With
delight, Miaka ran towards her friend, who was kneeling in the grass of a lovely meadow,
reading the ancient Chinese novel. “Yui-chan! Yui-chan, you’ve returned!”
With
delight, Miaka ran towards her friend, who was kneeling in the grass of a lovely meadow,
reading the ancient Chinese novel. “Yui-chan! Yui-chan, you’ve returned!”
Yui slowly turned to gaze at Miaka with solemn eyes. “Miaka, are you taking the Jonan Academy exam with me?”
Miaka paused. "Huh?"
"It isn't possible for you to pass it." Yui deliberately stood, and before Miaka's astonished eyes, she morphed into someone else.
"Mother!"
"Yes. It's not possible, Miaka," her mother spoke, slowly fading into a black silhouette.
“Wait, Mother! Don’t go!” Before she could run after her, the ground beneath her feet shattered, sending the girl down in and endless plummet. She screamed in terror.
“Are you all right?” Tamahome looked at Miaka with annoyance. The girl had her arms clamped about his neck, her eyes wide and trembling with fear.
Miaka blinked and turned to gaze at the source of the voice. She
started and gasped when she met his irked eyes, so very close to her own. With a scream,
she leaped away, shoving Tamahome backwards. "You ecchi!!" She hollered,
waving her arms about in the air.
"You held me first!" he yelled back from his place on the cold stone.
Her wild motions stopped, and Miaka put a hand to her mouth, remembering their current predicatment. “Oh, yeah...we were caught by Konan soldiers.”
"Are you still asleep?" He asked her in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're in a dungeon. What an optimist you are! 'We were caught by Konan soldiers.'" He closely examined her, and his voice grew serious. “Who are you, anyway? What was that light coming from your body?”
Miaka leaned back with a quiet gasp, realizing that she had no
answer.
Tamahome waited for a moment, then turned away when she said
nothing. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to." The words he spoke
held all the respect his tone lacked.
Miaka swallowed once, then stared at the floor. The sight of her friend in the libarary echoed through her. “Yui-chan...”
"Hmmm?"
"Yui-chan has returned."
"Yui-chan, the other girl?"
Her voice trembled out, "But I couldn't go back."
The sight of her nearly crying again made his voice soften. "Don't cry. Don't worry, I'll help you return."
Miaka raised her gaze from the floor to look up at him. "Hontou?"
“I already got my payment from you in advance,” he
reminded her, and tapped her on the forehead with a lazily outstretched index finger.
Miaka's eyes turned into saucers, and she quickly looked down at the ground to hide her blush at the remembered kiss. "Baka."
*******
"Heika, we should sentence the man and girl to death."
The second Imperial advisor continued, "The girl gave off a magical light and tried to disappear."
"She might be some kind of ghost," the first
concluded. The two advisors were standing on the rich red carpet, heads bowed to the
Emperor, who sat on the extravagant raised dais above them.
"Heika, please!" the second implored.
Hidden by veils, the Emperor spoke, his calm voice sounding out in the large room with complete authority. "Wait. Her clothes are foreign. There must be a reasonable explanation for what happened."
"But--" The advisor was cut off before he could
continue.
"I might be seeing too much into this, but the girl....could be Suzaku no Miko."
"Suzaku no Miko! She can't be! The girl of the legend?"
The Emperor dismissed their refusal to even consider the possibility with a short humph. Something was whispering in his ear, telling him that this girl was more than what she seemed. Yet even more importantly, the timing was just right. Suzaku no Miko would be revealed soon, he was certain of it.
*******
"Aww, I'm really hungry," Miaka complained to herself
in the dank confines of her cell. "I'm so famished..." She moped for a moment,
then brightened and rummaged in her pocket. "Lucky!" She
brandished two sticks of gum with a big smile. "How about this! It should help sate
my hunger!"
The girl quickly tore into the wrappings of one stick and popped it into her mouth. The sound attracted the attention of the guard who was posted outside the cell.
"Hey
you, girl!" He moved forward to glower at them through the wooden bars. "What
did you just put into your mouth?"
Just noticing his presence, Miaka blankly looked at him.
The guard loomed over her. "What did you just put in your mouth?! Show me!"
Miaka leaned back and spoke through her mouthful. "This? You don't have to shout." She moved forward and blew a big, fat bubble to answer his question.
The guard pulled back in fear and fell onto the floor when Miaka stuck her
head out through the wooden grating, her bubble growing even more huge.
"Aaaggh! Don't get close to me! Disgusting!" he cried in terror.
The
bubble popped. It coated Miaka's face in a sticky light blue mask. She smiled through the
goo with an embarrassed laugh.
At the sight of the blue-faced...thing...baring its teeth, the guard lost it. "Aaaaggghh!" He screamed again. "Monster!" He turned to run.
Miaka's grin turned into a snarl, "Who's a monster?!" she snapped.
His feet finally finding traction, the guard sped away, tripping in his haste. His key ring went flying and was snatched out of the air by Tamahome's quick hand.
"Got it!" He pointed at the keys with a joyful grin
and laughed. "If I have these...." his voice trailed off in delight. "Hey,
you did good!" Tamahome looked over at Miaka. His face froze.
Eyes huge, Miaka's blue face grinned at him. "Oh yeah? Thanks!"
Tamahome jumped back in horror. "M-m-m-monster!" he screamed. "Help!" The man blindly ran for his life and slammed flat into the back wall of their cell.
"What is it with these guys?" Miaka scathingly asked herself, blue face glowering.
*******
Miaka and
Tamahome’s faces peered around the edge of the wall. The way was clear. They darted
across the wide hallway, hid behind a column, peeked out again, and scurried forward to
the other side. With nervous faces, they ran down the length of the hall.
Cautiously looking around another wide column, Tamahome suddenly
grinned, holding a few sticks of Miaka’s gum in his hands like precious jewels.
“Is it okay?” He greedily smiled at Miaka. “I mean, you gave these
incredible things to me!" He suddenly leaned back, clutching the gum close.
“I won’t return ‘em even if you ask me to!”
Miaka squeezed her eyes shut in disbelief. "Listen to what you're saying! Sheesh! It's just gum! You're soooo stingy!"
They both stiffened as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed their way to the pair's ears. "We're in trouble! Someone's coming!" Miaka hissed in fear, both looking side to side for a hiding place. She darted left, Tamahome to the right. They both turned and ran back, slamming into each other in panic.
"What are you doing?!" Miaka whispered in consternation.
"What about you?!" he softly snapped back.
They both ran to the right and ducked into a large, dark room. Miaka pulled the door closed behind them as quietly as possible. She peeked out through the crack, not noticing Tamahome behind her. Her confidence in her escort had faded somewhat. “Ohhh, I’m counting on the wrong person to get me through this,” she muttered to herself, watching a maid flutter past them.
"Miaka." He spoke her name with solemnity, not attempting to hush his voice.
"What?" she tiredly whispered back.
"Take a look."
“Huh?” Miaka moved around Tamahome and gasped at the
sight of the room’s contents. An immense, glittering gold statue filled the back
wall. A beautiful, stately phoenix perched, surrounded by spires of clouds and beautiful
gold ribbons of wind. She stared at it in shock, recognition spearing through her.
"Th-that's...that's the bird in the book!"
"Suzaku," Tamahome spoke the great bird's name with infinite respect.
Miaka gazed upon the gold sculpture of the rampant bird, eyes quivering. What does this mean?!
"Suzaku?" she finally asked.
“It’s a guardian,” Tamahome answered. “One of the four Deities.” He stepped forward. “The protector of the east is Seiryuu. The protector of the north...Gembu. The one for the west is Byakko, and for the south...Suzaku. Konan country has Suzaku as its guardian.” He quietly watched the statue with reverence for a moment, then continued. “Of course, the other three deities are worpshipped in their own countries as well.”
His words fell on deaf ears. Still standing close to the door,
Miaka turned to the side, an enticing scent upon the air caressing her nostrils. She
leaned forward to better sample the smell. Eyes closed in rapture, she pivoted about and
trotted out the door.
Unaware of his pupil's escape, Tamahome kept talking. "But for now, we've got to get out of here. Right, Miaka?" He turned around and realized he was alone.
"Oi, Miaka." No answer. "Where are you, Miaka?" he demanded, his voice urgent. "Miaka!"
*******
Slowly peeking about the edge of the corner, Miaka crept forward
towards a cart filled with sizzling delicacies. The chefs around her were oblivious to the
drooling thief. She eyed the cooks, who went on chopping vegetables with skilled speed.
Her eyes devoured the entrees before her. Fish, pastries, roast, salad, they were all laid out in enticingly lavish detail. Miaka grinned widely. "Itadakimasu!" she eagerly whispered.
*******
Miaka left the kitchen, stepping out into a wide courtyard. "Ahhhh, I'm stuffed. What complete bliss!" She clutched her hands together and giggled up at the sky. "Real Chinese food is soooo good.” Her first priority taken care of, Miaka addressed her escort.
"So, Tamahome-" Miaka stopped mid-sentence when she realized she was
alone. "I lost Tamahome!" she cried, arms waving. She looked in panic
from side to side. "What do I DO?! I don't know!" The girl ran in
desperate circles about the courtyard. "Which way did I come from?"
Finally stopping in the center, arms still gesturing wildly, Miaka wailed, "I'm
loooooost!"
A genteel laugh from behind her quieted her voice.
“Eh?”
Miaka turned to look over her shoulder. A beautiful vision met her eyes. The figure was
perched on the short wall that ran down the length of the next building’s exterior
walkway. Pale lavender cloth, artfully draped, flowed down to accentuate the svelte,
smiling form. Long, dark dark gray hair cascaded around the refined face.
The person raised one graceful hand to point to Miaka's left.
The girl could only stare, transfixed, at the pure beauty before her.
The vision's smile widened. "What's wrong? You're lost, aren't you?" The silky, cultured voice continued, "There's a gate. You can escape through it."
Jolted out of her reverie, Miaka gave a short bow. "Thanks." She said uncertainly, then quickly scurried away, still staring.
"Are you the one who was arrested?"
With a strangled "Geep!" Miaka froze.
“You are, aren’t you?” The hypnotic eyes blinked once. “I heard you were impolite in front of the Emperor.”
Miaka laughed, trying to sound innocent and completely failing.
“What are you saying? I’m just a Junior High student who’s passing through
is all.” She held up one hand in farewell, ripped her gaze away from amber, and
walked towards the beckoning gate. “So see ya!”
“It’s okay. I’m on your side,” the cultured
voice called after her. “I won’t turn you over to the soldiers. Don’t
worry.”
Miaka stopped her steady flight and turned to watch the quiet speaker. "H-hontou?" she whispered.
A graceful nod was her reply.
*******
Tamahome
ran up a short flight of stairs and paused at an intersection of three walkways. He peered
down each. "Shoot, that girl is so stupid!" He chose a direction and ran.
"Where'd she go?!"
He skidded to a stop when two guards appeared in front of him. "Not good!" He whirled about and ran back.
"Hey, wait!" the guards shouted, then pounded after him.
"Get him!"
Back in the intersection, Tamahome leaped down the stairs when more soldiers appeared to cut off his escape. The guards joined forces and pursued him as a pointy, angry mob.
*******
"You want to find your friend?" the elegant vision asked Miaka.
The girl looked at the ground in guilt. "It's my fault he's involved. Unless I help him escape, I can't return to my world."
"Your world?" surprise was evident in the smooth voice. "Then, that means you are not from this world? You say you're from another, separate one?"
"Yes." Miaka sharply looked up into the beautiful face.
Oops. She probably won't believe me. Miaka cast her worried gaze back down, ears
straining for the first signs of disbelief. She very much wanted this lovely woman to like
her! I’ve said something suspicious. What’ll I do now?
"That's wonderful!"
Miaka blinked. "Huh?"
"Oh, it is so interesting!" With one hand resting on a sculptured
chin, the vision eagerly smiled. "Is that right, you are from another world? That is
wonderful!"
Miaka blinked, then gasped when warm hands gently held her face.
"Don't worry." The sparkling, golden eyes were close to her own. "Normally, people call me by a different name. But to you, I am Hotohori."
Staring
into Hotohori's eyes, completely captivated, she replied, "I'm Yuuki Miaka. Please,
call me Miaka."
"Good, I am glad we have been introduced."
Blushing, Miaka looked down, unable to maintain the intense gaze.
"Is something wrong?"
"N-no, not really," she hesitantly replied. "I think you're beautiful, Hotohori."
"Many people say that." The voice was unincriminating, but neither
was it ashamed. The beauty turned at the sound of approaching guards, then turned to
firmly push Miaka away. "Hurry! Hide!"
*******
"Where's
the girl?" one of the soldiers demanded of Tamahome, who was securely bound with
thick ropes. The guard sank his heavy hand into Tamahome's blue hair and yanked the
captive's head up. "Where is she?! Tell us now!"
Tamahome turned his face away from the guard's with a jerk. "I don't know."
The soldier gripped Tamahome's throat and leaned into his face. "Are you still resisting?!"
"I said 'I don't know' because I don't know! While you were chasing me, she might have slipped away!"
"You bastard!" the guard snarled.
She was unable to bear it any longer, Miaka left her hiding place. “Wait!” she insistently called.
Tamahome stared in horror at the girl, his eyes fearfuly shining
over one of the guard’s drawn swords. She was standing, defenseless, a short distance
away. “Miaka!”
"Please don't hurt him!" she pleaded and ran towards
them.
"Baka! Don't come here!"
She stopped at Tamahome's shout.
"Miaka, what are you doing here?"
"Because--"
One of the soldiers stepped forward.
"Because I can't leave you behind!" She turned to run, but was quickly snagged from behind.
"Miaka!" Tamahome shouted, straining.
"Tamahome!" she futilely struggled to escape the soldier's iron grasp.
His voice
rising in an infuriated growl, Tamahome's kanji appeared to burn in the center of his
forehead in a blazing flash of red light.
Beautiful amber eyes widened in shock.
Tamahome split the ropes that had been holding him captive moments before. With a shout, he slammed away the guards surrounding him and charged the line soldier holding Miaka. His fist impacted the man's chest and sent him flying backwards.
Tamahome crouched protectively in front of Miaka, teeth bared.
"You--if even one finger touches her...I'll finish you!"
"Quiet!" the cultured voice rang out through the courtyard with unquestioning authority. "Quiet down!" The elegant figure stood imposingly before them. "Without my order, I will not permit you to hurt them!"
Tamahome backed up a step and pointed an astonished finger at their sudden rescuer. “Who are you?”
The guard behind him stuttered out, “H--Heika!” before
all the soldiers kneeled and bowed low on the ground. Tamahome looked back and forth at
their prostrate forms, then back at the person before him.
"The real one?"
A smile and cordial nod was his answer.
With a strangled noise, Tamahome dove for the ground and joined the soldiers.
Miaka stared uncertainly at the figure, one hand at her mouth. "Hotohori-san is the Emperor? She's so young and beautiful!"
"Baka! The Emperor is a man!" Tamahome yelled up from
his bow.
Hands behind her head, Miaka scoffed him. "No way."
"Shut up! You need to bow before him!" Tamahome cracked open his eyes and looked for Miaka, to once again find her not there. He whipped his head from side to side and finally found her.
The
girl was standing in front of her lovely young woman, hands pressing against the enrobed
chest. “Oh...flat!” Miaka debated her findings for a moment, eyes closed with
concentration. She looked down at the enrobed hips. “That means there’s a
mysterious thing on his lower body.”
The Emperor smiled.
Tamahome appeared behind her and socked the girl on top of her head. "Don't think that far!" he admonished with an embarassed shout.
*******
Miaka and Tamahome knelt side-by-side on the red carpet within the throne room of Konan, ranks of soldiers a respectful distance behind them.
“Forgive me, Miaka,” Hotohori’s voice asked from his seat on
the raised dais. “I didn’t want to deceive you. I wanted to get to know you, so
I hid my true identity. But I now know that you are not a monster, nor an enemy!”
Hotohori’s long hair had been piled on top of his head, and was covered by his imperial red cap. Only his bangs dangled over his perfect skin and beautiful golden eyes.
At
his encouraging words, Miaka looked up. "Then that means we..."
"Yes. We won't hurt you," the Emperor finished her sentence for her.
Miaka smiled broadly, and Tamahome sat up to gaze up at the Emperor in shocked gratitude.
"But may I request something?" Hotohori's strong voice asked. His tone became serious. "Miaka, can you help Konan?"
Her eyes turned to saucers. Wha? Me? Help his country??
Befrore she could think of a way to phrase her questions, he continued.
“According to ancient tradition, when the country is in risk of extinction, a girl will appear from another world. The girl will possess the power of Suzaku and organize the country.”
A girl with the
powers of a god?? “No!” Miaka jumped to her feet when she realized what he
implied, heart pounding. “I’m not the girl! I’m just a Junior High
student! I have an entrance exam to take! My coming here was just an accident!”
"Then you do not want the power of Suzaku?" Hotohori asked in astonishment. "You have no wish for that?" He leaned forward, his gold and red imperial robes rustling quietly in the silent room.
His words struck a chord within her. "Wish?" Miaka paused uncertainly as Yui's remembered voice rang out in her mind.
“This is a story of a girl who obtained the Seven
Shichiseishi of Suzaku. She obtained omnipotent powers and made her wishes come true. The
story itself is an incantation. Those who finish reading it shall receive the power. As
soon as the page is turned, the story will become the truth and begin.”
The vision of the red, gleaming phoenix burned through her memory.
"That means if I read the book and become the heroine...I
can wear contoured clothes!" Miaka envisioned herself with a lovely curved figure,
clad in a skin-tight pink dress. "I could become the most popular girl in
school!" Love letters and party invitations shoved the voluptuous woman out of the
way. "Be strong enough to defeat anyone!" Miaka held out her arms and made
victory signs with both hands at the imagined sight of herself shaped like Miss Universe,
complete with tiny bikini. "I can have my favorite foods any time!" She drooled
over the sight of all her favorite dishes.
When her imagination took the next step, her eyes glazed over. “That’s right! I’ll be absolutely able to pass ANY entrance exam!”
Hotohori laughed. "Then what's holding you back? The world is yours, if you wish it."
Miaka stood and looked at him with determination. "I'll do
it! I'll do it! I'll do it!" She leaned forward. "Become Suzaku no
Miko! I'll do it! I've been waiting for this kind of chance!"
Hotohori quietly smiled his triumph, then suddenly leaped to his
feet. He shouted to all those present, “Give her your respect, everyone!” He
raised one robed arm to point at Miaka. “This is the girl who shall obtain the power
of Suzaku. She is our country’s protector, Suzaku no Miko!”
Beside her, Tamahome watched the girl and listened to his Emperor, mixed emotions written upon his face.
*******
Miaka, Tamhome, and Hotohori stood in the doorway of the
Imperial palace. Eyes quivering and heart pounding within her breast, Miaka gazed upon the
ranks of bowing people that cast themselves before her. They filled the immense space that
expanded before the stairs of the palace. One by one, their eyes shone at her, smiles
bright upon their faces, before they fell to the ground and bowed low.
The sight was overwhelming and beyond belief.
*******
"The girl agreed to become Suzaku no Miko. People formed lines and prostrated themselves before her."
On the page of Shijintenchisho, murky in the dim light of the Important Documents Reference Room, the simple illustration on the facing page showed the girl, framed in the doorway of the beautiful palace. Hordes of people bowed before her, placing upon her all their hopes, trust, and dreams.
Yui’s breath caught in her thoat.
** end episode two **
This summary is based on the translation by Karen Duffy and Yamazaki Masatomo. Used with permission. Adaptation by Sailor Two Moons 11-25-98. FY Chapter Two part II last tweaked on 11-15-01, when I finished the rewrite and removed the problematic code from the links.