FUSHIGI YATSURA

CHAPTER ONE

	The Book sat patiently in the back of the library, locked up
(supposedly) in a closet labeled, in nice big letters, "Important
Document Reading Room".  It had sat there for many years, but it didn't
mind - it was waiting, searching for the next victim to be sacrificed to
the animal Gods.
	And, let's face it, it's not like it could be doing anything else.  I
mean, it couldn't exactly saunter down to the local bar for a couple of
glasses of sake and maybe an extra-spicy okonomiyaki, now could it? 
Nobody ever considers what the Book has to go through in all of this -
there's no vacation time or sick leave for mystic tomes of arcane power,
nosiree.  Books like that aren't known for having a social life, and for
good reason.
	Anyway.
	The Book's magic was suddenly awoken, and secondary spells put out
eldritch tendrils into the etheric plane to determine the exact reason
why.  Interesting... not only had it detected a girl of high enough
quality to serve as Miko, it had found two, in this very library!
	Books don't get time off.  They don't feel triumph, either, but this
one somehow had a smug air about it as it gently lured the girls up...
up...

	"Aaaa!  Mitte yo!"
	"Sugoi... all these old books. Demo... are you sure we should be up
here?"
	"Oh, don't worry about it.  If we weren't supposed to be here, the door
would have been locked, ne?"
	The Book smirked, or it would have if it could.  A little telekinesis
to unlock the door did the trick every time.
	"I guess..."
	"Look at this one!"  The Book was pulled from its shelf, and strived to
look as inanimate as it could.  "Let's see... �The Four Gods' Earth and
Sky'.  Want to take a look?"
	"I don't know... it looks kind of fragile."
	"Daijobu!  We'll put it right back."
	"Well... all right."
	And it had them.  As easy as that.

	She shook her head in confusion.  The last few minutes had been a blur
of activity - first the red glow from the book, then she was falling,
and finally found herself...
	Where?
	Overlooking an ancient city of some kind.  History wasn't her best
subject, but she guessed it to be Chinese, from a few centuries before. 
She could barely make out people dressed in peasant garb walking the
streets below her.
	Well, at least her companion wasn't around.  That was one less thing to
worry about.  She turned to head toward the city... when abruptly
someone was holding her shoulder.
	"Hey, little girl."  The bandit leered as he looked her over.  "Those
are some weird clothes you've got there."  Behind him, his gang chuckled
menacingly.  "You're not from around here, are you?"
	Innocently, she turned to face him.  "No, I'm afraid not.  What city is
that?"
	"That?  Why, that's Konan - not that it's going to matter to you."
	She blinked.  "Eh?"

	Tamahome counted the coins in his pouch for the seventeenth time that
hour.  Not much, but it was enough to hold him until he could build it
back up again.  He hoped there would be some jobs open in Konan...
	"...girl like you... valuable on the open market..."
	He stopped and listened carefully.
	"What?!  You want to sell me?"
	There was a round of chuckles.  "That's right - though not at first. 
We've been on the road a long time, you see..."
	Tamahome quickly moved toward the voices, taking a shortcut through the
forest.  Scum like that didn't deserve to live.
	"Let go of me!  I'm warning you!"
	"Oh, come on - if you stop fighting, you might actually like it!"
	He stepped out into the open, to see the bandits menacing a young
girl.  She was wearing odd clothing that revealed an immodest amount of
arm and ankle, and Tamahome smiled to himself.  Anyone who could afford
weird clothes like that would almost certainly have money to give him if
he rescued her.
	He cleared his throat.  "I don't think you should..."
	"REPENT!"
	The area was suddenly lit up with a blazing blue light, and was filled
with the twin sounds of an electrical discharge, and several voices
screaming.  Eventually the display ended, and the girl was surrounded by
the smouldering bodies of badly stunned bandits.
	Tamahome, now with an unobstructed view of the girl, noticed her long
green hair, which didn't quite conceal the two small horns protruding
from her head.
	He backed up nervously.  "O... o... ONI!"
	She whirled at the sound of his voice and pointed a finger at him.  The
digit crackled with energy waiting to be unleashed.  "YOU! Tell me where
I am, or else!"
	"K... Konan province."  He couldn't take his eyes from her - could this
possibly be the Suzaku no Miko he'd been born to protect?  She seemed to
fit the description, but...
	But somehow, he doubted she needed him to protect her.

	"LUM NO BAKA!"
	Ran stomped down the streets, seething internally and muttering out
loud.  "You just HAD to read that stupid book, didn't you?  And drag me
into it right along with you!  If I ever get out of this, you'll pay!" 
She lifted her head and screamed at the sky.  "DO YOU HEAR ME?!  YOU'LL
PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!"
	She ignored the odd looks she received from the peasants around her. 
In fact, so caught up was she in her desire for vengeance that she
didn't notice that she was wandering into what was obviously the seedy
side of town.
	Ran sighed.  "Well, I guess I can't do anything about that right now...
I'm going to need a place to stay until I can figure out a way to get
home."  Finally she looked around.  "And I thought Tokyo was a dump... I
wonder if there are any decent hotels around here?"
	"Psst - hey, pretty girl!"
	Ran looked up, and saw a man beckoning to her from an alleyway. 
Deciding she needed all the charm she could muster, Ran put on her cute
face and skipped over to him.  "Do you know where I could find a hotel,
kind sir?"
	He grinned - this was too easy.  "Sure - just follow me, and me and my
friends will take you there."  A pair of shadows emerged from the alley
and leered at her.
	Homicidal though Ran was, she was hardly stupid.  "Ano, I think I'd
rather find it myself."  She turned to leave.  "Sumimasen!"
	She suddenly found herself pushed heavily against the alley wall; the
peasants outside moved away quickly, not wanting to get involved.  The
man pushed his face next to hers, nearly choking her with his foul
breath.  "You seem to think you have a choice."  He put his hand on the
front of her blouse.  "Don't worry - we'll take turns like gentlemen."
	She knew what she had to do, but she didn't like it one bit.  Still, it
would serve this pervert right.  She smiled as sweetly as she could. 
"You first, then."  Steeling her nerves, she leaned forward and kissed
him.  He looked surprised at first, then pleased... and then horrified
as she drained the youth out of him.
	His companions stared in shock as their leader crumpled to the ground
as an old man.  Ran rubbed her mouth and spat as daintily as she could. 
"Probably haven't invented toothpaste yet..."  She turned to the
others.  "Okay, who's next?"
	The would-be rapists fled down the alley, their nerve broken.  Ran
scowled, her face taking on its natural look of berserk rage.  "Oh, no
you don't!"  She pulled a chunk of masonry from the wall next to her,
and threw it at them - twin screams of pain told her she'd scored a
direct hit.  She shook her head and, with a bit of effort, brought her
expression back to its former cute self.  "A girl can't walk the street
alone these days!"  She giggled girlishly.
	It was at this point that a piece of stone fell from the remains of the
wall and hit her in the head.
	Later, a tall man with blonde hair happened by that area of town, and
saw Ran's prone form.  He smiled ever so slightly. *Seiryuu no Miko.  At
last.*