"What do you think that you are doing

"What do you think that you are doing?!" Hotohori commanded of the three men dressed in black.

The men stopped their attack on the lifeless statue of the phoenix God. And turned to face the Konan Emperor and the rest of the Suzaku Seishi. Their eyes flashed red and the black cloaks dissapeared leaving the hidious forms of their true forms behind. Nuriko ran into the room.

"Demons." The word escaped his lips like a curse mumbled under one's breath. `So this is what Jamie saw,' he thought

The demons laughed, sharp , rotted teeth gleaming in the dim light from the candles.

"That's it! I've had enough!" Tasuki yelled. Along with `Rekka Shiennnnnnnnn!!!!'

The demons flesh sizzled a bit. "Is that all the power you have? And to think our master was worried about you. About your power! Play time is over let the KILLING begin!!!" The demons let out a hiddious roar.

One launched itself at Tasuki, and he barely got away. `Man these guys are fast.'

Tamahome tried to deliver a roundhouse to the same demon and was knocked away. "Insect," it cursed.

Kouji and Sarah tried attaking it as well, but to no avail.

Nuriko, Hotohori, and Chichiri concentrated one of the other demons. Heather and Shana stood back ready to use their elementals against it. A hand came down between the two sending them in different directions.

The last demon stood alone as it's eyes narrowd on the only other person in the room. It smirked and swung a clawed hand and Amanda. Her eyes wideden.

"AMANDA!!!!!" Kouji yelled. He tried with all his might to make his body move faster but it was in vain he knew he wouldn't reach her in time.

"YAMARO!!!" She screamed. A reddish glow surrounded her and stopped the claw from reaching her, instead the demon pulled back and howled in pain. It's eyes blazed red. It swung another claw at her. It screamed in pain at the end results. The other demons and humans looked over . The demon attacking the younger girl was dubbled over and it screamed in angony, holding the arm that had once had a huge clawed hand attacthed to it.

"How???" It stammered. It's eyes widened yet more and it screamed in a mad rage, lunging itself at the girl. She flinched away from the attack and the demon crashed into the red glow around her. It screamed in pain and then vanished before the eyes of the stunned onlookers.

"We'll be back!!" One of the other demons yelled. Both jumped back and vanished into the dawn.

Hotohori looked at Amanda. The red glow was fading fast, and soon dissapeared all together. "Maybe she is the Priestess of Suzaku."

"Maybe you're all on crack." Sarah said flatly.

"Crack???" Hotohori repeated the word.

Jamie entered the room seemingly fine. And looked where everyone else was looking, at Amanda.

"What??" Amanda asked. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?" She made a face, which caused most of the other girls to laugh. "What??"

Sarah ran up beside Amanda bent down and swiped the formers anklet. "I stold the baby!!!" She proclaimed.

"No Jamie ate it." Amanda said. Then realized that Sarah had her anklet. "Hey give that back."

The Seishi looked at Jamie, all had a unique puzzled expression displayed.

"I did not eat the baby!" Jamie laughed.

"There was no baby." Heather said.

"Someone ate the baby." Shana started, recalling the old Shel Silverstein poem. "Its rather sad to say. Someone ate the baby, so she won't be out to play. We'll never hear her whiny cry, or have to feel if she is dry. We'll never hear her asking why, why, why? Someone ate the baby. Someone ate the baby, it is absoulutly clear. Someone ate the baby cause the baby isn't hear. We'll give away her toys and clothes. We'll never have to wipe her nose. Dad says ` Ughhh, that's the way it goes,' someone ate the baby. Someone ate the baby, what a frightfull thing to eat. Someone ate the baby, though she wasn't very sweet. It was a heartless thing to do, the policeman haven't got a clue. I simply can't image who would go and," Shana pauses to burp. "Eat the baby."

All the girls laughed.

"What the (*^#%^ are they talking about."

"Quit cussing fang-boy!" Sarah shouted.

"Make me aho!"

"Don't call me garlic, ^%$%#!"

"I didn't call you garlic, I called ya a idiot, idiot."

"You did to you said `aho'!" Sarah yelled.

Heather and Katie laughed. "Stupid."

"What did you say?" Tasuki yelled at them. But Katie and Heather were too busy mock fighting to notice.

"Oh yeah well your stupid." Heather continued.

"Only stupid people call people stupid, stupid."

"Thats cause your a stupid head."

"No your a stupid."

"Uh huh your stupid, stupid."

"What the heck are they doing?!" Kouji asked himself. "Who knows, if you ask me I think their all a little loopy. Yeah I know what you mean." He answered himself.

"We are not loopy." Jamie said, lightly elbowing him in the stomach.

"Phone."

"Phone."

"PHONE!!" Heather yelled.

"PHONE!!" Katie yelled back at her.

"Phone!" Heather cried.

"Phone." Katie went to go comfort her friend.

"What are they doing now, na no da?" Chichiri asked.

"Oh they're having a `phone' converstation." Shana told him.

All six girls laughed and the guys just looked at them like they were crazy.

"I thought love was only true in fairy tales." Katie started singing.

"Ment for someone else but not for me." Heather pretended she had a micriphone in her hands and sang into the pretend object.

"Love was out to get me." Sarah whaled.

"That's the way it seemed." Shana continued.

"Dissapointment haunted all my dreams." Jamie sang.

Then all girls joinded together. "Then I saw her face know I'm a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind. I'm in love. Ooooooohhhh, I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried." The girls laughed.

"Where did that come from?" Shana asked.

"I dunno." Katie shrugged. "It just popped into my head. Sing me, sing me." She said in a small voice.

"Feed me Symore! Feed me!!" Sarah shouted in her best Aurdry II voice.

"A matchbox of our own. A fence of real chain link." Heather sang, looking off into the distance all dreamy like. "A grill out on the patio, disposal in the sink." She turned hand clasped at the side of her face. Jamie and Amanda giggled.

Anything you could do I can do better!" Sarah stepped forward and said. "I can do anything better than you!"

"No you can't!" Shana arguded.

"Yes I can!"

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you can't!" Shana started to sing.

"Yes I can, Yes I can!" Sarah sang back.

"When you talk all I hear is blah, blah, blah." Katie sang , making her hands talk in time with the `blah, blah, blah's'. "Maybe you got nothing to say. You make it sound good and loud now, I can't make out. You lips are lookin fine but when you talk.."

"Blah, blah!" Heather finished.

All the girls laughed again. All the guys sweatdroped.

"Do you think it's a curse?" Nuriko asked.

"I dunno, na no da."

"Maybe they're just sick." Tamahome added.

"Anyway," Hotohori started. "Now that the demons have retreated, and no one is hurt. I think it would be best to get something to eat."

"I agree, na no da." Chichiri smiled. "We gotta keep up our strenght, na no da."

"Yay!!! Food!!" Jamie was up immediatly.

`hehe's were heard from all over the room.

"That's our Lina Inverse!" Heather and Katie said. Then laughed some more.

"Eeerrrrrr..... They're.."

"Doing it again?" Heather and Katie finished for Tasuki.

"Grrrrr...Stop that!"

"Stop what?" They asked in unison.

"THAT!!!!!" He growled then stomped towards the dining hall.

Heather and Katie followed closely behind so they could torment Tasuki a bit more.

The Seishi and the girls sat in the dinning hall and ate breakfast. Afterwards Hotohori spoke. "Chichiri, Chiriko and I have talked and we decided it would be best to go after the demon instead of waiting for it to send more minnions after us." Hotohori sat and Chiriko stood up.

"We've gotten some reports of numerous demons swarming near the Mt. Reikaku pass. We think the demons made their base up near there."

"So that's why the Kutou army attacked?" Kouji asked. "Yep so they could clear the way for the demons." He answered.

The faces on all where grim.

"So that's where we're going right, Chiriko?" Nuriko asked.

"Percisly!" Hotohori said standing again.

"Time to take back our home." Tasuki told Kouji. "For the old boss."

"You bet Genrou!"

"The preperations have been made, we'll rest until tomorrow then we'll start traveling." Hotohori then bid the rest of the seishi good day and turned to leave. After that the rest disperesed themselves throught the palace.

* * *

Katie found Tasuki sitting by a tree. She sat down beside him, "So what do you think of all this?"

"This stinks." Was his reply. "But I'm glad we're going back, to get rid of those monsters." His tone was flat, looking strait in front of him.

"Do you think we can really do it, just the 14 of us?" She said seemingly looking at the same thing he was.

"I don't know... but when the fighting starts I want you to stay close." He paused, "I need to know that you're safe."

Katie nodded, a small smile escaped her weiry face. She leaned against him and closed her eyes.

* * *

Jamie looked at Nuriko, "I don't wanna have to use my fire again."

"Why?" Nuriko asked.

"It scares me."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Don't worry I'll be by your side, I won't let anything happen."

"I know," Jamie smiled and closed her eyes.

* * *

"I think we should leave now!" Sarah said, sitting next to Tamahome.

"Why's that?"

"The sooner we leave, the sooner this whole thing will be over with."

"Yeah I guess," Tamahome lowered his eyes. "Then you and your friends can go home, right."

"Well....yeah." She sounded kind of sad. She closed her eyes trying to figure out what to say next. Tamahome sat and watched her.

* * *

Amanda sat by the well, looking out over the court yard. "It's beautiful here I hope we can come back."

"What do you mean." Kouji asked.

"Well it was just a thought, what if we all get seperated? What if the demons win? What then?" She sighed, "I don't know anymore. Everything is happening so fast."

"I'll be here."

"Huh?"

"I'll be here." Kouji repeated himself.

"Why?"

"I'll be waiting here."

"What for?"

"I'll be waiting here, for you... So, if you come here.... You'll find me. I promise." He smiled. "If we get seperated, come back here. I'll be waiting."

Amanda smiled and closed her eyes, "Alright." Why does this sound so fimilar? She thought.

* * *

Shana sat with her head in her hands.

"DAAAAA!!!!" A chibi Chichiri popped up next to her. And sat himself beside her.

She looked up.

"Are you alright, na no da?" He asked.

Shana said nothing.

Chichiri took off his mask and turned himself back to normal. He then put his arm around the girl. "You don't have to worry, na no da. You'll find out what gift Tai'itsukun has given you soon enough."

"I'll only make trouble for you and the others," she said stoicly.

"I don't think so, na no da. We need you, na no da." He gave the girl a squeeze. "And I won't let anything happen to you, na no da."

Shana nodded, she closed her eyes, and wished for strength.

* * *

Heather sat down by Hotohori. "This is a nice study." She said, trying to start a conversation.

"That it is." Hotohori agreed with her.

"What do you think of this." He asked.

"Of what." She asked.

"Of what we are about to do. If you do not wish to come, I will understand."

"What are you saying."

"I want you to be safe, Heather. I do not know how to say it any other way. But if you were to get hurt I would never be able to forgive myself."

"I understand," she closed her eyes. "But this is something I think all of us have to and need to do."

Hotohori hugged the girl close. "I know."

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