Hurray! Those of you who've stayed with me this far! I'm eternally grateful!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi; Yu Watase-sama does. Don't have a cow at me, because I admitted it. So there!

xXxXx

A soft sigh escaped Chihiro's lips as she leaned against the windowsill of her temporary room. It had taken most of the day for all six of them to make it to the village, but with a couple of stops along the way they had made it. Ren's mother and father were delighted to have their daughter back, and even more delighted with Chihiro, or "Hiroshi," for having returned her safely to them.

The miko still blushed, remembering how Ren's mother had all but smothered her with grateful praises and hugs, and before she could even regain her breath she received a sharp swat on the back from Ren's father, which only worsened her breathless situation. They were anything but willing to house she and her animals as well, taking Hotohori to the stables and allowing the other three in the house, provided they stayed with Hiroshi in his room. Chihiro pitied the poor stallion.

The young miko sipped on a glass of water, looking down at the stables from her window. All that had happened earlier danced in her mind as it was now approaching dusk. She had already eaten, thanks to Ren's mother and her wonderful cooking. She had also changed out of her traveling clothes into light slacks and a shirt that seemed to just fit around her masculine form. Resting her glass on the sill, she reached up to her wrist, sliding off the bracelet. Now the shirt looked more like a small dress that draped over her feminine figure, but she didn't care. She preferred her normal form much more.

Tamahome hopped up onto a clear space of the windowsill. "Well, so far so good, ne? We'll all rest up and leave tomorrow. Man am I glad they aren't going to charge us for our stay…"

Her head turned sharply. "What! But…I… Ren's one of my friends now… Do we really have to leave her behind?" She turned to look back out the window sorrowfully. "Back in school, I didn't get along with many of the kids much. They either always picked on me or ignored me all together. I never really talked to anyone…and now I meet Ren, and you're telling me I have to let that person go!"

The monkey sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you. But we can't risk taking her along. In our animal forms we're still weak and we can't protect her as well as you. On top of that, what if she finds out about your little secret? Or about me, or Tasuki, or the others? I don't know how she would take it if she found out you lied to her, but maybe you should just spare yourself that trouble and-"

"Oh!" A brilliant crimson light emitted warmth in the pocket of Chihiro's makeshift pajamas. Reaching in she pulled the mirror Taiitsukun had given her, eyes widening when it shone brighter.

Tasuki was up from his resting place on her bed in an instant, scrambling over to his master and pulling her away from the window with a jerk. "Y'idiot! Do ya want people t'see the light!" he growled with his mouth full of shirt sleeve.

"But it's so bright I couldn't help it!" She tried covering it with her hands, finding that the blaze hurt her eyes.

Something landed on her shoulder, and the next instant she felt whiskers tickling her cheek. "Don't cover it up, it might be revealing a character no da." Chichiri explained, and at his request she uncovered the surface. It increased in its glow for a moment before dying down like embers in a campfire.

"W-what is…?"

"It says 'court warrior' no da." The cat's face twisted and contorted in deep thought while Tasuki-puppy on the floor scratched behind one of his pointed ears, a glare on his face as always. The kanji seemed familiar enough, but…

"But none of us had a symbol that meant that, 'Chiri. Ya sure ya read it right?"

"I'm sure Chichiri knows how to read, Tasuki," Tamahome snorted, folding his arms over his small chest as he looked down on a cart passing by in the streets. "Something we can't say about you perhaps, but…"

"Why you…!"

"Stop fighting!" Chihiro snapped, glaring down at them as if they were disobeying a command. "Chichiri is trying to think!"

Sighing defeatedly, both cooled down at the wish of their priestess, but shot each other private looks that could only mean a rematch was to come later.

But as soon as it had come, the character faded, leaving them just as confused as before.

Chihiro fell back on her bed, Chichiri jumping off and landing near her head. "That didn't help at all. How am I going to find the last three warriors if I can't even read and understand the symbols for myself?"

"That's why we're here, no da," Chichiri reassured her, nuzzling the side of her face with his head as a form of comfort.

"Yeah." Tasuki joined the two on the mattress. "We'll all figger it out somehow. Don'cha worry about a thing, 'Hiro-chan.'" He smirked. "Fer now ya ought just worry 'bout makin' Ren think yer th' man-a her dreams, an' pretty soon she'll be droolin' all over herself just at th' sight o' ya…itai!" The dog turned to glare at the cat, who was flexing his claws. "What th'hell did'ja do that for!"

"That's enough teasing for today no da." Chichiri fully retracted the small daggers back into his paws. "And I didn't even scratch you that hard."

The puppy was about to shoot back a nasty comment when Tamahome forced his head down into the mattress. "I think I've got it!" Once he was sure he had everybody's attention, and after Tasuki was done cussing him out, he cleared his throat in a regal manner and began. "The first time, when Miaka was drawn into the book of The Universe of the Four Gods, she easily found me, followed by Hotohori. And it wasn't too long until we found Nuriko, but-"

"Get t'the point, monkey-boy!" Tasuki barked, the other two quickly shushing him. He shut his mouth and quietly sulked as he listened to the rest.

"My point, dog-breath, was this: When Miaka and I were in the palace after we met Hotohori, he gave her a scroll: The Universe of the Four Gods. In it were clues as to how we could find the other warriors." He closed his eyes momentarily, thinking back. "I remember Miaka and I were looking over them one night, and I still remember what they were."

Chihiro's eyes lit up, and she sprung into a sitting position, almost knocking Tasuki off in the process. "Really Tamahome! You remember! Then tell us, please! I think Chichiri said it was 'court warrior' when it appeared in the mirror. Who was that?"

"That's easy. That's one of the characters that belonged to the one carrying the mark of 'yanagi' or 'willow.'"

The other two went stiff, while their priestess blinked in confusion. "A-and that is…?"

Tamahome looked up, making eye contact with Chihiro. "The one who belongs to that symbol is none other than the Suzaku shichiseishi Nuriko."

Instead of turning stiff like her seishi, she punched the air excitedly. "All right! I found the fifth one! I found the fifth one! Got you Nuriko!" She grabbed Tamahome, hugging him. "Thank you so much for telling me that! We would have left behind a warrior if you hadn't spoken up!"

"Heh, you're welcome," answered the monkey as he attempted to weasel his way out of her grasp - not due to lack of air, but because of the fact that the canine a few inches away from him was growling low in his throat.

But Chihiro ended up releasing him anyway, snagging hold of Chichiri. "And thanks to you too, Chichiri, for reading the symbol out for me. My Chinese isn't that good…"

His eyes closed, mouth parting into what Chihiro assumed was a cat's smile. "Don't mention it no da." He stiffened suddenly, glancing towards the door of her room. "But you might want to put your bracelet back on. I sense someone coming towards the room no da."

The miko released him, feeling inside her pocket. She froze as her grasped cloth, but nothing else. Panic filled her thoughts as she quickly slid off the bed, feeling around on the floor in the fairly dark room for her bracelet. The animals began to assist, hearing the footsteps before she did.

With his nose to the ground, Tasuki sniffed around the room until his wet nose touched something metallic. "Found it!" He announced in a hushed whisper, picking it up in his mouth and handing it to Tamahome, who in turn had to throw it to Chihiro. She fumbled with it for a moment, then grasped it firmly in both hands and slipped it on, allowing the rapid transformation of her body to take place. The door cracked open and she wheeled around to see who it was, heart pounding in her chest.

xXxXx

The tall, gaunt figure walked alone along the dirt path; if someone passed him by, which was rare in the middle of the night, no one acknowledged him. He paid no attention to them either. With the exception of a small pack on his back he had no possessions that might draw an attack from local thieves.

He snorted. 'Even though they always seem to pick me as their next target regardless of that…' His exotic green eyes looked up at the stars, anger swelling up inside of him despite his calm outward complexion. 'That scum…as if my life wasn't hard enough, he had to inflict this curse on me that in some twisted way he considered a blessing. He allowed me to meet someone, become entwined with that person, and then snatched her away from me - from all of us.'

The former Byakko warrior shoved his fist into a pant pocket, bowing his head to allow his cinnamon-colored bangs to conceal his silent rage as it surfaced on his half-scarred face. 'And Suzuno tried to be sympathetic, despite how I reacted to her at our first meeting; when she first discovered that I was one of her seishi. But nothing helped. Nothing will ever help.'

Feeling the slight shifting of the sand under his feet, he looked up and out, viewing the vast desert before him. Shifting his legs, he turned to look back at what had once been his home. Leaving only his index and middle finger still extended, he feigned a small salute, smirking all the while as he lowered his hand from his forehead. The gesture itself, even though meant with sarcasm, looked quite sharp all the same. "So long, ungrateful bastards." He cast a glance up at the sky. "Oh yeah, almost forgot you too. Thanks a million for ruining my life, Byakko-seikun." With that he resumed his trek northward, the city to the west growing smaller and smaller until the surrounding sands finally swallowed it.

Up in the clouds, a solitary pair of golden eyes looked down at him. "Just where I want you to go, my lovely Toroki. Continue on your path." He paused, then added with a small chuckle and a feline-like smile: "And I'm most grateful for your abundant gratitude, my dear warrior. You should visit my temple more often."

xXxXx

"Hiro-san…what are you doing on the floor?"

Chihiro blinked. It was only Ren, praise the gods! "Oh um…I was just…looking for something, but it can wait, I guess." She stood up, lightly brushing off her clothes. "So, uh…did you need something, Ren-san?"

The brunette blushed a little, clasping her hands together before her and performing a small bow. "Ah, yes. Well, actually, I just came in here to thank you again, for saving me out there…"

"Oh, it was nothing. And you already thanked me for that…"

"I know, but…" Her blue eyes flickered up to meet Hiroshi's green ones, locking with them. "I wanted… I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out shopping with me tomorrow!" she blurted out, turning away quickly. It left Chihiro speechless.

"Come again?" the miko-in-disguise asked.

The other girl's hands trailed up to her strands of hair, running her fingers through her own locks nervously as she restated her question. "J-just grocery shopping. Mom's coming too, but she didn't even want me walking around with my injury. But it's not so bad that I can't walk on it. Um…will you please come with us, Hiro-san?"

'Oh no…' A cloud of doubt rushed over her. She needed an excuse to go look for Nuriko, but she was afraid that if she said yes it would lead Ren on, and she didn't want to lie to her new friend more than necessary. But what other choice did she have? And Ren was standing right there waiting for her answer, so there was no time to talk it over with the seishi. Chihiro cleared her throat. "Of course. I'd love to come with you."

"Oh! Okay, see you tomorrow then!" The other girl hurriedly left the room, her face shining with joy.

Once the door closed behind her, Chihiro sank to her knees, removing her bracelet once again. "Why do I have to lie? Why is it so important that I keep who I am a secret? I'm getting sick of it…I'm so sick of deceiving her. She's my new friend and she deserves to know the truth!"

The animals listened, sensing that she had more to say.

"But... but how do I know if she's the kind of person who'll stick with me no matter what? Even when she finds out… Will she still call me her friend? Or will she turn against me? Oh I don't know…!" She dug her hands through her hair, taking it out of its low ponytail and allowing her rich black locks to fall across her face. "I'm not sure about a lot of things…and I'm getting worried that I won't be able to do what I was called here to do… I'm really scared, you guys. I just don't know what to do anymore..."

"Hey, c'mon. Cheer up, Chihiro." Tamahome tugged at her hair, forcing her to look at him. He was surprised to see the threat of tears in her bright eyes. "We're here for you. You can depend on us to see you through anything. And if she does leave you, that's her problem - it'll have nothing to do with you." He smiled up at her. "You'll still have us, ne?"

Tasuki came to her side, pushing his head under her arm so he could lick her face like he had done before he could talk. Chihiro absentmindedly scratched him behind one of his ears, looking to the monkey and the cat, who smiled and nodded confidently.

"Tamahome's right no da. We'll be with you to the very end, to give you advice or even to just cheer you up no da."

Tasuki looked up, glaring at her accusingly. "Or ain't we good enough for ya?"

A smile came to her face at the fiery seishi's comment. "Arigatou, minna. I guess I almost forgot that I already had good friends here with me. Sumimasen."

xXxXx

"I feel so bad leaving the others back at the inn…" Chihiro whispered to the monkey on her shoulder as she walked through the marketplace, carrying a satchel for Ren and her mother. She had promised to keep the pair company, and did her best to be talkative, but she was really focusing on the small mirror in her pocket. She was hoping for another message about her nearby seishi.

"But they couldn't have possibly come," Tamahome reminded her. "Too many of us along would look weird, you know that."

"Yes, but…" she smothered a snicker. "But Tasu-chan was really upset at being stuck at home. So Chichiri had to stay there with him to cool him down. And Hotohori is too big an animal to bring into the marketplace." She smiled over at him. "You were the only one I could bring along that wouldn't look suspicious, Tamahome. But, do you know how we'll be able to find Nuriko in this mess-?"

"Hiro-san!" Ren snatched her arm, dragging her towards a nearby stall. "Let's go over here! I saw a pair of hair chopsticks that I think I like!"

"Ah b-but Ren-chan…!"

Tamahome lost his balance on shoulder, but managed to land on his feet on the heavily occupied street. 'This girl we met wasn't a miracle; but a curse…' he thought with a scowl. He sighed, dropping to all fours and attempting to follow his priestess through the crowds.

'Where'd Tamahome go...?' Chihiro looked back to find Ren glaring at her impatiently. "Eheh, gomen Ren-chan. What were you saying?"

"Oh, never mind. I can see that you want to be on your own for a while. I should've known no man under the sun would want to look at hair accessories." She shook her head, grinning at the other as she spoke. "Go ahead and have fun. But promise to meet me back here in a couple of minutes, okay?"

At last; an opportunity to go search for Nuriko! "Y-yes, of course! Ja ne!" Chihiro walked off into the crowd, Tama hopping back onto her shoulder as they disappeared into the crowd. Ren sighed after them, turning to go about her business.

Chihiro pulled the small mirror from her pocket once they were a safe distance away. "Okay mirror, help us find Nuriko."

"Sure, talking to it will speed things up, Chihiro-chan," Tamahome chuckled on her shoulder. "He's most likely been reincarnated into animal form like the rest of us, so we should keep our eyes open... but I wonder what he could be? Most likely a peacock…or maybe he really is a bird..." he mused aloud.

Chihiro arched a brow. "Nuriko was a delicate person when he was alive, I'm taking it?"

The monkey grinned. "You have no idea."

"I'm afraid to ask you about this, but-" The mirror glimmered, heating her pocket with a crimson light. It caught her attention immediately. Oblivious to anyone around them who might be watching, she held the mirror closer to her face to get a better look at the character that appeared in hazy outline. "He must be nearby," she said in a hushed voice.

"Right," He turned his head from his perch on her shoulder, looking around for any animals that might be Nuriko - or any animal at all, come to think of it.

"Tama-chan! Is that you!"

The mystical mirror gave off the sign of 'willow' in full as Tamahome jerked his attention towards the direction of the voice. "Nuriko? Where are you? Tell us where!"

A soft laugh. "Down here, baka!" the feminine voice exclaimed. Tamahome followed its sound, finding his eyes resting on a brilliant violet butterfly confined in a small wooden cage on a nearby stand. It was flapping its wings violently, obviously trying to get their attention.

Chihiro blinked. "Y-you're Nuriko?"

"I'd like to think so," Came a good-natured yet somewhat sarcastic reply. "And who are you?"

"Well umm…"

"Hey kid!" Chihiro practically jumped out of her skin, Tamahome letting out an excited squeak. She turned to see a middle-aged man with his hands on his hips. "You thinking of buying something, or you going to stand there and talk to yourself all day?"

"Eheh…" Chihiro cleared her throat, attempting to sound as masculine as she could. "Yes, uh, sir? How much would you want for that butterfly right there?" She gestured towards the newly discovered warrior.

"14 silver ryou."

"What! 14? That's insane!" Tamahome chattered madly on her shoulder.

Chihiro sweatdropped, trying to ignore the odd sound the best she could. "W-well, would you be willing to lower the price?"

Tamahome snapped his head back towards her. "You're going about it all the wrong way! That's no way to haggle down a price, baka! He probably won't even consider it now."

The man thought about it for a moment. "Maybe I would. What you got in mind?"

The monkey nearly fell off his miko's shoulder.

xXxXx

The dark figure watched a girlish looking young man bargain with a salesman. He picked at his teeth lazily with a small knife, leaning against the pillar of a restaurant.

'Strange kid…'

His bright green eyes watched the pair argue on a good price over whatever it was the middle-aged cheat was selling. 'Heck, I wouldn't even waste my time if it took that long,' the man thought, stepping away from the wood column and walking away, slipping the knife into his pocket as he went.

The Konan Empire seemed like as good a place as any to hide out while he decided what to do next. Or at least until he forgot about his recent Byakko shrine visit. 'Guess I'll stick around here for a while. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway.'

Toroki, last Byakko shichiseishi, continued on his way, never once glancing back at the girly young man and his monkey partner. Never once guessing who they might be, or how they might play into his life in just a short time.

xXxXx

1) Translation Notes:

2) Itai-"ow!"

3) Arigatou-"thanks"

4) minna-"everyone"

5) Sumimasen-"Pardon me/Forgive me"

6) gomen-"sorry"

7) Ja ne-"see you"

8) baka-"idiot/stupid"

A/N: YAY! I'm so glad that those of you who have read this far have reviewed! It makes me so happy! And that's chapter 10, folks! Hope you people are happy now!

Nuri: waves to fans, blowing kisses I'm sorry I took so long coming out! But I'm here for good now, don't worry! winks

Tas: snorts; rolls eyes

Tama: looks ill

'Chiri: We're making good progress, only two more warriors to find no da!

Chihiro: I'm so excited! I still can't believe I found the fifth one!

Hoto: Until the next chapter 11, we leave you guessing about all the possible plot developments!

'Aya-san: Hope you stick around that long to read it minna! Ja ne!