Divine Intervention By: Kyoryoku Nazo .............. Chapter 4: Secrets .............. The Priestess learned of the ones who came before... Xellos smiled and sat patiently on a rock beside the ancient temple. He watched the doorway with slight boredom. "Should be any second now," he thought aloud, resting his hands behind his head as he leaned back against a tree. * * * "You're a Seishi?" Duo asked slowly, staring carefully at the symbol on Saionji's chest. "You were just about to kill that girl. How could someone sworn to Nazo be so cruel?" Saionji sighed and leaned his back on the doorway of the Arena, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, "That girl has caused me nothing but grief. She stole the Bride from me, and now she stole my right to possess Eternity," "Why do you care so much about possessing Eternity?" Duo asked, sitting down beside the sword-wielding Seishi. "I mean, what's the deal with it around here? First Akio rambles about it all morning, and now this," "Akio?" Saionji jerked his head up, suddenly very interested, "You've met Akio-san? The Chairman?" Duo scoffed, "Yeah, we met him alright. That guy sure had a lot of nerve," "Does he know about the other Bride?" "Other Bride? Oh you mean Tasuki. He's no 'bride', he's a Seishi, too," he paused for a moment, "I'm not so sure how I knew the words for that sword thing, but it seemed as if I'd known it my whole life," he looked down to see that his usually black clothes had been replaced with flowing robes, cut in a way so that he could still move around easily without getting folds of fabric in his way, "This just keeps getting weirder," Until that moment, Tasuki had remained strangely silent. He also had had a slight change of costume. His Chinese style garments were pretty much the same, except for the fact that they were now black with silver trim, and that a coronet had appeared across his forhead - a thin silver band with the symbol 'Nazo' on it's center. Duo on the other hand now had something very similar to Yui's dress: an open vest with the thick belt, holding up the cape of silk panning across the back of his legs. The top of the vest had many straps that crossed over each other, adorned with beads and jewels. On each of his wrists were gauntlets decored with the same wings that made up the hilt of the sword that the Priestess was still holding. Duo's hair was still hanging loosely about his shoulders, swaying softly in the wind that reached the Arena since it was so high in the air. Tasuki chose that moment to finally speak. "I don't know what the hell happened just now, but I suddenly knew that I was supposed to say certain things and do certain things, and aw, hell, I don't know what's goin' on!" Duo looked at Tasuki with extreme compassion, understanding how hard this was on the young man. It wasn't easy for him either. 'But hey, I've been through worse. I'm still a Gundam pilot, even if I am dressed like a woman right now. Chichiri was right though. Whatever is causing this is out of my control, so I might as well just go with it.' He sighed and looked to the sword that was still in his hand. "I guess I don't need this thing anymore," and with that, the sword faded away into an array of sparkles, as did his and Tasuki's ornate clothing. They were left with what they entered the Arena in, both of them looking at each other, and then up to Saionji for some sort of explanation. "That is no strange happening," Saionji replied to the unspoken question. "When I was engaged to the Rose Bride, I fought many Duels here. When the Duel is over, the sword returns to the Bride, as do the frivilous costumes of the Duel itself," "Ah," was all Duo could say, "So what now?" A flash of light appeared in the center of the Arena, merging outward in the now-expected ebony wisps. "Another portal," Tasuki stated fact-of-factly. This time though, neither of them were afraid of it. Duo was the first to step foward, looking back to his Seishi to see if they had anything to object. Saionji nodded solemnly while Tasuki just raised his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a suggestive grin. Duo blushes profusley and turned back to face the portal. "Let's get going, then," * * * Tasuki opened his eyes slowly, looking up to see the clear sky above his head. Slowly, he craned his neck to one side, seeing nothing but trees and other greenery. As his shifted to the other direction, he was confronted by the angelic face of his Priestess. His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened, closing shut immediately afterward. 'Damn him. Damn him and his charm, his wit, his...eyes...' Once again, Tasuki opened his eyes slowly, taking a peek at Duo's sleeping features - only to be met with wide violet spheres. "AHHHH! Don't scare me like that!" the fiery bandit scrambled to his feet, immediatly sitting back down, but with much more ease than this ascent. "Owwww," he let out slowly, "There has to be an easier way to do this portal thing," Duo nodded, bringing himself up to a sitting position, "I can't imagine having to do this if each Seishi's in a different world," he paused, "Seishi....Saionji! Where is he?" "I'm over here," came the muttered reply. Both Duo and Tasuki looked up to see the green-haired Warrior collapsed over a rock, rather humorously actually. Duo smirked as he stretched out, pulling his hair over one shoulder and toying with it lazily, "There's a reason I keep it braided," he muttered, looking distastfully at the tangles that had gathered in his long folds of thick hair. Tasuki, gave him an interesting look, and opened his mouth as if to say something, when he was cut off by another voice. "Well, well, well, it's about time you got around to showing up here," The three follwers of Nazo looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. "I don't like this," murmured Saionji, rising slowly to his feet and reaching for the katana at his side. Duo stood too, but after a few moments of careful staring, he smiled and signeled to Saionji that it was alright. "You can come out now, we know you're here," he called with no hostility in his voice whatsoever. "Aren't you the perceptive one," replied a purple haired man who seemed to instantly appear to Duo's side. "And how did you figure out where I was?" "You have Nazo's aura," Duo replied, looking to man in the eyes. "So what's your name?" The man bowed overdramatically, tossing his cape aside as he did so, "I am Xellos, a Celestial Warrior of Nazo. And I, noble Priestess, am at your service." * * * Once again, Duo was in peals of laughter as Xellos finished another one of his stories of the bounty hunters he'd been helping. Apparently this 'Gourry' had even less brains than a Nyan-Nyan. Tasuki sighed. 'This guy never shuts up,' He also couldn't help but notice the way Xellos seemed to have Duo wrapped around his little finger. 'If I hadn't known better-' but his thoughts were interupted. "Isn't that right, Tasuki?" Xellos had asked, his head tilted to the side with his eyes closed in what the bandit was now mentall calling the man's 'default expression'. "Sorry, I drifted off for a second there. What was that?" he asked with as much feigned friendliness as he could manage. He was starting to think that he might dislike the new Seishi. "I said," he wizard replied with emphasise on 'said', "That the followers of Ukyou don't stand a chance. Isn't that right, Tasuki?" "Ukyou?" was all that the bandit was able to say in reply. "Yeah, whose this Ukyou that you keep talking about?" Duo asked. "Well then, if you don't know, I'm glad that it's me who gets to explain it to you. Who knows what could have happened if someone of lesser intellegence," he paused, his eyes drifting over to Tasuki, "Had tried to tell you first," Tasuki bit his tounge, forcing himself to restrain from visciously strangeling the magical Seishi. Instead, he simply sighed and leaned back against the chair-shaped rock and watched the fire burn intently, vaguely listening to what Xellos had to say. In the hours that had passed since they'd arrived in this world, Xellos had been nothing but hospitable, using magics that would have put even Chichiri to shame, summoing up this campsite out of thin air for example. And yet.... 'And yet, he's treated me like dirt, that's what,' "Centuries ago, the Universe was one complete plane of existance known as Jin. Powerful beings ruled the realm, eight to be exact. Four of them had male manifestations while the other four were female. All of them represented a different spirit of the land, though their appearance was that of a human. Their powers were unsurpassed, but eventually, quarrels arose amoungst them. After a time, it was descided that they should split the realm in half. Each half took their followers and most prized species with them. Do you know what they became?" Xellos paused and looked up to his fellow Seishi and Priestess. "The Universe of the Four Gods," Tasuki said slowly. "And the Universe of the Four Goddesses," Duo finished, smiling slightly at the conclusion he made. "Precisely. But as it has become apparent, there became more planes of existance, or 'worlds' as you say, as time passed. This is because of the lesser gods, who were not satisfied with the way the eight supreme deities ruled over them. This cycle has been repeating ever since the Realm initially divided, and is still happening now. In fact, that's how Saionji's world came into being. A power-hungry mortal wanted to become a god himself. I doubt that he even knows that's what he's trying to accomplish. I certainly don't think that he knows that he's created another dimension," Saionji's eyebrow raised at that. "Akio?" Xellos nodded slowly, "Your world is a special case though, since it will not last. It is more like a pocket of reality than a whole other world. Still, it is quite an acomplishment none-the-less. That brings me to our current situation though. The half of Jin that still remains as the Universe of the Four Gods became accessable through a book in what you, Duo, would call the 'real world'. In your land, four girls found four copies of the Book of the Universe of the Four Gods, each specified to a different god. This much is known to you, I'm sure. This book and the passage it allowed became known as the First Literary Prophecy. However, there really wasn't a mission to accomplish by the Priestesses other than to summon their god. One would think that it indeed was the purpose. Now this is where you come in." Xellos paused and looked up to see Duo and Saionji with a look of deep thought, while Tasuki had more of an expression of puzzlement. He shook it off in a moment though, as if the thought had cleared free from his mind and he was once again willing to listen to what the purple-haired magician had to say. Xellos cleared his throat, "It is obvious to me by Tasuki's expression that this is new information even to him, one who still lives in the Universe of the Four Gods. Therfor, knowledge of the Goddesses' realm is much less likely to have been heard of. Allow me to explain. The Second Literary Prophecy is not something that is descided on by chance, like the First. The Universe of the Four Goddesses has been a secret for quite a long time, and only the Four Gods can descided when we are ready to be exposed to their power once more. Each of the male deities has a female counterpart, that which I'm sure has already been obvious to Duo since he was confronted by Suzaku, the Great Phoenix, who Tasuki here has already served as a Seishi to. Therfor, there is obviously more to who is chosen to be a Priestess and why. Which makes you think, what is the purpose of gathering to Seishi to summon Nazo?" The wizard paused, giving the three listeners a chance to respond. "Well?" Tasuki finally asked, exasperation in his voice. "Now that, is a secret," Xellos chided, reaching out and poking Tasuki in the nose. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day, so let's call it a night." And with that he dissapeared and reappeared right at the entrance to his little tent, on the other side of the encampment. Saionji took the advice and silently made his way to his own dwelling, while Duo and Tasuki hesitated for a moment around the fire. "Well, um, good-night," Duo finally got out, sauntering over to his little tent. Tasuki just sighed and plopped back down on one of the logs encirceling the campfire. After he was certain that Duo must have fallen asleep, he stood up and headed to his tent, kicking up dirt all the way there. "Dammit." he muttered with a heavy sigh as he pushed back the flap and crawled into his cot. * * * Tasuki jerked his head up, sitting straight up in his bed and looking around frantically. Taking a quick check of his surroundings, the fire Seishi saw that it was still quite dark outside, and from his view of the moon through the netted ceiling, it would have been hours before sunrise. 'So what gives?' "Tasuki?" a nervous voice ventured from the entrance of the tent asked. "Whose there?!" he asked back with a bit of urgency. Ever so slowly his eyes adjusted to the dark, focusing on the mass near his feet. "Um...I can't sleep...and...it's just that...." By now Tasuki figured out who had invaded into his tent. "Duo," he sighed, relaxing his stance and peering into the darkness, "Duo, what are you doing in here?" Tasuki reached foward and rested his hand on Duo's shoulder, pulling the long-haired boy up against him - and between his legs. The Priestess gasped a little, tensing as Tasuki wrapped his arms around him. "I...I couldn't sleep..." Duo murmured, closing his eyes and relaxing in his Seishi's embrace. I just...I kept remembering yesterday...and...I" but he was quickly cut off as Tasuki leaned down and captured his Priestess's lips with his own. "I was thinking about it, too," Tasuki whispered against Duo's lips, pulling his Priestess closer into in his body, "And this time, no one's gonna interupt us," The Seishi murmured softly, reaching for Duo's rear, yanking him firmly against his own growing excitment. Duo parted his lips and leaned his head back, running his fingers through Tasuki's hair. Despite the fact that they were currently occupying a tent in the middle of forest in a land they knew nothing about, the Priestess felt completely content and safe. Then again, perhaps it was the aura of mystery that made him feel so protected in his Seishi's arms. He simply relished in the moment, melting into Tasuki's embrace. For one splendid moment, he felt as if nothing could never go wrong in his life again. But... ...Heero. What about Heero? Duo suddenly gasped as Tasuki's hand slid down the front of his pants, wrenching a strangled gasp out of him. 'Heero', he thought miserabley. 'After all the time I spent convincing him that Relena would betray him. And look at me. I haven't known Tasuki for even a month. If only I knew where Heero was...' * * * "No! I won't betray Duo like that!" Heero shouted at the taller figured in front of him. The silver-haired man laughed quietly and stood up from the side of the huge four-post bed in the Ukyou no Miko's room. "Get out of here now!" "Oh, Heero, why won't you forget that silly little Priestess of Nazo. Am I not quite beautful?" "Shut up! I won't hesitate to kill you!" That was when Kenshin burst into the room, shoving past the silver-haired Seishi of Ukyou. "That's enough, Sephiroth! Don't harass the Priestess, or I'll let him live up to that threat!" Sephiroth just smiled and tossed his hair over his shoulder, trailing his hand over Kenshin's cheek as he passed, whispering, "You just want him for yourself..." And with that, the sword-wielding Seishi slammed the door behind him, leaving the Priestess and Kenshin alone together. "I'm sorry about him," spoke the Seishi, his features softening into one of his contagious grins. "He's a little too in love with himself to see passed anyone else's feelings. He's good inside though...he wouldn't have been chosen by Ukyou if he wasn't," Heero just grunted an impassive response and went back to inspecting the room for defense flaws as he was before Sephiroth intruded on him. Kenshin sighed and sat down on the side of the bed, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "It's not like you're the only one who gave up someon- er, something to be here in Her service," the red-haired Seishi commented, narrowing his eyes slightly and looking absolutely eerie in the moonlight. Heero looked over at him and the only giveaway at his emotions were the fact that his eyes widened ever so slightly. "You don't understand," Heero muttered impassively, staring intently at the corner of a huge bay window. "I- He was everything," he turned without warning to face Kenshin with his hands in fists at his sides. "It doesn't even make sense. It all happened without preface, and now I'm here, and if people like that bastard," he gestured towards the door that Sephiroth had just slammed, "Keep trying to jump me without any warning, I'll have thrown everything to hell that I've been fighting to keep for months! After all he fought to make us work, he'd never speak to me again!" Kenshin's usually gentle smile turned senile, sending a chill down Heero's spine. "What makes you think that he hasn't paired up with someone in the world's he's been sent through?" Heero's eyebrow arched slightly, the only sign of his concern. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Follow me," was all that the passive Seishi said. * * * 'Maybe I should forget about Heero,' Duo thought, still not able to fully concentrate on the activities he and Tasuki were diving into. 'This course was laid before me, and perhaps I'm destined to take it. After all, it was hard enough to get him to come to me in the first place. Maybe he never really wanted to after all, and he was only humoring me...' That was a thought that welled up tears in Duo's throat. That was also something that had kept him awake many a night in the room he used to share with Heero. "Duo..." Tasuki moaned on a whisper biting the Priestess's lip softly between his fangs. Duo's eyes opened wide, half from the electric shock that action sent through him, half from the mental snap of his train of thought. 'Tasuki cares about me, without me begging him to stay at my side. He never threatened to hurt me just because he wasn't in the best of moods. Tasuki laughs. Tasuki jokes. He loves without care. This is right...' And after that there was no more thought of betrayal or doubts. He gasped and leaned his head back, closing his eyes in ecstasy, giving in to the moment. * * * "This is something our wonderful magician conjured up for us," Kenshin said as he pushed back a curtain in the out-of-the-way room at the opposite end of the hall Heero's room was on. "It allows us to keep track of the other Priestess's progress. I happened to be monitoring the Nazo no Miko's activities when I heard the disturbance from your room. I believe that this should remove any feelings of betrayal that you might have. Heero gazed in horror at the flat mirror surface as clouds within the glass dispearsed to reveal Duo wrapped up in a tangle of limbs with another man. Another man with short fiery-red hair with a flaring black symbol on his arm. "One of his Seishi," Heero growled through clenched teeth. "He would betray me with one of his own fucking Warriors?! I'll kill that guy! And then, Duo will answer to me," the last sentence being eerily calm, golden light flared up around Heero, the symbol of Ukyou appearing on his forhead with a blazing amber fire. The loose-cut breeches that he had chosen as the most logical choice of clothes flowed in the invisable wind surrounding the Ukyou no Miko. Kenshin was remaining surprisingly calm during this ordeal, "And think, Priestess. You're much further along in your mission of training and gathering your Seishi than he is. And after you summon Ukyou, you can put whatever kind of revenge on him that you want. Ah!" he turned to face the doorway. "I have yet to introduce you to the final member of the Ukyou Seven." Out of the shadows stepped a young man with a long staff in one hand, and as he moved further into view, he was seen to have blue hair and a comic smile. "Everything's going as planned, Kenshin-sama, no da." ************************************* GUNDAM WING, FUSHIGI YUUGI, FINAL FANTASY, RUROUNI KENSHIN, SLAYERS, AND SHOUJO KAKUMEI UTENA BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS ORIGINAL FICTION IS CONSIDERED PROPERTY OF KYORYOKU NAZO ************************************* But what are the Goddesses being summoned for?