Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Nine: Idiot's Guide to Searching for Seishi ( Chapter 9 )

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

   The next morning, it was Tamahome who woke KC; the emperor was still at his meeting and sent his apologies that he would not be joining her for breakfast. KC shoved down the disappointment of having been twice dumped over a bunch of crabby old men, and invited Tamahome to have breakfast with her, instead. He gladly agreed, especially after she promised to show him more of the "wondrous stuff" from her world. While they ate, she managed to talk him into telling her more about his life, and discovered he came from a village a day's ride away. Like Mei Lin, he'd originally come into the city to find work. That was when he'd heard the emperor's announcement and had gone to the palace. He also had an elderly father who was sickly, and four younger siblings; his mother had died giving birth to the youngest daughter, Yurien. From the way he spoke, KC could tell that he loved his family very dearly.

   "Is that why you're so obsessed with earning money?" she asked. "Because you're supporting all of them?"

   If he was surprised at her observation, he was too busy stuffing his face to show it. "Yeah, pretty much," he agreed and popped an entire pork dumpling into his mouth. That was quite the feat, considering the meat bun was the size of a softball. Apparently, he didn't get to eat this richly in his normal line of work.

   "Hmmm. Well, then I suppose I'll forgive you for only signing up to be my Seishi 'cause of Hotohori's money," KC teased and was rewarded with a clump of rice being flicked at her face.

   "Your graciousness overwhelms me, Your Eminence."

   She grinned and chewed on a pear.

   Suddenly serious, Tamahome put down his chopsticks. "You do know I'd be your Seishi, even without the payment, right?" he asked. "I mean, despite the money, it is my destiny and all. To deny you would be the same as denying who I am."

   KC stared at him for a moment, and then a smile quirked her lips. "Why, Tamahome, are you, like, confessing your love for me or something?" she asked, coyly batting her eyes.

   The mouthful of tea Tamahome had been on the verge of swallowing instead ended up all over the table in a fine spray as he began to sputter and cough. KC eyed the mess with distaste. "Ew. You know, that really isn't sanitary—"

   "Th-that wasn't a love confession!" Tamahome wheezed. His face had gone beet-red. "I was just … just…"

   She cracked up, leaned back in her chair and clutched her stomach with both arms. "Oh, man, I wish you could see the look on your face right now!" she exclaimed amid her giggles. "You look completely terrified!"

   "Sh-shut up!" Tamahome snapped, trying to retain his scattering dignity. "I'm not in love with you!"

   "Oh, that's a relief."

   "I don't even—Hey! What's that mean?" Tamahome stared at her, slightly wounded.

   KC grinned. "Oh, no offense or anything, but you're not really my type," she teased.

   "Oh, really? Then what is your type?" He pouted for a moment before a sly grin touched his lips. "On second thought, I suppose tall, rich, admittedly handsome emperors are more to your liking. A guy like me wouldn't stand a chance, eh?"

   Now it was KC's turn to start coughing; a bite of pear flew across the table and smacked him in the eye. "Th-that's not funny!" she wheezed, pounding on her chest with her fist as she fought to swallow the half-chewed pear. "For your information, I don't have a type. But if I did, you're definitely not it!"

   There came a knock on the door, interrupting the squabble, and Mei Lin poked her head inside, nodded shyly at Tamahome when she saw him there. "Lady KC, Lord Tamahome, His Majesty requests your presence at the courtyard as soon as possible. He would like to begin the interviews with the guests."

   KC rose to her feet as she hastily finished off her pear. Tamahome shoved one final dumpling into his mouth. "You're not wearing that, are you?" he mumbled around his mouthful, regarding her clothes critically.

   KC frowned and looked down at her attire. She'd requested a simple pair of loose-fitting black pants and a long white tunic, which she'd belted at the waist with a scarlet sash. It looked similar to Tamahome's own get-up she and knew it was considered a man's outfit, but it was far more comfortable and easier to move around in than the elaborate robes she'd worn yesterday. "What's the matter with it? We're going to the courtyard, not to some black-tie formal. Whaddaya want, a friggin ball gown?" she complained.

   "What's a ball gown? I have no idea what you're talking about." He chuckled and knocked her on the head with his knuckles.

   "That's nothing new. Seems like you don't have a clue about a lot of stuff," she retorted, jumped ahead with a yelp when he took a playful kick at her backside. "Hey, now, is that any way to treat your Priestess? I can still get your pay docked, you know!"

   They continued to banter until they reached the dais, where KC found Hotohori sitting in all his imperial glory. Her smile widened at the sight of him, and she waved and bounded up the stairs. "Been awhile since I've seen you!" she called, doing her best to ignore the stares and whispers of the crowd filling the yard below them. "I thought maybe the floor opened up and swallowed you or something."

   "It rather feels that way," the emperor agreed and offered a faint smile in greeting.

   KC's own grin faded when she saw how pale and tired he looked. Despite that, however, he still held himself with a regal air. She sighed. Always the emperor, it seemed, even when he was dead on his feet. Poor guy. "Hey, are you okay?" She sat beside him and gently rested her hand on his arm. "You look really worn out. Did you sleep at all last night?"

   He blinked down at her, somewhat surprised, before his hand came up to cover hers and squeezed gently. "Do not concern yourself about me," he murmured. "I'm fine. This is not the first time I've spent a night with my advisors."

   "I don't suppose you actually ate anything since yesterday, either," KC accused. At his slightly guilty expression, she sighed and shook her head. "Now, how can you expect to stay healthy if you don't eat or sleep properly?" she scolded. "Maybe one you can do without, occasionally, but not both. You ought to eat a proper meal before we start all this. It wouldn't be very good if the emperor passed out in front of all his subjects."

   He chuckled. "I assure you, I'll be fine," he insisted. Then, noting the stubborn tilt to her chin, he added, "I give my word that as soon as this is over, I'll return to my chambers and have a decent meal."

   "And ask not to be disturbed for at least five hours, so you can get some real sleep," she added firmly.

   Something poked her shoulder. She turned to find Tamahome leaning over with one elbow propped on the arm of her chair, his chin propped on his fist, a droll expression on his face as he regarded her. "Soooo … do you make it a personal habit to order the emperor around as if you're his mother?"

   KC huffed a protest. "Well … somebody has to look after the poor guy," she objected. "His councilmen don't seem to give a rat's ass about his health, keeping him up all hours of the night and not even feeding him and all!"

   Tamahome smirked. "Is that any kind of language for a lady to use?" he teased.

   "Oh, shut up." KC scowled and slouched down in her seat. "Who're you, my dad? I'm the Priestess and he's my Seishi, so it's practically my job to make sure he takes care of himself! Right, Hotohori?" She turned to smile at him, only to find him regarding her with an odd expression in his eyes. She blinked. "Wh-what is it?"

   His smile, when it appeared, was slow and almost sensual as he shook his head. KC's heart nearly stopped at the sight of it. "Nothing," he replied softly. "I was merely … thinking."

   "A-about what?" Meaning, specifically, what could have put such a look on his face?

   To her astonishment, he reached up to trail his knuckles softly over her jawline, gently pushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. Her eyes widened at the intimate gesture. She could almost feel her entire body turn red, starting with her face. "I was just thinking how wonderful it feels to know that somebody truly worries for me," the emperor murmured, the soft expression still glowing in his eyes.

   KC felt herself melting under the force of that gaze. "Oh," she squeaked. "Okay." Turning away quickly—So much for her immunity-to-exposure theory!—she again found herself face-to-face with Tamahome, who now looked rather smug. "What is it now?" she growled. It was annoying to be stared at all the time.

   "Oh, nothing, nothing," he replied with a flippant wave of his hand. "Just … thinking."

   "Urrgh!" KC flung herself back in her seat and crossed her arms sulkily over her chest. "Men."

~*~*~*~*~

   A mere ten minutes later, she found herself standing over a variable sea of people, hundreds of eyes all fixed on her with expectation, and wished heartily for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Because it had just occurred to her that she had absolutely no idea how to go about figuring out which of the many, many fighters were her would-be Seishi. "Ummm," she muttered, "a manual would be helpful right about now. Something like Beast Deity Summoning for Dummies. Or maybe The Idiot's Guide to Searching for Seishi. Yeah. That'd be great."

   She glanced helplessly at Hotohori, who merely offered an encouraging smile at her. She managed to refrain from rolling her eyes (Fat lot of help you are, pal), stepped to the edge of the dais and took a deep breath, determined to give it her best shot. "Um," she began uncertainly. "Uhhh … if anybody in the crowd has a Chinese symbol on their body that occasionally swells up and glows, please step forward now. The rest of you can … go home. I guess."

   The crowd shifted and murmured, uncertain glances exchanged. KC glanced back at her two Seishi, only to find Tamahome shaking his head with a hand over his eyes. Hotohori looked a bit pained. "Well, what am I supposed to say?" she hissed. "It's not like I've got a bloody clue what I'm doing here!"

   "Way to instill confidence in the people, Your Eminence." Tamahome snorted as he got to his feet, quickly stepped aside as KC's heel headed for his instep. "Well, guess it'll all be up to me!" he proclaimed and cracked his knuckles. "A warrior's symbol appears when they're battling, right? So, I'll take 'em all on and that way we can find out who's got what where!"

   KC blinked. "There's something faulty with that logic, I just know it," she muttered, scratching her head.

   "You got any better ideas?"

   She gave a careless shrug and flopped back into her chair. "Right then. Battle away, O mighty warrior!"

   "Whooo yeah! This's gonna be fun!" Tamahome crowed as he pranced eagerly into the crowd. "Okay, who's up? C'mon, c'mon! Don't be shy! Ladies first!"

   KC snorted into her hand, shaking her head. "I've unleashed an egomaniac," she muttered drolly. Hotohori chuckled. She thought he sounded a bit nervous, as though he couldn't decide on whether he ought to be amused or anxious. She smiled and gave his arm a reassuring pat. "Oh, relax. Let the boy have his fun. Who knows? Maybe he'll actually find another one?"

   Fifteen minutes and a pile of unconscious bodies later, however, proved that "another one" was nowhere within the vicinity of the crowd. Tamahome looked around with a frown to survey the carnage he'd caused, then shrugged and dropped the final limp body to the floor. "Looks like there aren't any Seishi here!" he called.

   KC glared at him. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. You'd better be grateful there are no such things as lawyers in this world, or your ass would so be sued for assault and battery!"

   Tamahome paused, attempted to decipher what she'd just said, then looked up with a puzzled, "Huh?"

   KC dropped her head into her hands and huffed. "Clearly, I'm the one who's got to sort this mess out." She stood and stomped down the dais, looking at the groaning men as they attempted to regain their senses. "All right, you buncha pansies. Since Tama-home-boy here is obviously too much for your feminine sensibilities to handle, how about you take me on, instead?" She rested a fisted hand on her hip and jabbed her thumb into her chest to make her point.

   "What're you doing?" Tamahome yelped, clapping his hands over KC's mouth. "You're just gonna piss them off!"

   She yanked his hand away. "Gee, ya think?" She leaned in closer. "Look, if just fighting them doesn't make their symbols appear, maybe getting them mad will?"

   "Not a good idea," Tamahome protested. "Some of these guys are really mean. You think they won't attack just 'cause you're a girl?"

   "If they call themselves real men they won't." She turned back to the group. "Well? Come along, children! Make your move. I don't got all day," she taunted. "Prove that you're worthy of being my Seishi! And if any of you are just here for the emperor's purse, then go crawl back under your rock! I don't need that kind of protection from the likes of you!"

   There was definite unhappy muttering among the crowd as more and more warriors got to their feet, malevolent stares fixed on the Priestess. "Who do ya think you are, insultin' us like that?" one of them called angrily.

   "Awww, whatsa matter? Did I hurt your widdle feewings?" KC tsked at him and waved a finger. "Better run home to Mommy before you get hurt! Leave room for the real warriors." Something caught her eye. "Oh, look! There's one of 'em now!" She pointed to an old servant who toddled along not far away, lugging a bucket of water. The old lady stopped in her tracks and blinked when KC's words registered; she cackled and playfully flexed a skinny arm, eliciting both amused laughter and more disgruntled muttering. KC smothered her grin. "Maybe you should take her on, instead," she jeered. "You might actually win that way."

   Well. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. KC realized belatedly just how far she'd pushed their tempers when, as one, nearly the entire crowd surged forward. Swords hissed from their sheaths and vile curses and threats spewed from bearded mouths. She yelped and frantically backpedaled, beelined toward the nearest shelter even as Tamahome gave a war cry and dove into the fray. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hotohori leap down the dais steps, as nimble as a gazelle. He'd drawn his sword, too, prepared to defend his Priestess. KC wished she wasn't so busy fleeing for her life that she couldn't stop to watch him fight.

   A pagoda was suddenly in her way (Where the hell did that come from?), and rather than lose precious time going around it, she tried to run straight through. However, once inside, she discovered that no other exit existed. A stone railing blocked her path and kept her trapped inside as the furious mob bore down on her from behind.

   "Oh, shi-"

   She was cut off mid-curse when something whistled past her ear, clipped her smartly on the cheek and hurtled into one of the marble pillars with a resounding crack. Thrown off-balance, she slipped and landed on her ass, gaped in stunned amazement at the large, wooden mallet lying on the floor at her feet. "A mallet? Seriously? What is this, Loony Toons?"

   "KC!" she heard Tamahome yell and turned to assure him that she was okay, even though her cheek smarted something fierce. She didn't even get her mouth open before another crack, like a gunshot, resounded in her ears. Her eyes widened as she glanced back and realized with horror what was happening. The mallet had hit with such force that the pillar had cracked clear through, and now the weight of the ornately carved roof was causing the two halves to slip and crumble. In another moment, the entire structure would collapse right on top of her.

   "SHIT!" she screamed, scrambling to her feet and preparing to throw herself out of the falling pagoda. But another force suddenly slammed into her, knocked her backward from the direction she was trying to go, and before she knew it she'd landed flat on her back with Tamahome's prone form sprawled on top of her. "What're you doing?" she shrieked, as soon as she could catch her breath. "I was trying to get out!"

   There was no time to answer as the roof gave way with an audible groan and several more deafening cracks. KC screamed and covered her eyes, braced herself in preparation to be crushed beneath several tons of rubble. But several moments passed. And then several more. And even after the horrible roar of falling rock had ceased, she slowly reached the astonishing conclusion that she was somehow still breathing.

   She cracked open an eye, and her vision immediately flooded with brilliant red light. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realized that Tamahome was still stretched over her, braced on his hands and knees with what looked like the entire weight of the roof pressing down on his back. His symbol blazed like a small sun, and she could clearly see the pained expression on his face as a trickle of blood made a thin trail from temple to jaw. Her jaw dropped in complete bewilderment as she gazed up at him, their faces only inches apart. "Wha—What did you—Are you completely crazy?" she gasped, too stunned to be angry at his stupid display of heroics. "You could've killed us both just now!"

   "F-fine way to show … appreciation … for just saving your … life," he grunted, as his arms trembled and strained with the effort to hold up the weight on his back.

   "Tamahome … you…" KC trailed off, for once having no sarcastic reprimand. "You shouldn't have done that," was all she could think to say, her voice barely a whisper.

   He managed a strained smile. "Gotta … earn … those wages. Didn't I tell you … I'd protect you?" The structure gave another low groan, and he winced as his arms bent a little. He cursed softly and fought to keep from sinking further. "C-can't … hold it much longer," he admitted.

   She could see how heavily he was sweating. His entire body trembled with the strain, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's my fault. If I hadn't gotten them so riled up…"

   He quirked another smile. "It was … kinda funny." He released a pained chuckle. "You got spunk, I'll give ya … that much." The sweat on his forehead dripped over his brow and into his eyes. KC reached up to wipe it away gently with her sleeve, smiling despite her tears.

   "You make a really great big brother. I always wondered what it'd be like to have one. If I did, I hope he'd be as cool as you."

   Tamahome managed another smile, but that was all. His entire focus shifted to supporting the crushing weight of the fallen building and protecting his Priestess. The only thing KC could do was lay there and wait and hope and pray.

~*~*~*~*~

   "Remove that beam!" Hotohori ordered as he lifted chunks of roof tile and fallen timber away from the pile of rubble burying KC and Tamahome. He could not fight the sick, roiling feeling of terror that had uncurled in his stomach from the moment the building had collapsed; if he'd bothered to eat anything lately, no doubt he'd have heaved it all over the floor by now. As it was, he fought back the sick dread and continued to aid in removing the rocks. He irritably shrugged off the hands of his advisors as they attempted to get him to stand away. How could he possibly stand by and do nothing while she was underneath this mess, injured or maybe even dead?

   He grabbed the fallen beam pinning a large chunk of the roof to the ground, strained with all of his might to lift it away from the mess. It was no use. Despite his strength, the beam was just too heavy, weighed down by other sections of roof and rock. "Please, be all right," he prayed as he sweated and strained. "Please, do not die now. Not before I have a chance to—"

   "Sire," came a soft, sympathetic voice from just behind him. Startled, he whipped his head around to find a beautiful young woman standing there, her eyes lowered demurely to the ground. "Might I be of some assistance?" she offered.

   He blinked, certain he'd heard wrongly. "You?" he asked, unable to keep the skepticism from his voice.

   In reply, the courtier raised her eyes to boldly meet his. A hint of defiance glinted in their red-violet depths and without a word, she tossed her silken braid over her shoulder, pushed back her sleeves, and took firm hold of the heavy beam that Hotohori had attempted to move.

   Then she lifted it and tossed it aside as if it weighed no more than a feather.

   The gathered crowd stopped to gawp with dumb wonder as the woman proceeded to do the same with the next large chunk … and the next … and then the next. She dug her way through the mess with the ease of a child tossing crusts of bread to a flock of birds, heedless of any passersby in their path.

   Several panicked yelps sounded as certain observers suddenly found themselves the targets of flying debris. They hurriedly flung themselves out of the way as the broken pieces landed with heavy thuds that no doubt added several good-sized cracks into the decorative courtyard floor. Then again, everybody was too busy gaping at the amazing spectacle the courtier made to take much notice of the damage she was causing.

   With a final heave, the last section of roof went flying (nearly landed on an unobservant advisor before he took an ungraceful nosedive out of its path). Both Tamahome and KC were revealed, rather dazed but seeming none the worse for wear after their brush with death. They blinked in the sudden light, more than a little confused over the sudden rescue.

   "Um, what just happened?" KC ventured after a moment.

   "Huh. Looks like they're still alive," the maiden observed as she casually brushed the dust from her sleeve. "They have the devil's own luck, don't they?"

   "Wh-who are you?" Hotohori breathed, his golden eyes wide as he watched the newcomer with something akin to wonder.

   "You!" This sudden yelp came from KC, who'd been helped to her feet and now stood with a gaping jaw and a finger pointed accusingly at the woman.

   "Now this seems familiar," Tamahome snorted, then released a yelp of his own when the helpful physician applied a stinging salve to the cut on his head.

   "We meet again." Kourin eyed the Priestess and smirked demurely.

   KC had never realized anyone could smirk demurely before. She was somewhat impressed. "You—But why did—You saved … er…" She seemed to be at a loss for words, which did not go unnoticed by the consort.

   "Of course I saved your life," Kourin began, her tone pitying. "After all, isn't it a Seishi's job to protect his or her Priestess?"

   "What?"

   There was no telling who shouted the word first; it seemed to come from everyone at once.

   "Oh, my. Didn't I tell you?" Kourin covered her pursed mouth with a dainty hand and blinked her large doe-eyes with childlike innocence. She clutched the neckline of her elaborate robe, pulled it back ever-so-slightly to reveal a glowing crimson symbol burning just above her left breast.

   Slack-jawed, KC stared at the sign, up at Kourin's supremely smug face, back down at the sign…

   And that was when her body promptly decided it was high time for it to pass out.

~*~*~*~*~

   She woke up vaguely disoriented, wondering where she was and how she'd gotten there. She cracked an eye open, realized she was in bed and frowned in confusion. Hadn't she just been in the courtyard? Voices murmured beside her and she turned her head to see that the room was full of people. Tamahome, Hotohori, Mei Lin, and—to her utter surprise—Kourin were there, speaking amongst themselves in hushed voices.

   Tamahome seemed to be in the midst of some sort of debate with Kourin while Mei Lin looked on with unabashed interest, her head swiveling back and forth like an observer at a tennis match. Hotohori simply propped his elbows on the table, hands folded at his mouth, golden eyes apprehensive as he stared blindly down at the wooden surface, lost in his own little world.

   Geez, everyone is so serious, KC thought. She carefully sat up and scratched her head. Nobody appeared to notice that she'd woken up. It occurred to her, since they were in her room and all, that she might be the cause of their concern. Perhaps it would be best to reassure everyone that she was okay? "What's with all the doom and gloom, people? I feel like a guest at my own funeral," she quipped, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

   "KC!"

   "Your Eminence!"

   "Oh. She woke up." That was Kourin, of course.

   KC pulled a face and prepared to snipe back, right before she found herself being engulfed in voluminous sleeves and a pair of strong, warm arms, pulled against an even warmer chest. She blinked several times from her new vantage point of chin buried against a red-clad shoulder, her vision filled with hair the color of polished pewter. "Um…"

   "I am so relieved that you are safe." Hotohori's deep voice came softly to her ear, his breath a warm caress against her neck, making her shiver. "I was so afraid you were … that you had…" He trailed off, and his arms tightened around her so fiercely that she thought her ribs might crack.

   "Urk! A-air! I need air…" she gasped, slapping at his arms. He loosed his grip just enough for her to suck in much-needed oxygen. He did not, however, let her go, and all she could do was try to act as nonchalant as possible, as if it was an everyday occurrence to be wrapped up like a sushi roll in the arms of the most beautiful man in the universe. Who also smelled really, really good, she realized as she breathed in the subtle, sweet fragrance of his hair.

   It wasn't so bad, being hugged like this, she decided after a few silent moments, during which Hotohori readjusted his hold to cradle her gently against his chest. His head bent over hers, cheek to temple. His loosened hair brushed her nose while his thumb softly caressed her cheek. It actually felt really good to be held in such a manner, kind of comforting and warm, and under other circumstances, she maybe wouldn't have minded staying put a little longer.

   At the moment, however, what she really wanted to do was kick the knowing little smirk off Tamahome's face. And then maybe make a mad dash for her life, because the look on Kourin's face screamed nothing less than a very slow and agonizing death if she ever got her claws into her.

   "Uh, you know, as nice as this is, people are staring," she muttered. And I'm about to die if you don't let go, like, five minutes ago! She tried her best to ignore Kourin's seething glare.

   Hotohori slowly withdrew his arms, rested his hands gently on KC's shoulders as he searched her face. "How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Do you remember anything?" he questioned anxiously.

   "Oh, sure I—Wait. Who are you again?"

   At Hotohori's panicked expression, KC hurriedly waved her hands. "I-it was a joke! A joke! I was teasing! I'm just fine, honest!"

   The emperor seemed to slump forward a bit, released a long breath and sat back whilst shooting her a slightly reproachful glance. She offered a sheepish, apologetic grin in response. "Eh, sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. What happened, anyhow? How'd I end up in here?"

   "You're joking, right?" That was Tamahome. "You passed out, dummy."

   Her jaw dropped. "Nu-uh!" she protested. "I so did not! You're lying! He's lying, right, Hotohori?"

   She looked at the emperor, who merely smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid Tamahome speaks the truth. You fainted in the middle of the courtyard, right after Kourin—perhaps she should be called Nuriko, now—revealed her identity as the third Seishi."

   KC banged her forehead against her drawn-up knees. "I can't believe I fainted. I never fainted before! I'm a disgrace to my gender!" she wailed.

   Mei Lin tittered while Kourin—Nuriko—smirked. Tamahome just rolled his eyes. "Well, you can hardly be blamed. I mean, a pagoda did collapse on you," he pointed out.

   "Oh, yeah!" KC's head snapped up. "Are you okay, Tamahome? I mean, you didn't break anything, did you?" she asked.

   He shrugged. "I got a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Still, that was an awful lot of trouble you put me through, you know. Don't do anything stupid like that again, okay?"

   "Stupid!" KC sputtered. "Excuse me, Mister Wannabe Hero! Who's the idiot that pushed me back into the pagoda when I was trying to jump out of it, huh? Next time maybe you could make some better calculations before you go and save me so we both don't end up dead!"

   "Yeah … well … who's the idiot that deliberately riled up that mob to begin with?" he retorted, but nevertheless looked a bit sheepish.

   "You mean after you beat them all up?" KC's lips twitched as she crossed her arms. "Okay. Maybe I went a little overboard," she admitted.

   "And something good did come from all of this," Hotohori added. "You succeeded in finding your third Seishi."

   "Oh, yeah!" KC fixed Nuriko with an injured look. "How come you didn't tell me before that you were my Seishi?" she asked. "I might've been a little nicer to you if I'd known." Although, she could've also been a little nicer to me…

   "It didn't cross my mind." Nuriko focused on rearranging the way one of her sleeves draped across her lap.

   KC eyeballed her with pursed lips. I'll just bet it didn't.

   "Nuriko's the one who saved us," Tamahome pointed out, his voice filled with admiration. "She lifted all that rubble off of us like she was flinging pillows. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't have reached us in time. We'd both be squashed flat by now."

   "Really?" KC gave the consort a wide-eyed glance. "So your power is being freakishly strong?"

   "I wouldn't put it that way," Nuriko snapped.

   "Then how would you put it? Abnormal?"

   "Why, you—!"

   "I believe, since it seems KC is feeling better, that Nuriko might be willing to get settled into her new quarters." Hotohori effectively ended the argument as he regarded Nuriko. "Naturally, because of your duty to the Priestess, you are dismissed from the Seraglio. You will room near KC along with Tamahome and myself, and the other four Seishi when we find them. You may return to your former quarters and pack your belongings and I'll send somebody to have them moved immediately."

   "As you command, Sire." Nuriko's voice was tinged with sadness even as she rose gracefully to bow low to the emperor. And the bitter resentment in the brief glare she leveled at the Priestess didn't go unnoticed.

   KC thought she could almost feel sorry for her; it seemed like Nuriko's hopes were all being dashed to pieces, just because she had shown up and become Priestess. No wonder the Seishi seemed to hate her so much. Still, she knew they'd have to get along. She supposed convincing the woman that she wasn't out to steal Hotohori from under her nose might go a long way in putting a dent in her hostility. If I can't count on her to be my Seishi, then this summoning business is never going to work and I'll be stuck here for good.

   With that rather foreboding thought in mind, KC put together the opening plans of "Operation: Make Friends with Nuriko." Step one: convince the disgruntled Seishi that killing her Priestess wouldn't do the empire any favors in the long run. And after that…

   Well, after that, she supposed she'd just have to wing it.

   KC had never been very good at planning things out ahead of time.