Disclaimer! FY doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Watase Yuu, Bandai, Tokyo Television, Flower Comics, Pioneer, Viz Comics, and others. No infringement was intended.

Suzuno went into her house. "I'm home! Okaasan? Ayako?" No one seemed to be home? Her mother and younger sister probably went out to the market. She looked around, thinking she'd heard something. It came from her father's private room. That was strange. Her father was out of town for the week. As she made her way to the room, she saw a white glow coming from inside.

She knelt down in front of the door. "Ottosan? Are you here?" No reply. She pushed the door aside and looked in. "Moshi moshi?" She stood and causiously stepped through the doorway. No one was there. She could have sworn she heard something and saw a white light. She turned to go back out when she heard a loud noise behind her. She jumped and spun around.

On the floor was a book. She walked over to it, picked it up, and looked at it. "What a strange-looking book. 'The Four Gods of Earth and Sky.'" She opened the book. "'This is the story of the girl who would become Byakko no Miko.' Priestess of Byakko? Who's Byakko? 'This story is a incantation. When the page is turned, the story begins.'"

She opened the book and was instantly enveloped in a white light. She screamed in terror. When the light faded, she was no longer in her father's private room. Instead she was in a field. "Ottosan? Okaasan?? Ayako?" She looked around in fear, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Off in the distance she could see what looked to be a big town, but it didn't look like her town. "Where am I? OTTOSAN!! OKAASAN!! Where are you??"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ayako was skipping up the walk ahead of her mother, when they heard the scream. They had just gotten back from shopping for dinner. "Okaasan! That sounded like 'neechan!"

Both ran into the house, only pausing long enough to kick their shoes off. "Suzuno!!" "'Neechan!" They searched the house but didn't see Suzuno anywhere. They finally ended up outside the father's private rooms. "She couldn't have gone in there. She knows no one is allowed in there." But it was the only place they hadn't looked. They opened the door and looked into the room. Nothing, except a book on the floor. The mother picked it up and began reading it.

"'Byakko no Miko was terrified to find herself alone in a strange land. She called out to her mother, father, and younger sister, but they were not there.' What a strange beginning."

"Read on, Okaasan."

"'Byakko no Miko sank to the ground and began to cry. She did not hear the wild cat that was slowly approaching her.' Gracious! 'Nearby, the captain of the guards was riding back to the palace after successfully driving the Kotou army out of some of the border villages.'"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toroki hoped that Kotou's army would stay out of Sairo, but he knew that it wouldn't be long before they attacked again. The young captain of the royal guards could only hope that Byakko no Miko would show soon and help them to protect Sairo. He brushed back the bangs of his unruly red hair and was about to call a halt, when he heard a saw a flash of white light. "What was that?" It was followed by what sounded like yelling, then he heard a woman scream.

He turned to the next in command, "call a halt and give everyone a few minutes to relax, eat, and do whatever they need to do. I'm going to see who's in trouble." Without waiting for a reply, he spurred his horse in the direction of the scream.

Suzuno was paralized with fear as she watched the big cat get closer to her. She started to back away, but the cat only followed her. She tripped and fell backwards. Suzuno screamed again as the cat made ready to leap at her.

There was a small explosion of white light near the wild cat's front paws. It growled in fear and anger. Suzuno looked behind her to see a young man on horseback, riding towards her. It looked like there was a glowing ball in his right hand. He threw it at the wild cat, where the light made a small explosion. The cat growled one more time, then turn and ran.

The young man stopped his horse near Suzuno and got down. He had red hair with bangs that hung down in front of his bright, green eyes. He was covered with sweat and dirt. "Are you okay?" Suzuno began to cry. "Were you hurt??" She shook her head. "Just scared, huh?" She nodded. "Well, don't worry that cat won't bother you again. Come on, I'll take you home."

Suzuno looked up, tears running down her face. "You will? I don't even know where I am!"

"You're in Sairo." He pulled out a hankerchief, that was apparently the only clean thing on him, and handed it to her. She dabbed her eyes with it.

"Sairo? I've never heard of it. But I've never been away from home before. I live in Morioki."

"Morioki? Is that near here? I've never heard of it. How did you get here?"

"I don't know, I was looking at a book in my ottosan's private room, when a white light enveloped me and I was here."

"A white light?" Suzuno nodded. Toroki wondered if she could be the one. The girl from another world, who would save them. Byakko no Miko. "Come on. I'll take you to the Palace, then we can see about getting you home." She took a step towards him, then stepped back again, nose wrinkled. Toroki laughed. "Yeah, I know I smell pretty bad. But the fastest way to get you to the Palace is by horseback and we don't have any spare horses or anything to take you back in. So you'll have to ride with me."

Before she could protest, Toroki picked Suzuno up and set her on the front part of the saddle, sitting sideways. He then got up into the saddle behind her. Putting his arms around her he grabbed the reigns. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't let you fall." Suzuno blushed at being so close to a man she didn't know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okaasan," Ayako said, "is 'neechan this Byakko no Miko?"

"I don't know, but she is from this town and she mentioned her ottosan's private room."

"Sugoi! 'Neechan's in a story!!"

"Ayako! Don't get such silly notions. We don't know if it's really her. After all, how did she get there? Did she just fall into the book? 'Byakko no Miko and the captain rejoined the guards and made their way to the palace. By evening they had finally arrived. Byakko no Miko was allowed to bathe and dress before being presented to the Emperor'"

"Ara! She gets to meet the Emperor!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suzuno followed Toroki to the main hall. He stopped by the door and told the guard there to announce his presense. "Wait here," he told her and went on ahead. He stopped before the Emperor and knelt down on one knee. "I have returned, Your Majesty. And I am pleased to say that the enemy has been driven from the border villages."

"For now." The Emperor was a well built man in his 40's. Though his face and graying hair showed the signs of the strain of his position, his eyes held a twinkle and compassion that adhered many to him. Toroki included.

"Yes, Your Majesty. But I have more good news." He stood and looked at the Emperor. Now that the formalities were done, they could be on more casual terms. They each respected the other and had proven to each other to be worthy of that respect. "I have found a girl."

"How good for you, Toroki. I have been wondering when you would settle down." Toroki's tanned face darkened a little. Though Toroki was only 21, the Emperor often asked him when he would find himself a wife. Toroki would always reply that he was married to his work.

"No, no, Your Majesty. Not for me."

"Well, surely you don't mean for me. I already have a wife and more concubines than I have time for."

Both men laughed. "No, Your Majesty." Toroki turned and motioned Suzuno forward. She timidly stepped towards Toroki. As she neared the Emperor, she knelt, put her hands on her lap and bowed. The ruler nodded in satifaction. "May I present, Oosugi Suzuno. I believe she may be Byakko no Miko."

"Byakko no Miko!!" He looked at the girl still kneeling before him. "You may stand." She stood, her eyes still downcast. "Look at me." She looked up. "Where are you from?"

"Morioki, Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at Toroki. "Morioki?" Toroki shrugged. "And where is Morioki? What country?"

Suzuno couldn't help but show her surprise at that question. Once again, she wondered just where she was. "It's in Japan, Your Majesty."

"Japan? I've never heard of such a country. You may be right, Toroki. Bring forth the scroll!" Instantly, one of the advisors brought him a scroll. He opened it and walked up to Suzuno. "This scroll states that when the country was in need, a girl from another land would come. She would become Byakko no Miko. Are you that girl?"

Suzuno looked at the scroll. It was written in Chinese. She could only make out a few of the words. The Emporer continued, "if you are her, you must gather the seven seishi and summon Byakko. When Byakko is summoned, three wishes will be granted to the miko. All we ask is that one wish is to protect Sairo. Though Toroki is a good captain, we do not have the military strength to keep defending ourselved from Kotou. We need the protection of Byakko. Please tell me, you are the one."

The words, "Byakko no Miko", rang in her ears. Those were the words in the book. Suzuno looked into the Emporer's eyes. She saw a concern there. Concern for his people. "Yes," she said, softly. "I am the one you are looking for." She wasn't sure if she was the miko or not, but if she was, then she could ask to be taken home. Because it seemed that she was no longer in her world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"'Byakko no Miko accepted her role. The Emperor called all those in the palace together and announced that the girl they had waited for had finally come. The young captain of the guards knelt before her. The rest of the people likewise, bowed before her. For this was the one whom the scroll had fortold. The one who would save them from the country that threatened them.'"