DISCLAIMER: Not mine not mine not mine not you say it three times fast ^_^

AUTHOR'S NOTES: ~whistles~ Wow, looks like my little "I hate war" thing got a lot of attention. CLAMP, I think that was the longest rant I've ever seen! ^_^ Hmm, okay, not the longest, but definitely one of 'em. I'm not exactly a pascifist - hey, someone who punches her father, even just in play, cannot be considered a pascifist. I'll help out my friends if there's ever a fight (which, fortunately, hasn't happened to my group), and I'll wanna get revenge on people who hurt them. But war is senseless and stupid. I can support it if it's something like "oppressed people fight to break out from under a tyrant's thumb," but how often do you see those outside of fantasy books? Or at least ones that don't go wrong.

And about the Karasuki side story I said I'd get out with the last chapter... two words: writer's block. I'm kinda attached to Karasuki and want to tell her story well, and most of what has come out of my mind just doesn't seem to fit exactly. I recently found my feet again with her though, so hopefully it'll be done soon. It'll probably be posted in place of a real chapter update because I'm running out of pre-written chapters and seem to be stuck for time to write more. School's also getting in for me tomorrow, so... ~sighs~ Time will be scarce for awhile. If regular updates stop happening, please don't think it's because I don't want to update! I do! I just have some problems with time management (not unlike a certain White Stones author...)

Damodar, you're the only one who thought that. I kinda feel I owe a little explanation now. (BTW, Damodar asked if Subaru was pregnant.) The answer is: when I wrote it, yes. Now, no. So no. I decided to do something else and not have to have her worry about a baby just yet. And one less plot element for me to forget.

Sano-kun too asked some good questions. Question 1: what about the unseen-in-the-anime seishi? Well, I know what's gonna happen. I'm gonna leave you all in suspense. You awoke no morbid thoughts Sano-kun because I've been thinking about this since Toroki showed up way back at the end of chapter 5, so get that laughing gas outta here! Question 2: yes, Yujiro has the same last name as the 'boshi twins. I'll leave others to determine the relationship, although I know what I think ^_~

I forgot this last time! I ALWAYS ALWAYS forget! Natsuki-chan, thank you! ~glomps~ You were my 200th reviewer! Wow, 200, I'm getting up there... I honestly never thought this one would hit 50, I love all you guys so much!



*************************************************************************************




"When is this going to end?" I muttered as I stacked piles of clean bandages, almost eight weeks after everything had begun. It had been yet another tiring day. So many hurt, so many dead… We were doomed.

I had used my powers so much and I was so tired that my eyes seemed to be crossing on their own. I had to work to make myself see straight, and it was almost more trouble than it was worth. All around me people were packing up, leaving off for the day as the fighting stopped. The only reason for that was because no one could see straight after night set in. Otherwise I was fairly sure both sides would have gone away battering each other till the end of time. Which would have meant more work which would mean less sleep which would mean feeling even more tired… I winced as I realized just what I was thinking. Stupid stupid stupid… they didn't ask for this. I couldn't go blaming the regular soldiers for all my problems. And I had volunteered. And I couldn't back out now because that would mean not only going back on my word, but also perpetually feeling disgusted with myself. I sighed; it had been a long day.

"Subaru?" Dr. Yamura appeared next to my shoulder, a stack of baskets perched between his hands and his chin, which he was using to steady his exorbitantly tall pile. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, not bothering to hide the fatigue in my voice. After two months, and all his care with Suzuno before that, this man knew me too well to let me get away with questions about my health. "Just tired. I think I'll go straight to sleep when I get back tonight."

He gave me such a knowing look, regardless of him being at least three decades my senior, that I flushed furiously. Yes, gossip about the seishi was strong all right… "You do that. No staying up late tonight."

I didn't know a person could get so red. "Yes sir."

He turned to walk off, but suddenly stopped and turned back to me, eyes narrowed at me studiously. "Put those down," he said, easily commanding as he placed his own load on the ground, heedless of the dozen or so baskets that fell off as he did. I obeyed his instructions, placing the last of the bandages on top of the haphazard pile. "Come over here." I did, and he placed a hand on my forehead, frowning. "Huh… Open your mouth." I did so, and he peered down my throat. Then he insisted on looking at my ears. I was just getting to the point where I was fed up enough to flounce off when he gripped my shoulders and made me face him. "You have a fever."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. As your doctor and your semi-employer I order you to spend a day away from this place. I'll check on you tomorrow evening and see if you can come back."

"But… But all the men-"

He silenced me with a look. "I understand," he said quietly. "You want to help. That's a very good thought."

"Some of them will die without me," I protested weakly.

He nodded gravely. "Yes, in all likelihood. But you've already saved more than half the doctors here put together. You've worked yourself to the bone for this and we all thank you very much. You haven't been getting enough sleep. Overwork and overtiredness are the perfect conditions to make even the most healthy sick."

"But I can't just not come."

"If you do, I'll throw you out." The doctor was being perfectly serious. "You're no good to us sick. Think of it this way: if you come, you'll definitely spread the illness. Most of the men still here probably couldn't live through that. So you really will be saving their lives."

"But-"

"Suzuno!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the building. Many voices took up the call and it reverberated through the air, going much faster than a messenger on foot. Everyone was very used to this method of fetching someone; it was very efficient and saved a lot of valuable time.

And soon, just as was expected, the girl came running up, having traced the call back to its source. "What is it Dr. Yamura?" she asked, slightly breathlessly.

"I want you to take your friend Subaru here and put her to bed immediately. She's sick." I began to protest again, but he silenced me with another look. "Don't listen to a thing she says about feeling all right. She doesn't, as she'll soon realize."

"What?! Suba-chan, you're sick?!" Immediately Suzuno was by my side, pressing her hand to my forehead, checking my eyes.

"No I'm not!"

"Yes she is."

"No!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

He groaned and pushed me at Suzuno, who had the foresight to catch me, but barely, before I fell to the floor. "Put her to bed. She'll really be feeling it in the morning. And don't let her stay up for ANY reason!"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




Despite what Suzuno had once said about me being "the strongest freaking woman she knew" she definitely had the upper hand over me on the way back to the palace. She insisted on holding onto my shoulders and guiding me, as if I was in danger of walking into the buildings. I managed to shake her off about halfway there, but she still stuck close to me and glared daggers at anyone who tried to come within three feet of us. She was scary.

"Suzu-chan, I think you're overdoing it just a tad…"

"No! You're sick! I'm taking care of you!"

I groaned.

The guards at the gate jumped aside at her glare and let us through without asking how the fighting had gone that day like they usually did. It had gotten increasingly hard for me to put one foot in front of the other on the uphill climb to the palace, and when we got to the outer wall I was truthfully very glad to see it. My thoughts were focused solely on the nice, warm bed I could sink down on in a minute, getting some sleep… That was paradise.

"All right Suba-chan, here we are." I hadn't even noticed Suzuno was steering me in the direction of the room Tokaki and I shared until we were at the door. "Are you awake enough to change your clothing?"

I dragged myself out of my stupor and nodded fairly intelligently, keeping myself firmly in the here and now as I crossed my room and pulled out my sleeping clothes - which was still the shirt Tokaki had given me that awful night. I shut the drawer after I changed and braced myself against it, wondering why I suddenly felt dizzy. "All right, you can come in Suzuno, I know you're eavesdropping."

She entered, shutting the door with a sheepish smile on her face. "That's not fair." Then she took in my clothing and raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged, pretending I didn't notice my blush. "It's comfortable."

"Did you ever give that back?"

"No."

"Thought so. In bed." She walked over to the bed and heaved on the blankets, dragging them back so I could climb in. I did so, then lay back, thanking Byakko for pillows, and pulled the blankets up to my chin. "Now the next day or so isn't going to be pleasant, Suba-chan. I can't stay here, but I'll ask Inoue to keep an eye on you, all right?"

"Mm-hmm," I replied, already half-asleep. "'rigato, Suzu-chan."

"I'll send someone in to check on you, all right?"

But I didn't hear her. I was already fast asleep.

Falling asleep didn't necessarily mean my sleep was peaceful. My sleep was the type induced by sickness, fevered and light and restless. Pictures flashed before my eyes, dreams I didn't remember once they passed. The only thing I remembered was flames, and heat, and their constant presence.

It had only been an hour when someone lightly shook me awake. I dragged open my tired eyelids, absently realizing that most of the blankets were twisted around my body like a cocoon, and gradually a familiar face swam into view.

"How're you doing?" Tokaki asked softly, sitting on the edge of my bed and taking my hand. "Suzuno said you were sick."

"Yeah, unfortunately." My voice was slightly raspy. "Do you think I could have some water?"

He quickly got me a glass and resumed his place as I drank, stroking my free hand with his. "How do you feel?"

"Honestly?" I smiled a little. "Horrible. But I think it'll pass in a day or so. No, I know it'll pass in a day or so, because I'll go mad otherwise."

He smiled lightly. "Same as ever, I see."

"I try. How was it today?"

A shadow passed over his face, but he didn't look away. "Same as always."

Not good. That was his new phrase for "It's going horribly, I wish I didn't have to be out there but I do because I might save some of our guys' lives but I don't wanna take any lives either". It was the same thing he'd said to me nearly every night for a month and a half. "You deserve a break. You all do."

"We can't just all leave. We're a major reason why this city hasn't been overrun yet." He sighed and dug his free hand into his hair, making new furrows with his fingers. "We've gotta stay out there."

"You don't defend anything," I said, muffling a yawn. I was going to pass out again any minute now. "You've gotta be able to take one day off. I know the emperor won't mind, he says we're doing too much already."

"I'll think about it." He gave me a slight frown; apparently I hadn't covered up my yawn as well as I thought I had. "You're falling asleep, so before you do, move over. I need to rest."

"But wait, you'll get sick too," I protested, once again my words not making any difference whatsoever to the person I was speaking to.

"I'm not leaving you. Ever." He grinned. "Even if I have to tie myself to you. Now, over please."

I smiled again and untwisted the blankets from my body, scooting over from the center until I was on the side closest to the wall. He didn't get in bed so much as he fell on it, still in his day clothing, and pulled the blankets over both of us. But he was alert enough to pull me to him, so my head was more or less laying on his chest, and kiss me on top of the head.

We were both asleep before we knew it. And for some reason, with him there I didn't toss or turn restlessly as I did on my own, and bad dreams were banished from my mind.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




When I woke up in the morning the first thing that I noticed was I could think a little quicker. The second thing was that it was well into morning, much later than the time we normally rose. The third was that Tokaki was still there, his arms still around me, breathing deeply in a sound sleep.

He shouldn't have been there. The lack of nearby noise seemed to indicate that everyone else had gone where they were supposed to go, and most likely awhile ago if I had slept as late as I thought I had. Maybe he had taken my advice and actually taken a day off.

I sat up (slowly, as I was still tangled with Tokaki) when my ears picked up the faint sounds of someone humming a soft tune. Sure enough, Inoue was there, patching someone's skirt and humming in her throat as she used her mouth to hold one edge of the fabric, drawing it taut with her hand, incredibly focused on her task.

"Inoue," I lilted, smiling.

She gave a squeak of surprise that made the cloth drop out of her teeth and crumple in her lap, turning to the door. When she saw no one there she turned back, puzzled, and I could see her expression lighten in relief as she spotted me. "Oh, Subaru-sama, it's just you."

"Enough with the 'sama' stuff already, I'm no lady and you've known me for months." I lay down again, simply not having the energy to hold myself up. Tokaki's sleeping body took a firmer hold on me. Even unconscious he couldn't change… "Where is everyone else?"

"Out where they always are, Subaru-sa… Subaru," she added sheepishly. "They left awhile ago. When Tokaki-sam- Tokaki didn't join them as usual, they peeked in and then left."

"No, they looked in, debated about waking him up, and then you kicked the lot of 'em out."

"Something like that."

I glanced at his face, seeing how peaceful and untroubled it was, and knew we'd done the right thing. "Thanks. He needs a day off."

"You of all people would know that- Oh!"

I looked over Tokaki to see Inoue standing stock still, her sewing crumpled at her feet, white as paint, and trembling. "Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! Oh, Subaru-sama, forgive me, I didn't mean to speak so rudely of-"

"Ne!" I raised my voice as loud as it would go, which wasn't very loud, but she stopped talking immediately. "It's all right! I promise you, it's all right!"

She didn't move.

I sighed. "Look, I don't care if you say those things. You're a friend, and if Toroki and Karasuki and your brother can say those types of things every day, then you can say it at least once."

"But… But it was so rude-"

"Oh, come off it." I smiled at her as well as I could. "You yourself've heard Toroki give us worse. I think he actually kinda likes it." I indicated Tokaki as I spoke. "So don't worry. And drop the 'sama' already, none of us are even close to nobility, royalty, great riches, fantastic learning, or any of that."

"Are you sure…?"

"Positive."

"All right, I'll… I'll try." She smiled waveringly at me, and I returned her smile with one of my own.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




Tokaki woke not long after that, and after he changed clothes he literally picked me up, ignoring my complete truths about how having a fever didn't paralyze you, and carried me to sit on a bench in the winter garden. It was nice to be outside and actually be able to look at things, as we'd been unable to for weeks. Our world had changed so fast, our objectives had been diverted for a long time. Our lives hadn't exactly been restful while we were only searching for the seishi (faaaaaaaaaaaaaar from it…), but now we were constantly irked and annoyed by this cloud of worry and despair that was barely touching us, but still affecting us. Even the horrible time after we'd just gotten back from the border fort seemed preferable to now, with its death and destruction and noise hovering over us…

We couldn't even escape it in the muted green beauty around us, my head pillowed comfortably on Tokaki's shoulder, his arms loose around my neck. We could, very distantly and faintly, still hear the massive cacophony caused by hundreds or thousands of men clashing only a few miles away. The noise was helped by the brisk breeze that had sprung up some time during the night, carrying it easily over the buildings and to our ears.

"Suba-chan…" Tokaki suddenly said softly. "I… I have something I think you… you should hear."

I barely had the energy to turn to face him, but I did, inquisitive. What was he thinking? "What is it?"

"He… he's here."

I felt a pit open in the bottom of my stomach, my temporary peace and restfulness being sucked down into it, leaving worry and apprehension. "Wh…Which… he?"

"He. Him. The commander. Taheiji."

"Oh Byakko…"

"I've seen him a couple of times, but I haven't been able to get close enough to do anything to him." His worried, concerned look was abruptly replaced by one of vengeful anger. "And when I do get him he better pray hard and fast to Seiryu. No one treats you that way and gets away with it." He held me to him possessively, as if to protect me from some unknown force there in the garden. "No one."

"But… why?"

"Well, one would assume to command the soldiers." Normally my Tokaki would have turned that phrase into a lighthearted tease, but this topic was too horrible for joking. "It seems like he's doing that, at least. But he's no fool; he's got a very wide circle of protection. Nothing can get close, not even me." His mouth twisted in an ironic smile. "Much as I hate to do it, I have to hand it to him - he compensated for what he assumed to be seishi powers. Just our luck that he got mine right."

"Yeah…" The noise from the battlefield seemed to build in my ears, slowly blocking out all sound of Tokaki's voice, and then mutating gradually into the rhythmic stamp of booted feet on stone, with one discordant pair stumbling among them, that one pair of steps nowhere near as heavy. And then came the slamming of doors, curiously metallic-sounding doors, and the feel of rope fibers on my wrists, and a peculiar dusty smell on the air, and I couldn't hear anything but that malicious laughter-

"Subaru!"

My eyes started functioning once more and I found myself sitting on the ground, ten feet from the bench we had been perched on, trying to pull myself backwards with my arms - arms I held behind me in an unusual position, as if they were joined at the wrists and I couldn't separate them… And there was Tokaki, kneeling in front of me, his hands and arms reaching for me but his face plainly saying he was afraid - yes, afraid - to touch me. As if him touching me would make me explode…

"Subaru…" he rasped, and I could barely see the queer shine in his eyes, and the way his outstretched hands trembled. He was trying not to cry, oh Byakko, I was scaring him, it was happening again… "Subaru, come back to me, please."

I slowly sat up straight, my eyes wide, my breathing spasmodic at best: sometimes loud, sometimes nonexistent, at a different pace every second. Tokaki still watched me entreatingly, pleading…

I had thought I was better. I had thought I was healed. And I was, sort of, just not quite in the way I'd assumed. Even though my bad reactions to physical contact had gone, even though I'd discovered love, I would still react to the thought of that man. I just wasn't free yet. I couldn't be free until he had no chance to come into my life again.

I needed help.

"Tokaki… I'm sorry… I'm sorry for being so weak…" I let my body cave in on itself, curling up into a ball right in the middle of the path and holding my fingers to my eyes to stop the tears. I might be weak, but I wouldn't show it if I could help it. Unfortunately, there was little I could do to help it.

"No, Suba-chan, no, you're not weak. Not at all." His comforting presence was next to me in a second, his arms once again pulling me to him as he stroked my hair and kissed me lightly on the forehead. "I know so many people who would crack forever under all you've been through. You've done so well holding up under it all. Don't ever say you're weak, you're one of the strongest people I know."

"But I keep acting like this, how can that-"

"Suba-chan, you're expecting a miracle. And while we're blessed, we're not that blessed." He looked me in the eye seriously, easily holding my attention. "You'll do the best you can, just as you have been. And your best is good enough for me."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




The morning wore my tired, sick body out enough to put me nearly in a coma once we got back to our room. I started falling asleep right there in the middle of all that muted greenery, and my wonderful Tokaki had simply taken me back and put me in bed, not asking any questions and not trying to be overly sympathetic. It was amazing how he always seemed to know just what I wanted and needed, even if he was sometimes a little too interested in his own… interests.

I slept the rest of the morning, straight through lunch, and most of the afternoon, even though Inoue came back at one point and had a long conversation with Tokaki. I caught them at it when I woke up slowly again, sometime near dinnertime, and the time when everyone else usually started trickling back in. When she realized I was awake, Inoue quickly excused herself to go fetch us dinner - looking rather more tense than usual.

"Tokaki?" I called, and he immediately appeared by the bed, sitting down next to me and taking my hand again. "What's wrong with Inoue?"

"I don't know."

It was incredibly obvious he wasn't telling the truth; I had become very good at reading him, and the lie was stamped all over his face. But if he was lying, he had a good reason. Neither of us could stand lying to the other, so he must have promised he wouldn't tell. I decided to drop it for now and bring it up with Inoue later; she would most likely tell me, if she'd told Tokaki.

"Are you feeling better?" He set his other hand on my forehead, feeling for my temperature. "You don't seem as hot - you're probably over the worst of it now."

I smiled; he sounded like a little boy begging for something he wanted. "What, are you a better doctor than Dr. Yamura now?"

He grinned guiltily, shaking his head. "No, but can't a guy have wishful thinking every once in awhile?"

"Sure, every once in awhile."

We talked easily and quietly for a few more minutes, simply enjoying being with each other, and when Inoue came back we insisted she stay with us as we ate (plain soup and rice for me, a more normal meal for Tokaki). She did, fidgeting more than normal, but both Tokaki and I discreetly ignored her nervousness. She excused herself as fast as she could when we were finished, whisking our plates and things away with her.

Even after the morning exertions I had gotten enough sleep to stay awake after dinner, feeling a lot more normal than I had all day. Tokaki decided to take my mind off things, and he began telling me stories of all the trouble he'd gotten into as a little boy. I laughed at one unlucky circumstance after another, but silently filed these tales away in my memory: they'd be good blackmail for later.

"…And then Kaa-san came out and caught me and him throwing those nuts at the old miser, and she dunked us both in the dishwater repeatedly."

I leaned back against the headboard, laughing so hard I could barely sit up straight. I had already passed the out-loud stage of laughter, and was now reduced to so little breath I barely made any sound at all. "Oh… Byakko…" I gasped between laughing fits and trying to draw air. "You… were such… a troublemaker…!" A new laughing fit claimed me, and I doubled over again, clutching at my aching torso muscles.

He was laughing as well, though not as hard, and he helped me to sit up again. "Yeah, I was. And so were all my friends. The things we got into… and you haven't heard the worst, oh, ninety percent of what we did. We enjoyed it, even though we knew we'd get killed later." He grinned at me again, he face closing in to hover barely inches from mine. "But you know what?"

I smiled back, teasingly. I had a pretty fair guess at what was coming. "What?"

"I like this even more." He swiftly closed the rest of the distance between us and kissed me hard.

I'd been right. It was rarely anything else with him, but I didn't mind at all. I loved him; I could put up with his overactive sex drive. It was kinda fun in a way, and I knew he'd never force me to do anything. I was perfectly willing to kiss him back, laughing a bit against his lips as his hands came up to hold my face and my arms went around his neck. He was hopeless, but it didn't matter. Hell, it didn't matter that I was sick. We loved each other.

We lay down again, still joined at the lips, although I could feel the excitement and anticipation mounting in the room and knew we wouldn't stay that way for long, and my hands began removing his shirt. He obligingly flung it away when it was most of the way off and his own hands began working at my sash around my waist, and we both sat up as we kissed to pull the sash off and leave my shirt hanging open-

SLAM. "SUBARU! TOKAKI!"

Tokaki started so violently he fell off the bed, but the figure in the door took no notice of this little fact, and no notice of the fact that I was now furiously trying to cover myself up again.

"I FIGURED IT OUT!" Toroki did no less but dance joyfully into the room, somehow managing not to fall over anything (including Tokaki, who was still trying to get his composure back). "I figured it out! I know how we're screwing up!"

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU KNOCK FIRST?!?!?!?!" Tokaki roared, giving up any hope of calming down and springing up to yell in Toroki's face. Toroki yelped at the sudden force that was blasting his way and fell backwards onto the bed, landing on my feet. "YOU DAMN IDIOT!!!"

"What, did I interrupt something?"

"DID YOU INTERRUPT SOMETHING?!?! YOU SHOULD ASK, MISTER I-CAN-SENSE-EVERY-FUCKING-THING-THAT'S-GOING-ON! OW!" Tokaki finally shut up as I flung one of my discarded slippers at him, pegging him square in the face. Well, sort of shut up. "DAMNIT WOMAN, THAT HURT!"

"Good. Now shut up yourself! What did you figure out, Toroki?"

"You know, it's a good thing it was me that walked in and not anyone else, or they'd have been scarred for life." He grinned impishly at the wall and quickly continued before I could bean him with the other slipper. "I figured out what I was doing wrong to find Amefuri and I know how to fix it!"

"If it's just you then why're you prancing into other people's rooms and hollering your lungs out?" Tokaki asked bitterly, rubbing his nose.

"Because it's going to involve everyone, you no-brain. Listen, remember when we had the map with everyone's locations? Well," he went on, not waiting for an answer, "we only had three left. And then we found Kokie and Karasuki, eliminating two of the locations in the process. The only one left was the one in the east, which is where I've been looking."

"We know all this, what's the point?" I asked crossly. Normally I loved Toroki like a brother, but I could feel a headache coming on. And I couldn't stand up to get a sash again with him sitting (even if it was unintentionally) on my legs.

"That's precisely it. I was looking in the east. Which was really stupid, because guess who's in the east of Sairou right now."

"Oh, the Four Gods themselves." Tokaki didn't bother to hide the sarcasm.

"No, dolt. The Kutou army. And guess who's getting out of the east as fast as possible, and as soon as possible as well."

"Our refugees…" My mind caught up to the words right after I spoke them, and my eyes widened. "Do you mean…?"

He nodded in my vague direction. "Exactly. If Amefuri was smart, he or she got out of there immediately when there was an opening. Probably before the army got to the capital here. And I didn't start searching until after they arrived and messed up all my senses. So the place we should look now-"

"-is in the west!" I groaned and shook my head, amazed at all our stupidity. It should have been so evident. We should have realized it in our first week. We all would have done the same thing, especially if we had others depending on us. We were stupid, stupid, stupid stupid stupid.

Apparently Tokaki thought so as well, because he was smacking himself repeatedly in the forehead and groaning something that didn't sound very happy under his breath. Toroki just nodded as the two of us berated ourselves. "Exactly. We just need to head west, which should be considerably easier than heading east, and then I can search again and when I locate Amefuri, we can find him or her."

"Let's do it." I nodded firmly in agreement with Tokaki's decision.

At that moment Dr. Yamura appeared in the open doorway, one eyebrow raised at the scene of muted chaos in the room: Toroki was still sprawled over the lower half of the bed (as well as the lower half of my body), Tokaki was standing next to him without a shirt and pounding his own head, and I was sitting straight up and clutching my shirt closed. He gave me a gently admonishing look, which I blushed faintly at, but entered the room without a comment. "Before anyone does anything, I am going to check on my patient." He stepped over Tokaki's shirt and a chair that had gotten knocked over sometime during Tokaki's blow up and stopped next to the bed, helping Toroki up and studying me with narrowed, curious eyes. He put a hand to my forehead, made me open my mouth so he could look at my throat, and held back my hair to peer at my ears, all just as he had done the night before. Tokaki hovered next to him anxiously, his half-clothed state making him not in the least uncomfortable, just watching the examination and waiting for the judgement call. Toroki simply stayed out of the way, waiting calmly for the doctor to speak.

After one or two double-checks he told me to lie down, which I did as he turned to face Tokaki. "Don't worry, Tokaki-san, she'll be fine. She's over the worst."

Tokaki let out a sigh of relief that was nearly as strong as a gale-force wind and made me roll my eyes. A fever couldn't kill me, much as he seemed to disbelieve that. Then again, I suppose if our situations had been reversed I would have done the same thing. "Arigato. I'm incredibly grateful to you."

"While she doesn't seem to have gotten as much rest as I would have liked her to-" this time his recriminating glance was directed at both me and Tokaki "-it doesn't seem to have hurt her any. She's going to have to take it easy one more day, but she can do what she likes after that."

"Thank you doctor," Toroki said gratefully but calmly. "That's perfect."

"Just don't get sick again Subaru, I doubt your… friends will be pleased." I could swear the doctor was hiding a grin as he bowed and left us three seishi by ourselves.

"So, who wants to fetch the others so we can have a strategy council?"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




There was a moment of silence after Toroki finished explaining his reasoning for the second time that night, then Karasuki voiced all our thoughts. "We have been the idiots."

"No kidding," Kokie said. "Toroki, are you sure this will work?"

Toroki shrugged, his shoulders jogging up and down in that brief gesture. "It has a chance. And it's a better chance than what we've got here."

"I think we should try it," Suzuno spoke up. "It's a sound plan, and if it fails we won't be any worse off than we were before. Let's go west."

"I know a way we could save time," Tokaki spoke up from his place next to me (both of us being fully clothed again). "If everyone agrees we should do this, of course. It might sound crazy, but I think it'll work."

"What's your plan?" Tatara asked, studying his fellow seishi closely.

"Something like this. It'll take awhile to ride any distance west, and then there's the time where we're just sitting there, waiting for Toroki to get a vision or whatever. So why not make it all one time? We could find a base while the others ride, and hopefully know about where Amefuri is by the time they get there."

Karasuki tilted her head at him inquisitively. "I do not understand what you mean."

Tokaki sighed and shook his head, probably trying to find the correct phrasing to make only one explanation necessary. "If we did both at the same time, it would make this entire thing shorter. How about if we all pick a city or town out west as the central point of our search, and I could take Toroki straight there while everyone else rides over. That way he could use the time to concentrate on finding Amefuri, and we could shave two or three days off this operation, meaning we could get back and call Byakko sooner than we would otherwise."

"I like it!" Suzuno jumped excitedly to her feet, jabbing a fist into the air. "All right, we have our plan, let's get packing!"

"Ah… hold on, Suzuno," Kokie said. "First we need to know where we're going. That's slightly important."

"Eh-heh… right." Suzuno sat back down, a sheepish grin on her face.

Tatara smiled lovingly at her before turning back to the rest of the room. "Anyone have any suggestions as to where?"

Ever since I'd understood Tokaki's plan I'd been debating with myself about whether to volunteer. On one hand it could be a disaster, on the other it could be the best move we'd make… The two sides battled, but eventually the "go ahead and do it" side won. No one would care. Hopefully…

"I think I know a place…"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




"Now remember, behave," I ordered Tokaki as we prepared to make the transfer a day and a half after the meeting. "I don't want to scandalize them. Trust me, I'm already scandal material enough."

He grinned and tapped me on the nose, a teasing gesture. "Haven't I already promised to be the model of perfect behavior? Don't you trust me?"

"Not in this case I don't." I grinned at his mock-enraged expression, spinning on my heel and calmly walking over to put a hand on Toroki's shoulder. "Are you ready?"

He nodded, patting my hand with his. "I'm fine, don't worry. It should all go well, so don't worry about that either."

I checked the small bundles each of us held - which were basically nothing more than clothing for two days, the others would be bringing the rest of our things and our horses with them so as not to tire Tokaki more than necessary. It was ridiculous to worry about packing when the method of transportation was teleporting, but it was an ingrained habit I just couldn't get rid of. Once I was satisfied nothing would fall out I nodded, and Tokaki slid an arm around my waist and put his other hand on Toroki's shoulder. "Ready?" We both nodded and he shut his eyes, concentrating, the symbol glowing bright on his cheek. It was almost as if you could see the mental process it took to teleport if you stared at his face, and it fascinated me.

The palace veranda faded to gray around us, then was slowly replaced again by sun-washed stone and wood as the porch appeared around us, piece by piece. With one final small jolt everything snapped into place, forming a comforting picture I knew by heart.

I glanced quickly at Tokaki to make sure he was all right, and gratefully saw that he only looked slightly out of breath and maybe a little pale. He nodded at me and hung his head for a minute, and when he straightened the color had returned to his face. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

I nodded and disentangled myself from he and Toroki, stepping up to the door and opening it slowly, sticking my head in to look around. "Dou-san? Kaa-san? Masame?" I called, hoping at least one of them would respond.



*************************************************************************************




AUTHOR'S NOTES II: See, I have decided to be nice! Sort of. Amefuri's coming, Amefuri's coming! Hold your horses!

I couldn't check for typos quite as much as I wanted to, so if you see one then email me at Kazeko_sama@yahoo.com to tell me about it ^_^ It's all right if you do, I wanna make these things good! Just copy-paste the sentence the typo's in into the e-mail and I'll make sure to fix it.

If ya wanna read something really pointless, go take a look at my journal. Like I said, pointless, kinda short, not updated frequently. I'm lookin' for a coupla friends to link my LJ to; if you wanna do it leave a comment somewhere and I'll see if the server'll let me link ya.