*This is the third part of the story. I know it's not that great and if I don't get anymore feedback, I'm not going to post the ending. not that it would've been great either...*
"Meanwhile, the two Suzaku celestial warriors ran into the new bandits of Mount Reikaku..."
"Stop right there!"
Taka looked around. "Tasuki? TASUKI, YOU SCAREDY CAT!!!! Where are you?"
Five boys stepped into the clearing. "You are trespassing on our property."
"Prepare to fight."
"Wait, I didn't..." He looked at them. "Who are you?"
"Koji Kou." The tallest boy with dark brown hair stepped forward. "Also Hideki, Ryoga, Koshu, and Kenji Kou."
"What-"
"We are-"
"You little punks!" Tasuki came out of nowhere, smacking each of the boys.
"Ow!"
"Tasuki!"
"I can't leave you alone for even a little while, can I? I'm glad Miyu came with me."
"These...are..." Taka looked from the boys to his friend.
"Geez, dad, how were we supposed to know who he was?"
"Mao recognized the priestess of Seiryuu and that was a bad description. If you'd listen once in a while..." He helped the littlest boy up.
"Sorry. You're Tam...Taka, right?" Ryoga asked as he stepped away from his father. "Koji's a little bit..."
"Temperamental!" Kenji piped up. "He's overbearing too!"
"You little!" Hideki and Koshu held their older brother back.
"Nice kids. Can we go now? We need to met up with the others or find Kado."
"Yeah. Now, you four-"
"Five," Ryoga interjected. Tasuki smacked him, but not too hard. "Ow!"
"Now, you four don't let Koji get you into anymore trouble."
"Ah..."
"I knew we shouldn't have listened to him."
"Cut it out, Kenji!" Hideki yelled.
"Yeah, it's hard enough to-" Koshu was cut off by Koji's yell. "Eeeee!"
"Geez!"
"Didja have to hit him that hard?" Hideki got up, pushing his older brother off of him.
"He may be old, but-" Ryoga, who covered his mouth, grabbed the boy.
"Kenji, it's time for chores." The youngest two went in their way.
"Have fun! Try to bring Miyu back alive!"
"Stop making stupid jokes!" Tasuki called to his sons. "Come on, Taka. Let's go."
"Didn't they have a mother?" He saw his friend flinch slightly.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
"She should be fine in a little while, you know." Chichiri pulled the blanket up to Mao's chin. "How did the burns get centered on her wrists and ankles?"
Miaka turned after tucking Amisumi in, seeing Miyu kneeling with his hands digging into his legs. "Miyu-"
"It was me."
The priestess set the tessen beside him. "It-"
Chichiri touched her shoulder. "Dammit...damn..." Miyu took in a deep breath and began to speak again, soft and slow. They listened knowing they'd never hear it again.
*Flashback*
Genro took the boy back from her as she closed her eyes for the last time. He was tiny with a small patch of brown hair above his forehead. "You're the last, my...my Miyu." He wrapped the boy in a towel and went into the next room.
"Daddy?" His nine-year-old son, Koji, looked at him with his pale blue eyes, curious as to the gender of his new sibling.
"Go...go find your brothers."
"All right." He got up to leave, but his father stopped him. The little boy took a peek at the baby. "Boy?"
"Yes." He nodded and went to find his brothers.
Genro cleaned the boy and felt a twinge of pain. Miyu looked like his mother, even more so than the boys that had her hair and eyes. He kissed the boy, holding him close before dressing him. Genro placed Miyu in the crib beside his bed. "Now...stay quiet...please...just..." The baby boy's eyes were wet with unshed tears, but he remained quiet. His father ran a finger down his small, soft cheek. He turned, went over to his wife, and placed his face in her stomach. Tears dampened her nightgown. His whole body shook and suddenly-
"What?" He pressed his hand down where his face had been and felt the movement again. "No...oh, Suzaku, no..." Miyu began to whimper. He kept one hand on the damp spot while feeling under the bed with the other. What he wanted came into his grasp. "Please forgive me." Genro, also known as Tasuki of the Suzaku seven, did something he only told his twins about. There was a clatter and Miyu began to cry. "She's all right, Miyu." The girl in his arms squired and began to cry. "No, please." Genro washed and dressed her. When he saw them side-by-side, he noticed how different they looked.
"Mao almost died because of me. Our mother *did* die because of me. Now she's hurt and..." He stood up and kicked the tessen. "I won't hurt her anymore!" The force of the kick sent the fan against the other bed, awakening and frightening Amisumi. He turned to leave, but Mao grabbed his arm. "Ma-"
*Miyu, I need you. *
*Mao...are you...are you dying? * He knelt next to her, taking her hand and entwining it in his.
*No, I'm just hurt. *
*What do you need from me? *
*Your body. *
*But...* Miyu brought his face to his twin's. They shared a kiss.
"Wha-" Amisumi began to growl.
The twins were surrounded in white light. Chichiri asked, "Miyu, what's wrong?"
The boy laughed. He turned, the symbol of 'stomach' glowing brightly on his left cheek. "Hello."
"Mao?!" Chichiri yelled.
"Yep." The boy's physical appearance changed in only one more way; his hair became tinted with orange. "Miyu lent me his body so I could still help you. Neither of us are very strong on our own, but this way we're stronger." He ran a hand through Mao's hair.
"Miaka, we have to go find the others."
"Yeah."
"Could you watch over Miyu for me, Chichiri? I don't think-"
"He'll be all right, you know. Just leave him to me."
The boy smiled and nodded. "Thank you. When he's better, when I call him, you'll be able to find us, right?"
"Of course."
"C'mon Miaka!" Mao, now a boy, grabbed the tessen and ran outside.
"Thanks, Chichiri."
"No problem."
"Ow!" came the boy's voice.
"Amisumi." The girl leapt into Miaka's arms and waved goodbye to the monk as they exited the room.
"Be careful."
The priestess and the toddler saw the boy on a reddish horse. "What's the matter?"
"I owe Miyu a lot of apologies," he moaned.
Ryuchai set the celestial warrior down on the ground. After a moment, she gave him a fierce kick. "Oh!"
"Wake up!"
"Priestess...I..." He lifted his hand, lightly brushing hers. He moaned again.
"Suboshi," she whispered. The girl knelt down, touching and healing his wounds. "My darling star."
"Ryuchai..." Kado struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry. That boy-"
"Hush." She kissed him. "Now, I have a plan to get revenge on the boy who hurt you willing to do such a thing."
"Anything...for you," he breathed in her ear. His lips moved down her throat and then back to her lips. "My priestess."
"Now, we must find the place." Her violet eyes shone, the blue-green flecks dancing in the sunlight. "Let's go."
"All right."
*Please, Suboshi, please don't...*
Tasuki and Taka were resting by a lake when the priestess came into sight. "Miaka!"
"Taka! Tasuki!" She dismounted the horse, helped the girl down, and embraced Taka.
"Amisumi." The fiery-haired man hugged the little girl, who began to purr. "Hey, where are the twins?"
"Uh..."
"It's all right, Miaka. I'll explain." The cloaked figure brought his horse to a stop next to hers.
"Mi...yu?" His grip on the girl loosened and stood up.
"You lost track of Kado. He's back to his old self and he has one of the relics. Can't two men watch over one boy?" He slid off the stallion.
"What did you do to my twins?" He took a step forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his dagger. "How did you-"
"Tasuki!"
"Who are you?"
The figure took a step so they were less than a foot apart. His cloak billowed out behind him and he unsheathed the tessen. "Suzaku warrior, do not draw your weapon."
Tasuki took out the dagger. "You're not my son. Where'd you get the tessen?"
He thrust the weapon aside, took a step forward, and let the cloak fall to the ground. The boy, who had the vague appearance of being related to the man, undid the buttons on his shirt, the pale cloth sliding off his body. "Mi..."
"Miaka, no," Taka whispered.
On both of the boy's sides were three dark scars. Tasuki and the boy closed the gap. He touched the scars. "You almost forgot."
"Mao..."
"Miaka, what happened?" Taka asked.
"Miyu never did...do you remember when...why this happened?" The twin hugged his father and they were lost in the memory.
He awoke in the pit of the night. Rain was falling mercilessly and the lightning flashed. It lit up the crib under the window, revealing its emptiness. *Maybe,* he thought, *maybe they've realized they're each other's only comfort. * He went to check on his children. The oldest five boys were sleeping peacefully in together in their room. His ten-year-old twins, however, weren't in their room. *Mao! Miyu! Where...oh, Suzaku, no! Not the lake!* Genro rushed into the storm. "Mao! Miyu!" he called out over and over.
"Daddy!" Her voice came from the lake faintly. "Daddy, help me!"
"Where's-"
"Daddy!" she shrieked as she got up to the shore and was thrust back.
He went into the water, Mao's symbol acting like a beacon. The small girl was struggling with something dragging her down. Genro grabbed her and went up on the shore. Miyu was in her arms. She took something from the boy and skittered away. "Miyu, what-" Lightning flashed, revealing the gashes in his sides.
"He needs to get out of the rain!"
"I know!" Genro pulled off his shirt and tied it around the worst of the cuts. He carried the boy to their home.
"Put him in our room," she whispered and disappeared.
"Miyu," he murmured as he pushed the blankets off Miyu's bed. Genro had stripped off most of the boy's clothes by the time Mao returned. She had two thick towels and three belts. "Hold him."
"Okay." She knelt above her twin and pressed firmly on his shoulders.
"Oh, Miyu..." He ripped off the shirt and pressed the towels to his sides. Miyu screamed through his half-conscious state. "Miyu! Miyu!" Mao pressed her cheek to his, her hair covering his face. She squeaked and kissed him. Miyu had fallen back into unconsciousness. "Lift...lift him up." She did. Her father cinched the belts across her twin's torso. "All right."
"Daddy?" When the lightning flashed, he saw the tear tracks down her cheek and her symbol gone.
"Get out of those wet clothes, baby. He'll be here when you get back."
"Okay." Mao crept into the darkness.
Genro grabbed a sheet and dried Miyu off. He moaned softly. "What happened, Miyu?" He found as many blankets as he could to keep his boy warm, knowing he couldn't handle another movement. Lightning flashed, illuminating the boy's fragile face. A name escaped him that he hadn't said in ten years. "Yumi..." Mao pressed her small fist into his leg. She was now wearing her twin's robe. Her father picked her up, went over to her bed, and sat there rocking her. "Mao, Mao, Mao."
"Who's Yumi?" she asked sleepily.
"Sh, just go to sleep, baby." He ruffled her hair, thinking how very much alike and different they were. "Do you want to stay in here?"
"No, he wants to be alone." She crawled away from her father's lap and into his room.
Genro kissed his young son's forehead. "I...killed her...my mother...I..." He moaned.
*Is that why...oh, my Miyu...I never should have told you...* He kissed the boy and left him. The orange-haired girl was curled up in the crib. Genro kissed her and went to sleep.
Miyu slept for two days. Early the third morning, when he checked on the boy, Miyu opened his eyes. He didn't even attempt to speak nor did he for the next four weeks. The older boys didn't know what had happened and they never asked.
The boy touched the dagger. "This has done enough to him."
"Mao...how did this happen?"
"We're twins." Mao smiled as if that explained everything.
Tasuki noticed something on the boy's chest. "What's this?" He touched the marks.
"Huh?" Mao looked at them. "I've never seen them before. What does it say?"
"Yumi."
"Yumi?" The boy looked a little confused. Then something dawned in his eyes. "Yumi...Miyu...our mother?"
"Yes."
"Miyu's with Chichiri. He'll be-" Mao took a step back. His breathing became harsh and he grabbed his fallen items.
"What-" Tasuki began.
"Find the other relics and get Miyu." The shirt, holster, and tessen were back in place already. "There's something I have to do."
"Mao-"
"Hurry!" The boy was riding off in the direction of the mountains.
"Tasuki? Are you all right?" Miaka asked tentatively.
He got on his horse. "Yes. Let's go."
"Okay." Taka and Miaka got on their horses and followed the older man.
Miyu pressed his hands to his chest and gasped. *Oh, my, no!*
"Miyu!"
"I-I-I'm a girl!" she wailed.
"You and Mao switched bodies, you know."
"Oh." The girl sat up. "Chichiri, do you know if they're okay?"
"No."
She stood up, her brown-tinted hair all messed up. Her steps were shaky, but she made it to her boots. "I have to-" She fell to her knees. "Ow!"
"Miyu, stop it, you're not-"
Miyu jerked. "I feel...my sister's in trouble. Mao's not use to my body and it could cost her life. I won't let that happen!"
Chichiri laughed. "You're stubborn, you know."
"Are you coming or not?"
"Let me rewrap your wounds and then we'll go."
"Eh...all right."
Mao stopped, hearing a soft moan in the woods. After dismounting the horse, he sniffed around and found an old woman. "Are you all right? Here, let me take you out by the path."
"You're a very kind girl."
"Huh?"
"Could I have some water?"
"Sure."
The old woman took a few sips and touched Mao's face. "You must go. Take this for your kindness and mission." She let go of the item in her hand.
Mao turned and grabbed it. When he looked back, the woman was gone. "Huh? Oh, geez!" The boy with orange-tinted hair shoved the item into his pocket and rode onward.
He slowed as his home came into view. There was an eerie silence about it and Mao sent the horse away. "Koji? Hideki?" He stepped inside. "Ryoga, Koshu, Kenji, where are you?" No one was in the house. Mao went out the back door and gasped. "No!"
"He's the one you've been waiting for." Ryuchai looked at Mao. "Your brothers were very rude and unhelpful, so I put them out of their misery." She was suddenly beside the boy, smearing his brothers' blood on his cheeks. "But you I leave for my beloved."
"Don't touch me!" Mao jerked back, but the girl was already gone.
"You tried to burn me."
"Kado? Kado, listen to me-" The meteor balls whizzed by him. "Oh!" One cut into his arm, the other cut his leg, both shallow, but still drawing blood. They kept repeating the pattern, the cuts becoming deeper.
"Your little cat, where is she? I'd like to take her too."
"Safe! She's away from you. Uh." He side was cut perfectly along one of the jagged scars and began to deepen, soaking his shirt in blood. "I...I can't believe it's come to this. Yui was so...so happy just to be with you...even just your name...uh!" Mao fell to his knees. "It would hurt her...hurt her so much to see you...this way..." He closed his eyes and fainted.
Tasuki stopped. *Mao, where were you off to in such a hurry? Nothing's out there except for-* "Ah!" The horse whinnied as he turned it around.
"Tasuki, wait!"
"Where's he going?" he asked.
He was already out of sight. "That's where he lives. That's where Mao went too."
"I think we should go after him," Taka said.
"Yeah," Miaka agreed. "That's where his family is." They followed.
Genro rode hard, but stopped when he noticed the old woman by the side of the road. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, but you should hurry. Take this and go to your daughter." She reached up and placed the necklace in his hand.
"My...but-" He looked down. The old woman was gone. "Mao!" The horse was pushed to his limits.
"Mao? Mao, are you all right?"
"Um...Miyu?" He looked up into her face, feeling her tears falling on his cheeks. "Where-ah..." His side burned and it caused him to moan.
"In our room. Let's switch."
"Your body's too weak, Miyu. There's a deep cut-"
"It's sewn up. It looks like a doctor or someone-"
"Kado," Mao laughed and ran his hand down Miyu's wet cheek. He began to cough.
"Stop, please." Miyu pressed her lips to her twin's and began the switch.
"Miyu!" She looked at her twin. "No, Miyu, please, no!" Mao slid him onto her lap, rocking him. "Miyu!"
The door burst open and he saw the girl. "Miyu, what happened?"
The brown-haired boy's chest rose and fell once, then became still. "Daddy..."
Genro walked in and wrapped the girl in his arms. "You're the last, my...my Miyu." Tears fell into her hair and on her shoulder.
"Daddy...look at me...look at us," Mao sniffed.
He did. The bright white symbol glowed on the girl's cheek. "Mao?" She nodded and then pressed her face into his chest, dampening it with tears. "Oh, Mao. Hush. We'll be all right, baby."
"I couldn't...the others are...she did it, but Miyu...I couldn't save any of them..."
"You tried. Mao, I couldn't...I couldn't ask anymore of you...I couldn't bear it if..." Mao extracted herself from his embrace. "Mao?"
"I'll go he...help Chichiri. I can't..." She looked at Miyu, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she held back sobs.
"All right." Genro watched his only living child bound out of the room and the door closed. He absently slipped an arm around the boy's shoulder, lifting him until his cool head rested against his father's hot chest. "Miyu, my poor...Mi...yu..." He began to cry hard, holding the boy close to him.
Miaka and Taka stopped, a feeling of despair emitting from the house. "His horse is here, but...it's too *quiet*."
"Let's-" They heard a faint jingle coming from the rear of the house. "Chichiri?"
"That means Miyu's here, too," Miaka said a little giddily. She jumped off the horse; her husband followed. She stopped at the building's edge.
There were five fresh mounds of dirt lining the forest's outskirts. Chichiri was walking away from them towards the girl on the ground. She was under a cherry tree in full bloom, beside a hole her size, and her body was shaking. "Sh." He touched her shoulder before catching sight of them. He went over to them.
"What happened? You and Miyu-"
"We got here after Mao, but the fight was over, you know."
"The boys, where are they?" she asked. He dropped his head slightly and gestured to the dirt mounds. "No...no, he didn't..."
"What about Mao?"
"It wasn't Kado, but Mao's-" The monk stopped when Tasuki came out. The sheeted bundle in his arms bore the unmistakable shape of a body.
"Mao, too?" Taka whispered. The girl turned to her father and took the body.
"No."
"But Mao was in Miyu's body. That would mean-"
"Miyu forced the switch. His body was too damaged for that much stress and..." They watched the girl place her twin in his grave.
Mao uncovered his face and traced a cut on his left cheek. "Miyu, I promise that we'll see each other soon. Wait for me." She kissed his cold lips, letting tears roll down their cheeks. "But goodbye for now." She lifted herself up and began to scoop dirt into his grave.
Tasuki went to help her, but she growled at him. "Mao, stop it."
She looked at him, eyes shiny with tears she refused to shed. "I won't. You don't know what I'm going through-"
"Yes, I do. Miyu knew the risk and he died. He did it because he loved you, he did it for you."
"How? Who died for you? Who would ever take a stupid risk for you?!?"
He slapped her face. The red spot made the white mark brilliant. "Your mother." He pressed his face close to hers. "She knew I wanted a daughter, but she also knew that she might...die," he said softly. Genro knelt beside his child and cupped her face in his hands. "She looked just like you do now, heartbroken but not completely sad, when she first saw Miyu. He was the culmination of her risk taking and you've become his."
"Miyu..." His name echoed in her ears and she was certain she would see him again soon. She grew very somber, a faint awareness dawning in her eyes. Mao kissed her father's cheek. "Where's Amisumi?"
"She should be with Miaka and Taka." They went over to the priestess and her husband. "Do you-" Amisumi ran into the backyard, a small raven following her. She pounced into Tasuki's arms and the bird lighted on his daughter. "What?"
"Hm, a note..." She took the scrap of paper from its leg. "Little cat, you're the last one. Renounce your place as protector of the Seiryuu relics and you will endure. Bring the relics and the child to..."
The boy was alone in the meadow, watching the twilight fade to dawn. His heart beat fast and felt like it was tearing itself in two.
*See those stars right there? They're the guardian stars of the east."
*You still want to be with Lady Yui. She's your other half.*
"What are you doing?"
He turned quickly, his braid slapping against his cheek. Ryuchai stood with her hands on her hips in the starlight. "Priestess..."
"You should really get to bed. Tomorrow will be a trying day for us."
"Yes, I believe it will."
"Of course. Come, beloved star." She ran an icy hand up the back of his shirt and gently pulled him as she walked.
*Do you think I would leave you for anything in this world?*
*Yes...*
He shuddered at the thought of those crystalline blue-green eyes. *Tomorrow is the judgment,* Kado thought.
They were in the clearing, waiting for the boy and the girl. Taka held the sword ready to fight, but he was behind Mao. She held the front line and the tessen with quiet anger. Miaka was hidden in the woods nearby. Tasuki remained on his horse, wrapped in his son's cloak with the toddler under it.
"Are you sure this is where the note said to meet them?"
"Yes, father," Mao all but growled.
He felt the girl press against him more tightly. Amisumi held five of the relics, including the necklace and scarf the father and daughter had been given by the old woman. "Sh," he whispered, stroking her soft hair. She jerked suddenly and slid off the horse. "Amisumi!"
The girl looked at him. He stopped, a wave of deja vu sweeping over him. She grabbed Mao's leg. "Don't worry, we'll get the last relic."
"You're wrong about that." Ryuchai and Kado appeared without a sound. "Give us the child and the relics."
"Why? So you can destroy her and Kado?"
"The child, yes, but your so-called Kado is bound to me, the priestess of Seiryuu."
"That's not true!" Miaka screamed.
"Miaka!" Taka yelled.
"Rekka Shinen!" Mao struck with all her anger, her grief, and the part of herself that was linked to Miyu alone.
Kado barely lifted his hand. The meteor balls moved too quickly for them to see, diverting the flames back at Mao and Amisumi. The orange-haired girl fell to her knees, her body weak and spent. Amisumi couldn't move either.
Everything went so quickly. Taka had dropped the sword and now held Mao in his arms. Tasuki had thrown her to him and the smaller girl towards Miaka. The older girl was kicking and screaming for her father. "No, daddy! Let me go! Let me help my daddy! He's all I have left!"
"Mao, please!"
"Daddy!"
Tasuki was in the midst of the inferno and they really couldn't see him anymore. "Mao, stop it." She barely heard him. "Mao, stop it!"
The girl stopped struggling and watched in silence. "Mao?" Taka whispered.
"Da..."
The flames dissipated and Genro Kou, Tasuki of the Suzaku seven, was encircled by the power of his tessen. "Your tricks won't work against us, not while a Suzaku warrior lives."
"You're so eager to join your sons. I can help with that," the blue-haired girl said.
"Taka, put me down," Mao whispered.
"What?" Then he saw why she'd asked. Amisumi was tugging at her urgently. "If anything happens to you-"
"Don't worry." She picked up the sword. "Go to Miaka, we'll be able to handle it from here."
"But-" Taka took a step back. The mark of 'stomach' had gone from her cheek and a blue light was surrounding her. "Mao?"
"Taka, what's-" The little girl caught everyone's attention. Her thick blonde hair was blown straight up and her top had fallen off her shoulders, revealing three blue marks: heart, high spirits, and corner. "Oh, no!" Miaka cried.
She had one of Mao's hands. In a voice that wasn't her own, Kokie began to speak. "The four palaces of the heavens, the four corners of earth, in the name of sacred law, faith, and virtue..." She continued on, the small girl mouthing the words.
"That's Yui's voice!"
"No! Stop it! Su-" Ryuchai watched in disbelief as he walked over to the two girls and handed Amisumi his relic. "NO!"
Tasuki grabbed Kado. The boy began to cough violently and a black orb came out. "Kado?"
"What happened?" he gasped.
"Kai-jin!" Mao fell to her knees, Ryuchai mirroring her. The blue-haired girl was now on the ground motionless and then disappeared in a blue light.
"Amisumi," Kokie gasped, her symbol back brighter than ever. "Ami-" Her shirt ripped as the toddler was gone. "Oh, geez."
"Mao!" Tasuki went over to his daughter with the boy in tow. "Are you-"
"I'm cold."
Kado moved away from them. The father covered the girl with his son's cloak. "It'll be all right."
"Oh god, oh Seiryuu, oh Yui, what have I done?"
Mao kissed Genro and then went over to Kado. "You're going to be fine. You didn't...it wasn't you."
"I'm sorry." He turned from her.
"We should go back to Kutou," Mao squeaked.
"Mao?" Miaka and Taka had joined them. "Why?"
"Just trust me."
"Meanwhile, the two Suzaku celestial warriors ran into the new bandits of Mount Reikaku..."
"Stop right there!"
Taka looked around. "Tasuki? TASUKI, YOU SCAREDY CAT!!!! Where are you?"
Five boys stepped into the clearing. "You are trespassing on our property."
"Prepare to fight."
"Wait, I didn't..." He looked at them. "Who are you?"
"Koji Kou." The tallest boy with dark brown hair stepped forward. "Also Hideki, Ryoga, Koshu, and Kenji Kou."
"What-"
"We are-"
"You little punks!" Tasuki came out of nowhere, smacking each of the boys.
"Ow!"
"Tasuki!"
"I can't leave you alone for even a little while, can I? I'm glad Miyu came with me."
"These...are..." Taka looked from the boys to his friend.
"Geez, dad, how were we supposed to know who he was?"
"Mao recognized the priestess of Seiryuu and that was a bad description. If you'd listen once in a while..." He helped the littlest boy up.
"Sorry. You're Tam...Taka, right?" Ryoga asked as he stepped away from his father. "Koji's a little bit..."
"Temperamental!" Kenji piped up. "He's overbearing too!"
"You little!" Hideki and Koshu held their older brother back.
"Nice kids. Can we go now? We need to met up with the others or find Kado."
"Yeah. Now, you four-"
"Five," Ryoga interjected. Tasuki smacked him, but not too hard. "Ow!"
"Now, you four don't let Koji get you into anymore trouble."
"Ah..."
"I knew we shouldn't have listened to him."
"Cut it out, Kenji!" Hideki yelled.
"Yeah, it's hard enough to-" Koshu was cut off by Koji's yell. "Eeeee!"
"Geez!"
"Didja have to hit him that hard?" Hideki got up, pushing his older brother off of him.
"He may be old, but-" Ryoga, who covered his mouth, grabbed the boy.
"Kenji, it's time for chores." The youngest two went in their way.
"Have fun! Try to bring Miyu back alive!"
"Stop making stupid jokes!" Tasuki called to his sons. "Come on, Taka. Let's go."
"Didn't they have a mother?" He saw his friend flinch slightly.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
"She should be fine in a little while, you know." Chichiri pulled the blanket up to Mao's chin. "How did the burns get centered on her wrists and ankles?"
Miaka turned after tucking Amisumi in, seeing Miyu kneeling with his hands digging into his legs. "Miyu-"
"It was me."
The priestess set the tessen beside him. "It-"
Chichiri touched her shoulder. "Dammit...damn..." Miyu took in a deep breath and began to speak again, soft and slow. They listened knowing they'd never hear it again.
*Flashback*
Genro took the boy back from her as she closed her eyes for the last time. He was tiny with a small patch of brown hair above his forehead. "You're the last, my...my Miyu." He wrapped the boy in a towel and went into the next room.
"Daddy?" His nine-year-old son, Koji, looked at him with his pale blue eyes, curious as to the gender of his new sibling.
"Go...go find your brothers."
"All right." He got up to leave, but his father stopped him. The little boy took a peek at the baby. "Boy?"
"Yes." He nodded and went to find his brothers.
Genro cleaned the boy and felt a twinge of pain. Miyu looked like his mother, even more so than the boys that had her hair and eyes. He kissed the boy, holding him close before dressing him. Genro placed Miyu in the crib beside his bed. "Now...stay quiet...please...just..." The baby boy's eyes were wet with unshed tears, but he remained quiet. His father ran a finger down his small, soft cheek. He turned, went over to his wife, and placed his face in her stomach. Tears dampened her nightgown. His whole body shook and suddenly-
"What?" He pressed his hand down where his face had been and felt the movement again. "No...oh, Suzaku, no..." Miyu began to whimper. He kept one hand on the damp spot while feeling under the bed with the other. What he wanted came into his grasp. "Please forgive me." Genro, also known as Tasuki of the Suzaku seven, did something he only told his twins about. There was a clatter and Miyu began to cry. "She's all right, Miyu." The girl in his arms squired and began to cry. "No, please." Genro washed and dressed her. When he saw them side-by-side, he noticed how different they looked.
"Mao almost died because of me. Our mother *did* die because of me. Now she's hurt and..." He stood up and kicked the tessen. "I won't hurt her anymore!" The force of the kick sent the fan against the other bed, awakening and frightening Amisumi. He turned to leave, but Mao grabbed his arm. "Ma-"
*Miyu, I need you. *
*Mao...are you...are you dying? * He knelt next to her, taking her hand and entwining it in his.
*No, I'm just hurt. *
*What do you need from me? *
*Your body. *
*But...* Miyu brought his face to his twin's. They shared a kiss.
"Wha-" Amisumi began to growl.
The twins were surrounded in white light. Chichiri asked, "Miyu, what's wrong?"
The boy laughed. He turned, the symbol of 'stomach' glowing brightly on his left cheek. "Hello."
"Mao?!" Chichiri yelled.
"Yep." The boy's physical appearance changed in only one more way; his hair became tinted with orange. "Miyu lent me his body so I could still help you. Neither of us are very strong on our own, but this way we're stronger." He ran a hand through Mao's hair.
"Miaka, we have to go find the others."
"Yeah."
"Could you watch over Miyu for me, Chichiri? I don't think-"
"He'll be all right, you know. Just leave him to me."
The boy smiled and nodded. "Thank you. When he's better, when I call him, you'll be able to find us, right?"
"Of course."
"C'mon Miaka!" Mao, now a boy, grabbed the tessen and ran outside.
"Thanks, Chichiri."
"No problem."
"Ow!" came the boy's voice.
"Amisumi." The girl leapt into Miaka's arms and waved goodbye to the monk as they exited the room.
"Be careful."
The priestess and the toddler saw the boy on a reddish horse. "What's the matter?"
"I owe Miyu a lot of apologies," he moaned.
Ryuchai set the celestial warrior down on the ground. After a moment, she gave him a fierce kick. "Oh!"
"Wake up!"
"Priestess...I..." He lifted his hand, lightly brushing hers. He moaned again.
"Suboshi," she whispered. The girl knelt down, touching and healing his wounds. "My darling star."
"Ryuchai..." Kado struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry. That boy-"
"Hush." She kissed him. "Now, I have a plan to get revenge on the boy who hurt you willing to do such a thing."
"Anything...for you," he breathed in her ear. His lips moved down her throat and then back to her lips. "My priestess."
"Now, we must find the place." Her violet eyes shone, the blue-green flecks dancing in the sunlight. "Let's go."
"All right."
*Please, Suboshi, please don't...*
Tasuki and Taka were resting by a lake when the priestess came into sight. "Miaka!"
"Taka! Tasuki!" She dismounted the horse, helped the girl down, and embraced Taka.
"Amisumi." The fiery-haired man hugged the little girl, who began to purr. "Hey, where are the twins?"
"Uh..."
"It's all right, Miaka. I'll explain." The cloaked figure brought his horse to a stop next to hers.
"Mi...yu?" His grip on the girl loosened and stood up.
"You lost track of Kado. He's back to his old self and he has one of the relics. Can't two men watch over one boy?" He slid off the stallion.
"What did you do to my twins?" He took a step forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his dagger. "How did you-"
"Tasuki!"
"Who are you?"
The figure took a step so they were less than a foot apart. His cloak billowed out behind him and he unsheathed the tessen. "Suzaku warrior, do not draw your weapon."
Tasuki took out the dagger. "You're not my son. Where'd you get the tessen?"
He thrust the weapon aside, took a step forward, and let the cloak fall to the ground. The boy, who had the vague appearance of being related to the man, undid the buttons on his shirt, the pale cloth sliding off his body. "Mi..."
"Miaka, no," Taka whispered.
On both of the boy's sides were three dark scars. Tasuki and the boy closed the gap. He touched the scars. "You almost forgot."
"Mao..."
"Miaka, what happened?" Taka asked.
"Miyu never did...do you remember when...why this happened?" The twin hugged his father and they were lost in the memory.
He awoke in the pit of the night. Rain was falling mercilessly and the lightning flashed. It lit up the crib under the window, revealing its emptiness. *Maybe,* he thought, *maybe they've realized they're each other's only comfort. * He went to check on his children. The oldest five boys were sleeping peacefully in together in their room. His ten-year-old twins, however, weren't in their room. *Mao! Miyu! Where...oh, Suzaku, no! Not the lake!* Genro rushed into the storm. "Mao! Miyu!" he called out over and over.
"Daddy!" Her voice came from the lake faintly. "Daddy, help me!"
"Where's-"
"Daddy!" she shrieked as she got up to the shore and was thrust back.
He went into the water, Mao's symbol acting like a beacon. The small girl was struggling with something dragging her down. Genro grabbed her and went up on the shore. Miyu was in her arms. She took something from the boy and skittered away. "Miyu, what-" Lightning flashed, revealing the gashes in his sides.
"He needs to get out of the rain!"
"I know!" Genro pulled off his shirt and tied it around the worst of the cuts. He carried the boy to their home.
"Put him in our room," she whispered and disappeared.
"Miyu," he murmured as he pushed the blankets off Miyu's bed. Genro had stripped off most of the boy's clothes by the time Mao returned. She had two thick towels and three belts. "Hold him."
"Okay." She knelt above her twin and pressed firmly on his shoulders.
"Oh, Miyu..." He ripped off the shirt and pressed the towels to his sides. Miyu screamed through his half-conscious state. "Miyu! Miyu!" Mao pressed her cheek to his, her hair covering his face. She squeaked and kissed him. Miyu had fallen back into unconsciousness. "Lift...lift him up." She did. Her father cinched the belts across her twin's torso. "All right."
"Daddy?" When the lightning flashed, he saw the tear tracks down her cheek and her symbol gone.
"Get out of those wet clothes, baby. He'll be here when you get back."
"Okay." Mao crept into the darkness.
Genro grabbed a sheet and dried Miyu off. He moaned softly. "What happened, Miyu?" He found as many blankets as he could to keep his boy warm, knowing he couldn't handle another movement. Lightning flashed, illuminating the boy's fragile face. A name escaped him that he hadn't said in ten years. "Yumi..." Mao pressed her small fist into his leg. She was now wearing her twin's robe. Her father picked her up, went over to her bed, and sat there rocking her. "Mao, Mao, Mao."
"Who's Yumi?" she asked sleepily.
"Sh, just go to sleep, baby." He ruffled her hair, thinking how very much alike and different they were. "Do you want to stay in here?"
"No, he wants to be alone." She crawled away from her father's lap and into his room.
Genro kissed his young son's forehead. "I...killed her...my mother...I..." He moaned.
*Is that why...oh, my Miyu...I never should have told you...* He kissed the boy and left him. The orange-haired girl was curled up in the crib. Genro kissed her and went to sleep.
Miyu slept for two days. Early the third morning, when he checked on the boy, Miyu opened his eyes. He didn't even attempt to speak nor did he for the next four weeks. The older boys didn't know what had happened and they never asked.
The boy touched the dagger. "This has done enough to him."
"Mao...how did this happen?"
"We're twins." Mao smiled as if that explained everything.
Tasuki noticed something on the boy's chest. "What's this?" He touched the marks.
"Huh?" Mao looked at them. "I've never seen them before. What does it say?"
"Yumi."
"Yumi?" The boy looked a little confused. Then something dawned in his eyes. "Yumi...Miyu...our mother?"
"Yes."
"Miyu's with Chichiri. He'll be-" Mao took a step back. His breathing became harsh and he grabbed his fallen items.
"What-" Tasuki began.
"Find the other relics and get Miyu." The shirt, holster, and tessen were back in place already. "There's something I have to do."
"Mao-"
"Hurry!" The boy was riding off in the direction of the mountains.
"Tasuki? Are you all right?" Miaka asked tentatively.
He got on his horse. "Yes. Let's go."
"Okay." Taka and Miaka got on their horses and followed the older man.
Miyu pressed his hands to his chest and gasped. *Oh, my, no!*
"Miyu!"
"I-I-I'm a girl!" she wailed.
"You and Mao switched bodies, you know."
"Oh." The girl sat up. "Chichiri, do you know if they're okay?"
"No."
She stood up, her brown-tinted hair all messed up. Her steps were shaky, but she made it to her boots. "I have to-" She fell to her knees. "Ow!"
"Miyu, stop it, you're not-"
Miyu jerked. "I feel...my sister's in trouble. Mao's not use to my body and it could cost her life. I won't let that happen!"
Chichiri laughed. "You're stubborn, you know."
"Are you coming or not?"
"Let me rewrap your wounds and then we'll go."
"Eh...all right."
Mao stopped, hearing a soft moan in the woods. After dismounting the horse, he sniffed around and found an old woman. "Are you all right? Here, let me take you out by the path."
"You're a very kind girl."
"Huh?"
"Could I have some water?"
"Sure."
The old woman took a few sips and touched Mao's face. "You must go. Take this for your kindness and mission." She let go of the item in her hand.
Mao turned and grabbed it. When he looked back, the woman was gone. "Huh? Oh, geez!" The boy with orange-tinted hair shoved the item into his pocket and rode onward.
He slowed as his home came into view. There was an eerie silence about it and Mao sent the horse away. "Koji? Hideki?" He stepped inside. "Ryoga, Koshu, Kenji, where are you?" No one was in the house. Mao went out the back door and gasped. "No!"
"He's the one you've been waiting for." Ryuchai looked at Mao. "Your brothers were very rude and unhelpful, so I put them out of their misery." She was suddenly beside the boy, smearing his brothers' blood on his cheeks. "But you I leave for my beloved."
"Don't touch me!" Mao jerked back, but the girl was already gone.
"You tried to burn me."
"Kado? Kado, listen to me-" The meteor balls whizzed by him. "Oh!" One cut into his arm, the other cut his leg, both shallow, but still drawing blood. They kept repeating the pattern, the cuts becoming deeper.
"Your little cat, where is she? I'd like to take her too."
"Safe! She's away from you. Uh." He side was cut perfectly along one of the jagged scars and began to deepen, soaking his shirt in blood. "I...I can't believe it's come to this. Yui was so...so happy just to be with you...even just your name...uh!" Mao fell to his knees. "It would hurt her...hurt her so much to see you...this way..." He closed his eyes and fainted.
Tasuki stopped. *Mao, where were you off to in such a hurry? Nothing's out there except for-* "Ah!" The horse whinnied as he turned it around.
"Tasuki, wait!"
"Where's he going?" he asked.
He was already out of sight. "That's where he lives. That's where Mao went too."
"I think we should go after him," Taka said.
"Yeah," Miaka agreed. "That's where his family is." They followed.
Genro rode hard, but stopped when he noticed the old woman by the side of the road. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, but you should hurry. Take this and go to your daughter." She reached up and placed the necklace in his hand.
"My...but-" He looked down. The old woman was gone. "Mao!" The horse was pushed to his limits.
"Mao? Mao, are you all right?"
"Um...Miyu?" He looked up into her face, feeling her tears falling on his cheeks. "Where-ah..." His side burned and it caused him to moan.
"In our room. Let's switch."
"Your body's too weak, Miyu. There's a deep cut-"
"It's sewn up. It looks like a doctor or someone-"
"Kado," Mao laughed and ran his hand down Miyu's wet cheek. He began to cough.
"Stop, please." Miyu pressed her lips to her twin's and began the switch.
"Miyu!" She looked at her twin. "No, Miyu, please, no!" Mao slid him onto her lap, rocking him. "Miyu!"
The door burst open and he saw the girl. "Miyu, what happened?"
The brown-haired boy's chest rose and fell once, then became still. "Daddy..."
Genro walked in and wrapped the girl in his arms. "You're the last, my...my Miyu." Tears fell into her hair and on her shoulder.
"Daddy...look at me...look at us," Mao sniffed.
He did. The bright white symbol glowed on the girl's cheek. "Mao?" She nodded and then pressed her face into his chest, dampening it with tears. "Oh, Mao. Hush. We'll be all right, baby."
"I couldn't...the others are...she did it, but Miyu...I couldn't save any of them..."
"You tried. Mao, I couldn't...I couldn't ask anymore of you...I couldn't bear it if..." Mao extracted herself from his embrace. "Mao?"
"I'll go he...help Chichiri. I can't..." She looked at Miyu, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she held back sobs.
"All right." Genro watched his only living child bound out of the room and the door closed. He absently slipped an arm around the boy's shoulder, lifting him until his cool head rested against his father's hot chest. "Miyu, my poor...Mi...yu..." He began to cry hard, holding the boy close to him.
Miaka and Taka stopped, a feeling of despair emitting from the house. "His horse is here, but...it's too *quiet*."
"Let's-" They heard a faint jingle coming from the rear of the house. "Chichiri?"
"That means Miyu's here, too," Miaka said a little giddily. She jumped off the horse; her husband followed. She stopped at the building's edge.
There were five fresh mounds of dirt lining the forest's outskirts. Chichiri was walking away from them towards the girl on the ground. She was under a cherry tree in full bloom, beside a hole her size, and her body was shaking. "Sh." He touched her shoulder before catching sight of them. He went over to them.
"What happened? You and Miyu-"
"We got here after Mao, but the fight was over, you know."
"The boys, where are they?" she asked. He dropped his head slightly and gestured to the dirt mounds. "No...no, he didn't..."
"What about Mao?"
"It wasn't Kado, but Mao's-" The monk stopped when Tasuki came out. The sheeted bundle in his arms bore the unmistakable shape of a body.
"Mao, too?" Taka whispered. The girl turned to her father and took the body.
"No."
"But Mao was in Miyu's body. That would mean-"
"Miyu forced the switch. His body was too damaged for that much stress and..." They watched the girl place her twin in his grave.
Mao uncovered his face and traced a cut on his left cheek. "Miyu, I promise that we'll see each other soon. Wait for me." She kissed his cold lips, letting tears roll down their cheeks. "But goodbye for now." She lifted herself up and began to scoop dirt into his grave.
Tasuki went to help her, but she growled at him. "Mao, stop it."
She looked at him, eyes shiny with tears she refused to shed. "I won't. You don't know what I'm going through-"
"Yes, I do. Miyu knew the risk and he died. He did it because he loved you, he did it for you."
"How? Who died for you? Who would ever take a stupid risk for you?!?"
He slapped her face. The red spot made the white mark brilliant. "Your mother." He pressed his face close to hers. "She knew I wanted a daughter, but she also knew that she might...die," he said softly. Genro knelt beside his child and cupped her face in his hands. "She looked just like you do now, heartbroken but not completely sad, when she first saw Miyu. He was the culmination of her risk taking and you've become his."
"Miyu..." His name echoed in her ears and she was certain she would see him again soon. She grew very somber, a faint awareness dawning in her eyes. Mao kissed her father's cheek. "Where's Amisumi?"
"She should be with Miaka and Taka." They went over to the priestess and her husband. "Do you-" Amisumi ran into the backyard, a small raven following her. She pounced into Tasuki's arms and the bird lighted on his daughter. "What?"
"Hm, a note..." She took the scrap of paper from its leg. "Little cat, you're the last one. Renounce your place as protector of the Seiryuu relics and you will endure. Bring the relics and the child to..."
The boy was alone in the meadow, watching the twilight fade to dawn. His heart beat fast and felt like it was tearing itself in two.
*See those stars right there? They're the guardian stars of the east."
*You still want to be with Lady Yui. She's your other half.*
"What are you doing?"
He turned quickly, his braid slapping against his cheek. Ryuchai stood with her hands on her hips in the starlight. "Priestess..."
"You should really get to bed. Tomorrow will be a trying day for us."
"Yes, I believe it will."
"Of course. Come, beloved star." She ran an icy hand up the back of his shirt and gently pulled him as she walked.
*Do you think I would leave you for anything in this world?*
*Yes...*
He shuddered at the thought of those crystalline blue-green eyes. *Tomorrow is the judgment,* Kado thought.
They were in the clearing, waiting for the boy and the girl. Taka held the sword ready to fight, but he was behind Mao. She held the front line and the tessen with quiet anger. Miaka was hidden in the woods nearby. Tasuki remained on his horse, wrapped in his son's cloak with the toddler under it.
"Are you sure this is where the note said to meet them?"
"Yes, father," Mao all but growled.
He felt the girl press against him more tightly. Amisumi held five of the relics, including the necklace and scarf the father and daughter had been given by the old woman. "Sh," he whispered, stroking her soft hair. She jerked suddenly and slid off the horse. "Amisumi!"
The girl looked at him. He stopped, a wave of deja vu sweeping over him. She grabbed Mao's leg. "Don't worry, we'll get the last relic."
"You're wrong about that." Ryuchai and Kado appeared without a sound. "Give us the child and the relics."
"Why? So you can destroy her and Kado?"
"The child, yes, but your so-called Kado is bound to me, the priestess of Seiryuu."
"That's not true!" Miaka screamed.
"Miaka!" Taka yelled.
"Rekka Shinen!" Mao struck with all her anger, her grief, and the part of herself that was linked to Miyu alone.
Kado barely lifted his hand. The meteor balls moved too quickly for them to see, diverting the flames back at Mao and Amisumi. The orange-haired girl fell to her knees, her body weak and spent. Amisumi couldn't move either.
Everything went so quickly. Taka had dropped the sword and now held Mao in his arms. Tasuki had thrown her to him and the smaller girl towards Miaka. The older girl was kicking and screaming for her father. "No, daddy! Let me go! Let me help my daddy! He's all I have left!"
"Mao, please!"
"Daddy!"
Tasuki was in the midst of the inferno and they really couldn't see him anymore. "Mao, stop it." She barely heard him. "Mao, stop it!"
The girl stopped struggling and watched in silence. "Mao?" Taka whispered.
"Da..."
The flames dissipated and Genro Kou, Tasuki of the Suzaku seven, was encircled by the power of his tessen. "Your tricks won't work against us, not while a Suzaku warrior lives."
"You're so eager to join your sons. I can help with that," the blue-haired girl said.
"Taka, put me down," Mao whispered.
"What?" Then he saw why she'd asked. Amisumi was tugging at her urgently. "If anything happens to you-"
"Don't worry." She picked up the sword. "Go to Miaka, we'll be able to handle it from here."
"But-" Taka took a step back. The mark of 'stomach' had gone from her cheek and a blue light was surrounding her. "Mao?"
"Taka, what's-" The little girl caught everyone's attention. Her thick blonde hair was blown straight up and her top had fallen off her shoulders, revealing three blue marks: heart, high spirits, and corner. "Oh, no!" Miaka cried.
She had one of Mao's hands. In a voice that wasn't her own, Kokie began to speak. "The four palaces of the heavens, the four corners of earth, in the name of sacred law, faith, and virtue..." She continued on, the small girl mouthing the words.
"That's Yui's voice!"
"No! Stop it! Su-" Ryuchai watched in disbelief as he walked over to the two girls and handed Amisumi his relic. "NO!"
Tasuki grabbed Kado. The boy began to cough violently and a black orb came out. "Kado?"
"What happened?" he gasped.
"Kai-jin!" Mao fell to her knees, Ryuchai mirroring her. The blue-haired girl was now on the ground motionless and then disappeared in a blue light.
"Amisumi," Kokie gasped, her symbol back brighter than ever. "Ami-" Her shirt ripped as the toddler was gone. "Oh, geez."
"Mao!" Tasuki went over to his daughter with the boy in tow. "Are you-"
"I'm cold."
Kado moved away from them. The father covered the girl with his son's cloak. "It'll be all right."
"Oh god, oh Seiryuu, oh Yui, what have I done?"
Mao kissed Genro and then went over to Kado. "You're going to be fine. You didn't...it wasn't you."
"I'm sorry." He turned from her.
"We should go back to Kutou," Mao squeaked.
"Mao?" Miaka and Taka had joined them. "Why?"
"Just trust me."
