ChapterOne
The Pond
As I walked through the forest on that warm late March day, I took a deep breath of the warm sweet smelling air that swepped my face and stirred my long, amber colored bangs. It was a beautiful day. I looked down at the necklace that I had got for my birthday, just an hour or so ago. The green jade picked up the sunlight like a crystal mirror. Yet the red jade had an eerie deepness to it. it was almost as if staring into a starless burgundy sky. I took off the necklace and shifted the beads back and forth through the palms of my hands. Although the sunlight shone off of it, it was cold to the touch. I found that odd. But it didn't really register as anything in my mind.
I stopped, sat down on a rock and took my book, Shijintenchisho out of my bag. How I envied the girl in the book. All that I ever wanted was a sweet, gentle man that would comfort and love me. but I knew that would never happen. I wasn't beautiful or smart for that matter. Even though I studied Chinese in my spare time, I was horrible at school. Nobody ever took me seriously. I costently put on my mask of humor to hide my true emotions. If I was sad, I would just make a few jokes so that no one would suspect it. I was very different to the way that others saw me. I wrote allot of poetry and books but I never let anyone read them for fear that they might discover the real Tracy.
Soon after that I snapped out of my hopeless fantasy and back into the real world. After walking for about ten minutes more, I found myself at a large pond with a waterfall. Through out all the times I had been in these woods, I had never seen this breath taking view.
As I approached I saw how clear and blue the water was. I reminded me of a time when the word was new. I sat down at the edge of the pond and looked down into the water. I could see a Burgundy light near the bottom of the pond. It was like looking into one of the red beads on my necklace. But the light got brighter and brighter until it had changed into a deep crimson color. Almost the same as I had seen when I first placed the beads around my neck. All of the sudden I lost my balance and splashed into the shallow pond. But unexpectedly, the water got deeper, and deeper. Some unknown for was pulling me farther and farther into the crimson depths of the pond.
I struggled to get free until, finally, I ran out of breath. My will to live was too strong . I ripped my body free from whatever was holing me back, and I raced to the top as fast as I could. I coughed and gagged as I came to the surface. After I had caught my breath I looked up. I was on the far end of the pond. I was shocked to see a man standing by the opposite side. I couldn't him to clearly at first by from where I was I could make out that he had blue hair! his clothes were also foreign to me. I didn't want to be so quick to decide, but they reminded me of something ancient Chinese.
When he first spoke to me I didn't realize what language he was speaking in.
"what?" I asked
He asked me the same question again and I realized he spoke in ancient Chinese. But even though I could read it very well, I had never heard the language spoken before. Therefor, I couldn't understand him to well.
He asked the question again and my body began to fell warm and emanate that familiar red light. From then on I could understand his questions. He had asked me who I was. I too could speak the language. it was all so confusing. I had no idea why all the sudden I could understand this mans language and also why I could speak it fluently. What was up with this red light!
But before I was able to speak up, he gasped
"Suzaku! the red light of suzaku no da! Just who are you?"
Red light!? Suzaku!? I couldn't believe that it never registered in my mind before this moment. Suzaku was the Phoenix god in Shijintenchisho, he was often associated with red light. Could I have been teleported to the book? it couldn't have been.
then man looked at me quizzically, "Well, ....who are you no da?" he sounded a little annoyed
"my name is Tracy. Who are you?" I said in an unsure tone.
"To-Re-shi? he repeated. "what kind of name is that?"
"Wait, tell me, who are you?"
He smiled "I'm Chichiri no da"
September, it was supposed to be Late March. But I knew that it was the truth when I felt the early autumn chill down my spine. I swam over to the bank and pulled myself up.
The man looked oddly at the jade necklace that I was wearing.
"My beads no da!" he gasped, "How did you get your hands on them?"
I grasped the necklace in my hands, 'he probably thinks that I stole them?' I thought
"They were a present, honestly!" I cried
He cocked his head to the side, "Really? From whom?"
"My parents!"
he looked at me even stranger than before, "Just who are you, no da?"
" I was just walking through the woods and all of the sudden I found this pond and something pulled me in and then it all turned red and then I was here and then you were all, 'that's my necklace and then I was all, 'it was a present'..." he stopped me before I could further embarrass myself.
His voice got low "How did your parents get this?" He sounded very serious.
" They bought it."
"Where?"
"It was a present I don't know."
"Where do you live? I want to ask them about it no da." me said
I looked up at him and asked him the question I had been yerning to ask him the whole time that I was there
"Where am I ?"
He Took off his face which all along had been a mask of some sort. It revealed a badly scarred eye. The sight of it made me flinch. I stepped back
"Where are you? Something tells me that your foreign to here am I right no da?"
I shook my head.
"This is Konan."
By the name, Konan , I knew that this was the world inside the book. But how could I be here? I knew that it must have had something to do with the necklace.
"How am I here?" I questioned frantically
"Do you know the power of these beads no da?" he asked
"No.."
"They were a gift from Taii-tsukun herself they have unbelievable power. They can even contact into other worlds." he explained
I remembered that in the book it talked about how all the Seishi received a gift from
Taiii-tsukun that heightened their abilities. I also remembered the necklace, that I was wearing, mentioned in it.
"Do you know of The Suzaku Shichi Seishi in your home?" he asked "wherever that is no da.." he added under his breath
I nodded , "Yes, and I'm guessing that your one. Right?"
"Yes" he said plainly, "Where are you from no da?"
"I'm from America, Massachusetts to be exact" I doubted that it matter that I added the state but the sentence came out fast.
"A-me-ri-ka..." he repeated, "
"It's far away in distance and time" I informed
"You mean the future?" he asked sounding concerned
"Exactly"
"D-d-daaaa~~!" he gasped in amazement
"If you don't mind, I have to find away home now..."
I began to walk to the pond again with the foolish belief that I could just get home the way that I came. but Chichiri stopped me
"Miss, if you don't mind could I have my beads back na no da?" Chichiri asked
"Oh sure.." I said putting my hands on the necklace to remove it but as soon as I took it off I could feel my whole body get numb. I fell to the ground and the beads plopped down on the ground next to me.
"Are you all right?!" chichiri asked with concern
"T-the n-necklace...... I need... it..." it was the only thing that I could say. I knew that there was some bond between me and the beads. And I knew that they were the only thing keeping me alive through the ten minutes that I had spent here.
Chichiri picked them up and shifted them through his hands. A strange look came to his face, and he remained still, looking into the deep colored beads.
"A--ahh.. please.." I pleaded in a voice no higher than a whisper.
Chichiri sighed and placed the beads around my neck. Like magic I sat up felling a little overwhelmed but all in all fine. Even though I was freezing and soaked.
"What's going on?" I asked
Chichiri put his hand on his chin, "Hmmm.. looks to me like there is some sort of attachment no da."
"What kind of attachment?" I asked quickly
"I can't say for sure. It looks like Suzaku's way of keeping you here.."
"Keeping me here!?" I screamed, "Why!!??"
"I don't know... may be you have some role to fulfill here. I can't say for sure."
"I gotta go home! Can't you just let me keep the stupid necklace for a while so that I can go home?"
He shook his head "I'm afraid I can't. Listen ,Toreshi, the best thing to do would to be to come with me. I can get you some decent clothes, and clothes. We can sort things out later" he offered
"I need to go home!" I exclaimed, trying to be difficult. In my mind I thought that his offer sounded forced Even though it probably wasn't.
"Well you can't go home with my beads, so I'll let you come with me, I could use some companionship no da."
This made me even angrier. "You'll let me?" I asked, " well, if you're letting me then I guess I can't refuse!" I went on sarcastically
"I know you're really confused right now, but I'm only trying to be nice no da" he said
"You're damn right I am!" I growled.
He stepped back , "Listen..."
"No! You listen to me, Jerk-weed! I need to get home!"
he sighed, "This will be difficult no da~!
"Well you know what!? I can fend for myself!" I snorted in a fit of rage. I didn't even understand for myself why I was so mad at him. I thought that he was the barrier that was keeping me from returning home. But I pretty much knew that none of this was his fault. It didn't look like I would be returning home any time soon.
he was trying to talk things out calmly with me but I just wouldn't listen.
"It's suicide for a girl to go out into the forest alone, especially one from another world" he tried to tell me. "Plus you can't take off that necklace an I need it no da.."
"Yeah well ...." I couldn't think of a response
"Why don't you just come with me.."
I tired my next defense, "But I don't even know you!"
"That's true, but I just don't want to see a girl get hurt no da."
"Why the hell do you even care!?" I snapped
He closed his eye tightly and shook his head, "Go ahead, realize that I can't stop you
I looked at him oddly, not believing that he would give up so fast, but I spoke up, "All right, I will."
I turned and walked away, after I had taken I few steps, I turned around. But the strange man was already gone.
