Chapter 26

"Nakago..." Misara whispered to herself. Tasuki, standing next to her, heard her say something, but he couldn't hear clearly. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw with surprise that her lips were trembling. Before he could do anything, Tokaki and Subaru ran up behind them, out of breath.

"We're coming with you." Tokaki wheezed. Subaru nodded in agreement.

"Sensei, we can handle this by ourselves. There's no need for you to get involved." Tamahome said firmly.

Tokaki gave him a look and Tamahome backed off. "Tatara is in there." He said angrily. "We have every right to be involved, Little Ghost."

Tamahome's eyes got wide, but before he could speak, Tasuki and Nuriko burst out laughing.

"Little Ghost!" Tasuki cried, bending over and clutching his side. "That's so funny!"

Misara, standing next to him, looked down at him strangely. "Why is that funny?"

Tasuki only pointed to Tamahome, too overcome with laughter to speak again. Tamahome frowned angrily but didn't answer her question. Nuriko calmed down enough to tell her that the symbol on his forehead could also be translated as ghost.

"Other kids used to call Tamahome "Little Ghost" when he was younger-and he hated it." Tokaki chuckled.

Misara raised her eyebrows and smiled faintly, then looked pointedly at the entrance to the monastery.

"Shouldn't we get going?" She asked a little contemptuously

"Oh, right." Nuriko grinned. "Let's-" He stopped in mid-sentence and took a closer look at Misara, then gasped. "What did you do to your hair?"

"You mean you've only just noticed?!?"


Once inside the monastery, all humor disappeared as they tried to keep quiet. However, with nine people wandering around, it was hard not to make any noise. Luckily, there weren't any people around, and the group saw no one for at least fifteen minutes. Suddenly, Tokaki and Subaru stopped in front of a hallway that they were about to pass. The others turned back.

"Sensei?" Tamahome asked quietly. Tokaki didn't answer, but looked at Subaru. She nodded silently and the two of them headed down the hallway, followed closely by six very confused Suzaku warriors.

Misara, on the other hand, fell behind the group, then waited until they turned a corner to make her escape. She followed the strange feeling in her heart through the dark hallways. So engrossed in that eerie feeling that she didn't even bother to peek around corners, she paid no attention to the building around her or the rooms she passed through. Or who might be following her.

As she made her way through a dark room, the strange feeling stopped suddenly. Startled, she paused momentarily, unsure of what to do next, and finally glanced around. The room looked to be some sort of library, and an open book on a nearby desk caught her eye. Picking it up, she strained to see it in the dim light, then suddenly dropped it in surprise. She took a few deep breaths, her mind racing. All of a sudden, that weird feeling started up again, this time stronger than ever, and she knew she had to get moving. She picked the book up slowly, then shoved it in the back pocket of her jeans and ran out the door.

Moments later, she was running down a twisting hallway and once again not bothering to look where she was going. As she turned a sharp corner, she slammed into the back of somebody. She knew who it was without even looking up.

"Nakago." She muttered. "I knew I'd find you here."

"Did you really?" Was all he said.

She finally looked up, and noticed that he wasn't alone. A tall, red-headed woman was standing next to him, looking at Misara with obvious disdain. Misara knew without even asking that she was a warrior of Seiryu.

"Who is she, Nakago?" The woman asked scornfully. "She looks like the Priestess of Suzaku, but she's obviously not."

Misara looked up at Nakago, waiting for him to answer the woman, but he said nothing. Instead, he motioned for Misara to follow him, and the two of them left the woman behind. Misara followed him silently through the hallways, wondering if he felt her eyes boring holes into his back. Finally she stopped glaring at him and looked at the walls around her. Without warning, he stopped, and she ran into the back of him. Biting her tongue to keep herself from apologizing, she took a few hasty steps backward as he turned around to face her.

"I see you found the book I was looking at. The language was nothing I had ever seen before. What was it your friend called it?" He said, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Misara narrowed her eyes. "English."

"Ah..." He said, then motioned to the door they had stopped in front of. Misara threw him a nasty look, then pushed past him and opened the door.

Standing just inside the room was Miaka's friend Yui, and next to her stood Taylor. The two of them turned around as Misara opened the door. When Taylor saw her standing there, she gasped in surprise, and running toward Misara, she threw her arms around her friend's neck.

"Misara!" Taylor cried into her friend's hair. "I can't believe you're really here!"

The obvious change in Taylor stunned Misara so much that she stood there, speechless, as Taylor finally let go of her and stood in front of her, crying.

"Nakago told me you were coming, but I didn't really believe him! And now..." She trailed off and flung her arms around Misara again.

"But-I thought you..." Misara started. I thought you hated me, she wanted to say, but she just couldn't spit it out. She was glad Taylor was okay, but something didn't feel right.

Taylor let go of her once more and put her hands on Misara's shoulders. "I heard that you finally got a boyfriend...the emperor of Konan?" she laughed.

Misara blushed. "Well, not really..." She stammered.

"Did he kiss you yet?" Taylor grinned.

Misara's face got redder. "Well...no..." She looked at the floor, completely embarrassed.

"Sweet sixteen and never been kissed...too bad you'll die that way." Before a shocked Misara could react, Taylor put her hands around Misara's neck, and started choking her. As Misara looked into her friend's eyes, she saw that they were full of hatred, something that she had never seen in Taylor before. Tears welled up in her eyes.

What am I going to do now? She thought desperately, struggling against Taylor, who was stronger than Misara remembered. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Misara saw a figure running toward her.

Tasuki hit Taylor in the back of the head with his fan, and stunned, she let go of Misara. Misara dropped to her knees, gasping for breath, as Taylor stumbled away from her.

"Oh, no you don't!" Tasuki yelled, running after her. He took up his fan again, and Misara knew what he was going to do.

"Tasuki, stop!" she cried out, standing up and trying to get to him. "Please don't hurt her!"

"She's trying to kill you, idiot!" He turned to yell at her.

"She's my best friend! Please!" She reached his side and took a hold of his arm. "Please don't hurt her!" He lowered his arm, and she looked over to where Taylor had gone. She was leaning against a pillar, apparently dizzy from the blow Tasuki had dealt her. Suddenly, Misara realized what she had to do. She took a step toward Taylor, then another, then noticed Nakago and Yui trying to get to her first. She hurried toward her friend, who tried to get away from her.

"Leave me alone!" She cried. "I hate you!" She was about to pass out, and barely resisted when Misara took her arm. Misara threw a look over her shoulder and saw that Nakago had stopped, standing in front of Yui, unsure of what Misara was going to do. But the look on his face...Misara turned back to her friend.

"I'm sorry, Taylor...this is for your own good." Taylor looked up fearfully at her as Misara pulled her ring off her finger and stuck it on Taylor's.

Send Taylor home-get her away from here...

With a flash of light, Taylor disappeared, along with Misara's ring, her only way of going home.