Tears of the Dragon - Chapter 11
A while later in the future of things, long after Amiboshi had taken to poking his younger twin with a stick that had been pulled out from item space or rather kasaspace. The group, now comprising of Amiboshi, Suboshi, Yui and the two newest additions, Ayuru and Kaen, were back on the long running gravel road. They were in search of the last Seishi, as listed in the legend. Several days past as they went in pursuit of this particular constellation. The clues that Yui had to work from were very obscure and vague, giving no real insight towards the last Seishi, Ashitare.
The five-some rode along merrily through the countryside of Kutou. Surprisingly, some of this land wasn't displaying signs of a waging civil war, as there were many lush trees and thick brush. The greenery was gorgeous and in full bloom. On some trees were lovely pink cherry blossoms that blew out into the wind, as the breeze caressed through the branches of the trees.
Riding in front of Suboshi, leaning contentedly against him, Yui raised her hands to catch a few of the stray blossom petals that floated in the sky. While out here, she had a chance to appreciate the outdoors and nature at it's finest. The unharmed beauty. Living in Tokyo she rarely had such a pleasure, so this was a big deal for her.
On the next horse, rode Amiboshi and on the one to his right rode Ayuru with Kaen sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. The wind brushed through her tied braid and rustles the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her braid.
She sighed happily and looked over in Yui's direction, then back over Ayuru's shoulder, gasping at the horrid sight that appeared before her eyes.
"Seiryuu, what is that thing??!!" She wailed in fear.
Suboshi wickedly cackled. "Oh, that's just Chuin, the residential circus freak."
Chuin, on horseback, lurked directly in front of the halted group. He coolly eyed Suboshi with an air of contempt. "How lovely to see you to, Shunkaku."
Amiboshi shook his head. "What are you doing here? Don't you have any pressing engagements at the capital? Or did Chang let you off his leash?"
Chuin exhaled, eyeing Amiboshi indifferently. "I took my own way out. Chang's content with my double." He cackled shortly, but the entire group shivered at the sound of his laughter.
Amiboshi shuddered. 'Great...now we have this loser to deal with!' "Fine. Whatever." He grinned devilishly then. Very reminiscent of his brother's own smirk. "You can take rear guard then. Try not to fall asleep."
Chuin sighed. "Very well, it makes no difference. But it will be refreshing, since it gives me a chance scout the area for a sus-"
"Suspicious chi?!" Ayuru finished, eyeing the area, his character of kokoro lighting up faintly. "Minna, be on the alert!" He barked at the group.
"Chi..." Kaen's eyes narrowed and a small ball of lightening sizzled around her hand.
Ayuru started perspiring slightly. "Anou, Kaen-chan, not near me!"
She blushed and sweat-dropped. "Gomen ne, Ayuru-anata!"
Suboshi held Yui closer and looked firmly ahead at Chuin. "I to sense it...Suzaku."
"Hai." Amiboshi narrowed his eyes. He pulled his flute from his pouch, placing it in his belt for easy access. "Be on the alert. Suboshi! You still have the...gift, ne?!"
Suboshi smirked in kind with his brother. "Of course, Aniki!" He pulled out of his jacket partially, revealing the butt of the scroll. "And the fruits of justice never tasted so sweet."
Yui cuddled up closely. "You're really been listening to me, and I love it a lot!"
Amiboshi shook his head. They were so weird... "Okay, already! We know he's been a good boy, can we get on with this already?!"
Suboshi's expression staid and he gazed at the horizon head with stone hard antipathy. His tone demonstrated confidence of defiance. "Minna! Who wants to teach some Konan upstarts a lesson?!"
"Konan??!! As in Suzaku Seishi?!" Kaen's eyes lit up. "Sounds delightfully fun!"
Ayuru sighed. "Well, what do we have to lose, we have what they want, so they will bend to our wind. If they resist," His lips quirked an evil grin, as he continued his speech, "we can be very, very convincing." His crystal clear baby blue eyes glittered with conviction.
Chuin smiled. It was twisted and evil. His golden eyes shone deviously in the high noon light. As always, when he spoke, his voice was low and husky. It was soft and firm. "I like the way your mind works...Nakago."
Amiboshi's eyes narrowed. This would be the second encounter with the Suzaku he and his brother had. He would not allow them to hurt his brother a second time. They would pay for what they had done. Pay dearly.
He indicated the others should follow him. Leading his horse in the direction of the Suzaku chi. All the seishi could feel the nearness of the Suzaku's.
Amiboshi looked behind him for a moment. His brother sat on his horse, protecting the Miko. The other three seishi, Chuin, Ayuru and Kaen, were all poised, ready to begin. He nodded with satisfaction.
'Let them do their worst. We are ready.'
Kaen smirked deviously and her eyes glazed over with anticipation. She leapt down from the horse she rode on with Ayuru once she felt the nearing presence of the Suzaku chi. She grinned eagerly, a bolt of electricity sizzling around her hand.
Amiboshi also dismounted from his own horse. He stood next to Kaen. He narrowed his eyes. Never had he felt this way before. He felt an intense hatred for the seishi coming their way. 'They hurt my otouto. And for that, I can never forgive them.'
Suboshi watched his brother for a moment, before turning to Chuin. "Ne, Tomo."
"What?" He replied chillingly.
"Stay back with the Miko and use your illusion to trap the Suzakus in the area."
"I could also just put a barrier on their powers."
"Even better."
With that he dismounted and dashed into the thicket after his brother, followed closely by Ayuru, who was covering the other three from the back.
Yui shuddered, knowing that she was alone with Chuin.
He coolly eyed her. His chi went up. It made his presence highly known, but it came and went as quickly as it arrived. His total appearance was reformed, making his less garish, less threatening. Under his mask, he was so young. His complexion was pale, contrasting his eyes. He smiled, well came close to that.
"This is what I really look like, Seiryuu No Miko."
She gasped, surprised, stunned to see such a beautiful creature beneath such a hideous layer of make-up. She tentatively raised a hand to touch his hair, face, trying to confirm that this wasn't just an illusion, but that this was real. 'My god! He's human, so much more beautiful...why would he hide himself beneath such an ugly mask?' She gulped. "Anou, Chuin...why...why do you hide under such an ugly mask?"
"That's my eternal secret."
"Oh."
His senses were awakened. With a snap of his fingers, his restored his grotesque attire and gracefully landed on the ground upon dismounting. He turned to Yui. "I said we'd stay here, but I sense five chi present with the Suzakus...ours have four, they'll be outnumbered."
Yui's expression darkened. "It's no problem, Tomo...a chance to pay back that two-bit, lowlife, boyfriend stealin' turncoat."
Chuin cackled at the vile in her words. "Don't like Suzaku No Miko?!"
"Your first clue?!"
"Your words."
"Ah."
With that, Yui gathered her skirt in her hands and ran in the direction that the remained four had hightailed in. Chuin just shook his head. 'I could have teleported her, but they are so stubborn, the old method.' He rationed, strutting confidently in the direction of his colleagues.
Amiboshi waited with the others. He could already hear their enemies' horses approaching. He looked to the side.
His brother stood at his side, his ryuuseisui at the ready. On his right, stood Kaen and Ayuru.
He sighed. All was in readiness. He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating.
He snapped them open after a moment. "They have five with them this time. They've found others."
He bit his lip. This meant that they were outnumbered by one. 'No matter. They are weak. They had to resort to treachery last time to get what they wanted. Well...it will not work this time. We will destroy them!'
"Be ready. They come."
"Hai, Aniki," Suboshi replied in a low whisper, crouching within the bush, his eyes shining mischievously. He licked his lips in anticipation. 'I can feel the bastard's blood now! He's so close, I can smell him!'
"HEY!" Yui exclaimed in a breathy whisper, softly landing on the ground between the twins, causing both to jump out of startled fear. She laughed uneasily. "Gomen." She then sighed, her expression shadowing over.
Kaen, to Amiboshi's right, twitched. Her hand, encased in a ball of lightening itched to throw it. 'C'mon...here seishi, seishi....c'mon out Suzaku Seishi...'Kaasan wants to play!' She thought in a singsong voice.
Amiboshi sighed. He glared at Yui. "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be back with Tomo!"
He heard something behind him then, and whirled around. He groaned. "Great. Can't either of you two obey orders?! Shit!"
He turned back to the front. It was too late to send them back now. "Fine. Stay. Just get out of the way when sparks start, Yui-san. We don't want to endanger you."
Yui huffed. "I won't be in the way! Miaka is mine! No one touches her but me!"
"Okay! Okay! Fine!"
"Hmph! Good! Her ass is mine! She'll be lucky if she lives to see her flunking mark on her entrance exams...damn that two-bit slut!" Yui scathingly seethed through clenched teeth, her fists tightly balled, fire on her tone.
Kaen cackled and summoning a dark storm cloud, allowing for the arrival of a downpour that would contribute to a perfect instance of pathetic fallacy. She rose to her feet, as the rain dropped down steadily. Her loose hand became plastered to her face, but she didn't care, she was right at home.
Raising a hand, she stepped out into the clearing. She snapped her fingers, lightening forming. "Suzaku Seishi, we meet for the first, and last time. Before you die, here's my gift to you, courtesy of Soi!" She smirked, the electrical energy crackling around her hand. "HAKUJIN RAIHOU!"
Miaka was knocked out of the way by one of her taller Seishi. He had long, silky chocolate brown hair. Soon, all but her were embraced by Soi's lightening.
Yui smiled, following Soi out. "Miaka...the one I was naive about. I trusted you so much, only to find out what kind of bigoted, two-bit whore you really are. Jealousy consumed you, kawaiso." She strutted out, also drenched, but not caring.
Miaka stared at her friend in shock. "No, Yui-chan! That's not what happened! You have to let me explain..."
"NO!! I won't listen to anymore of your lies! You betrayed me! I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!"
"Yui-chan! Onegai...you've got to listen to me! Yui!" Miaka exclaimed, tears streaking her face, mixing with the rain that fell. She placed both hands on Yui's shoulders. "Onegai, Yui-chan, you've got to listen to me first! Don't be rash...kudasai!"
The blond-haired Miko coldly eyed the odango-haired Miko, swiftly bringing her knee up into the girl's chest, chasing her to double over in pain. Once that was accomplished, Yui pushed Miaka back.
Struggling in the hell of pain, Miaka shakingly tried to get back up. "Why...why are you doing this?"
Yui snorted, grabbing Suzaku No Miko by the hair and pulling up aggressively. "I'm the one that should be asking the questions! I'm the one who should be asking why! Why did you betray me?! I can't believe I ever thought you were my friend." She thrust Miaka to the ground with all she had. She stood imposingly above her. "You've always been the lucky one, but the tables of fortune will soon in favour of those who work for something in life and don't exploit it for everything it's worth!"
"Yui..."
"DAMARE!
The confrontation between the two miko's had stunned both sides. Neither had moved, spellbound in watching the two fight. No one could deny the rage that consumed Seiryuu no Miko.
Amiboshi watched in awe at his miko. He had never thought Yui-san was so fiercely angry. Biting his lip, he momentarily looked from the scene before him.
Looking up, his eyes widened in hate. At that moment, he saw the rest of the Suzaku seishi. He recognized Tamahome and the monk. But there were others. A long, violet-haired woman; she looked angry enough to spit rocks.
Beside her was an obvious red-haired bandit. He wore the clothes of the famous Mt. Reikaku bandits.
At that moment, one of the Suzaku seishi rushed forward, brandishing a long sword. Long chestnut brown hair crowned his head, determination and strength written all over his visage. "Miaka!"
Amiboshi stepped up, flute in hand. He would allow none to pass him. None would interfere with Yui-san and Suzaku no Miko.
"You will not pass! Back, pretty boy! Or face my wrath!"
"Hotohori-sama! Look out! He's dangerous!" Tamahome cried out, heading for Miaka and Yui.
The one known as Hotohori, or Saihitei, Emperor of Konan, eyed the young boy before him. "This poor creature?"
Amiboshi glared. "Watch it, pretty boy! You may be the Emperor in Konan, but this is Kutou! You and your kind will pay for hurting my brother!"
Hotohori whipped out his sword, making slices in the air. Amiboshi ignored this display, instead raising his flute to his lips.
Hotohori smirked. "What? Your going to serenade us to death?!"
"Hai."
The sound that emitted from the flute was enough to drive a man insane. Hotohori fell to his knees, dropping his sword in pain.
Suboshi jumped out of the other end of the push, actually, swinging down from a nearby tree as he had taken the time to find a good place to attack from. He landed, knocking the red-haired bandit to the ground. He shrugged. "Well, you ain't the low-life asshole I was hoping to kill, but you'll do just as fine, after all, you're a Mt. Reikaku bandit, an enemy of the Mt. Kaou bandits."
The redhead looked up sharply at the kid. "What the fuck do you want?!" He moved fast, gracefully moving to his fee and whipping out an iron fan. His visage displayed anger for the kid. "I don't what the hell you are, but I'm taking you out!" He raised his fan.
"REEKA--"
"HAKUJIN RAIHOU!"
The redhead dropped the fan in an instant, landing on the ground, encased in a shield of electricity. He glared at the woman who launched the attack. "Damn you..."
Soi smirked. "Ah...are you in pain?!" She cackled evilly. "Didn't your mama teach you not to play with metal during a lightening storm?!"
"Nice move Soi!" Suboshi exchanged high-fives with his female colleague.
"This stops now, no da! We know you have the scroll, no da! Hand it over!" The blue haired monk demanded, coming forward.
Amiboshi was about to split his concentration at the entrance of his nemesis, when a cold, calm voice prevented him.
"Take it from us." Piercing blue eyes stared coldly at the monk. The blue symbol, kokoro, lit up his forehead, accenting his blonde hair.
The monk stood back a pace. This one was not with the others before. Chichiri could feel the power emanating from this one. It was equal, perhaps greater, than his own was. "As you wish, no da!" Throwing a fire red chi ball in the direction of his assailant, he took cover.
Ayuru, or Nakago, stood his ground. Raising his hand, he dispersed the chi blast with one of his own. The Blue fire spread, taking out one side of a large oak tree that was nearby. "Is that all, monk? Tsk, tsk. I would have thought better of a magician, such as you. Such paltry tricks will not work here."
Chichiri stared in awe. This guy was good! He backed up a step, looking to Tamahome. "We are in trouble, no da!"
"No...ya think?!" Tamahome asked sarcastically.
Suboshi darkly glares piercingly at Tamahome. "You're in the biggest heap of trouble, Obake-chan!" He hurled his Ryuuseisui at Tamahome's back. "SHIN'E!"
He barely had time to dodge the on coming attack. While it didn't plunge thirstily into his chest, it left a deep, deep gash on his side. He dropped to his knees, his hand over the bleeding wound, as blood gushed out relentlessly.
Suboshi smiled, enjoying the sadistic pleasure he got from this. "My revenge! I don't care if you die or not! It's just so satisfying to see you writhe in pain!"
"TAMAHOME!" Miaka's shrill cry rang through the forest, as she stumbled to her loved one, only to be stopped by Yui, who tripped the clumsy girl.
"Tsk, tsk, can't stay on your feet for long, ne?!" She laughed mockingly.
Tamahome looked up from the pain he was experiencing. "Miaka! Stay back!" He glared at Suboshi. His oni symbol began to glow an eerie red. Getting up, ignoring his wound, he spun in mid-air, landing a solid kick to Suboshi's chest.
The boy fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.
"SUBOSHI!"
"SHUNKAKU!"
Both cries came at the same time, though from two different sources.
Amiboshi glared hatefully at Tamahome. "No more! You will never hurt my brother again!" Closing his eyes, he felt his seishi symbol, ko, spring forth. Amiboshi could feel it glowing through his tunic. Raising his flute once more, he lit an ear-piercing screech. Having left the Konan Emperor unconscious from his onslaught, he advanced.
Yui watched in anguish as her love was struck down to the ground. She wanted to go and help him, but the fighting was so thick...and Miaka needed to be dealt with. She glared evilly at her ex-friend. She would pay for whatever happened. Pay dearly.
'I won't let him keep me down this time! I got a hit, he got wound...I still have all my chi in tact, his is slowly leaving his body...' Suboshi reasoned, staggering to his feet, filled with obstinate determination. He turned to his assailant. 'He will DIE!'
With that mindset, he set back to his campaign of massive bloodshed. He refused to let Tamahome get out of this alive. He ruthlessly, mercilessly and relentlessly sent his weapon after the already gravely wounded, yet every pig-headed Seishi.
Soon his enemy fell, bleeding profusely from many freshly inflicted wounds.
Suboshi didn't bother to continue, feeling thoroughly satisfied that he had disabled his opponent enough, he the pulled the scroll from his jacket. He made a loud bold statement to catch all of the Seishi and Miko's attention. "You want Suzaku No Shijin Tenchisho, here!" And with that, he hurled up to the sky.
The purple haired female seishi spotted it and made a dash. Contrary, it would be too late, as Soi made her move and fried the sacred scroll before the eyes of all the Suzaku Seishi. She smirked, enjoying the pained expressions on their faces.
Miaka scrambled forward, out of Yui's range for a brief moment, to catch the remains of the scroll. It was in ashes and fell to the ground, being nothing more than blackened dust.
Chuin had remained silent through the duration of the battle, enjoying the delightful sight of watching the Suzaku's fall like nothing more than mere flies on the wall. His throaty, shine tingling, bone-chilling cackle then rang through the air, as a sign of victory. It meant the Seiryuu Seishi and their Miko had victoriously triumphed over the Suzakus. He came out of the shadowing greens of the shrubs that sat along the outskirts, lacing the clearing. His mask, or rather make-up was in perfect condition, not a streak on it, despite the evident rain that pelted down on his face. His hair was barely messed, through dampened slightly.
The Suzaku Seishi protectively surrounded the emperor, Saihitei, and the Miko, Miaka even further at the sight of this garishly dressed creature that literally appeared from nowhere. They could only gape at his seemingly garishly grotesque appearance.
Chuin smirked coldly. "Such weak creatures. You failed at the hands of the best around, the Seiryuu Seishi. We triumphed over you, on our own native soil. Since this is our first meeting, perhaps I should introduce myself. Seiryuu Seishi, Tomo."
He cackled. "This shall also be our last..."
He held in a long, pale, slender, gorgeously manicured hand, a small clamshell, or as he named it, Shin. From it a strange aura emitted, it was invisible, but the Seiryuu Seishi were aware of it, as it slowly embraced the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko, taking their chi and eventually their entire bodies, trapping them in this tiny shell.
Amiboshi and the others watched in awe as the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko vanished. "Where...where'd they go?!"
Tomo walked over to Amiboshi's side. He held the Shin out for the young man to see. "They're right here, and slowly dying without realizing it.
Amiboshi blinked. "Oh." He had been right. Tomo was dangerous. Very, very dangerous. He nodded. "Hai. I think its time for us to leave and find the last seishi. Is anyone hurt?"
The other four looked at each other than at Amiboshi, shaking their heads to indicate that no, they weren't.
Amiboshi nodded. "Good. Let's go then."
At that instance, Soi lifted up her spell. The skyline instantly cleared up, revealing gorgeously clear blue sky. She turned to Amiboshi, and nodded.
Amiboshi nodded. Gathering the horses, he returned shortly. They mounted and began their journey once again.
The group, by horse, continued on their seemingly eternal journey through the Kutou countryside. For a strange reason, none of the Seishi could quite understand why they were being drawn to the northern frontiers of Kutou, after headed west for the majority of the journey. Through the days that followed, the temperature dropped drastically, making for brisk conditions.
While passing through a township, the group picked up cloaks in order to stay warm through their travels to find the last remaining Seishi.
"It seems we're headed north, into the southern frontiers of Hokkan-koku, the land of Genbu." Tomo explained bluntly, still covering the group from the rear. "It's truly baffling as to why we would be drawn here to find one of Seiryuu's constellations."
Amiboshi shrugged. "Perhaps the last seishi is a traveler. Who can say?" Although the battle with the Suzaku had ended days ago, Amiboshi was still wary of Tomo. He didn't trust him. The man's power was too powerful. The man himself, was dangerous. But with this power...
'It's a wonder he hasn't tried to take over himself. But then, perhaps that is why Chang is around. To keep Tomo in line.'
"True, anything is a possibility." Tomo curtly replied, with a cool, indifferent regard for his peers. He turned to his Shin. 'Ah, they are weakened, perhaps the greatest torture of all would be to leave them abandoned in Hokkan-koku's harsh climate. They'll never survive. No, I'd rather not take the chance, I'll bring them back to the imperial court and give Chang a play toy so he'll get off my back and leave me be.'
Closing her eyes, Yui once again, rested against Suboshi's chest. The battled from a few days ago had tired her out. She was glad that things had gone their way. But still...she was tired. Emotionally and physically. The only thing that kept her sane was Suboshi.
She looked up into his face, smiling.
He gazed down at her, feeling the warmth of her body against his, as they rode in tranquil silence. The only sound that echoed over the gravel road was the sound of the hooves clopping along. He sighed, feeling exhilarated from the cool crisp air of the northern air enter his senses and massage his body. A nice change from the warm temperatures of Kutou.
Whispering no loudly than the gentle, soundless wind that blew serenely through the area, he proposed. "While we look for the last Seishi here, we can secure ours vows."
Yui turned around in his arms, to stare into his eyes. "Really? You mean that?"
"Hai, I do, I mean it." He uttered in reply, keeping his voice low, taking one hand from the reins to touch her face.
Yui smiled, placing her hand over his. "When?"
"Whenever we can...soon."
Yui nodded. She rested against his chest, holding his hand. "The next town. I want it to be soon. Today. I don't think I can wait any longer."
Sighing contentedly, Suboshi nodded his reply. "Hai. Hopefully there'll be one along this road before dark."
The countryside beyond the northern country line of Kutou-Hokkan was amazingly different. There were more open valleys that rolled on, green hills lightly covered in a thin, sparse blanket of snow. It was a clean, crisp, pearl white, and seemingly shone with thousands of tiny brilliant crystals under the bright, northern sunlight. There was some snow on the gravel highway over which the group traversed over, but it didn't stop the steady pace that was maintained throughout the duration of the search, for the last Seishi in the legend of Seiryuu.
There were trees, but they were smaller, few and far between in this harsh, unforgiving northern climate of Hokkan. The deeper the group trotted on into the land of Genbu, the chillier the weather became. A few feared what night might bring if they didn't make it to a town in time to find shelter from the unusually cold weather that they weren't at all adapted to.
The sky soon clouded over. It wasn't on Soi's part, it was the natural will of Genbu, who wanted snow to grace his land that he protected and lorded over. Soon snow fell in small fine flakes from the sky, lightly landing on the ground, but vanishing soon afterwards. There was no presence of wind during this instance of random snow flurries that graced and blessed the region, so visibility was good as before.
Amiboshi put his hand out, bringing the white stuff to his face, tasting it. He grinned. He'd never really seen snow before. Kutou was usually hot and balmy. Not much snow came down to the capital. He smiled, riding on. Hopefully, they would reach the nearest town before night fell. They needed to stock up on winter clothes. None of them had prepared for going so far north, so they hadn't packed any accessories.
Actually, it would be wrong to say all were unprepared, as Tomo was able to use his own illusion to clothe himself. This drew hateful glares from his colleagues. He brushed it off, not saying anything and staying at the rear of the group, content with being fully ignored.
Yui fidgeted in her seat. She was getting tired of riding. Even though she was most comfortable snuggling against Suboshi, she wanted to get to the next town quickly.
Of course, she had an ulterior motive for this. It had been more than a week since he had asked her to marry him. She wanted that more than anything at the moment. She felt that, even if they never found the seventh seishi, she would be content, if only she had Suboshi. She sighed pensively.
She also wanted a bed. A real bed. Not the blankets she'd been sleeping with on the ground. A nice, fluffy, feather bed. With sheets and pillows and a comforter and....
She shook her head. 'Got to stop thinking about that! We'll get there when we get there! Worrying about it won't make us get there any faster!'
From behind, another rider on horseback galloped up to the ground. The rider was female. She had long flowing reddish-black hair tied in waist length braid and a ribbon wound within the criss-crosses of the braid. She had sharp, emerald green eyes that could penetrate to the depths of a person's very soul and find their deepest and darkest secrets that haunted them. They shone with a hint of wisdom and age. Her clothes weren't female, they were traditional clothing for the male from Hokkan. Despite this, she did look like she was a woman. There was something strikingly odd about her. She drew her horse to a slow trot when she came up next to the young man who seemed to be leading the group.
"Good day! Foreigners, ne?! Judging from the attire, I'd say, Kutou!"
Her voice was tingling, low, beautiful yet chilling. It wasn't like Tomo's in the eerie way. It was mysterious, mysteriously eerie in a whole other sense.
Amiboshi made a small bow in his saddle. "Hai, anokata. We are from Kutou. We have been travelling for a long time. Do you, by chance, know how far the next town is?"
"It's about ten minutes up the road here, if we keep at this pace, danshi." The seemingly young woman explained. She appeared to look no older than fifteen years of age. However, there was something about her eyes that said otherwise.
"Thank you! You are most kind. Like I mentioned, we have been travelling for quite a while and are tired."
"I can quite understand the need to know where the next village is." She eyed the young man then the rest of the group. 'I sense a strong chi from each of them with the exception of the blond riding with this kid's twin. They must be the next generation of Seishi, Seiryuu's. I know Byakko's have come and gone...and preceding that, Genbu.'
Amiboshi bowed once again. "I know that the road is long and lonely. Would you care to join us? Assuming, of course, you are going in that direction?"
She nodded. "Doumo arigatou, I am headed this way, the town in which I reside is along this main road." She smiled friendly. She held out a long, slender pale cool hand for Amiboshi to take. "Watashi no wa Li Aya desu."
Amiboshi smiled. Taking her hand in his, he shook it. "Boku no wa Bu Koutoku desu. This is my brother, Shunkaku. His fiancée, Hongou Yui. Behind me are Ayuru and Kaen. Behind them is Chuin."
Aya grinned, turning back to Koutoku, after she nodded at the five others. "Koutoku-chan, I sense a strong chi from you, as well as you other companions, with the exception of your brother's anata." Her eyes narrowed perceptively. "I can read your chi loud and clear, you're a Seiryuu Seishi, one of six."
Amiboshi gritted his teeth. He had hoped that they would go unnoticed. Sighing he nodded. "Hai. I am Amiboshi. My brother is Suboshi. Ayuru is Nakago, Kaen: Soi. Chuin would be Tomo. We are currently on a search for our seventh."
"Who would be Ashitare, since you already have Miboshi, that worthless son of a bitch!"
Amiboshi backed up. "I take it you've meet Chang then."
"Met?! Try we battled to the death and he got a new body afterwards. Shit, I wonder how many bodies he had since we last fought..." Aya cursed, crinkling her nose at the thought of the sadistic Kutou shogun.
Amiboshi's eyes went wide. "New...new.../body/??!!!!"
"Hell yea...I think he got another one between our initial encounter and our final battle. Damn, that guy doesn't die easily...how many years as it been?! Well, let's just say you're lucky that he's alive, otherwise you and the remaining Seiryuu Seishi would be in pursuit of the Shinzahou." Aya mused, with a tight-lipped expression, her eyes narrow and glittering with a hint of knowledge. She wasn't fully ready to explain her position in these matters.
"Uh huh..." Amiboshi said nothing for a long moment. He wasn't sure about this woman. To pass the time, he asked a question. "What's a Shinzahou?"
"A sacred objection that the Miko has with her during the summoning. Afterwards, it's preserved and protected in a special shrine and guarded by her guardians, even after she's gone. It could be guarded for hundreds of years before it's needed. Its purpose is to enable the Miko to summon her respected god in case a tragedy should befall one of her Seishi, or something happens to the sacred scroll." Aya explained, in a long-winded definition. She sighed. "There are only two in existence at this time, the Genbu no Shinzahou and the Byakko no Shinzahou."
Amiboshi nodded. He looked to his brother. If the Suzaku's got out of Tomo's spell, they could search for these Shinzahou's and call Suzaku, despite everything they'd done.
Aya went on. "Contrary to what you think, the acquiring of the Shinzahou is actually quite an arduous task, in some cases people could lose their lives if the Seishi who are guarding it don't trust those people."
"Really? That's...fascinating." Amiboshi bit his lip. 'Maybe we should go look for these Shinzahou's...as a precaution. If the Suzaku's do get out...we would have them. No chance of them calling Suzaku if we have the Shinzahou's too...'
Aya quirked a gentle motherly smile and nodded. "It's only another leg to the town. It's Hokkan-koku's second largest city next to Tolan."
Amiboshi nodded. "Thank you. My companions and I are weary."
"I would imagine so." Aya replied. "I'm a proprietress, I run one of the local inns, care to stay there, free of charge."
Amiboshi blinked. "Oh...we couldn't do that! Surely, you must take something. I can't let you take such a loss!"
"Hon, I've been in business long before you were born, don't worry, a couple of nights on the house won't hurt my business." Aya waved off Amiboshi's protests.
Amiboshi stared at her, his mouth open. She couldn't be...no way! There was no way she could be that old! She looked his age! He closed his mouth with a snap. 'There's something odd about her...' "Arigatou. It is much appreciated."
He made the mistake of looking over at his brother and locked eyes with Yui. She gazed at him, pleading in her eyes. He sighed. Once again, he turned to Aya. "I don't suppose you also know of a temple? My brother and his anata are anxious to give their vows."
"There is one of course, so they'll be able to." Aya replied with a firm nod, as the group drew near to the outskirts of the town. It certainly was anything but small. It bustled full of life.
"Huh. This reminds me of Kutou." Amiboshi remarked, as they entered. The others looked around them, wary at all times of strangers that could attack. There were none in this local, as everything was peaceful. The group followed Aya to the inn that she mentioned.
Upon dismounting, she pointed, with a thin, unscarred index finger down the wide road to a small, short standing temple. "That's our local temple of worship. It's also for securing vows."
