Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Generation - Part 20
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. It is own by the very original Yuu Watase. I'm not that original.
Author's Note: We are now in Seiryuu country, Kutou. This part will be very long. I thought about really hard. It seems like a very good idea. You'll see what I mean. Some spoilers from the last episode in regards to Nakago. Enjoy!
Ryu was doing his daily exercises. He always did some Tai Chi first, and then his martial arts routine. He was in the middle of a move when he heard someone coming from behind him. Ryu turned suddenly. Hoseki held up her hands in front of her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Hoseki," said Ryu surprised.
"That's all right. I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. It's just that breakfast is ready," said Hoseki.
Ryu followed her back to the camp. They had been traveling for days. They were almost at the northern border close to Hokkan. They still needed their seventh seishi and the summoning scrolls. There was no way of knowing how well the other groups were doing. They all hoped that they had made as much progress as them.
"I would like to learn some martial arts," announced Hoseki in the middle of breakfast.
"I could teach you. I taught my sister and her first seishi some martial arts," offered Ryu.
"Wait, I don't think it's really a good idea for a princess to know martial arts," interjected Iwa.
"But, I'm a seishi first, then a princess. I feel so useless during the fights. Don't you think it's a good idea, Mori?" asked Hoseki. Mori nodded in agreement. She believed that everyone had to be useful. Although Hoseki's healing powers were strong, perhaps she could be the last defense for Miwa during a fight.
"I think it's a good idea. Ryu can train her," said Miwa in agreement. Iwa looked at his miko. He couldn't disagree with her.
"I'd like to learn some of that martial arts, too," butted in Omoi. His powers were strength, and he knew some martial arts. He wanted to know a form from the other world. Kai wanted to do whatever his brother wanted to do, but he didn't know about this.
"I don't know. What could we learn in such a short time?" asked Kai.
"A lot. You would be surprised," answered Ryu with an encouraging smile. He loved teaching others. Ryu was hoping one day to have a position in his master's dojo as a sensei. Ryu wanted to give his fellow sensei the gift of knowledge in the martial arts.
"Do you want to learn, Lady Miwa?" asked Mori.
"Not really. I am the one who is supposed to be protected. I want to be the one who is the pacifist. Besides, I am not the warrior of the group," answered Miwa. It made a lot of sense.
Miwa had to concentrate on finding where the scrolls were. Iwa and Mori were going to help her chart the way to finding the summoning scrolls. The shinzahou was supposed to be used like a compass, but Miwa didn't know her way around Kutou. Iwa and Mori knew more than her. Ryu was going to train Hoseki, Omai, and Kai.
Miwa was still on her knees. She had her eyes closed and she was thinking very hard. She took off the shinzahou and place both into the palms of her hands. She took a deep breath. Iwa was watching her. Mori had a map taken out to chart out where they had to go.
Ryu was with the three other seishi. They were learning quickly. Hoseki was about average in speed, and not very strong. Ryu had to teach her pressure points that didn't require a lot of skill. Kai was fast, so Ryu was able to show him moves for his seishi powers. Ryu taught Omoi more control.
"Let me show you a special focus exercise," said Ryu. He handed Omoi a stick. "Hit me with all your strength on my thighs with I get into position," he instructed.
Omoi gave him a strange look and shrugged his shoulders. 'Whatever he wants,' thought Omoi. Ryu was breathing very hard and focusing. Omoi noticed that he was in the right position. He struck at Rye's thighs. Ryu didn't even flinch. Hoseki and Kai winced at this. How was it possible for Ryu to withstand the pain? His kanji wasn't even glowing. Ryu wasn't using his powers.
"You can stop now," said Ryu just as Omoi brought down the stick on Ryu's left thigh with all his strength without activating his kanji. The stick snapped in two. Omoi had an amazed look on his face. He was superdeformed and looking at the pieces of the stick.
"How did you do that without your powers?" asked Kai.
"Concentration. I've been trained to block physically pain," answered Ryu. He had been training since he was five years old. Ever since he saw a dojo where some students were practicing with his uncle. Ryu had asked his Uncle Keisuke if he could do martial arts, and Uncle Keisuke smiled. His uncle allowed Ryu to start all on his own.
"That's incredible," said Omoi in agreement.
"I wouldn't be able to do that without wincing," said Hoseki.
"It's just after many years of training," said Ryu as he shrugged his shoulders. Iwa had come to get them. "What's up?" asked Ryu.
"We've found where the scroll are. They are in a village close to a volcano called Mt. Seiryuu. Miwa said that it's time to move on," said Iwa excitedly.
"Let's go and those scrolls!" exclaimed Omoi.
They continued on their journey. It was going to take a day. Mt. Seiryuu was the tallest volcano in all of Kutou. Miwa was thinking about how they were going to get the scrolls. She looked at Ryu thoughtfully. "He's really cute, but he acts like either a brother or teacher to everyone. Ryu's a good leader. But, I don't think of him as boyfriend material anymore. He's far too serious. How can he be so different from Mariko?' thought Miwa. They all stop for a final rest before they had to go to the village.
"I was wondering about something," said Miwa. She couldn't help it, but she just had to ask. Miwa now knew that some of Mariko's behavior came from the lack of discipline from her Uncle. How could Ryu not notice that his sister was head of the school's gambling ring?
"About what?" asked Ryu. He was eating a piece of bread.
"Your sister. You and she seem so different from each other," said Miwa.
"I don't know what you mean. I don't think we're so different. I love my little sister very much. When our parents died, I put myself in charge of her. I always made sure that she was safe. That's why I'm worried now," said Ryu truthfully.
"Do you know all the things your sister does in school?" asked Miwa.
"She's an honors student. What does she do other than study?" said Ryu. He didn't have a clue.
"You don't know what she does. Let me tell you something. You're sister is the sneakiest, and the most conniving person I have ever known. She's the school bookie," said Miwa as she looked at Ryu. Ryu is superdeformed and looking at Miwa funny.
"HAHAHAHAHA! You're kidding! That's funny! I think I know my own sister better than you do," said Ryu as he laughed. This was one of the funniest things he had ever heard. Miwa rolled her eyes.
"No. I'm serious," said Miwa.
"Stop joking. My sweet little sister wouldn't do something like that," insisted Ryu.
Miwa realized it was hopeless trying to convince Ryu that Mariko was doing anything wrong. "Oh, forget it!" exclaimed Miwa. Ryu just laughed some more. Everyone was looking at the two of them with sweatdrops. Miwa had a vein sticking out of her forehead. She sighed.
* * *
They had arrived at the small village at the base of the volcano. It was pretty quiet. The largest structure was a temple. That was where the scrolls were being held. All of them walked towards the temple. It was too quiet. Ryu had a very bad feeling about this. Iwa was also suspicious.
Miwa used the shinzahou. She was wearing the earrings. Her eyes were closed, and she was guided to the temple. Her seishi followed her. Miwa opened her eyes. There was a tabernacle. Miwa's hands touched it, and the little doors opened. There were two rolls of paper in it. Miwa smile.
"It's the scrolls," said Miwa in a whisper.
They all heard a noise from the outside of the temple. It was a mob. "COME OUT HERE AT ONCE! WE WILL NOT ARREST YOU IN A HOLY PLACE, SEIRYUU NO MIKO! SEIRYUU SEISHI!" shouted a voice. Everyone in the room seized up with fear. They could feel something bad upon them. Omoi had an idea. He looked at his younger twin.
"We'll go outside, Kai. Kai take off. We need someone on the outside just in case," said Omoi.
"I can't do that," said Kai.
"Can you two communicate by writing on your skins like your father and his twin?" asked Ryu. He figured out what they were planning. They all could hear banging on the doors.
Miwa was wondering if they should all just grab the scrolls and leave the temple. There was no way out, but the front. There were high windows. The only one who could get there would be Kai if he jumped up on the chair, and ran along side the wall. "Get out of here!" ordered Miwa. Kai looked at everyone. He didn't want to leave them behind. He had the same bad feeling that everyone else had. They all looked at him. He had to go just in case.
"We'll see you later, Kai," reassured Omoi. Kai nodded. He ran to one the pews and jumped on it. He used that to run against the wall, and do a fall flip for the window. Kai was now on the roof.
Miwa and her seishi walked outside. There was a large crowd waiting for them. They had spears pointed at them. Ryu, Iwa, Hoseki, Mori, and Omoi surrounded Miwa protectively. Kai was watching from a hidden location on the roof.
"We are the Seiryuu seishi. Why do you have spears pointed at us?" asked Ryu in a calm voice.
"Because you are Seiryuu seishi. You will answer to the crimes of your predecessors," said an elder.
"What crimes?" demanded Miwa. She pushed her way past her seishi. The crowd glared at her. They looked at her with contempt in their eyes. "What did we do wrong?" asked Miwa.
"You are the Seiryuu no Miko. That is enough for you to answer to the crimes. That includes all of the seishi. We have seen the damage that the last group did. We know that the last miko propagated some of the crimes," said the elder looking at all of them sternly.
"That's not true," said Ryu. He had to defend his Aunt Yui.
"You will all be killed before you can do any damage," said the elder.
"We didn't do anything wrong," spoke up Hoseki. She wanted to give them the scrolls her brother had written. It was the proof of their identities. The elder held up a hand rejecting them. "But, my brother is the Emperor of Kutou. These are scrolls that my brother wrote out. They are imperial orders that tell anyone we encounter to help us. You can't do this."
"We do not care what Emperor Feng said. He is a weak emperor who is standing idly by while his people are suffering. We don't need the seishi and the miko. We are at the threshold of the gate of Seiryuu himself," said the elder. He pointed to the volcano.
Hoseki looked at Miwa. There was nothing they could do. The people herded them away to a public square. There were six elders who sat at the front. There were about thirty people around them. They were completely surrounded. They were pushed to their knees on the ground. Kai jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He had to see what was happening. He had heard everything.
"The last Seiryuu group unleashed terror on this land. It was because of them that there was war and carnage. They cannot answer to the crimes. Someone must be held accountable," said the head elder.
"That's not fair," said Miwa. She couldn't believe it.
"What is fair? To turn over our fate to an outsider. To someone who doesn't know our culture or way of life. We will not allow you to summon Seiryuu. He is our God. We are at his gate. He was displeased with the last Seiryuu no Miko and her group. They killed and murdered many people. Since none of them are here to answer for their crimes, then you will," said the chief elder.
"Who are you to say what Seiryuu is thinking? He selected us," said Miwa. She had to protect her seishi. Miwa didn't like where this was going.
"Seiryuu turned his back on us when the last group was defeated. It was because of them the wars continued," said the chief elder.
"He didn't turn his back on you all. He couldn't help it. Seiryuu was sealed by Suzaku," interjected Ryu.
"Seiryuu would have not been defeated had it had been for the failure of the last miko and her group," said the elder, "It is because of them we are dying."
"My brother is doing everything in his power to help, but he doesn't have the power of a god," said Hoseki in a pleading voice.
"The Emperor is weak. Just like the last one of the last dynasty," said one the other elders.
"Don't you dare compare my brother to that monster!" shouted back Hoseki in a defensive voice.
"He was the reason for all our troubles. He was the one who made Nakago who he was," said Ryu.
"Enough of this! You are all sentence to death," commanded the head elder. He had heard enough.
"This isn't a fair trial," said Miwa, "We at least deserve a trial. You were holding the scrolls to bait the trap. You all are a bunch of cowards. I know it won't be fair, but we deserve a trial. What are you afraid of?"
There was a mummer in the crowd. The elders whispered among themselves. Kai was on the rooftop. He didn't like this. His brother and the other seishi were in trouble. Kai couldn't abandon them. How could he let Miwa talk him into leaving them? He was tempted to write on his skin, but everyone was watching them. Omoi wouldn't have been able to answer him. Kai bit his bottom lip.
"Very well. You will get the trial you want, Seiryuu no Miko. There are roughly a hundred people living in this holy village. They will decide your fate. Plead your case tomorrow. If only one person thinks that you should be spared, then you will get the scrolls. If not, then you will be executed by decapitation. All of you," said the chief elder with contempt.
"For now, you will be all tortured. You most of all, Seiryuu no Miko," said one of the other elders. All of them paled over, but Ryu.
"No. Please don't torture all of them. Take me. Just me. Don't hurt them. I am the first seishi. My powers are comparable to Nakago's. I'll take the torture for all of them. Especially for my miko," spoke up Ryu in a brave voice.
The elders spoke amongst themselves again.
"What are you doing?" said Miwa.
"You can't do it," said Omoi.
"I'll take it with you," said Iwa.
"We should all take it together. That why they just don't beat one person. If there's only one, then they're bound to kill you, Ryu," pleaded Hoseki. She was scared, but she couldn't let Ryu make that sacrifice for the group. None of them could.
"We can't let you do it," said Mori in a quiet voice.
Kai was on the rooftop he couldn't believe it. "Ryu, don't do it," said Kai out loud in a soft voice. He couldn't believe. There was no way of knowing if Ryu would survive the torture. Sure, he could stand having sticks hit his thighs, but those people were serious.
"We have decided to allow it. You will take the torture, First seishi. Just you. It will torture enough for the others to hear your pain," said the head elder with a satisfied smile on his face.
They were all lead away from the town square. Kai tried to follow them, but they were taken inside. There was nothing Kai could do. He decided to ask around to see if there was any hope that at least one of the villagers would not vote for the execution. Besides, with his twin now in the cell, they could communicate with each other without too much notice.
When they were brought into the prison, they were all separated. Iwa and Omoi were thrown into one cell. Miwa, Hoseki, and Mori were thrown into another. The guards took Ryu away. They all had maniacal smiles on their faces. Miwa felt sick to her stomach when she looked at the guards. Ryu offered them all a reassuring smile. This didn't make them feel better.
Ryu was taken to another room. His arms were chained to the hanging chains off the ceiling, and his feet were chained to the floor. The guards took out their whips. Ryu closed his eyes. He had to focus to block the pain without using his powers. He was breathing deeply. The beating started.
Kai was near the cell where Ryu was. He was outside. He was wearing his cloak. Anyone who would have saw him would have known that he was an outsider without it. He could hear the whips, but he couldn't hear any of Ryu's responses to the beating.
Iwa and Omoi were looking at each other. Omoi was prepared to cover his ears, but there was no sound. Ryu didn't scream in pain. Iwa wondered if he was dead. Did they just kill him? Omoi was a lot like his father. He couldn't stand to see or hear people in pain.
The women were in the other cell. Hoseki was still a child. She couldn't bear it. She was crying and sobbing. Mori held her tight. Miwa had no expression her face. She had no emotion on her face. Miwa was in deep thought. She just couldn't believe that those people could hate them so much. 'All my life I have always been accepted. This the first time I have ever seen anyone who has hated me. I didn't even do anything to earn it. They just do. Now, Ryu may have to pay the price for all of us. How could everything go wrong so fast? At least I bought the rest of them enough time,' thought Miwa. There was nothing to do, but to pay for Ryu.
The guards were beating him with whips, but it was no use. Ryu wasn't making a sound. He was only grunting slightly. This made the guards unhappy. What was the point of torturing someone if they didn't scream out in agony? That was the whole point of this thing. The others were suppose to hear Ryu's suffering. Ryu wasn't about to give the guards that kind of satisfaction. He was going to keep silent and survive this.
Kai was now more worried. Was Ryu still alive? The lack of sounding that Ryu was making told Kai otherwise.
'Seiryuu give me strength,' Ryu pleaded in his thoughts.
"SAY SOMETHING!" shouted one of the guards.
'Dad, if you can hear me, then help me get through this. Amiboshi said that I have your spirit. Please lend me your strength,' prayed Ryu in his mind. He wasn't going to plead for mercy. He knew that's what they wanted. He wasn't going to give it to them.
"STOP! He hasn't said anything in the last half hour. This is pointless. Let's just take him back to the cell with the other men," ordered the head guard. He was bored. It was no fun if the prisoner wasn't screaming for mercy.
"Should we get another one of them?" asked the guard who the head guard just ordered to stop.
"No. The elders made it very clear. We could only beat him. That's it. The others have to appear in one piece," said the head guard with a sigh. The other guards looked disappointed. The head guard ordered them to take Ryu back. The two guards opened the cell door. Before Iwa and Omoi could react, they threw Ryu into the cell. Ryu landed in a heap in front of them. His back was bloody with the whip marks. His neck looked like he was strangled earlier. Ryu was breathing heavily in pain. Iwa checked Ryu's heartbeat. It was faint, but steady. Omoi and Iwa pulled him to one of the corners of the cell. They tried to tend to his wounds as much as possible. They ripped their undershirts to make makeshift bandages. All they could do was to stop the blood flow. Ryu was starting to shiver from the blood loss. Iwa gave up his cloak to Ryu. Omoi had a worried look on his face.
"The only person who could fix this much damage is Hoseki," said Omoi.
"But, the princess is in the other cell," said Iwa. He was worried about the women.
"I could just break down this wall. I can use my powers. We would be able to get out of here before the guards would notice. I could hit in such away that it wouldn't make that much noise," said Omoi quietly. They had to get Ryu to a healer.
"No, we can't do that. Our miko and fellow seishi are in another cell. If we do that, they would die for sure," disagreed Iwa. Omoi let out a sigh because he knew that Iwa was right. They couldn't abandon their own. Maybe, the last Seiryuu group would, but not the new one.
"Mama…help me," murmured Ryu. He was shaking.
"You're not there yet. Don't think like that, Ryu," said Iwa calmly. Iwa and Omoi looked at each other. They knew that Ryu was calling to his mother because he was close to death. They tried their best to comfort Ryu and themselves. Omoi felt a tingle on his arm. He lifted his sleeve, and read what Kai had written.
"What does he say?" asked Iwa.
"He's wondering if Ryu is alive," answered Omoi. Omoi wrote back, "Just barely."
"I couldn't hear him. I was by the cell that the guards had him in," wrote Kai.
"We're doing our best. Go out into the village. Find out what's going on," wrote back Omoi. He looked at Iwa. There was nothing more to say.
* * *
Kai went from one place to another discreetly. It didn't look good. The people were all adamant in their dislike of the Seiryuu group and their miko. Kai could feel a burning feeling in his chest. 'This isn't fair. They don't even know us,' thought Kai. The consensus was pretty bleak for the seishi and Miwa.
Kai overheard many conversations. He found out that the village was a holy sect of people. More like a cult who believe that the true salvation of Kutou laid in the hands of the people. They believed that a miko was not required. Nor did they want one. Kai wrote down what he saw to his twin. He continued alone in the streets. Kai had to find a safe place for the evening and got some food. He spent the night on the rooftop of the temple. The temple was guarded below. They didn't even have the scrolls that rightful belonged to Miwa. Kai had to make sure that they wouldn't do anything rash such as burning them.
Ryu was in a bad condition. Iwa was worried about infection for his wounds. Both he and Omoi gave up their food for Ryu, but Ryu just wasn't eating. He was in pain. He kept that quiet. Omoi said something whenever his brother wrote to tell him something.
"This doesn't look good for us or Ryu," said Omoi.
"At least your brother will survive this," said Iwa.
"They don't understand. They'll never be able to summon Seiryuu. Can't they see that their self-righteousness is what's going to get them all killed? That it's probably what will doom all the Four Empires. Our world will crumble. Ryu has to survive this," said Omoi. He looked at Ryu. Ryu had stopped shaking earlier, but he was weaken from his ordeal. He hadn't opened his gray eyes since then.
"If he can make it through the night, then he has a good chance," observed Iwa. Ryu had been talking a little bit here and there. He called his little sister's name. He called for his parents. His uncle. His godparents. It seemed as if he was trapped somewhere. There was nothing they could do, but wait.
Hoseki was now sleeping soundly. Mori was more worried about Miwa. She wasn't saying anything. Miwa was just staring off into space. She was sitting in a fetal position with her knees to her chest. Her eyes were closed now. She was breathing steadily. Mori looked at her.
"This not all your fault, Lady Miwa. You must maintain your faith," said Mori rubbing her shoulder.
"I don't know if I can. What if we aren't meant to succeed? What if they are right about Seiryuu?" asked Miwa out loud.
"They know nothing about Seiryuu's thinking. You are the miko. Seiryuu chose you. You agreed to be his miko. You know Seiryuu better than those hypocrites. They will be doomed in the afterlife for all their stupidity," said Mori in a firm voice. She was a believer in karma. They didn't do the crimes the last Seiryuu group did. The last group answered to those crimes already.
"Thank you, Mori. Thank you all for believing in me," said Miwa with a slight smile on her face. They all went to sleep. It was close to dawn. In a few hours, the trial will begin.
* * *
The trial was taking place out in the village square. This time all the villagers were there. Kai watched from a rooftop. He was pacing around. There was around a hundred people that crowded the square. The chief elder had to quiet them all down by clearing his throat loudly. The crowd became quiet.
"Bring out the prisoners," ordered the chief elder.
Miwa was escorted out first. Hoseki, Mori, Iwa, Omoi, and finally Ryu followed her. He staggered slightly when he walked. He held his head up high. Ryu's eyes were clear. The guards made them kneel in front of the elders. The six men looked at them sternly.
"Are you prepared to defend yourselves?" asked the chief elder.
"Yes," answered Miwa in a fearless voice. She looked at the others. They nodded. They had all agreed to let Miwa speak for all of them.
"Why do you think you should be spared?" asked one the other elders.
"I am not going to tell you how unfair it is that we have to answer for the crimes of others who have died before most of us were born. I will tell you the truth. You all deserve that," said Miwa.
"The truth about what?" asked the chief elder.
"The truth of why we are here. The whole world is crumbling. We were told not to say anything because it would incite panic. All the four gods must be summoned all at once in order to save the world. It is only with their powers that can all of you be saved," said Miwa. Just then, Mt. Seiryuu erupted slightly.
"Mt. Seiryuu says otherwise," said one of the elders.
"How do you know it's not agreeing with me?" asked Miwa.
"You assume too much, Seiryuu no Miko," said the chief elder, "We have devoted our lives serving Seiryuu."
"If you kill us, then you will anger him," said Miwa.
"ENOUGH!" shouted a man in the crowd.
"WE'VE HEARD ENOUGH!" shouted a woman.
"LET'S VOTE ALREADY!" shouted another man.
There was now an full eruption. There was ash in the air. Everyone thought that it was them who was doing it.
"Let the voting begin. What say you all? Do we spare them?" demanded the chief elder.
Everyone in the crowd looked at the miko and her seishi. They all shook their heads or crossed their arms over their chests. Kai had his jaw opened. Miwa looked down, and then at her seishi. They had no expressions on their faces.
"You have spoken very eloquently, Seiryuu no Miko. But, it is not enough to save you. Now let's make it official: Do we execute them by decapitation?" asked the chief elder.
All the people, including the elders, raised their hands. The elders smiled at them. The crowd wanted the execution carried out at once. They shouted for it. The seishi looked at the guards as they took their miko.
"Don't touch our Miko," said Ryu in a cold and dangerous voice.
The guards looked at him, but the earthquakes from the volcano was getting worse. The ground began to shake. There was hot lava pouring on the ground. The people looked afraid. Women and children were herded away by the men. The elders looked bewildered.
"What have we done, Seiryuu? Is it not your will that these people come and pay for the crimes against your people?" asked the chief elder.
"NO! YOU OLD IDIOT! HE'S PISSED!" shouted Miwa in an angry voice. All these people were going to die, and there was nothing they could do to help them.
Kai had to think fast. He suddenly remembered something. Something their father had told them. He decided to take a chance and write to his brother: "Omoi! Father said that he was using his chi to keep our village in one piece. We could do the same thing. We can save everyone. It's worth a try."
Omoi read the message. He showed his arm to the other seishi. Ryu nodded. "We can save everyone. Trust us. We are the only ones powerful enough to save you all. We have chi strong enough to save your homes," said Ryu in a loud voice. Miwa's eyes lit up. She understood.
"Let us try. Take these chains off," said Miwa to the elders.
"We can not…" started the chief elder.
"You old fool! Think of it this way. If we can't save all of us, then the execution will take place anyway!" interrupted Miwa. She didn't give a damn that she was being disrespectful to them or rude. She just didn't care. If she could save her seishi, then she was willing to save the fools with them.
"Unlock the chains," ordered the chief elder. The guards stumbled from the tremors trying to reach the chains and unlock them. They took the chains off.
"Come down here, Kai!" shouted Omoi. Kai jump down from the roof, and landed on his feet. All the people were surprised. They looked at the twins back and forth.
"I'll use the shinzahou's power. Everyone link hands in a circle. I'll stand in the center," said Miwa. She didn't know how she knew what to do. She just did.
Ryu, Hoseki, Iwa, Mori, Omoi, and Kai held hands in a circle. The people watched with wonder. None of the seishi had demonstrated their powers since they had arrived. None of these people had ever seen a seishi in action. They had heard the stories about the last Seiryuu group's powers.
Miwa stood in the middle. Her eyes were closed. The people never realized that the earrings were the shinzahou. The shinzahou started to glow a bright blue light.
The kanji on all the seishi began to glow. There was a blue aura that surrounded each one of them. The chi energy was built up. The energy was conducted through Miwa's body. There was six beams of bright blue light that was emitted from each one of the seishi. All the energy finally converged through Miwa. She was silent as the energy ripped through her body. The villager watched as a blue shield surrounded the village. Mt. Seiryuu had stopped. It was inactive again. The people were murmuring amongst themselves. Miwa fell to the ground. The seishi were weaken by it. Ryu was on the ground. The beatings had finally taken their toll on his body.
"What have we done to the miko? The seishi?" asked the chief elder. They realized that they were now in error.
"Let's help them," said a woman. She walked towards Ryu.
"I COMMAND YOU NOT TO TOUCH HIM!" shouted Hoseki in a loud voice, "We take care of our own."
Woman and the rest of the crowd stepped away from them. Hoseki stumbled over to Ryu. She used her powers to heal him. The villagers looked with wonder. She then walked over to Miwa. Hoseki smiled, "She's just sleeping." The other seishi let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Let us give you some accommodations," pleaded someone. Miwa had woken up. She glared at them. She couldn't help, but pity their collective ignorance.
"What you're willing to believe us now? Here's what you can do. Give me what is rightful mine. Give me my scrolls," ordered Miwa. Two of the guards ran to the temple to get the scrolls
"We are very sorry. Please forgive us, Seiryuu no Miko. Show us some mercy," pleaded the elders in unison.
"Why should we? You showed us little. Give us back our horses and carriage," said Miwa in a cold voice. Ignoring their hallow words of apology.
"Get their horses," ordered one of the elders to another pair of soldiers.
The guards came back with the horses, carriage, and scrolls. Miwa grabbed it from them. They gave a bow. She gave them dirty looks. They retreated from her.
"I am not going to report you to my brother. You are all very lucky. Because I don't want to waste my breath on a bunch of pathetic self-righteous hypocrites like you all. You aren't even worth my pity or contempt," said Hoseki in a cold voice. The villagers hung their heads in shame.
They mounted their horses and loaded into the carriage. Ryu's horse was taken care of by Omoi and Kai. Ryu had to ride in the carriage with Miwa and Hoseki. He was past out. Miwa stopped at the door and said, "You have our forgiveness. But, you will have to answer to Seiryuu when he is summoned. I hope he shows the same mercy we have shown you. But, I should remind you: he is the God of Battle." With that last statement, they rode off.
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Miaka: That was pretty intense. My poor son. He took the torture for all of them.
Tamahome: I told you it was too easy. He almost came to us.
Hotohori: What do you think Seiryuu is going to do to them?
Chiriko: I hope he shows them mercy.
Nuriko: He might eat them. He is a dragon after all.
Miaka: I hope that they have enough power to summon him.
Tamahome: Hoshi prayed for us. We couldn't help him. He is nothing like Nakago. Nakago would have just destroyed them with a spirit ball.
Nuriko (thinking really hard): I was wondering if Ghost Jr. could throw spirit balls.
Tamahome: Shut up you cross-dressing freak!
Nuriko: You're just envious of my sense of fashion!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. It is own by the very original Yuu Watase. I'm not that original.
Author's Note: We are now in Seiryuu country, Kutou. This part will be very long. I thought about really hard. It seems like a very good idea. You'll see what I mean. Some spoilers from the last episode in regards to Nakago. Enjoy!
Ryu was doing his daily exercises. He always did some Tai Chi first, and then his martial arts routine. He was in the middle of a move when he heard someone coming from behind him. Ryu turned suddenly. Hoseki held up her hands in front of her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Hoseki," said Ryu surprised.
"That's all right. I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. It's just that breakfast is ready," said Hoseki.
Ryu followed her back to the camp. They had been traveling for days. They were almost at the northern border close to Hokkan. They still needed their seventh seishi and the summoning scrolls. There was no way of knowing how well the other groups were doing. They all hoped that they had made as much progress as them.
"I would like to learn some martial arts," announced Hoseki in the middle of breakfast.
"I could teach you. I taught my sister and her first seishi some martial arts," offered Ryu.
"Wait, I don't think it's really a good idea for a princess to know martial arts," interjected Iwa.
"But, I'm a seishi first, then a princess. I feel so useless during the fights. Don't you think it's a good idea, Mori?" asked Hoseki. Mori nodded in agreement. She believed that everyone had to be useful. Although Hoseki's healing powers were strong, perhaps she could be the last defense for Miwa during a fight.
"I think it's a good idea. Ryu can train her," said Miwa in agreement. Iwa looked at his miko. He couldn't disagree with her.
"I'd like to learn some of that martial arts, too," butted in Omoi. His powers were strength, and he knew some martial arts. He wanted to know a form from the other world. Kai wanted to do whatever his brother wanted to do, but he didn't know about this.
"I don't know. What could we learn in such a short time?" asked Kai.
"A lot. You would be surprised," answered Ryu with an encouraging smile. He loved teaching others. Ryu was hoping one day to have a position in his master's dojo as a sensei. Ryu wanted to give his fellow sensei the gift of knowledge in the martial arts.
"Do you want to learn, Lady Miwa?" asked Mori.
"Not really. I am the one who is supposed to be protected. I want to be the one who is the pacifist. Besides, I am not the warrior of the group," answered Miwa. It made a lot of sense.
Miwa had to concentrate on finding where the scrolls were. Iwa and Mori were going to help her chart the way to finding the summoning scrolls. The shinzahou was supposed to be used like a compass, but Miwa didn't know her way around Kutou. Iwa and Mori knew more than her. Ryu was going to train Hoseki, Omai, and Kai.
Miwa was still on her knees. She had her eyes closed and she was thinking very hard. She took off the shinzahou and place both into the palms of her hands. She took a deep breath. Iwa was watching her. Mori had a map taken out to chart out where they had to go.
Ryu was with the three other seishi. They were learning quickly. Hoseki was about average in speed, and not very strong. Ryu had to teach her pressure points that didn't require a lot of skill. Kai was fast, so Ryu was able to show him moves for his seishi powers. Ryu taught Omoi more control.
"Let me show you a special focus exercise," said Ryu. He handed Omoi a stick. "Hit me with all your strength on my thighs with I get into position," he instructed.
Omoi gave him a strange look and shrugged his shoulders. 'Whatever he wants,' thought Omoi. Ryu was breathing very hard and focusing. Omoi noticed that he was in the right position. He struck at Rye's thighs. Ryu didn't even flinch. Hoseki and Kai winced at this. How was it possible for Ryu to withstand the pain? His kanji wasn't even glowing. Ryu wasn't using his powers.
"You can stop now," said Ryu just as Omoi brought down the stick on Ryu's left thigh with all his strength without activating his kanji. The stick snapped in two. Omoi had an amazed look on his face. He was superdeformed and looking at the pieces of the stick.
"How did you do that without your powers?" asked Kai.
"Concentration. I've been trained to block physically pain," answered Ryu. He had been training since he was five years old. Ever since he saw a dojo where some students were practicing with his uncle. Ryu had asked his Uncle Keisuke if he could do martial arts, and Uncle Keisuke smiled. His uncle allowed Ryu to start all on his own.
"That's incredible," said Omoi in agreement.
"I wouldn't be able to do that without wincing," said Hoseki.
"It's just after many years of training," said Ryu as he shrugged his shoulders. Iwa had come to get them. "What's up?" asked Ryu.
"We've found where the scroll are. They are in a village close to a volcano called Mt. Seiryuu. Miwa said that it's time to move on," said Iwa excitedly.
"Let's go and those scrolls!" exclaimed Omoi.
They continued on their journey. It was going to take a day. Mt. Seiryuu was the tallest volcano in all of Kutou. Miwa was thinking about how they were going to get the scrolls. She looked at Ryu thoughtfully. "He's really cute, but he acts like either a brother or teacher to everyone. Ryu's a good leader. But, I don't think of him as boyfriend material anymore. He's far too serious. How can he be so different from Mariko?' thought Miwa. They all stop for a final rest before they had to go to the village.
"I was wondering about something," said Miwa. She couldn't help it, but she just had to ask. Miwa now knew that some of Mariko's behavior came from the lack of discipline from her Uncle. How could Ryu not notice that his sister was head of the school's gambling ring?
"About what?" asked Ryu. He was eating a piece of bread.
"Your sister. You and she seem so different from each other," said Miwa.
"I don't know what you mean. I don't think we're so different. I love my little sister very much. When our parents died, I put myself in charge of her. I always made sure that she was safe. That's why I'm worried now," said Ryu truthfully.
"Do you know all the things your sister does in school?" asked Miwa.
"She's an honors student. What does she do other than study?" said Ryu. He didn't have a clue.
"You don't know what she does. Let me tell you something. You're sister is the sneakiest, and the most conniving person I have ever known. She's the school bookie," said Miwa as she looked at Ryu. Ryu is superdeformed and looking at Miwa funny.
"HAHAHAHAHA! You're kidding! That's funny! I think I know my own sister better than you do," said Ryu as he laughed. This was one of the funniest things he had ever heard. Miwa rolled her eyes.
"No. I'm serious," said Miwa.
"Stop joking. My sweet little sister wouldn't do something like that," insisted Ryu.
Miwa realized it was hopeless trying to convince Ryu that Mariko was doing anything wrong. "Oh, forget it!" exclaimed Miwa. Ryu just laughed some more. Everyone was looking at the two of them with sweatdrops. Miwa had a vein sticking out of her forehead. She sighed.
* * *
They had arrived at the small village at the base of the volcano. It was pretty quiet. The largest structure was a temple. That was where the scrolls were being held. All of them walked towards the temple. It was too quiet. Ryu had a very bad feeling about this. Iwa was also suspicious.
Miwa used the shinzahou. She was wearing the earrings. Her eyes were closed, and she was guided to the temple. Her seishi followed her. Miwa opened her eyes. There was a tabernacle. Miwa's hands touched it, and the little doors opened. There were two rolls of paper in it. Miwa smile.
"It's the scrolls," said Miwa in a whisper.
They all heard a noise from the outside of the temple. It was a mob. "COME OUT HERE AT ONCE! WE WILL NOT ARREST YOU IN A HOLY PLACE, SEIRYUU NO MIKO! SEIRYUU SEISHI!" shouted a voice. Everyone in the room seized up with fear. They could feel something bad upon them. Omoi had an idea. He looked at his younger twin.
"We'll go outside, Kai. Kai take off. We need someone on the outside just in case," said Omoi.
"I can't do that," said Kai.
"Can you two communicate by writing on your skins like your father and his twin?" asked Ryu. He figured out what they were planning. They all could hear banging on the doors.
Miwa was wondering if they should all just grab the scrolls and leave the temple. There was no way out, but the front. There were high windows. The only one who could get there would be Kai if he jumped up on the chair, and ran along side the wall. "Get out of here!" ordered Miwa. Kai looked at everyone. He didn't want to leave them behind. He had the same bad feeling that everyone else had. They all looked at him. He had to go just in case.
"We'll see you later, Kai," reassured Omoi. Kai nodded. He ran to one the pews and jumped on it. He used that to run against the wall, and do a fall flip for the window. Kai was now on the roof.
Miwa and her seishi walked outside. There was a large crowd waiting for them. They had spears pointed at them. Ryu, Iwa, Hoseki, Mori, and Omoi surrounded Miwa protectively. Kai was watching from a hidden location on the roof.
"We are the Seiryuu seishi. Why do you have spears pointed at us?" asked Ryu in a calm voice.
"Because you are Seiryuu seishi. You will answer to the crimes of your predecessors," said an elder.
"What crimes?" demanded Miwa. She pushed her way past her seishi. The crowd glared at her. They looked at her with contempt in their eyes. "What did we do wrong?" asked Miwa.
"You are the Seiryuu no Miko. That is enough for you to answer to the crimes. That includes all of the seishi. We have seen the damage that the last group did. We know that the last miko propagated some of the crimes," said the elder looking at all of them sternly.
"That's not true," said Ryu. He had to defend his Aunt Yui.
"You will all be killed before you can do any damage," said the elder.
"We didn't do anything wrong," spoke up Hoseki. She wanted to give them the scrolls her brother had written. It was the proof of their identities. The elder held up a hand rejecting them. "But, my brother is the Emperor of Kutou. These are scrolls that my brother wrote out. They are imperial orders that tell anyone we encounter to help us. You can't do this."
"We do not care what Emperor Feng said. He is a weak emperor who is standing idly by while his people are suffering. We don't need the seishi and the miko. We are at the threshold of the gate of Seiryuu himself," said the elder. He pointed to the volcano.
Hoseki looked at Miwa. There was nothing they could do. The people herded them away to a public square. There were six elders who sat at the front. There were about thirty people around them. They were completely surrounded. They were pushed to their knees on the ground. Kai jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He had to see what was happening. He had heard everything.
"The last Seiryuu group unleashed terror on this land. It was because of them that there was war and carnage. They cannot answer to the crimes. Someone must be held accountable," said the head elder.
"That's not fair," said Miwa. She couldn't believe it.
"What is fair? To turn over our fate to an outsider. To someone who doesn't know our culture or way of life. We will not allow you to summon Seiryuu. He is our God. We are at his gate. He was displeased with the last Seiryuu no Miko and her group. They killed and murdered many people. Since none of them are here to answer for their crimes, then you will," said the chief elder.
"Who are you to say what Seiryuu is thinking? He selected us," said Miwa. She had to protect her seishi. Miwa didn't like where this was going.
"Seiryuu turned his back on us when the last group was defeated. It was because of them the wars continued," said the chief elder.
"He didn't turn his back on you all. He couldn't help it. Seiryuu was sealed by Suzaku," interjected Ryu.
"Seiryuu would have not been defeated had it had been for the failure of the last miko and her group," said the elder, "It is because of them we are dying."
"My brother is doing everything in his power to help, but he doesn't have the power of a god," said Hoseki in a pleading voice.
"The Emperor is weak. Just like the last one of the last dynasty," said one the other elders.
"Don't you dare compare my brother to that monster!" shouted back Hoseki in a defensive voice.
"He was the reason for all our troubles. He was the one who made Nakago who he was," said Ryu.
"Enough of this! You are all sentence to death," commanded the head elder. He had heard enough.
"This isn't a fair trial," said Miwa, "We at least deserve a trial. You were holding the scrolls to bait the trap. You all are a bunch of cowards. I know it won't be fair, but we deserve a trial. What are you afraid of?"
There was a mummer in the crowd. The elders whispered among themselves. Kai was on the rooftop. He didn't like this. His brother and the other seishi were in trouble. Kai couldn't abandon them. How could he let Miwa talk him into leaving them? He was tempted to write on his skin, but everyone was watching them. Omoi wouldn't have been able to answer him. Kai bit his bottom lip.
"Very well. You will get the trial you want, Seiryuu no Miko. There are roughly a hundred people living in this holy village. They will decide your fate. Plead your case tomorrow. If only one person thinks that you should be spared, then you will get the scrolls. If not, then you will be executed by decapitation. All of you," said the chief elder with contempt.
"For now, you will be all tortured. You most of all, Seiryuu no Miko," said one of the other elders. All of them paled over, but Ryu.
"No. Please don't torture all of them. Take me. Just me. Don't hurt them. I am the first seishi. My powers are comparable to Nakago's. I'll take the torture for all of them. Especially for my miko," spoke up Ryu in a brave voice.
The elders spoke amongst themselves again.
"What are you doing?" said Miwa.
"You can't do it," said Omoi.
"I'll take it with you," said Iwa.
"We should all take it together. That why they just don't beat one person. If there's only one, then they're bound to kill you, Ryu," pleaded Hoseki. She was scared, but she couldn't let Ryu make that sacrifice for the group. None of them could.
"We can't let you do it," said Mori in a quiet voice.
Kai was on the rooftop he couldn't believe it. "Ryu, don't do it," said Kai out loud in a soft voice. He couldn't believe. There was no way of knowing if Ryu would survive the torture. Sure, he could stand having sticks hit his thighs, but those people were serious.
"We have decided to allow it. You will take the torture, First seishi. Just you. It will torture enough for the others to hear your pain," said the head elder with a satisfied smile on his face.
They were all lead away from the town square. Kai tried to follow them, but they were taken inside. There was nothing Kai could do. He decided to ask around to see if there was any hope that at least one of the villagers would not vote for the execution. Besides, with his twin now in the cell, they could communicate with each other without too much notice.
When they were brought into the prison, they were all separated. Iwa and Omoi were thrown into one cell. Miwa, Hoseki, and Mori were thrown into another. The guards took Ryu away. They all had maniacal smiles on their faces. Miwa felt sick to her stomach when she looked at the guards. Ryu offered them all a reassuring smile. This didn't make them feel better.
Ryu was taken to another room. His arms were chained to the hanging chains off the ceiling, and his feet were chained to the floor. The guards took out their whips. Ryu closed his eyes. He had to focus to block the pain without using his powers. He was breathing deeply. The beating started.
Kai was near the cell where Ryu was. He was outside. He was wearing his cloak. Anyone who would have saw him would have known that he was an outsider without it. He could hear the whips, but he couldn't hear any of Ryu's responses to the beating.
Iwa and Omoi were looking at each other. Omoi was prepared to cover his ears, but there was no sound. Ryu didn't scream in pain. Iwa wondered if he was dead. Did they just kill him? Omoi was a lot like his father. He couldn't stand to see or hear people in pain.
The women were in the other cell. Hoseki was still a child. She couldn't bear it. She was crying and sobbing. Mori held her tight. Miwa had no expression her face. She had no emotion on her face. Miwa was in deep thought. She just couldn't believe that those people could hate them so much. 'All my life I have always been accepted. This the first time I have ever seen anyone who has hated me. I didn't even do anything to earn it. They just do. Now, Ryu may have to pay the price for all of us. How could everything go wrong so fast? At least I bought the rest of them enough time,' thought Miwa. There was nothing to do, but to pay for Ryu.
The guards were beating him with whips, but it was no use. Ryu wasn't making a sound. He was only grunting slightly. This made the guards unhappy. What was the point of torturing someone if they didn't scream out in agony? That was the whole point of this thing. The others were suppose to hear Ryu's suffering. Ryu wasn't about to give the guards that kind of satisfaction. He was going to keep silent and survive this.
Kai was now more worried. Was Ryu still alive? The lack of sounding that Ryu was making told Kai otherwise.
'Seiryuu give me strength,' Ryu pleaded in his thoughts.
"SAY SOMETHING!" shouted one of the guards.
'Dad, if you can hear me, then help me get through this. Amiboshi said that I have your spirit. Please lend me your strength,' prayed Ryu in his mind. He wasn't going to plead for mercy. He knew that's what they wanted. He wasn't going to give it to them.
"STOP! He hasn't said anything in the last half hour. This is pointless. Let's just take him back to the cell with the other men," ordered the head guard. He was bored. It was no fun if the prisoner wasn't screaming for mercy.
"Should we get another one of them?" asked the guard who the head guard just ordered to stop.
"No. The elders made it very clear. We could only beat him. That's it. The others have to appear in one piece," said the head guard with a sigh. The other guards looked disappointed. The head guard ordered them to take Ryu back. The two guards opened the cell door. Before Iwa and Omoi could react, they threw Ryu into the cell. Ryu landed in a heap in front of them. His back was bloody with the whip marks. His neck looked like he was strangled earlier. Ryu was breathing heavily in pain. Iwa checked Ryu's heartbeat. It was faint, but steady. Omoi and Iwa pulled him to one of the corners of the cell. They tried to tend to his wounds as much as possible. They ripped their undershirts to make makeshift bandages. All they could do was to stop the blood flow. Ryu was starting to shiver from the blood loss. Iwa gave up his cloak to Ryu. Omoi had a worried look on his face.
"The only person who could fix this much damage is Hoseki," said Omoi.
"But, the princess is in the other cell," said Iwa. He was worried about the women.
"I could just break down this wall. I can use my powers. We would be able to get out of here before the guards would notice. I could hit in such away that it wouldn't make that much noise," said Omoi quietly. They had to get Ryu to a healer.
"No, we can't do that. Our miko and fellow seishi are in another cell. If we do that, they would die for sure," disagreed Iwa. Omoi let out a sigh because he knew that Iwa was right. They couldn't abandon their own. Maybe, the last Seiryuu group would, but not the new one.
"Mama…help me," murmured Ryu. He was shaking.
"You're not there yet. Don't think like that, Ryu," said Iwa calmly. Iwa and Omoi looked at each other. They knew that Ryu was calling to his mother because he was close to death. They tried their best to comfort Ryu and themselves. Omoi felt a tingle on his arm. He lifted his sleeve, and read what Kai had written.
"What does he say?" asked Iwa.
"He's wondering if Ryu is alive," answered Omoi. Omoi wrote back, "Just barely."
"I couldn't hear him. I was by the cell that the guards had him in," wrote Kai.
"We're doing our best. Go out into the village. Find out what's going on," wrote back Omoi. He looked at Iwa. There was nothing more to say.
* * *
Kai went from one place to another discreetly. It didn't look good. The people were all adamant in their dislike of the Seiryuu group and their miko. Kai could feel a burning feeling in his chest. 'This isn't fair. They don't even know us,' thought Kai. The consensus was pretty bleak for the seishi and Miwa.
Kai overheard many conversations. He found out that the village was a holy sect of people. More like a cult who believe that the true salvation of Kutou laid in the hands of the people. They believed that a miko was not required. Nor did they want one. Kai wrote down what he saw to his twin. He continued alone in the streets. Kai had to find a safe place for the evening and got some food. He spent the night on the rooftop of the temple. The temple was guarded below. They didn't even have the scrolls that rightful belonged to Miwa. Kai had to make sure that they wouldn't do anything rash such as burning them.
Ryu was in a bad condition. Iwa was worried about infection for his wounds. Both he and Omoi gave up their food for Ryu, but Ryu just wasn't eating. He was in pain. He kept that quiet. Omoi said something whenever his brother wrote to tell him something.
"This doesn't look good for us or Ryu," said Omoi.
"At least your brother will survive this," said Iwa.
"They don't understand. They'll never be able to summon Seiryuu. Can't they see that their self-righteousness is what's going to get them all killed? That it's probably what will doom all the Four Empires. Our world will crumble. Ryu has to survive this," said Omoi. He looked at Ryu. Ryu had stopped shaking earlier, but he was weaken from his ordeal. He hadn't opened his gray eyes since then.
"If he can make it through the night, then he has a good chance," observed Iwa. Ryu had been talking a little bit here and there. He called his little sister's name. He called for his parents. His uncle. His godparents. It seemed as if he was trapped somewhere. There was nothing they could do, but wait.
Hoseki was now sleeping soundly. Mori was more worried about Miwa. She wasn't saying anything. Miwa was just staring off into space. She was sitting in a fetal position with her knees to her chest. Her eyes were closed now. She was breathing steadily. Mori looked at her.
"This not all your fault, Lady Miwa. You must maintain your faith," said Mori rubbing her shoulder.
"I don't know if I can. What if we aren't meant to succeed? What if they are right about Seiryuu?" asked Miwa out loud.
"They know nothing about Seiryuu's thinking. You are the miko. Seiryuu chose you. You agreed to be his miko. You know Seiryuu better than those hypocrites. They will be doomed in the afterlife for all their stupidity," said Mori in a firm voice. She was a believer in karma. They didn't do the crimes the last Seiryuu group did. The last group answered to those crimes already.
"Thank you, Mori. Thank you all for believing in me," said Miwa with a slight smile on her face. They all went to sleep. It was close to dawn. In a few hours, the trial will begin.
* * *
The trial was taking place out in the village square. This time all the villagers were there. Kai watched from a rooftop. He was pacing around. There was around a hundred people that crowded the square. The chief elder had to quiet them all down by clearing his throat loudly. The crowd became quiet.
"Bring out the prisoners," ordered the chief elder.
Miwa was escorted out first. Hoseki, Mori, Iwa, Omoi, and finally Ryu followed her. He staggered slightly when he walked. He held his head up high. Ryu's eyes were clear. The guards made them kneel in front of the elders. The six men looked at them sternly.
"Are you prepared to defend yourselves?" asked the chief elder.
"Yes," answered Miwa in a fearless voice. She looked at the others. They nodded. They had all agreed to let Miwa speak for all of them.
"Why do you think you should be spared?" asked one the other elders.
"I am not going to tell you how unfair it is that we have to answer for the crimes of others who have died before most of us were born. I will tell you the truth. You all deserve that," said Miwa.
"The truth about what?" asked the chief elder.
"The truth of why we are here. The whole world is crumbling. We were told not to say anything because it would incite panic. All the four gods must be summoned all at once in order to save the world. It is only with their powers that can all of you be saved," said Miwa. Just then, Mt. Seiryuu erupted slightly.
"Mt. Seiryuu says otherwise," said one of the elders.
"How do you know it's not agreeing with me?" asked Miwa.
"You assume too much, Seiryuu no Miko," said the chief elder, "We have devoted our lives serving Seiryuu."
"If you kill us, then you will anger him," said Miwa.
"ENOUGH!" shouted a man in the crowd.
"WE'VE HEARD ENOUGH!" shouted a woman.
"LET'S VOTE ALREADY!" shouted another man.
There was now an full eruption. There was ash in the air. Everyone thought that it was them who was doing it.
"Let the voting begin. What say you all? Do we spare them?" demanded the chief elder.
Everyone in the crowd looked at the miko and her seishi. They all shook their heads or crossed their arms over their chests. Kai had his jaw opened. Miwa looked down, and then at her seishi. They had no expressions on their faces.
"You have spoken very eloquently, Seiryuu no Miko. But, it is not enough to save you. Now let's make it official: Do we execute them by decapitation?" asked the chief elder.
All the people, including the elders, raised their hands. The elders smiled at them. The crowd wanted the execution carried out at once. They shouted for it. The seishi looked at the guards as they took their miko.
"Don't touch our Miko," said Ryu in a cold and dangerous voice.
The guards looked at him, but the earthquakes from the volcano was getting worse. The ground began to shake. There was hot lava pouring on the ground. The people looked afraid. Women and children were herded away by the men. The elders looked bewildered.
"What have we done, Seiryuu? Is it not your will that these people come and pay for the crimes against your people?" asked the chief elder.
"NO! YOU OLD IDIOT! HE'S PISSED!" shouted Miwa in an angry voice. All these people were going to die, and there was nothing they could do to help them.
Kai had to think fast. He suddenly remembered something. Something their father had told them. He decided to take a chance and write to his brother: "Omoi! Father said that he was using his chi to keep our village in one piece. We could do the same thing. We can save everyone. It's worth a try."
Omoi read the message. He showed his arm to the other seishi. Ryu nodded. "We can save everyone. Trust us. We are the only ones powerful enough to save you all. We have chi strong enough to save your homes," said Ryu in a loud voice. Miwa's eyes lit up. She understood.
"Let us try. Take these chains off," said Miwa to the elders.
"We can not…" started the chief elder.
"You old fool! Think of it this way. If we can't save all of us, then the execution will take place anyway!" interrupted Miwa. She didn't give a damn that she was being disrespectful to them or rude. She just didn't care. If she could save her seishi, then she was willing to save the fools with them.
"Unlock the chains," ordered the chief elder. The guards stumbled from the tremors trying to reach the chains and unlock them. They took the chains off.
"Come down here, Kai!" shouted Omoi. Kai jump down from the roof, and landed on his feet. All the people were surprised. They looked at the twins back and forth.
"I'll use the shinzahou's power. Everyone link hands in a circle. I'll stand in the center," said Miwa. She didn't know how she knew what to do. She just did.
Ryu, Hoseki, Iwa, Mori, Omoi, and Kai held hands in a circle. The people watched with wonder. None of the seishi had demonstrated their powers since they had arrived. None of these people had ever seen a seishi in action. They had heard the stories about the last Seiryuu group's powers.
Miwa stood in the middle. Her eyes were closed. The people never realized that the earrings were the shinzahou. The shinzahou started to glow a bright blue light.
The kanji on all the seishi began to glow. There was a blue aura that surrounded each one of them. The chi energy was built up. The energy was conducted through Miwa's body. There was six beams of bright blue light that was emitted from each one of the seishi. All the energy finally converged through Miwa. She was silent as the energy ripped through her body. The villager watched as a blue shield surrounded the village. Mt. Seiryuu had stopped. It was inactive again. The people were murmuring amongst themselves. Miwa fell to the ground. The seishi were weaken by it. Ryu was on the ground. The beatings had finally taken their toll on his body.
"What have we done to the miko? The seishi?" asked the chief elder. They realized that they were now in error.
"Let's help them," said a woman. She walked towards Ryu.
"I COMMAND YOU NOT TO TOUCH HIM!" shouted Hoseki in a loud voice, "We take care of our own."
Woman and the rest of the crowd stepped away from them. Hoseki stumbled over to Ryu. She used her powers to heal him. The villagers looked with wonder. She then walked over to Miwa. Hoseki smiled, "She's just sleeping." The other seishi let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Let us give you some accommodations," pleaded someone. Miwa had woken up. She glared at them. She couldn't help, but pity their collective ignorance.
"What you're willing to believe us now? Here's what you can do. Give me what is rightful mine. Give me my scrolls," ordered Miwa. Two of the guards ran to the temple to get the scrolls
"We are very sorry. Please forgive us, Seiryuu no Miko. Show us some mercy," pleaded the elders in unison.
"Why should we? You showed us little. Give us back our horses and carriage," said Miwa in a cold voice. Ignoring their hallow words of apology.
"Get their horses," ordered one of the elders to another pair of soldiers.
The guards came back with the horses, carriage, and scrolls. Miwa grabbed it from them. They gave a bow. She gave them dirty looks. They retreated from her.
"I am not going to report you to my brother. You are all very lucky. Because I don't want to waste my breath on a bunch of pathetic self-righteous hypocrites like you all. You aren't even worth my pity or contempt," said Hoseki in a cold voice. The villagers hung their heads in shame.
They mounted their horses and loaded into the carriage. Ryu's horse was taken care of by Omoi and Kai. Ryu had to ride in the carriage with Miwa and Hoseki. He was past out. Miwa stopped at the door and said, "You have our forgiveness. But, you will have to answer to Seiryuu when he is summoned. I hope he shows the same mercy we have shown you. But, I should remind you: he is the God of Battle." With that last statement, they rode off.
~*ClareBear's Omake*~
Miaka: That was pretty intense. My poor son. He took the torture for all of them.
Tamahome: I told you it was too easy. He almost came to us.
Hotohori: What do you think Seiryuu is going to do to them?
Chiriko: I hope he shows them mercy.
Nuriko: He might eat them. He is a dragon after all.
Miaka: I hope that they have enough power to summon him.
Tamahome: Hoshi prayed for us. We couldn't help him. He is nothing like Nakago. Nakago would have just destroyed them with a spirit ball.
Nuriko (thinking really hard): I was wondering if Ghost Jr. could throw spirit balls.
Tamahome: Shut up you cross-dressing freak!
Nuriko: You're just envious of my sense of fashion!
