"Yui-chan, you're not going to eat that last piece of sushi, are you?"

Miaka gave her friend huge sparkly eyes while Taka looked away to make sure he didn't fall victim to the puppy-dog eyes. He planned on eating the last few tempuras on his plate.

"Miaka, I was going to give that to -"

"To me," Tetsuya said as he scooped up the last piece of sushi and dropped it in his mouth.

Miaka sniffled a little and tugged on Taka's shirt.

"Taka-kun, I want some more food," she whined.

Taka shoveled the rest of his lunch in his mouth and held up his hands to show he had nothing left. Miaka sighed and decided she would eat her fill once she returned home from school. From time to time, Taka, her brother or Tetsuya would join them for a quick bite before they all went back to finish their day. With the sun shining brightly overhead, how could the young men not make a small trip to see the ones they cared for so deeply.

Yui walked with Tetsuya away from the rest and Miaka watched as her friend removed his shades to give him a soft kiss on the forehead before walking him off of the school grounds. Miaka enjoyed the extra warmth of Taka's arms around her before the 2 minute bell rang throughout the school.

"Will I see you after school?" she asked.

"No, I am going to go and find myself a job. My father says that I've been lazy long enough and it is time for me to make my own living."

When Miaka frowned a bit, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before standing up to leave.

"I will call you though. How could I not at least wish you sweet dreams?"

She smiled and collected her trash and empty bamboo cooler. As Taka walked away, she waved goodbye and headed back to class. Yui would want her privacy for a while. As fond as they were of each other, both had learned that time apart was very good.especially when boys where involved.

Miaka sat down in her seat and brought out some clean sheets of paper to take notes for her literature class. It was her favorite class, probably because of her own experiences with Chinese literature. Since the last Miko had entered and fulfilled the story, the book seemed to have disappeared from history itself. She had often tried to look for it, online or in libraries. Perhaps she was hoping to find some clue of what happened to the rest of her friends.

Miaka shook her head to bring herself back to reality. Why on earth were they on her mind so much lately? Surely, she missed them all. But, day and night, she was thinking of them now. Maybe it meant they were thinking about her too. She could always hope.

Yui came in and sat down just in time to see the teacher walk in and start writing the topic of the day on the board.

"He is hot!" one of the girls nearby whispered.

"And just look at his eyes," another said.

The two burst into giggles as Miaka looked over her shoulder.

"Is there a new guy in school?" she asked.

"No," Michiko told her. "But there is a really cute guy that just started working at the department store near the ice cream parlor."

Miaka smiled a little. She doubted he could cuter than her Taka.

Hotohori held his son's hand as the young boy showed his father all the marvelous things he had learned. The late emperor smiled as he remembered his own upbringing and the lessons he had to learn in order to prepare himself to rule the country of Konan.

Houki sat by, smiling softly, glad to see her son happy. Seeing Hotohori in this gentle state made her wish that she had known him longer when he was among the living. However, she was more than content to settle for these monthly visits. It was more than many people were able to see.

Chichiri and Tasuki sat off in a corner, talking to Taitsu-kun.

"So, because we were Seishi, we are able to decide what it is that we want to do with our soul once we pass on?" the monk asked, just to clarify.

"That is correct," Taitsu-kun replied.

"Then do you know where everyone else is?"

"What do you take me for? I don't just go around prying into the hearts of every soul that comes through the spirit world. What they do with the afterlife is the business of that individual and no one else."

Tasuki nodded thoughtfully and, for a brief moment, wondered what he would like to do with his own life. But he did have such a long, long way to go before that was even an issue. Maybe he would watch over the bandits that he had left to follow Miaka and his own destiny.

Chichiri thanked Taitsu-kun and closed off the connection between her palace and Hotohori's own. He sat on the ground while Tasuki went off to play with Boushin and Hotohori. After this, he had to go and do some more training, and then train some monks that had been given into his care. Life was so quiet compared to those hectic times a few years ago. Chichiri leaned back and sighed a little.

"I wonder how Miaka is doing. I would like to check on her, at least once," he said.

"So would I," Hotohori said, carrying Boushin back out into the waiting arms of his wife.

That's when he remembered it. That teddy bear that Miaka had given him when she had set out in search of the Shinzaho. He went back into his son's room and there it was, set carefully on a dresser. It seemed that no one had touched it in all this time, but it was free from dust and did not seem to be falling apart yet.

"Chichiri, do you think we could use Miaka's toy to get in contact with her?"

Chichiri looked at it. For whatever reason, this bear had remained in their world when Miaka went back to her own. Logically speaking, they might be able to visit her, if only for a moment. However, since the barrier was stronger with the closing of the book, it would have to take both Miaka's will and their own in order to make the jump.

"Well, we can most certainly try. But I don't think it would be fair if we were the only ones that visited. Let's try to contact the others as well."

Miaka closed her last book and set her pen on the desk. She let out a deep sigh and reached up to massage her hand after a few hours of writing without any break. She yawned a bit and grabbed a brush to start taking care of her hair before she went to bed. Chances were that it would be some kind of bird's nest in the morning anyway, but this quiet time always gave her a moment to clear her mind of the trials and problems of the day. So she sat on her bed and let her mind wander where it will.

"Miaka?" The voice whispered in her ear softly, masculine and loving. For a moment, she thought it might be Taka, but he was in the living room, talking with her brother. She took a quick look over her shoulder just to make sure. No, it couldn't be Taka. That wasn't his voice. It sounded a lot like -

"Miaka. Is that really you?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw, slowly becoming visible, were the warriors that had fought for her and protected her. Her hands flew up to her mouth, shock and happiness flowing through her body.

"Chichiri. . . Tasuki. . . Mitsukake. . . Chiriko. . . Hotohori. . ."

She held back a cry, quickly shutting the door before her mother walked by and saw these 5 men in her room at such a late hour. Turning around, she immediately found herself enfolded in 5 pairs of arms, hearing 5 loving voices. . . voices that she had not heard for so long.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "How did you get here?"

Hotohori held up the blue-eyed teddy bear that she had given him, and her eyes filled up with tears at the memories.

"You still have it," she smiled.

"Well, it is Boushin's now, but it is still with us," he smiled, gently reaching out to touch her face.

Miaka was happy to feel that he had some substance, which must have been the doing of Nyan-Nyan.

"Miaka, I felt something odd," Taka said, opening the door.

He stopped in the doorway, and Miaka looked at him, smling.

"They came to see us," she said.

"Hey, obake-chan," Tasuki laughed. "You're looking good."

Once the childish nickname registered with Taka, he put his friend in a headlock while bowing to Hotohori.

"It has been a long time," he said, holding the struggling Tasuki firmly.

"Ay, let go! I can't breathe!!" Miaka giggled softly, closing the door again. Mitsukake placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad that you are taking care of yourself."

"How could I not, after all you did to make sure that I survived? How are you?"

"I am doing very well. Shoka and I watch over the children spirits and do what we can to soothe their confused souls."

Miaka smiled at the memory of the young woman that Mitsukake loved. It made her happy that they were together again.

"Oh, Miaka!" Chiriko cried. "You're studying hard. I'm so proud of you."

She smiled at the young scholar, who stood examining her homework and books. He seemed content to flip through the pages, although how much he actually understood was anyone's guess. That was when she felt warm arms wrap around her, holding her close.

"I have missed you, Suzaku no Miko," Hotohori told her softly.

"I've missed you too," she told him, turning around in his arms to embrace him.

Over his shoulder, she could see Taka, relaxed and chatting away with Tasuki. She allowed herself to be held by the man who had always loved her, no matter how she could never be his. He finally released her and showed her a portrait of his son.

"Oh, he's so big," she smiled. "And it looks like he will have your long hair."

"Yes, he will be a very beautiful boy indeed," he said proudly.

Handing back the picture to Hotohori, she looked around at all. . .

"Where is Nuriko?" she asked.

Chichiri took off his mask and set it on the desk.

"We don't know. We couldn't find him in the spirit world, which can only mean that he chose to be reincarnated. But it would take some time to locate him if he was in another body. We did try though, Miaka."

Miaka was saddened that Nuriko was nowhere to be found. Perhaps more than any of them, she had hoped to see his smiling face again.

"Well, I think our time is up. We will try to visit again another time, another day," Chichiri smiled.

Miaka reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you. . . thank all of you for making this trip. I will never forget you."

"And we will never forget you, Miaka," Hotohori told her.

He held out the teddy bear for her, but she shook her head.

"Keep it. I gave it to you."

She gave each of her friends a quick kiss on the cheek before finding comfort in the embrace of Taka.

"You all take care," he told them.

"And you take care of Miaka," Tasuki smiled.

She waved bye as Chichiri chanted a small spell and they faded out of sight.

"Do you think that maybe Nuriko is here with us, in our world?" she asked.

Taka didn't say anything, but gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I'm going to be on my way. I will talk to you tomorrow."

With that, he left her room and a bewildered Miaka. Didn't he want to see Nuriko again? She picked up her brush and found a few violet strands of hair in there. Nuriko had been both big sister and big brother to Miaka. And maybe, just maybe, he was here in her world with her.