Author's Notes: See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.
Love, Life, and Death By Annie-chan Chapter Thirteen: Outmatched"I'm going, too!"
Everyone stopped and looked at Tasuki.
"No, no da!" Hôjun replied hastily. "It's dangerous, Tasuki, no da! We shouldn't have more people in danger than need be, no da!"
"Hey, I thought three were supposed to be better than two," the fiery Seishi retorted, sounding a little annoyed. "Besides, I wanna meet this Tamahome guy."
"Tasuki, no da," Hôjun said, trying to placate the hot-tempered young man. "I really must insist you stay behind, no da."
Tasuki looked like he was about to lose his temper with the older man, but as one, they both looked over to Hotohori. He was the emperor, after all, and was acting as Seishi leader until Tamahome returned. It was obvious they both wanted him to make the decision.
"Ano…" Hotohori hesitated. He really didn't know who to side with. He quickly made up his mind to go with the older of the two, since Chichiri seemed to be quite a bit wiser than the rash Tasuki. "Tasuki, I say as well that it would be better if you stayed behind."
Tasuki was visibly displeased with the decision, but didn't argue. "Fine, then," he huffed, and stood back as Hôjun undid the clasp to his cloak and laid it flat on the floor.
"Stand on this, Miaka-chan," Hôjun said, and Miaka stepped onto the blue-patterned fabric. Hôjun brought the tip of his shakujo down in the middle, and it started sinking into the floor.
"Ja ne, minna!" Miaka chirped, flashing the peace sign. "Don't worry! Chichiri can look out for both of us!" She quickly sunk out of sight, and Hôjun followed, pulling his cloak with him with his shakujo.
Hotohori, Tasuki, Chiriko, Nuriko, and Mitsukake just stood there, trying to believe what their own eyes just showed them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Wow, Chichiri!" Miaka squealed. "You magic is incredible! You transported us from Kônan-koku to here in a flash! Demo…ouch!" The tree branch dug sharply into her ribs and stomach. "PICK A BETTER SPOT NEXT TIME!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The tree branch suddenly broke, sending them both crashing to the ground, Hôjun on bottom.
"Itai, no da," a chibi Hôjun whined. "Miaka-chan, please get off me, no da. You're crushing my spine, no da."
"Oh!" Miaka squeaked, jumping up. "Gomen nasai!" The gods know what possessed her to do what she did next, but she reached down and stroked his hair like you would pet a cat. "Daijôbu, Chichiri! I didn't mean it!"
"Nya?"
"Oh, my, Chichiri, what long hair you have!" Miaka marveled.
"I'm over here, no da!" a still-chibi Hôjun protested, kneeling behind Miaka where he had fallen.
"Are?" Miaka asked quizzically. She looked down at the being on whose head she had her hand on. It wasn't the fox-faced Seishi, but a small white cat. "Huh? Where have I seen you before, neko-chan?"
"Ano…" Hôjun started, feeling an edge of exasperation start up. She had just been playing with that cat less than an hour ago.
"Oh, I know!" Miaka said. "You're Mitsukake's cat, aren't you?"
"Nya."
"Hey, I know!" Miaka nearly shouted, causing Hôjun to look nervously around for anyone who may hear. "Animals have really good noses, right? The cat can help us find that tree Tamahome told us to meet him at! He said it was surrounded by flowers!"
Wow, no da, Hôjun thought. A flash of cleverness, no da. Hôjun had come to love Miaka like a little sister, but that didn't mean he didn't get a little frustrated with her perpetual denseness. It seemed all she thought about was food and Tamahome. He hoped she was brighter than she let on. "All right, no da. Let's get moving, no da."
After a few wrong turns due to the cat's desire to stalk little critters, they finally got to the designated tree. It seemed quiet enough, but they had been sitting waiting for Tamahome for quite some time when Miaka suddenly said, a little forlornly, "Gee, I hope he shows up."
"He'll be here, no da," Hôjun assured her. As if to prove his statement, they both turned their heads as they heard rustling in the bushes not far off.
"Tamahome?!" Miaka squealed, and before Hôjun could stop her, she jumped out of the little nook in the bushes they had been sitting in. Instead of the hoped-for Seishi, there was…
Miaka gasped. There stood Yui, with Nakago behind her. Flanking them, with their spears pointed for Miaka and her fourth Seishi, were perhaps two-dozen palace guards.
"Yu…Yui-chan!" Miaka exclaimed.
"Well, well, Miaka," Yui said, a bit smugly. "It been quite awhile, hasn't it?"
"Yui-chan," Miaka replied, a bit of a tremor in her voice. "Why are you here?"
"Really, Suzaku no Miko?" the blond shôgun said, stepping forward. Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Miaka winced at the way he emphasized "friend." Nakago raised his hand toward the two before him. "Now, which should I take care of first? Suzaku no Miko, or her 'guardian' Seishi?"
"Matte, Nakago!" Yui spoke up quickly. "There's no need to harm them now. Have them taken to the dungeon. I want a few words with Suzaku no Miko later. You can do whatever you want with her Seishi."
"Wakarimashita," Nakago replied, then turned to the guards. "Seize them!"
Miaka acted with surprising speed and threw herself at the nearest guard, knocking him off his feet. As the other guards moved in and grabbed her arms and legs to keep her from attacking any others, she turned to Hôjun. "Chichiri!" she called. "Get out of here!"
"Demo…Miaka-chan, I can't just—" he started. He couldn't just leave the Miko in enemy hands!
"Hayaku!" she shouted. Guards were closing in on Hôjun, and he didn't have much space to back up.
He gritted his teeth. He didn't like it, but perhaps lying low for a while was the best plan. He gathered his energy and fazed out, hoping Nakago didn't block his ability to do so. He found that the shôgun had, more or less, when he discovered he couldn't teleport any farther than the outer gates of the palace.
Kuso, no da, he thought, teleporting to the top of a tall tree. I'm stuck here, no da. Maybe I should have let Tasuki come along after all, no da.
He waited for as long as he thought it safe to leave Miaka alone in the palace, then quickly went over his options for attempting to free her and get through the barrier Nakago had cast around the palace grounds. Somehow finding Tamahome and getting him out as well was also a factor he had to consider.
An idea suddenly forced its way to his attention. A grin spread across his face as he thought about it. Perfect, no da!
He climbed down to the ground, looked around to make sure no one was near, and with a poof! he stood there as the Shôgun of Kutô-koku, the champion of the Seiryû Seishi, the blond foreigner, Nakago. He looked down at himself, then at his reflection in a nearby pool of water. Ha! I got it almost perfect, no da! They won't be able to tell me from the real thing, no da! He found a nearby path and walked deliberately up to the palace. By chance, he came upon a rather deserted part of the outer balcony, and another idea occurred to him. Might as well create a diversion, no da. He snapped his fingers, and there was an illusion of himself, gagged and tied to one of the support pillars. It was maskless, and stood slackly, as if it had no hope of escaping from the tight ropes. Hôjun made sure his shakujo and prayer beads were absent from the illusion, for it would be quite easy to escape with them. As a finishing touch, the illusion had a few slight bruises on its face, as if having been knocked around a bit to be made to submit.
"You will be able to fool them, won't you?" Hôjun asked in Nakago's voice, taking the illusion's chin in his hand, tilting its head up so he could look straight into its eye. The illusion jerked away, a mixture of fear and loathing in its eye. "Very good," Hôjun said, satisfied with his little trick. With luck, this may go off without a hitch!
He located Miaka and set off in her direction. He sensed danger, but he didn't want to look in a hurry, which may tip off observant passersby. As he got nearer, he heard Miaka's high-pitched demands to be let go.
"Hanashite!" the little Miko screamed. "Hanashite yo! TAMAHOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" One of the guards holding her told her to shut up, and slapped her hard. Hôjun saw red.
"Stop it," he ordered in Nakago's powerful voice. "Give the girl to me."
"Y-yes, Shôgun!" the guards stammered, a little startled at the shôgun's unexpected appearance. They handed her over without another word.
"Now, go look for that Seishi she was with! You should have brought him to me by now!" The guards left in a hurry.
"Ha…hanashite!" Miaka screamed again, as Hôjun had a rough grip on her and was dragging her rather uncomfortably down the balcony. She struggled to get free, but to no avail. She was nearly in tears when they turned the corner leading to Hôjun's illusion of himself. Miaka was screaming over and over about wanting Tamahome.
"Do you really think Tamahome will come for you?" Hôjun asked unfeelingly. "And, do you think that blue-haired fool will come for you as well? Look!"
Miaka looked, and the energy she had such an abundance of in her attempts to free herself quickly left her. She saw the illusion of her fourth Seishi tied and gagged, and despair dominated her distraught face.
"Chi…Chichiri!" she cried.
Hôjun raised his hand toward her, palm outward. She whipped around, sensing his movement, and tried to scream. Fear stopped her voice, however, and all she could do was back away. Energy gathered in Hôjun's hand, and he gave her a sadistic smirk.
"Iie!" Miaka screamed.
"Just kidding!" Hôjun laughed, after giving her a few more seconds of his act. He placed his hand on her head and tussled her hair.
"Ju…just kidding?!" she said, her face disbelieving. "Masaka…CHICHIRI?!?!?!?!"
"Na no da!" he squeaked in his mask voice, poofing back to himself and flashing the peace sign. "I just needed to do that to fool the guards, no da! Do you think my disguise was good, no da?" He noticed Miaka, facevaulted and twitching on the ground. "Er…maybe it was a little too good, no da?"
"Chichiri no baka!" Miaka said, indignant, as she grabbed the cat from the floor and knelt down, her back to her Seishi.
"Oh, come on, Miaka-chan, no da!" Hôjun pleaded in his kawaii voice. "I didn't mean to scare you too much, no da!" He noticed a spot of red on her left arm. "Miaka-chan, no da! What happened, no da?!" He gently touched the red, and she jerked away, pain lancing through her arm even at his slight touch.
"Itai!" she wailed. "Stop! I think it's broken!"
It was times like this that Hôjun wished he knew more about healing magic. All he could do was tear a strip of cloth from his shirt and bind her arm as best he could.
"Miaka-chan, no da," Hôjun said when he had finished. "I need to go look for Tamahome, no da. I can't take you along, as that may raise suspicion, no da." He thought a minute. "I'm going to have to tie you to the pole, so it looks like you're a prisoner, no da."
"Nani?" She didn't look happy.
"I'm sorry, no da," he apologized. "But, it will keep you from being dragged off again by any guards that may happen by, no da. It's not a sure thing, but it's the safest bet, no da." Miaka still didn't look too happy, but she allowed herself to be tied to the pole and gagged, after Hôjun had dispersed the illusion of himself, which had just stood there watching them up to that point. He made sure the ropes stayed in place, but didn't tie her too tight, so as not to make her too uncomfortable.
He poofed back to Nakago. "I'll be back in a little bit, no da! Tamahome will be with me, no da!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He'd been wandering around for what seemed like forever, and he still hadn't sensed Tamahome's ki anywhere. He was beginning to worry. He should be able to sense him anywhere in the palace, but it was like he wasn't even there. He had had no luck by the time he had looked over every part of the palace except the parts the shôgun wasn't allowed in—and there weren't many places Nakago wasn't allowed—and he was starting to get downright nervous.
His luck took a terrible turn for the worst when he turned a corner, heading back toward Miaka. He found himself staring into a pair of surprised blue eyes. Eyes exactly like his own at the moment…
"Da…" he stuttered. He was so distracted by his worry over not finding Tamahome that he had failed completely to sense the real Nakago just around the corner!
"Su…Suzaku Shichi Sei?!" the shôgun exclaimed, clearly shocked at finding himself staring at himself.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hôjun wailed, streaking down the hallway, poofing back to himself. He had to get away! "Miaka, no da!" he squealed as he ran up to her. "My cover's blown, no da! We've got to get out of—"
Miaka was gone!
Kuso, no da! he thought. I should have tied those ropes tighter, no da! Why did she leave, no da?! She was somewhere not far from there, and Hôjun sensed danger quite strongly. He wasted no time in pinpointing her position and teleporting himself to her.
There was Tamahome, but, then again, it wasn't. Hôjun could detect nothing familiar in his ki. Moreover, the Suzaku champion was making ready to strike Miaka with a pair of nunchaku!
Hôjun dove at Miaka, tackling her to the ground to avoid injury to her, but he caught the blow intended for her across the back. Gods, it hurt! Miaka was unconscious.
"Mi-Miaka-chan, no da!" he managed, feeling like his spine had been snapped in two. "Daijôbu, no da?!"
A shadow fell over him. Tamahome wanted blood, and he didn't intend on giving his targets a fighting chance. Hôjun struggled up from the ground, still holding Miaka, and ducked away as the deadly nunchaku came frighteningly near to his head.
"Tamahome, no da!" Hôjun pleaded. "Yamero, no da! We're your friends, no da!" The barrier Nakago had cast around the palace prevented him from casting anything more powerful than teleportation, and that wouldn't keep them safe forever. "Tamahome, no da!" he screamed again at his seemingly possessed leader. "How could you do this, no da?! You could have killed Miaka-chan, no da!"
"That's exactly what I want, Suzaku bastard," the warrior in black said chillingly. "Give her to me!"
Kuso, no da! Hôjun mentally cursed again. He's serious, no da! And, without my magic, I'm seriously outmatched, no da! He took the safest escape for the time being. He ran.
"Come back here!" he heard Tamahome shout after them.
"Tamahome!" Miaka, who had just awoken, screamed. "Why?!"
"Miaka-chan!" Hôjun said, glad she was awake. His happiness was short-lived, as a huge blast of ki exploded just behind them.
Nakago was here.
Hôjun and Miaka were knocked sprawling. Hôjun landed on top of Miaka, sandwiching her between him and the ground. He tried to stand up, but a ki ball slammed into his back, effectively keeping him down.
"So, you Suzaku garbage think you can invade the palace, ne?" the cold voice of who was once Tamahome smirked from behind them. He turned to Nakago, and the two exchanged words quickly, too quiet for Hôjun or Miaka to hear.
Hôjun felt something small and soft squished between him and Miaka. The cat, no da! He thought quickly, hoping to find a way out of this. It doesn't bear the mark of Suzaku, no da! Maybe I can use it as a medium to get us out of here, no da! He channeled all the energy he could spare into the cat, calling out for the others back at the Kônan-koku palace. Heika, no da! he spoke mentally, hoping to reach the others. Minna, no da!
"Chichiri?!" he heard the puzzled voice of Hotohori echo through his mind. "Where are you?! And, why is Mitsukake's cat floating in the air above my head?!?!"
No time to explain, no da! He barely had enough time to think "no da" before another ball of ki exploded against his flesh, slamming him to the ground again, crushing Miaka under him. "Ah! Itai, no da!"
"Chichiri!" he heard Miaka gasp. He could here the other Seishi's frightened questions through the link.
"What happened?!"
"Where are you?!"
"Are you hurt?!"
Stop, no da! he mentally screamed frantically. Concentrate all the energy you can on the cat, no da! I may be able to get Miaka and me out of here, no da!
"So silent?" he heard Tamahome growl from behind him. "I can fix that."
"Tamahome!" Miaka screamed. "Yamete! Don't hurt him!"
Tamahome did not hear. The nunchaku crashed repeatedly against Hôjun's back, earning cries of agony from the prone Seishi.
"Die, Suzaku filth!" Tamahome raged at his former companion. Miaka was crying beneath her guardian, knowing he was staying where he was to protect her from the same beating.
Flute music filled the air.
Chiriko, no da! Hôjun thought through a haze of white-hot pain. I could use this, no da! He concentrated his ki as best he could in his battered state. It just might be enough…!
Red light flared up around them. Tamahome jumped back, cursing violently at the sudden illumination. I did it, no da! Hôjun thought weakly. His back felt like mincemeat, and the pain was quickly overwhelming his senses. The cat, a little flattened and full of kitty indignation at being squished, crawled out from between them and onto his shoulder. As they fazed out of Kutô-koku and back into Kônan-koku, a quickly fading Hôjun thought he heard Miaka tearfully say something to the man she loved.
"Sayonara…Tamahome."
To be continued…Author's Notes: I've always wondered what would happen if Tasuki hadn't gone with Miaka and Chichiri to Kutô-koku. So, here's what I thought may have gone on. I'm sorry for beating up on Chichiri! At least Tasuki fans that didn't like him getting beat up don't have to suffer through watching him take so much damage. I'm sorry for dialogue discrepancies (I know, there're lots) for the parts that are about the same as in the manga and anime. I have the book, but I can't understand Japanese well enough to make an exact translation. Anyway, please send any comments to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu! No flames, please, especially since I already apologized for beating on Chichiri.