Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book One: Girl of Legend ❯ Sixteen: Liar, Liar (Crown on Fire) ( Chapter 16 )

   In the midst of reading a land treaty, Hotohori's concentration was broken by a polite tap on his study door. "Lord Tamahome wishes to speak with you," a servant informed him, "in regards to Her Eminence."

   Curious and a bit concerned, Hotohori put down the scroll and nodded at him. "Show him in," he commanded. The servant bowed himself out. There were a few murmured words, and then Tamahome entered the chamber and bowed to the emperor, who nodded regally back. "Has something happened to KC?" he questioned, unable to keep the worry from his tone.

   "Er … well, I wouldn't say happened to her, exactly." Tamahome scratched his head, brow furrowed. "I think she might be sick."

   "Sick!" Hotohori's eyes widened in alarm. "How so?"

   "She's been looking a bit pale and worn out; she almost fainted earlier," the other Seishi explained. "I managed to talk her into taking a nap, but … I thought maybe you could talk her into letting a healer look at her. She seems to listen to you more."

   Hotohori frowned and steepled his fingers as his brow drew together thoughtfully. "How did she become ill?" he wondered. Was it the stress of becoming the Priestess? Or perhaps his confession had compounded her worries until they became too much for her to handle. He knew very well that KC had been going out of her way to avoid him lately. As much as that fact saddened him, he didn't wish to force a confrontation. It would be better to wait until she was ready to face him on her own. But if her health was being affected by his selfish desires, he wondered if he should simply withdraw his proposal completely.

   "Your Majesty, I think it's been building for awhile now." Tamahome cut into the emperor's thoughts before the guilt could begin to overwhelm him. "I mean, this can't be easy on her, being snatched from her home and taken into an entirely different world, and then told to help save it before she can go back again. She must miss her family and friends, and she's got to be scared of what might happen. We've been doing everything we can to make her comfortable, and she's done a good job of acting like everything's okay, but she's just a young girl. This whole situation must be wearing her out. She told me herself she hasn't been sleeping well."

   Hotohori sighed deeply and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Thank you for informing me, Tamahome," he said quietly. "I shall go see her now. Please, locate my personal physician and have him come to Her Eminence's quarters."

   "Right away, Sire." Tamahome bowed again and left the room. Hotohori followed him out, strode briskly toward KC's chambers. Despite whatever promise she'd made to Tamahome, KC was likely doing the complete opposite, he thought with amusement. He knocked and opened the door to her chamber without waiting for acknowledgment, fully expecting to see her up and about, or missing entirely. Therefore, he was greatly surprised to find her sprawled on her stomach across the bed, still fully clothed but for the boots she had kicked haphazardly to the floor.

   "KC, are you well?" he questioned gently. He closed the door and padded toward her bed. He seated himself beside her as she rolled onto her back, rested a hand against her forehead, and frowned when he felt the heat radiating from her brow. "A fever," he murmured, drawing her legs closer to the center of the bed. He tugged the covers from beneath her body to pull them over her.

   He softly stroked his fingers through her hair and caressed her flushed face, wondering what was keeping his physician. The man lived in the palace; it wasn't as though Tamahome had to run to the other side of the city to find him!

   "KC, can you hear me?" he asked softly, giving her a gentle shake.

   She sighed and muttered, squirmed beneath the weight of the covers. "Canfnd any food…" she mumbled irritably as she swatted absently at Hotohori's hand. "Go 'way, Rex…"

   Hotohori blinked and raised an eyebrow, torn between concern and amusement. "KC, you're dreaming," he replied. "Wake up. KC!"

   She mumbled again and flopped back onto her stomach. "Why're you talkin' t'me, Rex? Yer not s'pposed to talk…" she grumbled. But she appeared to be waking up, because a moment later, she raised her head and looked back over her shoulder to squint at Hotohori's blurry profile. She frowned, confused, and turned over to sit up. She sleepily scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms. "Hotohori?" Her voice came thick and groggy. "What's th' matter?" Then, without waiting for his answer, she added, "I dreamt of when I was little and I got a new puppy. But I couldn't find any food for him, and then he talked to me and he had your voice. You have a really pretty voice, you know? I love listening to you talk…"

   Hotohori breathed a short chuckle, relieved now that she was awake and speaking, although her eyes looked overly-bright and feverish to him and he was certain she wouldn't have admitted to loving his voice if she'd been in her right mind. Impulsively, he reached out to pull her against his chest. "You've fallen ill, KC," he informed her gently as he held her. "You have a fever. I fear it may be serious."

   She frowned for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Nah. That's crazy. I haven't been … really sick since I was … seven years old … and caught the chicken pox from … some kid at school," she mumbled around several yawns. "I'm really tired, though." Her voice was barely more than a murmur. "And my head feels all fuzzy…" Hotohori's breath caught with sudden longing as she leaned heavily into him, head coming to rest trustingly against his shoulder. "And … my body kind of aches a little," she finished as her eyes slowly drooped and she drifted off.

   "Likely due to the fever," he sighed. He buried his fingers into her hair and gently massaged the back of her neck. Closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her hair, and simply held her.

   This was the position in which the physician found them five minutes later when he entered the chamber with barely a knock. Tamahome was right behind him and, surprisingly enough, Nuriko trailed them both.

   The moment they caught sight of the emperor cradling the sleeping girl, the physician coughed sharply into his hand, Tamahome turned beet-red and quickly focused his attention elsewhere, and Nuriko looked as though he couldn't decide whether to scream or throttle the person closest to him. He settled for gouging deep grooves into the door with his fingernails while Tamahome discreetly edged his way to a safer location.

   "This is the patient, Sire?" the physician asked in a brusque, no-nonsense tone.

   Rousing himself, Hotohori slowly raised his head to look at the visitors. He'd hardly been aware of their presence until that moment, but he hid his embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable state behind a calm expression. "Yes. This is she. Please see to her," he commanded quietly as he lowered the girl back to the mattress. He rose to his feet and gathered his composure around him. "We shall wait outside until you've finished."

   "As you command, Sire." The healer turned to the girl and opened the satchel he carried at his side.

   Hotohori stepped outside of the room, gestured for his comrades to follow. He closed the door, and the three of them waited in the hallway in awkward silence. Finally, Tamahome cleared his throat. "So … er … do you think it's serious?" he asked, just to break the tension. "What happens if she's really sick?"

   "Ching Li is the finest physician in the country," Hotohori murmured. "If he cannot help her…" He allowed the words to trail off, unable to voice his fears.

   Nuriko didn't deign to say anything, but the troubled expression on his face made it clear that he was more concerned about KC's health than he'd ever let on. Or maybe he was just concerned about the part he might have played in its current state of decline.

   Hotohori didn't miss Nuriko's sullen expression or the way Tamahome glared at her as if he held the woman personally accountable for KC's current state. He also looked as if he had something to say, but for whatever reason held his tongue. The emperor sighed and decided to confront the two of them about their petty squabbling after their Priestess was back on her feet. She was more important at the moment.

   It felt like hours had passed before the door finally opened and the physician gestured for the three Seishi to step into the room. KC was still asleep. A cup containing the remaining dredges of medicinal tea sat on the floor beside her bed. "It appears that Her Eminence is suffering from the beginning stages of a respiratory infection," Ching Li began gravely, "coupled with extreme exhaustion and mental fatigue. The illness and physical exhaustion should be easy enough to overcome with medicine and enough bed rest, but with the amount of stress she has been under, there is no guarantee that they won't come back. Mental fatigue is not so easy to cure."

   Hotohori sighed heavily. It was as he'd feared. The stress of being stolen away from everything and everyone she loved had finally taken its physical toll. When had it all started? He thought back to their first meeting, to the condition she'd been in and what must have been the first signs of illness, and guilt stabbed him. Had she been sick even then, and he'd just been too anxious to convince her to help them to notice? "Is there anything that can be done?" he asked softly. "Anything at all to make things easier for her?"

   Ching Li folded his hands in his sleeves. "Try to alleviate her concerns as much as possible. It is not an illness that she suffers from the most, so herbs and tea will not cure it. Only she can decide how quickly she will recover, and for the sake of this country, I hope it will be soon." With those words, he bowed respectfully, gathered his supplies, and turned to leave.

   "So that's it then," Tamahome muttered a moment later. "She's not strong enough to handle the job. If the healer's right, she'll never be able to keep up the strength to find the rest of the Seishi, never mind actually summoning Suzaku."

   "But she is the chosen one," Hotohori replied sadly. He reached to brush a strand of hair from KC's flushed cheek. "There is no other, and without her, Konan is doomed to fall to the hands of Kutou." KC shifted and mumbled beneath his touch before drifting into restless silence again. He frowned as he pondered the problem. Then, his brow cleared when an idea suddenly struck him. "There might be a way," he murmured. His voice grew more animated. "Yes … I'm sure of it. It may be a rather difficult journey but … if it will help KC, then it's worth the risk."

   "What's that, Sire?" Tamahome asked, perking up.

   Nuriko picked up a bowl of grapes and popped one into his mouth, listening with poorly-disguised interest.

   "We will take her to Taiitsukun," Hotohori announced firmly. "The Emperor of the Heavens will surely know of a way to send her home again."

   "Home?" Tamahome yelped, while Nuriko proceeded to choke on the grape. "B-but what about Konan? What about Suzaku? If we send her home, who's to say she'd ever be able to come back?"

   "Who's to say she'll even try to come back?" Nuriko added once he'd cleared his throat. Upon hearing that, Hotohori fixed the Seishi with a withering stare, and Nuriko squeaked and hid behind Tamahome. "Eh … that is to say … not that she'd deliberately abandon us or anything…"

   "Nice going," Tamahome muttered and promptly yelled when Nuriko gave him a hard kick in the shin.

   "Shhhhh!" Nuriko hissed mockingly. "You'll wake Her Eminence!"

   Tamahome glared and proceeded to rub his abused flesh as he muttered uncomplimentary words under his breath.

   "The most important thing now is KC's health," Hotohori said grimly. "Overlooking the fact that she is the Priestess and that to be ill will hinder her required duties as such, she is also a young girl who has sacrificed a great deal to fight a threat that is not her own. One who is now in the need of help that we cannot provide her. If the only way to ease her mind is to return her to familiar surroundings until she can regain her strength, then I see no other choice but to let her go."

   "She won't abandon us." Tamahome shot a dark look at Nuriko. "She's got too much integrity for that. She made a commitment, and she'd never doom an entire country for her own selfish wants."

   Nuriko sniffed. "How can you be so sure?" he insisted. "I mean, how much do we really know about this girl? Who's to say she won't turn tail and run the moment she realizes she's been set free? She only became the Priestess because she thought it was the only way to get home again, right? So how can anyone say that once she's actually home she won't put all of us out of her mind?"

   Hotohori's fists clenched. He was angry. With Nuriko, for daring to doubt the Priestess she was destined to serve. And with himself, because despite his protests, he could feel the tiny, niggling seed of doubt that her words had nevertheless planted. He closed his eyes, sought to calm and center himself, and when he opened them again, new resolution glowed in his expression.

   "I am willing to take this chance," he said in a low, steady voice, "because I love her. Because I've placed my entire faith in her. Because if she is not worthy to be the Priestess, then she would never have been chosen. To doubt her is to doubt Suzaku himself, and if we cannot trust our one, shining hope, then what chance does our country have to survive? For what reason were we, her Seishi, even born?"

   Nuriko frowned and looked away, for once having no argument to give.

~*~*~*~*~

   KC discovered once again that it was really rather difficult to sleep properly when people insisted on yelling practically in your ear, as she was rudely jerked awake by Tamahome's pained bellow. She grumbled sleepily and turned over, dragged a pillow over her head to block out the noise. Her ears felt like they'd been stuffed with cotton, but she could make out three distinct voices somewhere at the vicinity of her feet. She peered out from beneath the pillow and rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep from them, and realized that all three of her Seishi stood near the lower end of her bed, arguing amongst themselves. Her head felt too muzzy to figure out what they were saying, but it seemed as though Hotohori was chastising Nuriko for some reason or other. I hope he didn't figure out Nuriko's a guy, she thought sleepily, or there goes my blackmail material.

   Hotohori fell silent, and Nuriko looked oddly shame-faced. But as the emperor did not summon guards to come haul him away, KC assumed his secret was still safe. She decided it might be an excellent time to make her awareness known. She wanted to crack a joke or make some smart comment to try and break the tension she could feel radiating between the three Seishi, but the only thing she managed to croak out was a pathetic-sounding, "Hi."

   It was enough to do the trick. All three men immediately turned their attention to her. Tamahome, surprisingly, was the first one at her side to press a hand against her forehead. "Hey, you should be sleeping," he scolded lightly as he checked her temperature. "You need the rest."

   She pulled a face. "It's hard to sleep with you three chattering away like a bunch of pissed-off squirrels," she retorted.

   Tamahome looked sheepish. "Eh, sorry to wake you up," he apologized. "How're you feeling?"

   She considered. "I've … felt better," she mumbled. "The medicine seemed to help, though. What was in it, anyway?"

   "The medicine?" Hotohori glanced down at the empty cup. "I believe it was a simple willow bark tea. It is a common remedy in this country, often used to reduce fever."

   She frowned. "Willow bark?" she repeated. "You mean like from a willow tree?" When he nodded, she wrinkled her nose, appalled. "You mean I just drank tree bark?"

   Tamahome laughed at her. "It won't kill you." He knocked her playfully on the head with his knuckles. "It's good for you."

   "That quack physician isn't planning to feed me anything else, is he?" she asked, suspicious. "No duck feathers or eye of toad or anything like that?"

   "Well, he might slip you some bat dung every now and then." At her horrified expression, he cracked up even more. "I'm kidding."

   "I hate bats," KC protested. "Nasty, furry little rats with wings that dive-bomb your head when you least expect it and … and … ugh. And stop laughing at me! If a bat went and got all tangled up in your hair I bet you wouldn't find it so funny." Tamahome continued to chuckle while she managed to push herself up. "So, what's the diagnosis, anyway? Am I gonna live?"

   The Seishi exchanged uncertain glances. "The physician does not seem to believe that you will recover very easily," Hotohori began slowly. "You should recover from the fever and exhaustion, but with the amount of pressure you've been under since your arrival, he's uncertain as to whether you might succumb again."

   "How come you didn't tell us you were so stressed out?" Tamahome accused. "We would have done more to help you feel better, you know. That's what we're here for."

   KC pouted. "But I was doing okay," she protested. "I mean, I was handling it and all. It's pointless to worry about something I can't do anything about, anyway, so what's the use of complaining?"

   "But you are worried, aren't you?" Hotohori asked softly. He sat beside her on the bed. "Much more than you let on. Is it fear of the future? Of our ultimate goal or what may happen in reaching it? Or is it that you worry for your family and friends at home?"

   She looked down and picked at the blanket. "I guess I should be more worried about what's gonna happen here, but all I can think is that I just want to get it over with and go home," she admitted. "I'm afraid everyone's all in a panic not knowing where I am. I want to tell them I'm okay and all, but there's no way to do that until I summon Suzaku. Which is nowhere close to happening at the rate I'm going. I feel like I'm just wandering around in circles inside a box or something."

   There was a marked silence, and then Hotohori told her quietly, "There might be a way." At her surprised expression, he continued, "We have decided that, in order to help your recovery, it would be wisest to take you to Taiitsukun."

   She frowned, puzzled. "Who's that?"

   "Taiitsukun is the Emperor of the Heavens," he explained. "The Creator of the world, of the four beast gods, themselves. If there is another way to send you home, Taiitsukun should be able to help us find it."

   Her eyes widened. "You mean that even without summoning Suzaku, I can go home again?"

   "There is a good possibility."

   A long, silent moment passed, during which KC mulled over his words, and her brows drew together as their meaning became clear. "And did you always know about this?" she finally asked, voice low. "That this Taiitsukun person could get me home? From the very beginning?"

   "I…" Hotohori looked decidedly uneasy. KC's heart sank at his wary expression. "I suppose … I was aware, but it did not cross my mind at the time to—"

   "So in other words," she cut in, "when you told me the only way for me to possibly get home again was to become the Priestess of Suzaku… You lied to me?"

   Hotohori blanched as he belatedly realized how it all must look. "KC, no. That wasn't—"

   "I'm tired," she snapped, flopped back into the pillows and yanked the covers up to her chin. "I want to sleep now." Her voice quivered and she swallowed back the urge to cry, but the sense of betrayal overwhelmed her, and her stomach threatened to heave. Hotohori's deception hurt her far more deeply than she would've expected. She'd trusted him, damn it! "I'd like you all to leave now," she commanded and deliberately turned her back on them. She expected more protests. Instead came the shuffle of feet as the men filed out of the room. As soon as they left, she released a choked-off sob and buried her face in her pillow to cry herself back to sleep.

   On the other side of the door, Hotohori leaned weakly against it. KC's faint, muffled sobs stabbed at his heart like the strikes of a dagger. He felt sick just remembering the expression on her face, certain it would haunt his dreams for a long while. He'd certainly never intended to mislead her in such a manner. But how could he possibly hope to make her see a foolish oversight on his part as anything other than deliberate deception?

   Tamahome seemed to share his thoughts. "That could have gone better," he muttered as he scratched his head. "How long do you think it'll take 'til she forgives us?"

   "It was my fault," Hotohori murmured, voice heavy with guilt. "If I had only thought—But finding her just—Everything else simply slipped through my mind, and she is Suzaku's chosen one. She is meant to be the Priestess. Of that, I have no doubt."

   "It doesn't change the fact that she thinks you deliberately lied to her," Nuriko said, which earned a dark glare from Tamahome. "Do you still think it's a good idea to send her home? Now she's got even more of a reason not to return. Do you still put all of your faith in her, Your Majesty?"

   Hotohori sighed again, shoulders slumped with the weight of his concerns. The seeds of doubt festered, grew … and he found he had no clear answer.