Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Thirteen: How to Swallow One's Pride & Not Choke on It ( Chapter 13 )

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

   "You look sick." Tamahome took critical note of the dark circles lining KC's eyes and the pallor of her skin.

   "Flattery will get you nowhere," she muttered in response and stabbed at a dumpling with her chopstick. "Just tired, is all." It didn't surprise her that she looked like the walking dead. She rather felt like the walking dead. She supposed it was only normal, considering Nuriko had kept her up well into the night. She'd insisted on KC's help with various simple tasks. Such as combing out that wealth of purple hair ("Two hundred strokes on each side! Don't pull so hard, idiot!"). Then came a foot massage ("Are you trying to break my toes? Be more gentle with a lady's delicate feet!"). And finally, she had been forced to refold the exact same garments she'd just put away after the Seishi had returned and gleefully pulled out and discarded one robe after another. She claimed she was choosing the next day's outfit, a task that required careful consideration in order to look one's best.

   KC suspected it was a choice that usually took fifteen minutes, tops, as opposed to the hour she'd had to endure Nuriko's impromptu fashion show and assure her over and over that the last ten outfits were just fine, and could she please go to bed now?

   Tamahome raised a skeptical eyebrow at his Priestess's sullen expression. Quite frankly, she didn't look to be in any sort of a mood to risk teasing at the moment, and he didn't relish the possibility of getting his head bitten off this early in the morning. Instead, he said, "I'm surprised you aren't eating breakfast with His Majesty. Isn't it like a custom or something?"

   KC frowned at the recollection that she was, in fact, avoiding Hotohori. "Don't wanna talk about it," she muttered and stabbed at her dumpling again.

   "You know, you can't keep avoiding him forever," Tamahome pointed out wisely. "One of these days you'll have to give the guy an ans—"

   STAB

   "Let's discuss something else, shall we?"

   "Er, right. Sooo … how're things with Nuriko progressing?"

   STABSTABSTABSTABSTABSNAP

   Half a chopstick went careening across the room. KC blinked in surprise at the other half, still clutched tightly in her hand.

   Tamahome regarded the mutilated dumpling with a raised eyebrow and nervously cleared his throat. "That good, huh?"

   "I swear if she wasn't my Seishi, I'd strangle her with her own hair!"

   "Uh-huh. Except you'd never get past that whole inhuman strength thing she's got going for her," he deadpanned.

   KC smirked. "If she wasn't my Seishi, she wouldn't have inhuman strength." She chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of rice. "Maybe I should ask Hotohori to toss her into the dungeon for a while. That ought to knock her off her high horse."

   "His Majesty doesn't strike me as the type to go around randomly tossing people into his dungeon."

   "I haven't told you how he and I met, have I?"

   Tamahome raised the other eyebrow. "I sense an interesting story in those words."

   KC smirked despite her sour mood. "Later," she promised. "Right now, I guess I'd better get my tail over to Nuriko's and see what she wants me to do today. Probably scrub down all the furniture or paint her toenails or something."

   He blinked. "Did I miss something? Since when are you her servant?"

   She grimaced. "Since me and my fat mouth agreed to take over until she could find a replacement. She wanted Mei Lin back, but I just couldn't throw that poor girl back into the lion's den."

   "So you offered to take her place." Tamahome whistled. "You do know she's going to torture you, right?"

   "Gee, hadn't thought of that, Captain Obvious. But they do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

   "So she's your enemy now?"

   "Only 'cause she wants to be. If I can't convince her to be my friend, at least I can keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't plotting to kill me in my sleep or anything," KC sniffed.

   "I'm sure she'd never stoop to something that dishonorable. She's a Suzaku warrior destined to help you save our country, after all. Even if she doesn't want to admit it."

   "You think?"

  He smirked. "Of course. At the very least, she'll wait until you're awake before trying to off you, so you'd at least have a sporting chance to run away."

   KC found herself grinning as she flicked a clump of rice at him. "Very funny. I'm not going to give up, though. I'll keep pushing the matter until she agrees, even if it's only to shut me up. Wanna help me? Come on, it'll be fun," she wheedled. "With my brains and your … whatever, we could give her hell! Waddaya say?"

   Tamahome nearly choked on his tea. "No way!" he wheezed. "This is between you and her! I'm not getting involved."

   She pouted. "Chicken."

   "I prefer to think of it as possessing a healthy dose of self-preservation."

   "Some mighty protector you're turning out to be."

   "My wages do not include involving myself in womanly spats," he sniffed. "Being attacked by bandits or assassins, that I'll handle. Sticking my nose into the middle of a catfight is beyond my sense of reason. No thanks."

   KC sighed and pouted. "Well, who needs you, anyway? I'm sure I can come up with something diabolical all by myself."

   "I wonder if it's worth the trouble to put the guards on alert for potential disaster," Tamahome muttered, rolling his eyes.

   KC smirked at him and raised her chopsticks in a toast. "Oh, ye of little faith."

~*~*~*~*~

   "You're late," Nuriko accused when she opened her door, already decked out in a completely different outfit than the one she'd finally settled on the night before. Over her shoulder, KC caught a glimpse of utter carnage in the room beyond and ground her teeth.

   "Technically, as we never settled on an actual time for me to show up, I'm not late," she pointed out with saccharine sweetness.

   Nuriko blinked at her, opened her mouth to argue, found none, and shut it again with a sniff. "Well, clean up that room, and then you need to scrub down this walkway. It's utterly filthy."

   KC's eyes widened as she took in the long expanse of wooden floor stretching from one end of the building to the other. "The whole thing?" she nearly whimpered. There were at least seventy-five feet of it. It would take her hours to complete.

   "Of course the whole thing. What kind of a good servant does only half a job?" Nuriko snorted. "Well, if you'll excuse me, Tamahome is going into town again and I'm going to accompany him. Be finished by the time I get back! Ta!" And off she went.

   KC glanced despairingly at the room and sighed heavily. "I brought it onto myself," she muttered. "Me and my brilliant ideas."

~*~*~*~*~

   She finished Nuriko's room in half an hour, casually tossed half-folded robes into random trunks without regard as to what went where, piled the scattered jewelry and hair ornaments into a big lump of tangled chains and pins and combs in the first jewelry chest she saw (there were at least four of them). Nuriko would probably hit the roof the next time she went for a pair of earrings or something, but KC didn't particularly care at the moment. Tamahome was going into town again and didn't invite her! But he'd let that harpy go with him, of course. She muttered under her breath, trying to stifle her resentment. That traitor, buddying up to that woman instead of sticking with his Priestess like he was supposed to. It rankled badly to know the two of them were out there having fun while she was stuck doing menial labor. She hadn't set foot outside the palace walls since the day she'd been dragged into it! "I wonder if this is how Hotohori feels," she mused to herself, and decided that being an empress definitely wasn't something she'd enjoy very much. All work and no play was just … boring.

   She contemplated seeking out the emperor to see if he wanted some company, but decided against it. She wasn't quite ready to face him yet. He might try to seduce her again and she still hadn't fully recovered from the last attempt. Honestly, she had no idea how she'd ever be able to look at him again without remembering. Even now, she could feel the hot flush spread over her body at just the thought of his embrace and deep kisses. At this rate, she'd be a walking tomato for the rest of her life.

   Trying to distract herself from her thoughts, she grabbed the cleaning equipment she needed from a nearby supply room and began to vigorously sweep the outer walkway. She did her best to ignore the stares and hushed mutters of passing courtiers and servants; it probably looked a little odd for the Priestess of Suzaku to be on her hands and knees, doing the job of a common scullery maid. She cringed at the thought that Hotohori might get wind of it, and the situation might embarrass him, as well. Still, she flatly refused any help offered and sent each servant off with a polite but firm "No, thank you" and a meaningful stare.

   Mei Lin, when she stumbled upon KC in the midst of scrubbing a particularly difficult stain out of the floor, turned out to be a little harder to deter. She insisted on finishing the job herself. It wasn't fit for the Priestess to do such demeaning labor! KC finally managed to run her off by threatening to give her back to Nuriko for good, if she was so keen to take over her old duties. Mei Lin had blanched slightly, bowed and offered her deepest thanks and the encouragement to do a good job before she scurried away.

   It took three hours to get the floor swept and mopped up to KC's satisfaction, but in the end, she had to admit it was a job well done. Even if her back burned and her knees had gone numb from kneeling on them for so long, the spotless floor gleamed so brightly that she could practically see her reflection in its polished, wooden surface. "Damn, I'm good," she announced proudly, sitting up to survey her handiwork proudly. If only her mother could see her now! She'd probably have a stroke from the shock.

   "Ohhh, what's this? Finished already?"

   KC scowled at the sound of Nuriko's voice and glanced over her shoulder to toss the Seishi a smug smile. "Yeah, and about time, too. Well? Is it clean enough for you?" She tossed her scrub brush into the bucket of dirty water with a plop.

   "Tsk." Nuriko sounded anything but impressed. "Such a sloppy job," she scolded. "Were you even paying attention to your work?"

   Indignant, KC whirled to give her a piece of her mind … and was left to stare, slack-jawed, at the dirt and leaves strewn all over her freshly-scrubbed floor. Nuriko towered over her, a disapproving frown on her pretty face as she clutched an empty bowl to her chest. A strand of dead ivy dangled strategically over its rim.

   KC's eyes narrowed as she connected the dots. Nuriko's eyes held an obvious challenge, and KC clenched her fists so hard that her nails bit into her skin. The woman was clearly gearing for a fight. Slowly, ever-so-carefully, she rose to her feet, her face carefully blank. The Seishi tensed, expecting an explosion. What she got instead was a sudden, brilliant smile, as KC cheerfully said, "You know, you're right. Looks like my mind was wandering. I was thinking about Hotohori and what happened the other night, you see, and … hmmm…" She heaved a dopey sigh and pressed her hands to flushed cheeks. "Got a bit distracted, I guess. I gotta say, that man sure knows how to kiss. Don't worry, though, I'll redo it."

   Nuriko stood frozen for a moment or two, wide-eyed with shock. Her mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish before she abruptly whirled away with an indignant harrumph and a toss of her braid. The bowl clattered to the floor as she stomped to her room and slammed the door so hard that something cracked.

   KC's smile disappeared and she muttered angrily as she hastily swept and washed the floor for the second time. She wished heartily for the Swiffer Wet-Jet stored in her kitchen pantry. After this, she would never complain about mopping floors in her own house again! She wearily stood and lifted the heavy bucket with a grunt, staggering from its weight as she headed for the bushes to dump it.

   As she approached Nuriko's door, however, her steps slowed and she chewed on her lower lip, considering. No matter how mad she was, she should be the better person and try again to make peace. Maybe if she apologized for rubbing Nuriko's face in the fact that she'd made out with Hotohori…

   Then again, why should she have to apologize? It wasn't her idea for the emperor to fall in love with her! Sure, she really needed Nuriko's cooperation if she was ever going to get home again, but she had her pride, too, and the Seishi's bullheadedness was really beginning to wear on her nerves.

   KC started past the door, hesitated again. Her shoulders slumped, and she heaved a resigned sigh.

   "Aw, screw it."

~*~*~*~*~

   Nuriko stared at the gigantic mess of tangled jewelry and clothes in what had once been neatly-organized chests. Her hands clenched the back of her chair so hard that the wood began to splinter under her fingers. "That little—" she growled, before she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

   "Nuriko?" came the innocent inquiry from the other side. "You in there?"

   Nuriko flung herself at the door, pulled it open so hard that she nearly ripped it from its hinges. "You!" she growled, pointing a finger in KC's face. "What have you done to my things?"

   KC blinked at the finger. "Put 'em away, like you said. You never told me to be neat about it."

   Nuriko gaped at her.

   "Anyhow," she continued, "I finished the floor. Can I go now? I'm kinda tired."

   "You can go after you put this room in its proper order!" Nuriko snapped. "Do you have any idea how delicate and expensive these jewels and clothing are?"

   "Actually, no, I don't. You should keep delicate and expensive things put away in more secure places, shouldn't you?"

   "You—!"

   "You look really warm," KC cut in, her voice and expression concerned. "You're not suffering from heat exhaustion, are you? Don't get so angry; it's not good for your blood pressure."

   "My blood pressure is perfectly fine," Nuriko snapped. "How dare you be so obstinate to me!"

   "How dare I?" KC raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down, her strange blue eyes icy with contempt; the very picture of a haughty princess. Nuriko was momentarily impressed.

   "You know," the Priestess continued stonily, "I offered to be your servant in an attempt to be nice. I really don't want to fight with you, and would much rather be your friend. But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna roll over and let you kick me when I'm down. I'm still the Priestess of Suzaku, whom even the emperor bows to. And, like it or not, you are still my Seishi, chosen by Suzaku himself to serve me. So, who is being obstinate to whom here?"

   Nuriko could only sputter as her face turned an alarming shade of red.

   KC tilted her head. "You really do look a bit unwell. It's a hot day, isn't it? I'm not even dressed that heavily, and I'm sweating like a pig. You must be roasting in all those long, heavy robes." She lifted the bucket of water she still held in her hands. "Here," she continued sweetly. "Have a cool-down." And she unceremoniously tossed its filthy contents right into Nuriko's face.

   The Seishi shrieked with outraged horror, spluttering and spitting out brackish water as she mopped it from her eyes with dripping sleeves. "Y-you … you…!" she sputtered, more than a little flabbergasted at being so suddenly attacked. "Y-you—What do you think you're doing?"

   "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" KC shoved the empty bucket into her arms, turned and skipped gaily away as the furious Seishi yelled obscenities after her.

~*~*~*~*~

   When she returned to her room, she found Mei Lin hovering outside the door like a nervous mouse, her arms filled with folded sheets.

   "What's wrong?" she asked the fidgeting maid. "You get locked out or something?"

   "His Majesty is inside," Mei Lin whispered, wide-eyed. "I … I did not think I should interrupt."

   KC's eyebrows rose to her hairline. Hotohori was there? "What's he planning to do, ambush me?" she muttered. She stepped toward the door, then reached out to snag Mei Lin by the sleeve when the girl tried to unobtrusively sneak away. She wasn't about to confront the emperor without a chaperone. Besides that, she looked a mess after spending all that time cleaning. "Think you could maybe lay out some clean clothes for me? Pants and another tunic, if you please. Oh, but I'd like a bath before that. I feel like death warmed over."

   "Y-Yes, Your Eminence," Mei Lin squeaked as she found herself being unwillingly dragged into the room after the Priestess.

   Hotohori sat at the small table, sipping a cup of tea as he idly flipped through KC's history textbook. She doubted he was able to read the words, but the pictures of historical people and places seemed to fascinate him. He glanced up and met her eyes when she entered, the little serving girl he'd given her in tow, clutching her sheets like a shield.

   KC's heart pounded hard and she was sure her face had turned red again, but she definitely felt braver with the presence of a third person. She doubted he'd try to bring up that particular subject in the presence of a servant. She just wished she looked a little less like a hobo in his magnificent presence. "It's rare to see you in the middle of the day," she began amiably, flashing him a small smile. She realized she'd missed him. Just a little.

   "I had some free time and thought I might visit and see how you fare," he replied, his deep voice caressing her senses. He paused to take in her appearance. "I see the rumors are not entirely unfounded."

   She winced. "Heard about that, huh?"

   His smile was faint and not entirely pleased. "I admit I was rather … taken aback to hear of our Priestess taking on the position of a common servant under her own Seishi. The courtiers are most astonished. If she has bullied you into—"

   "It isn't that! I offered," KC hastily protested. "She's a bit unhappy with me showing up out of the blue and basically upheaving her entire life. I guess I can't blame her for that too much. I sort of completely understand, actually." She offered a meaningful glance; he looked vaguely uncomfortable in response. "Anyhow, I thought maybe if I helped her out, tried to make friends, she might be a little less … peeved about the way things turned out and be more willing to help me with the summoning."

   He frowned. "She is your Seishi. Personal reasons aside, it is her duty to—"

   "I know, I know. But, I'd rather she do it willingly than be forced into it. This is going to be difficult enough. I'd like to know she's got my back and I can actually count on her to defend it if something happens. It's going to get worse, right? You said yourself people will come after me once I get out there and start looking. I need to know she's not going to 'accidentally' let a stray arrow or something slip past. I need to be able to trust her, and I need her to trust me, or this whole summoning business is never going to work, and then we'll all be screwed."

   He considered for a moment, hands folded before his mouth. "A valid point," he conceded. He sighed. "Are you certain you do not wish for me to simply order her to get along with you?"

   KC hesitated. "You could. But it probably wouldn't make a difference anyway. She'd still hate me, she'd just hide it better." She smiled wryly. "I know you're the emperor and all, but even you can't force somebody to change their feelings if they're determined not to. The human heart doesn't work like that."

   Hotohori leveled her a searching gaze. "Yes," he agreed quietly, nodding his head. "I am coming to realize, lately, that wishes and commands will not make a person feel a certain way. Even I do not hold that much power. All I can do is extend my hand, and pray it is accepted."

   KC had the distinct impression that he no longer spoke about Nuriko. She glanced down and fidgeted, wondered how she might distract him from the uncomfortable turn the conversation had taken, which even Mei Lin's presence seemed not to deter. She didn't like that she was causing him pain, but simply accepting his proposal and everything that went with it was out of the question.

   Luckily, her much-needed distraction chose that moment to barge unceremoniously through the door, breathing hard and talking fast.

   "Is it true?" Tamahome gasped, doubling over as he caught his breath. He sounded like he was trying hard not to laugh. "Did you really dump a pail of water over Nuriko's head?"

   KC squeaked when two pairs of astonished eyes fixed on her. "Ahhhh, yeah," she sheepishly admitted. "I was kinda getting around to mentioning that…"

   "What happened?" Hotohori looked more concerned than amused.

   "Well… " She scratched her head. "Let's just say we had a difference of opinion over how clean the floor was."

   "You'd better hide out for awhile," Tamahome chuckled. "She's livid. Everyone in the palace is talking about it."

   KC grimaced. "So much for making friends," she sighed. "Guess I made a mess of things now. But just 'cause I want to make peace doesn't mean I'm gonna go around letting her treat me like some pushover. She had it coming!"

   "Well, maybe if you actually swallowed your pride and apologized…" Tamahome suggested. Then, as an afterthought, "From a safe distance, of course."

   She wrinkled her nose. "Awww, Daaad! Do I have to?" She stamped her foot playfully.

   Tama pulled a face at her. "Only if you want to keep from having your lungs ripped out through your nose."

   "Gee. That sounds … pleasant."

   "Just one of the many creative and grotesque ways in which she's thinking of murdering you," he replied cheerfully.

   KC laughed but sobered when she noticed Hotohori's expression. He didn't seem at all amused. She flashed him a smile. "Don't worry. I doubt it's that serious. We've been at each other's throats since the get-go and she hasn't killed me yet." She unthinkingly reached out to give his hand a reassuring squeeze; he immediately turned it to clasp hers, lacing their fingers together.

   KC bit her lip and tried to will herself not to blush as Tamahome choked on a laugh and Mei Lin very quickly resumed changing the bedsheets.

   "Uh, anyway, I'll think about all that later," she continued. "Right now, I'd really like to take a bath and change. I'm wiped."

   "Are you unwell?" Hotohori's big hand pressed gently to her forehead. He frowned in concern. "You feel a bit feverish."

   "No, no. I'm fine. I've been outside cleaning all morning so I'm just a bit overheated. Guess my body's still running on sub-zero winter time. It hasn't adjusted to Konan's summer weather yet, that's all."

   "Then we shall leave you." Hotohori still looked uncertain as he rose to his feet. "I suppose I had better go back to my office, anyway, before my advisors come looking for me."

   "'Had some free time', huh?" KC leveled him a sly glance. "You snuck out just so you could check on me, didn't you?"

   He blushed faintly. "As emperor, and your Seishi, it is my duty to see that you fare well," he replied, a bit sheepish. "That is all."

   "Thank you. I appreciate the concern. You can go back to work now, though. Just don't let them scold you too much. And make sure you make time to eat properly, okay?"

   "I give my word." He returned her smile before turning to glide out of the room, robes and hair trailing behind him.

   Tamahome followed him out, but not before he tossed a knowing smirk in KC's direction as he closed the door.