A girl with auburn hair grunted as her petite body slammed into the ground. She winced as a cloud of dust and dirt flew up into her face. Coughing, she waved the cloud away from her face.
�Itai!� She moaned miserably. Her whole body ached from impact of the fall. It was not pleasant. Slowly, she opened one green eye, then the other. When she was sure she was indeed alive and in one piece, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her brown and white school uniform was torn and covered in dirt and her odangos had come loose, letting her hair fall down on her shoulders. She looked around her, in awe.
�Where�.am I?�
She slowly pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle, which she assumed she got from the fall. Dusting herself off, she continued to turn around. Tall buildings surrounded her and dirt streets and paths went this way and that. By the looks of things, she was in some sort of alley. She had a feeling she was not in Tokyo anymore. Shaking away any irrelevant thoughts, she tried to remember exactly what happened. Yui, her best friend, had insisted she follow her somewhere�but where? She pondered a minute more before it hit her. The library.
�What happened at the library?� She scanned her brain for any memories of the past incidents. Her eyes widened. She remembered a large red bird. A phoenix. It was calling to her, and she followed it. And then�.the book! She gasped and a hand flew to cover her mouth. Was she in that book? Was the book telling the truth when it said the story would become real?
�Oi, you look like you�re lost. Need some help?�
So startled to here a voice, she jumped and looked up. An old man stood before her, a small bag of what she assumed groceries, was in his hands.
�H-hai�can you tell me where I am?� She asked nervously wringing her hands out before her. The man nodded happily.
�Konan. The Konan marketplace. Are you all right? You look pale. What strange garments you wear.� The man ignored her blank stares and studied her, fascinated.
�Konan�where is that?�
�Excuse me, you said I was in Konan?� She asked politely. The man nodded happily.
�Hai, hai. Konan, near the Konan palace.�
�Palace?�
Now she was confused. The man once again nodded.
�Can you show me to the city streets?� She asked, maybe she could find someone who wouldn�t gawk at her. He nodded for what must have been the umpteenth time before grabbing her arm and pulling her along behind him. She stumbled to keep up as he pulled her, rounding corners and streets that all looked the same to the girl.
�So, pray tell me, what is your name?�
So startled by the man�s sudden question, she stumbled.
�Miaka. Yuuki Miaka.� She stated. He nodded and mumbled to himself before giving her arm a yank, urging her to keep up. Finally, he stopped, and Miaka�s jaw dropped. Around her were many people in bright clothing carrying baskets and bags of goods. Many small carts were set up, offering food, jewelry, clothes, and anything else someone could ever want.
�Chin up, dearie.� The old man teased playfully. Miaka slowly closed her jaw, but her eyes remained wide.
�Sugoi�.� She whispered before turning to the old man.
�Well, I really must be going now. Good luck, eh�Miaka.� He waved and quickly turned and disappeared into the crowd.
�Matte!�
Miaka called after him, but it was too late. She sighed dejectedly and turned the other way, watching as people pushed past her. What was she going to do? She was all alone, and she had no clue where she was. Her ankle still throbbed, and the man tugging her along did not help. She frowned and fell back against the wall of a house, slowly sliding to the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest and folded her arms on top, then rested her head on them. She watched as the market continued to bustle with life, and occasional glance thrown in her general direction, but nothing more. After watching everything going on around her, she felt the life slowly drain out of her, almost as if she were one of the town�s people, bustling about. Her eyelids unconsciously began to droop and soon she fell into a deep sleep.
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�Get up!�
Miaka abruptly awoke from her slumber by a rough shove. She moaned and opened her eyes, blinking them twice to clear them. Two large men stood before her, both wearing dark clothing. One reached down and grabbed her by her arm, yanking her up. She cried out in pain as she dangled off the ground.
�She�ll sell.�
�Hell yeah. I think we should have some fun first.�
�You think?�
Miaka listened helplessly as the two conversed. Her heart was pounding and her head spun with possibilities. It took her a few moments to realize that it was night, and that she had carelessly fallen asleep in the middle of a foreign city.
�C�mon, bitch, let�s have some fun.� The man who had been holding her pressed her back against the wall and began to place kisses down her neck. She let out a strangled cry as his hands groped her body. She shuddered in disgust and struggled against his strong hold.
�Iie! Onegai! Stop!� She wailed, flailing her arms and legs in any way possible to get free. The man ignored her and continued with his assault.
�Oi! What do you think yer doing?�
A new voice entered the picture and Miaka froze. Was it another assaulter? Her chest heaved and silent tears fell from her eyes.
�Who�s there?� One of the assaulters, she couldn�t tell which, shouted.
�Let her go.�
Within one swift movement, the man holding Miaka was on the ground, taking her with him. She groaned, then quickly picked herself up and pressed her back to the wall. She couldn�t see what was going on. She could only hear the cries and punches given and received. After a few more minutes, there was silence. Miaka held her breath, fear filling her. A hand wrapped around her wrist and she screamed and flung herself away, huddling in a small ball.
�I�m not gonna hurt ya�. Get up.�
Miaka slowly looked at the shadowy figure standing before her. His featured were hidden from her. She gulped and slowly uncurled herself, but remained on the ground.
�W-who are you?� She squeaked, still watching him carefully. If he was anything like those other men, she didn�t want to see him. A hand was placed in front of her face and she jumped, then looked up at the owner. Slowly, she placed her petite hand in his, and allowed him to help her up.
�Why are you helping me?� She cocked her head to the side, trying to get a better look at his face. He mumbled something and took her hand again, leading her away from the street and down an alley.
Miaka fought back a gasp as the moonlight flashed over his features. He had fiery orange bangs and piercing amber eyes. His face was well sculpted and his lips were set in a thin line, two tiny fangs peeking out of each corner. She blushed when she realized she was staring at the stranger, and averted her gaze.
�Where are you taking me?� Her voice was a lot calmer than she felt. The man continued walking, but answered.
�I�m takin� ya� to an inn, so then I could go back home.� He mumbled and tugged her along. She struggled to keep up with his large strides and almost laughed at the irony of being pulled through this �Konan� place by not one, but two different men.
�What�s so funny?�
�Nothing.� Miaka forced her giggles down and walked with the man in silence. Finally, after about five minutes, she decided to break it.
�So�My name�s Yuuki Miaka. What�s yours?� She tried to lighten the tension a little.
�Genrou.� He muttered before pulling her onto a street with numerous carts, houses, and pubs. She stared in awe as they stopped in front of a small hut like building. Genrou let go of her hand and turned to leave.
�Matte! Genrou! I don�t I have any money, I have no clue where I am, and I don�t know what to do!� Miaka whined and tugged at his sleeve. He stopped walking, said a few choice words, and then turned to stare down at her.
�You have no clue where you are?� He looked skeptical. Miaka nodded. She didn�t know how she got here. Tasuki groaned and led her into the inn.
�Oi, mister, we need two rooms.� Tasuki dug around in his pocket until he fished out a handful of coins. Throwing them on the counter, he took the two keys to the room and started up the stairs. Miaka struggled to keep up with his large strides.
�Here.� Tasuki tossed a key to her, which she barely caught. He stopped in front of one door and before inserting the key, turned to her.
�I�ll take ya� to the palace in the morning. Then yer on yer own.� He kicked open the door and went in, leaving the girl by herself.
�Yea, sure.� She muttered before sliding the key in her door and stepping in. She had the feeling it was going to be a long night.
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