Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Three: Wherein She (Sort of) Meets the Emperor ( Chapter 3 )

   KC awoke to a dull pain throbbing in her head and an even greater pain throbbing in her neck. Brought on, she discovered, by the highly uncomfortable position in which she found herself, sprawled against a cold stone wall, her head bent so far forward that her chin touched her collarbone. "Ugh," she croaked and rolled away from the wall. She rubbed her stiff neck. "What a bizarre dream." She had never known how uncomfortably bumpy a concrete floor could be when one laid on it for too long. It almost felt like she had actual rocks digging into her—

   "Wait a minute."

   Her eyes snapped open and immediately shut again when, instead of long, fluorescent tube lights in their metal casings, brilliant midday sunlight greeted her with a blinding glare. "I'm outside? How the hell did I get out here?" She crawled stiffly to her feet and squinted until her eyes adjusted. Had Charley found her and just dumped her out into the street? That bum! What kind of security guard was he, anyway? She frowned and patted the back of her jeans. They were wet through. So was the back of her shirt, and her hair felt damp. Wherever she was, it had apparently rained, and she'd been laying in it for who knew how long.

   She rubbed her chilled arms and gazed around, disoriented. Something didn't feel right. Maybe it was just the bump on her head talking, but … this didn't look like Juniper Street. In fact, this didn't even look like her city. The buildings were all wrong. Most of them weren't more than a story high, unlike the apartment buildings and department stores lining the streets of her home. They were simple constructions of wood and clay, with reddish tile that looked like split bamboo shoots on their roofs. They all held an old-fashioned, foreign look, like something out of a kung-fu movie.

   Or maybe something straight out of ancient China.

   "Oh man oh man oh man…" KC fisted her hands into her dark brown hair and stared around in complete bewilderment. "That dream," she mumbled. "That was only a dream, right? Or … or maybe this is the dream and I'm really still back in the library and … I'm in some kind of a coma or something." She sank to her haunches and lowered her head between her knees, took deep, deliberate breaths to steady her shattering nerves.

   "Okay. Okay." She nodded to herself. "Panicking is not going to help. Mind-numbing terror sure as hell won't help. Gotta figure out what's going on. This is just some sort of a bizarre dream or hallucination or something, so all I have to do is wake up or snap myself out of it somehow. Right. No problem."

   She closed her eyes and willed herself awake.

   "Okay. I'm going to wake up … now." She waited. "Any second." She waited some more, and pinched her thigh viciously, just to help herself along. She was rewarded with nothing but a sore thigh. "Ow. Wait. I'm not supposed to feel that. If I feel it, I'm not asleep. But, I can't be awake because I'm in the middle of … of … crap! Where the hell am I?" Out of pure frustration, she hopped to her feet and kicked a rock out of her path. It skittered across the dirt and smacked off another wall with a sharp crack.

   "This isn't a dream," she breathed, incredulous. "That book actually sucked me into some Chinese city?" She wasn't sure what disturbed her more; the fact that she was all alone in a foreign city on the other side of the world, or the fact that she'd gotten there by being eaten alive by a frickin' library book. And if she actually managed to get herself out of this mess, she was never setting foot inside a library ever again.

   She leaned against the wall and worried a lip as she tried to plan. If you were lost in the forest, you were supposed to stay where you were until a rescue party showed up. But this wasn't a forest and she wasn't expecting anyone to come looking for her anytime soon. She'd just end up starving to death or being devoured by wild dogs or something. And as she'd had quite enough of being devoured for one lifetime, the better option was probably to go look around and attempt to get her bearings. Maybe she'd find a police station or something to help her?

   She pushed off from the wall and started walking, but had barely taken two steps before she nearly tripped over the backpack at her feet. She blinked down at it, surprised. It had come with her? She vaguely recalled grabbing hold of it, in the very unlikely hope that its weight would be enough to anchor her to the real world. She snorted in disgust and gave it a light kick. "Fat lot of help you turned out to be," she grumbled and stooped to pick it up and sling it over her shoulders.

   It was nearly as damp as her shirt, and she could only hope that it hadn't soaked up too much moisture. She'd have a pretty hard time explaining why all of her textbooks had to be replaced due to water damage. At least the contents of the purse she'd also stuffed inside the backpack should be safe. Which was a good thing since she packed some expensive electronics. With her piddling allowance, the digital point-and-shoot camera and iPod would not be easy to replace should they end up waterlogged.

   But not a phone, she thought with a scowl. Not anything as useful in this predicament as a cell phone. To think, all those months spent trying to talk her mother into buying one—for use in case of emergencies, of course—and every time being firmly rebuffed with the simple argument of, "You never do anything that might put you into an emergency in the first place, so what's the point of wasting money?"

   KC smirked. And wouldn't her mom just shit a brick if she discovered the emergency her daughter was in right at that moment.

   "Well, come on, feet," she muttered, hitched her pack higher and started down the road. Or, maybe that was too generous a description. The cobbled path she followed seemed too narrow for an actual street, although faint tracks worn into the weathered stone suggested that at least a few small vehicles had made their way through in the past. What kind of transportation was a mystery; there wasn't so much as a bicycle leaning against the wall.

   There weren't any signs of actual life, either. She passed numerous doorways as she walked, but there seemed a suspicious lack of people lurking in them. A few scraggly chickens and a bony pig snuffled by, but that was all. Had she landed in an abandoned town? It would just figure, wouldn't it?

   Still, when she listened, she realized she could hear noise, a faint murmur that grew steadily louder as she continued to walk. It sounded like people, she realized with relief. A lot of people, like a whole, milling crowd of them. She could also hear a low, steady rumble and above that the neighing of horses. Her pace quickened as she hurried toward the noise. She was certainly headed into the right part of town, and as busy as it sounded it seemed like everyone else had headed there, too. Now, all she had to do was find someone and ask—

   Wait.

   KC screeched to a halt as a belated realization struck her. She wasn't in America at the moment, and unless she'd mysteriously learned how to speak the local language, she was going to face a major barrier even if she did find someone to ask directions. She huffed a sigh and kicked at another stone, continued to trudge along. Why couldn't the book have tossed her into Japan, instead? At least she knew how to say hello and ask where the local restaurants were in that language.

   Which immediately brought her to yet another problem. Where would she find food and, more importantly, how was she going to pay for it? She was carrying a small amount of money. American money. And she had no means to exchange it for local currency. She'd need a passport for that, wouldn't she?

   This third realization struck like a sack of wet cement. "Holy freakin' crap I don't have a passport," she gasped. "I'm in China without a passport. Is that even legal?" She was pretty sure it was heavily frowned upon, anyway. So, finding a police station was out of the question. How was she supposed to explain why she was there without a passport? They'd naturally assume she'd bypassed customs and snuck into the country, and they technically wouldn't be wrong, would they? And people who got caught sneaking into China generally didn't sneak out again for a really, really long time.

   Oh, this adventure just kept getting better and better, didn't it?

   But in another moment, as she stepped out of the alleyway and into a very wide and very busy menagerie of a street, KC decided that getting caught without a passport was the very least of her worries.

   I'm … not in the twenty-first century anymore.

   Her first assumption had been correct; she was definitely in a Chinese city. But this particular city looked exactly like something out of a historical movie, set somewhere in the past several centuries. There were no cars, no telephone poles or electrical wiring, no street lights, no flashing signs or blaring music. No signs of modern life, period.

   But there were horses and carts, street vendors and stray animals wandering all over the place. There was even a giant elephant, on whose back several men performed death-defying acrobatics to a crowd of delighted onlookers. Children ran loose and wild, screamed and laughed and darted underneath the elephant's giant feet, ignoring the furious yells of its handlers.

   She gazed around the blur of activity, at a complete loss. Okay. I found Main Street. Now what? She had no idea what to do next. Should she approach someone and ask for help? But how was she supposed to speak to them? If she really was in ancient China, it was highly doubtful anyone here would have even heard English before, much less knew how to speak it.

   A few people had noticed her, and were giving her odd looks. When a group of men on the other side of the street began to murmur amongst themselves and pointed in her direction, KC spooked and hastily backed into the alley again. She couldn't draw attention to herself, not until she figured out what to do. She paced for a few moments and pondered her next move. When her stomach growled loudly, she grimaced and crossed her arms over it, wishing she'd eaten lunch. She'd been too busy exchanging Christmas gifts with her friends to bother at the time. She still had the bagged lunch she'd packed (Was it really only that morning? It seemed like forever ago!) but it was probably stuffed into the bottom of her pack beneath her textbooks, nothing but a soggy, squashed mess of crushed potato chips and lunch meat by now. She wasn't that hungry just yet.

   "Excuse me. Do you need some help?"

   "Huh?" Taken completely by surprise, she whirled and came face-to-face with a young man who looked only a little older than her. She blinked at him, realized he was kind of handsome, and then blinked again as she also realized that she had perfectly understood his question. "Y-you can talk," she squeaked and was rewarded with a strange look.

   "Yeeees … most people can," the man replied carefully.

   "No, no. I mean … you can speak English."

   She was rewarded with another strange look. "Are you … okay?" he asked. "Do you need to sit down or anything?"

   "No, no! I'm fine, really. I'm just so glad I can understand somebody! I mean, I thought I was in so much trouble." KC heaved a relieved sigh and smiled at her savior. "I don't suppose you can tell me where I am, can you?"

   The man grinned back. "Oh, sure. You're in Konan, of course. The capital, to be specific. Are you traveling? Did you get lost somehow? You look like a foreigner. You're dressed rather, um, strangely." He eyeballed her ensemble speculatively, with an odd expression. "And your hair has some … unusual coloring, doesn't it?"

   KC frowned at his tone and looked down at herself. She wore one of her usual pairs of embroidered jeans, her boots, and a brown, crushed-velvet camisole beneath a long over-shirt of cream lace. Okay, so it might not be the most practical outfit to wear on a frigid day in December, but it was perfectly fashionable. Brady had helped her put it together, and nobody knew fashion like Brady did.

   As for her long mane of hair, it was a perfectly normal shade of dark brown. It was almost the same shade as his, in fact, so what was he whining about? Unless he'd been referring to the recent addition of some light blonde streaks. KC felt stung; she liked her highlights, and they'd been Brady's Christmas present to her. Besides, as his wardrobe consisted of something resembling a sleeveless trench coat, a pair of cutoff pants in dire need of a wash, and a worn-out pair of ballet slippers, she didn't think he had any right to criticize. After all, his hair was pulled back into a tight bun on top of his head and covered with a cloth doily of all things.

   "Um, yeah, I'm from out of town," she muttered. Maybe this fellow wasn't so handsome, after all. His hair was greasy, his eyes were too beady, and he didn't smell very good, either. Maybe some girls were turned on by the odor of old sweat and unwashed clothes, but she personally couldn't see the attraction in guys who had such an obvious aversion to soap.

   "I see," the stranger replied with another charming smile (at least he had nice teeth, even if they were in need of a good scrubbing). "So, would you like a tour or anything? Are you looking for your companions?"

   "I'm by myself," she mumbled distractedly, as an odd procession making its way down the street caught her eye. Too late, she realized what she'd just admitted, and mentally kicked herself. Way to go, moron! Why not just beg the guy to mug you while you're at it?

   "Really, now? That's very interesting."

   KC stiffened. She most definitely did not like his sudden change in tone. She narrowed her eyes and turned again to give him an appraising look. He wasn't that tall, and he wasn't very built. Not like the guys on the wrestling team, anyway. But she didn't know much about fighting and doubted she'd stand a chance if it came down to self-defense. Still, she was shorter than him by a good three inches, and probably lighter on her feet. She was a pretty fast runner if she had to be, so there was a good chance she'd be able to outrun him long enough to lose him on the crowded street.

   Of course, all these thoughts occurred before three other men stepped out of a previously deserted side-entrance in the building at her back. They exchanged evil grins and eyed her up in a way that sent chills down her spine. Oh, well crap. So much for the fleeing-for-her-life idea. One, she could escape. Maybe even two, if she got lucky. But four?

   "Well, well. If this ain't an exotic-looking creature, I don't know what is!" one of the boys growled, a lecherous smirk plastered on his greasy face.

   KC blinked. Exotic? Me? For a moment, she was flattered. But only for a moment. And then she realized she could understand him, as well, and frowned. What was going on? Did all of these people speak English?

   "I think we could get a pretty high price with the slave dealers; I heard there's a bunch passing through town. Her clothes alone should bring in quite a sum." The first thug fingered her sleeve with a dirty hand.

   She smacked him away, pissed off and even more scared. She could hear the procession in the street coming closer, the sound of feet marching in unison, the clank of metal, and a harsh voice called out, "Get off the street! Make way!" She chanced a glance out into the open; the townsfolk had dispersed and now lined either side of the wide, cobblestone avenue, murmuring in hushed, excited voices. In the middle of the street, a long cavalcade of men and horses dressed in brilliant scarlet uniforms and golden armor marched in grim formation, like a troop of toy soldiers.

   Very grouchy-looking and well-armed toy soldiers, given their fierce scowls and the multitude of gleaming spears and swords they carried. In the center of the army, something flashed brilliantly in the sun. It looked like a golden carriage, enclosed by scarlet curtains and borne on thick poles carried by eight very muscular men, two at each corner. It was called a palanquin if KC remembered her history correctly. It was the mode of transportation used by very important people, like government officials and such. Judging by the amount of guards surrounding this palanquin, it was a very important person who rode inside.

   KC could hardly believe her good fortune. This was great! A parade of soldiers! All she had to do was lose herself in the group, and then she'd be safe from the four stooges! They wouldn't dare try to attack her surrounded by an army, right? Without a second thought (which was perhaps her undoing, as she hadn't fully considered the consequences of the first one), she darted from the alleyway straight into the middle of the parade. She heard the startled yells of her would-be kidnappers, overridden by the equally startled yells of the soldiers who now surrounded her.

   "What do you think you're doing?" one of them bellowed and swiped at her with a meaty hand. She squawked and ducked away, straight into another man marching up behind her, who in turn stumbled to a halt. This immediately led to something like a domino effect as soldiers and horses alike found themselves plowing straight into the backs of the fellows ahead, who suddenly weren't marching anymore.

   Horses reared and whinnied as the crowds on either side broke into uproarious laughter. It was an admittedly hilarious sight, to watch the grim-faced soldiers topple like sheaves of felled wheat. The laughter died a swift death, however, when one of the servants who bore the palanquin managed to trip over a stray spear shaft. Down he went, leaving his partner to bear their end of the heavy carriage by himself. Even as the other six men attempted to correct the sudden shift in weight, the golden pole resting on his sweaty shoulder slipped and dislodged the back half of the pole from the hands of those servants, as well.

   In a single, horrifying moment, the entire right side of the palanquin landed on the street with a heavy crash. Its golden frame crumpled like tin foil and the curtains bulged out as whoever was inside abruptly found himself tumbling head-over-feet. There came a single, astonished yelp from amid the tangle of twisted metal and crimson velvet, and then … ominous silence.

   The townspeople fell into a horrified stupor as the carriage sank like the Titanic. Then, as one, they appeared to recall that they had Very Important Things that needed tending to immediately. Preferably on the other side of the city. Amid hushed whispers and scurrying feet, the entire crowd dispersed within the space of a minute; even the elephant had disappeared. All that remained was a sea of fallen soldiers and one very shamefaced girl who stood in the middle of the street, surveying the mass pandemonium she'd single-handedly wrought.

   KC hunched her shoulders in a poor attempt to make herself look as small and inconspicuous as possible. She gulped, dredged up a timid smile and offered it to the several hundred very disgruntled soldiers that had all turned to glare in her direction.

   "Uhm … oops?"