Previous chapters may be found at
http://www.thejohnsens.com/sr.html

Please enjoy!

Raye

----------

Starlit Reflections

by Raye Johnsen
raye_j@yahoo.com

*****

Fushigi Yuugi is copyright Watase Yuu, Flower Comics,
Studio Perriot, Viz Communications and Pioneer
Entertainment. All rights remain theirs and no profit
is being made from this (Tamahome would doubtless get
it all if there was any anyway).

*****

Chapter Twelve: Dinner and Discussion

	Every eye fixed on Yui as she entered the dining
hall, an entirely unexpected barrage of interest
making her feel as exposed as if she were naked -
which was an entirely silly thing to feel, in the long
trousers and high-necked, full-sleeved tunic she was
wearing.  She glanced quickly from one side of the
hall to the other, taking in the hall at a glance.

	Priests and priestesses sat at long tables, where
they had been eating and talking quietly amongst
themselves.  Some still were; others had looked at
her, apparently decided that she wasn't *that*
interesting, and gone back to their meals.  Many,
however, were watching her, waiting for her next
action.

	Several novice priests and priestesses were standing
around the hall.  The dishes in their hands indicated
that they had been serving their elders' meals, but
now they were just standing, watching her.

	Soi stepped forward from behind her.  "It's best to
just smile, Lady Yui," she said, very softly.  "They
won't do anything until the three of us sit down.  Our
seats are up there, at the head table."

	Yui swallowed, smiled woodenly at the room, and
walked as quickly as she could to the table Soi
indicated.

	Four people were already sitting there.  One was an
old man, wearing his silvered hair and beard long,
dressed in a midnight-blue robe.  He looked
intelligent, slightly dyspeptic and thoroughly bored. 
The woman sitting beside him looked to be of a similar
age, but her robe was sky-blue.  Her snow-white hair
was tied up in a no-nonsense bun speared through with
six metal hairpins that looked as if they could very
easily be daggers, and her dark eyes gleamed with good
humour as she watched the small procession cross the
room.  Beside her sat a man.  Yui felt her eyes widen
as she took in the tall feathered headdress, the
stripes of black, blue and red makeup on the
bone-whitened face, framed by the long beaded tails of
hair.  His golden eyes stared at her, blank, without
any emotion.  Then he glanced at Soi, and Yui shivered
in the reflection of the icy animosity that shimmered
between them.  The fourth was a boy, who looked a
little older than her.  His grey-blue eyes were very
serious as he watched Yui walk up to the table.

	She sat down beside the boy, and glanced at him
again, then glanced to her left, where Suboshi was
taking his seat.  She looked back at the boy on her
right.  He caught her glance and smiled.  "Your eyes
are fine," he smiled.  "I am Amiboshi, Suboshi's older
brother."

	"We're twins," Suboshi informed her quickly.

	Yui blinked and nodded.  She waited as the novices
were cajoled into action once more, and she, Suboshi
and Soi were served.  The meal consisted of some
slivers of roast pork, various types of vegetables
cooked in rice, miso broth, plain rice and bamboo
shoots fried in sesame oil.  It smelled delicious, and
she picked up her chopsticks with a good will.

	"That 'Emperor' has less respect for the Temple every
year," the old man grumbled.  "Look at this!"

	"I know," the old woman commiserated.  "But what can
you do?  He thinks that he doesn't need Lord Seiryuu's
support, the foolish boy."

	After a few mouthfuls, Yui's curiosity was no longer
suborned by her hunger, and she decided to try to get
the answers she needed.  "Excuse me," Yui said to
Amiboshi, "but will you tell me what is going on?"

	Amiboshi hastily swallowed a mouthful of vegetables. 
"What exactly do you want to know?" he asked politely.

	"Well - everything, really.  Who is Seiryuu?  Why do
Soi and Suboshi say I'm their Priestess?  What's going
on, and where do I fit in?"

	Amiboshi shot a sour look down the table.  Soi and
Suboshi blinked at him innocently.  "Well," he began,
"Seiryuu is the Azure Dragon, represented by the
Lightning that shoots from the Heavens to the Earth. 
Some say He is as a tree that reaches from the Earth
to the Heavens -"

	"He *is* the Holy Tree, young man," the old woman
interrupted him.  "No 'some say' about it!"

	Amiboshi sighed.  "Very well, my Lady High
Priestess," he said in a long-suffering tone.  "He
*is* the Holy Tree."

	The older woman nodded decidedly.  "My Lady, Our Lord
Seiryuu knew there would come a time when we would
need to call upon His power more directly.  To that
end, He gave to us a prophecy - that there would be
born seven warriors who would bear His mark and His
strength, and in their time a Priestess would come
from another world, who would combine the seven into
one and use their power to call upon Lord Seiryuu,
whereupon she would become the vessel of His power and
her wishes would become reality."  She stopped and
took a mouthful of her dinner.

	The old man sitting at the end of the table sniffed
his tea suspiciously.  "Three wishes."

	Yui craned her neck.  "I'm sorry, sir?"

	"The Priestess of Seiryuu gets three wishes, and
that's it."  The old man sipped as delicately as a
girl at his china cup.  "She can remould reality with
those wishes, but she's only got three chances."  He
fixed her with a beady stare.  "So don't waste them,
my Lady."

	She blinked at him.  "I don't understand what you
mean, sir."

	"Don't play dumb, my Lady," the old man snapped. 
"Four of the seven Shichiseishi are here in this room,
and you suddenly appear out of nowhere, wearing the
most outlandish, not to mention immodest, garments and
with the aura of Lord Seiryuu's power turning the air
blue around you.  If you're not the Priestess of
Seiryuu then I haven't been the High Priest of X'ientu
for the past thirty years."

	"*Kang Li*!" the High Priestess hissed.  "You
shouldn't talk like that to the Priestess of Seiryuu!"

	"It's all right," Yui hastened to reassure the woman.

	The painted man began to laugh.  Amiboshi, Suboshi,
Yui and the two Heads of the Temple all looked at him
questioningly, but he merely shook his head and
continued to eat his dinner.

*****

	Miaka bit her lip as she bent over her History text. 
Dates and names danced around in her mind, constantly
rushing off to hide behind visions of food, Yui... and
Tamahome....

	/It's over,/ she told herself.  /I couldn't be their
Priestess, I have responsibilities here./

	/But you wanted to be,/ a treacherous little voice
reminded her.  /You could've stayed..../

	/But I *didn't*,/ she retorted.  /I'm *here*, where I
*belong*..../

	/Do you?/ another voice from within asked.  /Do you
*really*?/

	"Of course I do!" she snapped, out loud.

	"'Of course you do' what?" a baritone voice asked
quizzically from the doorway.  Miaka looked up to see
a young man with a shock of spiky blond-brown hair and
green eyes, similar to her own, leaning on her bedroom
doorjamb, holding a steaming cup of instant noodles in
one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other.

	"ELDER BROTHER!" she shouted, jumping up and running
over to glomp him.

	Keisuke managed not to spill the hot broth or lose
any noodles as he was suddenly embraced by his younger
sister, but he would be the first to admit it was due
more to good luck than to good management.  The
chopsticks went flying and a sad crunch told him they
were gone to wherever good chopsticks go when they
die.  He sighed; they had been a nice, enamelled pair,
too.  "Hey, Miaka," he said, patting her awkwardly
with his right hand.  "What happened?"

	Miaka pulled him over her bed and set him down on it.
 "It's a long story...."

	"I need some new chopsticks...."

	She fished a pair out of her desk drawer and handed
them to him.  He inspected them, polished them on his
sleeve, and then started to use them, as Miaka began
to tell him what had happened in the National Library
that afternoon.

*****

	There was a loud fanfare of trumpets outside the door
of the dining hall, and the large doors were flung
open.  Outside it stood a cavalcade of courtiers,
dressed in fine silks

	"His Majesty, Tsu Rin, August Emperor of the Koutou
Empire!" the herald at the door cried into the sudden
silence.  He stepped back, to reveal a man who looked
like he was about thirty.  His mouth was set into
petulant lines and his eyes were hard and greedy.  He
looked like when he was younger he had been heavily
muscled, but idleness and rich living had turned
muscle to fat, and all the silk and embroidery in the
world couldn't give it back.  That hadn't stopped his
tailor from trying.

	This vision of dissipation advanced into the room. 
He glanced from side to side at the silent ranks of
the priesthood of Seiryuu, and then up at the high
table, where Yui sat.  He glanced at her, and the hard
eyes brightened with avarice.  He gestured at his
escort, and an older man stepped forward.  He glanced
at the Emperor, who nodded.

	"We have heard," the courtier began smoothly, "that a
great and long-awaited personage has presented herself
to the Temple this day."  He glanced at the Emperor,
who frowned at him.  The courtier swallowed and
continued  "His Majesty the Emperor was most startled
and disappointed not to be offered the chance to
extend to her his most heartfelt welcome and
hospitality."

	Yui had been watching the Emperor, bile rising in her
throat, as the courtier had spoken.  She recognised
the look in his eyes as they crawled over her face and
body; the street ruffians had worn a similar
expression.  At least they had been open and honest
about their desires.

	Yui stood up suddenly, cutting off the rest of the
courtier's speech.  "Please convey to his Imperial
Majesty my sincere thanks for his good wishes, and my
apologies," she said loudly, her voice carrying out
into the corridor.  "However, I may not accept his
hospitality.  I am a *Priestess*, and thus my proper
place is here, in the Temple of my Lord Seiryuu.  I
truly appreciate the great honour his Majesty is
prepared to do me, but I am not of the Court and I
will not be joining it, and so it is most
inappropriate for me to accept it."

	The courtier stared at her, shocked.  "But you
can't!" he burst out.

	Yui felt her lips set in a grim line.  /'Can't'? 
What I *can't* do is go off alone with a man who wants
to make me have sex with him!/  "I am sorry to say
that I must.  As you may see, my lord, only four of
the Seven Shichiseishi of Seiryuu are seated here with
me.  I must find the other three as soon as possible."
 She bowed.  "Please convey my thanks to the Emperor
for his invitation, but as you can see, I may not
accept it."  She sat down again, firmly, and gripped
Suboshi's arm under the table.

	The Emperor looked as if he were suddenly sucking a
lemon, while the courtier looked downright scared.  "I
must ask that her Grace reconsider...."

	Suboshi flung his Taisuisen out at the man.  He
whirled it about the room, breaking empty cups and
strangling innocent curtains, before sending it to
spin menacingly in front of the Emperor.  "Her Grace
the Priestess of Seiryuu has given you her answer!  As
a Shichiseishi of Seiryuu, it's my duty to ensure she
is not distressed in any way - such as by having to
refuse you repeatedly!"

	Yui smiled at Suboshi, and the boy almost began to
glow under her approval.  Soi sighed almost inaudibly
and looked at her plate rather than anything else.

	The Emperor's lips set in a thin line, and he
gestured sharply at the door.  Mumbling apologies, the
courtiers withdrew from the dining hall.  There was
dead silence for almost a full minute.

	Then, Soi said, "We'll leave in an hour."

	"Huh?" Suboshi said intelligently.

	"The Emperor will not take no for an answer," she
explained patiently.  "He's withdrawn to prepare for
his next move.  So we have to move first, and I
suggest a strategic retreat."

	"To where, Miss Soi?" the painted man drawled. 
"We're at the Temple of Seiryuu already."

	"Why, Tomo," Soi purred venomously, "I should have
thought it was obvious.  Her Grace has already said
that we have to search for our remaining three
Shichiseishi.  I suggest we leave on that journey -
immediately."

	"I agree," Amiboshi said heavily.  

	Yui looked down.  "I'm sorry," she said quietly.  "I
didn't mean to make you all have to leave like this."

	"Don't worry about it," Suboshi told her.  "*I* don't
blame you at all.  The Emperor is *not* a nice
person!"

	"And you were right not to want to go with him," Soi
added.  "I would have stopped him if Suboshi hadn't. 
It's just that now we have to deal with the
consequences."

	"The resources of the Temple are yours, of course,"
the High Priestess said firmly.

	"Hn," the High Priest grunted in affirmation.  "That
boy needs to be taken down a peg or two.  Trying to
steal our Priestess out of our own Temple!  Get away,
that'll give him one in the eye.  It would never have
happened in his uncle's day - whatever else you say
about him -"

	"And there was plenty that was said about him," the
acolyte taking Yui's plate away muttered under his
breath.

	"- *he* respected the Temple and honoured Seiryuu
properly!"

	Yui bowed as she left the hall, and followed Soi. 
She didn't have much to pack, but there was no rule
that said she couldn't help.

*****

	After Keisuke finished choking, and Miaka had
finished hitting him on the back, he sat back and
looked at his younger sister.  "So, you're telling me
that you fell into a book."

	"Yes."

	"And you had lots of adventures."

	"Pretty much, yes."

	"And you came back."

	"You can see that."

	"Miaka, I have only one thing to say," Keisuke said.

	"What's that, Elder Brother?"

	"Get rid of the drugs immediately."

	"YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME?!?"

	"Miaka," Keisuke said in a long-suffering tone of
voice, "people don't 'fall into' books and have
adventures.  In fact, books are noted for their
solidity.  I know you're under a lot of stress right
now and it feels like everyone's against you, but
believe me, no pill, no matter how good it makes you
feel, is the answer."

	"I'm NOT on drugs!" Miaka snapped.

	"All right, all right," Keisuke said, "you must have
fallen asleep and had a very vivid dream."

	"A *vivid* *dream*?" Miaka repeated incredulously. 
She took a deep breath, trying to think of something
to convince Keisuke with, and shoved her hand in her
pocket.  She felt her finger slide over the edge of
something soft and silky.  She pulled it out, glanced
at it, and then threw it at him.  "I dreamed *this*?"

	Keisuke caught Nuriko's chemise, held it up, and
blushed bright red.  "Err... I guess not."

	"So you believe me now?!" she said triumphantly.

	"Let's just say I'm suspending my disbelief." 
Keisuke laid the silken undergarment down.  "Miaka,
this worries me.  I want you to promise me that you
won't try to re-enter that world."

	"Elder Brother, I thought you didn't believe me."

	"I'm serious, Miaka.  You're under a lot of stress
right now.  Going into that world - if you can - could
be very dangerous.  Miaka, promise me."

	Miaka frowned.  Making this promise was easy, right? 
It wasn't like she ever intended to go back.  But
somehow it felt wrong.  "I won't go into the book to
escape from my problems, Elder Brother."

	Keisuke frowned at her odd wording, but let it go. 
"All right.  Hey, you want something to eat?"

	Miaka was out of the room and heading towards the
kitchen so fast her desk chair fell over.

*****

	Nuriko sighed.  Hotohori was staring out the window
and humming under his breath.  The melody was sweet
and slow and she could almost fit words to it.

	The last councillor was winding up his speech and it
was amazing how Hotohori suddenly became Emperor
Saiheitei as the man launched into the closing
cadences of his speech.

	She managed to sit up and manufacture a reasonable
facsimile of respectful attention as Hotohori
graciously accepted the man's speech as though he had
been paying close attention to every word.  

	Hotohori caught her elbow as the two of them walked
toward the exit, stretching slowly.  "I will be
inviting Lady Houki to take tea with me this
afternoon," he said softly.  "I trust this
acceptable?"

	Nuriko glanced around and saw three councillors
lingering in earshot, including Lord Yukino.  "Of
course it is," she said calmly, trying to ignore the
way her heart was suddenly beating far too fast.  It
was entirely due to the prospect of the run to her
rooms, she decided.

	"Good," Hotohori said, with a smile.  She bowed to
him respectfully, and sauntered out of the room.  

	Once outside the room, though, she slumped against
the wall for a few moments.  /Why do I feel like
this?/ she asked herself.  /Nothing's changed.  He's
smiled at me before, and we've drunk tea together
before.  Why am I suddenly so... so *aware* of him?  I
don't understand myself at all anymore..../

	She stood and began to walk towards the seraglio -
but a quiet saunter, not her usual dash, and she was
thinking the entire way.

*****

Author's Notes:

	1. In Ancient China, you had to be very wealthy to
afford to eat meat.  It was also desirable to serve as
many different dishes as possible.  Only five dishes
in Ancient China was a very poor meal! 

	2. In canon, Keisuke decided to humour Miaka about
the World of the Four Gods, and then made some very
off-colour jokes about Western magic.  Rather than
repeat those jokes, I have decided to make Keisuke
openly skeptical.  Hopefully, my altered scene is as
enjoyable as the original.


=====
raye_j@yahoo.com
http://www.thejohnsens.com/index.html

"It means, I'm in command... where are you going?"
   - C-3PO (to R2-D2), 'Star Wars: Attack of the Clones'

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