Fushigi Yuugi 1. A new world

A/N: This is a new fanfic I'm doing and I hope you like it :D (review and tell me if you want another chapter - if onbody wants then I won't make it because I don't have so much time at the moment so unless somebody wants anohter chapter I'll make one)! Enjoy this chapter XD

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**The power of the four Gods a****nd one Goddess**

_Chapter 1 – A new world_

"Come on", a male voice yelled, "jump!"

Umiko stood at the edge of a cliff and looked down. She saw how the waves smashed against the rocky cliff – what seemed to be more than fifty feet below. She gulped, "I don't want to," she begged. "You have to," the guy smirked, "you don't really have a choice, do you?" he and four others laughed – even Ishio.

"Come on," the smirking guy said, "it is okay to be afraid." The guy walked slowly towards her, "you seriously don't want to do this, do you?" he asked, slowly moving towards her.

Umiko shook her head almost teary. "Well then, then I can't do anything… but this." As the guy said it he gave the girl a hard push and she fell towards the rough sea. As she did so, she gave out a scream and closed her eyes, only wishing that she would survive the fall.

With a loud splash she hit the surface of the water and the last thing she heard was the guys' laughing their lungs out.

As the cold water pierced her body she fought to get up to the surface to get some air. But the sea had other plans with her; it threw her against the cliff with an unbelievable force and then took her further down. She felt a sudden warm wrap around her and she opened her eyes. She saw how the light from the surface disappeared above her and she lost all hope for survival. But just as she was about to drown something grabbed her around her waist and pulled her. Umiko felt how the cold air suddenly surrounded her and she took the opportunity to breath; even though the cold pierced her lungs like a thousand knives.

She heard different voices around her but she didn't quite hear what they said. She couldn't focus on anything besides trying to – unsuccessfully – breathe. Someone then patted her on her back and she finally coughed up the remaining water from her lungs.

"Are you alright?" someone asked when she was done coughing. Umiko sighed with relief, breathing slowly and looking down on a somewhat wooden floor. Umiko gradually nodded and then looked up. A man with fiery red hair and amber eyes had knelt down beside her to help her up. "Are you sure? You seem to have been in the water for quite some time," he asked worried. Umiko again nodded silently at him but confusion started to appear in her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked. "Just outside Konan," another one answered, "you were lucky we found you. You could've drowned, you know." This man had a funny face Umiko noticed. He looked like a young edition of a monk, only with light hair, and he had an ancient Chinese hat tied to his back.

"What's Konan?" she asked perplexed. The two men looked at each other and then back at her. "Where are _you_ from?" the red-haired asked confused.

The brunette girl looked up at them, "England…why?"

"Is there by any chance a country called Japan where you come from?" the monk asked.

"Yes, it's a country in Asia."

The monk whispered something to the other man but it wasn't loud enough for Umiko to hear.

The monk then looked at her and smiled, "What's your name?"

"Umiko, what's yours?"

The red-haired man rose proudly (like a soldier) and answered, "I'm Tasuki – one of the Suzaku seven." Umiko looked at him and gave out a giggle.

"What?" Tasuki asked more than annoyed that he had gotten that kind of reaction from the foreign girl.

"Nothing," Umiko answered, "you just look kind of…"

"Kind of what?" he demanded.

"What's the word? Kind of…" Umiko looked down taking one hand to her chin, "kind of…"

"Kind of hot-tempered, annoying, weird, sarcastic, annoying, annoying and… did I forget something? Oh, that's right… annoying," a voice behind Tasuki said. Umiko didn't quite see the face of the new voice because Tasuki suddenly turned and jumped at the person whoever that might have been. The monk then went over to Umiko and bent down to shake her hand, "I'm Chichiri and the one who looks like a woman and is in a fight with Tasuki is called Nuriko.

"He's actually a man but he used to (or still does) like to dress up as a woman," he added.

Umiko nodded understandingly, smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."

Then she looked around quickly at her surroundings. They were on a boat; not a big one but not a small one either. There was no one else but the four of them so the size seemed proper.

"Nice to meet you too, Nuriko," Umiko said smiling towards him.

With just one hand he pushed Tasuki hard to the other side of the boat and came smiling over to Umiko, "Nice to meet _you_," he said, "What's your name?"

"Umiko," the brunette answered. Nuriko looked at her and offered her a hand. Umiko took it and was very easily lifted to her feet. "That's some strange clothes," he said while looking at her from head to toe. "That's because she's from Miaka's world," Tasuki joined in while rubbing his head.

Nuriko looked at Chichiri and he nodded, "perfect," he said and took Umiko around her waist and put her over his shoulder. "Wait, what? … Put me down!" Umiko exclaimed. She hadn't noticed that they were already by a harbour. She was put on the ground beside a horse and Nuriko yelled back to the others who were just merely keeping up with him.

"We can finally tell Hotohori that we've found her," he said smiling.

"Found who?" Tasuki asked perplexed.

"Found the 5th God – or Goddess in this case since she's a girl," Chichiri explained.

"What… Are you serious?" Tasuki let out surprised but looked over towards Umiko a little incredulously, "Are you sure? She doesn't really look like Goddess material."

"Yes," Nuriko nodded, "she's definitely the one."

"How can _you_ tell?" One of Tasuki's eyebrows rose silently.

"Hotohori mentioned that Suzaku gave out a white glow which has never happened before – ever," Nuriko explained. "Excuse me," Umiko said, slightly annoyed, "I don't want to be rude or anything but I still want to know what's exactly going on." She jumped to her feet and brushed some dirt of her (still wet) black shorts.

"Don't worry," Chichiri said, "Everything will be explained on the way to the palace, you know."

"Can you ride a horse?" Nuriko asked her. Umiko shook her head, "I would fall off a lot if I tried."

"Then you can ride with Tasuki," Nuriko said with a scornful (but still playful) smile, "That way he probably won't talk that much."

"How funny," Tasuki grimaced back but decided to let it go (yes, quite shocking) and took Umiko's waist and lifted her up. She landed on the saddle on her stomach and tried to get up but failed to do so. Instead she made the mistake to pull herself forward and plummeted on the ground. Tasuki and the other looked around the horse and then they were nearly killing themselves with laughter over what they saw. Poor Umiko had plummeted right onto the dirty ground and her wet hair and clothes were all covered in mud and sand. Umiko stood up looking away and pouted.

"Now there, let me help you up correctly this time."

Umiko turned around and saw Tasuki smiling. She could see how much he had to control himself not to laugh but a chuckle still escaped his lips now and then. Umiko nodded and this time Tasuki made her turn herself towards him, "Now, put your hands on my shoulders. You'll need the support in a second," he still chuckled but then stopped when he saw her glaring at him. She did as he said and then he lifted her as tall as he was – Umiko guessed he was approximately 5'10" or 5'11" – and looked at her while he said calmly, "now, swing your right leg up to the saddle." Umiko broke away from his gaze and looked over at the horse which was getting impatient. She lifted her leg and he lifted her even more so that she would sit straight up.

"There you go," he smiled oblivious to the fact that Nuriko and Chichiri were watching. Tasuki put his left foot in the stirrup and came smoothly up on the horse. "Let's go. Nuriko? Chichiri?"

They looked at each other and rode off toward the palace.

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A/N: So? Liked it?


	2. A new enemy

A/N: Hope you'll like this chapter XD

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**The power of the four Gods a****nd one Goddess**

_Chapter 2 – A new enemy_

Even though Umiko didn't know anything what was going on, she didn't want to go back home. Her brother would be waiting for her, ready to torment her even more. She was adopted by her uncle's family and was not loved. They wouldn't even care if her so called brother told them he had pushed her of a cliff (or telling them she jumped on her own). They would just answer him with, "Oh, she will be fine. She can swim, can't she?"

No. No matter how tough the time in this new place would turn out to be, she would definitely not go back home.

"How is it even possible that I was able to come here?" Umiko asked, wondering, trying to think of something else. The warmth of Tasuki felt nice even though her wet shirt was sticky against her skin.

"We don't know exactly," Nuriko said, "but we were told that you would appear, even before Hotohori really confirmed it."

"Who told you then?" Umiko asked, frowning a little.

"By Taiitsukun, you know," Chichiri replied.

"Of course you were told by Taiitsukun," Umiko noticed the tone in Tasuki's voice and guessed he rolled his eyes, "who else would say something like that?"

Umiko had her back towards Nuriko but she would guess that he gave Tasuki a glare since she noticed Tasuki returning the gesture by sticking out his tongue. The relationship between Nuriko and Tasuki made Umiko smile and she actually believed that her days in this world would become memorable. "Incidentally, what's your world called?" she asked turning to look at Tasuki and Nuriko who was riding on their left now. "It's called Universe of the four Gods," he answered back. Umiko put on a confused frown, "who are the four Gods?"

Chichiri who was riding to their right answered, "Each corner of our world has a god. We in the south have Suzaku – a mixture of a phoenix and a peacock. Its element is fire. The west has Seiryuu – a blue dragon whose element is water. In the north they have Genbu – there the element is earth and last there is Byakko which is found in the east – its element is wood.

"But long ago there was a legend, even before the legends of the priestesses, about a fifth god. But the fifth god would only arrive when the evil truly came and apparently the evil has come since you're here."

The three warriors looked worried now and Umiko could see where this was going, "Are you sure I'm the right one, I mean, I can't even protect myself from bullying," she said with a sad tone. "You'll have the Suzaku warriors behind your back, you know," Chichiri answered with a smile. But the smile did nothing for Umiko; she was becoming even more scared now.

"Wow!" Umiko gasped when she saw the palace the moment they got inside the huge gates in the wall which surrounded an ancient Chinese city, "how amazing!"

"Yeah, it's really beautiful, you know," Chichiri smiled, "But just wait till you get inside."

Nuriko turned to her and said, "Miaka had the exact same reaction when she first came here."

Umiko looked at him, "who is Miaka?"

"The priestess of Suzaku two years ago," he answered.

They finally reached the palace and Tasuki jumped off his horse to help Umiko down, "Let's take the girl to Hotohori," he said and they all went inside the magnificent palace.

Umiko was led to a huge room (at the size of a ballroom – if not bigger) where a handsome man sat on a marble throne. He was wearing traditional Chinese attire and had his hair in a bun. From where Umiko was standing his hair looked a little green but a much darker nuance; almost black.

The man looked at her and said in a soothing voice – smiling, "Welcome, I'm the emperor, Hotohori."

Then he turned to the others, "I see you've found the girl."

"Yes, but just in time," Nuriko told him, "She was about to drown." Hotohori looked towards Umiko again, "How did you get in the water?"

Umiko remembered it all too clearly, "I was pushed by my brother and his friends," she almost whispered, "off a cliff." She looked down on the wooden floor, "the waves smashed me into the cliff and then suddenly the water started to drag me down. The next thing I knew Nuriko pulled me out of the water," she explained while looking up again.

"He _pushed_ you off a _cliff_?" Hotohori asked shocked.

"Yes," she answered quietly. Again she looked down at the wooden floor and now she felt the atmosphere of silence.

To break the silence Nuriko said, "Shall I give her Miaka's old room?"

"Yes, do so," the emperor said, looking at the girl with sympathy.

Nuriko led the way to Umiko and as soon as they left the room the three men looked at each other.

"I must admit that I didn't expect the god to actually be a goddess but the description of the god from the ancient legend fit well," Hotohori said, "black, shoulder long, hair, silver-blue eyes, timid but still courageous."

"Her history is just so dark," Tasuki said while shaking his head, "I mean, to have a member of your family to literally throw you out… that's harsh."

"But maybe that is what is going to make her stronger, you know," Chichiri added after taking off his mask.

"But it fits well, her name that is," Tasuki said. Hotohori nodded in agreement, "yes, 'child of the sea' fits her well and it is definitely true," he smiled.

Nuriko led her trough a maze of halls; turned to the left and right several times before the ended in front of her new room. "Feel free to think this as your home from now on," he said and then added, "you can also think of me as a sister if you like. I may be a guy on the outside but I'm really a girl on the inside," he smiled. He was about to leave but then turned to Umiko, "I forgot, you can change clothes inside," he looked at her clothes, "it seems you need it. Miaka left some clothes behind. I think it would fit you well." With that said he turned around and left before Umiko could even say 'thank you'. She opened the door and went over to the wardrobe where she found a pair of short (almost like the ones she had on herself) and a yellow t-shirt. One thing Umiko was sure of; Miaka had a really great taste in clothes.

Umiko changed and lied down on her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

"Hello," a whispering voice said, "Umiko". The voice felt dank and clammy to Umiko; as if she could feel it. Then a face appeared and she froze. Even tough everything was pitch black, she saw her brother's face too clearly. "I will find you, Umiko," he said smirking, "no matter where you are. Just be _extra_ careful around water," he added while grinning evilly.

Umiko sat up quickly in her bed, sweat dripping from her forehead. "A nightmare," she whispered to calm herself, "it was just a nightmare."

"Was it really?" someone said in front of her while smirking, exactly like in her nightmare. Her heart froze but when she blinked he was gone. She held her breath and when her body begged for air, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When she realised he was no longer there she gave out a small sigh of relief but her fear still hadn't vanished. She lay down again and closed her eyes tightly together simply wishing for the fright to disappear.

"Rise 'n' shine," the door burst open with full force and Nuriko stood smiling in the doorway. His smile vanished and he frowned. "Look at you," he said with his feminine voice, "Have you slept at all tonight?" he asked looking at the exhausted girl now sitting on the edge of her bed. She shook her head and then said with an obviously sleepy, "I had a nightmare and I didn't feel like sleeping after that." Nuriko looked at her and sighed, "let's just go and have breakfast but first you should change. Your attire is totally creased." Nuriko went over to the wardrobe and took out another pair of shorts in denim and a shirt in a deep red colour, "here," he said with a smile. "Thanks," Umiko answered and Nuriko closed the door after him silently.

When she was done changing, she opened the door and then looked to the right and then to the left. _So…_, Umiko thought, _where are the others eating breakfast?_

She stood for a while considering which way to go but then closed the door to her room and decided to walk to the right. The palace was huge (if not bigger); they even had a whole _forest _outside in the garden. She walked down the halls quietly and suddenly someone whispered into her ear, "How are things with you?" the voice turned harsh, "sister."

Umiko quickly turned around facing her brother who was just a few inches away from her.

"How...?" Umiko whispered in shock and eyes wide with fear. Her brother put on this evil smile and took a step towards her. She backed away but he took a step towards her once more.

She turned away from him and broke into a run the fastest she could while hearing his maniac laughter echoing in the hallway. She ran and ran and just as she ran around a corner the bumped into someone with full force. Her eyes closed as a reflex and when she opened them she saw Tasuki lying beneath her.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," Umiko hurried and quickly stood up. She turned around to see if anyone was there but there was none to see. She kept looking around completely clueless and scared; her breathing was quick and heavy from all the running.

"What's going on?" Tasuki asked rubbing his back which had taken her fall.

"But… he was just…" Umiko said while gasping for air. Tasuki's look went from annoyed to worried, "What happened?" He turned her around so she was facing him and held her shoulders, "tell me, please."

"He was here," Umiko said in a voice louder than a whisper.

"Who was here?" Tasuki asked.

"My brother," she answered, "he ran after me just now." Her voice cracked and she was trying desperately to compose herself when a few tears escaped her eyes. Tasuki looked at her for a second, "He was more than mean to you when you were in your world, right?"

Umiko just nodded looking away from his gaze as he drew closer to her to sweep away her tears. Her cheek felt warm and she could feel herself getting calmer.

Tasuki then took her by her hand, leading her to where they all ate breakfast.

After some time they stood in front of a giant door but before they walked in Tasuki said, "Don't go anywhere alone, understood?" Umiko nodded and they went through the door. Umiko noticed there were more men gathered by the table than she saw the day before. She recognized Chichiri, Nuriko and Hotohori.

They all looked up when Umiko and Tasuki barged in. "Did something happen?" Chichiri asked.

"Her brother was here," Tasuki explained.

"The one who pushed her off the cliff?" a man said. His hair was dark and he looked rather handsome Umiko noticed.

"Yes," Tasuki replied, "but he disappeared when I came. But I didn't get to see him."

Umiko noticed how Tasuki refrained from telling them about how she cried.

"Let's give the poor girl something to eat," another man said by whom a white cat sat.

"Good idea," Nuriko said and got up and then smiled teasingly at Tasuki, "I think it is okay for you to let go of your hand, Tasuki."

Umiko blushed when she felt how Tasuki's hand gave hers a little squeeze before letting go.

Nuriko led Umiko to a chair where she sat down and as soon as she smelled the warm rice and miso soup her stomach growled reminding her of how hungry she actually was. She could hear some let out a chuckle. "I guess I'm hungrier than I thought," she said, starting to eat.

"Before we get back to your brother," Hotohori began, "let me introduce the other Suzaku warriors." As he said it he gestured to each of the newcomers, "This is Mitsukake with his cat, Chiriko and Tamahome."

"Nice to meet you all," Umiko smiled and started to eat her second portion of rice.

"Nice you meet you too," the little Chiriko said.

_Wow,_ Umiko thought, _he's just a little boy and he's still a warrior?_ She continued to throw food in her mouth.

Tamahome laughed, "Her appetite reminds me of Miaka."

"So," Chiriko said, "your brother was here?" Umiko nodded, still eating but the food seemed to become inedible at the subject and she put down the bowl with rice.

"How is it even possible for him to come to our world?" Chiriko asked Chichiri "Isn't there always a purpose for the people who come to this world, like Miaka?"

"Yes, but, you know," Chichiri began taking off his mask (which shocked Umiko just a little), "but it isn't necessarily good."

Umiko the said, "you all think that my brother is the legendary evil, don't you?"

"It seems to be so, yes," Tamahome answered.

"If so," Umiko said, "it would be my pleasure to destroy him." Umiko realised what she had just said and she felt as if someone had put the words into her mouth.

The others looked surprised and Hotohori smiled, "good, because you might need to do so at some point."

That ended that conversation and the others continued to eat in silence. But even though Umiko was confident on the outside she was terrified on the inside. What did her brother mean by being extra careful around water?

When they were all done eating they she went over to Nuriko to ask for a favour, "Can I ask you for a favour, Nuriko?"

Nuriko raised a curious eyebrow, "of course," he said.

"Where might I find a lake or river nearby?"

"There's a lake by the forest. Do you want me to come with you and show you?"

"Yes, please."

They stood just outside a forest and Umiko could see a lake not far from where they were standing.

"Why do you want to go to the lake?" Nuriko asked curiously.

"To see what my brother meant when he said that I should be extra careful around water. I want to see if he's bluffing," As Umiko explained she walked determined towards the lake with Nuriko walking beside her.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" he looked worried; "I mean… why would he bluff?"

"He has never once told me to stay away from something unless it was something I cared about," Umiko stopped turning to look at Nuriko. "I once liked a guy – a friend of my brother – and we dated for a while. I was really happy even when my brother bullied me. Ishio and I tried to keep it a secret but somehow my brother found out about it and made Ishio hate me. I have no idea how and why but the guy suddenly started hating me and followed my brother around like a dog. He was even one of the guys who pushed me down the cliff. My brother told me to stay away or he would beat me.

My parents didn't know anything and the times I tried to tell them what was going on they didn't believe in me and my brother would just be extra mean and threaten me." Umiko turned around again and they reached the lake. "But just in case," Umiko added worried, "if something happens could you please help me out?"

Nuriko nodded fiercely, "Of course!" Umiko nodded and looked at the surface.

With one step she stepped into the water. Nothing happened. She then walked further out till the water reached her waist. Then she just stood and waited but when still nothing happened she turned to look at Nuriko who was staying alert in case something happened.

Suddenly the water around her rose like giant hands and twisted around her slender body. She couldn't hear Nuriko yelling to her for long because in only three seconds that water dragged her away from the edge and further out and from there it began to drag her down towards the bottom. She opened her eyes which she had closed in surprise and saw how parts of the water gathered and formed a dragon.

"Take a deep breath, child of the sea," the voice was deep and gentle. Umiko did as the dragon told her to do and found herself breathing normally under the water. "Good," the dragon said, "Now, listen carefully. I'm Seiryuu, the god of the west and you, my dear, are a goddess, the fifth missing goddess. Your element is air – the spiritual element. Your purpose here will be hard but if you and your friends work together you'll be sure to make it. When it is twilight tonight conquer back the Konan village just outside the walls from Kotou. In that village you'll find the holy water of Seiryuu. Find it and accept it as a part of you. We, the four gods, are only four parts created from your soul and we will always be a part of you. Now go, they are looking for you." The dragon disappeared and Umiko soon realised she couldn't breathe under water anymore and just when she was about to black out a pair of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her towards the surface.

"I've found her!"

Umiko couldn't sense anything except the feeling of someone swimming holding onto her for dear life. All the shapes were blurry and she couldn't hear anything so instead she closed her eyes. Did she even breathe?

Soon she felt the dry earth beneath her and she felt lethargic like never before. She felt a pressure on her mouth and her lungs started working again. The pressure disappeared and her throat began to get filled with water. Even though she didn't have any energy left her body forced her to cough. She coughed more than necessary and she began gasping for air while coughing. It seemed like hours she lay on the ground before she felt herself being lifted. She slowly opened her eyes and the shapes were all blurry but she felt warm.

"Don't go and do stupid thing on your own."

She still gasped but less urgent now. He put her down on the ground again and when she started coughing again he beat her back carefully. "Seiryuu…" she managed to whisper when she regained the use of her lungs and breathing gradually.

"Seiryuu…?" Tasuki asked.

"He wants us to get the holy water and conquer back a village from Kotou," Umiko answered suddenly feeling a terrible headache.

"I'll take care of her now," Mitsukake said and put his hand on Umiko's head. A warm glow surrounded her and she felt less lethargic with each second that passed.

The Suzaku warriors were now all there and Tasuki quickly told them about where he had found her and what she had told him.

"There are no villages of ours that are conquered by Kotou," Hotohori explained surprised. "Well, there must be since Seiryuu said so," Umiko said confidently and when she tried to get up Mitsukake helped her up.

"Let's walk back to the palace for now," Tamahome said. As they went back to the palace Umiko tried to recall everything that had happened to her just now.

Seiryuu had shown himself to her and she had almost drowned. The pressure on the lips that filled her lungs with air… was it Tasuki? It _was _him who saved her. The others didn't arrive until after. A blush crept up to her face and her fingers touched the place where Tasuki's lips had been. Even though it wasn't a kiss she couldn't help herself. Her heart felt like a butterfly whose wings fluttered like crazy. But she promised herself not to get her hopes up. She felt this was only because she wasn't used to being around so many guys.

As soon as they came back to the throne room a messenger arrived. "Your Highness," the messenger said while panting heavily, "A village… outside… of Konan… has been … taken by Kotou." The poor man had obviously hurried back after hearing the news.

"What?" Hotohori exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

"They took us all by surprise, sir," the soldier said bowing.

Hotohori yelled to his guards, "Get the army to the village, and don't let the Kotou get past these walls of our city!"

"Yes, Highness," they replied and ran.

Hotohori sat down exhausted on his throne, "How is this possible?" he sighed.

"I believe we should conquer back the village back by twilight," Umiko said, "Seiryuu said I had to get Seiryuu's holy water."

They all looked at her. "Do you even know how long it takes to conquer a city – not to mention _regain_ a city?" Hotohori asked her incredulously.

"No," she answered straight, "but I was told to accept the water by then so it's not as if this isn't important." Umiko said with her arms crossed. Her more dominant and confident side began to show itself little by little. "Don't you think it's easier to start with Suzaku?" Nuriko asked, "I mean, you can always try visiting the shrine."

"But Seiryuu said –" Umiko began explaining but was interrupted by Tasuki, "let's just try Suzaku's shrine. If that doesn't work we'll try Seiryuu."

"Fine," Umiko sighed, letting her arms fall in defeat.

They all walked into the shrine and Umiko saw the most beautiful golden statue of a golden phoenix. She stood and waited but nothing happened. Her instinct told her to go closer to the statue but she didn't do it because she knew that she had to get the Seiryuu's holy water first.

"Nothing is happening so we'll just have to try to get the water instead," she said and the others silently nodded (Nuriko slightly disappointed).

As they walked out the shrine she got an idea.

"Wait," she said enthusiastically, "I've just had a brilliant idea on how to regain the village in only one evening." The others looked at each other and decided to listen.

"Does anyone know how to play any instruments?" she asked with a sly smile.


	3. How to regain a village in one night

A/N: Hope you'll enjoy reading the third chapter XD

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**The power of the four Gods a****nd one Goddess**_  
Chapter 3 – How to regain a village in one night_

"I don't think I thought this through," Umiko thought out loud. Her plan was simple enough; dress up, pretend to be entertainers, dance, get the enemy's army drunk, and regain the village. But the question was _how_ it would be possible.

"Are you getting cold feet?" Tasuki asked with a grin. "No," Umiko said confident enough, "let's roll." She took a deep breath and they snuck in through a back door into an inn where the general and his army sat around many big, round tables with loads of food and drank wine. Umiko gulped but regained the confident attitude. She wore a cloak to cover the clothes – only Nuriko had seen her outfit since he picked it out. Umiko thought is was to revealing but Nuriko thought different. He had said that if she wore it she was sure to seduce many men since that was their goal. But Umiko was still unsure; she had never seduced a guy before let alone a hundred (if not more). She sighed and said, "Alright, this is it."

"Are you sure you can do this?" Tasuki asked, "I mean, how are _you_ going to seduce them?" he added with a small chuckle. "I don't know yet… but don't underestimate me. Let's just try and see, shall we?" Umiko answered.

"Mitsukake and Chiriko, are you ready?"

The both nodded and they walked in.

Just earlier that day Umiko had asked who was able to play any instruments and Chiriko and Mitsukake were the only ones. Chiriko had a flute and Mitsukake played something that looked like an ancient edition of a violin – which he called an erhu. Tasuki had been forced to come so he could give the others a signal for when they should attack. He just found it hilarious that she of all people should seduce the men.

The men looked at the arrived party. "Who are you?" a soldier exclaimed.

"We are travelling entertainers," Umiko explained in a calm voice, still wearing her cloak.

"Well then, entertain us," the soldiers yelled in chorus. She nodded and she got up on one of the tables. The soldiers cleared away some of the food to give her space. She nodded towards her friends who were ready with their instruments and Chiriko started to play his flute in a gentle melody.

Umiko's feet and hands moved freely and elegantly but she still had her cloak on. Then Mitsukake started to play the erhu in a fast tempo and Umiko dropped her cloak. She heard many gasps and the men all smiled. Umiko put on a little smirk and started to dance around on the table. The violin played an aggressive tone and Umiko gave it her all; she moved her hips to the sides, bended backwards using her shawl, which was made out of satin, to give it a dramatic effect. She thanked her grandmother in her thoughts for the dance lessons she had given to Umiko when she was younger. Quickly she glanced towards Tasuki who was standing and watching her; his mouth had nearly fallen down of surprise. She then thanked Nuriko, silently, for picking out her outfit.

He had chosen a bit Arabian-inspired outfit in a blue colour (Seiryuu's colour). It had long transparent sleeves in an ice-blue colour and her chest was covered by a navy coloured bikini-top so you could see her stomach. On the bottom she wore a long fluttering skirt made out of thin transparent silk which was held up by an emerald green band. And underneath the skirt she wore a navy blue bikini-bottom. On both of her ankles she had small bells on an anklet which jingled when she moved her feet. And on her wrists she had a shawl made of ice-blue satin – she reminded herself of a gypsy. She jumped to the next table and danced there and moved on to the next.

Umiko remembered their mission and took two bottles of wine and knelt down before the general looking him in the eyes. She put on a little smirk and poured the wine up to the rim of the huge cup and then jumped to the other soldiers. When everyone at the tables had gotten something to drink, she started over again and poured their cup again – but no one seemed to notice. She turned to look at Tasuki. He was staring at her with his amber eyes which reflected the light from several candles. He smiled at her, stunned at how she had managed to do it so well. Umiko smiled back and blushed in the dim lights. She jumped down from the table and was quite exhausted from all the dancing. The sound of "awwww…" said in disappointment was heard all over the room. "Are you already done?" the general asked. "I just need a break," Umiko answered.

"Afterwards you can treat me a lap dance!" one of the soldiers yelled and they all roared with laughter. Umiko made a grimace of disgust, _they have lap dances here_, she thought.

She walked towards where Tasuki was standing, "you won't have to give them lap dances," he said in pure disgust, "I have already given a signal to Hotohori and his army to attack. They'll be here any moment now."

Then his facial expression changed and he lifted an eyebrow, "I didn't know you could dance like that." He smiled and Umiko heartbeat fastened.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," she smiled shyly.

Mitsukake and Chiriko were still playing but the melody seemed more like a hypnotizing lullaby. Then suddenly the door burst open and other soldiers barged in and the fight started – but not a very close one. They were all drunk and still laughed idiotically.

Umiko felt Tasuki grab her wrist and pull her away from the combat.

He took her outside and ordered, "Stay here. Do _not_ go anywhere." When she nodded he smiled and went inside again to be a part of the combat. She felt her heart race like a thousand running horses. She took her hands up to her face and felt the warmth in her cheeks. She sighed, _so this is what it's like to be in love_, she thought to herself, smiling. _Focus_, she scolded, _you need to find the holy water_. She looked around and sighed, "This could take a while".

"Maybe meditating would help," she sat down on the cold earth. It was quite cold at night and her garment didn't help her. She sat there with her legs crossed and closed her eyes beginning to chant, "holy water, holy water," in her mind.

"_The holy water comes from your freedom_," a deep, gentle voice replied. Umiko opened her eyes, "My freedom?"

_I did feel quite free when I danced_; she thought and stood up while brushing the dirt off the garment, _maybe I need to dance while I ask for the water – like the Indians. _

Umiko started dancing and moved like she had before at the inn but this time more focused on dancing. When her arms moved around her satin shawl followed gracefully.

"Umiko?" Tasuki said coming outside again, "What are you doing?" a confused frown showed on his forehead.

"Shh," Umiko replied trying to concentrate. Her eyes were closed but she could feel Tasuki's gentle stare on her. She blushed and at the same moment a blue glow surrounded her while she still kept chanting _holy water_. She felt warmth surround her and danced faster now.

She began to hear running water but kept dancing.

Tasuki looked at her surprised and soon the other warriors came – the village was theirs again. They all saw how her shawl transformed into pure water but the water still followed Umiko's movements.

Umiko slowed down to a stop and in her hands she held the water which soared an inch above her hands. Umiko felt how the air felt cold towards her skin and the pure, salty smell shrouded her in her mind.

Everything was so calm but suddenly the water became rough like the sea and made fast movements. Umiko smiled at it and it splashed against her face making her close her eyes instinctively. When she opened them again the water was gone and when she felt her hair, which was supposed to be wet after that amount of water, it was completely dry. But her skin felt unusually cold.

"What just happened?" Hotohori asked quietly breaking the silence before anyone else could. "I think I just learned what freedom means," Umiko smiled sheepishly, still not quite believing what just happened. She was freezing so much that she was shaking – she _did_ only have a bikini on.

Tasuki walked over to her, took of his coat and put it on her shoulders, "I think you need it more than I do," he said, "You can just give it back tomorrow."

Umiko looked at him and smiled, "thank you."

It was already twilight but she could still see him smile back.

"If you're done, you two lovebirds," Nuriko said teasingly, "I think we should be heading home. The victory is our and we have a lot to celebrate."

Umiko and Tasuki both blushed and walked over to the others.

"Did you hear that?" Nuriko whispered to Tamahome and Chichiri,"neither of them denied being lovebirds, not even Tasuki." Even though Umiko wasn't supposed to hear it, she did. And when they gave out a chuckle Umiko turned magenta. Luckily it was too dark for anyone to see it.


End file.

Fushigi Yuugi, Fantasy, Romance