Chapter 6
After Miaka recovered from her grief at seeing the phantom Tamahome, the bandits apologized to the Priestess and her warriors, Mayume included. Naturally, Miaka forgave them. As they stood before the bandits, Miaka asked, "One more thing. Is there anyone here by the name of Tasuki? I wanna ask him to come along with us."
The bandits all exchanged glances. It seemed most of them had no idea to whom the Priestess was referring too. One man called out, "Eiken, you know that guy don't cha?"
"Actually…no I don't know who he is…" Eiken confessed. The bandits continued to murmur to each other, trying to figure out who Tasuki was.
Genrou leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Mayume glanced at him and saw a thoughtful look cross his face. "Well, I know who it is."
Miaka whipped around to face Genrou excitedly. "You do? Tell me!"
"Okay, but don't get too bummed out…" Genrou warned. "Tasuki was the classified name of our former leader. Which means he's actually dead now." For some reason, Mayume felt like Genrou wasn't telling the whole truth. She knew that he knew who Tasuki really was, but as to whether or not it was their dead boss, Mayume wasn't too sure about that. "Sorry about that. I wish we could bring him back to life, but we can't."
The Suzaku followers stared at Genrou in disbelief. "It's over now…" Nuriko muttered.
"It can't be," Miaka whispered to herself. Mayume bit her lip as she silently hoped none of them would ask her to search the past to confirm what Genrou had said. Her energy had been depleted at good bit since she had seen so many visions that day. In truth, she was trying very hard to fight off sleep.
"Listen, Genrou," Kouji began, getting Genrou's attention. "So you wanna go out and visit the boss's gave tomorrow sometime? You probably miss him don't cha?"
Genrou nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea." Genrou turned to face Miaka and the others. "You four can stay here for the night." His eyes zeroed in on Mayume when he noticed that she started to sway. "Hey…You okay, there?"
Mayume would have answered if she hadn't of collapsed from exhaustion. "Mayume?!" she heard her friend's shout in concern before she was engulfed in darkness.
The next day after Mayume had finally woken up, she was bombarded with questions. "Are you okay?" Miaka asked the orange eyed girl.
Mayume gave Miaka a closed eyed smile. "Yes, I'm fine now."
"What happened to cause you to collapse like that anyways?" Nuriko questioned as he, Hotohori, Miaka, and Mayume walked down the hall leading to the dining hall.
"Oh…Well, I used up a lot of energy yesterday. I used my gift a little too much while we were all separated…" Mayume explained.
Hotohori placed a hand on Mayume's shoulder and smiled. "Well, we are glad that you're alright."
Mayume returned his smile. "Thank you…We should go meet Genrou and Kouji now. They're probably waiting for us."
"She's right!" Miaka agreed. Suddenly a loud growl rumbled and echoed through the hall. Everyone turned to Miaka with wide eyes. The Priestess laughed as she scratched the back of her head with a wide smile. "But first…let's eat!"
"Of course," the two Suzaku warriors and Mayume sighed in unison. The four continued on and eventually entered the mess hall. They saw many of the bandits sitting around talking, eating, and some even drinking sake.
"About time all of you got here!" Genrou shouted from a few tables away. As the group approached, he looked at Mayume. "How ya feelin? Not gonna fall over again are ya?"
Mayume rolled her eyes at the bandit. "I'm fine, thank you. I was just tired…"
Genrou shrugged, "Whatever. Not like I really care anyways…"
Then why did you bother asking? Mayume thought to herself. She sat down at the table with the others following her example. The group quickly ate before Genrou decided it was time to visit the former leader's grave.
Inside a circular tomb, the bandits, the Suzaku followers, and Mayume stood around the covered coffin of the deceased bandit leader. The fire from a nearby torch perched onto the wall crackled as it lit the room. Genrou placed a hand on the coffin as he stared sadly at the surface. "A good man," he muttered softly.
Miaka also stared at the coffin in sadness, though hers was for a different reason than Genrou's. Without the one known as "Tasuki," Miaka would be unable to summon Suzaku. And also, she may not be able to see Tamahome again either.
Nuriko looked over at Hotohori in concern. "We can't go on without Tasuki, sire…"
Hotohori sighed, "Yes….but it is impossible to resurrect the dead from their sleep."
Mayume moved her gaze over to Hotohori for a slip second when she heard him speak. That….Is not entirely true, Hotohori… she thought as she placed the tips of her fingers over her heart, though she could not bring herself to speak the words. If she had, they might question her further than she would like. It was not time for her companions to know about her past; Mayume wasn't sure if it would ever be time to tell them.
"Uh…boss?" a bandit called out to Genrou, gaining the attention of the others in the tomb. "I heard some rumor about this?"
"Yeah? What?" Genrou asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They were talkin about someone up north, in Chouko, who can supposed bring the dead back to life…" the bandit finished explaining.
Miaka flung herself at the bandit, gripping the collar of his tunic. "Hey! Are you serious mister?!"
"W-Well, it's just a rumor I heard," the bandit stuttered out in surprise.
Miaka let go of the bandit and turned to her three companions. Four, if someone counted Xia. "Then I better go up there to Chouko and check it out," she announced, determination clear in her voice and eyes.
"Miaka!" The Suzaku warriors and Mayume exclaimed in unison.
"Even if there is only a one percent chance that it's true, I have to take it," Miaka told the three before looking over towards Genrou. "Before I go…" Miaka held out a bowl saying, "One full bowl of rice please." This effectively caused everyone in the tomb to collapse in disbelief.
An hour later, Mayume was mounted on her horse once again, alongside Nuriko and Hotohori on their own respective steed; Miaka chose to ride with Hotohori on his horse. Miaka waved goodbye to the bandits that stood just above them on a small cliff that overlooked the four riders. "Bye everyone! Be good!" Hotohori and Nuriko both turned their horses away and started to ride away. Mayume followed suite but stopped for a moment and turned around in her saddle to see Genrou. "Hey, Genrou!" she called out.
Genrou blinked as he looked down at the female. "Yeah? What is it?"
Mayume smiled softly at the fiery haired bandit with a knowing twinkle in her own orange eyes. "I'll be seeing ya around…"
"Oh, yeah? Why would I be seein you again?!" he asked her.
Mayume just continued to smile, though she did roll her eyes at him. "Oh…You never know…You just might." She then turned back around in her saddle and urged her horse forward.
Genrou watched with the others as the group rode out of sight. "They're finally outta here!" Genrou grinned.
"Whatta chick! That one girl, the brunette, is either genuinely good or an idiot!" Koiji stated to Genrou.
"She sure made us act weird…" Genrou observed. "You'd think we all forgotten how to act like mountain desperados! We even fed them healthy food!"
Kouji shrugged, "Forget it! I'm just glad we got the fan and you're the boss now, Genrou." Kouji turned away to walk back into the bandit hideout. "The Priestess of Suzaku, huh? You'd like to go with them for the adventure, wouldn't you?" Kouji had obviously noticed the longing look in Genrou's eyes.
Genrou turned his head so he could look over his shoulder at Kouji. "Don't be stupid. I'm in charge now…and it was the boss's last wishes for all of us. Besides, I can't stand girls." Though the blonde was certainly interesting enough…Eh…What am I sayin?!
"Then I guess it worked out for the best," Kouji replied before walking away. Genrou turned around to follow him, but paused for a second before finally leaving.
A day had passed by when Mayume and the others found themselves resting by a river. Hotohori knelt down beside Miaka, holding out a canteen of fresh river water. "Here Miaka. I brought you some river water. It's cold and it tastes good."
Miaka looked up from the letter she had received from Tamahome the night he left. She took the canteen from Hotohori gratefully. "Thank you."
Hotohori looked down at the note in Miaka's hand. "That letter you're reading is from Tamahome, isn't it?"
Miaka nodded, "Uh-huh."
Hotohori smiled slightly, "It is just a bit further from Chouko. You must not forget to take a drink every time we stop, or your energy will begin to fail you again." Hotohori then stood up and walked away from Miaka.
From behind the same tree Miaka sat up against, Nuriko leaned against it and crossed his arms. Mayume stood just in front of him, petting Xia affectionately. "Poor guy. I really feel sorry for his majesty lately." Miaka turned slightly so she could get a better look at Nuriko, whom was the one that spoke. "Even though he know that you love Tamahome, he continues to care for you with his whole being."
"And you aren't made about it?" Miaka questioned.
"Well, I must admit, I was shock at first to see how strong his feelings are for you…But I get the feeling I've lost the contest," Nuriko revealed. "I mean, even if I was a woman, I would never stand the chance against the likes of you." Mayume glanced up at the two when she heard Miaka making a strange noise. She smiled in amusement when she saw that Nuriko was pulled Miaka's cheek. "So, no. No. I'm not angry. Not in the least. I'm really not the jealous woman type."
"I…don't…bewieve…you…" Miaka stained to say as Nuriko kept his hold on her cheek.
Mayume giggled, "Can't say I do either, Nuriko. Though, I must say if it weren't for you holding on to her cheek like that, you would have sounded rather convincing."
Nuriko let go of Miaka's cheek as he smiled at Mayume. "You think so?"
Mayume nodded, "Of course. You make a rather good actor. I mean, you did have everyone convinced you were a woman for some time before Miaka showed up."
Nuriko nodded thoughtfully. "This is true."
Miaka stood up and walked towards Mayume. "Hey, Mayume…Do you know if Hotohori will ever get over me? I mean, can you see anything in the future about it…?"
Mayume stopped petting Xia as she looked over at Miaka. She smiled softly at the younger girl while saying, "I suppose I can check for a moment…" The symbol in her left eye began she appear as her vision switched from Mayume's present to Hotohori's future. All that Mayume saw was Hotohori sitting on his throne while mumbling about missing Miaka and wishing that she was with him. Mayume cut the vision short and returned to her present time. She blinked a few times before sighing. "Sorry, but as of right now nothing has really changed. I'm afraid it will only stay the same unless he decides it's time to move on." Miaka and Nuriko both frowned at Mayume's answer, but accepted it none-the-less.
The four road until they finally reached the village of Chouko. Mayume felt a shudder run down her spin as they entered the village. All around, the buildings looked worse for wear and the trees were anything but alive. There was also a flock of crows resting in the branches of the dead trees and the roofs of the buildings. The village ultimately felt like death to Mayume. Another thing that the young seer found strange was that she could not see the town in the future. And that worried her even more.
Mayume and the others dismounted from their horses as they began to walk further into the village. Suddenly from behind them, a man came rushing towards them with a cart. "Get out of the way! Move it!" the man shouted as he passed by them. On the back of the cart was a man covered by a blanket.
"What in the world could have happened to this little city?" Hotohori asked in wonder as he, Miaka, and Mayume stared off after the man. Nuriko on the other hand was more occupied by the mirror that Taitsukun had given to Miaka to help find the remaining Suzaku warriors.
"Miaka…Look," Nuriko instructed as he walked over to the Priestess and showed her the mirror. "The mirror." On the surface of the mirror, a red symbol began to appear.
"Does this mean that one of the Suzaku Warriors are somewhere in this village?" Miaka inquired as she stared down at the mirror she had taken from Nuriko. She then turned her head to smile up at Hotohori. "The 'heal' symbol! Do you suppose that it's the person with the power they told us about?" Confetti suddenly started raining down over Miaka as she cheered, "Great! How did we get so lucky, huh? Alright!" From her cheering, Miaka accidently elbowed a passing woman in the chest. Miaka shrieked in apology as the woman fell to the ground. "Ahh! I'm sorry!" She bent over to help the woman stand back up. "Are you alright?"
The woman looked up at Miaka with a small smile. "Yes. Forgive me. I wasn't watching were I was going."
Nuriko placed a hand on the woman's arm as he also helped her stand back up. "That was quite a fall. You didn't get hurt?" The woman simply made a noise of denial. "This happens a lot. Miaka gets so excited, she starts acting like a little kid."
The woman shook her head. "No, no. Not at all. I think your daughter is very sweet." Mayume couldn't resist the smile that pulled at her lips.
Nuriko blinked at the accusation. "I…uh…think you misunderstood somehow…"
From behind the woman, Mayume noticed Miaka creeping up behind her with a weird grin on her face. Mayume tilted her in curiosity and amusement. Without warning, Miaka groped the woman's breasts, causing said woman to shriek. Mayume's eyes nearly bulged out in surprise of the young Priestess's actions.
"Miaka!" Hotohori shouted in warning.
Miaka whipped around towards Hotohori with her held up in surrender. "Well…you know…I've been fooled twice now by appearances…I wanted to make sure she's really a woman!" Miaka tried to explain.
Mayume sweat-dropped at Miaka's excuse. "Seriously? I'm glad you didn't do that to me the first time we met…"
Miaka looked down at Mayume's chest pointedly. "Yeah, well, with the size of your breasts, it's hard not to know."
With that statement alone, the two men of the group turned to look at Mayume, or more precisely, her chest. The two males blushed – even if one of them was supposedly gay – as they actually noticed for the first time, Mayume's generous womanly assets. Mayume also blushed from the attention she was gaining from the Suzaku warriors. "Stop looking!"
Soon after, the Priestess of Suzaku carried the woman down the streets of Chouko with the Suzaku warriors and Mayume trailing just behind them. "Sorry for this," the woman apologized to Miaka as she clung to the brunette.
Miaka smiled, "Oh, it's alright! It can be my apology…but are we getting anywhere close?"
The woman nodded and pointed to a house just ahead of them. "It just right over there." Miaka quickly rushed over to the house. Just as she stepped up to the door, it was opened revealing an elderly man.
"Miss Shoka!" The old man called in relief.
Another man appeared behind the first. "Thank heavens! You've finally come!"
The woman, or Shoka, motioned for Miaka to put her down. Miaka did as Shoka asked, allowing the woman to walk on her own, further into the home. Shoka approached a bed with someone in it. Mayume looked at the person in the bed and found that they were already dead. "She must be the patient," Shoka stated.
The elderly man that opened the door spoke, "She suffered horribly for over a month before her fever exploded and she died."
Shoka looked over her shoulder at the family of the deceased girl. "Don't worry. I will take care of her now." Shoka then turned back to the corpse and kissed it gently on the lips. After a brief moment, Shoka pulled away. A few seconds passed before a groan sounded from the girl who had been deceased.
Gasps echoed through the room at the sound that came from the once dead body. "She alive again," Miaka muttered. Mayume turned away from the group as her left eye began to glow green. She decided to check the girl's future to see how well Shoka's ability worked, however, Mayume came across a slight problem. Frowning, Mayume allowed the symbol in her eye to disappear from sight before she turned back around.
"How did she do it?" Hotohori wondered aloud.
The old man who stood beside Nuriko spoke, "It's been dreadful." The Suzaku followers and Mayume turned to look at the man. "For far too many months now, we've been plagued by a mysterious illness. It produces prolonged blistering fevers that are more painful than death itself. People have nicknamed the disease the Demon Shikonki…"
"Shikonki?!" Hotohori repeated.
The man nodded, "The doctors have been unable to find the cure. Only Miss Shoka can cure the disease. She is able to bring the dead back to life. They aren't as healthy as before, but many people prefer to die quickly and be revived, than live with the pain of the disease."
Nuriko smiled, "We found her Miaka! Ask her quickly!"
"Miss Shoka! You have to come with us right away!" The warriors turned around to see that Miaka had cornered Shoka. "There is someone we would like you to revive! It's really important!"
"Don't ask me that!" Shoka exclaimed. "I'd love to come with you. I really would…but it isn't possible." A saddened look crossed the young woman's face. "I'll never be able to leave this city again. I can't leave these people here with no one to help them. Besides, if I step one foot outside the city gates, I will lose all my power."
A determined glint made its way into Miaka's eyes as she said, "Alright! Then we will have to bring Tasuki here for you to heal." Miaka turned to her companions. "We'll just go ask Genrou and the others if we can bring the coffin here!"
Mayume sighed as she warily eyed the grave yard she and her friends were approaching. It was dark and the all the surrounding trees were dead, making the area seem even creepier. Xia nuzzled herself closer to Mayume as she could. Mayume reached down to pat the two tailed feline on the head soothingly.
"Hey, Mayume," Nuriko called the blonde's name. Mayume glanced over at the purple haired male curiously. "Are you okay? It seems like some thing's been bothering you since we first enter Chouko…"
"Nuriko's right! You can tell us, Mayume!" Miaka agreed.
Hotohori also nodded, "Yes, indeed. You can tell us anything that's on your mind."
Mayume bit her lip as she contemplated if she should really reveal her thoughts about the village of Chouko. Sighing, she finally said, "You know…when Miss Shoka revived that girl earlier, I checked her future…I wanted to see how well her ability worked. But…."
"But what?" Nuriko asked.
"I found nothing."
Nuriko gave the blonde a confused look. "What do you mean by nothing."
Mayume sighed again as she shrugged her shoulders. "It's exactly as I said. I saw nothing! It was just blank! I can't even see the village in my visions! It's almost as if the place no longer exists!" The followers of Suzaku stared at Mayume with wide eyes. Each of them could clearly see that the young woman was distressed, but none of them knew what to say to comfort her. Mayume finally sighed as she pulled her horse to stop in front of the grave yard. "Never mind…Forget I said anything about it."
Nuriko and Hotohori also stopped their horses as they looked out at the many graves before them. "It looks like a cemetery."
"Obviously," Mayume mumbled though no one but Xia heard her.
"Did we take the wrong passage?" Hotohori questioned. "We should turn around."
"There's no time," Miaka protested. "We have to get back for Tasuki as fast as we can!" Suddenly, Miaka started to collapse and nearly fell off the horse had Hotohori not caught her in time.
"Ah! Miaka?! Hold on! What happened?" the young emperor questioned the priestess.
"I'm alright, my body just feels a little hot…"
Mayume frowned at Miaka's statement. "Hotohori, check her temperature."
Hotohori nodded and moved his hand over Miaka's forehead. His eyes widened, "No! A fever! We have to go back now!"
Suddenly, Nuriko's horse neighed in panic as it reared up and threw Nuriko off its back. A hole appeared under the horse and Nuriko while boney hands stuck up out of the ground and took hold of the horse, pulling it further into the ground. Nuriko quickly climbed out of the hole before he could join the horse.
As everyone stared in shock at what just happened to Nuriko's horse, more boney hands burst out of the ground and grabbed the legs of both Hotohori and Mayume's horses. The horses reared up in panic, throwing their riders before bolting out of the cemetery and away from danger.
Mayume sat up from the ground when she heard the ground crumble and groans that did not belong to any of her companions. Her orange orbs widened into saucers at the sight of what looked like zombies popping out of the ground. "Flesh! More flesh!" I feel like I've just been thrown into some Hollywood production…
The zombies continued to chant the words flesh as Mayume and the Suzaku warriors pulled out their weapons. Mayume twirled her sais around skillfully before slashing two zombies that tried to approach her. She quickly spun around and kicked another zombie away from her while extending her right arm to stab another zombie. She repeated the process of slashing, stabbing, and kicking over and over again but it seemed that they just kept coming. A shout from Nuriko and Hotohori quickly told her that the two were being over powered at the moment.
"Miaka!" Mayume shouted when she noticed that the Priestess was being approached by zombies but was too scared to actually run.
Out of seemingly nowhere, a familiar voice cried out, "Rekka…Shinen!" A large wave of fire consumed the zombies that were making their way to Miaka.
Mayume looked up at a cliff that loomed over the cemetery only to see Genrou. She smiled at the sight of him, knowing that she had been right when she told him that she'd be seeing him around. "I'll take care of the rest of them! Get down on the ground!" Mayume wasted no time doing as he said and neither did the others. Xia curled her body close to Mayume as Genrou shot out another wave of fire from his tessen by calling out the words, "Rekka Shinen!" All of the zombies were effectively burned to a crisp. Genrou placed his fan back into the holder on his back, while everyone started to push themselves up off the ground. "Well, to tell ya the truth, I wasn't gonna come. But, I figured ya might need some extra protection and I know none of you can throw fire."
"What about your gang?" Hotohori questioned.
"We talked it over and made Kouji the new leader," Genrou answered. "I know the old boss would've approved of it." Genrou approached the four before squatting down in front of Miaka.
"Why Genrou?"
"Nutcase!" Genrou grinned. "Haven't ya figured it out yet? Genrou is just my nickname!" He held up his right arm to show a glowing red symbol. "I am Tasuki! Sorry for trickin ya like that!"
"What?!" Nuriko shouted in disbelief. "Why did you tell us all of this a lot sooner? You flaming bum!"
"After all the trouble we have been through!" Hotohori added, clenching his fist at the bandit.
Genrou, or Tasuki, started to explain himself. "I didn't have much of a choice. Our old boss and all the guys wanted me to be the leader. And I couldn't just go and throw a wrench in the plan….That's not me. But then we talked it over and they all knew it's what I had to do." He looked towards Mayume. "Plus, I figured she must have known something was up from what she said to me before she left."
The Suzaku warriors turned their angry expressions towards Mayume. Mayume waved her hands defensively in front of her. "Now, now! I didn't actually know that he was Tasuki! I just happened to have a vision of him being with us later on so I told him that I'd be seeing him."
Tasuki blinked when he heard Mayume mention having a vision. "Eh?! Vision?!"
Mayume smiled at Tasuki, "Yes! That is my gift. I can see the past, present, and future. Though I usually only look through the future and occasionally the present. I rarely look into the past, unless I have to."
"Well, that's interesting," Tasuki muttered to himself.
"Well, Thank you for coming… Now we have the fifth member of the Suzaku seven," Miaka spoke up before groaning in pain.
"Miaka!" Everyone cried out in worry for the young priestess. "What's happening to you?" Nuriko added.
Hotohori looked from Miaka to Nuriko and Mayume. "Do you suppose…?" He left his question hanging, but Nuriko and Mayume both knew what he was suggesting.
Mayume paled at the thought that Miaka may have caught the Shikonki disease. If Miaka died, then Suzaku could not be summoned until he chose another priestess he found worthy. Not only that, Mayume was sure Taitsukun would have her head if Miaka died while on her watch.
"Get my horse," Hotohori ordered.
Mayume shook her head. "There's no time to find it right now…She'll have to ride on Xia."
Everyone looked at Mayume as if she grew another head. "Sorry to tell ya this, but your cat ain't big enough for someone to ride!" Tasuki argued.
"He's right, Mayume! This is no time to be joking around! Plus you don't have a cat!" Nuriko joined in.
Mayume rolled her eyes at them before taking Xia off her shoulders. Hotohori and Nuriko both blinked at the sight of the small two tailed feline. "Xia, you know what to do." Xia meowed in reply, then jumped away from Mayume. A spiral of flames wrapped around the cat as she grew in size. Landing on the ground, the flames reduced in size, only remaining at her paws. Now, Xia was as tall as a horse, but could comfortably fit more people than one. Mayume smiled at Xia and patted her affectionately on her head. "Thank you, girl." Mayume turned her attention back to her friends and saw that all of them, including the ill Miaka, had their eyes bulging out of their heads and mouths dropped to the ground. "I had said once that Xia is special." She looked at Miaka and motioned for her to get onto Xia. She noticed the wary look that Hotohori Nuriko, and Tasuki were giving her and Xia. Miaka was too tired to care. "Don't worry. Xia is perfectly safe to ride; even more so than a horse."
The three nodded before Hotohori helped Miaka up and walked her over to Xia. Lifting her up, Hotohori steadied Miaka on Xia before looking over to Mayume. "Will you be riding with her?" Mayume could see that Hotohori wanted to be the one to ride with Miaka so she shook her head and motioned for him to climb on. Hotohori gave her a nod of thanks before joining Miaka.
Mayume pressed her forehead against Xia's as she murmured softly, "Take care of them. I'll be joining you shortly. Now go!" Xia purred lightly, then pulled away and took of back to the village of Chouko. Mayume watched them go for a few seconds before looking to Nuriko and Tasuki. "We should find mine and Hotohori's horses now…" She looked over at Tasuki. "Did you come on foot?"
Tasuki nodded, "Yeah."
"Alright. I guess one of us will be riding with someone." Mayume turned and walked off in the direction the horses had run off in. "Let's hurry up so we can meet up with them soon."
"Right," the two warriors agreed as they followed after her.
"Please Miss Shoka, can you cure her illness," Hotohori asked Shoka as he and the others were all gathered in Shoka's home. Miaka laid in a bed with Nuriko and Mayume both trying to tend to her. "She seems to be infected with the plague you have here."
Shoka shook her head. "There's nothing I can do about that."
"Please!" Hotohori pleaded with Shoka.
Shoka looked over to where Miaka laid. "The only power I have here is to raise people from the dead. That's my only gift. So Miaka would have to die before I could help her."
Tasuki crossed his arms in frustration. "You're saying we should let Miaka die?! But isn't there something else we could do?"
Miaka looked over to her companions. "Don't worry about me."
"Miaka…" Hotohori muttered.
Miaka smiled slightly, even with the pain she was feeling. "I'm sure there must be a medical doctor somewhere in this city. It might not help, but why don't we try, huh?"
Mayume gave Miaka a small smile. "Yeah, we'll try to find one as soon as we can. For now, I want you to sleep."
Miaka looked up at Mayume tiredly, "I don't know if I can…"
Mayume pursed her lips in thought. I suppose I could try to sing to her…Maybe it will help her relax enough to fall asleep… "Would you like to hear a song? Perhaps it will help you fall to sleep…"
Miaka smiled, "I would like that, Mayume…"
Mayume took a deep breath before letting a soft melody slip from her lips.
"Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light"
Everyone with in the room became quiet as they listened to Mayume sing. Her voice was soft and gentle as it drifted through Shoka's house.
"Hush, lay down your troubled mind
The day has vanished and left us behind
And the wind - whispering soft lullabies
Will soothe - so close your eyes
Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light
"
Half way through the song, Mayume noticed that Miaka was drifting off to sleep. She could also feel the tension in the room dissipate greatly, allowing the Suzaku warriors to relax a bit more.
"Sleep, angels will watch over you
And soon beautiful dreams will come true
Can you feel spirits embracing your soul
So dream while secrets of darkness unfold
Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light
"
Silence entered the room once more as Mayume's song came to a close. Miaka had long since fallen asleep to the older girl's soothing voice. Mayume smiled softly at Miaka's sleeping form as she brushed some of her hair away from the girl's face. "Sleep well, Miaka," she whispered softly before standing up from her seat on the bed and faced the other occupants in the room. She blushed when she saw that they were all staring intently at Mayume. "W-What?"
Hotohori smiled softly at the blond haired, orange eyed woman. "You have the most beautiful voice I have ever heard." Mayume's blush deepened at the young emperor's compliment.
"Thank you for thinking so," she muttered while looking down at the ground.
"He's right, Mayume," Nuriko admitted. "I've never heard anyone sing like that before. You're voice is rather comforting to hear…It'd be nice to hear it more often."
"Yeah, I'll admit…Ya ain't half bad," Tasuki grinned at Mayume.
Mayume laughed, "Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed hearing me…We should get some sleep now and then find a doctor in the morning." The three agreed with her while Shoka brought them each a sleeping mat and a blanket. "Good night, everyone." The Suzaku warriors each gave out their own calls of good night before drifting off to sleep.
"What kind of a doctor refuses a patient without examining her!" Miaka shouted furiously at a doctor who was sitting in a chair leisurely. She sure can get angry for someone who's supposed to be sick… Mayume thought, though she had to agree with the priestess. But, seriously, she may have something other than the Shikonki disease and he won't even check to find out!
"I don't need to examine you! You've got the Shikonki disease!" The doctor argued. He suddenly looked rather thoughtful as he said, "Oh yeah, there is a guy, Myo Juan, who might know how to help you…"
"Tell us how to find him!" Miaka demanded from the doctor.
"He moved outside the city limits about a year ago and hasn't been back here since!" the doctor revealed. He then stood up and pushed everyone out of the house, shouting, "Now get outta here would ya! Get going! I don't want to catch that disease myself!" He then slammed the door in their faces.
"You're nothing but a shyster!" Tasuki roared at the doctor behind the closed door.
Mayume scoffed, "Agreed. Some doctor."
Miaka shook her head. "He gave us good information. Why don't we go look for this Myo Juan person?"
The group nodded and began to travel to the gates of the village. As the six traveled, Miaka's breathing became more labored and her walking slowed down greatly. Mayume observed the girl closely and saw from her eyes that she was in a great deal of pain. Shoka smiled at the priestess, "It'll be alright."
While the group stopped for Miaka to rest, a man ran down the street carrying two baskets of fish hanging from a pole across his shoulders. "Fish! Fresh fish!" he called out as he passed by. A fish fell out of one of the baskets and onto the ground. Miaka lunged for the fish and grabbed it just as another hand did. Miaka trailed her eyes up from the hand all the way to the person's shaggy face. She glared at the man. "Get your hand off! That's my fish!" Lightning could practically be seen being shot from their eyes at each other. Then, Miaka and the man began wrestling with each other for the fish.
Mayume sweat-dropped as she watched the scene play out. "She's fighting a big guy like that for one little leg trout?!" Tasuki asked in disbelief.
Nuriko sighed as he place a hand on his face. "Yeah…Even in her weak condition, her appetite is still the boss."
"She even pretends to be cheerful. It is touching," Hotohori added lovingly.
Nuriko turned around and noticed Shoka looking rather down. "Miss Shoka…You're as pale as a ghost!" Hotohori, Mayume, and Tasuki aslo turned to look at the woman.
"Oh, it's nothing really," Shoka answered. "I'm tired and I should go home. When you're finished here, please come visit me again." She then left the group alone with them watching her go and Miaka still fighting over the fish.
The four turned around just in time to see the man take off down the street with the fish in hand and Miaka chasing after his shouting. "Miaka!" Hotohori called after her. Sighing, the warriors ran off after the priestess.
When they caught up to Miaka, they noticed that she was leaning heavily against her walking staff and gasping for air. "Miaka, are you sure you should be running like that?" Nuriko asked.
"Criminy…! Are you sure yer sick?" Tasuki questioned his priestess.
Miaka ignored their questions and pulled out a megaphone from nowhere. "You are completely surrounded! Come out peacefully with my fish! I repeat! You are completely surrounded! Come out peacefully with my fish!" Mayume sweat-dropped, Where does she get these things?! I mean seriously!
No answer came from the small cottage just ahead of them. "Let's go up there," Hotohori suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and walked towards the cottage. They all peered inside an open window to see a small, wounded cat eating the fish while the man seemed to be preparing some medicine. "So many medicines! Could this be Myo Juan, the healing person they told us about."
Tasuki didn't wait for a reply from anyone before barging into the cottage. "You there! Are you the one they call Myo Juan, mister?" Mayume came up behind him and smacked him on the back of the head. "OW! What was that for, you crazy woman?!"
"For being rude! You don't just barge into someone's home like that!" Mayume scolded.
Tasuki rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever…" He then motioned towards Miaka who had also entered the house with Hotohori and Nuriko. "If you are examine this girl, would ya?"
"Please, sir. She is rapidly getting weaker from the local plague disease, "Hotohori pleaded to the man.
"Please Mister Myo Juan!" Miaka begged before adding, "I'll even forget about you taking my fish away. It was a delicious looking leg trout but I can forget it!"
The man stared for a few seconds longer, but turned away saying, "I'm not a doctor anymore. So leave!"
"Oh? I see, but you'll treat animals, won't you?" Nuriko questioned scornfully.
The man, Myo Juan, whipped around angrily. "I want nothing to do with human beings! Get out!"
Mayume sighed as she ushered her friends outside the small house. "Let's not anger him further." Once the followers of Suzaku were out the door, Mayume turned to the man. "Please forgive us. It' just that Miaka is very important. Not just to us, but to this country as well." She offered the man a small smile before closing the door behind her and jogging to catch up with her friends. As she approached, Miaka collapsed to the ground. "What's wrong?!" She inquired as she stopped next to Nuriko.
"I can't…move my legs," Miaka cried out in pain.
Hotohori gathered Miaka up in his arms. "We will help you." Suddenly, Miaka passed out. "Miaka!" Hotohori turned his head to Mayume. "Can she ride on Xia again?"
Mayume stared sadly, "Sadly no…"
"What?!" Tasuki roared. "Why not?!"
"Because she's not here with us!" Mayume replied. "She went off on her own just before we went to that doctor from earlier. One of you will have to carry her back."
"I will do it," Hotohori volunteered.
"But, shouldn't I be the one?" Nuriko asked.
Hotohori shook his head. "No. I want to do it."
Mayume rolled her eyes. "Well, someone do it. We need to get her somewhere quick."
"We'll take her to Miss Shoka," Nuriko answered and everyone nodded in agreement before they took off running towards Chouko.
Miaka's groans of pain echoed through the Shoka's house as her fever grew worse. Mayume winced as the girl's cries of pain became more frequent. "Oh, Miaka…"
"Crips! Isn't there something we can do for her?" Tasuki questioned with his back turned away from Miaka. He didn't want to watch her suffer.
"It'll be sheer torture for her to live in this condition very much longer," Nuriko warned the others.
"I know that," Hotohori sighed. "We have to find some way to ease her suffering."
"There is only one thing you can do for her now," Shoka spoke, drawing the warriors attention towards her. The woman looked away from Miaka sadly. "You must kill her immediately." Mayume's eyes widened at Shoka's suggestion. The idea of killing Miaka did not sit well with her at all. It almost made her sick to her stomach. "Using my power, I can revive her at once and restore her to better health than this. It must be done."
Tasuki turned around in anger, shouting, "You really expect us to do that?!"
"Tasuki's right! None of us could ever bring ourselves to kill a friend! This isn't something to take lightly!" Mayume hissed, surprising the others in the room. They had never heard Mayume sound so angry before.
Maika turned her head towards her friends standing by her bedside. "No, that's fine with me. I need more strength to look for Suzaku's other warriors. And I can't stand this pain. It's too much." Miaka paused as she stared at her warriors and Mayume. "Oh please…" Miaka begged.
Hotohori stared at Miaka as he said, "Would you all please step outside the room?"
"Sire?" Nuriko questioned.
Without looking at the others, he answered, "I am going…to kill her…"
Mayume sucked in a breath of air as tears began to prick her eyes. She forced herself to keep her mouth closed and not scream at Hotohori, knowing that his decision was already killing him as well and that her shouting would not help the situation. She turned around and walked out the door of Shoka's house. Once outside, she didn't stop walking. Mayume couldn't bring herself to be anywhere near that house.
From behind her, Tasuki shouted, "Mayume? Where ya going?"
Mayume paused only for a moment as she turned her head to look at them. Nuriko and Tasuki gasped at the sight of tears rolling down her face. "Away from here…I'll be back later…" She turned and walked away once again while troubling thoughts started to swirl around in her head.
A/N: Firstly, the song used in the chapter is "Prayer" sung by Hayley Westerna. You may see me use some of her other songs throughout the story as well. Secondly, I've been thinking about adding Chichiri as a love interest for Mayume as well. I personally adore the monk and I think he deserves a second chance - er no pun intended - at love. But I wanna run it by my readers first, so let me know what you think. And lastly, I want to apologize for taking sooo long to post another chapter. It was a combination of laziness and business. I was busy with college and also another story of mine called "Child of the Moon" which is a Naruto fanfiction.
You know...I noticed something while I was rereading through this story...I accidentally made everyone seem stupid when it came to Mayume's ability and about Xia's presence. No one ever notices Xia until she either makes a noise or Mayume mentions her. Has anyone else noticed that? Oh well, I guess it just makes things a little more comical when they find out.
Also, I can't remember for sure is Chouko does still exist after they defeat the Shikonki demon in Shoka or not...but as you can tell, I made it seem like it doesn't...If it turns out it does, then I'll go back and fix this chapter so it's correct. Hope you enjoyed.
