Slayers FUSHIGI Crossover fanfiction written by Ming-Ling (tama_neko_chan@hotmail.com) - - > http://members.limitless.org/~mingling/sf.html < - - Volume 2: Suzaku no Miko Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 5: RUN! ESCAPE TO THE TEMPLE OF SUZAKU! "THIS IS CRAZY!" Tamahome yelled to the winds as he and Lina dashed through the streets of Eiyo. "Are you out of your mind? What did you think you were doing, blasting stuff like that?" Lina let him rant. She was disturbed by the lack of force in her magic. It couldn't be that time of the month, either. She knew her cycles and they were not the cause of her current lack of magical power. Something else was keeping her from using any black magic at all, and the meager showing in her digger bolt told her shamanist magic would not be of much use. Not that Lina knew much shamanist magic. The sorceress frowned. Would white magic work? Would it matter? Lina knew less white magic than shamanist magic. "This way, this way," Tamahome said through his ranting, pulling her down a side street. He was still mad, Lina could tell, although she didn't blame him. No matter where they turned, there always seemed to be a group of angry townspeople following them. "Don't you know a safe place to hide?" demanded Lina. How she wished she could cast a Raywing or Levitation spell! Running about really tired a poor girl out. "It doesn't matter if they keep following us," growled Tamahome. "We have to lose them before we can find a place to hide!" They continued fleeing down streets at random. Lina's breath was short; they must have been running for more than an hour! Every road they turned down led somewhere new. Lina was glad Tamahome was guiding her; she would have been lost in minutes. The sheer size of the city was enough to boggle her mind. "Wait! This way!" Tamahome dragged Lina down a tiny alleyway. They squeezed past several crates, hunkered down, and waited. Her breath was ragged, but she held it anyway as five people went barreling down the street. She let it out when they had passed by without glancing in their direction. "Okay, that solves one problem," whispered Tamahome. "But where can we hide?" "Don't ask me," snapped Lina. "I'm paying you. You're the local." "Right, right, right," grumbled Tamahome blackly. "Let me think of somewhere." Lina's stomach had the bad manners to growl right then. Quite loudly, too. She winced for two reasons; she might have given their position away, and she hadn't eaten a bite since that buffet lunch. Judging by the sun's position, it must already be past suppertime. Tamahome eyed her in irritation but didn't comment. "Gomen," she apologized quietly. "But I don't think they heard me." "We can't be too careful. Anyways, we'd better leave this alleyway, in case they get the bright idea of retracing their steps." He wedged his way past the boxes, glanced down the alleyway, and motioned Lina to follow. This time their pace was not as hurried. Running attracted undue attention, so Tamahome and Lina walked quickly but purposefully. "Here. This is a good place to hang out." Tamahome led her to a large, but empty, building. Perfect. They sat down on the floor behind a large table, out of sight from the main entrance. Lina sucked in air, rubbing a stitch in her side. She'd never had to run so furiously before. Usually she just levitated her way out of a bad situation. Finally regaining her breath, Lina looked up at the building. It was surprisingly peaceful compared to the bustling activity outside. Four red pillars, carved with ornate decorations, supported the red- tiled roof. Besides the main entrance, there were two other open doorways, one to the west and the other to the south. The table wasn't really a table. It seemed more like an altar. Incense sticks, flowers, and fruit offerings were artfully arranged on top of the silken red cloth. A fuzzy bumblebee was perched on one of the flowers. Behind the table was a large tapestry of a phoenix. "Ne, Tamahome, where are we?" He gave her a mean look. "Come on. You have to know where we are by now." "Look, I'm new here, so give me a break!" "This is the temple of Suzaku," he sighed. "Do you at least know who Suzaku is?" Suzaku! That was the phrase in the Shijintenchiso! Lina knitted her brows in concentration. The book had not explained what Suzaku was, it merely mentioned a heroine gathering Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. "Er, not really." "Sheesh. Suzaku is the protecting god of Konankoku. The red phoenix of the south." "What about, um, Seiryuu?" Lina recalled her argument with Naga. "That's the blue dragon god of the eastern country, Kutoukoku. The other two gods are Byakko, the white tiger god of western Sailokoku and Genbu, the black tortoise god of northern Hokkankoku." "I see," said Lina, although she really didn't. Did that mean that Naga was somewhere in Kutoukoku? Tamahome looked at her sharply. "You really don't know anything about here, do you? No one can be that ignorant of their surroundings. Where do you come from, some other world?" "Maybe I do," said Lina. She meant it lightly, and the two of them laughed nervously. Hotohori, blinked several times, hidden in the southern doorway of Suzaku's temple. He had come to pray to the phoenix god but paused when he noticed the temple was occupied. Respecting their privacy, he had started to withdraw. Then he heard their conversation: "Where do you come from? Some other world?" "Maybe I do," the strangely dressed girl had replied. That stopped him cold. He was reminded of his prayers to Suzaku: aid in defending Konankoku from the war-like Kutoukoku and its army. The legend of Suzaku no Miko sprang into his memory. The miko was supposed to come from another world when Konankoku was in dire need. She was supposed to gather the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, of which Hotohori was one. She was supposed to summon the scarlet phoenix and be granted three wishes in return. She was supposed to save Konankoku by virtue of those wishes. Well, Konankoku was in dire straits. Reports from the border told a disturbing tale: an army practicing for battle with a strange, blonde-haired shogun at the lead, rumored to be a powerful warrior. There was unrest in Kutoukoku, and it was likely to spill over into Konankoku. Unless he could stop it. Hotohori sighed and watched the two laughing. Is she our salvation? Voices drifted in from outside. They were angry voices, and Tamahome swore. Lina gulped. A small band of angry citizens stepped into the temple and stared at them. Mostly they stared at Lina, who had blasted the building, but a few glances were made towards the young man, too. "Ah...eh-heh-heh-heh... gomen nasai about the building, minna- san," said Lina. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to damage your roof..." "Quiet!" barked the one Lina had dubbed the shopkeeper. "You could have injured all those people outside of my shop!" Several others nodded in agreement. "And what am I supposed to do?" continued the shopkeeper. "Now I have a large hole in my roof! Do you know how expensive it's going to be to get it repaired?" Two guards filtered in behind the crowd, trying to find out what all the commotion was about. "All right, now, what's the problem, here?" "Aaaah, well, you see," Lina temporized. The shopkeeper pointed a finger at Lina. "That girl has just destroyed a good portion of my shop! Then she and that man led us in a merry chase all over the city!" The guards did not look happy at the news. "Look, look, I'll repay you!" said Lina hurriedly. "Repay me? You've brought bad luck on my store. No one wants to come in anymore; they think the roof will fall on them! You're making me lose a lot of business!" "Hey! It wasn't her fault!" Tamahome spoke up for the first time. "She said it was an accident, apologized, and offered to pay for the damages! Isn't that enough?" His forehead glowed red, and the symbol of 'oni' flashed. Hotohori gasped. This man was also one of the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi? That was enough; he had to stop this before it got any more out of hand. The guards were advancing on the two when a young man with long black hair stepped imperiously from the south door. "Stop it, all of you, right now," he ordered. "Hey, and who do you think you are?" snapped Lina, at the end of her temper. Everyone else in the room was instantly bowing. "That's the emperor of Konankoku!" hissed Tamahome into her ear, yanking her down to her knees. "Oops." Lina knew she had to do something about that habit of speaking before thinking. "Heika! We're sorry!" said the guards in unison. One of them continued, "We do not mean to disturb your prayers to Suzaku. We'll just take these people out of your way..." He stopped when Hotohori held up his hand. "I'll deal with them myself," he told them. Tamahome gulped. It was not as bad as Lina thought. No one had come to haul them off to prison. The emperor, who looked to be only a few years older than Lina and Tamahome, courteously escorted them to the palace. If the temple and the city had amazed Lina, the palace left her breathless. A beautiful complex of buildings of a particular architecture, the palace was grander than anything she had ever seen. The beauty was wasted on Tamahome, who had seen the palace many times from afar. He was nervously following, clearing his throat every few minutes and glancing around. After he had cleared his throat for the fourth time, Hotohori sighed and said, "You can calm down. I have no wish to harm or imprison you. However, there are things I must discuss with you." The younger man nodded, but still appeared jittery. The emperor led them into a small audience room where they all took a seat. "You must be Tamahome," he said, addressing Tamahome. "How did you know?" "Let me introduce myself. You probably know me as the emperor, Saihiteh." Hotohori pulled down his collar, exposing his left neck. "But I am also known as Hotohori." The character for star flashed from his neck. "Uwah!" said Tamahome. "That's just like me!" Lina raised a hand. "Hi. I'm Lina Inverse. Is it just me, or are flashing symbols on people's bodies just plain...weird? I mean, 'oni'? 'Hoshi?' Not something you see everyday, ne?" "Are you familiar with the Shijintenchiso?" Hotohori didn't pause to hear their answers. "The Shijintenchiso was given to each country by Taiitsukun, the creator. It tells of a miko who will come from another world and save the country. The miko has seven protectors: the Shichi Seishi. The Suzaku no Shichi Seishi are known as Tamahome, with the character for ogre; Hotohori, with the character for star; Nuriko, with the character for willow; Chichiri, with the character for well; Tasuki, with the character for wing; Mitsukake, with the character for rare cart; and Chiriko, with the character for stretching." "Ta-Tamahome?" He smiled. "Yes. We are both Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. Our duty is to protect Suzaku no Miko." Hotohori looked hopefully at Lina. "No way," she managed. "What's Suzaku no Miko supposed to do?" "Suzaku no Miko must first gather the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. Only when all seven are gathered can Suzaku be summoned. The details for finding the Shichi Seishi are explained in the Shijintenchiso. When Suzaku is summoned, he grants his miko three wishes." "Three wishes? I thought that was the genie-in-the-lamp deal." The emperor shook his head. "You, Lina Inverse, are Suzaku no Miko." "Three wishes? Could they be anything?" He nodded. "YATTA! This is great! Just like the book said! Waaaaiiiit..." Lina paused. "What about Naga?" "Who?" the two men asked. "Naga, the White Serpent." Lina looked at Tamahome. "She was the one with me when you beat up those slave traders earlier today. I wonder where she's gone off to?" "Earlier today? What do you mean? That was three months ago." Lina blinked. "Three months ago?" Tamahome nodded. "Hmm." Lina scratched her head. Time moves differently in the book, she thought. When Naga and I had been inside for nearly a day, only an hour had passed. And when several hours passed in my world, three months passed in this world? Then what happened to Naga? "Um, so does Seiryuu have the same deal with the miko and the Shichi Seishi?" Hotohori frowned at the mentioning of Kutoukoku's god. "Yes. Each country has the same basic legend, but they vary slightly depending on their god." "Then Naga's Seiryuu no Miko? She gets three wishes too? This is... This is too much to take right now..." Lina suddenly felt very dizzy. Tamahome caught her before she totally fainted. Lina blinked groggily, trying to make sense of everything and failing completely. Then her stomach growled again. "Ummm... maybe I'll make more sense of this after I get something to eat," she suggested. Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 6: SURPRISE! THIS WOMAN'S A SUZAKU NO SHICHI SEISHI? EATING IS AN ART for some people. It is not, however, an art for a certain bandit-whipper named Lina Inverse. Actually, to tell the truth, Lina just dives in head first at one end of a table and emerges at the other with food crammed in her mouth. On a good day, she'll only break a plate and forget to pay the bill. On a bad day, restaurants are destroyed, people are hurt, waiters are traumatized, and she STILL forgets to pay the bill. Thankfully, this was a good day. Thankfully, this was not a restaurant. As Lina and Tamahome were the only ones in the room, she had no compunctions about consuming her usually fare. Eating may not be an art form for her but at least she felt better afterwards. Food did that to Lina. There was nothing like a platter of sausage, potatoes, bread rolls, pork cutlets, chicken, the obligatory green vegetable, beef, fish filet, and eggs to make you forget your worries, even if only temporarily. Lina took comfort in eating. It was a regular occurrence (well, usually, depending on her cash flow) that one could always look forward to. It was necessary to eat in order to stay nourished and healthy. You could live without horses, you could live without magic, but you couldn't live without food. And Lina loved it with a passion. The fact that Lina ate enough to sink an elephant at every meal opportunity had no bearing on her size; an active metabolism and energetic lifestyle relentlessly burned away those extra calories like butter over a flare arrow. She put on not as much as an ounce. Lina loved food. That was it, pure and simple. There are others with a slightly different view of the subject matter. "Aren't you full yet?" Tamahome asked as she reached for a third helping of mashed potatoes. His view not as pleasant as Lina's. His face was pale and he felt like he would be sick. Just the sight of all that food disappearing into Lina's maw was enough to kill his appetite for good. Lina was eating like there was no tomorrow - like there was no yesterday at her rate. He shook his head in disbelief. "Are you kidding? I'm just starting!" "Oh," said Tamahome in a very low voice. He grew several notches paler. She was eating enough to sink a fleet of ships! "Ne, Tamahome-kun, what happened to Hotohori-san?" "Eh? Oh," blinked Tamahome confusedly. "Hotohori-sama had some, uh, emperor business to attend to. He left us this scroll of the Shijintenchiso and said the clue for the third Suzaku no Shichi Seishi would be in it." Lina waved a half-eaten chicken drumstick at him. "So what is it?" "Well, um, I don't know." He fussed with the knot for a moment, then unfurled the first portion of the red scroll. "Let's see..." "Well?" asked Lina when he paused. She grabbed another helping of obligatory green vegetable. "I'm reading. It's kind of weird. It doesn't name anybody by name. You are just 'the girl' or 'miko', for instance." "Hmph." Tamahome's eyes lit up. "Aha, here's something. It describes another person using the characters for 'fierce strength' and 'palace'." "Wouldn't that be Hotohori-san?" "No, he's identified by the characters 'elegant' and 'leader'. This 'palace-fierce-strength' must be the third Shichi Seishi!" Lina downed a glass of water before suggesting, "Then let's find him! Palace must mean he's right here. That's good. We can split up and start asking people." "I-I'll start now," said Tamahome hastily, standing up. "I'll take the northern portion of the palace; you can take the southern. We can meet by the pond later." He rolled up the scroll and set it down. "Yosh! Let's go!... after I finish eating." "I'll meet with you later." Tamahome quickly backed out of the room. "Hai!" said Lina exuberantly. She blinked. Tamahome had already disappeared. With a shrug, she applied herself to the food in front of her once more. "A character on my body?" Lina nodded eagerly. "Yes. Do you have a red character on your body? It's very important." The guard looked baffled. Who would have a red character on their body, anyway? He shook his head, feeling sympathetic to the young girl. "I'm afraid not." "Drats!" Lina scratched her chin. "Do you know anyone who does?" "Nope. Sorry, kid." "Okay." The guard was walking away when he heard her yell, "Matte yo! Do you know someone who's really, I mean really really super extremely strong?" He scratched his head, wondering where this new line of questioning was leading. "Um, gee, I don't know. There's a lot of strong guards around the palace, you know. You might try asking around the barracks. They're at the southern end of the courtyard." "Okay, arigatou!" Lina ran off southwards. The guard blinked a few times, shook his head, and went back to his duty. The scene was repeated all over the southern palace. Lina's odd garb attracted more than a few gazes, and her questioning made several people wonder what she was supposed to be doing. "So that's Suzaku no Miko," said a beautifully dressed young woman. "Hai, Kourin-sama. That is her," said her handmaiden. "She sure looks odd, ne? And so skinny!" The lady and her handmaiden laughed together. "Kourin-sama..." "Mm?" "We should return to our rooms. If the emperor-sama saw us here... he would scold us and..." Kourin nodded. "Very well. We'll return. But I want to keep an eye on that girl, that Lina Inverse." "Hai, Kourin-sama." The two women retreated to their rooms. "Shimatta, no one." Lina slumped against the wall of the gazebo by the pond. She staggered in wearily and sat down on the bench, looking at the koi swimming among water lilies. "Went through the entire south portion of the palace and found no one who knows of anyone with a character on their body!" She gripped her fist, "It's not like it's very common! Surely someone has heard of a person with a glowing red thingie on their body!" She yelled her frustration, but no one except the koi and a bee in the water lilies heard her. The bee seemed to take the yelling personally. It hovered above the flowers for a moment and then flew off, buzzing all the way. Lina sighed. This wasn't working. Maybe Tamahome had found the person, the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. "Hey, where is Tamahome, anyway? He was the one to say we'd meet here. And he started before I did! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! This is going nowhere!" Only the koi heard her. That's when Lina got the feeling. It was a feeling of being watched. Lina turned, but there was no one around. Eyes! They were boring into her. She felt like a mouse caught in the gaze of a hawk, unable to move, frozen in fear and shock. They were nowhere and they were everywhere. They were intent on Lina Inverse. Lina pushed her fear aside and started feeling red-hot anger. It poured through her and broke through her shock. The golden eyes laughed at her. They were merry, but underneath that merriment was a cold cruelty. Anger washed over her like a red-hot wave. "WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?" she demanded, veins popping all over her forehead. "FLARE ARROW!" The spell was past her lips before she realized her magic was barely working. The eyes paused and disappeared. For a split second, nothing happened. Then the roof came crashing down. Tamahome headed wearily towards the pond. He had talked to people all day without finding the slightest clue. He saw Lina waiting in the gazebo, looking as frustrated as he. There was a rumbling. Tamahome started to run. Then the roof of the gazebo started falling. "ABUNAI!" She was trapped, pinned under the countless weight of the sturdy gazebo. The darkness was pressing. Something dripped on her forehead. Startled, Lina looked up at... Tamahome was braced against her, holding up the building on his back. Beads of sweat formed and were dripping onto her. "Tamahome-kun! What are you doing?" The red character of 'oni' flashed, nearly blinding Lina momentarily. He said weakly, "I have to protect Suzaku no Miko..." "But...not even you can hold up this building for long!" "I have to try," he said. "But...!" A crowd gathered around the fallen building in precisely 2.8346 seconds, give or take a few nanoseconds. This might seem fast, but consider this. The speed of gossip travels at a rate directly proportional to the volume times rarity times grandiosity times danger times the number of important personages involved. Now, a building that has stood for generations without an inkling of problems has just fallen (with a rather loud and spectacular crash,) pinning Suzaku no Miko and one of the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi with the possibility of crushing them. Add to that screaming witnesses and an emperor trying to pull the wreckage apart with his bare hands and it's actually mildly surprising that the crowd didn't gather more quickly. Mathematics aside, the crowd was full of a variety of people. There was the emperor trying to pull apart the wreckage, several guards trying to help him, a group of vassals telling him it was improper for the emperor to dirty his hands in such a way, various witnesses in various stages of shock and screaming, and several court ladies with their handmaidens. One such court lady strode up to the building and examined it for a moment - cool, calm, collected. Before a vassal or a guard could demand to ask what she was doing, the woman lifted a large section of roof in one hand. She tossed it negligently over her shoulder as if it was a mere pebble. People ran away, screaming. The woman didn't even bat a long eyelash as she continued lifting the rubble. Within mere seconds she had thrown the entire portion of the roof to one side, exposing two people underneath. The burden suddenly lifted from his back, Tamahome stood up so quickly he knocked into the woman, sending then both falling. "Ano..." said Tamahome wearily, standing up. "Gomen nasai." "You have the devil's own luck," she said as she picked herself up. Lina rubbed her head and looked at the other woman. "Fierce strength. Palace. Strength... you...then..." "Ne, you're not making much sense." Lina shot upright. "You're the third Suzaku no Shichi Seishi!" she screamed. Hotohori and Tamahome gasped. She smiled. "I am Cho Kourin," she nodded, exposing her collar slightly. The character for willow flashed red from her chest. "But I am also the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi known as Nuriko." Lina stared at her hands. "Lina, daijobu?" Lina nodded to Tamahome, who was being bandaged. "I..." "Nani?" Nuriko asked as she washed out one of Tamahome's wounds. "The gazebo, when it fell... I don't know, it..." "What?" asked Tamahome, wincing slightly. "Stop fidgeting, Tama-chan," grumbled Nuriko as she started wrapping a bandage around his arm. "I cast a spell. Black magic. Black magic doesn't work. I tried it before. I cast the 'flare arrow'. That's when the roof came down. But I don't know if it was my magic. My magic doesn't work well. Then there were those eyes...they were watching me, like they were challenging me or something. I don't know if it was those eyes that made the building fall or...me." Lina fretted, staring at her hands. Hotohori came in. "I just wish I knew what was going on," finished Lina. "Is everybody alright?" asked the emperor. They all nodded. "Good," said Hotohori. "Lina, you'll get your wish. Tomorrow we're all going to find Taiitsukun." "Who?" asked Lina. "Taiitsukun is the creator of this world. It was Taiitsukun who gave the scrolls to each country. She would have your answers." "Ne, Hotohori-sama," said Nuriko, tying the bandage. "Why are we going there?" Hotohori held up the scroll. "I have spent the last hour going over this with my advisors. We have agreed that the clue to the next Suzaku no Shichi Seishi lies in Taiitsukun's place: Mount Taikyoku." Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 7: LET'S GO! THE JOURNEY TO MOUNT TAIKYOKU! LINA AND HER SUZAKU NO SHICHI SEISHI set out early the next morning. To everyone's surprise, Nuriko had donned pants and rode astride her horse as if it was something she had done everyday. Lina shrugged it off. "So, Hotohori-san, where is Taiitsukun's mountain, anyway?" Lina turned to address the man on her right. "And how do you know we're supposed to go there?" He smiled, reveling in the freedom. "Actually, no one knows exactly where Taiitsukun's home is, but -" "NANI?" "Whoa, calm down Lina-chan," said Tamahome, riding on Lina's left. "There are four countries: Konankoku in the south, Hokkankoku in the north, Sailokoku in the west, and Kutoukoku in the east. These directions correspond to the four gods. Taiitsukun, the Creator, should be located somewhere in the center." "But you don't know directly?" blurted Lina. "What is this, some wild goose chase?" Hotohori answered, "I'm sure Taiitsukun herself will help us once she sees us coming her way." "Hmmm," muttered Lina, not mollified. "You don't sound too sure." "Don't question Hotohori-sama!" said Nuriko, riding to Hotohori's right. "Taiitsukun is the CREATOR of the world!" Lina scratched her head, mumbling, "So much for the Lord of Nightmares." She pasted a large smile on her face and questioned, "So how do you know we should be going there?" "From the clues on the Shijintenchiso," remarked Tamahome. "Obviously. That's how we found Nuriko." "Hai, hai," agreed the emperor. "My counselors and I perused the scroll and found the fourth Suzaku no Shichi Seishi described as "smile" and "mask". There were also clues leading to Mount Taikyoku." He tossed the scroll over to her. "Read it for yourself." "Right," said Lina, catching it and glancing at it. "So how long is this trip going to be?" "Ah, well, I'm not sure," said Hotohori. "It shouldn't be too long." "So, d'ya figure out to the other three Shichi Seishi are, too?" She stuck the scroll into her manto. Hotohori shook his head. "Why not? We could be looking for all four of them at the same time. Saves effort!" Nuriko snorted. "Things don't work that way here," she said. "We must follow the Shijintenchiso in order! That is how the tradition is passed down." "Well, sorree," grumbled Lina, "but it was just a suggestion." "Ne, Lina-chan," said Tamahome in an attempt to diffuse the tense situation, "what's your world like?" "Ah, well... It's different. There are lots of countries, not just four; they're scattered all over. There are also lots of villages and towns and ports and people. Lots of people. Quite a few sorcerers, mages, hedge-wizards, and the like. Magic is used a lot, at least by people I know. There are entire schools devoted to the study of magic, and many guilds that offer jobs and places to work for sorcerers." "Magic?" prompted Tamahome. "There are three types of magic. White Magic, which is usually considered the weakest, is cleric's magic. It's good for healing things or banishing demons and the like. Not very versatile, however. Then you have shamanist magic, which deals with spirit energy and the astral plane. It's a real hodge-podge of things. There's some good attack spells in shamanist magic, and a few healing and transformation spells, too. But I specialize in Black Magic. "Black Magic is very good for offensive magic. There are a lot of attack and destruction spells in Black Magic. I know most of them, too. It helps a lot because I hunt bandits for a living, although lately I've been partnered with a mercenary named Gourry who's pretty good. Between the two of us, we can make three times the money I made alone. You have to be careful with Black Magic, though. You need a lot of control or the magic will run wild and create havoc. You see, Black Magic draws its power from the Mazoku race, and they're definitely a volatile bunch. Black Magic is the same way." "Interesting," nodded Tamahome. "Do you know why it doesn't work here?" Lina blew a fuse. "I DON'T, OKAY?!" she yelled. "That's what I'm gonna ask that Taiitsukun lady!" Hotohori winced. "Lina-chan, calm down. It's alright, Taiitsukun will know the answers." "Yeah, 'cause she's the creator and all that. But this whole lack of magic really worries me, okay? It's something I'm really used to and really good at. When it just disappeared right when I needed it, it was really disturbing and frustrating. So don't bug me any more about it." "Touchy," mumbled Nuriko to herself. "Gee, sorry 'bout that, Lina-chan," said Tamahome contritely. Lina scowled and kicked her horse ahead a few paces. They took a break for lunch by a small stream. Tamahome was busy catching a few fish to supplement their trail-rations and chatting with Hotohori. Nuriko had disappeared somewhere. Lina scanned the stream. "Ne, where'd Nuriko go?" she asked herself. A shadow moved among a few trees. "Ahh..." Lina commented, following. She found the Shichi Seishi sitting under one of the trees, shredding bits of grass. "Ne, Nuriko, what's wrong? You've been really touchy and not very cooperative." Nuriko just glared at her. "Um," said Lina. "I mean, I'm the Miko and you're a Suzaku no Shichi Seishi and we're supposed to be working together, right? Okay, so why are you acting this way?" Nuriko returned her attention to the grass, mumbling something incomprehensible. She had collected a small pile of shredded leaves by now. A small bumblebee blundered by and landed on the grass trimmings for a short moment before flying off. Lina tapped her chin, puzzling things out. This wasn't normal behavior for Lina, who tended to leave explosive situations be or aggravated them. "Okay, let's see... Wait! I know... You're in love with Hotohori-san, aren't you?" Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "I saw how you were looking at him earlier. You're riding next to him, too. And you were defending him when I talked about Taiitsukun!" "You're very perceptive, Lina." "Ahh... I bet you're also jealous of me... Hotohori-san pays a lot more attention to me." Lina waved a hand dismissively, "But there's nothing going on between us. Hotohori's like that 'cuz I'm Suzaku no Miko and he's supposed to protect me. And as Suzaku no Miko, I'm supposed to save Konankoku. Yeesh, that's such a silly thing to worry over, Nuriko-chan!" Nuriko bridled at Lina's familiarity. She said nothing. Lina started fuming. "Look, Nuriko-chan, I'm a very easy-going person most of the time. I'm actually making an effort to be friends and stuff with you, and it's not helping my temper any that you're just ignoring me!" "What do you want me to do, then?" asked Nuriko coldly. "No matter what, Hotohori doesn't even look at me. He's infatuated with you. Anyone with half an eye and see that. I'm just another Shichi Seishi. You're Suzaku no Miko, savior of the entire country." She sighed glumly. "Great," said Lina, running a hand through her thick hair. "That last thing I need is some guy following me like a love-sick puppy. I don't want to get involved in any relationships! I work alone or with a partner, but I don't need a boyfriend. In fact, the last thing I want is a boyfriend. Or anything resembling one!" "What about that fellow you were talking about? Gary?" "Gourry? He's my partner. We bust bandits and make loads of money. It's a working partnership. Okay?" Nuriko sighed. "It doesn't matter and it doesn't change the fact that Hotohori is still in love with you." "Well, what do you want me to do?" yelled Lina irritatedly. "It's not like I'm encouraging him or anything! By Shabranigdo's ruby eye, isn't enough I'm stuck in this crazy world with no magic, searching for all these people in order to summon some glorified chicken?" Lina's stomach rumbled at the mention of food. "Drats. I'm going to get some lunch." She almost missed the soft whirring sound as something flew by her ear. "Abunai!" Nuriko threw herself onto Lina, pinning both of them down. "Shimatta!" spat Lina. "What was that?" "Lina-chan! Nuriko! We're being attacked!" yelled Tamahome from a distance away. "Like we couldn't tell," muttered Lina as several more arrows whizzed by. She tried to stand up. "Stay down," hissed Nuriko, pinning the sorceress easily. Another arrow buried itself into the ground by them. "I can see a couple of them over there..." Lina watched in amazement as Nuriko snatched a large boulder by the stream and lofted it in said direction. Several screams echoed, and then all was quiet. Lina gaped. During the brief skirmish, Nuriko's shirt had fallen low over her shoulders, revealing a flat, manly chest with the red character for willow flashing from it. "You-you-you...you're a guy!" she managed to gasp. "Sssssshh!" hissed Nuriko angrily. "And you're in love with Hotohori?" gasped Lina. Nuriko slapped a hand over Lina's mouth. "Ssh! Don't tell them! I...it...I..." "Nuriko! Lina? Where are you?" Nuriko hastily fixed his shirt and called out, "We're over here! Don't worry, we're both okay." Hotohori ran up, flustered. "Lina-chan! Nuriko- did you throw that rock at them?" "Who else would have?" asked Nuriko. "Anyways, we're both fine. Who were those men?" "I don't know. They all fled. Tamahome's trying to find out who they are, but I doubt they've left behind many clues." He looked at Lina and helped her to her feet. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" A vein popped. "How many times do we gotta say 'we're okay'? I'm FINE! It takes more than a few arrows to hurt the great sorcery genius, Lina Inverse! I've dealt with worse bandits before breakfast!" Hotohori was taken aback by Lina's vehemence. He didn't have a chance to say a word before Tamahome dashed by. "Let's go, quickly! Those men might come back! I don't know who they are, but I have a good idea." He showed them part of a patch. It was blue and had a scaly blue leg embroidered on it. "Seiryuu!" gasped Hotohori. "Kutoukoku must be trying to assassinate me or Lina-chan!" Nuriko picked them all up handily and dragged them to their horses. "Let's go, let's go, let's go." "H...hai..." "MY LUNCH!" yelled Lina in protestation. "I'M STARVING!" A sweatdrop rolled down Tamahome's head. "Right... We can...eat and run." He offered Lina one of the roasted fish. "Itadakimasu!" said Lina enthusiastically as she ate it, guts and all. They continued on their way to Taiitsukun's mountain. There were no more attacks during the day, although Lina got the feeling of being watched. Everyone else was jittery. There were more than a few glances into the surrounding countryside. "I heard Kutoukoku was being led by some mysterious new shogun," said Tamahome. Hotohori nodded, "That is true. My informants have told me many stories about this shogunate. He now leads the main force of the Kutoukoku army. They tell me he is a fearsome warrior, and that he has blonde hair and blue eyes." "G-G-Gourry?" "Eh?" the other three asked. Lina rubbed her chin. "Gourry has blonde hair and blue eyes. But what would he be doing here? And in charge of an army? I mean him no offense, but Gourry isn't the sort to trust with large military maneuvers. He's likely to forget where everyone is and make stupid mistakes and... well, Gourry isn't the smartest..." Somewhere in Rand McNally, Gourry yelled, "Hey! I heard that, Lina!" "It might be another person," said Hotohori. "But this shogunate has only been in charge for the past three months." "Three months? That's...that's when I arrived here the first time, right?" Tamahome nodded. "Do you think there's a connection?" "I don't know. But it doesn't seem like coincidence." There was silence for several minutes as all four rode, deep in thought. Finally, Tamahome looked around and said, "It's getting dark. Maybe we should stop off and make camp." So they dismounted at a small clearing a short distance from the road and did just that. Two tents were hastily set up and a tiny cook fire was kindled. Lina's stomach growled loudly as she helped prepare the evening meal. Suddenly, the fire went out. There was no wind present to do so; it was as if the flames had been snuffed out. They froze. Lina's stomach growled again, breaking the silence. She was at the receiving end of three very annoyed stares. Lina flushed. She couldn't help it. It was dinnertime and her stomach was demanding its daily fare. The smells of cooking food didn't help any, either. The silence lengthened into several minutes. They were about to move again when they saw shadows moving among the trees. "Protect Suzaku no Miko," ordered Hotohori in a whisper. Too late. Hands reached out from behind her and snatched Lina away before she could even gasp, leaving the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi in shock. Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 8: ATTACK! ARRIVAL OF THE CURIOUSLY MASKED MONK! LINA AND THE SUZAKU NO SHICHI SEISHI huddled together, frozen in place. Their cook fire had gone out and they could see shadows moving among the trees. "Protect Suzaku no Miko," Hotohori ordered. Just as the words left his lips, hands reached out from behind them and snatched Lina. "HEY!" she screamed as she was pulled off. She wriggled and kicked but the grip was secure. In seconds, forest surrounded Lina and her assailant, with no sign of Tamahome, Hotohori, or Nuriko. Not content to let things run quietly, Lina bared her fangs and sank her teeth into one of the hands around her. "Itai na no da!" The person released Lina and shook his bitten hand. "A...ano..." said Lina as she looked at him. He was a curious fellow but he seemed rather harmless. Garbed in an odd cloak with a swirled circle design, beads, and a pointed straw hat, he certainly didn't look like anyone in an army. The oddest thing was his face - he wore a mask that covered his entire face and gave him a rather cheery expression. It reminded Lina of a fox, hiding his true expression. When Lina noticed his staff, she finally realized that the person was probably some sort of monk. "That hurt, no da," he said, blowing on his hand. "After all, Suzaku no Miko, I was just protecting you from Kutoukoku's army, no da." "Wh...what?" said Lina. "You kidnapped me and you say you're rescuing me?" "I did rescue you, no da," he insisted. Then he sighed, "But I suppose you won't believe me. Very well. Goodbye, na no da." "G-g-goodbye?" The monk pulled his hat over him and disappeared. Lina stared. She picked up the ordinary looking hat. It was empty, but she had seen the weird monk hide himself in it. Magic, she told herself. Only magic could do that. He probably used a transportation spell but left the hat behind. Lina slung the hat over her shoulder after determining that it held no monks or other secrets. I wonder how his magic works? "Lina-chan? Lina-chan!! LINA-CHAN?!?!!!" Tamahome's voice echoed through the forest. "Tamahome-kun?" Lina scoured the forests. "Lina?" Her stomach growled in response. "I'm over here!" she yelled, waving her hands. Tamahome burst through the trees. "Lina-chan! You're okay?" "Yes, I'm okay!" she said. "What happened? Where's Nuriko-chan and Hotohori-san?" "Back at the camp," answered Tamahome, looking over Lina to make sure she was in one piece. "I think. When you were pulled away, I tried to follow you. But...what happened?" He noticed the hat dangling from Lina's shoulders. "And what's that?" "It is," answered Lina, "a hat. It belongs to the person who pulled me off. He said he was rescuing me, and he knew me to be Suzaku no Miko, and then he just disappeared." "Ano... that's kind of odd. We'd better go find the others, though. They'll be worried about us." As they moved through the forest, Tamahome turned to Lina and asked, "So who was guy who pulled you off? What did he look like?" "Well, he looked like a monk." Lina scratched her chin. "He had one of those staffs and the bead necklace, but he had this mask on, so I couldn't see his face. Kind of odd. Like a fox, I guess. And I think he used magic to disappear on me like that." "Lina? Tamahome? Where are you?" Hotohori's voice grew louder. "Here!" called Lina. "I'm okay! I'm fine! What happ..." Her voice trailed off as she arrived at the scene of the campsite. It was littered with several bodies. Arrows punctured the ground at irregular intervals. Hotohori's sword was unsheathed and he looked to be alright, but Nuriko was lying on the ground, wincing. "What happened?" said Tamahome in a small voice. Nuriko sat up, clutching a wound on his left shoulder. "Right after Lina disappeared and you followed her, arrows started flying. Then these men attacked. Hotohori and I fought them off, but we couldn't find you!" "You're bleeding," said Lina, kneeling to get a look at the back of Nuriko's shoulder. "Probably from an arrow, right?" Nuriko nodded. "It needs to be bandaged..." "Bandage, smandage. I know a few White Magic healing spells. Hopefully, they'll still work. Now, hold still." She held her hands over the wound and concentrated on the spell. She didn't use White Magic often, but she did know a few spells that came in handy. Slowly, grudgingly, her hands glowed white until Hotohori and Tamahome winced and looked away. Still Lina concentrated, pulling on more power until Nuriko's wound finally closed. "Aaah!" gasped Hotohori and Tamahome in amazement. Lina slumped over. "This isn't right," she muttered wearily. "A simple healing spell like that shouldn't be so difficult. It feels like I just cast the Dragon Slave. What's with magic in this place, anyway?" "Arigatou, Lina-chan," said Nuriko, smiling. "I never knew you could do that." "Yeah, well, there's a lot of stuff you don't know about me. Just don't let it happen again, okay?" "Nuriko! Are you -?" Tamahome stuttered. "He'll be fine. It's not like the arrow hit his heart or something," said Lina glibly. "I, however, need a long rest and something to eat." Tamahome and Hotohori blinked several times. "Did you just say..." started Hotohori. "Huh?" said Lina, too tired to notice Nuriko's flushed face. Nuriko attempted to wave it off. "Let's get that campfire going again! Lina-chan needs some food and some rest!" Hotohori and Tamahome stared intently at him. "Ano..." said Nuriko. "YOU'RE A GUY?!" they yelled in unison. "Lina!" screamed Nuriko. "How could you?" Lina looked at all three. "How could I what?" She was obviously very out of the loop. She took the opportunity to call it a day; falling asleep right on the spot without even having dinner. There was an instant uproar. Nuriko stomped out of the camp, throwing fume marks left and right while Hotohori and Tamahome babbled to each other over the startling news. Lina slept through it all. The morning sun dawned bright and clear as if to make up for all the confusion the day before. Lina woke up with a ravenous appetite. Well rested, she turned her attentions to her other craving. "Food! FOOD! I'm so hungry! Where's breakfast?" She woke up the other two with her yelling. Or maybe she woke them up when she went rooting through the packs searching for food. Of course, she could have woken them up when she ran in circles trying to find the packs. In any case, Lina woke up Tamahome and Hotohori in a way related to food. It was only when Lina saw the two blinking sleepily at her that she realized something wasn't quite right. "Ne, where's Nuriko-chan?" Tamahome and Hotohori exchanged a glance. "Um, Nuriko went off in a temper and didn't return." "Ne, why? I healed up the wound, didn't I?" "Lina-chan! Did you know Nuriko was a man?" blurted Tamahome. "Yeah," she replied. "Oops. You're not supposed to know that, are you?" Hotohori sighed. "That must be why he left in such a temper. We have to find him so we can continue to Mount Taikyoku and find the fourth Suzaku no Shichi Seishi." "First, we've got to eat! I'm STARVING!" "You're always starving," pointed out Tamahome. She whacked him, her hunger making her irritable. "Well, I'm even more starving right now!" Tamahome let out a sigh of long suffering and offered her some of the food in his pack. Lina latched on to it and gulped in down in two bites. "More! I need more!" "YEOW!" screamed Tamahome when Lina bit his arm. "I am NOT your food!" Hotohori giggled as he watched Lina chase Tamahome all over the clearing, demanding to be fed. Lina got that sinking feeling that it wasn't going to be a good day. She stopped in the middle of the clearing, holding her stomach. "I'm sooooo hungry," she complained as an arrow swished through her hair. It was definitely going to be one of those bad days. "Abunai!" yelled Hotohori, pushing the others down. "Those men from Kutoukoku are back!" "WHAT'S WITH THIS?!?! CAN'T A GIRL GET SOMETHING TO EAT AROUND HERE?!?!" Lina shot up enough fume marks to cloud the area. "Minna-san!" Nuriko burst into the clearing, swinging a large club. On closer inspection, Lina realized it was an entire tree trunk. The assailants scattered as the thick tree limbs crashed close to their location. "Nuriko-chan!" said Lina. "Do you have any food?" He drew back a step. "Me? Give you food? When you spilled my secret to everybody?!" "Ne, I don't remember doing that! You should be thanking me - I healed that wound of yours!" Nuriko and Lina faced off, when a voice from behind Lina said, "Aiyah, na no da!" Everybody turned. And stared. But there was nobody there. The kasa on Lina's shoulder floated over her head and a man popped out of it. "Ohayo, no da!" "You..." Lina pointed, "You're that fox-faced guy from yesterday!" The monk dusted off his hat. "That's right, no da." "Do YOU have any food?!" screamed Lina. "I need my breakfast!!" The other three stared at him. "You - you're the fourth Suzaku no Shichi Seishi! Chichiri!" "Hai, na no da! And I bring greetings from Taiitsukun herself, no da!" Chichiri lifted his staff high in the air and made several complicated motions with his free hand. A blast of light from the staff surrounded them. They were gone in ...well, a flash. They arrived on a mountainside. It looked quite normal, complete with native wildflowers and a few bees and butterflies hovering around them. "Suzaku no Miko..." said a scratchy old voice from behind them. Everybody turned. Again. And stared. And this time, there was somebody there. "SUNAKAKE BABAA!" hollered Tamahome and Nuriko in fright. "Who's a sand-throwing old witch?" countered the old woman. "You must be Taiitsukun!" said Lina. "Do you have any food? If you say no, I'll be forced to 'dragon slave' you." Taiitsukun looked at Lina very closely. Very, very, very closely. Lina drew back a step and bared her fangs, "I haven't eaten in a long time! Gimmie some food!" Taiitsukun nodded to herself and stepped back. Actually, as Tamahome and Nuriko noticed, she really floated back a few feet. "First, you must tell me what you see on this mountain." Lina spouted a plethora of fume marks and popped several veins on her forehead. "WHAT SORT OF THING ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL, HERE?!" she demanded. "I see trees and flowers and bees, and there's some funny- looking colored spheres and a pagoda and ...hey, where did all that stuff come from?" Taiitsukun nodded. "Only those who are pure of heart can see this. Others see a barren mountain instead of the paradise it is." "Good, good, good," said Lina. "But where's the part when I get to eat?" The creator let out a sigh. "Very well." She walked, or actually floated, into the pagoda. "Nyan-Nyan!" screamed several someones as the group entered. "Cure, cure! Fix, fix!" Nuriko leapt back several feet. "Whoa, what's with them?" "Fix me up a gigantic breakfast!" yelled Lina at them. The Nyan-Nyans looked at each other in confusion. Although they were used to Taiitsukun's orders and Chichiri's wishes, it was the first time someone had demanded food from them. "Nyan-Nyan!" they chorused enthusiastically. "We'll make the biggest meal in all of Mount Taikyoku!" "I'll fix some eggs!" "I'll bake some bread!" "I wanna fix Taiitsukun's face!" said another one. Taiitsukun sent that particular hyper chibi-goddess flying. "The insolence from them," she grumbled to herself. Another Nyan-Nyan had made her way over to Nuriko. "I can heal you, too!" Nuriko scratched his head. "But Lina already healed me." "I'll fix your perversion!" A second Nyan-Nyan joined the first in touring the skies. Before Lina could finish the incantation for the Dragon Slave (not that she thought it would work, but it was a perfect way to vent her frustration) a large table was set with a banquet large enough to satisfy even Lina's stomach. "Itadakimasu!" Lina said in .0000587 seconds flat before diving headfirst into the meal. "Aiyah, no da!" muttered Chichiri to himself. Tamahome looked at Chichiri closely. "You know... your face is peeling," he said awkwardly. Chichiri ran his finger over the peeling skin. "Oh, that's okay, no da!" He winked at the others, glad for the distraction from Lina's frenzied cramming. Pulling his mask off to reveal another, he smiled broadly, "I always carry a spare, no da!" Sweatdrops appeared on the heads of Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tamahome. "This is certainly very strange," Hotohori felt impelled to remark. Meanwhile, Lina made headway on the large banquet. The Nyan-Nyans were in their element, happily rescuing plates before Lina broke them and replacing them with platters of more food. They made a game of it, gleefully throwing plates back and forth to be filled, cleaned, or in most cases, repaired. Everybody else looked in the other direction. Finally, Lina's monstrous appetite wore down to a halt. She leaned back in her chair (she didn't even remember when it was brought to her, but she was beyond caring at this point) and patted her very full stomach. Her face carried a dreamy smile on it. "Aaaaah..." she sighed blissfully. "That was a good breakfast." "Nyan-Nyan!" agreed the hyper chibi-goddesses around her. They immediately started whisking away all the plates and clearing the tables, thoroughly enjoying the odd task. Taiitsukun stared at Lina. "Now, then..." "UWAAAAAAH!" screamed Lina at the sudden view of the wrinkled face. She turned her head to the side and coughed several times. "Don't scare a girl like that!" she growled angrily. Sweatdrops appeared on the heads of the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. "Now then," repeated Taiitsukun for emphasis. "You must have come here to ask me something. So, what is your question?" Lina burped. "Oh, well, it's about my magic, you see," she said, waving her hand airily. "It's like this: my magic doesn't work in this world and I want to know why." Taiitsukun nodded. "There's something else you want to know, I can see." "Yeah, well... you wouldn't happen to know what happened to Naga the White Serpent, do you? You know, tall, long black hair, big bust, likes skulls, black magic sorceress?" Again, Taiitsukun nodded. "Very well. I will answer your questions, if you will bear with me. They require...lengthy explanations." Lina rubbed her hands together. "Let's get cracking, then!"