Chapter 34

I suddenly felt a hand shaking me gently and when I opened my eyes, Hotohori was right over me with a slight frown. Placing a hand on his face, I asked him with worry, "What's wrong? Something's not right."

"I lost my celestial warrior power," Hotohori told me quietly. "Tasuki and Tamahome came running in here not too long ago and woke me up, asking me to see if I could use my power. I tried over and over, but I can't. My power just won't work. I'm just a regular human being. I'm no longer a warrior. Suzaku has been sealed away, Ichimutsu."

When Hotohori looked away from me, as though he was ashamed, I forced him to come closer to me and kissed him gently on his lips. After a few minutes, I broke the kiss to take a breath as I whispered, "I still love you no matter what. Careless of whether you have your celestial warrior powers or not, you're still you. The man I fell in love with."

Hotohori smiled warmly down at me and we were silent for awhile as Hotohori slowly started to get closer to me. As Hotohori ran one of his hands over my body, he said, "I just realized. If Suzaku is sealed away and we Suzaku celestial warriors are just normal humans, then that means you're no longer a Priestess yourself."

I just lay there, taking it in of the thought that I wasn't a Priestss any longer. All this time, I knew that summoning Suzaku was one thing that I've been looking forward to ever since accepting the fact that I had taken on the roll of being a Priestess in exchange of having Mitsuru be set free. But now that I was no longer a Priestess seemed all strange to me. Soon, I cleared my head and got up a little to kiss him, I half closed my eyes as I whispered, "Hotohori, since it's already getting extremely late by the looks of outside from the view through the window, is it alright if I stayed with you tonight? In your room?"

Hotohori nodded as he told me with a gentle smile, "Of course." Holding me tight and close to his body as we got into his bed together, he whispered, "Ichimutsu, after the war's over, I want us to get married."

As I hugged him back tightly, I closed my eyes as I put ear against his chest. Nodding, I whispered, "Then let's, Hotohori. I want to be with you forever."

"But after we get married, will we be living in your world or mine?" Hotohori suddenly asked with slight worry.

After a moment's thought, I replied, "I don't know, Hotohori. But if we somehow end up being in my world, shouldn't we find a new person to replace you as the emperor, Hotohori? I mean, not that I wouldn't mind staying in this world with you, but hypothetically speaking."

Hotohori quickly took off his shirt and put it around me to keep me warmer before holding me tightly once more. He told me assuringly, "Don't worry about that, Ichimutsu. I'll figure something out incase that happens."

Closing my eyes as they slowly got heavier, I pushed away Hotohori slightly before started to take off my dress slightly. When I had most of the dress off, I felt Hotohori's hands slide around my bare waist, and it wasn't long before I felt his bare body against mine. My body slightly stiffened, but as I relaxed, I smiled and buried my face into his bare chest, saying, "Promise to never let me go."

"You have my word for it," Hotohori whispered.

It must've been hours that had passed, asleep in Hotohori's arms, when I heard Hotohori's voice say with panic, "Ichimutsu!" When I quickly shot up, Hotohori told me, "We have to go onto the battle field now! Qu-Dong started their attack not too long ago!"

Even though it was his room, Hotohori quickly got out to give me privacy in order for me to put my dress back on before going off to find spare clothes to change into. I looked around Hotohori's room wildly and when I saw several armors that belonged to him, I muttered, "Sorry, Hotohori, but I'll be going in with armors on instead and fighting heads on just to talk to Akiko." I quickly changed into one of Hotohori's armor and looked around the hall to make sure no one was around before hurrying outside. On the way, I quickly grabbed a sword and an archery set, and sheathed the sword and threw the bag of arrows over my shoulders. Putting on the helmet, I ran outside and, at the sight of Tamahome, Tasuki, Mitsukake and Chichiri, I asked, "You guys ready to go into the battle field?"

They all seemed surprised as Tamahome asked me, "Are you sure you want to go out to the field and fight?"

"You guys have been putting your lives at risk for me all this time, haven't you?" I asked in exchange. "Nuriko and Chiriko may not be here any longer, but I at least need to do something to show my appreciation in one way or another. Even if it means that I die with you guys out on that field. Any way, I wouldn't be surprised if Sakura comes out to fight in this war, which is another good reason for me to go out there. If he dies, then I get into huge trouble if I somehow end up in my own world."

I heard Sakura's voice say from behind in surprised tone, "I didn't expect you to come out, Ichimutsu! I thought you'd stay here at the palace!"

"And get into trouble from dad if you end up dying?" I laughed as I turned to face Sakura. "Don't think I'll take the blame for your death in this world, Sakura! You still haven't said your last farewells to him!"

"Neither have you!" Sakura shot back at me with a smile. He suddenly frowned as he stared at me. Soon, he asked, "Does Hotohori even know you took that armor?"

Shaking my head, I told him, "Which is why I snuck out here before he caught me in the armor. Don't need to be held back in this war."

Sakura quickly took out a skateboard as he snorted, "At least I had my skateboard on me when I got dragged into this world. As well as escaped with it from Seiryu country when you came to save my neck." Handing it over to me, he said, "You'll need it more than me if you need to escape, even though horses are faster. But still, better than nothing." When I was about to argue, Sakura cried out, "I know! I know! You don't know how to ride a skateboard! Just think of it as riding a snowboard! Except instead of on snow, you have wheels on the board! It's kind of like not knowing how to ice-skate but knowing how to roller-skate."

Sighing, I murmured, "Whatever." Shaking my head, I told Sakura, "Keep your skateboard. I'm going to stay on the field until this entire mess is over. And if Hotohori dies out there, I'm dying with him by his side. You hear, Sakura Kanjiro Hasakuwa?" As I started to nock an arrow on the bow, I told Sakura, "You have a better chance getting away with dad than I do, any way. I was raised to protect you and him, as well as to defend myself if necessary. And, Sakura, I know I promised you that I'd teach you martial arts, but if I end up dying here and you go back to our world, go straight to my sensei and ask him to start teaching you in my place. He'll be disappointed that I won't show up any more, but at least he'll have another Hasakuwa to teach and try to pass as his top student. Well, at least second top, considering that I've kept the record for a few years now."

Sakura looked between annoyed and worried, but after thinking about it, he said, "Fine. But if I do end up getting into trouble from dad, I swear to god I'll kill you in the next life time."

Suddenly, I heard Hotohori's voice ask me from behind, "Why aren't you out on the field? Did you not get orders from the generals to go out to fight the Seiryu country?"

"Do I get to shoot them with the arrows instead of fighting with sword, then?" I asked sheepishly as I turned to face Hotohori, who, then I realized, arrived on a horse while wearing one of his armors. When Hotohori seemed surprised, I quickly said, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking straight when I took one of your armors." Looking down at the bow and the arrow in place, I added, "And I was never told how to get the arrow out after I nock it, so no point in trying to figure out at this point except by shooting it."

Offering me a hand to get me onto the horse with him, Hotohori quickly said, "It's okay about taking my armor. I don't mind if it's you."

I stared at his hand before turning to Sakura, saying, "Sakura, on the second thought, using a skateboard during a war doesn't sound like a bad idea. I mean, I am the snowboarder from the family." Smirking, Sakura handed his skateboard over to me as I quickly said, "Let's go, guys. Don't have any more time to waste." I quickly got on the skateboard, and we all quickly started heading out onto the field.

While going out onto the field, Tamahome quickly asked, "What about the Seiryu warriors? We're the only ones who have experiences with them!"

Sakura and I started to make trumpet noises before we both cried out with huge grin on our faces, "Charge at 'em!"

Sakura started to sprint as I started to go faster on the skateboard. The others tried to keep up, screaming, "Wait for us!"

"What's the plan, Hawk?" I asked Sakura jokingly. "I'll start off in the adventure section, and you start off in the romance section!" Through the corner of my eyes, I saw Akiko and I quickly stumbled off of the skateboard.

Hotohori halted on his horse right next to me and got off. Holding my hand, he asked, "Something wrong?"

I didn't reply as Akiko's eyes met mine. Sakura had stopped sprinting as well as he looked up to where Akiko was and I slowly aimed the arrow that I had already nocked right at her before aiming it towards Nakago, who wasn't far away from her, to shoot at him. Just as Nakago dodged the attack, I saw Akiko saying something to Nakago. Nakago nodded at something that Akiko said, and Akiko cried out, "Kaijin!" Only after a few moments, brilliant white lights started to form around me, Sakura and Akiko.

Sakura cried out with a panic, "Ichimutsu! It's the light! The light's back! We're going back to our own world!"

I quickly turned to look at Hotohori as I screamed with horror, "Hotohori! I don't want to be away from you! You promised you'd never let me go!" The last thing I remember was Hotohori quickly grabbing me tightly around me shoulders just as everything around me started to vanish.

Twilight Dark Angel: and thank you for the review! Glad your friends like the story as well.