Lekka Yuugi

Chapter 4 - Chiichihya

Written by Kourin


With 2 of the Tasuki Niijusanseishi found, Tasuki no Miko continued her search for the other 21 seishi.  Early the next morning, they left Nobara's village with traveling supplies and took off to find the rest of the Tasuki Niijusanseishi. The Miko and her seishi engaged in small talk for most of the journey, but when they reached a mountainous part on the way to the next village, silence took over.

"I'm getting a bit tired," Cat spoke. "Can't we at least stop in a clearing or something to rest?"

"I think that's a good idea,"  Nobara said.  "I think I hear a small brook over to that direction," she said, pointing southwest.

"Okay, let's head on over there, shall we?"  Tasuki no Miko cheerfully said, immediately perking up at the mention of a break.  She picked up her pace, and eventually started running at an easy pace.  'Twenty-one more seishi to go... I better take breaks,' Tasuki no Miko thought 'I don't want to be a half-dead when I summon Tasuki... ooh... Tasuki...' Unintentionally breaking into daydreams involving Tasuki and what the Nyan-Nyans saw in Tasuki no Miko's backpack in part 1 of this story, Tasuki no Miko got distracted and  did a rather un-Tasuki no Miko thing to do... she tripped on the grassy path, landing on her face, Suzaku no Miko-style.

"Tasuki no Miko!" Cat exclaimed as she ran up to the  klutz-attacked Miko.  "Are you okay?"

Regaining her composure and sitting up, Tasuki no Miko tried to get her hair out of her face and forced herself to calmly reply.  "I'm all right. Where's Nobara?"

"She stopped a while back while we were running after you... she said she heard something.  Oh wait, there she is now," Cat spoke as Nobara showed up.

"I thought I heard a girl screaming... and then I felt a sudden rise in chi that wasn't just from when you started running.  I think the chi is rather similar to ours,"  Nobara explained.

"Really?  Where do you think that rise in chi came from?"  Tasuki no Miko queried.

"It's roughly in the direction where we were planning to take a break," answered Nobara.

"Ooh, that could be the third Tasuki Niijusanseishi!  Come on, let's go!" Tasuki no Miko optimistically cried out as she started running again. Having no other choice, Cat and Nobara followed.

***

Elsewhere on the mountain, a group of bandits (Mt. Leikaku Bandits?)  were closing in on their prey.  It was a girl named... Miaka.  Not Suzaku no Miko herself, but a Miaka, still fresh from her own world.  This time, there were no Suzaku Shichiseishi around to protect her.  She ran off when one bandit stepped in her way, expecting her to be an easy catch. Normally a Miaka would be an easy catch... but this Miaka hasn't had a klutz attack yet.

 'Oh, Suzaku, what should I do?!'  Miaka asked herself as she forced her body to run faster than she ever could.  'For some reason this just doesn't feel like the Suzaku chapter of the Shijin Tenchi Sho,' she mused.  Having distracted herself a bit, the bandit was able to catch up and grabbed her.

"Where do you think you're going missy?  This is our territory, you can't just pass through without paying me or my brothers!"  the grimy bandit said.

Upon being grabbed, something in Miaka snapped.  She felt energy rush through her and before she can even do anything, the bandit let go and fell to the ground.  "Are--?"

"No.... that voice singing in my head... it's so... nasal!  Agh... no! It's so... so... annoying!" the bandit suddenly started ranting.  He looked up to Miaka and noticed a glowing orange character on her right forearm. It was "Ou", the symbol for king, which was the character that glowed on Suzakuseikun's forehead when he was summoned.  The nasal voice in his head continued singing while Miaka just stood there, wondering what the heck was going on.  The bandit grit his teeth and promptly ran away, screaming curses.  "That voice!  That annoying nasal voice!"

Of course, for someone in a world that doesn't have any recording mediums, having "Ai to iu Na no Tatakai ni..."  streamed into your mind would be pure torture.

***

Tasuki no Miko gawked as an assumed bandit ran past them screaming about a "horrible annoying nasal voice".  As he passed by, the three were also treated to  something unpleasant  : "Ai to iu Na no Tatakai ni...", Tamahome's character single from their world, playing in their heads for some reason.  They continued running, and eventually came across a girl, that Miaka from the previous scene.  Seeing the glowing Tasuki-orange symbol on her right forearm, Cat gawked.

"It's the third Tasuki no Niijusanseishi!"  Cat screamed.

"All right, I've found the third one!" Tasuki no Miko happily proclaimed. "Only twenty more to go..."

Stepping up to the girl and exchanging introductions, Nobara explained  to this Miaka  that her Tasuki Niijusanseishi name was "Chiichihya".  "So what's your seishi power?"  Nobara asked.

Striking another blank look, Miaka tried her best to come up with a logical answer.  "I don't really know...  that bandit suddenly just started crying out about something annoying... I was just thinking about where Tamahome could be..."

Seishi power.  Annoying.  Tamahome's voice.  Tasuki no Miko, Cat and Nobara immediately figured it out.  Chiichihya's seishi ability was to be annoying.  Very annoying.  A hush fell over the group.

"Anyway, what do you guys say to setting up camp near that brook we were running to for the night? It's going to be dark soon,"  Cat said, breaking the silence.

"Sounds like a plan to me,"  Tasuki no Miko replied, as she led the group once again to their proposed camping ground.

***

It was a peaceful night.  Tasuki no Miko, Cat and Nobara were sleeping soundly.  Miaka was sleeping soundly too.   In fact, Miaka was having a dream.  A very nice dream, to be more specific.   She was dreaming of being with Tamahome.  Unfortunately, she also started sleeptalking.

"Tamahome...."

Nobara immediately opened her eyes.  'No... it can't be!' she thought. Times like these, she wishes she had some other seishi ability.

"Tamahome....Tamahome.... Tamahome.... Tamahome... "

Cat tossed and turned in her sleep.  This had to be a bad dream.  Then again... she just fell asleep... she wasn't dreaming yet.  This was worse. This was real life.  'Dear Tasuki... no!' Cat thought as she realized she was in for a looong night.

"Tamahome... Tamahome... Tamahome... Tamahome... Tamahome..."

Tasuki no Miko opened one eye to see if it was Miaka doing the sleeptalking.  It was.  'Well... might as well get used to this. I can't summon Tasuki without her,' the Miko of the Orange-haired one said, as she buried her head under her pillow and tried to go back to sleep.  Who knows, they might find another seishi that could teach Miaka how to control her seishi ability.

Chapter 5


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