Title: Trading Places [8/?]

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 the Tamahome Novel.

Archive: http://geocities.datacellar.net/sylversaturn307/FY/

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

Warnings: Language; bastard Hotohori; Yaoi hints

/ ... / = thoughts

~~~~~~~~~~ = scene change

//...// = flashback

*...* = emphasis

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

Standing over the fallen bodies of the two men, Kishuku glared at the bandits. "Get out of my father's inn . . . now."

Miaka gasped when she saw a burning red symbol on his forehead. /'Ogre'! The next Seishi is a . . . a child?!/ She was suddenly grateful for the tall healer's arms around her as her head began pounding. Flashes of a young man, tall with teal blue hair and blue-violet eyes, a bright 'ogre' symbol flashing on his forehead. "Tama . . . Tamahome is a child?"

Mitsukake caught the Priestess as she fainted. "Miko-sama? Lady Miaka?!" He quickly lifted her into his arms and moved behind the other Seishi.

Ryuuen watched the young boy in shock as he quickly defeated several more bandits, all at least twice his size. "That boy . . . he reminds me of someone," he replied, smirking. A pair of arms slid around him from behind, the smell of alcohol strong on the man's breath even in the early hour.

"Hi cutie, why don't you and your blue haired friend over there stop fighting and come back with us? I'm sure you'd have more fun."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Ryuuen replied, cursing himself for not paying closer attention. He struggled in the other man's grasp, smirking moments later when the hilt of a sword connected with the back of the man's head. He quickly freed himself from the man's arms and turned to thank his savior. He was surprised to see a man dressed in solid black robes, bearing a golden phoenix on the chest. He had short, dark purple hair and as he turned to smirk at the Shogun's aide, his light colored eyes sparkled with mischief. Upon his left cheek was a tiny birthmark in the shape of a circle. "Rokou?"

Rokou grinned at the other man as he started dragging the bandit over to the makeshift pile Tamahome had started. Ryuuen started laughing when he noticed several other black suited men chasing the remaining bandits away from the Inn. Chichiri glanced at his companion worriedly. "Lord Ryuuen, do you know these men?"

Hotohori smirked slightly. "Of course he does. Have you never heard of the Western Army? These men are the best warriors from that Army. Chosen by Ougi to guard Suuon. But I never expected to meet them this far from the city proper."

A second black clad figure stepped away from his brethren and bowed to the Shogun. "His highness, Lord Ougi heard you were coming and bid us to make sure your journey through the mountain pass was a safe one. We regret that we were late in arriving, General."

Hotohori waved off his apology and looked around the small inn. Besides the windows and the door, it barely looked as though anything had happened. His gaze then fell on the young man who was now being scolded by his father for starting a fight with bandits. "Sir! I must speak with you at once about your son."

"Please, sir, forgive him. He didn't mean to start any trouble . . . " Kishuku's father paused when the brunette tossed him a small bag of coins.

"That should cover the damages done to your inn and any monies you may have lost because of the fight. And now I wish to speak of the boy." Hotohori glanced at the boy, then looked to his companions. Satisfied that they were too busy worrying over the unconscious Miko, he led the inn's owner into the kitchen.

Ryuuen motioned Chichiri and the members of the army back as Mitsukake tried to see what was wrong with Miaka. When the blue haired man tried to push past him again, he frowned and turned to the guards. "A little help here, please, guys."

Chichiri looked at him curiously for a moment before he was picked up by two of the black shirts and carried outside. They dumped him unceremoniously on to the ground in front of the one called Rokou. The purple haired man simply shook his head as Chichiri struggled back to his feet. He took two steps back toward the inn, only to feel a hand grab his arm like a vise. "Itai!" He turned back to the purple haired man and tried pulling his arm free. "Let go! I am one of her Seishi, I have to go help her!"

"You might as well save your breath. There's no talking sense into that guy." A tall man with long black hair stepped forward and mock bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, noble Seishi. I am Yuuma. And the man with the death grip on your arm is Rokou. So, you're the one Lord Ougi was telling us about. The blue haired peasant that has the power to teleport. Seems you've interrupted quite a few of his . . . business meetings."
Chichiri stopped struggling, as he was beginning to lose feeling in the arm the other man held and sighed. "I only ever teleported into the Western Emperor's palace because I was looking for the other Seishi. My teacher taught me to search for their chi and there is a Seishi there, I'm sure of it."

"Not quite, Chichiri." Hotohori raised an eyebrow at the iron grip holding the blue haired man. "Lord Rokou, I would be honored if you and your men would escort us to the palace. I must speak with my brother at once."

Both guards bowed, Rokou releasing Chichiri's arm. He glanced to the other man and Yuuma stepped forward. "We would be pleased to escort you, General, as soon as the Priestess has recovered."

"She's fine," Mitsukake replied, leading Miaka and Ryuuen up to the group. "The revelation of our newest Seishi was just a bit much for her."

"Sorry guys," Miaka replied, smiling at her Seishi. She noticed the two guards and looked at Rokou carefully. "Ok, either I'm still out of it or Ryuuen has a twin."

Ryuuen smiled slightly and moved to stand beside the other man. "Not quite. He's a year and a half younger than me."

Hotohori rubbed the bridge of his nose again and mumbled as he carried his bags over to his horse. "Great, just what I need. Another Ryuuen."

~~~~~~~~~~

"The trip to the palace was uneventful as each member of the party seemed focused on his or her own thoughts, with the two brothers riding ahead of the others, each catching up on current events in the others' lives. The Suzaku no Miko kept her gaze focused on their newest Seishi, the young Kishuku. She had yet to discover how the Shogun managed to convince the boy's father to let him journey with them, but when she had awoken in the inn, the man seemed very pleased that his son was one of Suzaku's chosen.

"However, the young boy seemed angry at something, or perhaps, someone. And the Priestess doubted it was solely due to the fight. When she first saw the 'ogre' symbol appear on the boy's forehead, her mind had been flooded with . . . memories? But now as she looked at the young boy, she began to doubt her own sanity, wondering how she could have ever fallen in love with a child . . . "

Yui placed the book back onto the coffee table and sighed. She had already tried several times to go back in, but the book seemed to be almost . . . rejecting her. So she decided to satisfy her curiosity. After all, she had been dying to know what was happening to Miaka, but hadn't been able to convince Tetsuya and the others to tell her anything. Now that she had read it, she was glad that Miaka seemed to have finally found a place where she belonged, even if her companions left something to be desired. /That settles it. I'm going back to Kutou and I'm going to wish for Seiryuu to make Miaka as happy here as she is there./ She reached for Tetsuya's spare set of keys and as her left wrist brushed the edge of the book, pain flashed across her senses. For the briefest of moments, a small scar flared to life at the base of her hand. "What the . . . "

She jerked her arm back quickly, looking at the book for the first time how she imagined the boys saw it. Making up her mind, she walked into the bedroom and removed a small black box from the top drawer of Tetsuya's dresser. "I'm sorry, Tets. I'm not gonna just sit by and watch as my Seishi are killed when there's something I can do to stop it."

~~~~~~~~~~

Tetsuya searched his pockets, frowning. "Man, I know I had them."

"Are you sure you didn't drop them in the store?" Kyoshi asked. He shifted the bags he was carrying and glanced at Tetsuya. The other man had insisted on buying so much stuff that he was suddenly glad Yui had insisted all three of them go. /Although, personally, I think she wanted rid of these two worry warts. Can't say I blame her, really./ "Or worse yet, in one of the bags?"

Keisuke chuckled, glancing at his own arm load. "Man, Tets, you'd think you were trying to feed an army with all of this stuff. Why did you buy so much, anyway?"

"Because I know your sister's eating habits. And if she's going to be coming home soon, I had better have plenty of food ready for her." Tetsuya grinned as he finally dug the keys from his pocket. He opened the trunk of his small car and helped the other two boys stuff all the bags in. "I've never realized just how small this car really is."

"Yeah, when you and Yui start having kids, you're going to have to trade it for a mini-van. Or better yet, a school bus. You know, I'm kind of surprised that you two don't already have at least one." Keisuke chuckled as he slipped into the back seat.

Tetsuya felt a faint blush cross his cheeks as he got behind the steering wheel. "Can it, Yuuki. You know how your sister and Yui feel about stuff like that. Besides, if I did that, Mrs. H AND *Your* mother would both kill me."

"Double murder by grandmother, huh? Remind me to not tell her that Miaka's moving in with me," Kyoshi replied, climbing into the car.

"Too late. You've already told her by way of Keisuke. Poor guy has never been able to keep a secret from that woman. Something about her eyes, I think." Tetsuya pulled away from the store and glanced to the man in the back seat. Even though they were making jokes about his mother, he knew that Keisuke was still worried about Miaka. /But now that Yui's home, it will be easier to bring Miaka back . . . I hope./

Keisuke made a face at his best friend. "Hey, lay off, okay? Mom's cool. And no, she wouldn't kill you if you and Yui had a kid out of wedlock. She'd kill Kyoshi if Miaka ever did, though. She's always been over protective of that kid."                                                 

Tetsuya nodded slightly, remembering several times he had seen the former Mrs. Yuuki around Miaka. "You can't really blame her, though, can you? I mean, Yui's mom is the same way. If she ever knew half of the stuff that Yui's been through, she'd freak. The poor girl would never be allowed to leave the house again."

Keisuke chuckled. "Like you're ever going to let her leave your apartment again? I mean, that lock on your door has to have a key for both sides, right? The only way she could really get out is the fire escape or the . . . "

"Book," Kyoshi finished for him. The three men looked at each other and realized they were thinking the same thing. Why would Yui want ALL of them to leave? She had been gone for what was, to them only a day, but for her, had been at least two. "She wouldn't."

"She would." The other two replied.

Tetsuya turned toward home, hitting the gas. He was back at the apartment building in record time. Not even bothering to shut off the engine, he jumped from the vehicle and started running up the stairs. As he neared the apartment, he noticed a strange blue light coming from under the door. /No!/ "Yui . . ."

He ran to the door and tried it, only to find it seemingly locked. Cursing himself for not bringing the keys with him, he started banging on the door. "Yui! Open up! Don't do this Yui!" The blue light faded and the door gave way under his weight, sending him crashing to the floor. As he looked up, he saw the red leather bound book slowly lowering itself to the floor. He grabbed the book as it fell, clutching it against his chest.

Outside, Keisuke was helping Kyoshi unpack the car when he saw the flash of blue light. "I thought so. Damnit. Why won't these girls ever listen?" He slowly walked into the building, followed by a rather confused Kyoshi.

"Why are you so calm, Keisuke? She just . . . " Kyoshi leaned against the wall of the elevator and sighed. "I don't understand women, especially these two. I give up. Staring tomorrow, I'm taking a vow of celibacy and becoming a Priest."

Keisuke laughed softly. "If we live through this . . . I think I'll join you." He stepped off the elevator and walked toward Tetsuya's apartment. He sighed when he noticed the other man, lying on the floor, clutching the red leather book. "I really do hate that damn thing."

Tetsuya looked up from the floor, shaking his head. "Don't blame the book. It's destiny, Yuuki. They have to become the Mikos. I just want to know why all of this is happening *again*. Weren't those damned Beast Gods satisfied with what happened last time?"

"Apparently not." Keisuke dropped his bags and helped the other man stand. He took the book from him and started flipping through the pages as he walked to the couch. He didn't see the open box in the floor until he tripped over it. "K'so! Tetsuya, you're house-keeping sucks!"

Tetsuya looked at the item his friend tripped over and paled. "She . . . she took the gun."

"WHAT!?" Keisuke quickly got to his feet, ignoring the nice bruise quickly forming on his foot. "Since when do you have a gun?"

"Since I've been having nightmares of blue dragons and psychotic yo-yo bearing teenagers trying to kill Yui!"

"You had a gun in this house and didn't tell me! Do you know what could have happened if . . . "

"Relax, we never told her it was here and Yui made me keep it locked up. Now I just wish I hadn't told her where the key was."

Kyoshi stepped between the two, nearly dropping the bags of groceries. "Guys! Stop it! You can argue about it later, right now we need to figure out why she took the gun."

Tetsuya sighed. "It's obvious why . . . she's scared. That attack on her life, then Amiboshi, then Suboshi . . . oh shit." He grabbed the book once again, flipping through it until he found mention of Yui after the part about Suboshi being attacked.

"The Seiryuu no Miko appeared in the most unlikely place she could ever have imagined. She was in one of the small private gardens inside the Seraglio. And as she looked to see if anyone had seen her, she heard several gasps of surprise from behind her . . . "

~~~~~~~~~~

Yui turned when she heard voices behind her. She was suddenly thankful that she had changed out of the men's clothes she had been wearing, as she realized where she was. Being executed on the spot was not exactly how she had planned her return to Kutou.

"Priestess?" A young woman with brown hair that was almost red stepped out of the shadows. Behind her, several other members of the harem watched in shock. How dare a woman from the Emperor's harem speak to the Priestess without being addressed.

"How did you . . . never mind. I need to get out of here. I have to go see Lord Nakago." Yui forced herself not to laugh at the hateful looks she was getting from some of the women. /Guess they know more than I did when I came here./ Others were simply amazed to see the Seiryuu no Miko dressed in such a way. Surely the title of 'Savior of The World' afforded her the chance to have the finest clothes Kutou could offer. There was little reason for her to dress like such a . . . peasant. "Can you help me?"

The young woman nodded. "Of course, Lady Priestess. I will take you to Lord Nakago myself." It was the redhead's turn to receive glares, which she seemed much better at ignoring. However, at Yui's questioning look, the young woman pulled her robes aside to reveal a blue mark upon her neck. "I am the Seiryuu no Seishi Miboshi. A lot has happened since you left us, Priestess."

Yui stared in shock at the other woman for several moments before running over to her and hugging her. This seemed to catch the redhead completely by surprise as she froze in the blonde's grasp. Yui released her and grinned slightly. "You must tell me everything that has happened. How is Suboshi . . . and Amiboshi? Have Soi and Tomo returned? Is Lord Nakago well? I'm sorry, I just . . . this means we only have one more to find! Once we find Ashitare, I'll be able to protect Kutou and save Nakago's son."

Miboshi lowered her gaze to a rose bush and fingered a blood red rose. "Lady Yui . . . I'm afraid . . . Prince Ayuru . . . he is not well, my Lady. The healers fear he will not last much longer."

Yui froze, her smile and the blood, draining from her face. "What? I was only gone an hour . . . two at most. I just saw him this morning, he was fine when I left him. What happened?"

"An hour? No, my Lady . . . the Seiryuu no Miko vanished over two months ago." Miboshi watched the blonde closely, motioning for a maid to come help her when it seemed as if the other woman's legs would give out.

"Two months? Impossible." Yui forced herself to stand and turned a determined gaze upon the nearest maid. "I must speak with his highness at once."



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