Chapter Twenty Four
"I guess from hereon in we're on our own, huh?"
As Aoiketsu and his group of companions headed off towards the main body of the shrine, Hikari cast her bandit ally a sidelong glance, apprehension glittering in her hazel eyes. "Just you and me…do you think we can really do this and get past the mages' guard?"
"There isn't really an option for failin', so I guess that means we can." Shishi said frankly. "Besides, there ain't jus' the two of us. Do-nee's here too, remember? That makes three."
"True enough." Hikari managed a faint smile, reaching out to touch her friend on the arm. "I'm glad you're with me at least, Shishi. I couldn't go in there on my own…as it is I'm fighting the urge to turn and run away."
"That's also not an option." Shishi shook her head. "But you need Do-nee to get into this place, right? We're goin' underground – ain't that the deal? So we need her power to split the earth an' land a direct hit on the place."
"That's what Myoume said." Hikari agreed. "Is Doryoku all right with that? I mean…"
She faltered, remembering the meeting between the two mages within the heart of Reikaku-zan.
"Aren't the mage spirits like sisters in magic or something?" She added doubtfully. "Doryoku acted that way with Hisei, when we were down south. Will she really want to fight against Suiko and Kitora, just because we ask her to?"
"She will." Shishi said evenly. "She's promised, and I believe her. Besides, sisters in magic or not, it's me she's tied to. Not them. She's more focused on helpin' me an' you than she is preservin' any kind of ancient acquaintance. Stop panickin' already, will you? We're wasting time."
"I suppose so." Hikari bit her lip, glancing around her at the silent, eerie palace grounds.
"Doesn't it seem odd to you, though, that there are no guards about?"
"Yes." Shishi admitted. "Though if Aoi has an ally within the palace somehow, maybe that accounts for it. But it is strange that we ain't seen anyone. This is a royal palace but noone's challenged us. Security can't be that lax, surely?"
"Unless it's a trap and we're being lured into it."
"Possibly." Shishi acknowledged. "You are the Miko, after all. An' they probably want to get a hold of you, if they do know who you are. Maybe that's it. Either way, though, trap or not we know where we're goin'. Doryoku, I need your help for a minute, okay? Myoume said you'd need to possess me to break right through – so I'm goin' to trust you not to wipe me out by doin' it. Okay? We're a team an' I'm handin' you the baton – don't let me down, huh?"
She closed her eyes, and as Hikari watched, her friend was bathed in a gentle shimmer of silver light. For a moment there was silence, then Shishi's eyes flickered open, and Hikari saw the glint of another's spirit deep within her gaze. She swallowed hard.
"Doryoku-sama?" She murmured. "Are you…will you…let us get in?"
"I told Shishi I would, so I will." Though Shishi spoke, the inflection and intonation of her words were the mage's, and Hikari felt faintly comforted by the gentle resolution in the spirit's speech. "Stand back, Hikari. I will need to split the earth, and I do not wish to cause harm to one Shishi wants to protect."
"All right." Hikari nodded, doing as she was bidden as she watched Shishi bring her arms up before her, clasping her hands tightly together as she closed her eyes once more in concentration. She murmured something too soft for the young schoolgirl to hear, and with a sudden flash of light, something juddered and shook the earth beneath their feet. Hikari let out a gasp, grabbing out for the nearby palace wall as she saw the ground slowly begin to split apart, great dark cracks spreading like the criss-crossing of spider webs across the stone-covered pathways. Dust and sand scattered through the air, creating a cloudy haze as slowly Shishi drew her hands apart, a bright silver gleam coating her entire body as she fixed her full attention on the fine, hair-like cracks. Little by little, as Hikari watched, the mage's divine power gradually and gently divided the ground in two, and although she saw the earth cleave before her, she was no longer aware of the ground's shaking beneath her feet.
Cautiously she let go of the wall, taking a hesitant step forward as Shishi turned, holding out a hand to her companion.
"Come with me, Hikari." She said softly, and from the glint in her eye Hikari knew that Doryoku was still fully in control. "So long as you do not release my hand, you will not come to any harm. The earth is my friend – it will obey me. And I can take us where we need to go."
Hikari hesitated for a moment, then her resolve hardened and she nodded her head, reaching out slim fingers to take Shishi's cool, sword-calloused ones.
"I'm counting on you – both of you." She said softly. "Please, Doryoku-sama – get Shishi and me inside."
The bandit smiled, a more gentle, comforting smile than Hikari had ever seen cross Shishi's face, and she nodded.
"Then come, Seiryuu no Miko." She murmured. "This way."
Hikari felt the grip around her fingers tighten as slowly she allowed herself to be led forward towards the widened crevasse in the ground. Although there was no obviously safe way down, Doryoku did not hesitate, and Hikari forced her fear aside, reminding herself that this was not just Doryoku guiding her, but Shishi's will as well.
"Shishi wants to help and protect me, doesn't she?" She murmured. "That's why you'll do this for us – because you and Shishi are linked now, and that's not going to change."
"Shishi asked for my help and I have given it." Came the mage's answer. "But I cannot inhabit her body for long without returning her to consciousness. She is not yet strong enough for me to do so, and even though it is her will, I do not want to put her at risk. It takes a lot of power to control the earth, Hikari. Though my power will be available to you within the vault, I will no longer be in full control of it. When we enter, I must return control to Shishi – else it will be the worse for her."
"That's all right." Hikari assured her, as they descended slowly towards what seemed to be a large slab of cracked, splintered concrete that lay below them. "So long as you can get past the mages' magic, that's enough."
"Shishi believes in your power, so so do I, Seiryuu no Miko." Doryoku said softly, reaching out a hand to touch Hikari's cheek. "For this reason I've undertaken Hisei's request as well as Shishi's own. You are not only Kutou's hope, but hope for all of this world. Take courage, all right? I don't think that fact will be overlooked, when you come to face your opponents."
"What do you mean?" Hikari looked startled, and Doryoku merely smiled.
"We are going in." She said simply, spreading her free hand before her as a blast of silver energy split the concrete slab cleanly apart, clearing a way through to a chamber beneath. "Hold on tightly, Hikari. We are about to touch the mage barrier…it may not be pleasant for a moment or two, but bear with it. We will emerge safely the other side."
"All right." Hikari agreed hesitantly, inwardly bracing herself as she saw for the first time the strange, ethereal glitter that surrounded the chamber beneath them. "Wait…that sparkle…is that it?"
"Yes." Doryoku confirmed. "And below it, the vault which houses the treasures of Genbu, Seiryuu and Byakko."
"And the mages of Seiryuu and Byakko, too." Hikari murmured, as she caught the briefest glimpse of something moving beneath the haze. "All right. I'm ready, Doryoku-sama. Let's do this."
Doryoku offered her another smile, then nodded her head, and Hikari felt a sudden tug on her arm as she was pulled deeper into the chamber that lay below. For a moment there was a prickling, tugging sensation, as something pulled against her skin and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she focused on keeping calm. Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over and Hikari found herself standing in a strange, ancient chamber, dust and grime coating the once vivid imagery that coated the walls and ceiling all around them. Faintly she could make out Seiryuu's dragon form in the dirt, but before she could focus on it, she felt Doryoku's grip on her hand loosen, and she cast her friend an anxious glance, realising that the mage had pulled back and returned Shishi to herself.
The bandit put a hand to her head, rubbing her temples as she struggled to regain her bearings, and instinctively Hikari reached out to support her, glancing around her as she did so.
"We're here, Shishi." She murmured. "Doryoku…she did what she promised and we're inside."
"I'm glad about that, considerin' I feel yanked to pieces." Shishi's own familiar tones came back ruefully, and secretly Hikari was relieved to hear it. "Well? We got through that barrier, then, I guess…this is where the Shinzahou are?"
"Yes." Hikari took a faltering step forward, her gaze falling on something in the furthest corner of the room. "Over there. Look. Three pedestals – those are the treasures we're looking for, right? Seiryuu's earring, Byakko's mirror and Genbu's necklace. The three remaining Shinzahou of the Gods."
"Looks that way." Shishi pulled out of Hikari's grasp, approaching them as she reached out to touch the nearest one. However, as her finger drew near to the edge of the mirror, a spark shot out towards her and she gasped, pulling her hand back as she glared at it indignantly.
"What the hell?"
"I guess there are barriers round those, too." Hikari said resignedly. "When we came down here, Shishi, I thought I saw someone in here. But…I don't see anyone now. Do you?"
"No." Shishi shook her head. "No, but Doryoku says she can sense them. They're watching us, Hiki. Those mages we have to find and neutralise in order to be able to use the Shinazhou. We gotta keep alert – else they'll get us for sure."
"Thanks for that." Hikari frowned. She moved towards the furthest Shinzahou, reaching out to brush her fingers against it.
"This one is Genbu's." She said thoughtfully. "And there's no barrier here. Shishi, Doryoku is Genbu's mage, isn't she? With this treasure…this one…could we separate her from you so she can fight on her own? After all…"
"Genbu's Shinzahou, huh." Shishi frowned. Slowly she shook her head.
"I promised Do-nee not to abandon her." She said softly. "So I can't go against that, now. If we raise her, Hiki, we have to defeat her, too. And if that happens, she'll be…re-sealed into her relic, won't she? I don't want to do that to her. I can't…even if she is trouble sometimes, she and I are sort of…"
She sighed, rubbing her temples again.
"It's hard to explain." She admitted. "But I lost Jin and I'll lose you, when this is over. I don't want to lose all my allies, and Do-nee…for all her peculiarities…I've kind of started to like having her there. Now I'm used to it, after all."
"You children spend a lot of time talking about rubbish, you know."
Before Hikari could respond, a soft, purring voice echoed out of the blackness behind them and both girls swung around, horror and apprehension in their eyes as they registered the fact they were no longer alone in the ancient chamber. The woman who stood before them was undoubtedly something beyond human, robed in odd fabrics of brown and green, and at her throat the schoolgirl recognised the Chinese character for tree. Like Doryoku and Hisui, she had the illusion of youth, with thick waves of snow-white hair curling across her shoulders and down her back. Stray wisps framed her face, highlighting the odd gold glitter of her eyes, and with a jolt Hikari realised what it was about this stranger that was so unusual. Although she stood before them in the form of a woman, her gaze was decidedly feline, and something about her demeanour and bearing indicated that she was a hunter, her senses primed ready for her next kill.
She snickered at Hikari's blatant scrutiny, sauntering daintily towards them, and again Hikari was struck by the figure's similarity to a prowling cat in her deft, careful movements.
"Kitora." She whispered, and the mage's eyebrow twitched up, amusement sparking in her odd golden eyes.
"So my reputation precedes me?" She reflected softly, the roll of her words almost like the purring of a self-satisfied house-cat as she eyed them both coquettishly. "Or are you just educated in the legends, little girl? As you say, I am Kitora...though if you know that, I'm surprised you still stand there. Surely such knowledge should have made you flee by now?"
"We aren't fleeing anywhere." Shishi said indignantly. "I'm not afraid of you, and nor is Hiki. We're here for a purpose, and we're not going to let some catwoman creature get in our way."
"You really are just children." Kitora's eyes gleamed with spite as she surveyed them. "Making such naive, idealistic judgements. Of course you're afraid. I can taste your fear, you know - both of you. You can't fool a mage of Byakko so easily."
She tilted her head on one side, pursing her lips, and as she did so, Hikari caught the briefest glimpse of sharp, pearl white cat's fangs within the woman's mouth. Involuntarily she shivered, realising her first impression of a predator had probably been closer to the mark than she'd realised. Briefly Jin's death and the conflict within Sairou's shrine struck through her thoughts, and she drew her cloak more tightly around her body, resisting the urge to turn tail and flee.
"One of you is truly the hallowed Seiryuu no Miko that fat Priest seeks to exploit?"
Kitora brushed a hand against Hikari's arm, and the girl flinched at the sudden, electric sensation that ran through the mage's touch.
"But you came through our barrier, so one of you must be." She said resignedly. "Though we didn't expect you to bring a friend. Still, that is easily settled."
She turned her head, and for the first time Hikari became aware of another shadow lurking in the darkest corner of the shrine.
"Suiko, stop sulking and be useful." The mage snapped. "Which one of these two brats is the one that Priest wants us to keep? I'm getting bored down here waiting, and the other one's fair game for us to play with. If she's not the Miko, after all, she doesn't matter."
"Suiko." Shishi murmured, as the second figure stepped reluctantly into the centre of the chamber, her azure eyes sullen and resentful as she glared at her kittenish companion. Despite herself, Hikari's breath caught in her throat as for the first time she met gazes with Seiryuu's own chosen spirit. This was the one who had been quickened by Aoiketsu's blood, she remembered, and something about that connection gave her renewed courage. She was here for Seiryuu's sake, after all, she reminded herself.
As her sisters were, Suiko was undoubtedly beautiful, and as elementally ethereal as the fire-driven Hisei hidden deep within Reikaku-zan's caves. However, an entity more opposite to Hisei would have been hard to imagine, for everything about Suiko's being glittered with her connection to rippling water, from her long flowing hair to the eyes that gleamed like sapphire pools. If it hadn't been for the dissatisfied, sulky glint in those eyes, Hikari mused, she would almost have seemed like a Goddess in her own right, and she reflected that beside Suiko, Kitora's more forest-like colouring almost looked plain and dull.
"Don't tell me what to do, you smelly, Byakko-cat witch." Suiko snapped now. "You're not my mistress, and I don't have to do anything you tell me to do."
"Yes, you do." Kitora said frankly, a malicious glint in her strange eyes. "Because we both know that if I wanted to destroy you, I could. So unless you want that, you'll stop being annoying and act. These are just people, after all. They're only brief glimpses of life – nothing more. Tell me quickly – which one is the Miko? You should be able to sense that – or are you so weak that it's beyond you?"
Suiko's eyes darkened, and she tossed her head, folding her arms across her chest.
"You're not much of a mage if you can't sense it yourself." She said petulantly. "It's so obvious even Kikei could tell it himself from a mile away. Or are your senses so blunted by rat blood that you can't see the magic of a divine spirit when it stands in front of you? Maybe you aren't as smart as you think you are, Kitora."
"I'm warning you, I'm fed up with your whining." Kitora's expression became nasty. "If it wasn't for the fact that by helping that stupid old man we'll be able to maintain these forms indefinitely, I wouldn't be worrying about sparing either. But as it stands, I'm fed up of this dry, dusty place. I intend to spill blood here – and I guess, if you're not going to be explicit, I'll just have to take my chance as to which one I hit."
She licked her lips, and once more Hikari had the impression of a hunter preparing to kill and devour her prey.
"You look more scaredy than your companion." She reflected, reaching out to take Hikari by the arm, and Hikari registered the woman's long, talon-like nails digging into her skin. "I'll start with you, and work my way along."
"Let Hiki go!" This was too much for Shishi, who let out an exclamation, forcing herself between the taunting mage and her frightened friend. "You don't lay a finger on her, you witch – do you hear me? Noone's spilling anyone's blood here – we're here to take those treasures away from you and if it means we fight, then we fight!"
"I see." Kitora's eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Shishi in interest. "So. Just as I thought. That one is the true Miko – your drive to protect her gave that away. Which makes you the one who's expendable…doesn't it?"
"Shishi, look out!" Hikari cried, as she saw a glint of pure venom glitter in Kitora's cold, cattish eyes and flickers of strange white magic begin to lick around the tips of her claw-like fingers. "Get out of the way – she's serious!"
"So am I." Shishi said resolutely, drawing her sword from her belt as she glared at the Byakko mage defiantly. "I told Aoi and the others that I'd protect you down here and I'm going to do that, Hiki. Whether you like it or not – whether it kills me or not – I promised them and I won't stand back and let you get hurt. Jin wouldn't forgive me either, if I did – would he?"
"Jin…" Hikari faltered, and Kitora let out a peal of amused laughter, flexing her fingers as she cast a glance in the schoolgirl's direction.
"I can smell the taint of Suzaku on your blood." She said softly. "You're afraid, and I can sense it even from here, that flicker of Phoenix magic even without touching you. Well. Who would have thought that this scaredy little girl would be Seiryuu's Miko and Suzaku's chosen treasure, all in one frail, fleeting body? I wonder if that fool Priest knows what he asked us to snare, Suiko-chan. You sense it too, don't you? This one has Suzaku's magic in her blood. That's why I couldn't tell she was the Miko. The flare of that firebird is stronger."
Suiko did not answer at first, and Hikari saw an obstinate look flicker across her blue eyes as she drew her hands slowly together. Then she turned, fixing Hikari with a pointed, almost penetrating look.
"Noone invited you to come here." She said coldly, tossing her head as she glared at Hikari, unspoken accusations in her eyes. "This place is sacred to Seiryuu – how dare you blast your way through as if you had a divine right to enter here? Kitora is right. Suzaku taints you. You're not Seiryuu's while you're Suzaku's, girl – and if you're not Seiryuu's, you're no ally of mine."
"I told you – both of you – stay away from Hiki." Shishi said hotly, brandishing her sword as wisps of silver magic danced across the tip of her blade. "I ain't gonna be ignored either, you know – I'm here to protect her and I'm going to do that."
"How do you propose to do that, little girl?" Kitora eyed her derisively. "Do you think that you are any match for a full blown mage spirit like me? Even Suiko has more strength than you do – you're doomed to die here, so you might as well sit back and take it quietly. I want to have some fun with you, after all – it's so tedious if you insist on resisting me."
"You sound just as twisted as Miramu." Hikari snapped. "Stop talking like that!"
"Are you offended, Seiryuu no Miko?" Kitora purred, reaching out to toy with Hikari's long braid of hair. Gently she pulled the ribbon free, running it playfully between her fingers as she did so. "Well, and what do you intend to do about it? Raise Seiryuu? Make him school us to obey him? I don't think so. You don't have the strength or the conviction to do either thing…besides, so long as Suiko and I are here, you can't raise him, can you? I can see it in your eyes – even when you try to be strong, the doubt and indecision is eating you up inside. You are just a child. I have no reason to fear you – either of you."
"It's not just Hiki and me here, you know." Shishi said coldly. "Doryoku is with us."
"Doryoku." Kitora snorted. "The mage who believes in peace and cooperation? The weak-willed spirit who gave Genbu's treasure willingly into the enemy's hands? Do you really think that she'll fight for you, little girl? Suiko may be a warped husk of a mage, but she at least has a spirit. Doryoku is an empty wisp of nothing – she's never won a battle in her life and she never will. Entrusted to that stupid, pointless, snow-skinned Meihi people…all they do is suffer, endure and die."
She cast Suiko a spiteful look, and Suiko's eyes darkened.
"Shut up." She snapped. "Noone asked you about the Meihi…this is about Seiryuu, not one of Kutou's heathen tribes."
"Meihi…" Hikari frowned, confusion flaring in her heart as she interpreted the look that passed between the two mages, and Kitora nodded.
"My sister mage is foolish." She said derisively. "She's so scarred by inferior blood that she's developed fondness for one of them - as if she were some kind of human spirit yearning for companionship after all these years underwater. Even so, though, she's still powerful enough to kill either or both of you."
"Fondness..." Shishi's eyes widened. "Shit, do you mean Hyoushin?"
Suiko started, staring at the young bandit in surprise, and Shishi's expression became one of comprehension.
"You do." She murmured. "You were the one who gave Maichu Hyoushin's sword, weren't you? He told me you did...when he was on the mountain chopping wood, but I didn't register then what it meant. The one who pushed them to go South was you...if that's true, why are you fighting us now? Why are you turning on someone who you sent them to find? I don't understand. Hiki is Seiryuu no Miko - you know that, right? If you're really Seiryuu's servant, why are you trying to get in his way?"
Suiko's expression became resentful once again.
"The people in Kutou are foolish." She said flatly. "Why should I help them, when they're stupid enough to slay the few allies they have? Let their Miko die. Let it all fall to ruin. I'm done with it. They don't listen to me - they see me as a nusiance and a mere woman and not worth anything at all. Even Hyoushin didn't listen - but at least he believed in Kutou. Even if he was a stupid human, at the end of it - he did care about this land."
She gestured towards the Shinzahou.
"Those are under the Priest's care, and the Emperor's will." She added bitterly. "I am tied to them by that fact. They have alienated and slain their allies, and so those allies are alien to me, also."
"But Hyoushin isn't dead." Hikari protested, then she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she realised what she'd said.
"Shit, Hiki, do you think you should've told them that?" Shishi snapped, bracing herself as Kitora eyed them sharply.
"Not...dead?" She murmured, and Suiko stared at Hikari in disbelief, the haze of magic around her fingers flickering for a moment as she tried to work out if the girl was telling the truth. At length, however, she tossed her head.
"It doesn't matter." She murmured. "It's too late. Everything is too late. They didn't listen...and Kutou will die. Everything is lost...why fight it?"
"Suiko." Hikari bit her lip, seeing a flare of genuine sadness in the mage's expressive eyes.
Kitora snorted, flexing her claws once more.
"So that means we might as well get done playing with these two, doesn't it?" She said impatiently. "Stop your emotional whining. You're not human, even if you think you are. These are our playthings - nothing more. We'll spare the Miko, because Kikei asked us so nicely...but otherwise...they're all ours. He didn't say we couldn't harm her, after all. And as for the other one...she's fair game."
Her eyes narrowed, and she flung her right hand out towards the chamber's wooden door. Hikari let out a gasp as the wood buckled and split into sharp barbs, shooting across the chamber towards them like arrows shot from Miramu's bow. Frozen to the spot, she could only stare at them in terror as they hissed through the air towards her, and Shishi's yell only penetrated her consciousness dimly as she was overwhelmed by the feeling she was about to die. Then, as if out of nowhere, something hard and heavy knocked roughly against her, pushing her to the ground with some force as the barbs clattered harmlessly against the chamber's far wall.
Hikari struggled to catch her breath, realising as she did so that Shishi had dived between her and the wooden stakes, pushing her out of the way just in time to prevent her from being impaled. She pulled herself painfully into a sitting position, turning to glance at her friend.
"You idiot, are you just going to let them kill you?" Shishi reproached her, scrambling to her feet as she reached out a hand to pull Hikari up. "At least try and dodge next time, huh? I don't want to go back an' tell Aoi you've been skewered."
"Shishi...you're bleeding." Hikari's eyes widened in horror as she registered the slowly spreading stain begin to colour the shoulder and upper arm of the bandit's shirt, but the girl shook her head impatiently, knocking her friend's concerned hands away.
"It's nothing. A scratch. It's fine." She said impatiently. "Stop worrying about me and worry about yourself...all right?"
"You should take that advice, musume." Kitora's voice echoed out from behind them and as one girl they turned, staring up at the mage in horror as she cast them an amused, wicked smile.
"Well, Suiko...it's almost like hunting rats after all." She murmured. "Aren't you going to play along?"
"And get my hands dirty?" Suiko glowered at her. "You've made that one all bloody, you idiot. Do you think I want to touch filthy Suzaku bandit blood? You do what you want. I'm not going to play with something that's damaged."
"Suit yourself." Kitora shrugged, reaching out to grasp Shishi by the arm.
"Well?" She purred. "Where's Doryoku now, then, little girl?"
"Right here." Shishi's eyes glittered with resolution, and a faint haze of silver touched her aura as she pulled herself free. "She's angry with you for hurting me, Kitora. You're not as smart as you think you are. Do-nee might have been as peaceful as the Meihi, when she was with them. But mages are changed by the blood they're connected to, aren't they? And she's hooked into my blood now - my spirit, and my attitude is kinda different from those peace lovin' hippy people from the north country. I'm a bandit an' I fight. So so will Doryoku. If I ask her to, she'll fight damn hard."
"You little..." Kitora's expression became one of annoyance and surprise. "Well, if that's how it is - so be it. She is still not risen. And she might be as strong as me, but your bleeding arm is proof you're not. If I impale you, even she can't save you - how do you feel about that?"
"Stop it!"
Before she knew what she was doing, Hikari had pushed between them, hot anger choking up inside of her as she reached out a hand to shove Kitora back. "Shishi's my friend, and you're not going to hurt her. She came here to help me, and I'm not going to see another person I care about killed by one of Byakko's people!"
Almost as soon as she had finished speaking, she felt something warm sear through her, reaching out to the tips of her fingers and her toes as she realised that the dormant spirit of Suzaku that slept within her heart had once more been awoken. She took a deep breath to steady herself as the feeling of power and strength threatened to intoxicate her senses completely, then she turned to meet Kitora's gaze head on, registering as she did so that the fear that had so paralysed her moments before was now nowhere in evidence.
"Jin died because I couldn't prevent it." She said in low tones, her voice shaking as she fought to restrain the bevy of emotions that welled up inside of her. "I cared about him, and I let him down. But I won't let anything happen to Shishi. Or to Kutou, either. I've come here to save people, not hurt them. And I'm not going to lay down and submit to you or your games that easily. Kikei is my enemy and so are you...so if that's the case, I'll fight you, and dammit, Kitora, I will win!"
"Hiki?!"
Shishi's eyes almost fell out of her head at this, and Hikari sent her a faint smile, although somehow the bandit seemed a long way away from the pulsing, dancing spirit that was flexing his phoenix wings across her senses.
"I'm Seiryuu no Miko and I'm Suzaku no Shinzahou." She whispered. "I'm not just some kid you can push around. So if you want to play with me, Kitora...let's play. I've had enough of people being hurt...if you want to tackle someone, I'm here."
"Shit, what's gotten into you!" Shishi demanded. "Are you crazy? You're talkin' like..."
She faltered, her eyes widening once more.
"Like Suzaku." She breathed.
Kitora's expression became dark, and she shrugged, letting out a bored sigh.
"Your existance is nothing more than a heartbeat compared to mine." She said coldly. "You know nothing about magic, this world, or even the spirit that seeks to manipulate you before me. You're a naive, silly idiot, and naive people deserve to die. Even if Kikei does want you, he'll have to peel you off this chamber first. You'll see what the power of Byakko really is, little girl...and then you'll wish you hadn't challenged Kitora!"
As she spoke, her eyes glowed with a strange gold light and her entire aura lit up with a white haze, her hair blowing out around her face in an invisible wind as she flexed her hands once more towards the splintered, battered remains of the wooden door. As she did so, Hikari tensed, feeling giddy and out of control as Suzaku's protective instinct continued to surge inside of her, wrapping itself firmly around her heart. She would not back down, she knew that - that no matter what the outcome, it was too late to turn and back away. And more, she realised, she didn't want to. Jin had not run away in Sairou, and Shishi had risked her life on more than one occasion to help her. Now it was her turn, and she would not let them down.
From her left side, she was aware of Shishi readying herself for battle, the glitter of silver making her blade shine with an unearthly glow, and she reached across to take the bandit's free hand in hers.
"Together." She whispered. "Shishi...together."
Shishi stared at her for a moment, then comprehension glittered in her eyes, and she nodded resolutely.
"Ready when you are." She agreed. "Whatever's goin' on inside of you, Hiki - give it all you got."
"Wretched brats." Kitora's eyes narrowed to mere slits as she spread her fingers, sending the barbs flying once more across the chamber. As Hikari struggled to focus her thoughts, she was aware of a silver barrier shooting up between them, and as the wood fell to the floor, she took a deep breath, steadying her wits.
"Thank you, Doryoku." She murmured. "You protect us, and I'll fight."
"That seems somehow messed up, but if that's how you want it, that's what we'll do." Shishi was the one who answered, but Hikari knew that the Genbu mage had also understood. "I hope you got some of Suzaku's fire-power in there, Hiki...because shit, we're goin' to need it. She's friggin' furious now...look at her."
Hikari's eyes darted back to the mage, realising Shishi was right. Kitora had drawn on the strength of the Shinzahou even further, absorbing all of Byakko's magic into her body as she prepared for the kill. She clasped Shishi's hand more tightly, closing her eyes as she reached out a tentative prayer to the God who lived inside of her.
"If you can hear me, Suzaku, help me do this." She begged. "I know you're there - I can feel you, pulsing against my skin. I know you want to protect me - and Shishi, too. You sent Jin to do that, didn't you? He protected me in Sairou, and Shishi in the circus town. So now...please...for Kutou's sake. Help me. I know I'm weak, but with your help, I can be strong."
As if somehow the Phoenix had heard her, Hikari was aware of a sudden flow of warmth engulfing her whole body, and she opened her eyes, registering the faint haze of crimson that had begun to spread out around her own body.
"I can feel it inside me." She whispered. "Suzaku. He's awake, and he wants to fight."
"But can a malformed piece of Suzaku's magic trapped inside a human child really fight the immortality of a divine mage of the west?" Kitora demanded tauntingly. "I doubt it. Your body is still fallible. And if you use all your magic to fight me, you useless fool, how will you raise Seiryuu and save Kutou? You humans really are stupid."
"We also manage, when we have to, with what we got." Shishi said stiffly, raising her sword as it once more glittered with silver light. "Okay, Hiki. Ready when you are. Let's do this."
Hikari hesitated, then nodded, holding up her free hand as she drew on as much of Suzaku's strength as she could muster. As it burned through her body, she gasped, struggling for breath as for the briefest of instants it felt like her whole form was being engulfed with flame. Then, as the haze of red energy began to entwine itself around Doryoku's reassuring silver beam, she gathered her wits once more, forcing herself to keep conscious.
"Even so, it's not enough." She realised anxiously. "Kitora's right. Shishi and me are just human. No matter how powerful Doryoku and Suzaku are, they have limits because of us. Doryoku said it as we came in. That we'd have access to her power, but it wouldn't be the same."
As their combined efforts clashed against Kitora's shimmering aura, the mage let out a cruel laugh, slowly shaking her head.
"That's the best you can manage?" She mocked. "Little girls, you should have known better than to challenge a mage of Byakko!"
"And you should have known better than to attack Seiryuu no Miko, Kitora!"
Before Hikari knew what was happening, another voice entered the debate, and the schoolgirl's eyes widened with surprise as she saw a flare of pure azure magic shoot out across the chamber, twisting and winding its way through the mix of Suzaku and Genbu magic as it drew them together into one powerful beam of light. As it did so, Hikari saw their own efforts steady and strengthen, battering against Kitora's shield with a fierce force and despite herself the mage buckled, stumbling backwards as the power of the magic drove directly through her defences.
"Suiko!" Shishi exclaimed, and out of the corner of her eye, Hikari registered the change in the petulant mage's demeanour, absently noting that the sulky expression had been replaced by one of resolve. She drew her hands together, strengthening her flare, and as she did so, Kitora let out a howl not unlike a kitten being strangled as her aura flickered and died, her body falling to the floor with an inelegant thump.
Slowly Suiko lowered her hands, nodding her head in satisfaction.
"That serves you right, dirty Byakko cat." She said, approval in her tones as she walked over to examine the still form of her fellow mage. "You know, I told you not to annoy me too much, didn't I?"
"Suiko." As Hikari felt Suzaku's spirit calm and fade from within her, she turned to cast the mage a stupefied look, struggling to understand what had happened. "But you...are you...going to...what...?"
"You're incoherent." Suiko turned to face them, eying Hikari pensively as she did so. "Well, I suppose if you're what Seiryuu sent, you'll have to do, won't you? Since there's no going back, and all of that."
"You mean...you weren't going to hurt us after all?"
Slowly Shishi sheathed her weapon, eying Suiko warily. "All those things you said...were a lie?"
Suiko shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm Seiryuu's servant. As you said." She said softly. "My existance only counts to serve his will and protect his land. Kutou is full of idiots. They do turn on each other and wound each other and it's frustrating, but it's Seiryuu's will that I help them, so I do."
She sighed, brushing imaginary specks of dust from her hands.
"Kitora's not dead. She can't be killed like you two can." She added. "She's a mage - her power is exhausted, but only for the time being. So if you're going to act, it's going to have to be soon."
"But...wait a minute." Hikari eyed her in confusion. "You're Seiryuu's mage...and you waited here...to help me?"
"Well, of course." Suiko said simply, offering the girl a coquettish smile. "You're Seiryuu no Miko. Who else would I help?"
"Shit." Shishi let out her breath in a rush. "Well...you damn well had me convinced."
"Kitora is stronger than I am. I can't fight her alone, because I wasn't properly raised." Suiko said bitterly. "The boy whose blood woke me...was not one of the Chosen. Kitora knows it - she was raised by dirty Byakko blood, but it was pure Seishi blood, and I can't fight that alone. But you came here...you and Doryoku...and so I waited. I thought...if you had power between you...I could make it count."
"You're smarter than Aoi thinks you are, you know." Hikari said ruefully, and Suiko snorted.
"His blood raised me, so if he thinks I'm an idiot, he must be one too." She said disparagingly. "Still, even so, I am here. And...Hyoushin...he made it to find you, after all? Him and his stupid soldier companion...found Seiryuu no Miko and brought her to Kutou?"
"Sort of." Hikari glanced at Shishi, then shrugged. "He is alive...at least, they both were this morning, when we parted ways. I don't...I don't know what's going on in the shrine right now. I just know they went there to distract Kikei and the Emperor while Shishi and I came here."
"Then you really don't have time to waste speaking to me about pointless things." Suiko said matter-of-factly. "You haven't exhausted all your strength, I hope? You'll need it, after all. My master is a strong God - maybe the strongest of them all in some ways. You can't be a feeble-hearted idiot if you're going to save Kutou."
Her gaze softened, and for a moment Hikari saw a fleeting resemblance between the apparition that stood before her and the soldier who had taken so many risks to protect her.
"Your heart isn't feeble." She added. "You defended your friend, and you showed resolve to save this land, too. You are the Miko Seiryuu chose...even if you are young, and even if he did send you to Kounan. You are the one that the East has been seeking...Sukunami Hikari, will you accept this duty and save Kutou?"
"I came here to do that." Hikari said softly. "It's scary, but I realised...right then, when Kitora attacked Shishi, that I wasn't here to just watch any more. All of this needs to stop - Kutou needs me to stop it. If I'm the only one who can do it, and if so many people have given so much for me to get here...of course I'll do it."
"Even though it's dangerous?"
"Even so." Hikari said resolutely. "I have to. If I don't, more people will suffer. And that will be my fault, because I didn't do anything to stop it."
Suiko's smile widened, and she reached up to brush Hikari's cheek.
"He loves you, I think." She reflected absently. "And you love him - the one whose blood woke me. Foolish human emotions...don't let them get in your way."
"I don't intend to." Hikari responded. "I know what I have to do. I just...I don't really know how to...do it."
"You need to re-seal Kitora and I back into our relics." Suiko told her simply. "Then the Shinzahou will be free once more for you to summon Seiryuu. Suzaku will guide you - he'll show you the way. But so long as Kitora and I are drawing on the treasures for strength, the summoning won't be possible."
"You're okay with that?" Shishi eyed the mage doubtfully, and Suiko shrugged.
"No matter what slurs that nasty cat cast against my name, I'm not human and I'm not concerned with life or death like you are." She said categorically. "I'm Seiryuu's mage. I will not die - and with you here, I no longer have a purpose to wait. You will fulfil Kutou's wishes, so therefore my job is done. I should return to my resting place until my master calls me again - after all, I am simply a relic of his magic. Nothing more. Kitora too...neither of us have any right to independant life beyond the will of the God we serve."
"Doryoku, do you feel that way too?" Shishi murmured, and the relic around her wrist glittered as the mage hazed into view. Slowly she nodded.
"My will is your will, now." She agreed. "Suiko is right. We are here to serve our Gods and protect our lands. That is what we are - that is why we require blood to quicken our spirits and give us some semblance of souls. Without that we are just splinters of magic - nothing more, and nothing less."
"So...next time Byakko calls...Kitora might not be...like this?" Hikari asked softly, and Suiko shook her head.
"She reflects that grubby assassin's black soul." She said frankly. "That's all. Which is why it's better that we're re-sealed. In these forms, we're tainted...that's all."
She frowned, eying Hikari for a moment.
"But Hyoushin...does live?" She asked softly, and Hikari nodded.
"He survived Miramu's attack." She agreed. "Why?"
"No reason." Suiko smiled, making a dismissive gesture. "And we're wasting time. Doryoku, help me confine Kitora's spirit before she wakes...I'll submit myself to my scale, but Kitora will fight if she regains strength."
"As you wish." Doryoku nodded her head, drawing her spectral hands towards Suiko's as they pooled their energy, bathing Kitora's still form in a mixture of silver and blue light. As Hikari and Shishi watched, the predator who moments before had sought to hunt them down disintegrated into brief sparks of white light that darted around the atmosphere for a moment before returning to their resting place within the gleaming white fang that Miramu had stolen from Sairou's cave. For a moment the fang glowed, then, as the light faded, Hikari saw a haze of magic glitter around Byakko's divine mirror.
"Byakko no Shinzahou." She murmured. "The barrier around it is gone...it's been restored."
"And now it's my turn." Suiko cast Doryoku a glance, tilting her head on one side. "You'll oversee her, won't you? This young, silly Miko who runs hot-headed to defend her friends...you'll make sure she does as she should and saves Kutou?"
"You have my word." Doryoku said solemnly. "All will be well, Seiryuu no Suiko. I promise."
"Then my job's done here." Suiko looked satisfied. "Seiryuu-sama will be pleased with me, I think. In the end, I managed to get Seiryuu no Miko to Kutou...even if it was hard work to get it done."
With that she offered Hikari a smile, spreading her hands out before her as her body glowed and fragmented into tiny pieces of azure light that, little by little encircled and then disappeared within the glimmering aura of the chamber's blue scale.
As the light faded, Hikari let out a heavy sigh, suddenly feeling deflated.
"It's sort of sad, that she had to do that." She murmured. "Aoi was wrong after all. Suiko was drawn from his blood, so of course she wouldn't betray me or Seiryuu. And she wasn't the petulant idiot he thought she was. Maybe it was an act - maybe it was just because she wasn't getting things done quickly enough. But I think...somehow...she orchestrated my coming here, don't you? Maichu and Hyoushin's coming to Kounan wasn't coincidental."
"I guess." Shishi pursed her lips. "Do-nee, is it all right now? Kitora and Suiko - they're re-sealed inside the relics?"
"I can no longer sense their living spirits - only their dormant forms." Doryoku agreed softly. "They are no longer drawing on the Shinzahou for power."
Shishi pursed her lips.
"Don't worry. I won't re-seal you like that." She promised. "I told you I wouldn't, and I meant it."
"Thank you, Shishi." A faint note of relief touched Doryoku's tones. "I...am not as brave as my sister mages, and I have lived too long around people. I do not like being alone."
"Even though she said she wasn't human, I think she did care about Hyoushin some." Hikari mused, walking across the chamber to where the three other Shinzahou stood. "And I guess I meant what I said to her, too. I won't let her or Kutou down. I don't think I'm afraid of this any more...I just...she said Suzaku would guide me. Doryoku-sama, will you help me, too? You must know something about this too - right?"
"Yes and no." Doryoku agreed. "But the thrust of it must come from you, Hikari. Your heart, your soul - your will to help the people here. This is the thing that matters most...your resolve to save Kutou. If you are truly decided to do that, then everything will come to you as it should. It's your strength that will raise this God - noone else can help."
"Right." Hikari pursed her lips, glancing at the glittering treasures as she positioned herself neatly in the middle of the triangle they formed. "If that's the case, then I guess it really is down to me to see how much I've learnt since I've been here, isn't it?"
"Are you sure...?" Shishi asked softly, and Hikari nodded.
"Yes." She agreed. "But promise you'll stay here with me, Shishi. Whatever happens - don't leave me. All right?"
"That's easy to promise." Shishi agreed. "I'm not plannin' on goin' anywhere, don't worry. We're a team, ain't we? I'm not gonna run out on you. Even if I can't help you raise Seiryuu - I can be here cheerin' you on."
"Then I guess that's all I need." A faint smile touched Hikari's lips and she took a deep breath into her lungs, closing her eyes as she steadied herself. As she did so, brief glimpses of the people she had come to care about flashed across her senses, and in her heart she felt her resolve tighten and grow.
"I can do this." She told herself firmly. "For Kutou - for Aoi and Maichu and Hyoushin and all the people here who've already suffered. For Kounan - Meikyo and Eiju, Chichiri and Aidou-san, Tasuki and Anzu-san and all the people on the mountain. For Shishi and Jin - for Jin who died to make sure I got to this point. For Sairou - for Myoume and her family, and the things she's suffered because of Byakko's calling. And for the Meihi in the North - the people in Hokkan who believe so strongly in peace. For all of them, I'm ready. I can do this. Suzaku, if you're there, tell me what to do. Suiko said you would - that I can draw on your strength. And this time...this time I feel it, resonating within me. So I'm here, and so are the other Shinzahou. It's time. Guide me, Suzaku...let me raise Seiryuu and save Kutou!"
"So, it was a bluff after all."
Kikei glanced from Aoiketsu to the crouched shadow of the assassin, a faintly amused smile touching his lips as he folded his arms across his chest. "Well, Miramu – it seems you've gotten the better of these fools from the South after all. It was careless to lose your dagger so easily – or did you just hope that by letting them so close to their target, you'd be able to pick them off more easily, one by one?"
"Miramu, please! Don't do this!" Myoume begged, darting across the chamber as she stood between her brother's direct line of aim and the still form of the Meihi who still lay unresponsive on the cold stone floor, Aoiketsu huddled beside him. "You've done enough – please, for Byakko's sake let it stop here!"
"Byakko's sake?" Miramu repeated, staring at his sister in incredulation. "Do you think that I'd ever do anything if it was for Byakko's sake, Myoume? Why would I want anything to do with that rabid, fur-spitting excuse for a deity? I told you ten years ago and I'll tell you again now – I have no use for the plans of an overgrown housecat. You won't appeal to me that way. My mind is made up and you cannot change it. No matter what."
His eyes narrowed, his expression hardening as he ran his finger along the edge of his bow.
"My mind is made up." He repeated. "There's no way back for me…what's done is done, and it can't be changed. And thanks to you and your visions…nor can what's to come. Can it, Toroki? You told me yourself that one day you and I would face each other and only one of us would live. I haven't forgotten that – have you?"
"No." Myoume faced him bravely, although her heart clenched in her chest as she gazed up at him. "But that's between you and me. It doesn't involve anyone else here. Lower your bow, Miramu. We'll settle our business between the two of us. It doesn't need to involve Kintsusei-sama or Hyoushin or anyone else. Enough people have already been hurt…and have already died. Please…let it end here and now."
Miramu's expression became unreadable, and Myoume saw his eyes flicker briefly in Aoiketsu's direction. Aoiketsu seemed to sense the gesture, for he glanced up, and Myoume was startled by the expression in the boy's gaze.
"Aoi…" She murmured. "Don't tell me…last night…it was…"
She faltered, biting her lip, as Kikei offered the assassin a smile.
"As it happens, Miramu, your timing is good." He said evenly. "This shrine is too crowded – and as a Priest of Seiryuu, it's unseemly for me to blood my hands too much. After all, I must yet find out where they have concealed Seiryuu no Miko – if her guardians are here, she must be somewhere nearby, and it is imperative now that we find her. Do not hesitate any longer. Arm your bow and deal with them…there is too much to do and they are in our way."
"Kikei!" Kintsusei's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! This is Seiryuu's shrine! Kikei, if you have business with me, then speak it – I will listen as your Emperor and I will try to answer whatever grievance it is you have. But I won't have more people killed! Toroki is right – enough! This country has suffered already – enough!"
Impatience flickered in Kikei's eyes, and he shook his head.
"As you were before, trusting and gullible, you might have still been useful to me." He said regretfully. "But if you think to placate me with such empty promises, I will have to remove you as well. Miramu, you understand my meaning, don't you? Arm your bow. You will be well paid, after all, for ridding me of such irritating enemies."
"You bastard, if you dare fire that thing at Kintsusei-sama…" Maichu began, but Miramu sat back, letting out a hollow, humourless laugh as he neatly notched his arrow against the string of his bow.
"You are not a match for me, Shi Maichu." He said softly. "Don't antagonise me. I am not interested in killing insects when I could be slaying deer."
"What the hell does that mean?" Aoiketsu demanded, a question in his eyes, and at that look, Miramu's eyes softened.
"I haven't forgotten." He said simply, lowering the bow against the wooden beam. "I'm sorry, Kikei. It's not in my brief to kill an Emperor. I'm not that showy an assassin – that kind of notoriety would be bad for my career."
"With the amount I'll pay you, you won't need to worry about a career." Kikei snapped. "That's an order, Miramu – or are you weak, after all? You failed to kill Hyoushin – and now, it seems, you're going to fail me again?"
"Hyoushin was unexpected." Miramu admitted. "The Meihi are an unpredictable, enigmatic race, after all. But you misunderstand me, Lord Priest. I hesitate because I want clarification. Your plan – your desire to snare the Miko and use her power – I want you to confirm to me here once more exactly what will happen if you succeed. If I obey you, I will incur the wrath of Celestial Warriors…are you quite sure you can take that matter in hand?"
"With the greatest of ease." Kikei snorted. "With the power of the Miko, I will snuff them all out like candle flames. Each of them."
He gestured in Myoume's direction, and despite herself, the prophet bristled at the dismissiveness of the action.
"Even that one, who threatens your life. As I told you before, Miramu, you should not underestimate me. There will be no Seishi to contest you – not when this is done."
Miramu's eyes darkened thoughtfully, and he slowly nodded his head.
"As I thought." He said quietly. "But you see, there's a flaw in your reasoning, Kikei-sama. One that I was hoping I wouldn't have to bring to the betting table – but you've made it unavoidable."
He reached up to his throat, hesitating for a moment, then loosing the leather thongs that held his thick, red-marked collar in place. Carefully he removed it, running his finger briefly over the character for shadow, then tossing it to the floor at the Priest's feet.
"Often have I referred to this – Nishi no Kage, as you called me, Kintsusei-sama." He murmured. "But even you did not realise the truth of what it concealed."
He ran his fingers across his skin, and as he did so, Kintsusei let out a gasp, his hand flying to his mouth. At first faint but becoming more vivid with each passing second, something white had began to glitter at the assassin's throat, and as it became clearer, the Emperor seemed to realise exactly what it was.
"A stellar mark!" He whispered. "A…sign of…Byakko?"
"You are indeed an educated man, Heika." Miramu agreed softly. "I've fought to hide it – I've run away from it for ten years. But this is my true self – the one which I have not revealed to you. This is the mark of Amefuri. I am Byakko's lackey after all – and today, for the first time, I intend to use that fact."
"Miramu?" Myoume stared at her brother uncertainly, and for the briefest of instants she had the impression of great sadness welling up inside of the young man's soul. Then it was gone, as his eyes once more hardened, turning his attention to those gathered below.
"If you erase the Celestial Warriors, Kikei, I won't be here to claim payment from you." He added quietly. "Nor will, it seems, anyone else."
"I don't believe it." Kikei gazed at him in disbelief. "You're…you can't be! Of all people…you…"
"I'm sorry to have deceived you." Miramu said lightly, in a tone that suggested he was far from sorry at all. "And I'm sorrier still that our partnership has to fall to pieces in this way. But you see, even though I don't care all that much about my own life, your plan is at odds with me in one way and one way only. If you erase the Seishi of this world, you'll snuff every Celestial star from existence. Amefuri can die. I don't care about him. But there is one star that must remain in the sky over Sairou. I won't let you hurt Toroki, Kikei. I won't let you hurt my sister."
"On…iichan?" Myoume's eyes almost fell out of her head at this, and Miramu turned, offering her a faint, regretful smile.
"This is all I can do, after all." He said softly. "Kikei can do as he likes to me, to this world, to the Emperor – to anyone. I don't care about any of it. But I won't let him hurt you, imouto-chan. I promised myself that a long time ago and it's the one thing I won't turn away from."
"Your sister?" Kikei looked incredulous. "You mean...that witch..."
"Is my half sister. Geiyo Myoume." Miramu nodded his head. "You should have done your research a little better, Lord Priest...such an oversight is unforgivable. Even Hyoushin managed to reason that out without help from anyone else - yet you remained in the dark? Disappointing, isn't it, to be so narrow in your understanding of the stellar souls? But then, I suppose, you never did have much interest in the four Gods, did you?"
"Seiryuu is the God I serve. Not your tiger." Kikei's expression darkened. "Amefuri or not, I won't allow insubordination. You have had my protection for long enough - without it, do you think you can escape justice for all the crimes you have committed?"
"Probably not." Miramu said carelessly. "Which means that my coming here has only one purpose. I can't obey your orders, Kikei, if those orders involve harming Myoume. So instead I'll obey someone else's orders. How about Nakago's orders – does that seem more appropriate?"
He sent Aoiketsu a teasing glance.
"Or at least, his representative." He amended. "Well? What about it, Aoi-kun? What would you have me do, in order to keep our pact and protect those we both wish to keep alive?"
Aoiketsu hesitated for a moment, even as Maichu sent him an incredulous look. Then his eyes narrowed.
"What you told me last night you intended to do." He said quietly, a flicker of darkness in his blue eyes. "If you don't, Maichu or I will – but we had an arrangement and I'll keep it, too. Act as you promised, Miramu. End this. Now."
"Aye aye, Shougun-sama." Miramu winked, although there was a bitter kind of humour in his gesture, and again Myoume felt a flicker of her brother's pain stirring deep within his heart. With a deft sweep of his arm, he flicked his bow to face the other direction, pointing it directly towards the startled, discomfited priest.
"All the magic you can muster is nothing against one of Byakko's people." He said conversationally. "I'm sorry, Kikei. It didn't work out, this time. Perhaps in the next life-time – if you have one to come."
Before anyone could react, he had released his bolt, and, frozen to the spot, Myoume and her companions could only stare as the arrow hissed through the air, piercing the Priest through the throat and sending him stumbling backwards. He clutched at the barb, blood dribbling from his lips as he coughed and choked on this sudden brutal invasion of his airway, and Miramu sat back, resting his bow against the wood once more.
"This poison acts more quickly than the gendoku-ja venom I used on Hyoushin." He said gravely. "I did not want to make a mistake this time. You shouldn't fight it, Kikei. In a few seconds, you'll no longer care about anything at all."
Kikei glared up at him, gasping for air as he sent a look of pure anger and hatred in the assassin's direction. Then his black eyes glazed over, rolling back into his head as he fell to the floor, a slick pool of blood beginning to spread out around him on the shrine floor. For a moment or two, the corpse twitched as the poison ran its course through the man's elderly, substantial frame. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, it was over, and Kikei moved no more.
"Shi-i-i-it." Maichu murmured, his face pale as he turned to stare at Miramu uncertainly. "Aoi, did you really make a deal with the devil last night?"
"And why didn't you tell me that you had?" Myoume demanded. "Aoi-kun…"
"It was too dangerous." Aoiketsu said softly. "Especially…if he'd betrayed us, I would've had to have acted. I didn't want anyone else to trust him – in case he couldn't be trusted."
"Cold words, Aoi-kun – if sensible ones." Miramu reflected. "Apologies for the mess, Kintsusei-heika – but I'm sure that he'll make a nice plump head to display on the wall of your palace, once you've cleaned him up a bit. And if ever a man deserved to be there, Kikei did – I can confirm that he was the one who sent me to kill Hyoushin – and he was the one who stole your seal and forged the letter claiming the Meihi's dismissal. He orchestrated all of it – in the end, he's no loss to your court."
"Kikei." Kintsusei stumbled forward, bending beside the cooling body as he reached down to touch the man's shoulder tentatively. "But after so long…I don't understand…"
"Kikei was a Hin who wanted political power but couldn't get it." Miramu leapt neatly down from his perch. "Your laws in this land are screwed up – this is the end result. All that bitterness…"
He shook his head ruefully.
"Of all people, it makes sense to me why he did what he did. And if he hadn't threatened Myoume, I would easily have followed him to the end."
"But I don't…why would you…" Myoume murmured, and Miramu turned, glancing at her as his gaze softened. He bowed his head towards her, then, with one sweeping gesture he loosened his quiver from his shoulder, dropping it and then his bow to the ground with a clatter.
"Well?" He said softly, raising his indigo eyes to meet his sister's identical ones. "Here I am, Myoume. It's time."
"Time...?" Myoume stared, and a wry, humourless smile touched Miramu's lips.
"Have you truly forgotten what you told me ten years ago?" He asked softly. Myoume's face whitened, and slowly she shook her head. Miramu held out his hands.
"Well, then." He said evenly. "Today is that day, isn't it? I can see it in your eyes - you know it as well as I do. The final time we will meet like this. I've dropped my arms, little sister. Do what you must to make your vision come true."
"Oniichan..." Myoume's eyes glittered with tears and she shook her head. "Don't be stupid! I'm not going to kill you!"
"You were the one who told me that only one of us would walk away from this confrontation." Miramu said in low tones. "Don't you know that I've avoided contact with you for so long for that very reason? You can see when things happen, and plot their course. You know better than me that time has run out for one of us. But I told you ten years ago that I would never take your life. No matter what else I did, or who else I slew - I would never, ever hurt you. That's the only reason I turned on Kikei – the only reason I came here today and bartered with Seiryuu's boy soldier to bring him down. I've given myself up to you...considering what I've done, you know my life is forfeit more than yours is."
"Miramu..." Myoume swallowed hard, and her companion grabbed her roughly by the wrist, pulling off her glove and forcing her fingers against his skin. As he did so, a rush of images flooded the prophet's mind and she shook her head, struggling to pull her grasp away. He held her firm, however, fixing her with an intense, resolute stare.
"Understand what I am asking you to do." He whispered. "Please, little sister. I don't want to hurt you - I would never deliberately hurt you. And the longer you hesitate, the greater the risk that something I do will wind up causing you harm. So long as I live, your life is in danger. And you have something to live for...don't you? Or have you given up on finding your man of peace...?"
At this Myoume's eyes widened, and she stared up at him in dismay, tears coursing her cheeks. Slowly she shook her head, finally pulling herself free.
"No." She admitted. "But Oniichan...don't you understand, either? I can't make you see my thoughts...or my feelings...I wish I could. I wish I knew how to do that, when you've always locked me out of your mind!"
She bit her lip, then darted forwards, flinging her arms around him as she buried her head in his shoulder, shaking with the force of her tears.
"No matter what you've done, I still love you." She whispered, her voice catching in her throat and dimly she was aware of him stroking her hair as if attempting to calm her sobs. "No matter what you say, or whether...whether that's how you feel. I can't do it, Oniichan. I can't kill you. I love you too much...Just as you can't kill me, I...I can't kill you."
"My life is forfeit to the crown of Kutou and the crown of Kounan both." Miramu said evenly. "And I no longer have that sly Priest to cover my tracks and protect me from their justice. I have committed crimes in every territory, and today I've done so in a place of prayer, in front of Imperial witnesses."
"But Kikei was a traitor – you saved the Emperor's life!"
"But before that, I attempted to slay his bodyguard and closest friend, too." Miramu's expression became one of irony as his gaze flitted to Hyoushin's unconscious form, still tended as it was by Aoiketsu. "I cannot guarantee his life, little sister…or return the life of the friend I stole from you. But I can atone for them with my death, at the very least."
"But Miramu…"
There is no way back for me - we both know it. Myoume..."
"I…I know." Myoume clung to him, shaking her head. "But even so...even so...I...can't!"
Miramu sighed, and Myoume was aware of the pounding of his heart against his ribs as she held on to him.
"Then there's only one other thing to do." He reflected sadly. "Little sister, forgive me."
Myoume tensed, bracing herself as she waited for her brother to act, but instead of feeling the prick of a hidden blade against her skin, she was aware of Miramu's sudden intake of breath, and then the sound of something dropping to the floor. Startled, she glanced up at him, and he gazed down at her, a faint smile touching his lips.
"I thought you might feel that way...or I suppose a part of me secretly hoped you would." He murmured. "But I meant what I said, little sister. I love you too much to let you continue to live under the shadow of your own prophesy. If one of us is to die, let it be me."
"Miramu...?" With a jolt, Myoume registered the clouding in his eyes, and the sudden increase in his heart-rate and fright flooded her expression as she held him at arm's length, noticing for the first time the reddish tint of blood across her brother's arm. She gazed at the tiny wound in horror for a moment, then down at the floor where whatever Miramu had dropped still lay discarded. A distinctively styled metal arrow-tip lay on the stone slabs, identical in design to the one which had driven the poison deep into Hyoushin's body and she cursed, grabbing her brother's arms more tightly as she gave him a little shake.
"What did you do?" She whispered. "Miramu...what did you do?!"
"The only thing that I could." Miramu's voice had already become fainter, and as his legs buckled beneath him, Myoume sank to the ground, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks as she supported her brother in her arms. "Don't cry so much, Myoume...you've seen how I feel. You know that I'm tired...I'm fed up with living this life. I was never...able to be...Amefuri. I was never as strong as you were...I couldn't embrace Byakko's calling and I've paid the price. That's all. But if I can let you live...if I can do that...at least I'll have done one thing...worth-while."
His brow creased as a faint shudder ran through his body, and Myoume gripped him more tightly to her, shaking her head.
"Oniichan..." She murmured. "I don't want you to die...I don't care what you've done - don't you realise that your death would hurt me too?"
"Yes." Miramu admitted, reaching up a shaking finger to brush the tears from her lashes. "But you...will understand...when the pain fades. I am not scared of my death, I never have been. I've brought darkness to many people, but I've never been able to find it for myself. I've often envied the people I've killed for the oblivion I've given them, but I knew that, because of your vision, I was still compelled to live through that pain and keep going. Keep existing, until this day came to pass. There's been only one thing I was scared of - being the cause of your death. And I'd made up my mind that, when this day did come, it wouldn't be you who Byakko's judgement would fall on. I want you to have your life, and meet your man of peace, my sister. I want you to live the life you've earned. For that I'll give mine...and hope Byakko forgives me for...for...not...protecting...either of his treasures. His Shi...n...za...hou...and...y...you."
He closed his eyes, pain crossing his expression as his skin became greyish and Myoume bit her lip.
"I love you so much." She whispered. "And I always hoped one day I'd have you back, Oniichan. That one day you'd fight your demons and win."
"I'm sorry to have failed so badly." Miramu opened his eyes at this, offering her a rueful smile. "I don't seem to be very good at this brother thing."
"Miramu." Myoume scolded. "Don't joke! Please, tell me what the poison is. Tell me...let me...let me stop this! Hyoushin's fought his for three, no, four days and he's not dead. There must be..."
"Myoume." Miramu's finger shifted to her lips, and he shook his head. "It's too late. I came here prepared...I came to kill Kikei and then myself, if you wouldn't do it f...for me. This is how it is meant to be. Your own sight predicted it - that only one of us will walk away from this. I will have...my peace, at last. And you...you...your life. Imouto-chan...what else should a brother do, than give his life for his little sister?"
Myoume bent her head to kiss her brother on the forehead, stroking his wisps of dark hair out of his eyes as another shudder ran through him, and he let out a faint murmur as the poison took hold of his body more strongly.
"I won't ever forget." She whispered. "Toroki and Amefuri were born for a reason, Miramu...a reason beyond Byakko's task. I do believe that. And even if you've hurt a lot of people, in the end, I was glad...to have my brother again. Even for just a second...that you would defend me..."
She faltered, swallowing hard as her emotions overwhelmed her, and Miramu nodded his head slightly, a look of faint contentment flickering in his normally clouded indigo eyes.
"So long as you remember, I'll stay with you." He spoke softly, almost too quietly for her to hear. "I love you, Myoume. Live your life well, for the both of us. I know you will...I know you'll make your final vision come true. He's waiting for you still, you know...your...man...of...peace."
With that his eyelids fluttered closed for the last time and as he became limp against her body, Myoume was aware of the faltering and then the silence of Miramu's heart. She closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks and onto her brother's still form as her emotions overwhelmed her.
"Goodbye, Oniichan." She murmured, slipping her hand into his and squeezing his lifeless fingers tightly between her own. "I won't forget. I'll never forget...what you did for me. Sleep safely...one day, Toroki and Amefuri will meet again, my brother...and I know you'll be waiting for me...when that time comes."
"Myoume?"
A soft voice from behind her made her turn, meeting Aoiketsu's concerned expression, and as he held out his hands to her, she allowed him to lift her gently to her feet.
"He took his own life, so he wouldn't take mine." She choked out. "Aoi, I really did lose my brother this time...just when I finally got him back again!"
Aoiketsu sighed, hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I know you wanted to reach him. I didn't know that he'd intended that - only that he would kill Kikei, and that he didn't want harm to come to you. When he said that, I thought...I knew he was sincere. And so I trusted him. He did say that he didn't expect to live till dawn - but I thought he was simply misled - that he believed he could make you kill him. I didn't know he'd planned...to do this. If I had, I would have tried to prevent it."
"He wanted to die." Myoume cast a glance back at the still body lying on the ground, aware for the first time of the look of quiet contentment on her brother's face. "There was so much pain inside of him and he couldn't conquer it. In the end...he couldn't see any other thing to do...I have to understand, Aoi, and I have to let...let him go, even though it hurts. But that he did it...for me..."
She swallowed again.
"It makes it hard, but at least I know he still loved me." She said quietly. "As much as I did him."
Before Aoiketsu could respond, there was a tremendous rumble, as the building shook violently from side to side, and as a crack appeared in the furthest wall, Maichu's eyes opened wide with disbelief.
"Is that…" He whispered, and Myoume swallowed her tears, turning to gaze in the direction of the dust-covered, crumbling rear wall. Slowly she nodded her head.
"Hikari." She murmured. "Which means…it's time…Seiryuu…"
"Seiryuu?" Kintsusei echoed, and Aoiketsu nodded.
"Seiryuu no Miko was with us all along." He admitted.
The Emperor's eyes widened.
"With you?" He repeated. "The girl...is here?"
"Right now, if everything's going according to plan, she's in the vault below drawing on the Shinzahou to summon Seiryuu." Myoume agreed softly. "That was the plan. We came here to keep Kikei occupied - to defeat him, if we at all could."
"And protect you, Heika." Maichu said grimly. "From that fat, lying bastard who's been messing with Kutou for far too long."
"Seiryuu no Miko." Kintsusei whispered. "At last...for Kutou..."
He turned, and Myoume realised that the cracks in the shrine wall were spreading.
"It's not going to be safe here much longer." She said quietly. "We should move back and hope for the best. If Hikari's calling on the divine, this whole shrine might come tumbling down - we're better staying back until we know precisely what's going on."
"What about Hyoushin-sama?" Aoiketsu demanded. "He's still alive - he's breathing, but I can't raise him. Kikei sent him flying - he's knocked clean out."
"It's too late to do anything either way." Maichu shook his head as another tremor rocked the shrine. "Whatever's happenin', I think it's about to happen now."
"No kidding." Aoiketsu acknowledged. "I guess...we just have to believe in Hikari and hope for the best. After all...if she's managed…somehow…I have faith in her."
A look of resolution crossed his face, and he nodded.
" It'll be all right now, I know it will." He said firmly. "Somehow Hikari will raise him. Somehow she'll save Kutou. I know she will!"