Here's chapter two, many thanks to all that reviewed my story

Here's chapter two, many thanks to all that read and reviewed my story.  Muchos Gracias. 

Oh, and one quick note anything that is in between these:

//  //

just means that the character is thinking.

= ^ . ^ =

Mitsukake-

We wake up on sand, Chichiri and I. Odd; I thought we had checked into an inn the night before.  I stood, if somewhat unsteadily, and helped Chichiri up as well.

"Chichiri, are you all right?"

"I think so." He responds rubbing the back of his head. "I just feel a little-"  he stumbles as he attempts to  walk. "dizzy no da."

            I lift my hand to steady him, and find his skin paper dry, and burned a dull red color.

"Hold still Chichiri, let me heal you."

            The green glow of my power engulfs him, and moments later he stands on his own, the redness gone, but a deep tan remaining.

            "The Sun Sickness?" He asks retrieving his staff from the sand.

            I nod.  The hooded cloak I had insisted on wearing was the only thing that saved me from becoming as weakened as Chichiri, but even I am not feeling well. It is moments such as these, which make me wish for the ability to heal myself as well as others.

            "An illusion no da." Chichiri mumbles. "A powerful one."

            He turns his back to me, slowly studying the desert; we see nothing.  "We have to find the others."

            I nod again. The sun sickness had no doubt affected our two companions, and with no water, and nothing to protect them from the sun they will not last long.

Chiriko-

            //You're helpless Doukun.// My mind tells me  //Completely helpless.//  

It says this so bluntly, as if discussing weather patterns. 

//Intelligence, what sort of power is that? What help to Miaka can you ever be?// 

As it speaks, the small black characters that still flutter by my ears begin to multiply. I recognize the character for laughter, followed closely by the character for fool as it floats drunkenly by.

//Helpless helpless helpless// my mind repeats in the same dull tone.

            The elegant black character of coward lands on my nose and fans it's wings.

"No." I cry out swatting at it. The characters for fear and pity soon join it.

"No." I shout again struggling to remove them from my face. "NO NO NO.."

Tasuki-

            "Chiriko STOP!!" I cry grabbing his hands, and pulling them away from his face.

"Chiriko there's nothing there stop!"

            He's struggling hard, trying to claw away at whatever he's seeing. Damn this kid is stronger then he looks.

            "Jeez kid, what the hell? It's Tasuki, Tasuki!"

            His whole body shudders, and with a whimper he gives up.

            "It's just me Chiriko." I say letting go of his hands and lowing them back to the ground. "Just me." 

            I watch him for a minute to make sure he won't try again, than go back to what I was originally doing. Trying to build a fire. For some crazy reason there were actually a few pieces of wood lying around, don't ask me how I don't care how. They're here and that is fine with me. I've also got a flint on me somewhere, good thing because where my tessan is, is question I'm going to have to answer later. With any luck it will be a later that involves a gallon of some nice strong sake. But hey, I do know how to build fires.  Now if I could only find the damn flint.

            When the fire finally gets going I pull Chiriko closer to it, and flop down next to him. I think he's sleeping, I hope he's sleeping.

This is going to be a shitty night.

Mitsukake-

            Chichiri leads the way as we tracked across the desert; the two of us following a firm fix on Tasuki and Chiriko's ki.

            "Weak," He said after finding them. "Especially Chiriko's, but they're alive no da."

            We had to find them. I will not be to late to help them. Not the way I was too late to save Nuriko, to save my poor Shoka. I will not allow it.

I raise my hand up to scratch Tama's ears, only to remember that the little cat stayed behind to look out for Miaka.

Tasuki-

//What if he dies.//

"He's not going to die."

//You sure? He looks a little green to me.//

"Go the hell away."

//But what if he dies?//

"I won't let him die, he's just a kid."

//Nuriko was barely 18 and he-//

"Shut up."

//He's going to die.//

"Shut up!"

//You'll never find Mitsukake, he and Chichiri might already be dead.//

"I won't let him die, get the hell away from me!"

//You don't even know what really happened to Siarou.//

"I said leave."

//You do realize that you're talking to yourself? You must be sicker than you thought//

Chichiri-

           

We're closer. We haven't stopped this entire night except for small rests, and even then we could barely sit five minutes without fidgeting. I wish I could teleport the both of us there, but without a clear destination in my head the spell could backfire and throw us anywhere.

            So we walk. 

But there's something else, poking and whispering at me from the back of my mind. Someone else is here with us, closer than Tasuki and Chiriko, but too far away for me to get a definite fix on their life force. It flashes up for only a moment, and then it's gone.  I think he, who ever he is, may be teasing us.

"Is something wrong Chichiri?" Mitsukake asks the third time I stop suddenly and twist around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever I had felt.

"Yes. I think there may be someone following us no da."

"Seiryuu?" he asks

"I'm not sure, every time I get a hold on it's ki it disappears no da."

Mitsukake nods, and follows my gaze as I survey the desert. 

"The sun is setting," He comments.

"Then we're going to have to be very careful tonight," I respond.

Tasuki-

Stupid desert, cold one minute hot then next. Why can't it make up its damn mind?

The sun went down a few hours ago, and I've never been so happy for a fire before. Chiriko keeps waking up, then falling back asleep. He's been mumbling a lot, but hasn't tried to scratch his eyes out again or anything like that.

            I can't sit still. If I sit I'll start thinking again.  Tried sleeping, but that didn't work and besides I need to stay up and watch the fire.

            My tessan, it feels weird to be without my weapon. I should go look for it, and looking for it will pass the time until…until something.

            I struggle to stand again, my body furiously complaining. I get a few feet away from the fire then look back. Chiriko's still sleeping and I won't go far, I just need to find my tessan. 

The top of the dune will be a good place to start, I guess.  It's where I woke up, and I think I remember throwing my tessan aside when we got to the inn so it could be anywhere, but like I said it's a place to start. 

I start to search, bending down, and digging in some spots, just aimlessly moving around. When did moving become such a problem?  I give up after a few minutes and head back to the fire. It's to dark to find it now, don't even know why I came up with this stupid idea.

I'm half way down the dune when I see a long shadow with odd hair, kneeling down beside our fire. Chichiri?

            I run down the rest of the dune, and skid to a stop right behind a still sleeping Chiriko. Who ever this is, he's not Chichiri; Chichiri could never pull off the feathered, face painted look.    

"Good evening Suzaku. Are you feeling better after your time in the sun?"

"Who are you?" 

"But I see that your companion is not feeling as well as you.   This makes my job that much easier."  He smiles, then opens his hand up to show off a small painted clam. 

"Seriyu." I hiss. "Well if you think you're gunna scare me with a clam, then you're even stupider then that blond haired idiot you call a leader."

The freak's eyes narrow as he stands, and the feathers on top of the headdress begin to sway.

"Aww I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" I scoff. I hope I look more intimidating than I feel.

"As much as I would enjoy watching you and the boy die slowly." The freak says rubbing the clam slightly. "There are limits to even my powers, and I have a rather important meeting with your Miko to attend."

Then he began to split.  Circling us with a dozen pissed off doubles.

  "So I'll simply have to change my tactics and kill you now."

I've got no weapon, I feel like a cart just ran over my body and this painted freak has just multiplied himself into a dozen more painted freaks.  So, being the clever guy I am, I take the only opportunity open in a situation like this. I reach down, scoop Chiriko up, and run.

Tamahome better never find out about this.