Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Six: Between a Rock & a Frying Pan ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

   The maidservant Hotohori sent was called Mei Lin, a small, slender girl only two years younger than KC. She had ebony eyes and glossy black hair that fell in a straight line to the middle of her back. She was pretty, well-mannered, and obviously nervous about being called on to serve the Girl of Legend. KC was just slightly irritated about that. "Um, you know, it's really not necessary to call me 'Your Eminence'," she repeated for the fourth time as Mei Lin fluttered around her like a terrified bird. "I haven't actually agreed to become this Priestess yet and—Sorry, but could you maybe stand still for like two seconds? You're making me dizzy just watching you."

   Mei Lin immediately stopped her pacing and bowed low to the ground. "Please forgive me, Your Eminence," she replied timidly.

   KC shook her head and sighed. "Right. We'll work on it. In the meantime, I'd like a bath, and a change of clothes. And I'm supposed to go meet Hotoho—I mean, His Majesty for breakfast." The expression on Mei Lin's face made her realize she probably shouldn't address the emperor by name in anyone's presence except his own. She didn't want to be held responsible for giving someone an aneurysm over such a blatant lack of formality, which Mei Lin appeared to be on the verge of having. "So ... about that bath?" she prompted.

   "Yes, please come with me," the girl replied, bowing yet again as she led KC out of the room.

   The bath turned out to be a small, tiled swimming pool, filled with gently-steaming water, decorated with lilies and lotus blossoms floating on its surface. The room looked like a pagoda, open-aired and shielded by woven bamboo screens, lit by candles and colorful lanterns. Incense hung sweet and cloying in the air. A row of ladies-in-waiting stood at attention, various bathing supplies in hand. They bowed formally when KC entered. "Please allow us to serve you," one of them said, and they all moved toward her and began tugging at her clothes.

   "W-wait!" she yelped, struggling to hold onto her robe. "I can do this just fine on my own!"

   "But we are here to serve you," another replied, voice reproachful.

   "I've been bathing myself since I was four years old. Trust me, I don't think I'll need any help."

   "We shall be scolded if we do not do our jobs."

   "I promise I won't tell if you won't!"

   The women continued to frown at her with obvious disapproval.

   "Your Eminence, please allow them to do their jobs," Mei Lin pleaded. "It is improper that the Priestess should bathe herself!"

   "But I keep telling you I'm not the—Yeep!" KC abruptly found herself sans-clothes, being herded by no less than five women toward the pool of water, and nearly shoved into it. Once there, she found herself being attacked by five pairs of hands that proceeded to lather, scrub, rinse, repeat, and buff her to within an inch of her life. She quickly found that protesting did no good; all it earned her were several mouthfuls of rather vile-tasting, soapy water. Within ten minutes she was hauled from the pool, wrapped in a soft white bath sheet, and dragged back to her room, where Mei Lin already waited with a change of fresh clothes.

   The door shut behind her, leaving her blinking in complete bewilderment. "Uh … what just happened?"

   Mei Lin giggled despite herself. "They are very efficient at their job."

   KC frowned and examined herself. "I guess I should be glad I still have all my skin attached. I feel so violated."

   "Shall I dress you, now? You mustn't keep His Majesty waiting."

   "Er, I'd rather dress myself, if it's all the same to you." KC picked up one of the garments and shook it out. It turned out to be a rather elaborate robe. She frowned and picked up another. A second robe, slightly less elaborate. "Um…"

   "Do you need help?" Mei Lin asked, her voice all innocence.

   "I need my own clothes. What happened to them?"

   "They have been discarded."

   "Discarded? You threw out my clothes?" KC gaped at her, incredulous. "That lace shirt cost me seventy-five dollars! And don't even ask how much those jeans were! Do you know how much money that is to a teenager who gets a lousy twenty-five bucks a month for an allowance? And don't even get me started on all the babysitting gigs I had to endure! That was half a year's savings right there! And I only got to wear it twice!"

   "I-I'm sorry." Mei Lin's face crumpled as her eyes filled with tears. "P-please, Your Eminence, d-do not be angry. I-I was going to wash them, b-but Lady Kourin insisted that y-you would prefer new things, as is befitting your sta-station. Sh-she told me to throw the others aw-away."

   KC calmed her temper with some effort. She hadn't meant to make the kid cry. "Okay, stop crying. Sorry I yelled," she muttered. "Who's this Lady Kourin person?"

   "Sh-she was m-my former mistress, Y-Your Eminence. I s-served her before I was assigned to y-you."

   "She told you to throw out my things?"

   "Sh-she was v-very insistent on the matter."

   KC pursed her lips. This Kourin person was likely a courtier or something, maybe a nasty one used to getting her own way. If she had made life miserable for Mei Lin, it'd certainly explain why Mei Lin was so terrified of displeasing KC now. "Look, Mei Lin, are you still serving Lady Kourin?"

   "N-no, Your Eminence." Mei Lin mopped at her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling a bit. "I am assigned exclusively to you, now."

   "So you don't have to listen to her anymore, right? If she tells you something like that again, just come and ask me about it. I'll tell you whether it's okay. Right?"

   "L-Lady Kourin will be angry if I disobey her."

   "Lady Kourin doesn't really have a say in the matter. If she bullies you, come tell me and I'll complain to Hoto—I mean, His Majesty on your behalf, okay? He'll set her straight."

   "Y-you would do that?" Mei Lin regarded her, wide-eyed.

   "Sure. I mean, how can you help me out properly if she keeps bullying you and stressing you out?"

   "L-Lady Kourin does not truly bully me. She is just … very particular about how she likes things," Mei Lin explained carefully. "She can be very nice. Sometimes."

   KC smiled. "Well, anyway, show me how to get into this thing, and then go try and salvage my clothes from wherever they were taken. Can you do that?"

   "Yes, Your Eminence."

   "And, Mei Lin, I promise I won't get mad if you just call me KC. Really! Go ahead; give it a try!"

   "K-K-Lady KC?"

   KC huffed a laugh. "I guess it'll do."

~*~*~*~*~

   Mei Lin helped KC into no less than three layers of clothes, explaining how each robe was tied and which layer went where. By the time she'd finished, KC felt as trussed up as a Christmas turkey. "Well, this is great," she muttered, attempting to shake the too-long sleeves away from her hands. "Can you tell me how I'm supposed to actually walk in this getup without falling on my face?"

   "Tread lightly," Mei Lin advised, a teasing smile on her face.

   KC rolled her eyes. "Oh, thank you. I feel so much more confident now."

   Mei Lin actually giggled, and KC gave herself a mental pat on the back for finally getting the girl to lighten up a bit. She combed through her hair and tied it into a loose bun. She added a pair of red and gold hair sticks for decoration and slipped on a pair of silk shoes. She examined herself in the mirror, pulled a sour face at her reflection. "I guess this is as good as it's gonna get. Okay. Take me to your leader."

   Mei Lin led the way to Hotohori's quarters, which really were a lot closer than KC had thought they'd be. There was a guard outside the door, to which Mei Lin bowed and explained, "I have brought the Priestess of Suzaku. His Majesty is expecting her."

   The guard stepped aside, his face expressionless. KC took a deep breath as she opened the large, ornate door leading into the emperor's chambers. Her jaw dropped. If she thought her room was lavish, it was nothing next to the extravagance of the emperor's apartments. She gaped for a moment as the door closed behind her, looking around in wide-eyed wonder. An immense bed commanded attention in the center of the room; blanketed in cream and scarlet linens, strewn with satin pillows and cushions, enclosed by gauzy drapery hanging from the ceiling, it was truly a bed fit for an emperor.

   Elaborate tapestries, rugs, statues, and vases decorated the room with subtle elegance. A golden trunk, etched with images of Suzaku, rested at the foot of the bed. A large wardrobe stood against the wall beside a dressing table. There were also mirrors. Lots and lots of mirrors. Probably more mirrors than was healthy for a grown man to own, KC thought with amusement. He really did have a vanity complex, didn't he?

   With a wry shake of her head, she continued her inspection. Noted various doorways leading into more rooms, all equally splendid in decoration. A set of doors hung open invitingly and led outdoors to a marble terrace, where a small table and two chairs had been set up. The emperor himself occupied one of these chairs, quietly sipping from a cup and gazing over the sprawling palace grounds. The dawning sun made his flowing hair and the profile of his perfect face glow with radiance. He looked like an angel sitting there; all he lacked were wings.

   KC's heart pounded as his astonishing beauty struck her all over again, and she clenched her teeth and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Relax. You've gotta get used to him at some point, she told herself sternly. You'll never be able to talk to him if you keep acting like such a spaz! She forced a smile to her lips and carefully made her way out to the balcony, mindful of the too-long skirts that threatened to trip her up at any moment. Hotohori didn't appear to realize she was there. He seemed deep in thought, and she hesitated to interrupt whatever matter he pondered.

   The demands of her stomach, however, were far more insistent than her common courtesy. The table had been set with numerous platters bearing a variety of food, all of which issued mouth-watering aromas that enticed her belly into releasing a long, low growl of complaint. KC winced and nervously cleared her throat as she waited for the emperor to acknowledge her.

   Hotohori jumped slightly, turned his head to blink at her before a wide smile crossed his face. "KC, good morning," he greeted, his voice a deep, velvet purr that threatened to melt her legs right out from under her.

   "Good morning," she replied, forcing herself to keep breathing. "Sorry if I kept you waiting for long. I was having … issues getting into this outfit. It's a little more elaborate than what I'm used to wearing." She gave an embarrassed shrug and tried not to squirm when Hotohori gave her a quick once-over. The silk outer robe was forest green, embroidered with birds and flowers in gold stitching. The inner-robes were gauzy, creamy creations stitched with white thread in subtle designs. The purple sashes that held everything closed, and even her silk slippers, were embroidered in red thread with Suzaku's image.

   While dressing, she'd asked Mei Lin what sort of a bird Suzaku was, and had been informed (somewhat huffily, as if she ought to have already known) that he was a Phoenix. While KC found the idea of a genuine, living Phoenix fascinating, she'd had to resist the very strong urge to ask if Suzaku had ever heard of a guy called Harry Potter.

   Hotohori rose gracefully from his seat as she approached, reached out to grasp her hand in a smooth, warm grip and raised it to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back. "You are lovely," he assured her. "The robes suit you, Your Eminence. They are indeed fit for the Priestess."

   Her lips thinned. "I haven't actually agreed to it yet," she reminded him. Her hand tingled where his lips had touched, and the tips of her ears burned. She couldn't figure out why this living, breathing deity of a man kept showing such keen interest in her when every other male she'd come across barely noticed her existence. There was nothing special about her to warrant this much attention. She wasn't supermodel-pretty like Brady or exotic-pretty like Kimiko. "Cute" had always been her best description, and cute was too average to grab most boys' attention.

   Maybe Hotohori treated all women alike. With his looks, he probably had them swooning at his feet left and right. He most likely recognized her very obvious attraction and was teasing her a little. Or maybe he was trying to sweet-talk her into becoming the Priestess. That seemed a likely scenario, but KC couldn't bring herself to believe it. She didn't know him, but he didn't seem like the type who manipulated people into doing his bidding. He was the emperor; all he had to do was snap his fingers, and his will would be carried out. He could have left her in that dungeon until she agreed to do what he wanted. He could have threatened to have her killed or tortured. Instead, he'd apologized for the way she'd been treated, and had since gone out of his way to make her feel welcomed and comfortable. His sincerity felt genuine, and she found that she was coming to trust him. A little.

   Hotohori led her to the other chair. "I realize you must be famished. Please, help yourself to whatever you wish. Would you care for anything else? I can have anything you like prepared."

   "Oh, no, don't trouble yourself. This is more than enough. I mean, I usually only eat a bowl of cereal or toast or something."

   He nodded and seated himself while she shyly picked out several slices of fresh honeydew and cantaloupe. There was more fish (thankfully headless), rice, and plenty of cooked greens. She loaded a plate and tucked in, mindful of the emperor's gaze resting on her as he calmly sipped his tea. She ate slowly, doing her best not to make an ass out of herself in her poor attempts to use chopsticks. She heartily wished for a fork and knife, but doubted anyone had ever heard of such things in this world.

   "So, anyway, I've been thinking about this whole Priestess thing," she began after a few moments of awkward silence. She saw him visibly perk up, and hastened to add, "So, well, you said I had to summon Suzaku. That makes me nervous. There aren't any sacrifices involved, are there? I mean, if I have to, like, kill a goat or a baby or something, you can just forget the whole deal right now, 'cause that ain't gonna happen."

   Hotohori looked astonished before his expression melted into warm humor and he laughed outright. "I assure you, there are no sacrifices of any sort involved," he assured her, still chuckling. "The ritual merely involves standing before the holy fire and chanting the spell as your Seishi stand behind you and pray."

   "Right. That's good. So what's a Seishi?"

   "Your Seishi are the seven warriors of Suzaku, who are called to serve and protect you until you succeed in summoning Suzaku."

   "Protect me? From what?"

   He sighed and steepled his fingers, resting them against his lips. "Kutou will, no doubt, realize that we have discovered our Priestess," he said gravely. "They know full well the consequences to them should she succeed in calling Suzaku. With his power, she could stop their invasion and place Konan under protection for the rest of its existence against their advances. Not only that, but she could also seal Seiryu's power, thus rendering Kutou helpless to summon forth Seiryu and reverse the effects, should they discover their own Priestess in the future."

   "Whoa, whoa, now wait. Pause, rewind. Seiryu? Their own Priestess? What haven't you told me yet?"

   "Kutou is also protected by a deity," Hotohori explained. "He is called Seiryu, the Dragon of the Heavens. Naturally, there is also a Priestess who is called upon to summon him, as well. There are four countries in this world. They are all protected by their own deity, who each possess a Priestess to serve them."

   "So, you're saying there are other books? And there are other girls from my world wandering around, just waiting to stumble across them and get sucked into this one?"

  "I suppose that is feasible, yes."

   "And could that happen while I'm here?" The thought did not sit well with her.

   "I … suppose so," Hotohori replied, a bit doubtfully. "But there has never been a time in recorded history when two Priestesses have been called into this world at the same time. The Priestesses of Genbu and Byakko, who protect the countries to the north and west of us, came two hundred years or so apart, according to the records. So, it is highly unlikely that it will happen."

   "Then what do I need bodyguards for?"

   "Because you still pose a threat to Kutou. They have not found their Priestess, and should you seal Seiryu away before they do, all of their ambitions shall fall."

   "So, in other words, they'll want me dead."

   "Yes. They likely will."

   "Well, gee golly! That really makes me want to agree to this."

   He sighed. "There is yet another reason for you to find the Seishi. Each one possesses power that you will need to help with the summoning. If even one is missing, the ritual will fail and all will be lost."

   KC stared at him. "Lost. As in … no wishes? No saving the country? And I'll be stuck here forever?"

   "Yes."

   She chewed on her lip. "So, it seems likely that Kutou would target them, too. Am I right?" When he nodded, she demanded, "How are they supposed to protect me if they're too busy trying to protect themselves?"

   "The Seishi are not helpless," Hotohori sniffed, a bit offended. "As I said, each one possesses a power and abilities to defend you and themselves against enemy attacks. A Seishi will not be an easy target to kill." His smile was grim.

   "Okay. What about finding them? How would I do that?"

   "The Seishi are scattered throughout the realm. You must search for them. It should not be difficult to locate them, however. There are clues in The Universe of the Four Gods that will help direct you in your search."

   "Which I'm sure would be really helpful. If I could, you know, actually read the thing." KC leaned back in her chair and scrubbed her hands over her face. "You're expecting me to go out into a completely unfamiliar country—which is filled with people who will probably try to kill me, thanks very much—and find these warriors on my own, using a scroll I can't even read. How am I supposed to do that? It could take weeks or months to find one warrior, let alone seven of them."

   "KC—"

   She shook her head and slumped down in her chair. "My mom's gonna freak out. She'll definitely realize I'm missing. I mean, sure, she's always working, but even she's got to notice when her own daughter doesn't make an appearance for a couple of weeks. And my best friends probably already realized I'm missing and are, like, harassing the police to look for me or something."

   Hotohori regarded her seriously. "Forgive me, KC. It was never my intention to distress you. I merely wished to make you aware of the process involved in the summoning."

   "Which is the only way to get home, so I have to do it anyway, right?" she muttered. "I think I finally understand that saying, 'Caught between a rock and a hard place'. Oh, and 'Out of the frying pan into the fire'. And then there's—"

   "KC…"

   "Right. Shutting up now."

   Hotohori chuckled and regarded her fondly. "If it helps, I've already sent summons into the country, requesting that all warriors excelling in the literary and martial arts travel to the palace. Surely, from among them, you may find the ones you seek."

   "Really?" KC sat up straighter. Then she eyed him, suspicious. "Wait, why'd you do that? I haven't agreed yet, have I?"

   He hid a smile behind his folded hands. "I … took a chance, and followed my instincts. They tell me that you are the Girl of Legend, despite your protests. I believe you are the one who shall save my country."

   "Seems like I don't have much of a choice in the matter." She scowled and took a long swallow of juice. "So, how will I know these guys? I mean, do I just pick out seven random strangers from the crowd and hope I guessed right?"

   "Actually, you need find only six of them. And you will know them by the characters on their bodies." The playfulness of his smile belied his mysterious reply.

   She blinked at him. "Six? Characters?"

   He inclined his head, reached up to draw the white ruffle of his robe back from his throat. And KC nearly fell out of her chair in surprise when a flare of crimson light abruptly burst from his neck, fading after a moment to reveal the glowing character that pulsed just above his collarbone.