Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Fushigi Yuugi: Daydream's Embrace ❯ Episode 23: Poisoned Love ( Chapter 23 )

Episode 23

Poisoned Love

By: Nyan Nyan and Mrs. Tasuki

The seishi and priestesses of Suzaku, along with Seiryuu's priestess, were all congregated inside the conference room of the palace of Konan, which had been turned upside down. There was a bizarre collection of food on the table that had usually been reserved for only the most important meetings mixed with oddly colored snacks the two Suzaku priestesses had prepared. Strange, deafening music pulsed through the air. The ceremony to summon Suzaku was to take place in a few days, and there seemed to be nothing to worry about until then.

But, unbeknownst to all of the seishi with the exception of Nuriko, a traitor was among them. Amiboshi, the sei of Seiryuu, was still posing as Chiriko, the peaceful musician. Nuriko, Katherine, and Christina had promised that their party would be Amiboshi's last chance. Katherine had begged Nuriko and Christina to give him the one night, sure that the sei would finally trust them and reveal who he truly was.

But, there were other problems that the seishi and priestesses would have to face. The supply of sake was gone. Together, Tasuki and Nuriko had both drained the majority of the entire stock of alcohol, and Christina had helped out with finishing the rest in her and the bandit's drinking game.

"Tasuki...!" complained Nuriko as the bandit finished off the final bottle. Grumbling while he searched his own tiny cup for a remaining droplet, Nuriko muttered, "Now someone has to get more..." He looked back at Tasuki threateningly, and then smiled. "You drank it all, you get more."

"Hey!" the red-haired sei protested, pointing at Christina, "she drank half of it!"

Nuriko turned his gaze at the girl and declared, "Fine, she can go too."

Christina, who was leaning on her elbows and staring interestedly at the empty bottles, was pulled out of her stupor by the last statement. She looked at Nuriko and slowly inquired, "Who made you boss?"

"I'm the oldest," declared Nuriko, to no objections. "And you're both too drunk to walk by yourselves anyway." Tasuki looked down at the empty bottles, contemplating whether it would be worth it to leave and find more. After a momentary debate with himself, he stood up, pulled Christina from her seat, and dragged her out the door.

The dark scenery outside seemed larger and unfamiliar, partially because of the lack of sunlight, but mostly in thanks to the sake that the bandit had consumed. He found that he still wasn't drunk enough to have major trouble walking; even though the priestess was stumbling around like she had never walked before. He pulled her down the stairs and towards the gate, staying near the edge of the walls, closer to the shadowy safety.

Christina, too drunk to notice the bandit's sneakiness, strayed towards the center of the courtyard, spinning around as they crossed it. She stretched out her arms and twirled around, not paying attention until the sei grabbed her arm and pulled her near the walls, into the shadows. "Hey, c'mon, back over here," Tasuki whispered to her.

"They probably wouldn't let ya out on account that ya could get kidnapped or somethin'," Tasuki finished. Christina began to laugh, not loudly, but noisily enough that a guard would have been able to hear, so he placed his hand over her mouth to quiet her. After laughing at the gesture for a moment, she quieted down, and then surprised the bandit by attempting to bite his palm. He quickly removed his hand from her lips and, after giving her a confused look, led the priestess towards the main gate.

It would have been difficult to wrench one of the huge, gilded doors open enough for them to squeeze through if he was sober, and so he struggled with the gate for a moment, the alcohol in his system slowing his progress significantly. He finally pulled it open, watched as Christina snuck through, and then followed, pulling the gate closed quickly before any guards would come. "Wait...what're we doing again?" the girl slurred once they were out of sight.

"We gotta get some more sake," Tasuki reminded her as he led the way towards town. They walked further into the city, with Tasuki feeling the effects of the alcohol increase with every step, until they found a small tavern. After buying as many bottles as the two of them could carry, the priestess and sei sat down at a small table, where they set down the sake.

The priestess smiled as she surveyed the alcohol, and a mischievous look appeared in her eye. "How about another drink?" she asked. Tasuki looked at her confusedly. He was quite sure she was too drunk to already be sitting up on her own, and here she was, asking for more alcohol. But, despite his better judgment, Tasuki could not resist the allure of another drink. The two drained about half of the bottles, all the time insisting that they were `for the road'.

The bottles they had quickly consumed left Tasuki extremely tipsy and Christina completely intoxicated and drunk. They had talked about everything, and nothing, and things that didn't even make sense, but, considering the amount of sake they had both had, it had been a wonderful conversation. After they cleared the empty bottles of sake from the table, Christina slyly asked Tasuki to open a bottle, to which he laughed, and replied, "I think yer done fer th' night."

"Aww, c'mon...!" she whined, her cheeks flushed.

"Nah, let's go outside n' get some air before ya decide t' pass out er somethin'," he countered. They had to get back to the palace anyway, before Nuriko went crazy or sobered up, whichever would come first. He lifted his priestess up and handed her half of the remaining bottles, making the total count two, and then took the rest in his arms. After noticing that the majority of the sake had been drunk, he struggled up to the bar and bought replacements, then left the bar, heading towards the palace gates.

Tasuki loved every moment of it; how the world spun when he turned his head, how everything seemed to be smiling at him, how there was not a worry in the world.

Of course, Tasuki and Christina, both longing for somewhere to sit down and, in Christina's case, pass out, were appalled when they found themselves in an empty field. "Shit..." Tasuki swore loudly, although it was intended to be a mutter. He had no idea where they were, and Christina would be no help; she was from another world entirely and had probably never been in the city. What a fine job he had done with his task given by the gods; all he had to do was protect a girl, and he gotten them lost in a field in the middle of nowhere.

"Oh...screw it," Christina said, plopping herself down on the small, rolling hill. There was nothing else in sight for a while, naught but a narrow dirt road that led back towards the city. They had left the city, and had headed away from the palace instead of towards it. Tasuki sat down beside her, leaning on his elbows, one leg stretched out for support, the other knee bent up. He ran his hand through his hair with exasperation. The bandit looked down to study the bottles next to him, wondering whether or not to just down them all.

"Well...we're here...an' those bottles er here..." he said impishly, looking over at the drunken priestess, who was lying back on her elbows and staring up into the sky. Tasuki had never seen her in proper clothes before; she had always worn pairs of tight blue pants and snug shirts. It was strange to see her wearing women's robes, mostly because they didn't look all that strange on her, despite her own literal otherworldliness.

Christina hadn't answered, and the only noise that broke the silence was the rhythmic chirping of the crickets, so Tasuki leaned over the priestess to see if she was even awake. She slowly looked up at him, and whether it was because of all the alcohol she had drunk or because she was watching the sky, it seemed as if the stars had found a new home in her eyes. Her cheeks were blushed, as were her lips, from the sake, he assumed.

The alcohol helped Tasuki close the short distance between them, and before he had time to think, Tasuki felt the priestess's soft lips beneath his. He didn't like girls. She tasted sweet, like the warm sake that lingered on her lips, and he felt his hand curl around her waist and pull her closer still. He didn't need girls, they were only trouble. His other hand moved up the smooth skin of her face, and into her soft, auburn hair. What was he doing?

They pulled apart, and, with a last, surprised look, Christina passed out on the soft blades of grass, the strands of her hair still entwined in Tasuki's grasp. He gently laid the priestess's head upon the grass, then leaned over her and lightly brushed her cheek with two of his fingers, making sure she was still breathing. He quickly withdrew his hand, realizing that he had briefly become one of the men he truly despised.

Tasuki leaned back onto his elbows, wondering what he had just done. The bandit touched his lips, asking himself he if had really pressed hers beneath them just a moment ago. With a glance at her sleeping form, he leaned forward and grabbed a bottle of sake, opening it quickly and downing it just as fast. He repeated the action, working on the remaining bottles until everything around him turned to black.

*

The agent of Kutou had traveled for two days without stopping, and his perseverance had paid off. He had made it into Konan's capital city, and into the palace itself, completely undetected. The guards were fools; they paid little attention to even the rustling noises in the bushes. But that was expected of peaceful, unsuspecting Konan.

He had prowled around on the roofs for two more days, ignoring his tired eyes and empty stomach, watching the Priestess of Seiryuu, who appeared to be in good condition. Several times he spotted her conversing with one of the other priestess, the taller girl with darker hair and green eyes. He was disgusted that his country's priestess would even speak with such filth.

He watched the Priestesses of Suzaku as well, discovering their habits, finding their closer friends, figuring out their weaknesses. He rarely spotted the emperor, who was a fool of a boy. Of course, he was usually inside the palace, but, when the agent had spotted him outside, he was always with the shorter Konan priestess. The agent smiled when he realized that the two were in love, the godly pair of priestess and emperor. Thanking Seiryuu, the agent knew that this would be to his advantage.

*

The next morning, Katherine was stuck in a state of pure panic as she searched the palace from top to bottom. She had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, her insomnia back stronger than ever. With a growing headache from worrying relentlessly, Katherine's restlessness had given her an unlimited amount of free time for her to wrack her mind for all the reasons why Christina and Tasuki were nowhere to be found.

Nearly ready to abandon all hope, Katherine turned a corner just in time to see Christina at the far end of the corridor. She quickly rushed to her friend, looking for any injuries. Immediately after noticing Christina was unharmed, her anxiety turned into anger. "Christina!" she hollered after her fellow priestess, becoming angrier by the moment as she wondered why her friend had disappeared into the night, with a bandit, nonetheless.

Christina turned around, squinting her eyes, partially because of the bright, painful rays of the sun and partly because of Katherine's screaming that rattled her brain and made her cringe. "What?!" she asked in a harsh whisper as she pressed her thumb and index finger at the bridge of her nose, hoping to stop the pain.

Katherine stomped her foot and shouted, even louder than before, "You had me worried to death!"

After unplugging her ears when Katherine had finished screaming, she mockingly answered, "Okay, Mom! I'll call in next time." Katherine tilted her head and glared in response. Christina asked quietly and tiredly, "Would you please stop screaming now? I have one hell of a hangover..." She continued towards her room, hoping she could find some peace and quiet away from her worrisome friend.

Unfortunately for Christina, Katherine still wanted the answers. "Where did you go?! Nuriko said you were just getting some sake from the kitchen and you never came back! I must've checked your room about a thousand times!"

Christina immediately turned back around, a look of disbelief plastered on her face. "Wait...there was sake in the kitchen?!"

Tilting her head, Katherine's only response was "Duh." Christina was left in a state of disbelief. She had left the palace, bought at least a million bottles of sake in a tavern, and woken up in a field just to find that there was alcohol in the kitchen.

Despite Christina's astonishment at her stupidity, a sly smile sneaked across the priestess's face. "How do you know?" she accused. She knew for a fact that Katherine would have never broken the law by drinking alcohol underage, even if she was in another world.

"How did you not know?" Katherine asked return, aware that her friend had been drinking for at least a year, and couldn't believe that she did not know every hiding place for alcohol on the grounds. "Anyways, where did you go?" she continued to ask, changing the subject.

"Tasuki and I accidentally fell asleep in a field," she blithely answered with a shrug of her shoulders. She quickly realized how someone could misinterpret it, but instead of trying to rephrase it she decided to mess with Katherine's mind a bit. "...at least, I think we did."

"What?!" the presumptuous priestess shouted, completely appalled at Christina's carefree attitude about the situation. "You two fell asleep together and you don't even remember what happened?!" she continued to yell, ignoring the groan of exasperation that escaped from Christina's lips.

"Did you happen to see how much I had? That would have knocked out an elephant! Anyway, we were on our way home...and got lost..." she muttered, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't find a palace.

"Well..."Katherine continued worriedly. "Don't you know if anything...happened?"

"Hello!" Christina exclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'd like to think I would remember if I did something, thank you very much!" She couldn't believe that her friend was so worried. She hadn't done anything wrong. Christina remembered perfectly; they had gotten lost, sat down in a field, and had passed out.

"Yeah, sure," Katherine muttered sarcastically. "Okay, well let's just say that tonight I'll sneak out of my room, tiptoe into Hotohori's room, and `accidentally' fall asleep in his bed. And tomorrow, why don't you see if `nothing happened'. Hmm? What do you say to that?"

"I'll see you tonight," replied a deep voice. Katherine looked behind her in surprise to see Hotohori. Christina had tried her hardest not to laugh while the emperor had walked up to them, right in the middle of Katherine's ranting.

"Shit...taki mushrooms!" Katherine replied, struggling to return her heart rate to normal, which had skyrocketed at the emperor's sudden appearance. "Don't surprise me like that! Anyway, when did you become the funny one?"

Hotohori smiled, trying to hold back the soft laughter that was secretly building up. "How could I not when I'm around you?" The emperor stepped forward, lovingly looking down at Katherine's hazel eyes, a smile playing on his face. A rose-colored blush spread across the priestess's cheeks as she gazed up at her sei.

Christina stepped backwards, saying, "Please excuse me...while I puke." She took her chance to escape towards her room while Katherine and Hotohori were caught up in their moment.

*

The afternoon breeze was filled with a sweet melody that grew slowly, weaving through the zephyrs and the air itself. Even the birds quieted their own songs to appreciate the soothing song that filled the air with tranquility, the light notes floating up to the heavens. The flutist stood on the balcony with his eyes closed, focusing all his energy in his music. Disrupting his thoughts, he heard a soft cough, as if someone was trying to get his attention. He glanced beside him, without skipping a note, to find hazel eyes meekly looking at him.

"Um...hey..." Katherine awkwardly greeted as she quickly waved her hand and uneasily smiled.

Chiriko moved his flute away from his lips and placed it in his blue belt behind his back. "Hello," he replied as he performed a sloppy two-finger finger salute, mocking Katherine's wave.

"Yeah..." she muttered, followed by a phony chuckle at his mimic wave. "Um...can I talk to you for a minute?" She started nervously rocking back and forth on her heals, which was a telltale sign that she was either very excited or extremely worried. By the way she continued to stutter, Chiriko assumed it was the latter.

"Sure," he replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"Like...in my room?" she suggested, realizing that he assumed she meant right there on the balcony.

The musician was slightly taken aback, wondering what had made Katherine so nervous and why her room was involved. "O...kay..."

Chiriko followed as Katherine led the way to her room, glancing around him as if he could have been attacked at any given moment. He slowly walked into her chambers, and then abruptly stopped; he felt another presence in the room. Before he could look around, he heard a door slam behind him. The boy whipped his head around to find the other priestess standing in front of the door with her arms crossed and glaring daggers at him, as if he had done something unforgivable.

Before he could question Christina, he suddenly felt some movement behind him. He instantly felt behind his back, searching for the flute that was there moments earlier. Finding nothing but air, he quickly turned back around to face Katherine, who had the wooden object lying across the palms of her hands. "What's going on here?" he asked in a low, gentle voice, trying not to make the priestesses more upset than they already were.

The musician suddenly heard the voice behind him say something that struck him like a dagger in the back, "You should know, Amiboshi." He quickly turned back around, finding Christina proudly standing there with her hands on her hips. She slowly started walking towards him, smirking at his obviously shocked reaction. The sei took a couple steps backwards until he realized he was walking towards Katherine, who had instantly become into his enemy, leaving him trapped. He slowly looked back around to Katherine, not wanting to believe that the priestess who had given him friendship would have known about his true identity.

Katherine, who was staring intently at the flute, felt the periwinkle eyes on her. Looking up and finding Amiboshi standing there pleading for some type of explanation, she quickly looked away, telling it all. He turned back to Christina, knowing that she was the only one who would answer his questions. "Does anyone else know?"

"Only Nuriko, but he agreed not to say anything. So you better get out, before they find out," Christina answered through her teeth, obviously trying to be civil. She took a quick sidestep away from the door, giving Amiboshi a straight path to the exit, her face showing the sei that she was in complete control.

Still wanting more answers before he left, Amiboshi stayed rooted to the floor. "How did you figure it out?"

Finally beginning to boil over, Christina let the pain she felt from being betrayed and insulted show. "Did you really expect us to believe that lameass doodle on your side was actually a mark?!"

Something didn't seem to add up in the musician's mind. "Why didn't you speak up earlier if you've known all along?" he asked suspiciously. It would have made more sense to turn him in from the very beginning than let him become good friends with everyone before confronting him. For all they knew, he could have attacked them at any given moment.

"I think Katherine should take this one," Christina calmly answered, looking past the traitor and at her best friend. She had been wondering the very same thing for a while now, and she was curious at was her friend's logic truly was. She knew that Amiboshi was a good person at heart, but she didn't understand why she had to risk her life and the lives of her comrades in order for him to be given the chance to reveal himself.

Katherine's guilt for kicking the sei out suddenly turned into pure anger at his deception. Her hazel eyes ablaze and her jaw firm, she gave him a cold hard stare before saying, "Because I thought you would have eventually told us! You are better than this! You're not a murderer, so stop trying to pretend you are one!" She stopped for a second to catch her breath and thoughts. "Just...go back to Kutou where you belong!"

The musician slowly turned towards the door, ashamed of his actions. Taking a couple steps, he suddenly remembered that his flute was still in the priestess's possession. He cautiously turned back around to face Katherine, needing to ask one last question. "Can I please have my flute back? I know I betrayed your trust. But, please, believe me when I say this. The flute was something given to me by my parents, and it's the only keepsake I have to remember them by."

Not believing her ears, Christina started to shout, "Get ou-"but before she could finish she was interrupted by her fellow priestess.

"Okay..." Katherine whispered, holding the flute out in front of her, as if it was some type of fragile object. Realizing that she was treating the already beat-up instrument with a ridiculous amount of care, she tossed the flute towards the sei and sighed in relief when he easily caught it with one hand.

"Thank you," he murmured in return as he slightly nodded in respect. Without any further questions or complaints, he quickly turned back around and headed out the door.

Christina silently watched Amiboshi leave and quietly close the door behind him before turning to Katherine, not believing her friend's pure stupidity. She slowly faced Katherine, her mouth agape, trying to recall what had happened just moments earlier. Realizing she had not imagined it, Christina whispered with much diction, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Shrugging, Katherine calmly replied, "I dunno, why don't you tell me?"

Wanting her friend to explain herself immediately, Christina stated, "Well, for one, you just gave our enemy his weapon."

"That's not his weapon," Katherine simply replied, giving no justification.

Becoming more frustrated at her friend's cool attitude, Christina sarcastically responded, "Oh yeah that's right, he was just gonna kill us with it. How could I possibly think it was his weapon?"

Katherine walked over to the bed, sat on the edge, and looked up at her friend with all-knowing eyes, "He won't use his flute against us. I trust him."

"Yeah, just how you `trusted' that he would tell us his identity." She glared at the fellow priestess in return, fed up with Katherine's sudden know-it-all attitude. The way she looked at it, if there was one person who had the right to feel superior, it was her. After all, she had known Amiboshi would not have turned himself in from the very beginning.

Katherine shrugged again, "Fine, I was wrong. I made a mistake, so shoot me." Her confrontation with Amiboshi had taken all the energy out of her, and right now the last thing she needed was another fight with her best friend. Katherine was mature enough to admit when she was wrong, and obviously she had been foolish in her perceptions.

Looking up at the ceiling with a sigh, Christina responded, "I'm about this close to doing so." She walked towards the door, but stopped and turned around momentarily to say one last thing. "And by the by, you've made more than one mistake here." With that said, the priestess continued to walk out of the room and back to her own.

*

Amiboshi walked down the corridor to his room, ignoring the waving hello of the corner guard that he had always greeted before. But he was too preoccupied with what had happened to even bother with the charade any longer. The priestesses had known who he was all along, and he had played right into their game. The sei should have figured it out before; the girls knowing explained the cool attitude of the second priestess completely, not to mention their lack of excitement when he had appeared.

But he was lucky. They were kind, and had given him a chance to leave before they told anyone, which would most likely mean an instant death. He entered his room, closed the door behind him, and began to search for something, anything sharp. Amiboshi found a spare set of chopsticks and snatched one. It was quite blunt, but it would do for the purpose he intended. The wooden end of the chopstick left long red lines as he scraped it across the flesh of his arm. He ignored the stinging of his scratches, pressing on until he had formed one short message.

"They know."

*

The annoying and earsplitting sound of the internet trying to sign on sounded throughout Diana's room. Laid out on the girl's bed was her immense collection of Fushigi Yuugi manga, artbooks, and anything else that could have possibly come in handy. Next to Diana's television was a stack of videos and DVDs of the series. The Universe of the Four Gods was lying, alone, on a small end table, away from everything else.

After making a connection, her computer finally signed online, Diana went to the biggest Fushigi Yuugi site she knew. The shrine gave episode summaries, plotlines, and anything else one could dream of needing. Joan and Diana had formed a command center of sorts; anything that happened in the book could be researched, and, hopefully, they would be able to find the outcome. They would not be able to do anything else but wait otherwise, but, they could be of some help to Katherine and Christina if they could warn them about what could come.

Armed with their knowledge, Diana and Joan picked up the book again. Diana read out, "The charade of the Seiryuu warrior Amiboshi had been unmasked, and so, he contacted his brother, the Seiryuu warrior Suboshi, who found the shogun Nakago..."

*

The shogun felt that someone was approaching, and for an important reason. He continued to look out the large windows that lined the back wall, watching the dark sheets of rain that covered his country. Although the sun had barely risen to its highpoint in the afternoon sky, the rain had been pouring for hours on end. After a moment, a thunderclap sounded as if telling him of the person's arrival. Suboshi, the twin brother of Amiboshi, scurried into the room, holding out his arm as if he had injured himself and wanted the general to look after him.

"Yes?" asked Nakago, turning around to face the boy. Suboshi and his brother, Amiboshi, were like reflections; the same dirty-blond hair, the same innocent faces, the same build. Except for the fact that the younger brother, Suboshi, was infinitely less mature, they were identical. Not only were the two twins, they shared a special bond. The twins could feel each other; pain, emotions, everything.

Nakago had been quite surprised when Suboshi revealed that he could simply etch messages into his own skin, and they would be received by his brother, wherever he was. Suboshi bowed, still holding out his arm, where the forearm was covered in scratches. "Nakago," the boy said hurriedly, "Amiboshi has told me terrible news."

"And what is that?" asked the shogun in a bored manner.

Suboshi gulped, and then replied ominously, "He wrote `they know.'"

Nakago paused, trying to think of the best way to handle the situation. Luckily, he had not become shogun for being a fool, and, after a short debate, he instructed, "Write back to him." Before Suboshi could ask what to write, the shogun continued, trying to keep the message short, "Do not draw attention. Wait, and then destroy them and their ceremony."

The shogun looked on as the boy struggled to scratch the message into his own arm, wincing with every symbol. They both waited, and the boy's grimace alarmed the shogun as his twin's message had arrived. Suboshi turned his arm, reading, "I..." he stopped momentarily, with a look of disbelief on his face, "can't do that to them."

Suboshi looked up at Nakago, wondering what to do. With a heavy sigh, Nakago said, "Then come back." The shogun watched emotionlessly as Suboshi struggled to etch the new message into his skin.

"I'll leave now," Suboshi read to Nakago as the final characters appeared.

"You will go to Konan and take your brother's place," Nakago informed Suboshi. The boy began to object, but was cut off as the shogun raised his hand to silence him. "Your brother does not have your determination," he explained. "He does not have the courage to save our country, but you do. Will you go?"

The boy contemplated for a moment, as though wondering whether it would be betraying his brother. He seemed to decide against it, as he nodded determinedly. "Good," replied the shogun with a satisfied smile. "I will arrange for a horse, you should be there by tomorrow if you do not rest."

"I won't," swore the boy.

*

It had been a long, tiring day for Katherine. She had searched high and low for Christina, told Amiboshi that she had known his true identity all along, and was left on an uneasy note with her best friend. Not the best day she had ever had. The skies had darkened, reflecting Katherine's tired mood, and washing over the bright daylight with a field of black, despite the fact that it was barely midday. The gray clouds were full to bursting and had begun pouring down rainwater as soon as Katherine had walked outside.

The priestess sat down on a bench that was just out of the reach of the rain's onslaught, hoping that it would wash her troubles away. But, unbeknownst to the priestess, someone was watching her, hidden by the sheet of dark rain as he sat, out of sight, upon the high roof above her head. The Kutou agent had been rewarded for his patience, as the priestess was alone, almost waiting for him. He would be remembered for such a feat, such a show of loyalty to his country.

He jumped down behind her, giving no noise as a warning. The priestess turned around, suddenly feeling that she was not alone. The agent leapt at her, easily wrestling the girl to the hard ground. He balled up part of his sleeve and held the cloth over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and breathing. He quickly reached into his robes and pulled out the packet that had been entrusted to him by the shogun. Emptying the packet into his hand, he uncovered her mouth, just long enough for her to gasp for air and unwillingly inhale the small, purple pill. He watched as she choked on the drug, struggling not to swallow it as he covered her mouth and nose.

The agent lifted her up and brought his hand to the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious. He laughed as the priestess drifted away into a state of lifelessness. She would be the perfect weapon when she awoke: angry, vengeful, and full hatred. He laughed to himself as he looked at the other object that had been in the packet; a tiny, dark blue stud.

Knowing what to do with the shogun's device, he pulled out the silver hoop earring that was in the girl's ear and replaced it with the new one, removing her other hoop so that it was not noticeable. The Priestess of Suzaku was now the Nakago's personal puppet. The agent had full knowledge of the purple drug he had just force-fed the priestess. It would be sure to torment her mind in the cruelest of ways. Watching the priestess already becoming uneasy in her sleep, he couldn't help but smirk when he imagined the ways in which the pill would slowly change her memories in Nakago's favor. Laughing, the agent flew back up towards the roof, where he disappeared into the falling rain.

*

Katherine scurried down the palace hallways, desperately trying to beat the clock and surprise Hotohori. She looked out at the landscape and felt relieved to see the sun barely peeking through the mountaintops. Carefully trying not to spill the tray of food in her hands, she strategically moved about the corridors, inching past any guard or servant in her way. She had awoken before sunrise, making sure she would be ready before Hotohori even thought about waking up, quickly jogged to the kitchen and once again made her famous pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Getting a moment to spend alone with Hotohori now seemed like Mission Impossible to Katherine. With the summoning ceremony approaching, the emperor became buried under conferences, preparations, and secretly trying to catch up with the weeks of news he had missed while traveling to find the other four seishi. This left no time for the emperor to spend time with his priestess.

Finally reaching her destination, Katherine cautiously turned around and opened up the door with her back. Lacking the free hand to knock, she continued to walk backwards, hoping she wasn't intruding on anything. "Hotohori, you awake?" she quietly asked, before turning around to face the room. She couldn't help but to smile to find her emperor soundly sleeping in his bed with a slight smile on his face. She stood there for a moment, wishing she had brought her camera, before scanning the room for a table to place the tray on. She heard a soft murmur coming from the bed, and her gaze quickly shifted to observe it. Katherine noticed some slight movement from the white sheets at the far end of the bed. She took a couple steps closer, still balancing the tray in her hand, reassuring herself that it was probably just her imagination. Curiously looking over Hotohori, observing the other side of the bed, the priestess felt her heart sink to her stomach.

Dishes and glasses shattered on the spotless white floor, destroying the daybreak silence. The emperor immediately sat up, showing his bare chest, the white sheets of his bed covering all else. In one swift movement he grabbed his sword, which was strategically placed at the side of the bed, and unsheathed it. He threateningly pointed it at where the noise had come from.

Katherine slowly backed away from the bed in pure disgust, pleading that any minute she would awake from the nightmare. With ragged breaths she managed to mutter, "Oh my god..." before closing her mouth again in an attempt to hold back her nausea. Finally reaching the wall for her support, Katherine slowly sank down to the floor, praying to any god that would listen to let her disappear.

Hotohori scanned the room only to find Katherine sitting on the floor around an assortment of broken porcelain and glass. "Katherine...?" Hotohori muttered as he placed the sword back in the sheath, wondering why the girl had shown up in his room at such an early hour. She obviously seemed shaken up about something, but his mind was too foggy from his previous slumber to realize the cause of the priestess's shock.

Katherine desperately tried to look away from the spectacle, but the only thing her eyes seem to do was widen even more as she continued to make the connection. "Oh my God!" she shouted, finally gathering her wits enough to say something audible.

Hotohori followed Katherine's gaze, slowly turning his head to look next to him on the bed. Hearing the moan emitted from the third person, who was still softly sleeping next to him, he knew that he was caught in the act.

Katherine desperately tried to catch her breath as she looked away from the emperor and down at the dirty dishes on the floor. She felt as if her mind was slowly being defiled every moment she was in room. With shaky breaths and trembling hands, she pushed herself up off the ground, leaning against the wall for support.

Seeing the disgusted and betrayed look on her pale face, Hotohori suddenly felt a pang of guilt hit his stomach. "Please, let me explain. It's not what it looks li-"he started, but was interrupted mid-sentence by Katherine slowly raising her hand.

Unable to even speak to the sei, Katherine took a deep breath before walking out the door, never looking at the golden eyes she once held dear. Softly closing the door behind her, she gave herself one last moment to shake herself from her stupor, and then sprinted down the hallways, getting as far away from the chamber as possible.

To Be Continued...

Fushigi Akugi

Episode 23

Poisoned Love

The agent lifted her up and brought his hand to the back of her, rendering her unconscious. He laughed as the priestess drifted away into a state of lifelessness. She would be the perfect weapon when she awoke, angry, vengeful, and full of righteous fury. He laughed to himself as he looked at the other object that had been in the packet; a tiny, dark blue stud.

Knowing what to do with the shogun's device, he pulled out the earring that was in the girl's ear and replaced it with the new one. He took off his hood, revealing his true identity; Stanley Ipkiss, The Mask. After laying a loud smack of a kiss upon the girl's cheek, he shouted, "Somebody's...fabulous!" But, his true identity was not yet revealed.

The agent, Stanley, reached behind the green mask on his face, struggling for the zipper. He unzipped the costume and stepped out, fixing his perfectly styled blond hair and designer jeans. "That earring is just divine!" Carson shouted, his hands on his moisturized cheeks as he smiled.

The remaining cast of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy walked out, surveying Carson's masterpiece. "So cute!" agreed Jai.

"I have the best recipe for egg rolls a la Katherine!" happily exclaimed Ted.