Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Eight: An Impromptu Concert & a Rival is Met ( Chapter 8 )

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

   The afternoon found KC in her room with the contents of her pack scattered all around her. She was in the midst of attempting to do her homework; attempting being the objective word. She might've had more luck in actually finishing it if—being such an easily-distracted creature—she wasn't also busily drumming on her trigonometry textbook with a pair of mechanical pencils while head-banging to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

   Thus, she never noticed Tamahome as he leaned against the door jamb and fought to contain his amusement at the hilarious picture she made. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed with her hair flying all over the place (and tangling in her earbud cords), face screwed into a grimace as she belted out the lyrics along with Freddie Mercury.

   "So you think you can stop me and spit in my ai-ee-yai! So you think you can love me and leave me to diieee! Ooohhh, bay-bee! Can't do this to me, bay-bee! Just gotta get oooout! Just gotta get right outta hee-yaaah!"

   Tamahome couldn't take it anymore; he clutched his sides with his arms and gave way to hysterical guffaws that were loud enough to be heard even over the blaring music. KC jumped, startled, and turned her head to gawp at her unexpected visitor. Her face slowly turned crimson as she realized what he must have witnessed. She jerked the buds out of her ears—and managed to yank out several strands of hair along with them—glared at him and threw one of the pencils at his head. "Don't you know how to knock?" she snapped.

   "I did knock. Repeatedly. And then I heard this hideous wailing so I thought maybe you were being attacked." He deftly caught the other pencil as it hurled toward his chest and examined it with a critical eye.

   "I do not wail," KC huffed, insulted. "I can sing just fine, thank you. And you can get outta here! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

   "Yep. The question is, just what are you in the middle of?" he asked impishly as he sauntered farther into the room.

   "My homework," KC sniffed. "I don't have anything else to do, and it needs to be done anyway so I might as well get it over with and just what are you staring at?"

   Tamahome had fixed his gaze on the bright metallic green iPod and earbuds lying beside her on the bed, a glimmer of interest in his eyes. "What is that thing?" he asked. "Is it something from your world?"

   She shrugged. "It's my Nano. It plays music and—Will you stop staring at me like that? You're giving me a serious case of the willies!"

   Tamahome was most definitely interested now, the glimmer having turned into something of a maniacal gleam at the mention of her world. "Can I have it?" he begged. "And maybe some other stuff, too. Like those … whatever-they-are?" He pointed to the books in front of her.

   She frowned. "They're textbooks and hell no! Do you have any idea how much one of these things costs?" She clutched the Nano to her protectively. "I'd be glad to hand over the books, but the school would probably demand my firstborn child as compensation. Why would you want them, anyway? It's not like you can read 'em or anything."

   He snorted. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much I could sell this stuff for? Stuff from the Girl of Legend's world? I'd be richer than the emperor!"

   KC rolled her eyes. "Seriously, is money all you ever think about?"

   He smirked, unabashed, as he looped his arms behind his head and shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

   "You're a regular Scrooge McDuck, aren't you?"

   "A what?" He blinked at her in confusion.

   "Never mind. So." She grinned slyly. "Wanna listen to some music?" She dangled the buds enticingly from her fingers.

   His eyes widened. "Really? I could really hear music from your world from these things?"

   "Yep. Hope you like rock."

   "Er…"

   She giggled. "Just listen." She showed him how to put the buds in his ears, then handed him the iPod. "Press this to play," she instructed, pointing to the button. Then, sliding her finger around the white circle, she added, "and this adjusts the volume up and down."

   He nodded distractedly, turned the player over in his hands as he examined it with something akin to awe. "It's so light," he murmured reverently. "What a strange metal."

   KC hid a grin. "It's aluminum, I think. Anyway, have at it."

   Hesitantly, Tamahome's thumb pressed the play button. There was a moment of silence, and then the opening notes to Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer blasted out of the earbuds, so loud that KC could hear it from two feet away.

   The effect was immediate on Tamahome. He yelled loudly and yanked the buds out of his ears, slightly wild-eyed as he threw the player at KC, who fumbled hurriedly to catch it. "Wh-what was that?" he gasped, shaking his head to clear his ringing ears.

   KC couldn't help herself; she cracked up. "Sorry," she managed around her giggles. "Guess I accidentally turned the volume up too far. Then again, not everyone likes their rock as loud as I do."

   Tamahome grimaced and rubbed his ears. "You shouldn't listen to music that loudly. You'll end up going deaf," he scolded.

   "Huh?"

   "I said that you shouldn't listen to loud music. You'll go deaf."

   "What's that?"

   "I said, you shouldn't—" He shot her a sour look as she smirked at him. "Very funny."

~*~*~*~*~

   "Why am I here again?" Tamahome questioned later as he followed KC down a long, empty corridor, watched as she opened yet another door and poked her head inside to see what was on the other side of it.

   "'Cause you're my Seishi and it's your duty to watch out for me?" Seeing nothing of interest in the room—just another empty bedchamber (which was a good thing, considering the last one had been occupied)—she closed the door and continued on her way. "Besides, Hotohori said I could explore the palace, and it's not like you have anything better to do, right?"

   "Exploring, huh?" Tamahome snorted. "Looks more like snooping if you ask me."

   KC slanted him a dry look. "I didn't ask you. 'Sides, you're getting paid to be here, right? Better start earning your payroll or I'll ask Hotohori to cut it in half."

   He blanched. "You wouldn't!"

   She smiled sweetly at him and skipped down the hall.

   "Argh!" Tamahome scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "If I'd known I was gonna wind up babysitting some snoopy little—"

   "Snip, snip, snip!" KC sang, cutting the air with her fingers.

   Tamahome shut up.

   For about thirty seconds. "Just what are you looking for, anyway?" he grumbled as he peered into the room she was currently examining (and almost got the door shut on his nose for his efforts).

   KC shrugged. "Dunno yet," she replied cheerfully, "but I'll figure it out when I find it."

   He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Is that supposed to be some kind of logic in your world?"

   She laughed. "Nope. Just in my mind."

   "Well, that explains a lot then, doesn't it?"

   She turned to stick out her tongue at him, then opened another door at the end of the hallway, which turned out to lead outdoors, on the other side of the same courtyard from which they had started. Her jaw dropped as she stared blankly around. She could see the dais below on which Hotohori had earlier been sitting, but the milling crowd of travelers had diminished; no doubt, they were all getting settled into their quarters.

   "Gah!" She smacked her hand to her forehead.

   Tamahome laughed. "Had enough?" he teased, mussing her hair.

   She pouted. "This place is a rat maze. It's amazing nobody gets lost in it."

   "Except you, of course."

   "Oh, like you could do better?" She huffed a sigh and slumped against the wall. "Geh. I wanna go take a walk in the gardens. Or maybe I should actually finish my homework…"

   "Or you could always start wailing to that noise you call music agai—OW!"

   KC smirked and retracted the heel that she'd ground into Tamahome's foot. She skipped down the steps into the main courtyard. "You know, I never had a brother to torment before," she called over her shoulder. "This could be fun."

   "I've got two sisters under the age of ten," Tamahome retorted as he limped after her into the gardens beyond the courtyard, "and they both act more grown-up than you do."

   "Oh, yeah?" KC cackled evilly. "Just wait'll they hit puberty!"

   Tamahome opened his mouth for another insult but stopped when he noticed KC's posture abruptly stiffen. Curiously, he watched as she looked wildly around, apparently searching for … something. He frowned. "What's the matter now? What're you looking for?" He half-suspected a trick of some kind.

   However, KC seemed serious enough as she turned to face him, frowning. "Don't you feel that?" she responded, rubbed her arms briskly as if warding off a chill.

   He blinked in confusion. "Feel what?"

   "Someone's watching us," she insisted, eyes narrowing. "I felt 'em this morning, too. But Hotohori put the guards on alert so you'd think they'd have the sense to make themselves scarce."

   Tamahome looked around, letting his inner senses awaken, trying to detect the presence of a possible enemy. After a moment, he shrugged. "I'm not sensing anything. What does it feel like, exactly?"

   "Oh, I dunno. But I think 'a sense of impending doom' is a pretty accurate description."

   "You're exaggerating," he scoffed. "I don't sense anything evil around."

   She rolled her eyes. "Just 'cause you don't feel it, doesn't mean it's not there," she pointed out. "Maybe you're just not the hotshot Seishi you're supposed to be."

   "And just what is that supposed to—"

   "Hey! It's her again!" KC pointed to a figure half-hidden behind a pillar some distance away. "I saw her this morning, too." Her eyes narrowed. "She's the one who's been watching me!"

   The woman started to draw back. Then, apparently realizing she'd already been caught, she seemed to change her mind and stepped forward again, revealing herself fully. Even from twenty feet away, KC could feel the icy stare the woman had fixed on her. "What is her problem?" she muttered uneasily. "Why does she keep staring at me like that? I never did anything to her!"

   "She doesn't look like a hired assassin to me," Tamahome snorted. "H-hey! Where're you going?"

   "I'm going to get to the bottom of this," KC muttered as she marched determinedly forward. "If that woman has an issue with me, then she needs to come out and tell me instead of just shooting Evil Eye beams at me all the time. It's really creepy."

   "Now … just hold on!" Tamahome protested, grabbing the back of her robe. "Don't just go waltzing up to potential danger like that! What are you, stupid or something?"

   "But, Tamahome, she doesn't look like a hired assassin," she replied sweetly. "Remember?"

   He sighed in exasperation. "Quit throwing my own words back in my face."

   "Well, stop giving me such easy openings to toss 'em! Too late, anyway; we're already here." KC fixed a saccharin smile on the woman, who regarded her with a haughty expression. Up close, the woman wasn't just pretty, she was amazingly beautiful. Her smooth, milky skin glowed like white jade. Her large, red-violet eyes currently radiated extreme irritation. Delicate, petite features, and a full mouth that pursed into a most displeased pout. Her dark purple hair (despite its bizarre color) rippled in a gorgeous mass of shining, silken waves over the shoulders of her expensive robes and down her back. She clutched a silk fan in one delicate hand; it was closed, and at the moment being wielded rather like a weapon. This woman could definitely give Hotohori a run for his money in the looks department, except KC had never seen Hotohori looking so pissed-off before.

   All the same, she wasn't about to back down just 'cause of a pretty face, no matter how plain and un-pretty she felt in comparison. "Hello," she began amiably. "I couldn't help but notice you've been watching me lately, and the vibes you're sending out are really starting to get on my nerves. Have anything you wanna tell me to my face?"

   Tamahome slapped a hand to his forehead and rolled his eyes heavenward, prepared himself to break up an oncoming fistfight if need be.

   The woman sniffed and flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. If she was nervous at being called out, she hid it well. "Yes," she replied in a low, slightly husky voice. "I want you to stay away from His Majesty."

   KC blinked at her. "Come again?"

   "The emperor! Stay away from him, do you hear me? You've been spending entirely too much time with him since you got here and there have been rumors going around that—" She shook her head, clenched her hands so hard that the fan creaked in protest. "Just keep your distance from His Majesty. How dare you be so close to him!"

   "Um…" KC glanced at Tamahome, who looked about as confused as she felt. "And … you would be his … secret lover or something? Are you like a servant?"

   The woman immediately turned red, gasping in outrage, clearly offended. "I am no such thing! I am one of the Imperial Consorts!"

   KC blinked again. "Consorts?"

   "She lives in the harem," Tamahome supplied, raising an eyebrow.

   KC choked. "Harem! You mean she's a concubine?" And then, as the implications of that statement caught up with her, "Wait, Hotohori has a harem?" She supposed she looked more shocked than she ought to have, but the knowledge that Hotohori kept his own petting zoo of beautiful women was just a bit … unsettling.

   "Not concubine," the woman sniffed haughtily. "Consort."

   "You mean there's a difference?"

   The woman rolled her eyes in a don't-you-know-anything sort of way, but Tamahome patted her shoulder soothingly. "She and a bunch of other women have been brought here for His Majesty, so he can eventually choose one to be his Empress."

   "Uh-huh. So, what happens to the ones who don't get chosen? Do they get sent home again?"

   "It is traditional for an emperor to take more than one wife if it pleases him," the woman sniffed. "The empress, of course, would be his favorite, and the head wife of all the rest, but they would also have their duty of bearing children for His Majesty should the empress fail to produce a sufficient heir."

   Right. KC suppressed the urge to snort. There was no difference at all. The woman was a glorified concubine no matter what she wanted to call herself. She felt it prudent not to mention that thought aloud, however.

   The woman sighed heavily. "I've been here for a year now, and aside from our introductory meeting, His Majesty has never come into the Seraglio even once! We've all been accepting that he isn't ready to take a wife, even with the threat of war hanging over our heads, but now you come along, and within the first moment of meeting you, he has barely left your side since! What is so special about you that he should spend his important time with you?" she cried angrily. "You aren't even that pretty! I mean, look at your hair; whoever heard of stripes, anyway? And blue eyes? Are you sure you're not the offspring of one of those heathen people Kutou wiped out years ago?"

   KC took a faltering step back, feeling as if she'd just been sucker-punched in the gut. Her cheeks flamed at the insults. She'd long since accepted that she was no beauty, not like Brady and Kimiko, but she'd never thought of herself as ugly so much as normal. Still, it was the first time somebody actually had the gall to insult her looks to her face, and needless to say, she was really pissed off about it.

   Eyes narrowing, she clenched her hands into fists and stood her ground. "And this is coming from a woman whose head looks like a radioactive eggplant?" Gathering steam, she stalked up to the woman and got right in her snooty face. "And just who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" she half-yelled, noticing somewhat distantly that the woman was barely taller than she was, their eyes almost even. "You don't even know me, so what the hell makes you think you have the right to judge me? What gives you the right to tell me who I can and can't spend my time with?" She faltered, drew a breath, and continued, "I like Hotohori. He's a great guy! He's also the one who helped me most when I got here, so I depend on him. He also happens to be my Seishi, so I should think that would make him more mine than yours. And obviously, there's something the matter with your looks if you've been here a year and he's never given you a second glance. Or maybe it's that stuck-up attitude of yours. If I was him, I wouldn't want a fat-headed snot like you, either!"

   The woman stood there, mouth gaping like a dying fish, as she sought to respond. Clearly, she had never expected her prey to actually fight back. KC crossed her arms smugly over her chest and tapped her foot against the ground, pursed her lips as she waited for the consort to gather her wits. She was dimly aware that several people—most likely the various servants and couriers wandering through the yard—had gathered at a safe distance around them to witness the fight, but her temper was up and she ignored the fact that, as the Priestess, she probably shouldn't be making such a spectacle of herself.

   The woman, however, did seem to care that there were several witnesses to the argument. She finally managed to gather her dignity and drew herself together, looking down her pretty little nose at KC. "Just keep your distance from Hotohori, or you'll be sorry," she growled.

   "Ohhhh, making threats now, are we?" KC taunted. "How very ladylike."

   The woman flushed and whirled to stalk away.

   "Now, hold on," KC called after her. "You should at least tell me your name. I mean after we've had such a touching heart-to-heart and all."

   The woman fixed her with an icy stare. "My name is Kourin. But you may address me as 'My Lady'."

   KC pursed her lips. Now why was that name so familiar…? "Ah!" she cried out, pointing. "You're Mei Lin's former mistress!" Her eyes narrowed. "You're the creep who told her to throw out my clothes." Which she had not gotten back, as of yet. "You owe me a butt-load of money for that outfit, lady," she growled.

   Kourin merely sniffed.

   "Is that why you're pissed? 'Cause Hotohori took your servant away? Geez, get over it and hire yourself a new one! Don't be so petty."

   She was rewarded with a glare as Kourin turned in a huff and stomped away, ignoring the servants who leaped out of her way lest they be caught in the wake of her ire. KC rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, gee wiz! I think I just made a new friend," she proclaimed sarcastically.

   "You do have a way with women," Tamahome deadpanned and was rewarded with an elbow in the gut.

~*~*~*~*~

   As it turned out, Hotohori was forced to cancel the evening meal he'd planned to have with KC. One of the spies who had been sent to Kutou to assess the situation had returned; after conferring in low tones, Hotohori immediately called a meeting with his advisors and the generals of his army. They locked themselves in the large office where KC had first met Hotohori, and nobody had seen them since.

   Even though she understood, KC was still disappointed. She'd been looking forward to the meal and spending more time with the emperor. He always appeared so calm and composed. She had to admit that it was nice to spend time with someone like that. All the excitement was beginning to wear on her, and his presence seemed to help soothe her jangling nerves.

   Well, there was no help for it. Tamahome had taken himself off somewhere, so she decided to take supper in her own room to avoid the stares and whispers that constantly followed her around. She even managed to talk Mei Lin into eating with her. Well, more like demanded it, when the girl initially refused. And she also managed to coax information out of the maid, discovering that Mei Lin was working to earn money in order to support her elderly mother and younger sister, as her father had died a year before from a lingering illness in his body (from the description, KC suspected it had been some sort of cancer). Hotohori had graciously given the girl a job as a maidservant to Lady Kourin, and everyone had taken her under their wing to teach her the ways of the palace. Mei Lin liked her job, even though it was hard work, and Lady Kourin could be somewhat terrifying when she was displeased. She'd been honored to serve her, though, and was even more honored to have been promoted to serving the Priestess of Suzaku. "Perhaps, if I do a good job, I'll be given a raise," the maid shyly admitted. "My sister is growing so fast; she has already nearly outgrown her shoes. I must buy new ones for her soon."

   KC smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'll ask His Majesty if you can have a raise," she promised. "I know it's gotta be hard work to support a family without a dad around. I don't have a dad, either. My mom works all the time to support us."

   "I'm sorry. I did not realize your father had also died."

   "H-he isn't dead." KC forced a weak smile. "He took off when I was thirteen, and my parents divorced right after. He lives in Chicago—That's a city in a different part of my country—and my mom and I live by ourselves.

   "So you must work, as well? It seems strange to think of the Priestess working for a living," Mei Lin said.

   "Like I keep telling you, I'm just a normal girl over there. I don't work, though. I attend school most of the day. My mom does all the work."

   "School," Mei Lin breathed, eyes wide. "Are women truly allowed to attend school in your world? To learn of the things only men know?"

   "'Allowed' isn't really the right word for it. More like forced," KC joked weakly. She was coming to realize just how precious the education she'd always taken for granted really was in this world, especially to her own gender. "I could try teaching you some stuff I've learned if you like. Although, I don't know if you'd understand. When it comes to reading and writing, I think there's a sort of language barrier," she confessed. "And of course my world's history wouldn't mean anything to you. Drawing wouldn't be any use to you... But maybe, I dunno, some simple mathematics? Adding and subtracting numbers and such?"

   "Y-you would truly teach me this?" Mei Lin looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

   KC laughed sheepishly. "Well, so long as Konan's numeral system isn't too different from what I know, and as time will allow, I guess. I get the feeling I'm gonna be awfully busy for awhile, traveling around looking for Seishi and all that. And then, of course, the summoning, and after that … I'll finally get to go back again." She trailed off, thinking of home. She wondered if her mom had even realized she'd gone missing yet.

   "Is something the matter, Lady KC?" Mei Lin asked, noticing the frown on her face.

   KC snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, not really. I was just thinking of my mom and … missing home, I guess." She paused. "How old did you say you were, again?"

   "I'm fourteen years, Your Eminence," Mei Lin replied politely.

   KC blew out a breath. "You're younger than me, but you act so grown up and mature. I feel like a little kid next to you." She chuckled as Mei Lin blushed at the compliment.