Chapter 6

"Ouch, what did I hit?� Kokoro rubbed her head, she felt a small bump on her head. She touched it again and realized it the pain was already subsiding.

She was lying on the floor of some weird place. �Where am I?� The setting was entirely unfamiliar to her. She stood up and wiped off the dust on her clothes. Nearby she saw her purse and picked it up.

"Where is this place?� Kokoro was confused. She was just in a car with Thik, now she was in a temple of sorts. It was a really old and dusty place, apparently it had been abandoned for quite some time. She heard voices coming from outside, the sun also peaked in through a small crack in the wall.

"What the heck? Wasn�t it just raining?� Kokoro was even more confused. What was going on? She went to the doors and slowly opened a crack, the sun shone and blinded her. Kokoro squinted a little and turned to the other side�

The streets were bustling with shoppers doing their early morning shopping. If you came late, you got the bad stuff�as the saying goes �The early bird gets the worm.� Children were running around playing on banana leaf horses, some were bathing in the river; the little girls accompanied their mothers in the frenzied open-air market.

Voices of �how much,� �what about a lower price,� �mother, I want that,� filled the air. It was a beautiful day, perfect for shopping, sitting in boats on the lake, or even picking lotus blossoms for worship.

Kokoro stepped out of the abandoned temple. She could not believe what her eyes saw. It was only last night the weatherman reported the worst storm in history�but now it was sunny.

"Where is this place?� Kokoro scratched her head, was she dreaming? Kokoro pinched herself to realize that it was not a dream.

"Why are they dressed like that?� Kokoro could not help but stare at the clothes of the villagers. �It looks like the old photographs of China I saw at grandpa�s house�uh oh.�

Kokoro dare not think that she was in China�in the old times? It couldn�t be�it was impossible! There�s no reasonable explanation on why she would be in the past�was there? Afraid, Kokoro ran back into the temple and closed the doors.

"This is impossible! How could I have possibly gone back in time�how??� Kokoro was frantic. She didn�t know what to do. She sat down clutching her purse�desperately trying to figure out an explanation for her situation. However, she was weary and tired, the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the car before it�

"Wait!� Kokoro had an idea, �If this is really the past�and I�m really in China, then I don�t have to go back home and marry that Tama guy!� Kokoro was quite happy with this, she figured if she stayed here then her parents would call off the wedding and she would be able to find her real true love on her own. �This is a fool-proof plan!� And with this in mind, and a smile on her face, Kokoro fell into sleep.

>>>grooowwwlll<<<

Kokoro clutched her stomach as she tried desperately to fall back asleep. It didn�t help, she was too hungry. The last time she ate was breakfast at her grandparent�s house before setting out for Tokyo. It was now around 6:00 in the evening. Kokoro was afraid of going outside because she was not use to her new surroundings just yet. Besides, the villagers might mistake her for a criminal of some sorts because of the way she dressed. She didn�t have any Chinese robes, as was the fashion for women back then.

"I�m sooo hungry,� Kokoro decided she couldn�t sleep anymore, �And I don�t have any money either�I doubt they�ll take the money I have.� Kokoro looked at her wallet, they would have thought her crazy to use her paper yen. Slowly, she got up and started pacing around the old temple.

"How will I survive here?� She didn�t want to go back to the present, nor did she want to die in the past; her plan was getting more complicated than she thought it would be. Kokoro peaked outside the doors, the shopkeepers were setting up food stands and the aroma drifted through the air, reaching Kokoro and taunted her nostrils. Suddenly, something caught her eye�it looked like a small sachet.

Kokoro looked around carefully before leaving the temple. She ran towards the sachet, in hopes that it would contain something of value that would let her feed her stomach tonight. Casually, she kicked the sachet more towards the temple�walking after it. She turned around with a mischievous smile on her face and bent down to pick it up. As she was getting up�she met with someone�s feet.

Slowly, she lifted her head to match the feet with a face�a tall handsome man was looking over her�before she could get up, he spoke:

"I believe that belongs to me�� he pointed to the sachet.

Kokoro swallowed hard as she heard the seriousness in his voice

Chapter 7

"I believe that�s mines�� he pointed to the bag in her hand while he squatted down next to her.

She quickly got up and scooted away from him. She was frightened of what he might do to her.

"What makes you think it belongs to you!� She retaliated. How did she know it actually belonged to him, it could be anyone�s bag.

He walked up to her with a little grin on his face. Kokoro was afraid to know what he could be thinking.

"Because�if you can read, that�s my name embroidered on the front.�

Kokoro slowly looked down at the little bag, and from the decent amount of Chinese she knew�she could make out his name was�

"Rei.� He took the word out of her mouth. �Now if I may please have my sachet back?� He held out his hand as to receive it.

Kokoro didn�t know what to do, she knew the right thing would be to give it back, but he could have caught a glimpse of the name and pretended that it was him.

"Okay�Mister�Rei is it?� Kokoro spoke cunningly, �If this is really your money bag, then she surely must know how much money is in here correct? And if you�re off by even 1, I�ll have no choice but to claim it as my own because I was the first one to spot it.� She smiled.

Rei let out a snicker and shook his head. �Exactly 5,000 worth. Would you like me to break down how many of which coins?� He taunted her.

Kokoro spun around and counted the money in the sachet�it was as he said�exactly 5,000. But that didn�t mean she had to give it back�

"Well Mister Rei�� Kokoro backed away slowly, �That�s exactly wrong!� She then took off and hid in the temple as she got piles of wood to block the door.

"Hey you! Thief! Come back here!� He ran after her as fast as he could but didn�t make it in time. He started bagging on the door, which caused the villagers to look at him as if he were crazy.

"That�s it!� He was going to kick the door down when something flashed into his mind. He shook his head, was it possible?

"It can�t be�� He tried to remember Kokoro�s face, �But it has to be�it has to be her!� He backed away from the doors and started running down the street.

"It�s her! She�s come back!� He smiled as he ran in the direction of the palace.

Kokoro hid in a small corner of the temple and didn�t come out until it stopped. She slowly got up to see if he was gone. She crept over to a broken window and looked out.

"Looks like he�s gone�� She tiptoed over to the door and started removing the wood she put in front. Kokoro walked outside and made sure he wasn�t hiding anywhere. When she was certain he was gone, she stood on top of the steps and smiled.

"Ha! No one can fool me!� She laughed as she tossed the little bag in the air. �Now to get some food!� She ran down the steps and headed towards one of the food stands. She picked out one that was far away from the others as possible because she didn�t want people to talk about her clothes. Although the shopkeeper had questioning looks on her face when Kokoro came up, she sold her the steamed buns and tea anyway. Kokoro then ran back to the temple to feast on her dinner.

"And what will I do after this?� Kokoro wondered as she bit into the buns. She let out a sigh, but food was the least of her problems, she needed to find a way to get home!

"Ancestors�please look over me�� Kokoro prayed before falling asleep on the floor, clutching her purse.

-------------

"Your highness, your highness!� Rei stumbled into the palace.

"What is all this commotion General?� The emperor asked as Rei bowed down before him.

"I met a young woman today�� Rei began, �And I�m quite certain that she is Her Majesty!�

"What!� The emperor shot up from his throne. �Are you sure?� He asked impatiently.

"I�m not quite certain, for she couldn�t recognize me�but the resemblance is so perfect there�s no other reason!�

"Where did you find this young lady! Take a few guards with you tomorrow to bring her to me! I want to know if it is really her!�

"Yes highness!� Rei went out to prepare for tomorrow.

"Beloved�� The emperor smiled, �You�ve returned to me��

Chapter 8

"Ugh! Why can�t I do this?� Tama threw some brushes down on the floor. He had been desperately trying to paint his beloved painting again, but for some reason, the visions had stopped.

"Where are you?� He whispered. The woman who had appeared repeatedly in his dreams suddenly vanished and he never dreamt of her since. His visions stopped and he didn�t understand why. She haunted his dreams since he was a child, and now she was gone.

"Take it easy man�� his friend Koji patted him on the back, �You don�t need some crazy dream to help you paint. Didn�t you hear what professor said? You�re the top of the class.� He tried to reassure his friend, but he was more afraid of Tama�s obsession with something that wasn�t real.

"How can I?� Tama ran his hand through his hair, �I�ve been working on this piece forever, and it�s the only one that I can�t ever seem to finish. What�s wrong with me?�

"If I could answer that you�d already have finished the painting�� Koji joked.

"Not funny man.� Tama threw him a serious look, �I need inspiration, I need something��

"How bout we go out tonight, you need a break.� Koji offered, �I�ve got some ladies lined up who are dying to meet you man!� he laughed.

"Maybe I do need a break, this is killing me�� Tama got up and walked over to his painting.

"When will you finally come to life?� He whispered as he laid his hand on the eyes. Suddenly he felt a jolt go through his arm.

"What the!� He pulled his arm back and shook it.

"What�s wrong man?� Koji came up beside him.

"I don�t know�� Tama looked at the painting, �I felt it come to life��

"You�re crazy! That�s impossible. Come�on you need a break, if you stay in here too long, I�m afraid you�re gonna go crazy.�

Tama walked out of the studio, but not before glancing back at the painting. For a split second, he swore it had come to life.

At the nightclub, Tama could do nothing but sit at the bar and drink. Even though he was supposed to stop thinking about the picture, he couldn�t. There was something about it that stuck in his mind. As he was looking around the club, someone caught his eye.

"It�s�� he shot up from his seat and weaved his way through the crowd of people on the dance floor.

"Wait!� he yelled out, but the loud music droned out his voice. The figure kept running and didn�t look back. Tama ended up near the emergency exit where he saw the mysterious figure disappear to. He ran out to the dark alley and saw the figure disappear into the shadows.

"Wait!� He was going to run after it, but when he got there, there was nothing. �I swore there was someone�� he scratched his head.

"I�m going crazy�I must be crazy!� he mumbled to himself as headed back.

As Tama walked back into the club, two small blue twinkles glimmered in the shadows under the full moon.

Chapter 9

"Ugh!!� Kokoro yawned as the sunlight hit her eyes. �Okay I�m up, I�m up!� She woke up smiling, and when she came to the reality that she was still in the temple, her smile faded.

"So it wasn�t a dream�� She felt a little sad, �Why am I here anyways��

Knock Knock Knock!

The knocking scared Kokoro. She quickly stood up and wondered who it was.

"Open up!� Rei�s voiced radiated from the outside, �I know you�re in there!�

"Oh my gosh! I can�t believe that jerk!� Kokoro scuttled to the broken window and peeped outside. Around Rei was at least 10 army guards. �What a loser! He has to come with an army just because I stole---err I mean didn�t give him back his money bag?�

"Open up or I�ll be forced to break this down!� he bellowed.

"Alright men,� he turned to the guards, �Start breaking it down.�

"STOP STOP STOP!� Kokoro opened up the doors and stood in front of them. She walked up closer to Rei, who was smiling, and slapped him.

"Ow! What�d you do that for!� He held his cheek.

"For being a coward! Just because I didn�t give you back your money you have to come with an army of more cowards to come arrest me! You�re pathetic!� She screamed at him.

"This attitude�it�s different, can it really be her?� Rei thought, �But if she wants to play it that way�� he smirked.

"Guards!� Rei ordered, �Seize this young woman at once!�

"Ah!� Kokoro screamed as she tried to run away but 2 of the guards caught her and pulled her back to where Rei was, she was kicking and screaming all the way and didn�t care who saw.

"Jerk! I�ll hate you forever! And when I get out of this I�ll still hate you!� She screamed at him.

"Men,� he looked over to some guards, �Check inside for any belongings and bring them with you.� He ordered, "Everyone else go ahead and inform the emperor that we are bringing the young women. I�ll take care of the young woman.�

"What!� Kokoro yelled, �You�re going to bring me to the emperor for my punishment! You sicken me!�

"Only those who have done something wrong will think they need a punishment!� He retaliated.

"Hey where are they going with my bag! Give it back!� Kokoro tried to snatch the bag from one of the soldiers but to no avail.

"Now do you know how it feels like when someone takes something that belongs to you?� He mocked her.

Kokoro looked away and tried to run for it again but Rei caught her arm and pulled her back.

"I�ve you�re going to behave like this�I have no other choice.� He lifted her onto his shoulder and carried her towards the palace.

"Let me down! What do you think you�re doing!� Kokoro hit his back with her fists and bit him.

"Kick and scream all you want but I�m not letting you escape.� He smiled and walked on as the villagers stopped to look at him and Kokoro.

Kokoro gave up after she realized whatever she did would not shake him.

"Why me? Why this?� She thought as she rode on Rei�s back to whatever fate awaited her.

Chapter 10

"Your Majesty!� the guard runs into the palace in a huff, �General Rei is bringing the young woman!�

"Thank you�� the emperor replied. In the back of his mind, he was hoping that it would be her.

"They�ve arrived majesty!� the guard informed him.

"Alright, tell them to come to me.�

Gasps befell each one of the guards as they saw General Rei carry Kokoro in. Her modern clothing drew a look of bewilderment upon their faces. And as they glanced upon her face, there was no doubt in their minds that it was her. But why was she wearing such strange clothing?

Rei set Kokoro down in front of the doors and led her in. He didn�t want the emperor to see him carry her in such a shameful looking manner.

"Let go!� Kokoro whispered at him as she tried to pull her arm out of his grasp.

"Be quiet!� He scolded her. Rei walked up and bowed down to the emperor and instructed Kokoro to do the same. But before she could do anything, the emperor ran down from his throne and embraced her.

"My beloved! I can�t believe it�s you!� He hugged her tightly, �You�ve managed to come back to me! I was so worried!�

Kokoro pushed him back and looked at him as if her were crazy, �Who are you! And stop touching me! Get off!�

"What�s wrong with you? Don�t you remember me? You�re my empress!� He tried to pull her back.

"What are you talking about? Stop it! I don�t know who you are and I�ve never met you in my life!� Kokoro snapped.

"Rei what�s wrong with her? She doesn�t remember me at all!� the emperor looked at Rei, who only shrugged for he didn�t know the answer either.

"Please Yuwei, you have to remember me. What did they do to you?� He begged.

"What did who do? I don�t even know what you�re talking about. My name�s Kokoro, not Yuwei or whatever.�

"Kokoro?� the emperor was puzzled, �This can�t be! You are my beloved Yuwei!� He hugged her again.

Kokoro was confused, she didn�t know what was happening to her but she knew it wouldn�t be any good. Is this why Rei brought her here? To become the empress�s replacement or was it something else? What was in it for him? But before Kokoro could ask any questions, a palace guard rushed in.

"Majesty! Majesty!� he huffed.

"What is it soldier?� the emperor was quite flustered, �Why have you barged in like this?�

"Here sir�� he handed the emperor a broken arrow with a note attached to it. He opened up the letter and a lock of hair fell out. He perused it and with a shocked face he looked over at Kokoro. He bent down and picked up the lock of hair and put it next to Kokoro�s hair.

"You�re not her�� he spoke disappointingly, �She�s still not safe��

Kokoro looked up at Rei for an answer but he gave none. The emperor was then escorted back to his chambers for the entire day. The last look on his face struck a chord with Kokoro�s heart. She stood for a while looking after the emperor.

"Should I be taken back now?� She looked over to Rei, who gave her no answer. Rei then walked up to a guard and whispered into his ear. He then left Kokoro standing alone in the room.

"Hey! Come back here! What am I supposed to do!� She tried to run after him but the guard held her and dragged her away.

"Let go! For goodness sake let go of me!� She kicked him and ran outside.

"Come back here! General Rei!� the guard went to inform Rei of Kokoro�s escape.

"She can�t be far, keep a look out for her�I�ll go look for her myself.� He ordered the guard and went out about the palace to go look for Kokoro.

Kokoro found herself hiding in the emperor�s plumeria gardens. She tried to conceal herself with the bushes as she collapsed down from exhaustion.

"Why me�� she sobbed as she curled up on the ground, �Why am I here? Why is this happening?�

"Mom�Dad�please help me��

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