Slayers FUSHIGI Crossover fanfiction written by Ming-Ling (tama_neko_chan@hotmail.com) - - > http://members.limitless.org/~mingling/sf.html < - - Volume 5: Genbu no Shinzahou Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 17: COME DOWN TO US! THE SUZAKU SUMMONING CEREMONY! SUMMONING SUZAKU WAS EASIER SAID than done. This Lina learned the next day as Hotohori began nitpicking over the exact placing of the rug, the brazier and the candles. The servants ran themselves to the bone trying to keep up with his demands. First they had to prepare the temple and then Lina had to go through some purification rite while the Shichi Seishi gathered their powers. Then there was a whole ceremony she had to go through and chant something, and after that, throwing the scroll on the coals, and then (and only then) Suzaku would appear. It was a lot of work. Lina was already getting tired. Summoning gods wasn't her domain. Still, it wasn't like she had a choice or anything. "Lina?" Hotohori broke off from the preparations as he noticed her in the temple. "Lina... I need to talk with you for a moment." "Sure, what's up?" "You know how the ceremony goes? Suzaku grants you three wishes. The first wish will be for Konankoku's protection from Kutoukoku, but the other two..." Lina blinked. She had forgotten about that part. She had assumed that summoning Suzaku would save Konankoku, end of story. The two extra wishes were one big bonus. "What were you planning to do with the other two?" She looked at her hands. "Well... I'll wish Naga free of that slimy Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, Nakago." "Wish wisely, Lina-chan. It's not often you get an opportunity like this." "No kidding," muttered Lina under her breath. "One wish left... hey, this could finally be the opportunity to grow a little bigger! Why, that's perfect!" She winked and smiled widely. When she opened her eyes, she saw Tamahome talking with Chiriko. The two were smiling at each other. Tamahome... Lina blinked a few times as a bee passed in front of her vision. What would her last wish be? "Lina..." She looked up at the emperor. "It's time." Time meant time to get ready for the ceremony. This involved a long purification rite. She mumbled to herself the lines she was supposed to say as she entered the ... well, washroom didn't do justice to it. It had a large pool complete with a waterfall and lots of other strange things used for the purification portion of the ceremony. Lina raised an eye skeptically as she looked around. "Strange," was her only comment as she slowly began to undress. "The four directions of the sky, the four directions of the earth..." Lina stepped into the pool, where several maidservants waited. They took her through the ritual, which required little work on the part of Lina. "Um, the protector of the south, Suzaku...err... Come to us physically. Please make extinct every... kind of evil... umm... By using your divine powers, uhh, protect us... only... only... only...only I wish... please listen to this... please come down to us from the sky..." "Miko-sama, this way please." She followed them automatically as they led her under the waterfall. The fine spray of water misted over her skin and felt comforting. She was nervous. The eyes had scared her to the very core, and she still could not figure out why. Somehow, they had made a mistake. She could not figure out what it was. It still worried her. The vision she had was even more troubling. "Miko-sama, this way please." They dressed her in a special outfit and brushed out her long hair into a strange bun on top of her head, surrounded by a circlet. It felt strange not being in her normal garb and without any of her usual accessories. The loss of the headband worried her the most since that was the link to Gourry. Still, Gourry had not shown up since they had found Tasuki. Worry later. Work now. Summon Suzaku. It took the greater part of an hour for Lina's purification ceremony to be completed. Lina was extremely tired and bored by the end of it. She was led into the temple, where the lit candles offered a soft glow to the room. In the center, on top of a small platform, was a round brazier. Little flickers of flame leapt out of it from time to time. Surrounding this were the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, aligned according to their constellation. Down the center was a clear path to the brazier. "Okay, let's get this show in the road!" said Lina cheerfully. The Shichi Seishi gave her an odd look. Nuriko got a sweatdrop. "Dang. It's one of those serious moments again." Lina twirled the scroll of the Shijintenchiso in her hands and asked, "Okay, so are we all ready?" Seven nods confirmed this. "Right. Let's get started." Tamahome's eyes held her gaze for a long second before he bowed his head and concentrated his ki along with the other Shichi Seishi. Lina gulped. This wasn't going to be easy. Still, follow the procedure. Walk up to the brazier, and then say... "The four directions of the sky, "The four directions of the earth, "The protector of the south, Suzaku, "Come to us physically. "Please make extinct every kind of evil "By using your divine powers, protect us. "Only I wish, please listen to this. "Please come do to us from the sky!" ... And throw the scroll over the fire in the brazier, and wait for the big bird himself to show up. Lina intoned the words slowly and carefully as lofted the scroll over the brazier. It arced like a bird in flight and landed in the center of the flames. They jumped up as if catching it. "Please come down to us from the sky!" There was a long pause. Lina raised an eyebrow, scratched her forehead, cleared her throat, and said loudly: "Please come down to us from the sky!" There was a long pause. The Shichi Seishi started looking around confusedly. "What, do you need an invitation or a bribe or something? Come down already!" A long note floated into the air. Lina turned. "Chiriko..." His eyes caught hers for a spit second. "Gomen nasai," he whispered softly. She reached out to him. "Chiriko?" He shut his eyes and began to play. This time, his song was not soothing and relaxing, full of mellow tones that drifted in a beautiful melody. This time, his song was loud and discordant, shrieking and piercing through Lina's ears. She fell down to her knees, clutching her hands over her ears. Around her, the other Shichi Seishi were doing the same. There was no escaping the shrill flute. "Chiriko..." gasped Lina. This was it. This was what was wrong. This was why the eyes laughed at them. This was... This was... It was becoming difficult to think. Lina did the first thing that came to her mind. "Digger Bolt!" She resorted to violence. The spell fizzled as it formed, and spat as it sped towards the flute player. It wasn't nearly up to Lina's standards, but at the moment, she wasn't worried about it. The blast caught him on the shoulder and knocked him backwards. The notes died down immediately, and everyone started to recover. Chiriko grabbed his flute swiftly and began to play again. If anything, this time was worse. Through clenched teeth and fists, Lina could see a blue symbol shining on the boy's right shoulder. High spirits. It glowed the same way Nakago's heart symbol had. Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi! Lina tried to cast another spell, but her energy had been spent in the first blast, and the relentless music pummeled her skull. She and the others were down for the count... Another shrill note tore through the air and broke the spell. "Na...nani?" gasped Chiriko. He started to play his flute once more. The same note stopped him. A small figure stood in the doorway, clutching a piece of grass between his thumbs. It was a grass whistle. Hotohori was the first on his feet, with Tasuki not far behind him. Hotohori grabbed his sword and Tasuki his tessen, as Chiriko stumbled backwards a few feet. Finally, he turned and dashed out another exit. Hotohori, Tasuki and Tamahome were not far behind. "Wait..." said an exhausted Lina, slumped against the podium. "What happens now?" They ran through the streets of Eiyo, pushing over everything in their way. If this angered people, they were wise enough not to press their luck. An angry emperor dashing through the streets was not a good person to antagonize. Chiriko pushed past a large crowd, only to find himself between a rock and a hard place. Or rather, three angry Suzaku no Shichi Seishi and a river. "Who are you?" Hotohori demanded to know. Chiriko leapt onto the wall surrounding the riverbank. "There's nowhere to run," yelled Tasuki. "So why don't you be a good boy and tell us what the %#$^&@ you're doing with your flute!" Tamahome glared. "That symbol on your shoulder. That's not Chiriko's symbol! It's the symbol of a Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi!" The boy who was not Chiriko clutched his flute tightly. "That's right... I am the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi known as Amiboshi." "Why did you pose as Chiriko?" asked Hotohori. "Why did you pretend to be a Suzaku no Shichi Seishi?" Amiboshi's eyes softened. "I was ordered, by Nakago. I... he told me that you would invade Kutoukoku and destroy us if you summoned Suzaku. But... I... I don't know what to think anymore!" He clutched his head in his arms. "When I was with you, you didn't seem so bad. But Nakago assured me you were evil. So did my brother. But... but..." A lone tear snaked down his cheek. Tamahome's anger lessened. He reached out to the confused boy, saying, "Wait, let's talk this out..." Amiboshi jerked back as if Tamahome's hand was on fire. He slipped on the wet masonry, falling backwards... backwards toward the river... "NO!" Tamahome snatched the end of Amiboshi's flute. The younger boy was stunned. The rushing waters gurgled not far from his dangling feet. He was quite literally hanging by a thread. Tamahome winced, his grip on the flute slipping. "Give me your hand!" he yelled, reaching out with his left hand. Amiboshi stared up at him. Beads of water where on the younger boy's cheek, mist from the river or tears, Tamahome couldn't tell. But then, the boy closed his eyes with finality. His fingers opened. "NO!" screamed Tamahome as he was left holding the flute. "STOP!" It was too late. Amiboshi disappeared into the raging river. The others were stunned. Tamahome slumped against the wall, holding Amiboshi's flute. His body was racked with sobs. He and Amiboshi had just exchanged a friendly chat earlier before the ceremony, and the younger boy's story had revealed much. He had a younger brother who he cared deeply for and would protect with his life. His parents had died in a war, leaving him and his brother alone, but they had helped each other and survived. And now, he was gone. Tasuki patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Eh, that was kind of strange, eh, Tama-chan? I mean, he's one of the Seiryuu Shichi Seishi, but then you're just about to save him and he let's go...? I... I don't understand. Why did he do that?" "I don't know," said Tamahome softly, holding the flute close to his body. "We must return to the temple at once!" said Hotohori, not once loosing his cool. (He was the emperor after all, and emperors had a public image to uphold.) "Suzaku-sama... Suzaku-sama..." He couldn't complete his sentence. "Hurry!" They rushed back to the temple. Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 18: SEARCH! A NEW QUEST TO FIND THE GENBU NO SHINZAHOU! LINA WAS SURROUNDED by a red light. Mitsukake was healing her, restoring her energy after the ceremony and the spell casting. Nuriko hovered over them, fretting, and Chichiri was concentrating his powers on his staff as the other Shichi Seishi returned. "Hotohori-sama, what happened?" He turned to Nuriko with downcast eyes. "The boy... his name is Amiboshi... is..." Tamahome held the flute out. His eyes were downcast. "He's... gone..." "Amiboshi? What do you mean? Where's Chiriko? That means..." Nuriko was confused. "Then who was playing the grass flute?" "I was," piped up a young voice from the entryway. A boy of about thirteen years walked in. "I am sorry I could not arrive earlier, but I had many other businesses to deal with." He looked down at the floor. A red character flashed from his foot. Stretching. "YOU'RE Chiriko?" yelled Nuriko in shock. (It was a good day for shocks, apparently.) "Suzaku-sama... where is Suzaku-sama?" "He did not come," said Mitsukake sadly, helping Lina to stand up. Hotohori stared at him in disbelief. "Then... then..." "Concentrate your ki, everybody!" Lina's command brought everyone's attentions to her. "Let's try this ceremony thing one more time, okay? "The four directions of the sky, "The four directions of the earth, "The protector of the south, Suzaku, "Come to us physically. "Please make extinct every kind of evil "By using your divine powers, protect us. "Only I wish, please listen to this. "Please come do to us from the sky!" They waited expectantly. Something moved from within the flames of the brazier. Lina held her breath. Taiitsukun's face appeared. "KYAAAAAAAAAH! SUNAKAKE BABAA!" everyone screamed. Taiitsukun got a sweatdrop. "Why does everyone insist on calling me that?" she asked herself. "Taiitsukun! What happened? When's Suzaku showing up?" Lina recovered from the shock the fastest. "Baka! The ceremony wasn't performed properly, so he can't show up!" "That means..." started Tamahome. "We've got to start over!" supplied Lina. Taiitsukun rolled her eyes. "Baka, you don't have the scroll anymore. You can't summon Suzaku with this ceremony anymore." "WHAT?" everyone screamed in unison again. Lina stared at Taiitsukun. Her face was pale. Her eyes were large. Then everything came together and Lina got very, very angry. Her face was red. Her eyes were narrow. "What do you MEAN we can't summon Suzaku?" she demanded, clenching her fist. "You can't summon Suzaku with THIS ceremony," Taiitsukun explained with the patience that only comes from being the Creator of the world and therefore omniscient about practically everything that goes on in it. "Then. What. Do. We. Do?" Lina forced every word out of gritted teeth, veins popping all over her forehead. "You must find the Genbu no Shinzahou. Only with this talisman can you summon Suzaku." "Shinzahou?" "Suzaku no Miko..." "You're not very forthcoming, Taiitsukun," growled Lina. "Suzaku no Miko, come here." She did. (After all, who can refuse Creators of the world, even if they are tightlipped?) Taiitsukun threw some ashes on her. "These are the ashes of the Shijintenchiso. They will grant you a little more power." She looked around. "As for the rest of you..." Small spheres of glowing green energy appeared in front of everyone. "A sword!" gasped Hotohori. "A necklace, na no da?" Nuriko stared at the bracelets that suddenly appeared in his hands. "Another tessen? Wait, this one's made of something else... diamond?" "Medicine?" wondered Mitsukake. Chiriko blinked as he held a scroll. Tamahome looked around. "Eh, where's mine?" He looked up expectantly at Taiitsukun and held out his hands. "I'm waiting." She gave him her personal up-close stare. It became painfully clear that he wasn't getting anything. As Tamahome scowled in the corner, Lina turned back to Taiitsukun. "That's it then? Find the Genbu no Shinzahou and then summon Suzaku? But what about Naga and Seiryuu? Can they still summon Seiryuu?" Taiitsukun got a very annoyed look. "Must I tell you everything?" she frowned. "I'm not your babysitter. It should be enough that I've told you what you must do next." And with that, the Creator disappeared into the flames. Lina puffed up a few fume marks. "Okay, that was very uninformative," she complained. "What in the world was she talking about?" Hotohori looked down at his new sword. "It's a bit of a story," he sighed. "I suppose we should make ourselves comfortable before I start to tell it." Lina felt better. Okay, so she felt 1% better after changing back into her normal garb and made sure her headband was secured tightly, but even 1% was better than no percent. "Please know that this is what I have heard," cautioned Hotohori before he began. "I do not know how truthful they are, but they will give us a start." "So tell us already!" snorted Tasuki, toying with his new halisen. He was at the receiving end of a very hard stare by Nuriko. "Please start, Hotohori-sama," said the purple haired man. The emperor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Right, so here goes. Each country has the legend of a miko coming from another world to save the country. In the north is Hokkankoku, protected by the black tortoise god, Genbu. Supposedly in my great-grandfather's reign, some two hundred years ago, a girl appeared from another world. She gathered the Genbu no Shichi Seishi and summoned Genbu... I do not know what her wishes were, but I do believe they were also having problems with Kutoukoku. It appears that Kutoukoku likes to attack anyone seen as weaker than itself... But I'm getting sidetracked. During the ceremony, she wore a necklace. Genbu endowed this necklace with some powers. If we can get this necklace, the Genbu no Shinzahou, we can use its power to summon Suzaku." There was a pause after he finished. Lina spoke up, "But what about Seiryuu? Can they still summon him?" "Think of it this way. If the one who was posing as Chiriko, this Amiboshi, is gone, can they still summon Seiryuu? Not by the usual route, na no da. However, it is plausible that they can still summon the dragon god if they use the Shinzahou, no da." "Speaking of Chiriko," said Mitsukake, "what did you do to break the spell?" He turned to the young boy sitting next to him. He ducked his head. "It was simple, really. He used his flute to send his ki out, and his music was part of it. By disrupting the song, it disrupted his ki." "Hey, where do you come from, anyways?" wondered Nuriko. "Gomen nasai... I was studying very hard for the government test and when I heard that Suzaku no Miko was searching for the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, well... I..." He looked down at his foot, where his character glowed softly. "I was scared that... my powers, they don't always work, so I thought..." Tasuki patted him none-too-gently. "That's okay, Chiriko-chan! Let's go find that shindig thingie now, okay?" "That's Shinzahou," corrected Hotohori. "Uh, yeah, that thing," agreed Tasuki. Lina took a deep breath, clamped down the urge to scream bloody murder and cast the dragon slave because things weren't working out, and said, "Yosh! We're off to Hokkankoku!" Easier said than done. Again. Lina was rapidly learning that almost nothing was spur-of-the- moment around these parts. It took the better part of two days to plan the trip. First they had to figure out how to get to Hokkankoku, which included finding a ship to get them across the sea between the two countries. The Shichi Seishi were preparing as well, leaving messages with friends, relatives and loved ones, checking over the things they were bringing, and all that stuff. It was enough to make Lina scream. So when, early the next morning, everybody heard her yell, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" they paid it no attention. She never worked this way. It was too frustratingly slow to work this way. Lina was the type to pack up her bags and run off at the least inclination just for the fun of it all. She never had a permanent residence, a set agenda or any idea what she would be doing the next day. To be waiting while transportation was arranged had her grinding her teeth. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Lina indulged in another scream, sending groups of birds, bees, and bats into flight. Why couldn't they hurry up? "Lina-chan!" Nuriko poked his head through the doorway. "Come on! We're just about ready to go." "About TIME!" scowled Lina. She sped out of the doorway, causing a large breeze of wind to follow her. "Ano..." said Nuriko as he looked at her rapidly departing form. "We're heading that way..." Lina skidded for 10 seconds, finally came to a halt, turned around, and ran in the direction of Nuriko's pointed finger. This time, she snatched his hand as she passed him and dragged him along for the ride. "Yaaaaaagh!" cried the Shichi Seishi. She came upon the group quickly, especially considering the speed at which she was running. Too quickly, in fact. By the time her mind registered seeing the rest of the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, she was already past them. Screech! She skidded to another halt, turned around, and waved. "Yosh! Let's go! Ittekimasu!" Chiriko blinked several times, looking rather nervous. He leaned over and whispered to Mitsukake, "This is the miko?" Mitsukake nodded sagely. "You'll get used to her," he assured the young boy. "Oh," said Chiriko, very, very softly. Lina glanced around. "We're all here, so let's get this show on the road!" "Just a moment," said Hotohori. The others looked at him. "As the emperor of Konankoku, I must stay here and make sure everything is going well with the country. I must also coordinate the army against Kutoukoku. I'm afraid that you must go find the Genbu no Shinzahou without me." "Hotohori..." blinked the sorceress in surprise. "Lina... Suzaku no Miko..." "Eh?" He gave her a sword. "This is the deity sword Taiitsukun gave me," he explained. "Because I cannot go with you in person, I can at least be of help in spirit. Use it wisely, and remember me while you are away." "Hotohori," Lina said quietly, accepting it. "I promise you, when we come back we'll have the Genbu no Shinzahou and we'll be ready to summon Suzaku for real, okay?" He nodded, smiling. "I understand. Now go, Suzaku no Miko and Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. Find the Shinzahou and save Konankoku!" Lina brandished the sword high in the air. "All right!" she proclaimed. "Now, can we FINALLY get going?" Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 19: SPLASH! GIANT WAVES CAUSE GIANT PROBLEMS! "WE'RE RIDING THIS THING TO HOKKANKOKU?" Tasuki eyed the ship warily. "I don't know about this..." Lina shrugged and responded, "It's better than a leaky tub. Trust me, I've been on much cheaper outfits. Don't sweat it Come on, you're wasting time." Tasuki gulped and sweated slightly. "Ummm... are you sure about this?" He held back as the others began to board. Tamahome looked over his shoulder. "What's wrong, Tasuki?" A light bulb flashed over his head, and he got a mischievous look. "Aaah... I see..." "Eh, see what?" demanded Tasuki. "I'm just not sure that -" Tamahome grabbed him and tipped him over the rail. "Don't worry, you won't fall in!" "UWAAAAAAAAAH! Let me down, obake-chan!" The symbol of 'oni' flashed on Tamahome's head and his eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should fall in," he said dangerously. "Lekka SHINEN!" A crisp Tamahome popped several veins on his forehead, watching while Tasuki posed with his new halisen, giving Lina the victory sign. It didn't last long; Tamahome tackled the bandit and the two broke out into a scuffle. Large sweatdrops appeared on the backs of the others' heads. Lina's eyebrow twitched as she held back her anger by sheer force of will. "Oi, Fang-chan! Tama-chan! If you don't hurry up the ship's going to leave without you! And if you don't hurry up, I'm going to... to... DRAGON SLAVE you!" Although her black magic wasn't working, they had heard enough stories of Lina's most destructive black spell to be suitably frightened by it. Tamahome and Tasuki stopped instantly in comical poses. "Right, right," said Tamahome. Tasuki looked a little green in the face. "What's wrong, Tasuki?" wondered Nuriko. "Get sea sick?" He nodded imperceptibly. The mischievous glint reappeared in Tamahome's eyes, but thankfully Tasuki was walking behind him. The blue-haired Shichi Seishi smirked, "I guess it's hard for a bandit who's lived in the mountains all his life. I bet you never even learned how to swim." "Oi, what's so wrong with that?!" Lina was fed up. She had had it. She screamed, "HURRY UP ALREADY, BAKA!" It took a total of half an hour to get everyone and everything on the ship. Lina had stomped off and sulked in her room after five minutes, so the rest were spared her angry appearance. Finally, after what Lina felt was too much time, they hauled anchor and started the sail towards Hokkankoku. Lina let out a sigh and leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the blue sky. It was a beautiful day, but she had been feeling very depressed lately and her short(er than usual) temper was merely an offshoot of this. It was un-Lina-like to be depressed for so long. Things had gotten her down before, but she had always recovered quickly and in stride, without missing a beat. This time, it was different. So different... the summoning ceremony hadn't worked, and her hopes of a quick end to this whole insane adventure went up in smoke along with the copy of the Shijintenchiso. Chiriko... no, Amiboshi, had died. He may have been one of the enemies, a Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi like Nakago, but she still felt deep regret. He had been such a quiet and gentle boy, nervous but eager to please. Naga... the thought worried her. What was she doing? What was that slimy Nakago doing? Would she summon Seiryuu? Would she continue to follow Nakago? Would they ever make up and become allies again? The eyes... they worried her, too. Somehow, they were connected to everything in Kutoukoku, Naga, Nakago... Lina finally understood why they had been laughing at her. Somehow, they knew that Amiboshi was pretending to be Chiriko. They knew it was a sham and the ceremony wouldn't work. The vision... That worried her the most. She couldn't get the dreary images out of her head. Lina knew that unless they summoned Suzaku and summoned him soon, those images would become reality. Depressing thoughts, indeed. What she needed was to find a good pile of food to put her worries off and then bust some bandits. Well, maybe the latter wasn't very practical, but the former should be easy enough to do. Lina went topside to see the Shichi Seishi chatting amongst themselves. All except for Tasuki, who looked rather queasy and was holding his stomach. Bust some bandits, eh? Lina strode up to the red-haired Shichi Seishi and asked him, "Ne, what's up, Fang-chan?" "F-f-fang-chan?!" Tasuki stuttered. "I'M a fang-chan?" He clenched his fist, "What about you? You've got fangs as big as mine!" "Wh-what?!" snorted Lina. "I do not." "Hah! I should be calling YOU fang-chan!" taunted the bandit. Lina unconsciously bared her fangs at him, growling, "Oh yeah? FANG-CHAN!" Nuriko smiled. "You know, those two are very similar. Same hair color, same short temper, same fangs, same tendency towards using violence when angry..." He ducked as two random pieces of junk lying on the ship came flying towards him. They crashed harmlessly behind the others. "See?" said Nuriko, standing up. "Fang-chan, fang-chan, fang-chan!" sang Lina. "YOU'RE the fang-chan, Lina!" yelled Tasuki, starting to chase her around the ship. Obviously, he had forgotten all about being seasick... Until Lina was thoughtful enough to point out, "Hey, is the ocean getting rougher or is it just me?" Tasuki paused and felt the rocking and swaying of the ship below his feet. His face was green in .0295 seconds. The ex-bandit flopped over the railing and squeezed his eyes shut. "%$#@^&, I hate sailing and I hate big bodies of water!" Tamahome blinked. "The ocean IS getting rougher," he realized. The timbers of the ship creaked more loudly as if in agreement. Clouds boiled up out of nowhere, surrounding the ship in a gray haze. Thunder rumbled from somewhere nearby. "What in the world?" gasped Lina. "Where did this come from?" Chichiri gripped his staff. "I feel the ki of a Shichi Seishi, na no da," he said gravely. "Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi?" the others gasped. Larger and larger waves rammed against the ship, making the deck sway back and forth. Tasuki wrapped himself around the main mast, moaning, "Someone tell me when this is all over!" The others were shifted from side to side. "Minna! Get below deck!" said Tamahome, holding open the door. Chiriko and Mitsukake were the first to hurry inside, but before the others could follow (except Tasuki, who seemed like he'd need a crowbar to pry him away from the mast), a giant wave swept over the deck. Tamahome let go of the door in surprise, and it slammed shut. "UWAAAAAAH! TASUKETE!" screamed Tasuki as the pillar of water loosened his grip and swept him overboard. Having Tasuki yell tasukete should have been rather humorous. This, however, was not one of those times. "Tasuki!" screamed Nuriko. He swiftly flung out a long coil of rope towards the besieged bandit. "THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE SAILING!" Tasuki screamed as he reached out to grab the rope. (It probably wasn't a good idea, considering he also got a mouthful of salty seawater, but by this point Tasuki was beyond caring.) A large wave washed between him and the rope. "AND LARGE BODIES OF WATER!" "Aiyah, no da! He can't reach it!" "Minna!" Mitsukake forced the door open. "Hurry and get below deck!" "We can't!" yelled Lina. "What about Tasuki?" Another wave spilled over the deck, accompanied by a crash of lightning. Lina felt her footing slip. And felt herself sliding across the deck. And fall towards the water. And hear the others reaching for her, yelling her name. And land in the water. It came as a shock and brought her out of the daze she was in. Instantly she kicked her legs together and popped to the surface like a cork. And bobbed around like a cork in the rough water. It was so cold! It was numbing her, making her move slowly, pulling her down... if she had her magic she could cast a Raywing bubble to protect her, but here... magic didn't work... the way she was used to... "Lina!" Tamahome dove into the water in a much more controlled fashion, splashing into the ocean a short distance away. "Tamahome! Grab the rope!" screamed Nuriko. "Tasuki's gotten hold of it, hurry!" The coldness surround Lina diminished slightly. Surprised, she was slowly aware of Tamahome holding onto her tightly, struggling to keep both of them afloat in the water. Somewhere deep inside of her, she felt a bit of warmth growing. "Tama! Over here!" Tasuki reached out with one hand while clinging desperately to the rope with his other. A large pillar of water splashed between them. "LINA! TAMAHOME!" There was a splash nearby. Nuriko fought to reach them through the swirling water. "Nu-nuriko?" gasped Tamahome. "YOU GUYS!" Tasuki's voice cried, but the thick clouds obscured the location of the sodden bandit and the ship. Cold. The water was so cold. Not even the warmth deep inside of her was enough to penetrate the icy poundings of the waves. "Hurry!" spluttered Tamahome. "We have to find the ship and get out of here!" "Where?" gasped Nuriko. "I can't tell where the ship is in this weather." "We have to do something and quickly! I can feel Lina getting weaker..." A dark shadow loomed in front of them. A flash of lightning crashed not far from their position, causing the waters to bubble. "Not good," grunted Nuriko as the waves pushed them towards the shadow. It proved to be a large rock, small, but high enough above the waves and with a small cave inside for shelter. Any port in a storm. Nuriko reached it first and hauled himself out of the water as another bolt of lightning crashed down. It was almost eerie at how close it came to hitting them... "Nuriko!" Tamahome grabbed a outcropping of rock. "Get Lina up there!" The purple-haired Shichi Seishi reached out and pulled the prone Lina onto the rock. She coughed weakly. Just as Tamahome was about to climb onto the rock, another flash of lightning came down. And struck him. "Uwaaaaah!" "TAMAHOME!!" Nuriko gently set Tamahome down. He was unconscious, and Nuriko had grabbed him just in time. As he was pulled out of the ocean, another lightning bolt landed in the water. "What now?" asked Lina wearily, huddled in a corner. "Where's the ship?" He struck two pieces of rock together and managed to get a few sparks, but without any fuel, the tiny light was useless. It was almost a mockery of the lightning that constantly flashed outside. "What now? We wait. They'll be searching for us, you know. We should try to dry off some of our clothes so we won't get a chill." "Yeah..." agreed Lina, wringing out the water in her hair. It was a very soggy mess and Lina was ready to kill for a hot bath. The perfect bath was one heated to just the right temperature with a carefully controlled fireball, in a quiet place where she couldn't be disturbed, preceded (or proceeded) by a nice, large meal... Lina sighed. She was depressed and she couldn't break out of it. "Lina-chan... what's wrong?" "Well... I..." Lina blinked as she noticed Nuriko had taken off his shirt and was wringing it out, showing his flat, manly chest. Sometimes I forget that Nuriko is a man, thought Lina to herself. "I've been in a sort of blue funk lately, I guess, so this sure isn't helping matters any. It's really strange because I usually never get depressed, so, well... I guess I'm not making much sense..." "No..." Nuriko said softly. "I understand... I felt the same way...when..." Lina blinked. "Huh?" "When my sister died... It was many years ago. Kourin was running to meet me in the street, when she was struck by cart... everyone told me to forget about her but I couldn't. I mean, she was my little sister... no one seemed to understand me..." "Kourin?" "That's when I took on her name... that way I could never forget her... I took on the life she was never able to have." "Nu...Nuriko," murmured Lina softly, stunned by the sudden revelation. "I..." He smiled gently. "Like I said, it happened many years ago. It's okay. I know that sometimes when you're depressed, it seems like nothing will ever work out again, but it does. Life does go on, and things start looking up again - but only if you're willing to continue living." "..." Lina didn't know what to say. "Arigatou, Nuriko-chan." "Umph," groaned Tamahome, rubbing his face. "Tamahome!" said Nuriko and Lina in unison. "Daijobu?" He nodded slowly. "Where's the ship?" Lina shrugged. "We're waiting for them to return, so -" "LINA! TAMAHOME! NURIKO?!" Tasuki could be heard yelling. " - There they are," she concluded. "That was fast." "WE'RE OVER HERE!" hollered Nuriko. The ship loomed out of the fog. A rope was thrown down to them. "You first, Lina." Nuriko caught the end of the rope. "Then you, Tamahome. I'll hold the end and come up last." She nodded and grabbed the rope, scurrying up. Large waves battered against the ship, causing it to sway and drift away. "Tamahome, hurry!" "But... you can't hold on to the rope like this! You... It's impossible!" "HURRY UP!" Beads of sweat dripped down Nuriko's brow. "I'll hold it as long as I can! If I let go, we're all lost!" "But -" gasped Tamahome. "Hurry!" Nuriko pleaded. Slayers FUSHIGI Episode 20: FLASH! MISTRESS OF LIGHTNING, SEIRYUU NO SHICHI SEISHI, SOI! LINA CLAMBERED UP THE ROPE towards the ship. Down below, Nuriko held onto the rope tightly, keeping it taut and prevent Lina from falling into the waves. It was a dangerous task - as the waves rose and fell, the pressure on the rope did as well. He wouldn't be able to hold it for long... "Go, now!" he said to Tamahome. "I'll hold onto it as long as I can, and..." "But -" Tamahome started to protest. Then he saw the look of absolute determination in the Shichi Seishi's eyes. "Hai... ganbatte, Nuriko." He grabbed the rope and started climbing up. The pressure was changing. The rope was growing slack. Nuriko couldn't hold on to it much longer... His arms flashed... no, his bracelets, given to him by Taiitsukun, flashed bright red. They changed shape, becoming longer and encompassed his hands and his lower arms. The rope grew taut again as new strength poured into Nuriko. Lina hopped over the railing with Tamahome not far behind her. They waved to Nuriko. "Hurry!" Hurry, he did. He started climb the rope as the Shichi Seishi on board began hauling it up. Before long, everyone was back, safe and sound, on the ship's deck. Lina watched as the bracelets shone again and reverted to their previous form. "Nuriko..." He looked at them. "I don't know... but when I was holding that rope, and I was thinking that... that someone had to make sure you were all safe, and then... they did that. It gave me more power and..." "It's Taiitsukun's magic, no da. She gave us all special items to help us in our quest, na no da." He looked at Chichiri. "Ha...hai," he agreed. It took a little while to get everything sorted out, but after a long discussion (below deck, where it was much more difficult to be swept away), everyone felt better about the whole incident. Outside, the storm continued to rage, and lightning periodically lit up the cabin with bright flashes. "Now, about this storm," said Chiriko. "It's not natural; the weather at this time of the year is much calmer than this. And it came up very suddenly, which was very unusual." "How'd you know all that, Chiriko-chan?" asked a slightly amazed Tasuki. "I was studying for the civil officer's exam. You have to know a lot of information about things like that," he answered. "It's not natural. I felt the ki of a Shichi Seishi... a Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi I think, right before the storm broke, no da. It couldn't be coincidence, na no da." Lina rubbed her chin. "You know, the lightning seemed to know just where to hit... it was like it was following us while we were taking refuge on that rock. A Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi..." Lina was reminded of the powerful Nakago, and then of the cheerful Amiboshi. Why did Amiboshi have to die when Nakago was most surely alive somewhere in Kutoukoku, feeding Naga his slimy lies? And the eyes... the vision... Lina stood up suddenly. "I need to get some fresh air," she mumbled as a feeble excuse, pushing her way up the stairs. "Fresh air?" "In this weather?" She gripped the railing tightly. The storm was diminishing in its fury, and waves no longer pounded the decks, although she made sure her footing and her grip was secure. The ship was rocking less as well. Lina let out a big sigh. This line of thinking would lead her nowhere. Everything lately had been so glum, and nothing had penetrated the gloomy atmosphere that was hounding her. The weather seemed to match this. It was gray and misty and cloudy and everything was muted and slightly unreal. This line of thinking would lead her nowhere! Lina told this to herself fiercely, clenching a fist. Happy thoughts, remember the good times, think of all the great things that she could do with three of Suzaku's wishes... okay, with at least one of Suzaku's wishes... Now that was an idea... what would she do with the last of Suzaku's wishes? Wish one was to protect Konankoku from Kutoukoku. Wish two, if wish one didn't take care of it, would be to get Naga out of Nakago's influence and bring her back to her senses. Wish three... now there she had room for ideas... Three meals a day for the rest of her life? Not good enough... enough food to satisfy her hunger for life? And good food at that. That would be a big order, smirked Lina. A bigger and better body? Never hurts, she smiled. Stronger magic? Lina shrugged, thinking that once she returned to her own world, that wouldn't be a big consideration. Make Gourry smart? Um... highly doubtable... Shut up Naga's annoying laughter? Duct tape would probably work just as well. More money than she could think of what to do with? Actually, that would be more of a Tamahome wish, Lina grinned. Aaaah... the possibilities were endless. She smiled. This was actually pretty fun! What else could she do with an unlimited third wish? It made her feel like a child in a candy shop, with endless rows of special treats just for her. A claw of lightning crashed down from the sky. Lina leapt backwards as it smashed into the deck in front of her. She sized up her new opponent. Cloaked in a brown robe, it was rather difficult to tell anything about him, but Lina was betting her money that this was the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi Chichiri had mentioned. It must have been the person who was attacking them before. After all, lightning may strike the same place twice, but it certainly hadn't been documented as following people around. Okay, so maybe the cloak wasn't a problem. The Shichi Seishi threw it off, revealing that, oh, she was a woman. The character for 'chamber' glowed blue on her left thigh. If Lina's bet had been real, she would have raked in the dough. But this wasn't the time to worry about such things because the Shichi Seishi began throwing bolts at her. Lina evaded each one easily, zigzagging from side to side. "You dodge well, Suzaku no Miko." "I've had lots of practice," she shrugged. "So, since you know me, who are you?" "I am Soi, one of the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, and I've been ordered to kill you." Lina got a sweatdrop. "Like I couldn't tell," she commented, rolling her eyes. "All right, all right, let's get on with the big battle and whatnot and whatever-all-else." "Lina!" The door burst open and the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi spilled out. Soi smiled. "More spectators, ne?" She snapped her fingers and pointed at them. "Hakuujin Raihou!" Sparks of lightning flashed from the sky and enveloped the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi. "Uwaaah!" Lina spun around. "Minna!" Only to barely dodge another of Soi's attacks. Soi smirked again. "I must say, you are good," she admitted grudgingly. "But you still cannot defeat me." Lina's bad temper raised its ugly head. Veins popped on her forehead and fume marks punctuated the area. "Oh yeah?" she challenged. "Wanna bet?" (It seemed like a good day for betting, for some reason.) Lina drew Hotohori's sword and dropped into a fighting stance. "Oh, but you'll have to defeat me quite quickly, or your friends... well... won't be in any position to help." Lina didn't bother responding. She was beyond angry and well into her famous lets-destroy-the-village-with-a-dragon-slave-just-because-I- feel-like-it mood. When Lina got into this mood, there was only one way out of it. Major destruction. Venting her anger meant the big kaboom. The kaboom-to-obliterate-entire-dragons/cities/countries kaboom. "HAKUUJIN RAIHOU!" "LINA!" screamed Tamahome, reaching out towards her. Lina dodged the bolt of lightning and leapt onto the railing. From this added height, she leapt towards Soi, swinging the deity sword... ... To find Soi not there... "Aoi den!" * The blast of blue lightning blasted her on the shoulder, and she slid to a halt several feet away, facing Soi once more. "Not bad," winced Lina. "I'll have to keep my guard up around you, I see." Thus began a series of attack and counter-attack, dodging, ducking, and swift maneuvering, in which both participants gave as good as she got. They ended rather where they began at, which made Lina wonder at the futility of it all. There had to be some other way to go about an attack but she wasn't about to use magic. One spell and she was out for the count and if it didn't work, it meant Soi could attack at her leisure. "Lina..." The symbol for ogre flared brightly on Tamahome's forehead. He fought the electricity that crackled around them, the static making his hair rise on end... or was it merely charged air particles? He could feel the power surging around him as he gathered his ki into his hands, making them glow a fierce red. He slowly began stand, ignoring Soi's attacks and everyone's surprise. Before long, he broke off the lightning altogether, and summoned all the power within and around him. "Lina!" She nodded. Soi's attitude faltered. No longer faced with good odds, she stumbled back a step, but recovered swiftly. When in doubt: Attack. "Aoi honoo ryuu den!" ** The blazing blue fire that erupted from Soi's hands rivaled any of Lina's flare arrows, but the sorceress wasn't impressed. At the same time, Tamahome sent his own ki forward, the red power blazing forward. Lina was ready. She twirled the sword around and somehow caught Tamahome's blast. For some reason, this made the power only stronger, more charged. Lina swung out at Soi, sending the ki directly at her rival. The resulting, energy-rich flare blasted her in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. Soi coughed, looking up and realized she had badly underestimated the enemy. Despite the hardships and the storm, they had gotten through her attacks and sent an even stronger one against her. It was time to use discretion and leave the battle... for now... For now. The lightning died away as Soi vanished, leaving the others to mumble feebly. "Tamahome..." Lina blinked at him. And started laughing, "Your hair! It's standing on end! You look so silly like that!" He didn't pay her any attention, instead, he looked at his hands. "That power... I've never had that much power before..." "It's because of Taiitsukun, no da," Chichiri patiently explained. "When everyone got power upgrades, like Hotohori's deity sword... and you didn't... that was because this was your power upgrade, no da." "Power upgrade?" Tamahome blinked. "Whoa..." "Dammit!" Tasuki had sufficiently recovered to swear up a whole new storm, which wasn't much by Tasuki's standards. "Who the %$@&* was that woman? And what did she think was doing to us?" "Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi... Soi... This is getting bad. How could they know we were here... or what we were doing? They must be trying to stop us from getting the Genbu no Shinzahou. We must be more careful. If they get the Genbu no Shinzahou, and call Seiryuu..." Nuriko nodded. "Bad stuff happens," he summed up, if inelegantly. "Exactly," agreed Lina. "So let's hurry up. We can't afford to slip up at this point. There's too much riding on this." Nods all around. "Minna!" Chiriko pointed eagerly over the railing. "Look! That's got to be Hokkankoku, ne?" "Hontou ni?" gasped Mitsukake. "Already? But we couldn't have been that close... could we?" He looked a bit confused. "I have a feeling we were near here already, na no da. But the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, Soi, prevented us by calling on that storm and by attacking us outright. Still, it's good to know we're here, no da." Lina smiled for the first time in what seemed to be much too long of a period. "Finally," she said happily, "Things are finally looking up." She pointed her finger at the approaching land and leaned a foot on the railing in an overly dramatic pose. "Watch out, Hokkankoku! Lina Inverse is here on a special mission - to get the Genbu no Shinzahou! And we're not letting anything you throw in our way stop us!" "Ano..." said Nuriko. "The ones who were trying to stop us were the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, and they live in Kutoukoku..." "Ne, what in the world are you doing?" Tasuki scratched his head as he watched. Lina got a sweatdrop. "Oh, nothing," she said quickly. Actually, she was working off an unexpected bout of genkiness. Major destruction (well, she had to take what she got during the battle with Soi) and finally reaching the destination had lifted her spirits, and her optimism was refueled. "Who cares? Come on, everyone! We're off to find the Shinzahou!" "The wonderful Genbu no Shinzahou!" agreed Chiriko. "Because, because, because, because, becaaaaaause!" chimed in Tasuki. "Because of the wonderful things it does, no da!" *** finished Chichiri. "Yatta!" said Tamahome. It seemed everyone was in good spirits. And it was about time. * aoi: blue, den: lightning ** aoi: blue, honoo: flame, ryuu: dragon, den: lightning... *** Sung to "We're off to see the Wizard... The Wonderful Wizard of Oz..."