Title: Trading Places [1/?]
Disclaimer: I don't own them and the idea for the role reversal came from the debate on the fyfanfictionML. Idea for Miboshi was stolen in part from WingSong2003, who graciously betaed this for me. Fuuka and Yuuma are from Shugyoku Den, the Tamahome Novel.

Notes: AU; role reversal of the Suzaku and Seiryuu no Seishi.

Warnings: Language; bastard Hotohori

/ ... / = thoughts
~~~~~~~~~~ = scene change
//...// = flashback


~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

Tetsuya glanced at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time that hour and sighed. "It's 6:15. Would you relax, she's only a few minutes late. It's not like Miaka's the most punctual person in the world," he replied. He glanced toward the kitchen of his small apartment to see Yui standing over the stove, worrying over the cake she had baked.

Yui finished the words on the cake and sighed. "I know. But I'd at least like to know a little bit about this guy. You know, like, oh, I don't know ... what his name is!?"

Tetsuya chuckled as he walked over to take a look at the cake. "His name is-" He paused as the doorbell rang, followed shortly by Keisuke's voice.

"I hope everyone is decent! We're coming in!"

Yui grinned as she slipped into the other room to greet her friend, the question forgotten momentarily. "Miaka! Why didn't you tell me you were serious about some guy?"

Miaka shrugged and hugged the blonde. "Well, it wasn't really serious until a couple of months ago. He just kind of ... showed up, out of the blue, you know. And I feel as if I've known him my entire life."

"Well, don't leave me in suspense here, girl. You could at least tell me my best-friend's-future-husband's name!"

Keisuke chuckled. "You know who it is, Yui. But I doubt you've seen him for a few years. Do you remember the man that Miaka said she had a crush on when she was just starting Junior High?"

Yui thought for several moments, noticing how her friend's face turned bright red. "Junior High? You don't mean ... Kyoshi!?"

The brunette blushed even redder and buried her face in her hands. The two boys smiled and quickly left the room as Yui led the other woman to the couch. "Ok, missy. Spill. I want to know every detail and just why you haven't told me you were even dating him to begin with!"

Keisuke chuckled as he watched his sister and her best friend. "You know, I'm really glad Kyoshi went ahead and proposed, Tetsuya. I was beginning to think that nothing could pull Miaka out of this latest slump."

"Well, not getting into Jonan must have hurt pretty bad. It's a good thing Yui convinced her to take the Yatsubadai test as well, otherwise ... although, I have to admit, I was a little surprised when Yui said she chose Yatsubadai over Jonan." Tetsuya smiled at the two women before turning to Keisuke. "Although, I guess I shouldn't be. Those two have been inseparable since they were kids."

"Yeah, just imagine what they're going to be like fifty years from now. I have the feeling that you and Kyoshi are going to become far better friends than you ever imagined."

"Fine by me," the grey-haired man replied. "It'll give me someone to talk to when they're too busy talking about girl stuff." He grinned slightly as he elbowed his best friend. "And speaking of girl stuff, Miaka told Yui that you had a new girlfriend. So, who is she?"

Keisuke rolled his eyes and sat at the small table in the kitchen. "What is it with you and your girlfriend lately. Every time someone starts dating someone new, you two act like ten year olds."

"We're just happy for our friends, Keisuke," Yui replied, walking past the kitchen. Miaka was following behind her and made a face at her brother.

"Yeah, Keisuke. You should be happy that I didn't tell them how your last relationship ended." She started laughing as the older Yuuki acted like he was going to chase her, and pulled Yui into the bedroom.

Tetsuya raised an eyebrow, smirking. "And you say Yui and I act like ten year olds."

~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what did the teacher say when I didn't show up for class today?" Miaka let her smile fade as she collapsed onto the bed. She noticed Yui's school bag and started looking through it for the homework the other girl had gotten for her.

Yui sighed and reached for the bag. "That if you don't show up the rest of the term, you're going to be expelled. Miaka, what has gotten into you? You've been acting awfully strange lately," she replied. She pulled the folder from her bag and gave it to the brunette.

Miaka shrugged, flopping back onto the bed. "I don't know. I've just ... it's weird. Lately, I've been feeling as though ... you're going to think I'm crazy."

"No more than usual. You've been feeling as though, what?"

"As though something is calling me. Only ... I can't figure out what it is." She heard Yui gasp and turned to her friend to see what was wrong. When she noticed the other woman staring out the window, she glanced over to see nothing but a slowly darkening sky. "Yui? What's wrong?"

"I just saw ... Seiryuu."

Miaka turned back to her friend curiously. "Who?"

The blonde shook herself from her daydream. "I ... don't know. It's almost as if there's something I need to remember, but I can't. You know, that little nagging voice I've had since before High School."

"Oh, you mean the one telling you to clean your room constantly?" Miaka laughed as she dodged the pillow meant for her head. She was about to retaliate when she noticed the red book lying in the floor. "What's this?"

Yui shrugged, dropping the pillow. "It belongs to that new transfer student in my class, Andy ... something or other. I ran into him on the way out of school and he dropped it. Guess I don't know the power of my own beauty, huh?" She took the book from the other girl and read the characters on the spine carefully. "Shi Jen Ten Chi Sho. I wonder what that means."

"'Universe of the Four Gods, Sky and Earth'," Miaka replied, absently. She shuddered involuntarily as she noticed the blonde open the first page and begin reading.

"Thus, the girl of the legend opened the door of another world. This is the story of the young girl that gathered the Seven Seishi of ... Seiryuu. She obtained omnipotent power, and made every wish come true. The story itself is an incantation. Whoever finishes reading it will receive this power. As soon as the page it turned, the story will become truth and begin." Yui looked skeptically at Miaka. "Kind of strange for a teenage boy to be carrying this around, don't you think? It reads almost like a romance novel."

As Yui turned the page, a strange blue light enveloped the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

The young warrior looked up sharply as he heard a gasp from his companion. "Heika-sama?"

The blond turned to the younger man and nodded slightly, waving off the concerns of his advisors. "Leave us! This is a matter only for Seiryuu's chosen."

At those words, the advisors ran from the room, even as the young man knelt in front of the Emperor. "Heika? Is it ... time?"

"Yes. The Miko has entered our world. You must find her, old friend. I will not trust her fate to anyone but a fellow Seishi. Take only the guards you can trust, and hurry Tomo!"

The tall young man nodded, rising elegantly to his feet. If there was one thing he had learned in his few short years in the Emperor's service, it was that one never disobeyed a direct command. And if it was true, if the Miko was finally here ... Tomo found himself nearly running to the stables, grabbing his two apprentices along the way. "Come boys, we have work to do!"

The twins eagerly abandoned their work, knowing that their father would say nothing about Lord Tomo's actions, however much he disapproved of them being in his care. It was a well known fact that the young Lord was not only a Seishi, but thought nothing of using others to gain what he wanted. It was his gifts that brought him to the palace in the first place, long before anyone but the Emperor knew he was a Seishi.

"My Lord, where are we going?" one of the younger men asked.

"Can you not feel it, boy? The Miko has arrived." Tomo found himself grinning as he rode away from the palace, long grey hair flying loose and wild behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ow! This is definitely not a good sign!"

Yui opened her eyes and saw Miaka sitting a few feet away, treating a rather nasty cut on her arm. When the latter noticed that she was awake, she quickly hid her arm and moved to her friend. "Ohayo, Yui-chan! Daijoubu?"

"Miaka? Where are we?" the blonde sat up and quickly looked around. She was sure that they had just been in her boyfriend's apartment. They were sitting on the bed, reading the book that Andy had left behind, when ... the blue light ... Yui groaned as she rubbed at her sore back, thankful that she had changed out of her school uniform at Tetsuya's when she realized that they weren't alone anymore.

"You are in the land of Kutou, my lady." A strange voice replied from behind them.

"Kutou?" The brunette stood and started toward the one that had spoken when the same blue light suddenly reappeared.

"Miaka!" Yui looked horrified as her friend vanished, hoping that she would as well. Hesitantly, she turned to the voice, relaxing slightly when she noticed it was a young woman, close to her age, with long, reddish purple hair. "Where did she go?"

The newcomer shrugged and stepped forward to offer the other woman a hand. "That I do not know. But it would seem that Seiryuu thought it best for her to be elsewhere. Come, it will rain soon." She waited for Yui to take her hand, helping her up, then led her to a small house a couple of blocks away. "My name is Haku Kaen. And don't worry, you're safe here. Seiryuu may be the God of War, but he has always been very kind to his followers."

"Seiryuu?" /The name from the book!/ Yui had hesitated at first, but soon found herself relaxing even more in the presence of the other woman. She still wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this woman was not going to hurt her. "I'm sorry, but where did you say we were again?"

Kaen smiled. "You are in the land of Kutou, the westernmost land in Lord Taitsukuun's domain. Ruled by Seiryuuseikun, the God of War and safeguarded by the Emperor Haotian and the Seiryuu no Sichiseishi." When the blonde looked at her in surprise, her smile broadened. "You have heard of the Seishi?"

Yui nodded. "The book ... it mentioned gathering the Seven Seishi, but ... I didn't see what it said after that."

"According to legends ... 'when the country is in it's greatest need, a girl will come form another world. She will gather the Seven Seishi and with their help, summon the Beast God. She will then have the power to save the country'. Or at least, that's the version mothers tell their kids at bedtime." Kaen hesitated for a few moments before speaking again, moving to start a fire, even as she heard the promised rain starting outside her small home. "Miss ... you are obviously not from Kutou, but ... where are you from? And what is your name?"

The blonde blushed slightly. "Forgive me. My name is Hongo Yui and I'm from Tokyo, Japan. I don't exactly know how I got here, but I guess that blue light had something to do with it." Yui jumped as Kaen dropped the log she was carrying and moved to kneel in front of her.

"Blue light? Then my premonition was right. You ARE the Priestess of Seiryuu."

~~~~~~~~~~

Miaka sat up on the bed, rubbing her aching head. She glanced at her arm, certain that it had been bleeding only moments before, but as she glanced around the room, she noticed she was back in Tetsuya's apartment. /Must have dozed off. But where's Yui?/

A soft knock at the door made her jump as Tetsuya stuck his head into the room. "Miaka? Where's Yui? I thought she was in here with you."

"She was. I think I may have dozed off, so she probably left. Is she not out there with you guys?"

Tetsuya shook his head. "It's just me right now. Kyoshi called and said he was having car trouble, so Keisuke went after him. She must have remembered something for the party and gone after it," he replied. He then smiled at the younger girl. "If you're tired, go ahead and rest a while. I'll come get you when the others show."

"Thanks, Tetsuya," Miaka replied, smiling. As soon as he closed the door, she started to search the room frantically for any sign of the other girl. Frowning, her eyes came to rest on the book, still lying open on the bed. /We were reading that when ... it can't really be true, can it?/

She hesitantly walked over to the book and glanced over the characters on the page. "Aw, man, why didn't I listen to Yui when she said that Chinese class would be helpful?" /Wait a minute! Tetsuya knows Chinese! Maybe he can help me figure this out!/ She clutched the book to her chest, moving quickly towards the door, when suddenly, there was another flash of light! Only this one seemed so much brighter than the last and was pure red!

She found herself screaming as her vision blurred and she once again found herself in an unfamiliar place. Only this time, it wasn't a city. There wasn't a thing around for miles, no matter which direction she looked, just a vast expanse of desert. "Where the hell am I now?"

"You are trespassing on the King's property, wench!"

Miaka barely had time to turn to see who had spoken to her, when a large man in armor struck her. The Shogun glared at the young girl and was about to order her killed when he realized that she was not just a petty beggar. "Arrest her! Bring her with us!"

"Hai, Hotohori-sama!" Two guards moved to pick up the unconscious girl and placed her into a wagon with other prisoners.

One of them, a young man long, bluish-black hair, immediately knelt next to her to check her injuries. "You didn't have to be so rough on her! What kind of monsters are you?" He glared as one of the guards drew his sword, waiting for orders from the Shogun.

"How dare you! I'll teach you--"

"Leave them! I said no one was to touch them! That goes for the girl as well." The Shogun glared at his troops as he kicked his horse into motion. "Come! We have news to report to the Emperor."

The wagon jerked into motion as the young man gently helped the now waking woman into one of the seats. "Are you alright, miss?"

Miaka rubbed at her aching head yet again. She really was beginning to hate this place, wherever it was. She vaguely heard someone talking to her but found her eyes didn't want to focus properly. "Hai, I ... I'm fine. Arigatou." The wagon jerked again and she found herself being held by a man that seemed vaguely familiar, yet not.

"Don't worry, my dear. A young woman like you has nothing to fear from the Emperor. He would much rather have you in his bed than see you killed." A ragged old woman sitting across from them smiled slightly. "That, or give you to his brother. Especially since he has shown pity on you so far."

Miaka tensed at the old woman's words. /... brother? ... his bed?! Yui, where are you?/




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