Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Generation - Part 26

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. Yuu Watase does. I own all the new characters. So, don't steal them. If you do, I know who you are, and where you live. ^_^

Author's Note: Did you really think I would leave such a cliffhanger? I said we'd be sticking around for a while. Besides, I have a little surprise about the last seishi. I said that there were little clues everywhere in this story. Yes, for Kouji's family story the age gap is a little big, but remember this is supposed to be like Ancient China. The side story was mildly inspired after I read the summary to the additional novel to the manga, Genrou Den. Which is Tasuki's story

Hono'o struggled to wake up. Her body was sore. She was exhausted. Hono'o struggled to her feet. There was something wrong. Hono'o felt like her body was drained. She lacked energy. Her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered what had happened to her. She placed her hand on her neck where her kanji was. She shuddered when she felt the residual moisture from Zhenyou's lips.

Hono'o held out her left palm and concentrated her chi. A very small fireball appeared and flickered out. Hono'o gasped. She had used everything left in her to make that one fireball. Hono'o wiped the fallen tears from her face.

"Shit. What am I going to do? I've got to find him. I've got to warn everyone. God, how could I have been so stupid?" said Hono'o out loud. She heard something coming up from behind her. Hono'o put her hand on the tessen. She still had it with her. "LEKKA SHINEN!" shouted Hono'o as she turned.

"OW! THAT HURT! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" exclaimed Taki who was burnt to a crisp. He was black and superdeformed. He was coughing.

"Oops. Sorry. I thought you were someone else," said Hono'o sheepishly. This and the fact that she was so stupid to let Zhenyou get the best of her embarrassed her. Hono'o knew that she was tired because of the lack of power she had. A good amount of her chi was gone.

"Well, we have to get going, Hono'o. Sei told me to go and look for you," said Taki. He was scrutinizing her closely. There seemed to be something wrong with her. Hono'o walked ahead of him to get back to the others. Hono'o saw that Odayaka, Sei, Shitsu, and Kawa were waiting for them.

"Shall we move on?" asked Mariko as she mounted her horse. Hono'o nodded.

"Where's Zhenyou?" asked Sei.

"He ran off somewhere. Odayaka, where's the mirror he gave you?" asked Hono'o weakly.

"I broke it," answered Odayaka. He was feeling much better, but he didn't want the others to know what he had gone through.

"Good," said Hono'o as she mounted her horse. Hono'o didn't say anything about Zhenyou. No one else asked. Odayaka was relieved that Zhenyou had decided to move on. The group moved on to find the last seishi.

:::Almost Seventeen Years Ago, Mt. Leikaku:::

Kouji was the head of the Mt. Leikaku Bandits. They raided the rich and powerful, while they defended the weak and poor. Kouji was about twenty-three years old when he first met Wei Shumi. The Mt. Leikaku Bandits were helping out a group of unlucky farmers. The largest landowner of the area was Shumi's father, Wei Tianguang. He was a horrible man who control the land with an iron fist. The Mt. Leikaku Bandits had regular disputes with Wei Tianguang. Kouji thought of alerting Genrou of the situation, but he decided not to.

The weak spot that Wei Tianguang had was his sixteen-year-old daughter. Kouji decided that the Mt. Leikaku Bandits would have to use her to make Wei Tianguang do as they said. So, during a cold evening the bandits converged upon the Wei residence. Kouji was the one who took Wei's daughter. She was sleeping in her bed. Kouji walked up to her. He didn't think that she could look so innocent when her father was an awful man who used people for his own personal gain. What Kouji didn't know was that Wei Tianguang was cruel to his daughter. He made feel like she was nothing except breeding stock for his family. He wished that she were a boy. Wei Tianguang would say it to Shumi's face. Shumi would cry in private.

Kouji took her out of the house that night. He made sure to drug her first. Wei Shumi had long dark blond hair that had waves in it and brownish-green eyes. He carried her out of the house quickly and quietly.

Wei Shumi woke up in the stronghold of Mt. Leikaku. She saw Kouji standing over her. "Where am I?" whispered Shumi. She was scared. She pulled her clothes closer to her body. Kouji smiled at her.

"You're in Mt. Leikaku," answered Kouji, "Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen you. We usually don't do this, but your father left us no choice. You're our hostage." Kouji folded his arms over his chest. Shumi looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"What did my father do?" asked Shumi.

"Your father took land from a family where the man had died. He took the land from that family. The woman had two small sons. They have no place to live. It's the last straw," said Kouji in a cold, dangerous voice.

"I didn't know he did that. Just let me go," pleaded Shumi.

"You're a hostage. You're the only bargaining chip we have. You'll be staying here until the negotiations are over. We'll keep you as comfortable as possible. We wouldn't want to damage you. Would you like something to eat?" asked Kouji. Shumi nearly fell over. Kouji and she went to where the bandits were eating. Shumi felt very uncomfortable around the bandits. Kouji made sure that they were at their best behavior for their guest…their hostage.

"I don't believe this! Don't any of you see it! He doesn't care about me! If you believe that, then all of you are stupid!" exclaimed Shumi out loud. The bandits looked at her. 'Wrong crowd to call stupid,' thought Shumi. Kouji and the rest of the bandits glared at her. Shumi shifted uncomfortably.

However, she was right. Kouji sent the message about having her. Wei Tianguang showed no interest in having his daughter back. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Kouji couldn't help, but feel sorry for Shumi. He thought of her as a child. A rejected one at that. Shumi became friendly with all the bandits, but Kouji kept his eye on her. He made sure that none of them made any advances towards her. Kouji was a very honorable man, and he protected the weak.

Shumi had developed a small crush on Kouji after the first few days in Mt. Leikaku. He was the one who protected her. The only person who showed any affection towards her. Shumi fell in love with Kouji. She didn't care that he was older than her, and that he was a bandit. Shumi compared him to her father. Her father was a cold-hearted man who didn't want her back. Wei Tianguang considered her reputation ruined by the bandits. This made her unworthy of marriage. So, why pay a ransom for her and stop his operations? Wei Tianguang abandoned his daughter. As far as he was concerned, she wasn't worthy of his name or even worthy of carrying any of his grandchildren. He would have rather ended his family line with himself, then allow her to marry someone of noble or upper class. Wei Tianguang didn't want to acknowledge Shumi as his daughter.

After six months, Kouji and the rest of the bandits decided that she was right. They couldn't believe that Wei Tianguang would do something that heartless to his own daughter. Kouji decided to return Shumi back to her village. Someone was bound to take her in. Shumi hid her disappointment. She didn't want to leave Mt. Leikaku because Kouji was there. 'He's just doing the right thing,' Shumi tried to reassure herself.

It was the year the great floods had hit that village. It was as if Suzaku had decided that divine justice was needed for all the wrongdoings of the area. Kouji and Shumi came back to her village just a day after the village had been wiped out. Even her father's house was lost in the wreckage. Shumi ran to the ruins before Kouji could stop her. She searched frantically for her father's body. When she found him, she held him in her arms.

"Papa!" cried Shumi in a loud voice. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. Shumi cradled her father's body in her arms, and she was rocking back and forth slowly. Kouji realized that her father may have abandoned her, but she hadn't abandon him in her heart. Kouji had to admire the loyalty that Shumi had. He looked around. There was no way Shumi could stay there. A lot of the villages were wiped out. Kouji placed his hand on Shumi's shoulder.

"Let's go home," said Kouji. Her home was now at Mt. Leikaku. She wasn't a bandit, but the rest of them didn't mind her. They left after Shumi buried her father's body by herself. She didn't want help from Kouji. They continued silently back to Mt. Leikaku.

Shumi decided to be *WITH* Kouji. She loved him. She knew that he didn't feel the same way, but she loved him enough for the both of them. So, late one night, she came to Kouji's room wearing just a robe. Kouji was sleeping soundly alone. Shumi tiptoed up to him and planted a kiss on his scar. Kouji woke up a little bit. She kissed him deeply on the lips. Kouji thought it was some sort of dream. He sat up a little bit. He could feel the softness of her skin. Kouji wasn't too aware what was happening. He was too much into the moment. A little more happened…(AN: I don't write stuff like that. Use your imaginations. I want to keep my rating at PG-13.)

Kouji woke up fully when he suddenly realized whom it was with. It happened when he heard her gasp. It was too late to do anything, but Kouji mustered some of his self-control. Quickly got out of the bed. "SHUMI! What are you doing?!" asked Kouji. There was an obvious answer. Shumi looked at him with shocked eyes. She remained quiet because he was upset. Kouji ran his fingers through his hair. He glared at her for saying nothing. Shumi looked down on the floor to look for her robe. Kouji turned his back to her so that she could put it. When she was done, Kouji decided to continue talking to her. "Go back to your room. You are just a child. Get out," instructed Kouji harshly.

Before he could finish what he was saying, Shumi had already shut the door behind her. She took off running to her room. Shumi collapsed on her bed. She was crying and sobbing. After a while, Shumi decided that it was better if she left Mt. Leikaku on her own. She remembered seeing some lights from her bedroom at her father's house. There was a village in that direction. It was a place to go to. Shumi cleaned herself up. She got dressed and left the stronghold.

Kouji was back in his room in bed. 'What the Hell was she thinking? Why did she do it? What am I going to do? I should talk to her tomorrow. We should straighten this out. I mean…I think that I did the right thing. She's just a kid. I have no idea why she just did what she did,' thought Kouji. He made a decision. The next morning he decided to ask her to marry him. It seemed like a good idea. It was nice to have her in his bed. She was already his friend. Kouji thought about how happy Genrou was having a family of his own. Even though, Genrou complained about his triplet baby boys. Kouji knew that Genrou would do anything for his family. He went to sleep.

Kouji woke up the next morning. The first thing he did was to go to Shumi's room and propose. He knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock. It's me. Kouji. I'm here to talk to you. Please don't be upset. I'm sorry about last night. I'm not mad anymore. Are you going to let me in? Of course you are," said Kouji as he opened the door. He nearly fell over when he saw that the room was empty and that the bed was made.

"SHUMI! SHUMI! Dammit! Where'd she go?!" exclaimed Kouji. He took off running to the nearest lookout to make sure nothing had happened to Shumi. The lookouts didn't see anything. Everyone was upset that Shumi was gone. They liked her presence. Kouji missed her. He was the one who hurt her feelings. Kouji may have wanted her out of his room the night before, but he didn't want her gone.

Shumi had an early start that morning. Mt. Leikaku had become her home. She was going to miss it. But, if Kouji didn't want there, then she couldn't stay there. Shumi had to find a place to stay for the time being. She was on her own. Shumi didn't take anything with her, but the clothes on her back. She felt utterly alone. Actually, she wasn't too alone.

"Where am I going to go?" asked Shumi out loud to herself. She ran into a someone. He was an elderly gentleman who smiled at her. He had a cane in his hand. "I'm sorry," said Shumi in a soft voice as she nodded.

"No. It's all right. You look lost," said the gentleman gently.

"I think I am," said Shumi.

"Come with me," said the man. For some reason, Shumi trusted him. She followed him to humble looking residence. He invited her into his home. When she got inside, Shumi was so impressed by the way the house was like in the inside. It was beautifully decorated. There were books and scrolls. Shumi was always interested in learning. Some thing her father hadn't endorse because she was a female.

"My name is Kong Ruifu," said the elderly gentleman.

"My name is Wei Shumi," she said with a smile.

"Please let us eat," said Kong Ruifu. Shumi suddenly realized that she was hungry. They ate and talked. It turned out that Kong Ruifu was the town healer. He was a very prosperous man who was kindhearted and well loved by townspeople. Shumi decided to move on, but the healer stopped her.

"You have no place to really go do you?" asked Ruifu gently. Shumi shook her head sadly. "Why don't you stay here? I need an assistant. You look like a smart girl. You can stay here. All you need to do is learn my trade."

"I don't know if I can," said Shumi humbly.

"I'm sure that you can," assured Ruifu. Shumi chose to stay with Ruifu the Healer. She learned that Ruifu was a widower who had lost his beautiful wife in childbirth. That was the reason why he became a healer. He had a daughter who died of an illness that he couldn't cure. In steady of retreating into solitude, Ruifu made strides to became a better healer. He was always studying and getting better. Ruifu's daughter was the same age as Shumi. He thought that Shumi looked like her. He called Shumi one day to talk to her.

"I have been teaching you my trade for the past six weeks, Shumi. I must say I am very proud of your progress. That's why I have made a decision," said Ruifu.

"What decision?" asked Shumi with some apprehension. She was afraid of being sent away by the doctor.

"Don't worry, love. I have decided to make you my heir. I have quite an estate. And because I know you will carry on the trade as a healer very well," said Ruifu proudly as he kissed her on the cheek. This made her his adoptive daughter. Shumi couldn't help, but cried. Ruifu didn't know why she was crying. Shumi had been very sensitive lately.

It became very clear why she had been so sick lately. Ruifu came to her room one day to find her in bed. She had been throwing up all morning. Ruifu asked her questions about her health. He frowned slightly. He wasn't sure how to tell her.

"What's wrong with me?" asked Shumi.

"Something that will need to diagnosis later when you take over," said Ruifu, "You're pregnant."

Shumi paled over. She was always afraid of being turned away. Her father had rejected her for something that wasn't her fault or within her control. Kouji told her to get out. Kouji. She was sure that he was the father of the baby. He was the only one who she had been with. What was Ruifu going to do to her? Was he going to throw her out of his house?

"Shumi, I am not going to ask you who it is. I know that it couldn't be someone in this village because you hardly ever leave the house for too long. But, I must know, was it someone before you came here? Did he hurt you?" asked Ruifu. Shumi nodded numbly.

"But, he didn't hurt me," added Shumi quickly. She didn't want Ruifu to think less of Kouji. She loved both of them. Shumi loved Ruifu because he was the father she never had. She loved Kouji.

"Hmm. This isn't a problem. I was wondering if I would ever live to see grandchildren. My decision still stands. You are my heir. This child will be my grandchild," said Ruifu with a smile. Just as long as the man who Shumi had been with hadn't hurt her that was good enough for him. Ruifu knew that she was sincere. He didn't want to lose her. Ruifu had lost his daughter through no control of his own, but he had control over this. "Go back to sleep. You need your rest. I take care of the meals."

Shumi went back to sleep. She smiled. 'He'll make a good grandfather. I wonder what kind of father Kouji would make?' she thought as she went to sleep.

Kouji spent his time looking for her and gave up after a while. He was getting more and more short tempered around his men. They went out their way to avoid him when he got really angry. They had traveled out of Mt. Leikaku for a normal patrol, but the Mt. Kaou Bandits ambushed them. The Mt. Leikaku Bandits had been able to beat them down quickly, but without injuries of their own. Kouji had a cut on his arm. He's injuries weren't as serious as some of the other men. They had to find a doctor. Kouji thought of going to the capital.

Chichiri wasn't in Eiyou at the time. He was in Mt. Taikyoku. Kouji knew that the young Emperor Boushin had the powers to heal, but he was too young. Kouji didn't think it was right to ask the Emperor for such assistance. One of the other bandits mentioned a healer who was a good man who would treat anyone who needed it. Kouji was worried about the men. He consented. They made their way to the village. Kouji pounded on the door of Kong Ruifu.

"Yes. How may I help you?" asked Kong Ruifu. He saw the injured men. Ruifu's eyes widened. "Oh by Suzaku, come in quickly. Shumi! Come down here!" called Ruifu. Kouji's eyes widened. Shumi came down the stairs. She saw Kouji and froze where she was.

"Shumi don't just stand there. Bring my herbs for these men," ordered Ruifu.

"Yes, Father," said Shumi. She quickly left the room to bring the herbs. Ruifu came back to the kitchen to pick up some bandages and splints. "Those men are bandits. They rob people. We shouldn't be treating them," said Shumi in a whisper to Ruifu.

"It doesn't matter, Shumi. They are human beings. We should treat them as such," said Ruifu firmly. He suddenly realized that Shumi shouldn't be doing a lot of running around in her condition. "Treat the man with the cut on his arm, and then go to bed," instructed Ruifu.

Before Shumi could say anything more, he had left the room. Shumi let out a sigh. She had to treat Kouji. She wasn't about to disobey Ruifu, and there was no point in avoiding Kouji. He had already seen her. Shumi brought out herbs and bandages for Kouji's cut. He noticed that Rufui was too distracted to notice anything.

"So, you live here now?" asked Kouji softly. Shumi ignored his question. She applied the herbs with more pressure than required. Kouji winced in pain. Shumi kept quiet and refused to tell him anything. She was only three months along in her pregnancy. Kouji studied her carefully. There was a glow about her. Shumi tied the bandage around his arm. She stood up and got ready to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" asked Kouji. She stopped at the doorway.

"I'm going to bed. I'm tired. Good night," answered Shumi. Kouji decided to follow her, but he realized that the doctor had taken her in as his adoptive daughter. Kouji didn't want to ruin her life another time. He decided to wait until morning to talk to her. Rufui offered his home for the evening. Kouji insisted on paying him a good sum.

Shumi was in her room. She looked at the small bulge in her middle. 'I wonder if he saw anything,' thought Shumi. She rubbed her hand over the baby. Shumi went to sleep wondering if she should tell Kouji about the baby.

The next morning Shumi found Kouji in her room. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed. Shumi sat up quickly. "What are you doing in here?" asked Shumi.

"Making sure you don't just leave again. Shumi, you had me worried for three months about where you were. I thought some thing might have happened to you," said Kouji. The concern was blatant in his hazel eyes.

"I'm fine. Get out of my room. If my father catches you in here…he won't be happy to see you," warned Shumi. She knew that Ruifu wouldn't be able to fight Kouji, but he had such influence that he could still do something to Kouji.

"Don't worry about it. Your father is asleep. I just wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry about what happened," said Kouji sincerely. Seeing her again made him realize that he loved her. He wanted her back with him.

"Fine. Good. Get out," said Shumi as she pulled the blankets up. Kouji kissed her on the lips before she could turn away from him. He deepened the kiss. Shumi froze in place. Kouji pulled away from her. He got up from the bed and quietly left the room.

Kouji still had plans to marry her. Now that Kong Ruifu was her father, Kouji could ask him for Shumi's hand formally. Kong Ruifu was a very kind man. He was also a very fair man. Kouji didn't think that Ruifu would hold the fact that he was a bandit against him. Kouji talked to Ruifu. Kouji made it a point to make it look like he hadn't met Shumi before last night.

"You want to marry my Shumi," said Ruifu making sure he heard right. He studied the bandit. Ruifu was a good judge of people. He could see that Kouji was a good man.

"Yes. I would like to marry your daughter," affirmed Kouji with a nodded. Ruifu was an honest man. He needed to tell Kouji the truth.

"I don't think it's possible. Thank you for your offer. I'm sure my daughter would be very flattered," said Ruifu after much silence.

"But…I don't understand," stammered Kouji. He was close to begging Ruifu. Kouji thought about telling him that Shumi wasn't a virgin, and that it wouldn't make a difference if he married her. He didn't care. Kouji began to engineer a plan to take Shumi in the dead of night out of sheer desperation.

"It's because she is already with child. It wouldn't be fair to a man like you," said Ruifu simply.

Kouji's eyes widened. 'She's pregnant. How far along is she? Is that my baby? Of course, that's why she was so surprised to see me. That's my baby. I'm positive,' thought Kouji. It was the perfect opportunity. Kouji could get her to come with him.

"It won't be a problem. I'm the father of her baby," said Kouji. He was staking his claim on Shumi and his child. Ruifu's eyes widened this time. He knew that Kouji was telling truth. Ruifu had to talk to Shumi.

"It's true. No sane man would claim a child for his own if he wasn't sure. I'll bring Shumi down here. We will discuss the matter," said Ruifu. He loved her very much, but Kouji was the father of the baby. Ruifu knew what it was like to be a father. He left the room to bring Shumi back.

Kouji ran his fingers through his hair. How could he just let her leave in that condition? What must Ruifu think of him? Was he ready to be a father? This was going too fast for him. The room started to spin. 'Oh my God!' thought Kouji frantically. The door opened. Kouji leaped to his feet. Shumi had a glazed over look on her face.

"I have explained the situation to Shumi, but the decision is up to her," said Ruifu, "Call me if you need me, Shumi." He left the room closing the door behind him. Shumi sat across from him. Kouji looked at her. He was trying to see if he could see any evidence of the baby.

"My father says that you told him that you're the father of the baby," said Shumi quietly.

"And I am. Why didn't you say anything when I first got here? I'm not mad. I just want to know why. You left without me saying anything. I was going to ask you to marry morning you left, but you were gone. I love you," confessed Kouji.

"Oh. What makes you think I'll marry you?" asked Shumi in a challenging tone.

"What? You're having our baby. That's more then enough reason for you to marry me," insisted Kouji.

"You sound so sure of yourself. Well, what if the baby isn't your?" challenged Shumi. She wanted to see how he would react.

"I don't care. I love you. If you let me marry you, then it will be mine," said Kouji firmly. He wanted her back. All of her. That included the baby. That was a part of her. He knew that the baby was his.

"Fine. I'll marry you," said Shumi. Kouji smiled at her. He knew that her feelings were still hurt, but he could fix that. Kouji kissed her lips tenderly. He placed his hand over the bulge in Shumi's middle.

They were married shortly there after. Ruifu became Kouji's father-in-law. Kouji didn't mind his wife learning how to be a healer. But, when the pregnancy was too far along, Kouji and Ruifu didn't want to strain Shumi. They both said that she could resume training later on. Ruifu was happy that his Shumi was happy. Kouji decided to use same place that Genrou had taken Miaka as his new home with Shumi. It was expanded because Ruifu had insisted. Kouji was very happy to be with the one he loved.

~Six Months and One Week Later~

Kouji was pacing outside of his and Shumi's bedchamber. Genrou was there. Ruifu was in the chamber to deliver the baby. "Will you stop that?! You're making me dizzy!" ordered Genrou. He couldn't stand all the pacing that Kouji was doing.

"I can't. What if something goes wrong?" said Kouji in a worried tone.

"Oh for God's sake, be a man. Stop worrying so much! It'll be all right. Unless she pulls a fast one over you like my Ling did to me. I swear I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I found out that there was three of them," said Genrou.

"You passed out. That's what Chichiri said," remarked Kouji.

"He talks too much. I was surprised! What the friggin' Hell?! Any sane man would be surprised at that!" exclaimed Genrou.

Kouji was about to say something when he was interrupted by sound of a baby's cry. Kouji stopped. Genrou smiled, "Sounds like someone finally decided to show up."

Ruifu came into the room. He was smiling. "There's someone in there who wants to see you," said Ruifu. Shumi told him that she wanted to tell Kouji what sex the baby was. Kouji stood up to go to the room. He felt his legs shaking. Kouji went to the room. He was going to do his standard Osaka greeting at the door, but he didn't trust himself to speak.

He saw his wife sitting up in bed. His child was feeding on her breast. Kouji watched them without saying anything. He didn't want to ruin the perfect moment. When the baby was done, Shumi looked at Kouji. "Don't you want to hold your son?" asked Shumi.

"My son?" asked Kouji. He held out his arms. Shumi told him how to hold the baby. Kouji looked at his son. It was his son alright. He had his father's olive toned skin. He had lots of hair for a newborn, and it was Kouji's color. Kouji was melting. He turned to Shumi, "Thank you."

"Well, what do we name him? I don't think he can go through life without a name," said Shumi with a tired smile.

"Hmm. What do you want to name him?" asked Kouji. He was so happy. He thinking straight. Kouji couldn't think of anything.

"Wei Kuairong," answered Shumi. Kouji nodded.

"Hello Kuairong. I'm your father," said Kouji softly to the bundle in his arms.

~Fourteen Years Later~

Kouji and Shumi lived very happily in Mt. Leikaku. Shumi eventually had another baby boy two years after Kuairong. He was named Kanghui. The boys were taught the finer points of being bandits and healers. They went often to their grandfather, Ruifu's, house.

Kuairong was fiercely independent compared to his younger brother. He was very athletic. He took after his father in looks and attitude. Kuairong had his mother's eyes. Kanghui took after their mother. His skin and hair were lighter than his elder brother's, but he had their father's eyes. Kouji was very proud of his boys. They were growing up to be very fine men.

When Kuairong was fourteen he got bit by the wandering bug, he wanted to leave Mt. Leikaku. Kuairong was an avid martial artist. He learned all the forms that the bandits had to offer. He was bored, and he wanted to learn more. Late one evening, Kuairong decided to go off by himself.

"Where are you going?" asked his twelve-year-old brother who caught him.

"I'm leaving Mt. Leikaku. There's so much to see in Konan. Not just Konan, but the world. Why should I wait?" whispered Kuairong.

"Don't leave, Kuairong!" exclaimed Kanghui.

"It'll be all right. I'll come back eventually. This is home. I just want to see the world. I want to learn more," he reasoned with Kanghui.

"Don't do it. How I am suppose to tell Father and Mother what happened?" pleaded Kanghui.

"Tell them whatever you like. Just cover for me," said Kuairong with a shrug. He was gone before Kanghui could say anything more.

For the next two years, Kuairong trained. He became a fantastic fighter. He claimed titles all over Konan for his fighting skills. His style was filled with elegance and jaw dropping tricks. Kuairong used two swords at the same time with he was traveling. He had a bullwhip at his side. At sixteen, he was the unchallenged champion at several competitions.

He went by the name Shiro. It meant Castle. Because that was the red kanji on his right side below his ribs on his body.

Wei Kuairong was the seventh Suzaku seishi.

~*ClareBear's Omake*~

Nuriko: That was an interesting story about Kouji's family. We were all wondering what it was leading up to. Kouji's son is the last seishi.

Miaka: Didn't Kouji mention his son earlier?

Tamahome: Yes, when he was talking to Lei…I mean Hono'o.

Hotohori: Two people who are associated with the Mt. Leikaku Bandits. Oh my. That makes three people total including Tasuki. Why are there so many of them?

Nuriko: Didn't Kouji insinuate that he wanted to put Tasuki's daughter and his son together? I mean she is at the age to marry.

Chiriko: Think about, Nuriko. Do you think Tasuki will just let his daughter get married?

Nuriko: He'll beat Shiro to a bloody pulp before he lets Shiro marry her.

Miaka: I'm more worried about Hono'o. What about her powers? Are they really gone?

Tamahome has a set of scrolls. He was writing stuff down in them.

Miaka: What are you doing, Tamahome?

Tamahome: I am modifying the plans for the casino that I think that the Byakko group should have. Let's see. I think the Genbu group should be the bouncers. The Seiryuu group should do some of the backing for the casino. After all they have an imperial princess in that group. The Suzaku group should run the casino. Mariko is a head bookie after all. Why not put it to use? Odayaka could do the other backing. We'll be open for business in no time…

Everyone has large eyes. They fall over superdeformed.

Tamahome (superdeformed with question marks): What?