bags of groceries he brought in one time, and I could have sworn I saw blue hair dye."

"Thank goodness I'm not getting that old," Nuriko said, running her fingers through her long purple hair with a sly grin.

"Hey, back off, gay guy!" Tamahome retorted.

"What's he talking about, Nuku-chan?" Hotori asked.

Nuriko looked at Tasuki. "That's why you don't like girls!"

"HE WASN'T REFERRING TO ME!!" Tasuki corrected her. "YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL HE WAS TALKIN' ABOUT YOU!"

"Gay guy?" Hotori repeated, looking at Nuriko. "Nuku-chan, you're a guy?"

"You didn't tell her?" Hotohori asked.

"Well, I thought she knew." Nuriko had an innocent smile. (AN: Sure Nuriko, whatever you say.)

"Sire!!" said one of the guards, followed by two others escorting a prisoner. "This girl was caught red-handed with stolen goods. She also refuses to tell us her name," He explained as his partners threw the woman to the ground in front of the gathering.

The girl shook her head full of light blue hair and coldly glared up with silver eyes.

`She doesn't look like the kind to steal,' Hotori thought to herself. The woman may have been dressed like a pirate, but she didn't think she had any reason to fear her.

"We figured she'd answer to the Emperor."

"What is your name?" Hotohori asked.

The girl stood up, continuing to stare. "Why should I tell my name to a man?"

"You could tell me," said Hotori, oddly compelled to settle this. "I'm not a man."

Hotori smiled as she shifted her gaze to her.

"Here are her weapons, too!" shouted a guard as he threw a handful of spears at her while her back was turned. She didn't seem to be phased by the spears that caused only mere scratches. All of a sudden, the girl's cold stare went to shock. She leapt forward a grabbed a spear that seemed to be headed to Hotori. Unfortunately, it was by the blade and Hotori gasped as she saw blood drip to the ground.

"Mitsukake! You have healing powers, don't you?" She asked, going up to the girl. "Help her, she's bleeding!"

Mitsukake ran to her side and began to unravel the binding that traveled from the girl's fingers nearly to her shoulder. He finally removed the cloth enough to where he could tend to her hand.

After the `doctor' finished with his job, Hotori noticed something on her arm was glowing red.

"Mitsukake, what's this?" she asked.

Mitsukake lifted the binding enough to see what was on her arm. His eyes widened in shock. "It's a sign of Suzaku!"

The girl nodded. "That's what Taiitsukun said."

"Which sign is it?" asked Nuriko as the Suzaku warriors walked up. She noticed the sign and the location and started laughing.

"What is it?" asked Miaka.

"It's Tasuki's sign, don't tell him," Mitsukake explained under his breath.

"Leave us!" Hotohori ordered. "This girl is a Suzaku Senshi!"

"I wanna see!" said Tasuki, walking up and reading the sign on the girl's arm.

Tasuki, again, put on a rather shocked expression and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh, yeah," the girl said sarcastically. "That was manly."

Tasuki bolted upright. "I heard that!"

"And?" she asked. "Do you usually faint when you meet an ally?"

"Wait," said Chiriko. "Weren't all of the Suzaku Senshi found?"

"Taiitsukun said there were a new set of seven warriors with the finding of a new miko," the girl explained.

"Well," said Hotori. "If I'm the new priestess, and you're a Suzaku warrior, then………" Everyone leaned in, thinking the new miko would make a revelation. "Then you HAVE to tell your name!"

"That's right!" Miaka clarified.

The newcomer shook her head and laughed. "Fine, you've pulled it out of me, Miko-Sama. My name's Washi."

"There is the matter at hand I must tend to as emperor," Hotohori said, with his usual majestic air. "Did you steal anything?"

"Let me guess," Tasuki said, tauntingly. "You won't tell him because he's a man."

"Right, fang-boy, whatever you say," Washi said dryly. "No, I didn't steal anything."

"Alright, you're pardoned," the emperor said.

* * * * *

After quick introductions, explanations, and dinner, everyone decided to go to sleep. But for some reason, Hotori's mind wouldn't let her.

Her wandering mind seemed to want to pace, so she explored the palace. Now that there was a new Senshi, she had to find six more, and she didn't even know where to start. At least she had people she could count on in these times of crisis.

Something caught her eye as she passed the gazebo. Someone was standing on the railing. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the person as Washi. Was she deciding to end her life right now so as to not risk her life in a seemingly hopeless battle? She wasn't going to take any chances.

"Don't jump!" She hollered, running toward her new-found friend.

"Shh!" The warrior warned her, whirling around. "Do you want to wake up everyone in Konan?!"

"Y-you weren't going to jump were you?" She asked.

"That wasn't my first intention, no." Washi said looking down at the miko. " Although a dip in the lake does sound rather refreshing. I was just waiting for someone."

"Forgive me, I am my mother's daughter. You're waiting for someone, on the railing?" Hotori asked, confused. "Do they fly, or something?"

"I would hope an eagle knows how to fly." She replied with a slight grin.

"An eagle?" Hotori repeated. "You have a pet eagle?"

"Yeah, Tsume is more like a sister, though, than a pet."

"How does it know when you want it-her to come?"

"Long story, unless you'd like to hear my biography."

"You know, I can't sleep tonight, why not? It may be interesting."

Washi explained that when she was only three, her father-who wanted a son-left her for dead in the wilderness. That explained her hatred for men. Then, she quickly learned she could telepathically speak with animals, because a pack of wolves took her in as one of their own. After traveling with the pack, she stumbled upon Taiitsukun, who told her to go to Konan to find the Suzaku no Miko.

"Who is this Taiitsukun everyone keeps talking about?" Hotori asked.

"She's the one who created the Universe of the Four Gods." Upon seeing her even more confused look she said, "Don't worry, you'll meet her eventually."

"Wait," Hotori said, concentrating. "Here, God's a girl?"

"Uh………" the Senshi said, lost for words. "Ask her when you meet her."

"Where's you're eagle?" The miko asked, noticing the situation.

"Almost here, she won't be too much longer."

"What kind of an eagle is she?"

"See for yourself," She said, looking out onto the horizon. Hotori did the same to see what she saw, but she didn't see anything. Realization suddenly hit her as a red-winged eagle soared over the treetops to land on the senshi's shoulder.

* * * * *

A few days later, Hotohori's serving staff was loading five horses. Hotori, Chichiri, Nuriko, Washi, and Tasuki were going on a quest to find the rest of the new Suzaku Senshi. Everyone was on their steed's saddle, except Tasuki.

"Tasuki, could you please get on your horse? Please?" Hotori asked.

"I don't wanna," He said flatly.

"Get on the horse, or I'll let Nuku-Chan put the horse on you!"

"That sounds fun!" Nuriko said.

"Tasuki, make this a lot easier, no da. We're already beyond the gate, no da. Just get on the horse, na no da!" (A/N: Three guesses who said that, and the first two don't count............)

Everyone sat there and waited expectantly for Tasuki to get on his horse.

"Tasuki, there's nothing wrong with the horse. He says he's ready and willing to go whenever you are. Just get on………" Washi explained.

"Horses may be stereotyped as noble creatures, but they're actually really violent!"

"The horse says he won't bite, unless you want to stick your hand in his mouth."

"Shut up, you stupid girl!"

Everyone fell silent as Washi's patient expression turned to a brooding glare.

"That's it. I'm goin' fishin'," she said, pointing one of her spears at his throat.

"Were you makin' fun o' my accent?!"

"Isn't it obvious, no da?"

The horse eventually shook his head and headed for the stables.

"I thought you said there was nothing wrong with him!" Tasuki said, triumphantly.

"He was bored. You took so long, his hooves were starting to hurt. Well, fang-boy, who are you riding with?"

"You can't ride with me, no da. My staff and kasa have to somewhere, no da."

"You could ride with me, Tasuki-Kun," Nuriko offered as she cracked her knuckles loudly.

Tasuki sweat-dropped as he realized he was stuck between riding with one of two girls.

"Tamahome would most likely hurt me if I rode with you," he told Hotori. "He may be a good friend, but………he hurts."

"You don't mind a rough ride, do you?" Washi asked as he reluctantly mounted her horse behind her.

"Why do you ask?"

The new Suzaku Senshi chortled under her breath before answering. "No reason."

As they started off, Hotori glanced back at the rest of her group.

"I've got a feeling this will be a long trip." She sighed, putting her eyes back on the road ahead of her. "Interesting, but long."

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Vera-chan: Despite how it may seem, I love Tasuki, and will be nicer to him soon. It just seemed perfect to pick on him a little. Okay, on to a serious question. Nuriko; should I refer to him as a "him" or keep with the "her" theme? Now that Hotori knows, I'm not sure which would be most likely. I stuck with feminine pronouns through this chapter to keep things from being even more complicated. Advice greatly appreciated! Thank you!