A/N: Before you ask, we're a long way from home. This story will not be finished for a long time. I'm quite surprised that it made it this far. I thought I would have given up on it a long time ago, but appears that I'm now on my second wind. I have a pretty good of what I want to happen. I've been planning it out in my head for a while. Hopefully this will turn out as I am envisioning.

At this point, I've also come to realise that I have a shit load of characters (some of which are original). If anyone feels lost, let me know and I will upload a listing of all my characters. I won't reveal how some characters are connected to others because that will just spoil the story.

Also, a note about possible pairings, you will be happy to know that I will not pair Miaka with anyone who she doesn't belong with. At this point, I kind of regret killing Terry. He would have been good for this, but alas, he's dead. I will also admit at this time, I hate Taka. I will not be keeping Miaka and Taka together. Keisuke and Michiko is a possible pair. As for others, I can't say yet.

Now you may return to your regular programming.


Chapter 43

Nowadays moon day suffers
Today I rise without reason
Today I rise and I do not see
That way any solution…

(Día Luna...Día Pena, Clandestino, Manu Chao)

The overwhelming repugnant smell of burning rubber wafted through the air. The car finally came to a stop, but it couldn't be described as a text book example of how to stop a car. Rather it was an example of how not to park. Several people had dodged out of the way of the oncoming vehicle when it was about to come to a stop at the school. Tetsuya brought his car to a screeching halt, narrowly missing taking out a sign post when he finally hit the brakes. Behind the car there were two pair of tire markings leading to where he had parked the car hastily.

Miaka was already undoing her seat belt before Tetsuya even began to bring the vehicle to a less-than-graceful stop. The car had only stopped when her door flew open. In her haste, she didn't remember to close the door behind. Instead, she ran straight for the building where the room was. There was an entrance near the room, which made it easier to get to.

"Miaka-chan, wait!" Tetsuya called after her, only to climb over to the passenger side and exist that door, shutting it behind him. He clutched his keys in his hand. He pressed the alarm on the key chain while he ran in the same direction she did.

He cursed as she ran into a horde of students running in the opposite direction. He hated moving against a large crowd, especially when it was obvious that there was pandemonium afoot. He quickly lost Miaka who proved herself to be adept at weaselling her way through thick crowds of panic-struck people. He knew he would just have to get there eventually, even if the trek there was wrought with obstacles.

Miaka pushed through the crowd. It was no different than when she had to find Yui over two years ago. In fact, it brought back the same feelings of intense urgency to get to the source. She pushed through, elbowing her way through the large crowd of fleeing students. Luckily it didn't take too long to get through. Once she managed to get through, she found some security guards near the premises preventing people from getting any closer. As before, she ignored them and ran ahead. If the police couldn't stop her then, cops for rent couldn't either.

She stopped in her tracks suddenly staring at the scene in front of her. The wall was completely blown off. There was debris everywhere. She couldn't tell what had happened but she could see Keisuke taking Michiko into his arms and a man who looked like the twins standing near the pair. As she drew closer, she realised that it was the room that sustained significant damage. There were books and pages everywhere.

She walked slowly, stopping next to Keisuke. She eyed him concernedly. "Oniichan... what happened?"

Keisuke, still stroking Michiko's hair glanced up, meeting his sister's gaze. "I was attacked in the room. I didn't get hurt. I managed to hide under the table."

Miaka could see the dust on his face and the few scratches he did; some of which were mainly on his arms. The scratches were nothing worth being concerned over. If any were bleeding it was not noteworthy. Her gaze shifted to Michiko, who was holding onto Keisuke.

"Is she ok?" Miaka inquired, her voice laced with worry.

Kieran picked the book off the ground. He was holding it at the moment and his lack of Kanji knowledge as well as knowledge of the language kept him unable to understand the meaning of the text. He simply knew that the book was important and that if it wound up in the hands of Tenkou it would spell disaster.

Keisuke shrugged. "I don't know what happened... she picked up the book and broke down."

Tapping Miaka on the shoulder, Kieran wordlessly handed her the book.

He hadn't understood what she had said before and simply addressed her in English. "You're the Priestess of Suzaku." It wasn't a question, but rather an affirmation of facts.

She nodded, accepting the book, unaware that at this moment someone was watching this handover and was displeased to see the text being handed over to anyone but his master. She gladly accepted the text book, never noticing that she was being closely observed.

"Yes I am." She bowed, removing the book from his hands. "I'm Yuuki Miaka."

"I remember completely." Kieran smiled knowingly at her and winked.

She briefly remembered seeing him but hadn't made the complete connection between the first meeting and this one. She hadn't paid much attention, as she had kept the bulk of her attention on Taka, much to the ire of those around her. She didn't remember seeing him in his alternative form and subsequently had no idea why he knew who she was without her saying anything.

He stepped back, giving the observer an unobstructed view of the person holding the book.

With a single purpose in mind, a red light flashed from where he lay.

Out of the corner of her eye, Michiko noticed. She could see it unfolding in slow motion. She pushed off Keisuke, turning to push Miaka out of the way. Her hand was outstretched but her reflexes were too slow. She could see the ball of chi incoming, and wondered if she would be even able to deflect it away from Miaka in time. She was close, she knew it, but it wasn't enough...

At the same moment, Kieran too noticed and sprung into action. He assumed one of his more threatening forms, the form of a white tiger. Instinct drove him to pick it in this situation. His eyes moved between where Miaka stood, unknowing of the danger flying her way and the source. Out of the corner of his golden eyes he could see Michiko moving to get Miaka out of the way of imminent danger.

Again, the reaction was all but too late as Miaka was struck in the stomach by a large swath of turbo light. She hadn't seen it. She had been oblivious to the light that twinkled briefly before it was fired off The impact knocked her to the ground. Her grip on the book was loosened and it fell from her hands as she fall back, lying curled in a ball on the ground, groaning in pain.

Keisuke moved next to his sister, holding her closely; protectively. He couldn't do much other than let the two Seishi who were present do their bit. He trusted Michiko to stave off the attack; the other, he wasn't sure what would happen. In fact, Keisuke was sceptical as he kept only seeing Kieran as a little lap cat; as Tama. Cute, furry and utterly worthless in combat. After all, what could a little cat do?

Those thoughts were quickly taken back when a low, feral growl emitted from the tiger. It moved protectively in front of Miaka and using a massive paw, swatted the book away from Miaka and then picked it up in its teeth and stared straight at the source that fired the ball of chi, challenging it. The tiger moved away, circling as it kept its eyes on the prize.

The tiger was on Michiko's side. That much was evident, but just what would it be able to do? She had never worked with something that changed forms. She had worked previously with Ashitare but it could only be considered a beast with some man-like qualities. She was entirely unsure as to the extent of his powers. He was clear though that he was well in control of those powers.

After a minute, she realised the tiger was wilfully engaging Taka in combat; taunting him, attempting to provoke the short-tempered young man. The tiger appeared to be skilled at getting Taka to fire a shot then dodging to the side, hunkering to the ground or leaping over it. Every dodge was skilful. Each time it landed, it again looked at Taka and its eyes taunted him; the tiger knew it could get away.

It took another minute to realise that the tiger was attempting to learn the movements of Taka because seconds later, it threw the book into the air and was engulfed in a streak of white light. When the light dissipated, in the place of the animal stood the doppelganger of Taka. Well, as much as it could be considered under the circumstances.

In place of the symbol of 'oni', was nothing. There was a white light glowing on his ear; the character for 'rain net'.

The book began to drop from the sky.

Taka noticed. He glanced up then at his doppelganger then back at the sky. Then back at his doppelganger.

Shadow Taka clenched his fists and smirked. He raised a hand, indicating for Taka to attack, if he was a man. He circled as the other did.

At that moment, Taka ran, and grabbed the book. His doppelganger leapt into action and caught Taka off-guard with a faked left and a right hook to the jaw. Taka stumbled from the impact, dropping the book between them. He briefly lost interest in the text. He wasn't about to be insulted by this mirror image of himself.

"Shit!" Michiko cursed under her breath.

How was she supposed to tell them apart? Better yet, how was she supposed to deal with those course of action? She had fought alongside, Tomo before, but at least he had been moderately predictable. For one, he never took on the appearance of the enemy; Kieran did.

Out of their collective line of sight, Tetsuya appeared. He moved next to Keisuke and Miaka; quietly asking what was happening. He wasn't able to do much either except just watch.

Her eyes darted between the two. Kieran had indeed tapped into the essence of Taka's inert power. Neither was the underdog and neither had the upper hand. They were strategically matched. She wondered just what Kieran hoped to achieve through such an unconventional tactic.

After a moment she realised he was hoping to distract Taka into thinking that this fight would be a series of synchronous movements. In fact, Kieran seemed intent on letting Taka think there would be an opening.

Then unexpectedly, Kieran did a back flip, throwing Taka's attack sequence off.

Noting the move immediately, Michiko warmed up her attack and fired a shot in. It hit Taka's shoulder, enough to get his attention, but not enough to do significant damage. She cursed under her breath. She wanted to hurt him so badly for what he had done. He would pay for his sins.

Taka could have attacked further, but he deduced quickly that at this point he was outnumbered and if he wanted to get his hands on the book for his master, he would have to find a new way of getting it. He would have to attack at a later date when there wasn't someone around who was an incredible mimic.

He knew he didn't stand a chance; not with this new opponent at hand. He couldn't deal with someone who was a mimic and knew how to shape-shift at will. He never got used to Tomo's under-handed fighting style. He could deal with the magic slingers and the weapon wielders. Those with unique powers that messed with his head were another story entirely.

He stepped back and disappeared.

Sighing in relief, Kieran relaxed his chi. He dropped to his knees, clearly out of breath. Michiko could tell instantly that while Kieran could maintain his form during combat, it hurt his chi and reduced his defences when he finally tuned out.

He glanced at her and smiled weakly. "At least it didn't kill me. I can mimic weaker Seishi but if I try and mimic someone as strong as me or stronger and I stay in form too long..." He trailed off and shrugged.

She slipped an arm around him and helped him to his feet as he used his empty hand to pick up the book.

"Are you all right?"

"I just need to rest. I'm usually fine if I don't use my chi when I take on the form of another." He smiled at her and dryly added. "I've been through worse."

She helped him over to where Keisuke was holding Miaka; Tetsuya was next to them.

"Is she going to be ok?" Kieran asked, looking to Tetsuya and Keisuke for answers.

Tetsuya stood up and shifted some of Kieran's weight off Michiko. He sighed. "She's a fighter, though she's unconscious right now. Hopefully didn't see who attacked her."

"That's for the best." Kieran replied sadly.

Keisuke picked his sister up and turned to the other three. He knew Kieran wouldn't answer, but he only needed Michiko and Tetsuya to understand. "We should go. I don't know what's going to happen, but frankly, this isn't going to be good."

Before Michiko and Tetsuya could make him walk forward, Kieran slipped out of their grip, taking on the form of Tama. He glanced up at the two with weary, golden eyes. He imploringly stared up and mewed plaintively, pawing at Tetsuya's foot. He wanted to be carried. Bending over, Tetsuya picked up the cat that had been pawing his foot and let it ride on his shoulder, while Michiko picked up the book that had been left on the ground after Kieran shifted forms and became Tama.

She admittedly felt strange when she held the book. She knew her old world was within the pages of this text. She would get used to the idea, but it still felt strange. She didn't know if she could ever get used to the idea.

Elsewhere...

The result had been bad. Despite Katsui's best efforts and the intervention by Ariboshi, Meike had been thrown into the prison of the Kosei palace. That wasn't the worst part. She was stripped of any chance of possibly being named the Miko despite the pleas of Katsui, who knew in his heart that this girl was indeed the Miko. Even then, that wasn't the worse part. It kept getting worse. She had what little possessions from her world stripped from her before she was thrown in the cell. All she had were the clothes she wore.

Albeit, it wasn't the worse of it; the worst part was the kangaroo court that saw her arbitrarily sentenced. The 'prosecution' had been the captain of the guard, who seemed to have it in for her and was more than happy to tell the emperor what he wanted to hear, and not the facts.

So, here she was now. Behind bars and not a hope in hell.

She sighed sullenly, and leaned against the cold, stone wall, staring at the rusting grate that served as the only doorway into the dank, urine soaked hell hole the guards called a 'cell'. Nary a speck of light trickled in, for it was night time. The steel bars on the tiny window above only served to tell her if it was night or day, nothing more. It was too high up for her to get at.

Many a times the light came and the light went. Day past into night and night once more into day, though that was all she knew. For all she knew, it could have been a shadow passing before the window. Her concept of time was warped. She didn't even have her watch any more. It would have given her some idea of time, but instead she was lost in the labyrinth of time, not knowing anything. The moments ticked away; the minutes that made up each dull day she spent alone in this cell.

She glanced at her forearms.

Was it possible that the only way out was suicide?

She wanted to cry but she couldn't.

She drew her legs closer to her body, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She needed a line of support, but she had none. She couldn't even reach Shannon and Jonathan. She needed to hear the comforting voice of someone familiar and close to her.

Aoisora Marketplace

He was alone, but he wanted it to be like that. He wanted to look around the market place by himself. He wanted to do so without the company of anyone because he was about to go into one of the worse parts of the city. It was frequently avoided by even the toughest of the city guards. It was controlled by gangs, thugs, slave owners, traffickers, thieves and every other wicked lowlife known to man. He knew his way around it. He acquired his medicine from an elderly man in this area. It was the only place he could get the forbidden drugs.

But today, he wasn't here on official business. He had all the boyaku he needed; he didn't need any kodoku or any other illicit herb or remedy that had been outlawed by the emperor. All herbs from Kutou were outlawed. Peddlers from those nations often operated under the table, and Sairou wasn't favoured either. The emperor ran a tight ship and refused to allow anything into his nation. Guards were given permission to attack merchants who dared to pimp such goods.

Arriving at his destination, Katsui stood in front of the wooden door and sighed. He hated going into this pub, but what choice did he have? He needed the help of one of the most notorious criminals in the city. He needed to spring his Miko. He had no other choice. The emperor was beyond reasoning and the captain of the guard had the emperor eating out of the palm of his hand.

He hadn't been able to see her in over two weeks. Access was restricted.

The only victory that Katsui got was to ensure that she did get fed at least once a day and that she had a chamber pot. Those that came only after a few days. Before then, she had nothing. He felt badly for her. He couldn't do much for her, and Ariboshi was busy trying to figure out the easiest way to get the Seishi together. They had no choice but to divide up their efforts.

He felt so helpless.

Sighing dejectedly, he pushed open the door to the pub and watched in. Several pairs of eyes turned to him. Under normal circumstances he would have been considered poorly dressed and nothing more than a mere peasant. But here, it was different. His clear appearance made him stand out. He had to remain on heightened alert. He didn't know what to expect here.

Several thugs rose up, drawing out their knives. They surrounded Katsui.

He smirked and whipped out his staff. He may have been born destined to heal his way to greatness but that didn't mean he didn't know a thing or two about scrapping. He had been born into a poor family and came to the city when the farmland showed no promise. He knew what his destiny was. He left to fulfil it. He sent money home whenever he could, but he hadn't been home in years.

"You want a fight? Bring it on!" He challenged. He wasn't afraid of a few thugs. They were just bullies. Nothing he couldn't handle. It was all routine for him. Kick some ass, get business done and go back to his little crap shack on the fringe of the marketplace.

"Shui, you ought to know that these ruffians don't stand a chance." A short, rough man said. He held a large mug in his hand. His eyes were blood shot, his nose was red. He had been drinking, but one thing was obvious, despite his intoxication, he spoke coherently and walked without stumbling. "Just leave those degenerates and come sit with me."

The man glared at the others, who backed off, allowing Katsui to walk over and sit with his acquaintance.

He man took a long swig from the mug and slammed it on the table. "I heard you were looking for me, Shui. What can I do you for?"

Katsui sat in the chair adjacent to the man. He didn't want to be overheard in case someone decided to get any ideas and sequel to the imperial watch. He leaned in and quietly explained, "I need to breach security at the imperial palace. I need to spring a girl from the prison there."

"I'd heard rumours about some girl coming here and challenging the emperor. Didn't she also make an ass of that damn uppity twit that calls himself the captain of the guard?" The man laughed uproariously.

Katsui smiled. He had met with the man before, but it hadn't been under the most pleasant circumstances. He made a mental note that if he ever had to deal with this man again that he would do so in the pub when the man was likely to be intoxicated.

"Yea, but the emperor set up a kangaroo court and now she's in prison."

"Shui, you've got an honest. So, I'll tell you what. I'll get you the tools to spring the lass. But you need to do something for me."

Katsui inwardly groaned. Nothing was free in the world. Everything was quid pro quo. He didn't want to do it, but what choice did he have in the matter? It couldn't possibly be that bad, could it?

"What do you need?"

The man pushed the mug into Katsui hands. "Get me a refill."

Katsui laughed amused. He stood up from the chair he had sat in. "One fine cup of sake coming up for you." He picked up the mug from the table and assured the man he would return in a minute and that the next round was on him.

"That's why I like you. I've heard good things about you from Xue."

Xue. That was Katsui's main contact when it came to get various illicit herbs and remedies that had otherwise been banned for general use in the small kingdom. To think he got such a glowing recommendation from a man who thought of Katsui as nothing more than a worthless waste of human life was oddly reassuring albeit strange. Then again, it was all about image with the scum of society.

Approaching the bar, he placed the mug down and waved at the innkeeper who was serving up the liquor. He waited for the innkeeper to come over.

"Yeah? Whatcha wantin'?"

"My friend needs his sake refilled."

The innkeeper looked up over at the man who smiled, revealing yellow and missing teeth; and snorted derisively. He reluctantly refilled the mug. "That fuckin' louse..." the rest of the comment was incoherent. It was obvious he didn't care for Katsui's contact but wasn't going to say anything more.

Thanking the innkeeper, Katsui dropped the appropriate amount on the counter, much to the surprise of the innkeeper who wasn't used to someone paying upfront.

Retrieving the mug from the counter, Katsui made his way back over to the man, who greedily took the mug and took a long swig before slamming the mug on the table. "Now that's good sake. Good work boy." He sat back. "So, you want to spring that pretty girl of yours?"

"Yes."

The man reached into a large sack next to the table and pulled out a small kit wrapped in what appeared to be a thin leather case. It was tied off with a simple leather string. He placed it on the table and slid it over to Katsui. "Here you are, the finest tools of my trade. All the tools you need to spring someone from the imperial prison."

Taking it in his hands, Katsui undid the tie around the bundle, allowing it to open. He unfolded it and examined the tools he had acquired. It appeared to be an assortment of lock picks in varying sizes and shapes.

The man pointed a fat, stubby finger at one of the picks. "I reckon this one may get your pretty girl out of that prison. It's standard fare for any imperial palace. They tend to use bigger keys than the peasants."

Katsui nodded and picked up the pick, examining it. One thing was for certain, it was crafted by skilled hands. He slipped it into the folds of his sash. He then folded the leather case back up carefully and fastened the tie back around the case. He hoped that this was all he would need. He didn't know how else he could get her out of that prison. The guards wouldn't let the keys out of their sights.

Taking the small kit in his hands, he stood up, profusely thanking the man, who assured him it was nothing but encouraged Katsui to return if he needed any more supplies, but those ones would not be given pro bono; those would have to be quid pro quo.

With the small kit in hand, Katsui walked for the door. He could feel the eyes of many of the patrons following him as he walked for the door. He refused to look at any of them. The last time he met their gaze was when he came into the pub, and he knew how that turned out. It would be best to just ignore them. They were drunken rogues anyway; not worth his time.

He didn't look back as he pushed the door open and left the pub behind him.

He now stood, facing the back alley that was just off the main thoroughfare for the marketplace. He turned in the direction of the market. He couldn't carry his kit out in the open. As a precaution before he took another step forward, he slipped the kit into the folds of his sash. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. He needed to get back to the palace in one piece.

Once certain it was secure in his sash, Katsui set for the marketplace. In order to return to the palace he needed to take the road through the marketplace. It was crowded with wall to wall people. There were merchants on all sides; people going about their business. Children ran in and out; weaving between the people who walked through the marketplace.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a merchant selling female attire. Katsui entertained the idea of having Meike switch her attire during the break out to briefly confuse the guards. It could work because they would be looking for a woman with otherworldly clothing. It would work especially if he could get Meike to act demure and humble. Though he somehow doubt that latter idea would take.

He approached the merchant and instantly realised who it was. It was another person who he frequently aided.

The man was happy to see him and welcomed the healer with open arms.

"Shui! It's so good to see you out here! My wife couldn't be better! Especially after you gave her that herbal remedy. You're a genius my boy!" the merchant proclaimed, as he placed an arm around Katsui and led him behind the stall. He smiled broadly. "So what are you doing these days? Last I heard you got the Miko!"

"Yes I did. But..." Katsui trailed off.

"But what?" the merchant's brow furrowed. He leaned in. "what happened? Something happened to her, didn't it?"

"Yes. The emperor didn't like her attitude and now she's in the imperial prison."

"Well?"

"Well...what?"

"You going to spring the girl? We need her to summon Nyosei! I can't take any more of these attacks. My supplies are going to dry up if I can't get any more of that silk from Konan. The main roads are being plagued with attacks by some evil force."

"I was actually about to do that." Katsui replied quietly. "I have the tools. But, I'm afraid that even if I did, she might stand out after I do all of that."

The merchant motioned for his eldest son to deal with some people who had come to the stall. Once sure that the potential buyers were engaged, the merchant turned to Katsui. "I think I got a glimpse of her the other day when she stood up to that arrogant captain of the guard. She doesn't look too tall. She's a skinny little thing, isn't she?"

Katsui nodded. "Yes."

The merchant walked over and picked up a simple attire and handed it to Katsui. "This should do. Normally it's several silver pieces, but if you can guarantee that we'll still be able to use your services when we need them, this is yours. We need the Miko to summon Nyosei. I'm sure you know that every little bit helps."

He pressed it into Katsui's hands. He then leaned in and whispered, "between us, the people are beginning to hate the emperor and the captain of the guard. They believe that they don't want peace here and that they be working for Tenkou. The people are growing restless and they may revolt. They need the Miko to summon Nyosei. They haven't lost hope yet."

Accepting it, Katsui tucked it under his arm and nodded. "Tell anyone who is planning to revolt against the emperor that the Seishi and Miko support them. We are still trying to find the rest, but if they know of any Seishi to have those Seishi come forward immediately. We can't stand to lose any ground."

The merchant nodded. He then glanced around. He raised a hand and disappeared for a minute and reappeared with three other merchants. The merchant introduced the other three and explained to them who Katsui was and that he was indeed going to free the Miko.

One of the merchants, a map merchant said, "It's good to know that the Seishi have principles. Tell you want, I want to help out as well. I have heard the stories of the legends. I've always wanted to help out. Tell you want, Katsui-san, I have maps of all the nations. I can supply you with maps. This will give you options when trying to find the others. It will also help you plan the escape route.

"I have a small house near the marketplace. Once you spring the Miko, come by and I'll help you plan your escape from the city. It's best to go undercover of night."

"Hold on, isn't there a meeting at your house tonight?" a second merchant asked.

"Yes, yes there is. But having the Miko there would be perfect. It will give our cause hope."

Katsui sighed, wondering if it would work. "Are you sure it's a good idea? She's... unique."

"I heard she's the belly fire that our revolt needs." The map merchant remarked. He smirked. "After all, she's the only person I've ever seen stand up to that pompous asshole that calls himself the captain of the guard. I don't know much about her, but if that's how she acts. She's all right in my book."

There was a general consensus amongst the merchants. Katsui wondered if they knew what they were going to be getting themselves into. He didn't know Meike that well, but from what he knew so far, she was fiercely independent. Then again, on second thought, she just might be what the doctor ordered.

Katsui smiled. As much as he was enjoying this banter, he needed to get to the prison and get the girl out before it was too late. "Thanks for your help, fellows. I'll ensure that she is with me when I come by later. I'll try and get Ariboshi to come as well. Though she is likely on official business at this time."

"Katsui-san, we're counting on you." The merchant replied, as he led Katsui out to the thoroughfare. He kept an arm around Katsui's shoulders. "You know where the house is, right?"

"Yes, it's five doors east of mine."

"That's my boy."

"Give your wife my regards."

After a quick goodbye and another profuse thanks, Katsui weaved into the crowd and vanished, quickly making his way to the imperial palace. He didn't have any time to lose. He needed to get Meike out of that cell as soon as he could.

Back at the palace...

Ariboshi had given up on using conventional methods. She needed something more than just her wits about her. She needed the scroll. The scroll contained everything that was known about each Seishi, albeit limited to riddles and vague descriptions. It would certain be better than anything else she had been trying to use to date. With it, she would be able to find the Seishi quickly.

One 'problem' existed. The scroll was perpetually under watch. For Ariboshi, it wasn't so much so much as it was a challenge. She could simply manipulate her way to the scroll. It required the full use of her telepathic skills as the scroll was not just under lock and key; it was watched over by some of the finest guards the emperor had. It was knowledge amongst scholars that the scroll of Suzaku had vanished and turned up in enemy hands. No one was about to take that chance here.

Her immediate researched yielded limited results, but enough for her to work with. She knew where the scroll was stored. She had also observed that the guards rotated shifts every five hours. When it changed over, there was a brief dialogue between the guards and then the previous on duty guard would leave.

She had 'observed' this over two days. She couldn't attack right away. She needed to wait for Katsui to secure the goods to free Meike from the prison before she could take the scroll. He had gone to the marketplace to meet with a mysterious individual. That was all she knew, or at least wanted to know. She didn't like keeping her mind open to all the ideal mental chatter around her; it often got to be too much.

At the moment, she was focused on the single guard that guarded the scroll.

She smirked. During the two days she had observed the different guards, she had tuned in to their thoughts to learn how each one thought. Some thought their jobs were important, most were indifferent. The one on duty today had just been assigned to the post.

'He's not happy about guarding some piece of paper. He seems to think he's too important for this. Perhaps I can get him to bend to my will.' She reasoned. This would work nicely.