Starlit Reflections

Fushigi Yuugi is copyright Watase Yuu, Flower Comics, Studio Perriot, Pioneer Entertainment and Viz Communications. All rights remain theirs and I have no claim to any of them. Tasuki, Kouji and the Mt. Leikaku bandits, however, have cheerfully laid claim to all the money you happen to have in your pockets as you're reading this. It and all C&C will be welcome.

Chapter Fifteen: Flame Returns

He hated waiting.

He always had, all of His life. Doing something and then waiting for the result had always seemed to Him to be profoundly irritating; should not consequences immediately follow actions?

But it was a truism often repeated by His older brothers that when choosing an action He was choosing the consequences of the action, including its far-off ripples; and, more importantly, that if He wanted a particular event, He would have to choose the action that would cause it. And so He had done.

It wasn't just necessary, it was vital, as He had explained to His family. His entire people needed this. However, the length of time between His action and its consequences was unavoidable. It gave Him time to reflect, on how many ways the future could still change. On how He was taking a great chance with this. And on how He hated waiting.

Miboshi couldn't remember much of the beginning anymore. Leaping from body to body, from life to life, tended to erode memories. So many families, so many faces, lost to time and death. There had been marriages, lovers and children. There had been nights of passion and days of happiness. And time, cruel shattering irreversable flood, had swept them all up like so many dead leaves upon the river's surface, bearing them down past the tip of the land of life, where riverbank met ocean and life met death, carrying all the lives that had ever touched his, leaving him alone upon the riverbank, divorced from death.

He was male this time, having leapt to the body of a young monk some twenty years previously. Unlike most, the monk hadn't struggled; when Miboshi had begun to force him out, he had simply said, "Don't worry; I leave my purpose in your hands," and quit his hold on his body. Miboshi had been sorry to see him go. A soul so at peace with itself might have been able to teach him to find some peace with himself.

It had been a gentle pleasure to meet a young child-dedicate presented to the temple some five years later. It was always good to see those who had done him favours again, especially if they were doing well. And if he occasionally... reminded... the universe of the karmic debt owed to such people... well, as long as nobody found out, who did it hurt?

A messenger entered the sanctuary where Miboshi was meditating. "Holy Abbot," he began, "the Emperor sends greetings to you, and begs that you might hear his words."

This sounded boring, but if there was one thing Miboshi had learnt over five lifetimes, it was that annoying the people in power without good reason was a very bad move. "I would be pleased to hear the Emperor's message," he lied easily, without moving out of his half-lotus stance.

"The Emperor begs to inform the Holy Abbot of a crisis that threatens the Church of Seiryuu and His Holy Empire. A girl has appeared to claim the title of the Holy Priestess. However, she refused the hospitality of the Emperor, and began a tour of the country, accompanied only by the four Shichiseishi."

Miboshi nodded absently.  Well, this Priestess is an intelligent one, at least. If I had been female when I first met his Imperial Majesty, the first thing I'd have done would have been run away as fast as my legs would take me. And a tour... that's not a bad way to flush the other two Shichiseishi out of the underbrush, as well as getting away from his lecherous Majesty's advances. And it will show her what kind of wishes to make.

The messenger was continuing. "His Majesty also wishes the Holy Abbot to know that the girl, who may be the Holy Priestess, is being sponsored by the Followers of the Lightning and the Daughters of the Holy Tree."

Miboshi did not stir at this obvious provocation. "We all follow Lord Seiryuu, my son. That some prefer certain aspects of Him to others is no sin, as long as they follow Him." Seeing the frightened look on the messenger's face, he added, "As I have informed His Majesty many times, and doubtless he does not need to hear again."

The messenger nodded, and Miboshi felt a surge of satisfaction. Yes, be charmed and reassured by the kindly abbot who clearly is a nice, sweet man and much more sensible than the dissolute lecher on the throne. You're mine, boy. "His Majesty wishes also to tell you that the Priestess will be in this region shortly. He asks that the Holy Abbot reassure him about her."

Ah. I believe I see. He wants me to either expose her as a fraud or ensure she can't continue her mission. "Please carry this message back to His Majesty," Miboshi began. "I am most flattered by His Majesty's faith in me. I will be delighted to offer the hospitality of the Temple to the young Priestess. While she is here, I will be pleased to inquire of her theology and to look for the signs Seiryuu has granted us to know if she is indeed his most holy Priestess, or merely an ordinary Priestess who is blessed with a wish to help heal our fractured country." Oh, I'll be most pleased to do that. "And I will be sure to send word to the Emperor as soon as I am sure that I know the truth." Though what I'll do if she really is the Priestess of Seiryuu is hardly going to please him.

The messenger bowed himself out, and Miboshi felt himself begin to shake in reaction, as he stopped calculating and started anticipating. She might be here. Finally. Possibly. Oh, Lord Seiryuu... is it she? I've waited so long.... Is it she?

The National Library was still open, something that vaguely startled Miaka as she pushed open the door. It was after seven, and if she'd shown up at school at this hour she would've been politely shown the door. Even the most fervent clubs usually shut down by five-thirty.

Still, looking around at the businesspeople who were quietly walking through the stacks and sitting around, reading the newspapers and leafing through the books they'd chosen, she realized: this was the adult-users time.

It brought a disquieting note of seriousness to her journey, as if by using the library at this time, she was declaring her activities to be as serious and adult as those of the adults who were also using the library.

But it is, isn't it? I'm saving Konan and rescuing Yui. If that's not serious, I don't know what is!

She tried to walk as nonchalantly as she could towards the back of the library and the storeroom where she'd first found the Book of the Universe of the Four Gods. Nobody looked at her as she made her way there, something which gave her a lot more confidence so, by the time she walked past the librarian's desk, she was actually walking normally rather than slinking.

She did not notice her brother or his best friend entering the library and following her.

After gaining the safety of the storeroom, Miaka looked around and saw the the Book lying, face-up, on the wooden floorboards. A soft blue-coloured light was coming from the pages, which flipped over slowly, one at a time, in the still air of the storeroom. Miaka sat down beside it. "Yui?" she said softly, and then noticed that the pages were filling with writing.

'The Priestess of Seiryuu was pleased as she and her Shichiseishi entered the city. Her thoughts were not upon the sights she and her followers had seen, but rather the prospect of a hot bath....'

Miaka blinked. Now she really had to get back, if Koutou had managed to find its Priestess!

The trouble was that she had no idea how. Yui wasn't appearing in the Book, so it was clear she hadn't found her way to Taiitsukun's mountain. Was there any way back?

Miaka thought of Hotohori, his strength, intelligence and sense of iron duty; Nuriko and her wit, vivaciousness and refusal to accept defeat; and Tamahome's endurance and persistence. Hotohori would try to think of a way. Nuriko wouldn't accept that there wasn't one. Tamahome would anything it took to get back. And I will get back to them!

"Miaka! What are you doing here?"

She snatched up the Book, pressing it to her chest and whirling around to see Keisuke in the doorway. "Older Brother!" she squeaked, and then felt a sudden burst of heat emanating from the Book. She dropped it and it fell to her feet, the light from the pages suddenly much more intense and bright red.

"Miaka, I thought I told you --"

"I'm sorry, Older Brother!" Miaka interrupted him. The light from the book began to strobe -- red, then pink, then gold, then pink again, and red again, and back to pink on the way to gold... the effect stippled across Miaka's skin and gave the impression of spinning stripes of light. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go... they need me!"

Keisuke could only stare as the stripes began to all circle in on Miaka, enwrapping her and glowing, turning her into a girl made of light and pulling her down into the book at her feet. Which promptly stopped glowing and slammed shut.

"Well, that's telling us," Tetsuya said, in a mild tone, as he stepped past Keisuke and bent down to pick the book up.

Yui would be hard-put to say what was the most surreal aspect of the long journey she found herself upon; the fact that she had somehow acquired a pet werewolf, the odd relationship she'd found with Soi, or the way all the people bowed to her and paid her respect.

Respect was about the only thing that the common people of Koutou could pay, it seemed. Everywhere, the people were doing their best to eke out their lives as best they could. The fields were full of weeds, and the houses were all in a state of advanced disrepair.

There were no young men. Women and children were in the fields and ran to the road to see their party -- and Yui could not miss their relief when they saw that she and her companions were not conventionally armed. Each and every one of them seemed suddenly and intensely religious when it was mentioned that she was a priestess.

She really didn't like the mental picture that was drawing itself upon her mind.

If she was the salvation of this country, then she had a lot of work to do. And she wasn't sure that three wishes would be enough.

Ahead of her, a small city, hardly more than a large town really, rose out of the landscape. It wasn't clear what she'd find there, but she didn't think the answers to her questions would be over the rise of the next hill anymore.

The land was rich. That much was obvious. Yui was pretty sure that the fault lay elsewhere. The imperial court of Chengdu was very high on her list of suspects.

But Yui didn't want to think about that anymore. If they rode hard, they'd probably make it to the Temple of Seiryuu here before nightfall, and she'd be able to sleep in a bed, and take a hot bath first. Oh, a lovely hot bath, with soap and soft towels....

"What are you thinking of?" Soi asked, from beside her. Ashitare, running alongside Yumi's other side, looked up, his tongue lolling out. Yumi sidestepped nervously; she may have been a fairly placid palfrey, but Ashitare was still a wolf and she didn't like him one little bit.

"A bath," Yui told her.

"Mmm," Soi replied dreamily. "With hot water and a sponge. And a warm bed afterward...."

"With soft clean sheets...."

Both girls looked at each other and giggled.

Behind them, Suboshi looked at them askance. "I'm looking forward to a nice meal," he told them. Tomo leaned over and casually cuffed him. "HEY!"

"That's my cooking you're insulting."

"There's someone coming from the city," Amiboshi interrupted them. "We'd better get over to the side of the road."

The figure Amiboshi had seen riding towards them turned out to be a troop of soldiers, in the livery of the Temple. Yui frowned. Yet another symptom that something was wrong with this country, that the church of the national god felt it had to maintain a separate armed force.

They didn't ride past the small group, but instead pulled up in front of them. "My Lords and Ladies," the priest riding at the head of the troop called.

"Why do you call us that?" Amiboshi replied, the twitching of his hands on his reins making his horse stir restlessly.

"You are the Lords Amiboshi, Tomo and Suboshi, the Lady Soi and the Priestess of Seiryuu, are you not?"

"And if we are?" Suboshi demanded rudely as Yui cast a quelling glance at him.

The priest's lips quirked. "Then I am under orders from the Holly Abbot of the Temple of Seiryuu in Tsiang to escort you safely to the Temple." He made a gesture and the troop swiftly moved into formation around them.

Ashitare pressed up against Yui's foot. "No," she whispered softly to him, "I don't like this either, but we'll go along with it."

"For now," Soi breathed, loud enough for Ashitare to hear.

Ashitare butted his shaggy head up under Yui's hand, silently but obviously agreeing with his fellow Shichiseishi.

If Nuriko didn't stop making those shadow figures on the wall behind the councillors, Hotohori decided, he was going to be utterly unable to follow the Court at all.

Still, he couldn't blame her. In the three months since Miaka had returned to her world, there had been very little to occupy the Court. Koutou hadn't been making any new inroads into Konan's territory, there hadn't been any natural disasters, and the land had been prospering. So Court sessions had become more and more boring, and Hotohori struggled to keep paying enough attention to follow them. Nuriko was no longer bothering to do so, and spent the interminable hours sitting in the throne room amusing herself in other ways. She'd drawn caricatures of the councillors, made (and recited to Hotohori very very softly) dirty poetry, and was now re-enacting 'The Journey To The West' on the wall behind the councillors with the shadows of her hands. Soundless and unpractised, her story was still far more riveting than whatever Lord Xiao was going on about.

Lord Yukino approached the throne, unable to restrain his curiosity about what the Emperor was staring at. He placed the papers (his excuse) on the small table in front of the Emperor, looked up, and saw Lord Nuriko sitting behind the row of courtiers and a candle, making a shadow-play. Stepping down, he shook his head, smiling indulgently. That boy was irrepressible.

There was a sudden BOOM!! and the Emperor fell out of his chair. This was possibly because a young girl had fallen out of the air onto his head.

Hotohori's head swivelled round to see why he was suddenly plastered to the table. "Miaka?" he said, disbelieving.

"MIAKA!" came from the back of the room, and suddenly Nuriko was hauling Miaka and her bag off Hotohori's back and giving her a fervent hug.

The councillors blinked.

"Ah, don't any of you recognise the Priestess of Suzaku?" Hotohori asked, looking around.

A relieved "Ah," echoed through the room. Lord Xiao stepped forward. "Well, since another matter has clearly arisen that requires Your Majesty's close attention, I think that with Your Majesty's permission, Court should close for the day."

Hotohori nodded. "Indeed. You have Our permission to withdraw."

The councillors bowed and shuffled out. "Finally!" "At last!" "Well, there goes my speech tomorrow...."

Nuriko waited until the last had left (Lord Yukino, who had said, "You need to work on the rabbit," as he left, a puzzling statement until Nuriko remembered what she'd been doing before Miaka arrived) before shutting and bolting the doors behind them.

"Are you all right?" Hotohori asked, his face serious. "You were very ill when you left."

"Don't worry," Miaka said brightly, "I'm fine now! Please tell me what's been going on."

Nuriko smiled. "Well, not much, since you left us three months ago."

"Three months?"

Hotohori cocked his head at her. "Yes, it has been three months since you left us - it is now midsummer. I take it that it has not been the same for you?"

"No, for me it's been less than a day," Miaka said vaguely. "What's happened? I can see you two are fine - where's Tamahome?"

"He went to see his father."

"Oh."

Nuriko glanced over at Hotohori. He seemed to be taking the fact that her first question had been about Tamahome rather well. He was looking... rather calm, now she came to think about it. As if something which had been worrying him had been laid to rest.

"I think," Hotohori said calmly, "that we all ought to go to lunch, and then we'll think about what we should do next." He looked at Nuriko, and she blushed at the unfamiliar expression in his eyes.

Keisuke looked over Tetsuya's shoulder at the Book, which Tetsuya had flipped open. "Hey, it's writing itself."

His best friend, who remained maddeningly cool in the face of the book that had eaten a girl, lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think this is a book as much as a portal to another world."

"You've been watching 'Star Trek' again, haven't you."

Tetsuya snorted. "'Star Trek' has nothing to do with alternate reality theory, Keisuke. As you would know if you'd paid much attention to your advanced physics theory lectures. Do you even know about Schroedinger's Cat?"

"Yes, of course I know about Schroedinger's Cat, but this is hardly the same thing!"

"Schroedinger's Cat postulates that two different realities can exist congruently. It appears that this book is a link between this reality and another that exist congruently, and your sister and her best friend have managed to travel along it."

"You don't know that!"

"If you've got a better theory, I'm listening." Keisuke spluttered incoherently, and Tetsuya nodded. "I thought so. I'm going to the main Reading Room. This Book's handwriting is hard enough to read as it is, without the low light here."