(Author's Apology:: I really hope you can all forgive me, but when I wrote this, I was away from my cliff notes and managed to screw the story over royally, so I had to change the plot a bit...don't worry, even though this chapter is different, you can expect that the fanfic will still be fresh and, hopefully, enjoyable. Please excuse me for being so sloppy. *bows apologetically*)


Chapter 7: Cuts and Bruises (Oh SNAP!)

It was dark, damp, and…painful. Damn. Well, at least she was still alive. She didn't dare open her eyes for fear that the dust would irritate them. Faintly, she could hear familiar voices yelling, probably to her, but the rubble and debris distorted the words beyond recognition. She felt a sharp, burning pain in her left arm, just above the elbow as though something had pierced it. A small twitch sent horrible shivers throughout her body telling her that it was definitely broken. She would have sighed if she could breathe properly, but for now, her only options were to attempt moving the heavy stone with her good arm or wait for the others to rescue her.

'Nuriko, huh? Maybe she could…' she began her thought, then chuckled inwardly. Of course she'd never help; Kang-lin practically hated her, in fact, it seemed to run deeper somehow. She felt a hot, sticky wetness trickle down her forehead.

'Oh gawd…how bad is it? Never mind, I don't even want to know… This sucks, I wanted to die painlessly...old, insane, and in a retirement home...with lots of cats...and a cane'. Her thoughts served as a cheerful distraction before reality again set in. A more familiar liquid streamed down her cheek, now, as she cried like the baby she knew she was. How pathetic...


Her face paled at what she had just witnessed.

"Ayako, oh my God…no…" It was difficult to find a person to blame; Kang-lin threw the punch, but she surely didn't mean to harm Ayako, right? She suddenly remembered how the woman mistreated the two, especially her little sister, and anger filled her. Hikaru charged up to the seishi, and grabbed a handful of her clothing and slapped her hard on her cheek.

"Ack! What are you doing?" the courtier demanded, holding her face.

"You…you killed her! How could you? Why did you…do that?" Tears fell from her face, and she felt suddenly weak with sorrow. "And…how will Seta take this..?"

"Hikaru, that is enough", spoke the emperor, in his softest voice, "You should know that it was not Nuriko's intent. Why do you punish her? She must be suffering as well…"

Nuriko stood silent for a moment, something felt very wrong. If only she had the strength…strength..? She blinked. Strength! Of course! She had been so foolish!

"That's it!"

"Huh?" Hikaru and Hotohori said in unison. Nuriko ran to the pile of rubble and quickly began throwing the massive chunks of the building in every which way, most of it landing on the hoodlums who had just begun to regain consciousness.

"What was I thinking?"

"You mean…she's?"

Just one more piece…and there she was! Laying on the ground, covered in both dirt and blood, eyes shut tight.

Ayako felt a weight lifted, literally, but still she dare not open her eyes. She heard footsteps getting quickly closer.

"Oh my God…"

"Dear Suzaku…"

Hikaru quickly looked away, it was grotesque and made her sick to her stomach; she probably could have handled it better if it wasn't her close friend. Ayako's arm had apparently snapped and was laying at an angle that would normally be physically impossible. To make it worse, there was a gash that ran deep enough to see the break itself! Her lighter injuries were simply bruises, some scratches, a swollen ankle, and a small cut in her forehead, nothing that wouldn't heal easily and quickly.

"Dammit…we have to get her to a doctor right away! She doesn't appear to have any kind of fatal wounds, but that arm needs to be treated!" Nuriko brushed the dirt off of the injured girl's face, and gently patted her cheek to get her attention. "You can open your eyes, now."

Ayako did as she was told, and relaxed her eyes before attempting to open them.

"How did you know I was awake, or even alive?"

"You were trying too hard to keep your eyes closed; the dead can't do that. Trust me…I would know."

"I'll take your word for it…"

"Try to keep your eyes focused on me, ok?"

"With hair as weird as yours, I don't think that'll be a problem..!" She winced; one of her bruises happened to be on her ribs, and it hurt to chuckle.

"Well, if you can joke like that, then I'm sure you must be fine", Kang-lin smirked; the brat had earned a little of her respect…she had some guts.

Finally, Ayako gently allowed her eyelids to part, waiting for the giant purple mass in front of her to come into focus.

"Ahh!" she shut her eyes tightly again, her left arm twitched, and her good arm reached to hold her head.

"Idiot! Don't try to move that, you'll make it worse!" She sighed. "Ok, how many of me did you see?"

"Threeeeee…" Her eyes swirled, dizzily—at least her head stopped throbbing!

"Ok, don't open them again, your head injury might be more serious than I thought…"

"Oh greeeat, I get to be even more stupid!" she joked, wincing slightly again.

"Enough of this. Hikaru, come here!" The girl did as she was told, and knelt beside the two. "I'm going to carry her, but I need you to hold her arm first. Majesty, if you please, hold her head for me."

"Of course!" Hotohori ran over, and gently wrapped his caring hands protectively around her head, supporting it.

"Yu-hai, I'm going to need you to—", she ripped her sleeve off, then ripped it more to make it longer, "—wrap this around her broken arm and around her body; we don't want that thing flapping around."

The old, sobered man nodded, and watched as Nuriko took her arm from Hikaru and put it in the proper position, Ayako screaming in pain at the shift.

"It'll be ok, Ayako! We're gonna get you taken care of, I promise", Hikaru said in a gentle tone that wasn't like her; Ayako merely whimpered in response and tried to nod.

"Alright, ready guys?" Yu-hai and Hotohori nodded. "One. Two. Three—and lift!" It was easy work lifting her body, but she had to be slow and careful about it so that her head didn't move too much.

"Alright, be sure to wrap it around tightly, but not so tightly that it bleeds more. He did it as fast as an old man can, and was done quickly. "We're going to have to lay her down in the palanquin, which means there will be blood stains…does that bother you, Highness?"

"Not at all. Her safety is first and foremost our biggest concern!"

She smiled; he was so noble and caring…how could anyone not fall in love with him? Not that she was complaining; the less competition, the better.

They gently laid her down, her head on a cushion, Hotohori staying by her side, and the soldiers quickly retreated to the palace where the best doctors in the land supposedly were.


Where did everybody go? Everyone she knew was gone from the palace, and had been gone for hours. It was boring with out someone to talk to, or at least a computer to pass the time. She suddenly missed civilization… She had been wandering around the corridors for a while, now, gradually mapping the place out in her head; she doubted that it would be easy for her to get lost. Her ears picked up some kind of a commotion a few passages ahead, and to the left.

"Huh?" She ran towards the sound, eager for a distraction from her loneliness, but was more than surprised at what she saw.

"Move it move it!" one of the guards commanded, parting a way through a crowd of servants and courtiers. The emperor appeared first, holding something in his hands. Through the herd of soldiers, she could vaguely see that there was a person being carried off. Oh, good, Yu-hai was safe! What was with the worried expression? Was it Kai-yen? Hikaru! Her too? She felt uneasy, and a knot began to form in her stomach. The crowd passed, and Ayako was not among them.

"Ohh dear…" She quickly turned right into the adjacent corridor, and worked to catch up. "Hikaru!" The older girl slowed to a stop, and looked at her with worried eyes.

"Seta…she's hurt."

"I was afraid of that…"

"Her arm snapped…"

"Oh gawd….she's not that clumsy, has she?" She was only half joking, and the two were now chasing after the group again, which finally slowed down and entered a rather large room, probably the 'doctor's office'.

"I don't think anyone is that clumsy", she responded, rolling her eyes.

Seta sighed. "Ok, tell me everything that happened." Hikaru nodded.


"You look like you were hit by an eighteen-wheeler!" Seta exclaimed, and Ayako sweatdropped. She was now covered in bandages, particularly around her head and a few band-aids from home scattered here and there. Her arm was put back in to its place, which believe me, was agonizing, and was wrapped tightly and put in a sling. There was a bruise on her cheek, which was slightly swollen, and one on her upper right arm. She had a slight limp in her walk, but because of a pain medicine the doctor gave her, she felt good as normal...except for the fact that she couldn't feel or move her arm. That damn fuzzy feeling!

"Nuriko, you're lucky I dun have a crutch, or I'd beat ya ta death wiff it!" she exclaimed, a little too cheerfully, swinging her fist at the already depressed maiden.

"Not before I do! NOBODY hurts my little sister like that!" Hikaru said, egging her on sorta. Seta just stood there, and chuckled evilly.

"Uhoh! I think our dear Seta-kun is plotting something!" Ayako smirked.

"Oh, do tell!" the older twin giggled.

"Well, I see you're all back to your annoying selves..." Nuriko said in her this-is-how-I-talk-to-people-I-accept-as-friends-but-I'm-still-weirded-out voice, raising her eyebrow. "Anyway, you're lucky he managed to clean all the dirt out of that wound! An infection right there with a break like that would have been...well, let's just say you'd have to get used to being right-handed"

"I am right-handed", she said, dead-panned.

"You get the point, though."

"I guess so..."

"Hey, Ayako-when I saw your arm, I was like 'Oh SNAP!'" Seta joked.

"Heh. I don't know whether to laugh or worry about you, Seta." Hikaru raised her eyebrow, but smiled anyway.

"Aww, c'mon! That's not funny!" she said, trying to hide the small smile beginning to grow on her face.

"It was actually pretty gruesome...I don't know how you two can joke about it like that. Cast-iron stomachs, maybe?" Kang-lin raised her eyebrows.

"Nah, just a sense of humor", Seta stuck her tongue out, playfully.

"Yeah, a sick one!" Ayako playfully bumped her with her hip.

"Getting back to business, how are we going to find the rest of the Suzaku seven like this? A crippled priestess can't hope to go on that kind of journey successfully!"

"My legs are just fine-!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"..."

"Anyway, what do you plan to do?" The miko looked down, unable to come up with an answer at first.

"I think we should try to find the seishi as quickly as possible!"

"Absolutely not! I cannot, and will not allow you to leave the palace until your arm has fully healed!"

"But-!"

"No, I refuse! You need time to rest, then we can continue the search."

"Sire, please..."

"And you, Nuriko! As a warrior of Suzaku destined to protect the priestess, I am puzzled as to how you can support such horrible judgment! I am beginning to question your ability, or at least your will to protect the miko."

"Hotohori-sama, will you please at least hear me out?" She pleaded. The emperor sighed, and nodded, making Ayako smile as she regained her thoughts. "Well..." she shook her head, "Heika-sama, you told me yourself that the priestess arrives when the country is on the brink of a crisis, right? What do you think will happen if I just sit here and wait for months and months? If I summon Suzaku, I can wish for peace, and to heal my arm, right?"

Hotohori blinked. She seemed honest, and the more he stared at her, the calmer he became until he forgot why they had been arguing in the first place. He sighed, and gave in.

"We understand, and appreciate your sincerity, Suzaku no miko. We shall comply with your request..." He looked at his vassals and returned to his most serious expression. "Prepare our horses from the stable at once!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" They replied, and the aged councilor looked at him with concern.

"Your Majesty, please don't tell me that you plan attend as well."

"You've guessed right, Advisor." He smiled, slightly, and rushed off to his quarters, taking his crown off and allowing his radiant hair to flow once more. When he emerged minutes later, he was dressed in much more common clothing, and had his sword strapped to his sash. "Come now, the horses should be ready", he said, sweetly to the four girls present.

"S-sire, are you sure about this?"

"We must ensure the priestess's safety on this journey."

"Yes, but Highness, not even those peasant's garments can disguise your majestic appearance."

"How sincere you are, Councilor...but as we mentioned before, we shall be fine with what we have." His eyes sparkled with narcissism, and the women sweat-dropped, as did the councilor. "I leave you in charge while we are away!" he said, transitioning somewhat back into single-person-commoner speak, and mounted the horse with Hikaru on it.

Due to Ayako's injured arm, Nuriko was holding her in place on the horse, and Seta sat behind the two, holding onto the seishi for dear life. Hikaru blushed a little at being so close to the emperor; she could feel his warmth, and it was comforting. Without much thought, she found herself leaning back into him a bit. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice...unfortunately, Nuriko did. A death glare was shot at Hikaru, and she quickly looked away; she didn't want to be snapped like a chicken the way Ayako had been.

As Hikaru and Seta freaked out on the sidelines, Ayako looked ahead, worried. Things didn't seem to be turning out as planned, and she didn't think this journey would be easy, either... She sighed, and prayed that no bad would happen.


Author's Note:: Don't kill me, yes I know it's been a while! xD;; But thanks to #'s 7 and 8 reviews, I became newly inspired, and voila! *sparkle sparkle* Dunno if it's any good, since it was a (somewhat) spur of the moment thing, but it does make things interesting, doesn't it? :P Hmm...I wonder where Tama-kins is, tho...it's like a game of 'Where's Waldo?' xD

Where's Tama-kins? Can you spot him? (Audience:: Of COURSE not, you dummy! There aren't any pictures!) Ok ok...I'll tell you, then!

Q. What happened to Tamahome after he ran off into the crowd?

A. He ran off to one of his part-time jobs to go make money, of course!

Q. What about when the girls were arrested?

A. By then he was on his way to his home village for a visit. :3

Q. And when the emperor discovered their identities?

A. He was back in town, and stopped to eat some yummy fried rice with vegetables and teriyaki chicken! :D

Q. Where was he when the thugs were taunting everybody?

A. He had felt extremely uneasy for "apparently no reason" and wandered through the crowds fairly close to where they all were; if he had been closer, he would have saved Ayako before she was crushed, but as is, the feeling went away, and he went back to working.

Q. Ok, so where is he now? oO

A. Since he can't find much work in the capital, he's roaming around some nearby villages searching for work, such as bandit-hunting and even a little farming! :D)