Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yugi, but I do own this storyline, Deirdre, Alicia, Tamara, Faye and Elena, do not take this story without permission.

Witches Three

Chapter One: The Haywire Spell

9:00 pm

Deirdre Alonwey slung her bag over her shoulder, groaning at its weight. The bag was packed with clothes, a hairbrush, three anime dvd sets, a book or two, and five candles. It wasn't exactly the normal goodies you'd take to a slumber party. Deirdre's pale blue eyes were bright as she chuckled to herself, opening the door and walking off the porch and down the stairs to her small silver stationwagon. She unlocked the door, trying not to tip herself over and pushed it open with her foot, throwing the bag into the backseat. Deirdre sighed, pulling her light brown hair up into a messy bun and walked back up the stairs and into the house. She peeked her head in the living room and smiled, seeing her father and little sister sitting on the couch, reading a book. She walked in quietly, waiting for her sister to finish reading the page and smiled encouragingly when her sisters eyes, the same blue as her own, looked up for assurance. She kneeled and opened her arms and laughed when the tiny seven year old hugged her tightly.

"I'll be back on Sunday, that's only two days. Love ya sis." Deirdre kissed the little girls head and then walked to her father, giving him a quick hug and kiss before waving goodbye.

"Tell Ma I said bye and I love her too." Deirdre told her dad, winking and walking back outside, slipping into her car. She buckled her seatbelt and slipped the keys into the ignition, revving the engine and then backing up, turning the car around and taking the right turn-off next to her driveway. Deirdre was silent as she drove, not even the radio was switched on. It was less than ten minutes before she pulled into the driveway of her friend Tamara's house, parking. She hesitated, shivering slightly and then took out her keys and slipped them into her pocket, getting out of her car and grabbing the bag. Deirdre pulled the keys out again, locking the vehicle and then walked down the cobblestone walkway to the red door. She licked her soft pink lips and raised her hand to knock on the door, but it opened before she had moved her fist. Two girls, her age, seventeen years old, suddenly ran out of the house and tackled her into a bear hug. Deirdre laughed softly, patting their backs.

"Deirdre, we're so glad your family decided to move back! And even happier that it was only a year and not the three your dad had been planning." Alicia exclaimed, a bright smile lighting her face.

"I'm glad to see you guys too, Alicia, Tamara." Deirdre smiled in return, turning to look at Alicia. Alicia was short at 5'0", but had never minded the height too much. Her hair was short as well, cut just below her ears and was naturally the color of midnight. Where most of Alicia's hair was still that color, there were a few brilliant blue streaks in her hair. Alicia's eyes were a deep brown and her skin a dark tan. She had always been sweet, good for a fun time and a better laugh, but she could sometimes have a few problematic moodswings.

Deirdre patted the girl on the shoulder and then looked Tamara up and down. Tamara stood beside her, taller at 5'6" and much paler, though not near as pale as Deirdre. Tamara's eyes were a pine green and were large and ringed by beautiful dark lashes. Her hair was a striking auburn and was as curly as ever, hanging to her shoulders. Tamara was studious and kind and never forgot what was best for someone. Both girls hugged Deirdre again, tightly.

"We missed you, Dee. It's great to have you back." Tamara murmured, drawing her into the house, Alicia following faithfully. Deirdre looked around the living room, smiling. It was filled with couches and chairs of all different colors, blankets and pillows set neatly on each one. A fireplace was in the corner beside the door and cast a warm glow on the pale blue carpet. Deirdre set down her bag, plopping into a comfortable arm chair and grinning.

"It's as comfy as ever!" Deirdre laughed, patting the chairs arm rest.

"Hey, what do you have in that bag there?" Alicia questioned, laying on the floor and poking it with her index finger. Deirdre blinked and then pursed her lips into a small 'o'. She pulled the bag up onto her lap and dug around, pulling out three sets of dvds. Deirdre smiled impishly, holding up the dvd sets proudly.

"Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play. It's only the very best anime of all time." Deirdre laughed to herself and then set the blue and black dvd sets back in her bag, standing up and heading over to the dvd player in front of the largest couch. She inserted a disc and pressed play, turning down the sound a little and went to go sit back down. Tamara settled herself on the large couch, but Alicia didn't move, apparently she was comfortable with the floor. The three seventeen year old girls settled into their chairs comfortably and a marathon of 'The Mysterious Play' ensued.

12:00 am - Midnight

Deirdre kept from laughing, putting the dvds back into their cases and into her bag.

"Oh man! That wasn't fair when-" Alicia began, pouting and rolling onto her back on the floor. Tamara sighed and frowned at Alicia, cutting her off.

"Well it wasn't fair either when-" Deirdre shushed them both, shaking her head in slight annoyance and then staring intently out the window. Tamara and Alicia followed Deirdre's gaze. Outside, hanging fat in the sky, was a full golden moon, surrounded by stars. Immediatley the mood of play was dampened and all three girls were watching the moon sadly.

"We were always together on the full moon." Deirdre murmured and turned to look around the room, noting the empty armchair and the space beside Tamara. A year and a half ago those spaces would have held their friends, Faye and Elena. An image of the red head and the blonde sprung to Deirdre's mind, her eyes filling with tears. She glanced at Alicia and Tamara.

"We should let go..." Deirdre said softly and the other girls agreed. All three of them took off their shoes and pulled out five pillows of different colors. Green, blue, white, red and purple. The pillows were arranged in a circle, save for the purple one, which sat in the middle like a beacon. Deirdre pulled out the candles from her bag, as well as a lighter. She handed a jade green candle to Tamara and was silent as Tamara found her place, the green pillow at the North point and sat down. The cerulean blue candle was placed in Alicia's hands and just like Tamara, she found her place among the pillows, on the blue at the East point. Deirdre set a silver candle in front of the purple pillow and a maroon candle in front of the red pillow, sitting down herself on the clean white one and holding a white candle herself. For a moment the girls said nothing, but Tamara piped up eventually.

"Who wants to cast the circle?" Deirdre stood again, went outside the circle of pillows and walked clockwise three times around the circle, calling in the element guardians. When she sat back down she looked slightly more aware, her lips were curved up a little.

"I'll start, repeat my motions and light the candle after you finish your verse." Deirdre explained, holding the candle in her left hand and the lighter in her right.

"I am the Sylph, Keeper of Air

She who is allowed within the Winds laire

I am the Friend, loyal and true

One who keeps promises, one who follows through

Work thy power to my key

As I do will, so mote it be."

Deirdre's concentration wavered as she flicked on the lighter, but the candle was lit, so she set it down in front of her, closing her eyes and gasping softly. Behind her closed eyelids moved white shadows as she called to mind images of Faye and Elena. Tamara gently took the lighter from Deirdre's hands, holding her green candle in her left hand, the lighter in her right.

"I am the Gnome, Keeper of Earth

She who rules over the lands birth

I am the Healer, understanding and soft

Who heals with the help of silver frost

Work thy power to my key

As I do will, so mote it be."

Tamara came up with the same problem as Deirdre, her eyes getting fuzzy, though not with tears. She lit the candle and set it before her, closing her eyes and imagining Faye and Elena. Tamara stiffened after a moment, green forests and snowy mountains spilling into the blackness of her closed eyes. Alicia frowned and took the lighter from beside Tamara, watching the two others for a moment before repeating their actions, candle in left, lighter in right. Alicia began.

"I am the Undine, Keeper of Water

Who worships the love Goddess, for I am her daughter

I am the Lover, filled with passion and trust

One who does only what one must

Work thy power to my key

As I do will, so mote it be."

Alicia bit her lip to keep her eyes from closing, lighting the candle quickly and placing it before her. Alicia didn't feel the lighter roll from her limp fingertips. Her eyes snapped shut and she exhaled, a calm sea filling her vision, Elena and Faye beside her. Two shadows appeared over the empty spaces for Fire and Spirit and the girls shivered, each swearing that they could feel their friend's sitting beside them in their respective places. Faye's voice began to echo in their minds, strong with passion.

"I am the Drake, Keeper of Fire

She who could track any good liar

I am the Warrior, frightening and strong

Who shall never let evil live overlong

Work thy power to my key

As I do will, so mote it be."

The maroon candle was suddenly lit by itself, burning incredibly bright, but the girls didn't see because of their closed eyes. Elena's voice echoed now, soft and proud, slightly haughty, and each believed that maybe she could be sitting there with them.

"I am the Priestess, Keeper of Soul

She who sits with the Goddess of Her grassy knoll

I am the Maiden, Mother and Crone

Walking apart, but never alone

Work thy power to my key

As I do will, so mote it be."

The silver candle, placed in front of the purple pillow, Elena's seat, erupted into a purple flame, wavering eerily. After a moment the flames of the other candles changed as well. Tamara's turned an acid green, Alicia's a neon blue and Deirdre's a pure white. The flames seemed to mix in the air, turning into different colored glows that filled the room, still, the girls didn't notice, they were not yet finished. Deirdre, Alicia and Tamara said the last part in unison.

"We are the Keepers of Water, Earth and Air

Our secrets, pain and our hearts we share

Lost are the Keepers of Soul and Fire

And to lay in peace their memories are what we desire

Their Spirits rest in the Summerland we can see

As we do will, so mote it be. "

The glows became as bright as the sun, surrounding the three girls completely, Tamara glowed a soft green, Alicia a bright blue and Deirdre a brilliant pure white. Smiles began to appear on the girls faces and slowly, they vanished, leaving behind the colored pillows, warm living room and the candles.

The candles went out.

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Deirdre breathed in deeply, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she smelled scented incense. Deirdre's light blue eyes blinked a few times and then flashed open, seeing the soft red of a setting sun. Her lips parted in astonishment as she realized that she was no longer in Tamara's living room. She was laying down, where before she had been sitting up straight, her legs crossed on the white pillow. Deirdre bolted up, looking out the beautiful red and white doors. She was sitting on a clean, tiled floor, next to the entrance of a darkened building. Deirdre stood up and whirled, almost falling as she stared up in amazement at a large golden statue. She gaped at the statue, which was a perfect representation of a phoenix. Deirdre's breath came in short gasps as she stumbled away from it, suddenly remembering her friends.

"Tamara, Alicia!" Deirdre said and then felt her heart slow when she saw her friends laying beside where she had been, next to the doors of the temple. Deirdre ran over to them and slowly kneeled, gently touching Tamara's shoulder, her eyes wide. For a moment it seemed as if Tamara was dead, but suddenly a rattling breath came from her mouth and her chest rose and fell. Tamara's great green eyes opened and blinked a few times, staring at the ceiling. Her lips, which had almost formed a smile, turned down quickly, awareness filling her features. Tamara sat up, incredibly tense, shooting a worried glance at Deirdre.

"Deirdre, where on earth is this? Or am I dreaming?" Deirdre's heart eased it's pounding, but she shook her head, mirroring the frown on Tamara's face. Instead of answering, Deirdre crawled over to Alicia and shook her as gently as she had Tamara. Alicia immediatley sat up, her dark eyes wide with confusion, but not the fear that Tamara and Deirdre felt.

"Wow, this looks like a Chinese temple." Alicia murmured, causing a stillness to settle over the three girls. Deirdre's head tilted, her hands shaking as she re-examined her surroundings.

"You've got to be kidding me, that isn't possible." Tamara growled, finally standing and stomping over to the red and white doors. Alicia's face filled with more confusion.

"What isn't possible?" She asked innocently, pushing herself off the ground and brushing imaginary dust from her jeans. Deirdre licked her lips and laughed hoarsely, shaking her head.

"Oh, Ally... A Chinese temple, whose guardian is obviously a Phoenix," Deirdre gestured towards the golden statue as she tried to explain. "We just watched Fushigi Yugi, and then, since it was a full moon, performed the grieving spell. After the spell, we woke... in a Chinese temple, who resembles the temple from Fushigi Yugi," Deirdre almost choked, and then shook herself again, warring with her shocked body.

"Gods, it doesn't just resemble the temple, it's an exact copy! Are you suggesting that we're in an animated world?" Tamara's voice was soft and empty of feeling, she was as shocked as Deirdre felt. Alicia laughed, walking towards the statue and gently touching the phoenix's clawed feet. A shudder went through the whole building and the three girls were knocked down, as if an earthquake was beginning. But just as quickly as the earthquake had began, it was over. Deirdre rose to her feet and walked over to the open paper doors, shivering as she watched guards in Chinese armour walk by, speaking loudly. Her eyes widened when she realized she could understand them, just as they spotted her in the doorway.

"You there! Girl! What are you doing in Suzaku's temple?!" One of the guards shouted, his armour clanking with vigour as he ran towards her. Deirdre felt her heart leap into her throat and she whirled to look at her two friends. Tamara spotted the guards running towards them, but Alicia was still having fun examining the temple.

"We have to run." Deirdre choked out, her clenched hands shaking by her sides. Tamara grabbed onto Alicia and then nodded, motioning for Deirdre to start running. She took a shuddering gasp of air and then shot out the doors and to the left. Maybe it was because the guards wore armour, or it might have been adrenaline, but the three girls were much faster than the men chasing them and within a few moments had lost them. Deirdre stopped, breathing hard and leaned against a wall, waiting for Tamara and Alicia to stop beside her. Just as Deirdre opened her mouth, ready to speak, she heard a bell start ringing, then more bells and with another shock of adrenaline, realized it was an alarm.

"Oh Gods, we have to keep going. They're ringing alarm bells!" Deirdre said hoarsely, grabbing onto Alicia, who out of the three was the least athletic and the slowest. Tamara ran on ahead this time, leading the way into a type of garden area. The clanking and jangling of armour returned and then stopped when they spotted the girls.

"Schi-seishi! The intruders!" One of the guards shouted and Deirdre almost tripped. 'Schi-seishi' was what the Seven warriors of each God were called. Alicia stumbled and by the time Deirdre had gotten her up, they had lost sight of Tamara. Deirdre cursed softly beneath her breath and then spotted a small lake, just as a voice rang out behind her.

" 'Ey you two! I command ya to stop!" Deirdre tugged on Alicias arm harder, pointing to the lake.

"We have to jump in, we have to, Alicia! It'll get us away from the man after us." Alicia began to protest but Deirdre gave her no quarter, pushing the small girl into the lake and then diving in after her. The water rushed over her head and Deirdre felt her feet hit bottom and quickly pushed herself up to the surface in time to catch their assailents curses.

"Ah, damn it! They went inta the lake, yer Majesty!" The sun was near non existent now and so Deirdre could barely make out the form of a tall man on the shore. She turned and found Alicia sputtering beside her, so she clung onto the girls arm and pulled her towards the middle of the lake, out of the range of fire. She heard a scream in the distance though and felt her heart fall into her stomach when she realized that the scream belonged to Tamara. A strong and deep voice began speaking to them amidst Tamara's shouting.

"We have your acomplice and if you wish her to live, you will kindly removes yourselves from our Imperial pond. If not-" Deirdre mentally shook herself, not wanting to believe that these were the people she thought they were.

"Oh, Highness, you won't have to go to the trouble, no da! I can remove them straight away, no da." With a shriek, Deirdre and Alicia found themselves being lifted out of the water by a red bubble and transported across the lake to the shore. Tamara was silent now and guards had brought torches, so Deirdre could see the shock on her face and knew exactly why. The bubble popped and Deirdre and Alicia were dropped to the ground in front of the small group of people.

"We thank you, Chichiri. We trust that Miaka's meeting with Tamahome went well?" Deirdre looked up at the man speaking and had to focus on breathing deeply so she wouldn't pass out. Right in front of her was Hotohori, the Emperor of Konan, from Fushigi Yugi. He was much more handsome in person, Deirdre decided, with gold eyes and long dark sepia hair, but she said nothing, waiting for the monk to reply.

"Yes, Highness, no da. Actually we had just finished when Miaka and I heard the commotion, I believe she tried to follow me, no da." The statement was reinforced when a young womans voice, accompanied by bushes rustling came closer.

"Chichiri? Hotohori? What happened? Did you catch the bandits?" Miaka, the young Priestess of Suzaku, stopped in front of the three, now captive, girls and gasped. Deirdre blew a strand of wet hair away from her face and then gave the Priestess a small smile, shaking her head when she turned to meet gazes with Tamara and Alicia. All of them were silent and in awe.

"You have clothes from my world! Where are you from? Did you read the book? Did you see Keisuke?" Miaka asked rapidly, but Hotohori shushed her.

"Miaka, we still do not know if these girls are trustworthy. Let us bring them to the throne room and we shall question them there." Deirdre grunted as one of the guards bound her hands with rope behind her back and then two of the guards pulled her along by her arms. From the noises and complaints behind them, Deirdre knew the same had been done to her friends. The position the guards carried her in was incredibly uncomfortable, but Deirdre said nothing, her lips pressed together and her eyes focused on the ground. She could hear Chichiri whispering to Hotohori and Miaka a few feet in front of them.

"Your Highness, these three girls have incredibly strong auras, no da. We will have to find out more about them immediatley, I can feel that they are strong magic workers, no da." Deirdre gasped in pain when she tripped, her arm jutting upwards at an odd angle, but the guard jerked her up, ignoring her pained breathing.

"Ah, come on! They're three girls fer Suzaku's sake, you can treat 'em better than that." Tasuki's voice rumbled quietly, pushing away the guard who had jerked Deirdre up and taking his place. She was still uncomfortable, but Tasuki was definitely less rough on hauling her around, so Deirdre didn't complain. The girls were led up stairs and down a few halls before they came to two great double doors which opened slowly as they walked inside. Hotohori sat on his throne, guards lined up on either side of him, while the seishi stopped just to the side of him. The three young women were placed gently in front of the Emperor of Konan.

"Which of you is leader of this group?" Hotohori asked. Deirdre hesitated, unsure of who would stand up, but Tamara and Alicia made no move, so she slowly pushed herself to her feet and stood.

"I am, your Majesty." Deirdre forced herself to speak louder and raised her head up, meeting his gaze.

"We ask for your names."

"I am Deirdre Alonwey. This is Tamara Smith and Alicia Blackfoot." Even though Deirdre was incredibly excited to meet the seishi and Priestess of Suzaku, she knew that a wrong move could get them killed, even though they were supposed to be in an animated world. Their surroundings definitely didn't look animated and neither did the people, which made Deirdre wonder if herself and her friends arriving here had changed things.

"Why have you been terrorizing our palace?" Hotohori tilted his head to the side, his face serene, but it was his words that gave Deirdre paused.

"Terrorizing? Uh, well, no disrespect, your Majesty, but..." Deirdre took a deep breath, and looked down, closing her eyes. "We awoke to find ourselves in the temple of Suzaku. I heard Chichiri speaking of us as magic workers and in a way, he is correct. I do not know how it happened, your Majesty, but we were performing a spell and then found ourselves in the temple. We had no intention of disturbing-" Hotohori waved his hand, stopping Deirdre in her explanation and then looked to Miaka.

"Miaka, you said they had on clothing from your world. Where do you come from?" Hotohori asked seriously and Deirdre knew that a wrong answer would be the end of them.

"We live in a place called California, within the United States." Hotohori looked to Miaka again and Miaka laughed and clapped her hands.

"They are from my world! Remember I told you about America? California is in America!" Miaka rushed forward to hug Deirdre, but Deirdre could make no move towards her since her hands were still tied.

"Your Majesty, if I may... I would like the chance to prove we can help you. As Chichiri has told you, we are magic workers and we have..." Deirdre hesitated, wondering if they could change the tale of Fushigi Yugi in some ways. "We have the power of precognition, your Majesty. Telling the future. And I believe, here in this world, our powers will be amplified." Deirdre could hear Alicia and Tamara gasping, shocked, but she waited for the Emperor to answer. Hotohori looked to Chichiri and then Miaka, basically asking them to make the decision.

"I believe they're telling the truth." Miaka stated, her arm around Deirdre's shoulders. After a moment of contemplation, Chichiri nodded as well.

"Yes, your Majesty. I agree with Miaka, no da. The girls have no evil intent about them." For a moment Deirdre stood still and then dropped to her knees, laughing softly and bowed, her forehead touching the floor, her arms still tied behind her back.

"Oh thank the Gods." She whispered and jumped when she felt someone grabbing her hands and cutting the ropes.

12:01 am - Universe of the Four Gods

It wasn't too much longer before Deirdre and her friends found themselves with their own room, a few changes of clothes each and a maid who would take them to an open air bath. The maid was Miakas age, about 15 years old and incredibly clumsy. Alicia made the girl feel more comfortable, chattering on about style and clothes with her. Deirdre and Tamara had laughed when they had learned Hotohori had ordered them given male clothes, which had caused the young maid to faint when she had first heard.

"I apologize, m'ladies, but I believe women wearing mens clothes is absolutely atrocious! How could his Majesty ask fine young women to wear traveling mens clothes?" The maid sighed and shook her head sadly, which caused Tamara to laugh again. Alicia glared at her and put her arm around the maid, which caused the girl to squeak.

"I completely understand! We should be wearing beautiful dresses, but maybe his Majesty can throw some sort of party for us and we'll be able to wear some of those awesome kimono type things you were talking about." Alicia and the maid walked on ahead, while Tamara and Deirdre trailed behind, both still examining their surroundings.

"So, we really are in the Universe of the Four Gods?" Tamara asked her friend, fingering the silk tunic she had been given. Deirdre felt a small shiver run through her and turned her head away, watching a few servants light lanterns and hang them around the grounds.

"Yes. We're here, in something that a few hours ago was only an anime to us. We're from Miaka's world, but, we're not. I don't understand it. And another thing, look at the seishi, Tamara! They're real now, flesh and blood instead of... Cartoons. It's really strange. Really strange." Deirdre felt like it was some sort of movie like Lord of the Rings or The Labryinth where the backgrounds were so real you could touch them. And here... She could touch them.

"Well, I'm all for an adventure, Deirdre, but... You understand right? How are we going to get back home? How much time will pass? What will our parents do?" Tamara threw her hands up in the air as they drew into view of the open air bath where the maid was attempting to undress Alicia. Alicia playfully slapped the girls hands away, stripped and then dived into the bath that was so large it may as well have been a heated pool. The maid looked helplessly at Alicia and then turned to Tamara and Deirdre.

"I am here to help you undress, but-" Tamara stopped the maid, sighing and explained that they could do it by themselves. Deirdre laughed softly and quickly undressed before the maid could speak to her and then dived in, a bit more gracefully than Alicia had. Alicia reminded Deirdre of a river, strong and powerful and only calm once in a great while. Her swimming abilities were proof of that.

"Back to what we were talking about. Time differences and all that jazz, do you think it'll be the same as Miaka and her world?" Tamara asked Deirdre, slowly wading into the water. Deirdre sat down on a large rock, the only thing out of the water her shoulders, neck and head and thought deeply before answering.

"I'm going to assume, yes. Because, well, if this is all sort of 'live action' now, we really are from Miaka's world. I don't know how we'll get back, we may have to go through the whole story before we can return home. Taiitsukun could help us, but there might be some sort of price for that. Miaka could... No, that would screw everything." Deirdre sighed and pulled her knees up out of the water, leaning her forehead on them. Tamara patted her shoulder and sat beside her on the rock, watching Alicia playing around a little ways away.

"Well then, for now at least, ignore this conversation. Enjoy the time we have here, the adventure and everything. Elena and Faye would have loved it." Tamara whispered and Deirdre could only snuffle an agreement. The girls finished the bath quickly and took pity on the young maid, who's name turned out to be Lin, and let her help dry them off and figure out how to put on the new clothes. Deirdre enjoyed the shoes, which were much more comfortable than regular boots, but only kept the shoes on until they got back to their room. Chichiri was waiting for them inside, sitting on the very large bed and holding his staff.

"I am here on behalf of his Majesty to test your abilities and well, see if you were telling us the truth, no da. It will be very quick and painless, no da." Chichiri's mask was so realistic Deirdre got the chills, but it was Alicia who suddenly began complaining.

"Uh, that sounds like you're going to kill us." She told the monk, raising her eyebrows. Tamara sighed and quickly shut the girl up, then waited for Chichiri to tell them what to do.

"Alright, I will test, uh, Deirdre first, since she is your leader, no da. Sit here please, like this and close your eyes, no da." Chichiri motioned for her to sit Indian style, so Deirdre complied and then closed her eyes, suddenly feeling and hearing every small motion and sound in the room. Cool metal, which Deirdre assumed was Chichiri's staff, pressed against her forehead and then she felt a small shockwave go through her and she could see.

Deirdre knew that what she was seeing was herself, her true self, and she almost wanted to cry. The woman was her height, with the same shade of pale skin, save that it glowed with an inner light, like the moon. Her eyes were no longer blue, but silver and around her neck she wore a necklace with a scales pendant, like Libra. Her dress was white, not ivory or the faded white of everything man made, but white like clouds or stardust, the woman, Deirdre's inner self, was a Sylph. But it was what sat beside her that made Deirdre gasp with wonder. A large, almost giant, siberian tiger sat beside her, with glowing blue eyes and such strong power it made Deirdre squint. And then it was gone.

With a gasp Deirdre's eyes flashed open and looked up at Chichiri, who looked almost as surprised as she felt. But a smile quickly replaced his features and he patted her shoulder.

"You do have abilities, no da, and they are more wondrous than you can imagine. I will test Tamara next, no da." Chichiri then turned towards the green eyed girl and smiled as she repeated Deirdre's actions. The monk no longer felt that any of the girls would be a threat, at least to himself and his friends, especially when Deirdre was under the protection of the god Byakko. His protection had been so strong around her that Chichiri had almost said she was his Priestess, but the feeling was slightly different and he had quickly amended the thought. The Priestess was a vessel of the Gods power, Deirdre was no vessel, she was of Byakko's power. Almost a creation of his, if Chichiri wanted to give her any type of title.

Tamara felt the samel cool metal of Chichiri's staff touch her forehead and then shuddered as a flash went through her body and she no longer saw the black darkness of her eyelids, but a woman. After a second of contemplation and disbelief, she realized it was herself, in some different form.

The woman was the same height as Tamara and glowed. Her eyes were not green, but like liquid copper and she wore a ribbon in her long curly hair with a pendant of a woman hanging from the end of it. Her cloak, for that was all Tamara could see of her clothes, was emerald, brilliant and bright, like some of the space pictures you see of far off planets in the Universe. She was Earth personified, a forest, greenery and ice. Tamara wondered if she was a Gnome and then shivered when she saw the large black tortoise with copper eyes standing beside her. Then the vision disappeared and Tamara was staring at a far off point in the room. She furrowed her brow and looked to Chichiri, who gave her an encouraging smile, before turning to Alicia. The young woman sighed and then sat Indian style on the floor and scowled as she closed her eyes.

"So what did you see?" Tamara asked Deirdre, frowning slightly, but Deirdre shushed her. Alicia shivered when she felt Chichiri's staff against her head, wanting to pull back, but her whole body suddenly tensed and a vision of a woman appeared. She appeared to be what Alicia had always imagined an Undine would look like, with bright, golden eyes and a thin face, much like Alicia's own. Her hair was short and had blue streaks as well and Alicia could only feel amazement when she saw an anklet on the woman with a crab charm. She wore a sapphire colored cloth that wrapped around all of her intimate places and had her hand placed on the top of an animal that looked like a dragon. Alicia sucked in a deep breath and then opened her eyes, shaking her head. Chichiri hesitated and then gave her a small smile.

"I'm done here, no da. Thank you for trusting me to do this, no da." And with that Chichiri was out of the room and down the hall before Deirdre could tell him goodnight.

12:03 am - The Universe of the Four Gods

Out of the three girls, Tamara had been the only one to wake up early that morning to go and speak with the seishi. She had found Nuriko and Hotohori within the temple of Suzaku and a few hundred servants, getting ready to summon the beast god. As she walked up behind them she could hear Nuriko speaking.

"The preperations for the summoning ceremony are coming along, your Majesty." Nuriko turned his head, sensing Tamara and smiled at the young woman as she joined them, Chichiri had spoken to the other seishi about his test of powers. Hotohori nodded his head regally and then answered the crossdresser.

"Yes, only a few particulars remain. The retrieval of The Universe of the Four Gods and Tamahome. By the way, how is Miaka?" Hotohori turned to look at the two.

"I'll go check on her, your Majesty." Nuriko volunteered and then headed off to find the young Priestess. Tamara stayed standing by the Emperor, watching quietly and jumped in surprise when he spoke to her.

"You are from Miakas world, are you not? But she says a different part of her world. What is it like?" Tamara blinked, thinking about it.

"Well, it's probably different from how Miaka explained it as well. I'm not sure what Japan is like, where she lives, but in America we're very... open. We have a democratic government, free speech and all those sort of things. And we're consumers. Major consumers." Tamara laughed, shaking her head and then drew her eyebrows together when she realized Hotohori might not understand any of what she was talking about.

"What is democratic? And what are consumers? If you don't mind us asking. We very much want to know more about your world." Hotohori turned and began walking towards another building, what it was used for, Tamara wasn't sure, but she followed alongside him, explaining.

"You see, in America during the 1700s..."

When Deirdre had woke, Tamara was gone, off exploring she had assumed and she hadn't blamed her. As Tamara had said, Deirdre was also up for an adventure and the discovery of the magic she had here in this world. But first... breakfast. Deirdre yawned widely and combed her hair with a fancy comb Lin had left them. She pulled it into a bun and then got dressed in the mens clothes and boots they had been left, wondering slightly why they had been given mens clothing. Alicia continued to snore, and Deirdre could hear her, even a ways down the hall, until she passed Miakas room where Miaka and Nuriko were yelling at each other. She smiled softly and shook her head, continuing on, wondering where she would find the food hall or room or whatever it was. She looked over her shoulder as she turned around a corner and squeaked when she bumped into someone. Deirdre whirled and came face to face with Tasuki.

"Oh man, you scared me." Deirdre told the red headed bandit, laughing softly as she placed a hand on her chest. Tasuki looked her up and down and then laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Ah, you'll fit in straight away here, cross dressin' on yer second day! Seems we have a reverse Nuriko." Tasuki laughed and then jumped back in surprise when Deirdre smacked him in the chest.

"If I had a choice I would be wearing my regular clothes, thank you very much, Fangs. But as Chichiri explained to me, it'd be best if we tried to fit in somehow. And traveling as a woman with you guys could be kind of dangerous." Deirdre huffed slightly and then watched the bandit for a moment.

"Anyway... Could you tell me where I can find breakfast?" Tasuki watched her with narrowed eyes, but tossed his head to the right and then sighed, spinning on his heel and heading towards where they could get food. Deirdre followed silently, her stomach growling with a fierceness she hadn't felt in a while.

Alicia hated waking, usually. Because, usually, it meant another boring day spent at home or somewhere else in her small town. Now though, she had been transported to a different world, which the day before had been an animated place. Now it was real, with a few cute guys, an adventure and her two best friends. Alicia was wide awake. She yawned softly though and it would take her a little while before she would get used to this place, so she wasn't sure how she felt about the whole thing yet. Alicia mussed her hair a little bit, pulled on the clothes she had been given and then headed out of the room she shared with her friends. It was surprisingly quiet in the palace of Konan, seeing as the whole place was the main setting for a large story, but it didn't bother Alicia. For once, she was enjoying the quiet.

She sat down on the railing in front of one of the guest rooms and stared out over the palace grounds, her eyebrows drawn together as she thought. The night before, when Chichiri had "tested their powers" or something, Alicia was sure that the woman she'd seen was herself... Save for that she was also sure the woman had been one of the fay, an Undine. It made sense though, in a strange way, since Alicia had chosen the Undine to represent her magical self in their own world.

All of them had chosen a fay creature, save for Elena, but in each way, the creature had fit themselves. Alicia sighed and leaned her head back against a pole, wondering once more about Elena and Faye. The five of them had been closer than ever from toddler years onward. And then Deirdre had discovered Wicca. Where she found the book or website that spoke about it, Alicia had never asked, but each of the girls had felt that Wicca was their calling, not just because the other girls were interested, but because it spoke to each of them. Deirdre had found solace in it and something that accentuated who she was; Tamara had always been Earth bound, believing in Mother Nature and care for plants and herbs. Both of them had fallen into the magic and had become a part of it. Alicia still remembered meeting a palm reader, one day, by herself. The woman had smiled at her oddly and then clasped her hand and spoke of her being a witch. Alicia had agreed, amazed that someone other than her friends had recognized her as such, but then the woman had spoke of Deirdre and the others being incredibly strong. 'Your coven', the woman had told Alicia, but it was then that she had pulled away. The coven wasn't hers, Deirdre had begun it, but Elena was the one who, in essence, ruled it.

"Earth, Air, Fire, Water... Hearken now unto your daughter..." Alicia whispered, wondering now about Faye. Her and Faye had been the closest, which they had always laughed about, for Faye had represented Fire and Alicia Water. And then... It was two weeks before Elena was going to move away. Faye and her parents had been going out of town for the day, getting some shopping done for an older relative, and they would have been back later that night. But when Alicia called the house that night, there was no answer. She figured maybe Faye had gone to Elena's house, who lived near by, but she had called there and Elena had told her Faye... Faye was gone. The police had found Faye's wallet, tossed away from the burning wreckage of the car and they had found two bodies, her parents, but they had never found Faye. Alicia took a deep breath and shook her head, trying to push the bad memory away, but it wouldn't leave. The policeman had given the wallet to Elena, because they had found a picture of her and her address inside the wallet, as well as the pictures of Alicia, Tamara and Deirdre, though those had been void of addresses. Elena had come over to Alicia's house and given the wallet to her, saying it rightfully belonged to her.

It was then that Alicia had begged Elena to search the forest with her, but the petite blonde had refused, too scared to do so. So Alicia convinced Deirdre to help her. They casted finding spells and when the police were off duty and weren't searching for Faye, they would search the forest by themselves. Deirdre had found a pool of blood once, but there was no body, no evidence of Faye moving. After she had found the blood, Deirdre couldn't search the forest anymore, but Alicia understood that. Elena still wouldn't, and Tamara was too scared to. They never found Faye.

"Hey! Alicia, right? Do you want to come to breakfast with us?" Miaka's chipper voice startled the melancholy girl, but she laughed and got off of the railing.

"Sure, food sounds pretty good, let's go." The breakfast was definitely an event in the three girls eyes. The seishi tortured each other continuously and Miaka ate. And ate. The day passed much the same, with laughter and teasing and the girls began to feel at home. Chichiri was slightly odd around Alicia, Deirdre had noticed, but she said nothing of it to the monk, keeping that piece of information to herself, wondering how Alicia had seen her true self. It was late that night, close to midnight, that they all gathered into Hotohori's throne room and another part of the tale began to commence.

"Take the utmost care." Hotohori told the young Priestess, nodding his head slowly. Deirdre had been surprised to find that Chiriko was not yet the real Chiriko, but Amiboshi. She had kept her peace about it though, not sure if changing the story would turn out for the best. When Chichiri had spread out his kasa, Deirdre had realized that this was an episode or so before the summoning ceremony. The failed summoning ceremony, that is.

"Can't we go with her?" Chiriko, or Amiboshi had questioned and Deirdre had found herself wondering if he wanted to go and visit his brother. She sighed, standing beside her friends and watched as Miaka put on a game face, fixing her school uniform.

"We have to keep the party small, no da. Yesterday when I connected her with Tamahome I noticed there was a magic barrier attached to both him and his room. No matter how skilled you may be, there are those of the enemy who can detect your presence, no da. But, I would ask Deirdre to accompany us. Your aura is so strong it will distort ours and possibly give us enough time to rescue Tamahome, no da." Deirdre's eyes widened and she took a step back, quickly glancing at her friends.

"But, well, I can't really fight. What if I just hinder you guys?" Chichiri shook his head, so Miaka smiled and grabbed onto the older girl.

"It's settled! you're coming with us, Deirdre. It'll be nice to have a girl along with me." The young Priestess told her, hooking her arm through Deirdres. Deirdre couldn't help but laugh, so quietly agreed, just as Tasuki butted in.

"I'm goin'!!" The red head told them seriously, brandishing his tessen and giving them a wolfish smile.

"Tasuki?!" Miaak shouted, her face confused.

"Nobody'd pick up on me! I been hearin' all about this Tamahome guy. I figger it's about time t' meet 'im." The bandit insisted, but Miaka scoffed.

"Didn't you just hear what Chichiri said?" The Priestess questioned, frowning at the bandit. Deirdre couldn't help but smile, meeting Tamara's eyes, sharing an internal laugh. Alicia had sat down near Amiboshi and was watching with an amused expression on her face.

"I heard, but if I was goin' along... I'd fix ya up with th' most yummy dumplings ya ever gobbled!" Tasuki grinned, putting away his tessen and revealing a small package of dumplings. "but it ain't gonna happen, huh?" Miaka nearly pounced the red head, but turned to Chichiri first.

"We have to let the poor guy come along!" Chichiri quickly agreed, so Miaka snatched the food away from Tasuki, eating them quickly. The monk straightened out his kasa and then motioned for the others to go first. Miaka pushed Tasuki through, who looked slightly afraid of it.

"We'll go to the part of the castle where the barriers are at their weakest. No da." Deirdre bit her bottom lip when Chichiri nodded for her to go, plugged her nose and then jumped into the kasa, closing her eyes. Miaka wave dto the rest of them, giving a large smile.

"I'll see you guys later!" With that, she was gone, Chichiri had jumped into the kasa and with a small popping noise, the cloak had vanished. The seishi and the two young witches stared at the place where it had been in silence.

"They're gone." Hotohori sighed. Amiboshi, or Chiriko gave a small frown.

"I hope they'll be alright, with just the four of them."

12:04 am - The Universe of the Four Gods

Deirdre gasped, landing hard on a thick branch and frowned when she didn't see or feel the seishi and Priestess. A grumbling sound came from below and Deirdre looked down, letting out a small laugh when she saw Chichiri hanging from a branch slightly lower than her, while Miaka and Tasuki had landed on the same one, on top of each other. With a loud crack the branch broke and Deirdre covered her eyes, waiting until she didn't hear any more grumbles, before slowly climbing down.

"There ya are! I though we lost ya er somethin'." Tasuki said softly, rubbing the back of his head and wincing. Deirdre shrugged and then jumped when Mitsukake's cat slithered between her legs and over to Miaka.

"Oh! I know! Aren't animals supposed to have a good sense of smell? A cat can sniff out flowers!" Miaka told them proudly, petting Tama with a smile. Deirdre shrugged, motioning for her to try it and then froze when she heard rustling behind them and a soft curse. The seishi and Priestess obviously hadn't heard it, but nothing was supposed to come after them until they found the tree, so Deirdre paused. She considered telling them and turned to as they began to follow the cat, but heard footsteps growing closer and so quickly hid behind the tree she was next to. Miaka and the others were already out of sight, so they were safe, for the moment. Someone began humming and for some reason Deirdre recognized the song. It took her a moment, but she realized it was the tune to a song by a band called Tristania and it made her heart nearly stop. Caustiously she peeked out from around the tree and then nearly fainted.

Walking along the stone path in the gardens of the Kutou palace, was Faye. She looked slightly different from two years ago, older. Her flaming hair was longer and slightly wavy towards the ends, but it was her eyes that made Deirdre's heart feel like ice. Once they had been a pretty brown, almost hazel in the sunlight, now they were dark and even from this distance, Deirdre could see that they had no pupils. Almost not of her own accord, Deirdre found herself pushing through the bushes, tears filling her eyes, but they didn't spill, until Faye turned her cold gaze onto her friend.

"Oh. It's been a while, hasn't it, Deirdre?" Faye said in a voice that was so cold, Deirdre felt as if she had been stabbed. Something was utterly wrong.

A/N: This is the revised version of the first chapter. Very revised, more detailed in everyway and, in my opinion, infinitely better. I'm hoping I can redo the whole story and actually finish it. Review please!