Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Gems of Blue ❯ Sapphires ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: The recognizable characters appearing in this story are © Yu Watase, all rights reserved. They are used without permission and for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made by the author for writing this story. No infringement upon nor challenge to the rights of the copyright holders is intended; nor should any be inferred.

Gems of Blue by Ssinurn Solen

1: Sapphires

Emperor Hachimiyo of Kutou sat with his four sons and his advisors.
The kingdom's state of affairs were dire.
Hachimiyu's father, the previous emperor, had expanded the borders, creating a measure of prosperity.
The expansion had created pressing problems as well.
Fields had been over-farmed, to provide food for the troops. Many fields, once fertile before the expansion, became utterly useless. The surge in the populous created staggering poverty, and an enormous crime rate.
Worse, with nothing else to do, the poor were making the population problem, and the famine, worse.
Hachimiyu had been working fervently throughout his reign to try and find an answer. Yet, because he took the throne at a late age, his effectiveness was limited. He prayed fervently to Seriyu for guidance in the matter.
Seriyu, the god of struggle, would help him find a way to make things work, despite the hardships. Seriyu demanded perseverance and wisdom through all matters.
Hachimiyu decided that the best course of action was to ask his sons and advisors for ideas on a solution. The son with the best idea to apply would be considered the heir apparent. Hachimiyu loved all of his sons equally.
As his health started to fail, the decision on which son to succeed him became harder. He knew if he had taken an empress, instead of following his father's example of just having concubines, the decision would have been much simpler. Even so, he did not want a tyrant on the throne as his father has been. It would be a step backwards the nation could not afford to take.
Hebishoru, Hachimiyu's oldest son was angry at the calling of the meeting, and his father's crazy ideas. He knew that his place as heir apparent was in jeopardy. Hebishoru was a warrior, like his grandfather. He knew his dottering old father would never consider him for the throne after that meeting.
Hebishoru has admired his grandfather. He hated Hachimiyu's paternal treatment of his subjects. The people were for to the emperor to use as necessary. Something had to be done to assure his rise to the throne, and quickly.
Those gathered at the meeting sat at the table. Hachimiyu ordered that tea be brought, to calm all the nerves in the room.
Hebishoru, who sat at his father's left, slipped poison into the tea pitcher when he accidentally made the servant stumble. Within the hour, everyone in the room was dead, except for Hebishoru.
Hebishoru began his brutal reign by slaughtering the children of his brothers and taking their wives as concubines. His sisters were also stripped of their titles and placed in his harem.
Emperor Hebishoru's mother demanded to be taken from the harem and be allowed to become dowager. Hebishoru's answer to her was to rape her repeatedly. Once finished, he publically beat her until she was dead.
His advisors and retainers were frightened to death of the new emperor. They cow towed to his every whim, for fear of death or worse.
Hebishoru became angry when his concubines produced nothing but girls. He decided that any concubine that fulfilled her duty would be dismissed once the boy was weaned. If the concubine produced a girl, she and the child were immediately killed. His harem slowly began to shrink. To keep his concubines under control, and away from the thought of escaping, he kept them drugged.
The only thing that surpassed his lust for women, was his lust for wealth. He raised taxes, in order to fund an army to increase his borders.
He created dozens of new laws. Any crime, including minor infractions, were punishable by death.
The streets ran red with blood by the time Hebishoru reached his twenty third birthday.
One law, made the worship of any god besides Seriyu punishable by death.
It did not matter that Emperor Hebishoru was not devout to the god himself. It made Hebishoru feared. The only thing Hebishoru worshipped was himself.
Hebishoru went so far as to take the cobalt blue sapphires from the eyes of the statue of Seriyu in the shrine. He replaced the precious gems with glass coppies.
"Let Seriyu turn them to gems if he wants his eyes back. He is the god of struggle after all. Or, rather, he is the god of battle and warfare. Lash anyone who refers to Seriyu as the god of struggle and perseverance. I want that reference to him driven out. Emotions have no place among good soldiers."
Hebishoru did not realize that his action had sealed his fate.
He took one of the gems and had it cut into jewelry. The other gem, he had set into a feminine crown. He displayed the crown in his private apartments on the palace grounds. He told any female he wanted to seduce that she could earn her way to become empress. That crown would be hers when she did so.
Each woman was eventually drugged and dumped into his dwindling harem.
He had to find more vital women. His male heirs were being born deformed or idle minded. He did not care. He was still young, he had time.

Ten years passed, and Hebishoru's empire grew.
He had managed to father a couple of vital heirs.
His harem was full.
The only problem was that the general of his mighty armies had fallen in battle. Kyoiteki had served Hebishoru since before his rise to power.
He decided to hold a contest. Those among his best warriors would compete to become the next general. Hebishoru knew who would win, but because a battlefield injury kept him confined to the palace, he wanted some amusement.
Nakago won the battle cleanly.
As a reward for the amusement, Hebishoru gave Nakago the earrings made from one of the eyes of the Seriyu statue.
He never told the celestial warrior where they had come from. Nakago did not need to be told to know. He could sense the power coursing through the tiny gems.
"Sire, It has come to my attention that these stones you gave me have strong spiritual power. I suggest, if you have any other jewels like them, you give them to the other warriors of Seriyu when they appear. It will make the warriors stronger and your empire invincible."
"You speak as if you have already found another Celestial Warrior?"
"Yes, sire, I have. A slave girl. I managed to buy her with her virginity in tact. I took it from her. Her body gives me strength every time I lie with her. She also has a knack for controlling the weather. Properly trained in her celestial gifts, Soi can be quite formidable."
"Two warriors. That means the time of the priestess is at hand."
"Not two, sire, three. I also found a beast man in a carnival who bore a mark."
"Then I will give the gems to you to distribute among the Celestial Warriors. It is obvious they will be of most use to me that way. And, Nakago, there is one more thing I want you to do for me."
"What is your wish, Sire?"
"In the marketplace of the city is a girl who has been selling handmade lace. I have tried to get my men to capture her, but she has proved too quick and sly to be caught. I want you to get her to trust you and then bring her to me."
"Why do you send me off to handle a woman?"
"Because, Nakago, she is a heretic thief of the Hin. She has similar hair and eyes to your own. She will trust you, because you were once of the Hin."
"Very clever, highness. I will have her for you within the next couple of days."

Nakago went out into the streets in disguise. He hated dressing in the menial clothing and doing such a menial task. Yet, he too was curious about this Hin thief that had caught the emperor's eye.
The robed girl walked along the marketplace with a staff. Tied to spikes on it were spools of lace. She shouted as she walked, "Lace! Handmade Lace! Two silver an arm's length! Lace!"
Her blonde hair was up and braided. She wore a lace adorned hat, similar to the ones Nakago had seen the women of his tribe wear before they were wiped out.
The flowing robes accentuated her natural curves, making her very alluring. Nakago had to stop himself from thinking that he should take her for himself.
Her blue eyes were much the same color as the earrings he now wore.
"She is too good for the emperor." Nakago thought to himself, "But I have no choice at this point. Perhaps I can have her when he is finished."
She turned once she got to the end of the marketplace and made her way back, only stopping to cut off lengths of lace for her customers.
"Excuse me, miss." Nakago closed the distance between them. "I would like to see your wares."
"Of course," she said as she held up small pieces of each style of lace for Nakago to look at.
"This is very fine lace. Did you make it yourself? I have not seen the like in many years."
The girl's eyed looked up and met Nakago's. She made a slight gasp. "You are a Hin. I have not seen you among us before though."
"I have been in hiding. I have not seen another of my kind for many years. If you don't mind me saying, you are very beautiful. More beautiful than any of these Kutou women."
She blushed and thanked him for the compliment. "Perhaps you should come with me after I have finished selling my lace. I am certain you would like to be among your own again. There are so few of us left."
"Quite true. Unfortunately, I must be going. I will buy some of this blue lace. I have some better clothing that I only wear occasionally. It would compliment the color nicely."
"Very well, if you change your mind, my name is Lapis. I will meet you at the far end of the market at sundown if you do. What may I call you?"
Nakago gave a slight chuckle and shook his head.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it is just that your name is Lapis. I am called Lazuli. Our names together are like the stone our people treasure so much."
"Yes, that is amusing." she said with a blush. "Perhaps Tenko has fated us to meet."
"Perhaps. Until I see you again, be content."
"Be content, Lazuli."

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