Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Birthday, Hotohori! ❯ Hotohori Prepares for Takeoff ( Chapter 4 )

"Hotohori! You can't just leave your kingdom-"

"Cao Cao, you aren't holding me back this time. Something's wrong. There's danger afoot. How can you expect me to rest easy in a land where people can't even experience the taste of the finest syrup without fear? My kingdom is depending on me. And I must fulfill my duty. I must protect the syrup. And then we can all forget. Forget. ...Forget."

Tasuki leaned over and whispered to Tamahome,"I think he's lost't." Tamahome, entraced by Miaka's vacant stare, uttered nary a word in reply.

"My horse, Cao Cao," he said before purposefully heading off to his chamber. After all, t'would be most inappropriate for him to go fighting crime in just a bathrobe. Cao Cao hesitantly bowed his head and signalled to the servants for his majesty's horse to be readied and brought into the courtyard.

Nuriko sighed, half dreamily, half sadly. ("My hero!" he thought to himself.) "Hotohori," he said, "What do you wish us to do for you?"

Hotohori paused in his tracks and assumed a pensive expression. "Chichiri, I want you to become me and rule for the time being." Chichiri nodded in agreement. "Nuriko, you and Mitsukake are to remain at the palace to advise your new emperor and look after Miaka. Tamahome and Tasuki... Tamahome... and Tasuki..." He turned his head to look at the two. Tamahome had given up on Miaka, and the two were now engrossed in a rousing round of Patty-cake.

"Patty-cake! Patty-cake! Bake me a pie!"

"Hurry yer butt or I'll poke ya in th'eye!" The two giggled quietly at their tomfoolery.

"You two... If I find that Qudong is behind all this, I will not hesitate to take military action. I need both of you to recruit competent officers and have our army trained and assembled in the next month."

"Sir yes sir!" the two barked, straightening their backs and saluting in unison. They then exchanged glances and giggled at their shenanigans. Mitsukake covered his eyes with his hand and let out a heavy sigh as the emperor disappeared into his chamber.

Hotohori emerged a few minutes later sporting mildly sexy casual attire, similar to Tamahome's daily outfit but a tad more flattering, especially in the torso region. Chichiri had already shapeshifted and was sitting on the floor in front of the throne with his legs crossed, lost deep in thought, perhaps even asleep. Or maybe it was that "knowing-things" chi again. You never could tell with Chichiri. Tamahome and Tasuki were still sitting at the table, playing tic-tac-toe by punching out squares of nearby waffles. Every now and then one would grab a nearby waffle and start munching on it. After all, even if the syrup seemed fishy there was no reason to let such a bounty of fine, crispy-crunchy-tender-flaky waffles go to waste. Nuriko had busied himself with making feeble attempts at bringing Miaka back to the conscious world. He was hit with the vague sense that perhaps something was seriously wrong with her, but at this point neither he nor anybody in the room really cared. Mitsukake was brushing his cat.

"Kitty!" he would coo with each stroke. "Trouble kitty!" Trouble, of course, was the cat's name. At the time of naming, Mitsukake had narrowed it down to either that or "Sorry".

Hotohori gazed at the spectacle. It was as if there was a party, namely, HIS birthday party, and he hadn't been invited.

"I have arrived!" he declared in a booming voice. Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "....As you were." And thusly, they became as they were. Cao Cao came up to Hotohori and handed him a sack filled with waffles. "Ah, Cao Cao, you always are there to fill my gaps of foresight. I thank you for your consideration."

Cao Cao bowed. "If you insist on going, I can only pray for your safe return. There is money in a smaller sack within that one, as well as a canteen of fresh-"

Hotohori cut him off, chuckling. "You needn't worry so much about me, dear Cao Cao. I would never leave if it would possibly result in my death. I couldn't abandon you all like that. And Miaka..." He gazed over at the vegetable that Miaka had become, and sighed heavily, his heart sinking with a familiar weight: the weight of sorrow in knowing that in truth, he wouldn't be seeing that glowing, radiant smile for a long time, perhaps never again if he was... no, that couldn't happen. He wouldn't let that happen. He turned back to Cao Cao, his back straightening with a new determination. A determination to triumph... for her sake. "The horse?"

"In the courtyard, as you requested."

"Thank you, Cao Cao." Hotohori advanced toward the great front door, stopping in front of it to face the others. "I bid thee farewell for now."

Chichiri looked up from his trance, or whatever it is he was doing. "Have a safe journey, but never forget what it is that you're truly searching for."

Hotohori didn't quite get this, but he figured as long as Chichiri knew what he was talking about, this was fine by him. "Nuriko..." he said softly, looking at him. "Take care of Miaka..."

Nuriko looked into his eyes, searching them. Behind the wall of cold, yet fiery determination, he saw an inner grief that could never be communicated. It was the grief that one could only understand through empathy - a vague pain in the chest, as if an unseen force had taken an icy vice-grip and was squeezing, slowly and painfully. Hotohori had been showing this emotion very frequently as of late. Nuriko wasn't sure of what it resulted from, but it broke his heart in two every time he saw that expression of indescribable sorrow in his majesty's eyes. All he could do was nod solemnly and promise to the emperor, and to himself, never to let danger befall Miaka... the priestess of Suzaku. Hotohori disappeared into the courtyard. Nuriko looked at Miaka, who was now drooling down her front with her chin resting on her chest, and shook his head. That such tragedy could result from such a blessing saddened him deeply, yet he would do his best to make sure that blessing would be smiling and happy when the emperor finally did come back.

Hotohori approached his horse and fastened the bag securely to the saddle. He patted the gorgeous snow-white beauty on the neck, admiring its silky mane that flowed down over its shoulder like liquid silver. It was almost as beautiful as his own hair, Hotohori thought to himself absently.

"Come, Kitten," he said softly. He hopped on, and the two galloped into the distance.

***

Author's Notes: I get all non-FY city names and people-names from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games. Since it's based on a historical period, it's not stealing… I don't think o.0