"Damn." I muttered, one hand moving to place the slender brush atop the tray of ink beside me as the other grabbed the parchment and crumpled it into a ball. The now ruined page dropped into the wastecan with a dull rustling sound as it landed atop the myriad others already there. "Why does that one give me so much trouble?" A harsh sigh drifted through the air as my elbows braced against the desktop and my fingers wound their way through the long chestnut hair that cascaded down my back. The band holding it in place had long since fallen to the ground from this exact same motion, and I had just never bothered to pick it up again.

Not that it would help overly much... my hair was extremely fine and tended to slip free of everything I tried to use to restrain it. Cutting it short was not an option, I looked absolutely hideous with short hair. I found that out the hard way as a child and as soon as my own opinion mattered, I simply stopped getting it cut. It had proven to be a wise move, especially once I reached high school and started giving a care about what others thought of my appearance. Now in my first year of college, it was hard to keep my mind on studies when I seemed to be the one that every girl on campus wanted on her arm. Ah well... thus is the hardship I endure.

"You're getting wistful again... get your head out of the clouds, Sean." I didn't have to turn around to see the smirking face of my dormmate watching me. "Daydreamer." Marcus rose from his bed slowly, yawning as he wrapped the quilt about him and moved to peer over my shoulder. All I could do was cross my arms on the desktop and lean forward to rest my head against them. "You're at it again. Why do you insist on being able to write that gibberish?"

He never did understand...

"It's *not* gibberish. Chinese is perhaps one of the most refined languages there is, and it takes skill to be able to write it as well." I knew what was coming next. We'd been over it numerous times before. My lips moved in time with his own as he went off on his normal tirade.

"You aren't even *taking* Chinese this year, and even if you were, writing it wouldn't come until halfway through the semester! You can't speak it, you can barely write it, all you're doing is copying down words from those stupid tapes of yours."

I refused to get into another argument with him on this. Instead I remained where I was until I heard the huff of disapproval and the sound of the door shutting behind him as he made his way to the showers. Only then did I rise, slipping from the chair and stepping towards the window that looked out over the small lake nearby. I wasn't crazy, no matter what he may think. I simply didn't belong here and I knew it. Looking over the water that glimmered in the morning sun, I smiled, wondering what it would have been like in ancient times, before technology had ruined what little peace this world had. Maybe it was a dream world... but it was a far cry better than what I knew.

My parents had felt much the same way he did, berating my 'addiction' to stories and movies... anything that could make me think that for a brief time, I was someone else in a land far different from this one. They had *really* thrown a fit when one of my friends introduced me to an anime of his, and we had both commented how much I resembled one of the characters. Until then, I hadn't really cared for anime, but I went out and bought a couple of the tapes and kept them to watch when I felt that life was just grating too harshly on my nerves. They had nearly taken me for counseling when I stopped braiding my hair and wore it much as the Emperor in the story, a loose ponytail below the nape of my neck.

I smiled faintly, remembering what little I knew of that story. God, what I wouldn't give to trade places with that one. An idle dream, perhaps, but one that I cherished. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the small square of parchment that was tacked on the wall near my bed. The Chinese character for 'Star', the symbol that Hotohori had on his neck. I felt a kinship with him, in a way... My dreams had even started acting strangely after watching Fushigi Yugi for the first time. In them, I *was* Hotohori, and I nearly always woke with a smile. There were a few that I had to think about, however. Things that I hadn't seen in the anime that came to the fore when I slept. Granted, I'd only seen the first few episodes, and those didn't go very far into the story at all. How, then, could I know things that happened later? I wouldn't have even known this was the case until I'd asked my friend about the rest of the story. What he told me coincided perfectly with my dreams.

Shaking my head faintly, I crossed back over to my desk and turned off the small lamp there. No need for it now, daylight had broken and I was due in class before long. Wait... no I wasn't. It was Saturday, no classes today. Idly I wondered exactly why it was that I could never remember the days of the week. One of those 'student' things, I guess. Either way, the lake was shimmering in the sun and the sight was far too tempting. I quickly shucked off the pants that I'd fallen asleep in and pulled on a pair of cut off jeans, grabbing a towel and heading for the door. Summer was over, but the weather still made it the perfect time for a swim.

I lay floating on the surface, my hair fanning out in the water beneath me as I gazed up into the sky. So peaceful here... I could almost imagine I were somewhere besides the middle of a college campus. I let my eyes close, my hands moving gently through the water, keeping me clear of the shore. Suddenly I heard voices raised in laughter and I brought myself up to where the only part of me that was above the surface was my face. I saw three heads appear behind the bushes as the owners walked along the path around the lake. I recognized all three, and stopped myself from groaning. Why did a nice day like today have to be ruined by the three worst gossips in the school. All of them had taken turns at trying to 'catch' me, and I was rather getting sick of it. An idea crossed my mind then and I took a deep breath, sending myself beneath the surface. Let them find the towel on shore... no telling who it belonged to, and at the pace they'd been walking, I could easily hold my breath until they passed.

I propelled myself through the water, down to the bottom of the lake where the plants grew. Grasping hold of them, I kept myself from floating back up and made sure I didn't exert myself any more than was necessary. I could stay down here a good two minutes if I tried, but not if I was busy trying to keep myself in one spot.

That's when it happened... I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning towards it, I narrowed my gaze, trying to see through the haze of water and make out what it was. It looked like... a girl? I almost moved away, not wanting to be found, but something was wrong. Swimming closer, I saw that she was still dressed, her eyes closed as if in sleep. Dear God... was she...

Gritting my teeth against the tightening in my chest that always happened when I was running out of air, I propelled myself towards her, reaching out a hand and grabbing hold of the shirt she wore. I pulled her close to me, looking down at her still form. She didn't seem alive, and I felt panic rise as I realized that unless I moved fast, I could kill us both. Pushing to the surface, I closed my eyes, not wanting to see just how far I was from emerging. My chest felt like it was on fire, the breath that I had taken was burning in my lungs. Sending out a prayer to whatever deity would listen, I screamed in my mind for some way to help us both.

In that instant, my prayer was answered... A crimson glow seemed to surround us, enveloping us in its warmth, and the pain was gone. I could breathe again! For a brief instant, I wondered if this is what it was like to die. I lowered my gaze then to the one I held in my arms... only to find her gone. Blinking in astonishment, my arms extended, as if somehow she was still there, only hiding. Foolish thought that... and I found myself kneeling on the shore, near where I had first gotten into the water. Had I imagined it all? I crawled to the waterline and on hands and knees gazed down at my reflection that looked back to me with a slight hint of fear. Then something else caught my attention and it seemed that all around me grew still... as if time had stopped.

I turned my head to the side, eyes widening as a soft crimson glow became apparent. The mark of 'Sei' against the damp skin. "Star..." I whispered, recognizing it from the character that even now remained on my wall. My fingers moved up, brushing against the mark as a smile grew across my face. "Who says dreams don't come true..." I nearly laughed aloud with the joy that spread through me at that moment. It was real... all of it. And I now bore the mark of one of the Suzaku seishi: Hotohori, the one that I had such a strong resemblance to. If I could have jumped up and flown at that moment, I couldn't have been more happy.

I snatched up my towel, bringing it around my shoulders, my hair falling forward over the mark on my neck. Racing towards the dorm, I crashed through the door into my room, thankful that Marcus was gone. He'd likely have me committed if he saw me in this state. There, in the mirror, I moved my hair to the side and saw the fading symbol. That's alright... it'll come back. It was there, I didn't just imagine it. I froze then, realizing something else...

If I was here... and had this symbol... then there had to be others. I racked my brain, trying to remember the others that I had seen in the anime. Seeing as little of it as I did, the only ones I truly knew of were Hotohori, Nuriko and Tamahome. That was a beginning at least.. maybe one of them could help me find the rest. The smile returned as my fingers reached up, brushing against my reflection. "Hotohori..." I whispered, fairly grinning. "It's nice to meet you at last."

To Chichiri