Rain ran blindly through the darkness, one small beacon of light her
only guide. She tripped several times over fallen pillars or pieces of
debris. The citadel was a mess. She had never seen it, nor had any idea
of what it was supposed to look like, but Rain felt like she was walking
through bomb wreckage. Mist hung heavy in the air like sewer steam,
threatening to choke her if she inhaled it too deeply. She skidded to a stop
on the outside of the ring of light Chichiri's light globe cast. She took a
tentative step forward, a disbelieving look upon her face.
Miaka had her face buried in Taka's chest and was sobbing hysterically.
Tasuki, Chichiri and a small, blue-haired little girl all kneeled on the floor.
Tasuki was in front of her, his back to her, and blocking out the cause of
Miaka's scream from Rain's view. Chichiri still had his mask off, and was
concentrating intensely, one hand open above the floor, glowing a bright
blue as he worked some sort of spell.
"Finally, she decides to find her way here. I was getting tired of waiting."
An elderly female voice grated from beyond Tasuki. Tasuki glanced at
her over his shoulder, then turned away just as quick. Rain parted her lips
slightly. Were those tears in Tasuki's eyes?
"Stop dawdling and come over here, I can't see you over this big flame head,
and I haven't much time." The voice snapped, then succumbed to a coughing
fit. Uncertain, Rain slowly made her way around Tasuki in a wide circle and
stood just outside of the light. She took in a sharp breath.
Upon the floor laid two squat people. Or, at least, they appeared to be people.
One was on their stomach, bald, fat and apparently male. He didn't move, nor
breathe, quite possibly dead. The other laid on their back, and was definitely
female. She had long white hair that had once been done up on her head, but
know laid sprawled about her on the floor. Her long dress was tattered and
shredded in places. She sighed, her breath sounding more like paper ripping
and looked at Rain as best she could.
"Closer you stupid girl." She grated. Her eyes open wide, she walked closer,
almost mechanically, and kneeled at their feet. The woman sighed again and
reached into her robes, and pulled out a chain, the medallion upon it hidden in
her clenched fist. "Hold out your hand." She commanded. Rain blinked, and
again, mechanically did as she was told. The old woman dropped the chain and
medallion into her palm, then let her hand fall heavily to the floor.
"And so the new Taits-kun is chosen." She stated, a small smile crossing her face.
Rain finally snapped out of her doll mode and looked at the old woman in disbelief.
"What are you saying? Isn't Taits-kun omnipotent? I'm just a normal person!" she
exclaimed, pushing the medallion back towards the old woman. She didn't have to
look up to see that everyone was staring at her in shock.
"No you're not. Not anymore." She snapped, not taking the necklace. Rain stared at
her, her face darkening into anger. How dare this old lady tell her she's not normal!
Why....that's the only thing she ever tried her hardest at was to.....
"And you failed at it, didn't you?" a deep voice said. Rain turned her head slightly.
The voice had come from the small man on the floor. He turned his head with effort
to stare at her with red eyes. Rain drew back from him. He looked like a Buddha statue,
only with blood red eyes. Rain shook her head slightly, her breath quickening.
"Of course I didn't. I was always the head of my class...and no one knew..." she stopped
herself before giving away any secrets. Both people on the floor stared intently at her.
"That was the first sign. You've always had a strange-shaped mark on your foot, haven't
you?" the old lady said. Rain put a hand on her right foot, almost in a protective manner.
"What of it?" she challenged. The man chuckled softly, then began to cough.
"Ask either of these two, and they shall tell you that the symbol reads 'stretching'. It's
the symbol of the Suzaku warrior Chiriko, who was gifted with high intelligence." The
lady said. Rain shook her head.
"No...I don't know what you're talking about....I don't know anything about these...
Suzaku warriors....all I know is that this world...or whatever this place is has been
sending me horrible nightmares, and that the first moment I got sucked in here, I
began throwing fire. I mean, just out there I caught a lightning bolt and threw it!!
All I want is to know what's happening to me and to get sent back! I don't want
anything to do with this 'next Taits-kun'!" she said in a rising voice. She stood up
defiantly and turned to walk away.
"You were chosen by the four gods, Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko and Genbu, to take my
place." The woman said, her voice strong but fading. Rain paused and turned slightly
to look at the old woman. "The symbols of the Celestial Warriors appearing on your
body are the first step. Once you master one of their powers, their mark shall appear
on your body in the exact same place as theirs. To become Taits-kun you must master
the Celestial powers that the gods granted to those twenty eight warriors before you
can fully accept the power of Taits-kun." Tasuki sniffed and wiped under his nose
with his sleeve.
"Wait a minute...you mean that she's gotta master every single power each of the seishi
had?!" Tasuki asked, his voice wavering from tears, but thick with disbelief. The old
woman, whom Rain finally surmised as Taits-kun, turned her head to look at him.
"Yes. Chiriko's was the most harmless and could pass through worlds the easiest. It is
the same test that Yang and I had to pass, and it must be hers as well." The Buddha
faced man had shut his eyes and was beginning to look pale. Rain sunk to her knees
again.
"Who did this to you Taits-kun?" Chichiri asked in a soft voice. He had opened his eye,
but his hand still glowed brightly with the spell. Taits-kun smiled slightly and glanced
up at him.
"You're pushing yourself, idiot." She said in a gentle voice. She took a deep breath before
continuing, her voice softer yet. "It was your 'brother'. Chichiri's eye snapped open widely
and the light in his hand wavered. She shut her eyes, and then reopened them after a long
period of time. "You were not supposed to ever return here again Priestesses." She suddenly
said. Miaka looked up from Taka's chest, and Yui stepped out of the shadows surrounding
the globe of light. "I sense one more in this world besides you four."
"Isn't there anything we can do to help Taits-kun?" Miaka asked in a watery voice. Taits-kun
snorted and opened one eye.
"Don't be foolish Priestess." She said haughtily. Then she added, "Just teach this bull-
headed thing what you know about this place." She then shut her eyes heavily. Chichiri
dropped his spell and put a hand on Taits-kun's head.
"Taits-kun! Just hold on and I can heal you!" he exclaimed. The old woman and man suddenly
folded into themselves, leaving only tattered clothes and two specks of white light in their
place. The two lights swirled about each other, then disappeared into the amulet that Rain
had discarded on the floor. There was a stunned silence.
Tasuki was the first to break it as he stood up and walked away from the light circle and
into the darkness. Miaka sunk to her knees, one hand trembling by her mouth, and burst into
a fresh set of tears. Chichiri lowered himself to a sit and stared, dazed at Taits-kun's clothes.
Yui remained in the dark, and Taka knelt beside Miaka, rubbing her back.
Rain crawled slowly to where Taits-kun Yin and Yang had been, and picked up the necklace.
Almost as if she were in a trance, her eyes blank, Rain lifted the amulet to eye level and
stared at it as it spun back and forth. Tasuki, in a corner of the citadel, faced away from
the group so they wouldn't see his tears, turned slightly and watched her. With trembling
hands, Rain put the necklace on, then held the amulet in the palm of her hand, watching it.
Everyone turned to look at her as she stood up, a soft glow coming from the necklace and
surrounding her briefly. It was gone a moment later, and Rain crumpled to the ground.
-------------------------
Tetsuya groaned and winced. His head throbbed from walking in the sunlight without
sunglasses the previous day. Sitting up with effort, he pressed his fingers against his eyes,
then blinked hard.
"Good Morning Tetsuya." A velvety smooth male voice greeted him. "Or is it 'Ohayo' where
you come from?" Trying to clear the sleep-blur from his vision, Tetsuya squinted towards
the voice. Nazo sat at a table placed in the corner of the room, not to far from the bed,
and held an elegant knife in his hand as if it were a nail file. Tetsuya blinked at him and
swung his legs over the side of the bed, then stopped as a draft conveniently covered his
body in goose bumps. It was at this time he realized he was naked. Ducking back into the
bed, he pulled the covers up around himself protectively.
Nazo shut his eyes and chuckled good-naturedly at Tetsuya's embarrassment. He then
picked up a block of cheese from a sliver tray in front of him and sliced a small wedge
off of it. He popped it into his mouth and chewed, offering the rest of the block to
Tetsuya, who shook his head rapidly.
"That's all right...I'm not hungry right now." He said sullenly. This, of course was a lie.
He was truly starving.
"Suit yourself." Nazo shrugged, slicing off another wedge. He took a sip of drink from a
gold cup. Tetsuya tried not to watch him. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton too.
After a moment of silence, Tetsuya cleared his throat.
"Um...where are my clothes?" he asked. Nazo raised his eyebrows and looked at him
over the rim of his cup. He swallowed his mouthful of drink and smiled.
"They're gone." He said airily. Tetsuya's mouth dropped open, and he let go of the covers,
which tumbled back down to his waist.
"GONE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?!" he exclaimed, forgetting his state of undress
and standing. "Those clothes happened to be the only link I had to my world!" Nazo raised
an eyebrow and looked Tetsuya over with an expression that gave Tetsuya a chill. Men
weren't supposed to look at other men that way in his book.
Nazo shut his eyes and smiled again. "Lai-Lai." He said loudly. A light appeared in the floor,
and a full-grown woman slid up from it, then kneeled. She had long blue hair, the upper
half of it pulled up into a bun and secured with a decorated hair stick and a comb. She
wore a loose flowing pale green and blue gown, the top half sitting low on her shoulders
and exposing much of her chest. It had a large belt, much like an obi, and a slit that began
at the bottom of the belt that exposed her legs. The sleeves were large and billowy, and hid
her hands from view as she bowed. Tetsuya's face grew red and he pulled one of the blankets
off the bed to wrap around his waist.
"Yes master?" she said in a soft, sultry voice. Tetsuya sat down. She stood up from her
kneeling. She was barefoot, and had a large gold anklet and several bracelets adorning her
as jewelry. Nazo stood and walked over to Lai-Lai, and brushed her cheek as a lover would.
"Lai-Lai...would you bring Tetsuya his clothes?" he asked her in a gentle voice. Lai-Lai shut her
eyes and pressed her cheek into his hand. Tetsuya didn't know if he wanted to be ill or jealous.
Yui's smiling face flashed through his head, first how he last saw her, then in Lai-Lai's getup.
He decided he was going to be sick.
"Yes master." She repeated, opening her eyes. The light appeared around her feet and she sunk
back into the floor. Nazo returned to his chair and sat down.
"Lai-Lai is beautiful, isn't she?" he asked, smiling. Tetsuya looked up at him. Enough gawking,
now was the time for some answers.
"Just where am I...and who are you really?" he asked suspiciously. After almost becoming
part of the "Ten'kou chapter" he didn't want to trust anyone who didn't exist in the original
volume. Nazo continued to smile.
"Ten'kou was untrustworthy." He suddenly said. Tetsuya jumped, then stared at him in shock.
Nazo stood up again as Lai-Lai slid up from the floor again, carrying a bulk of folded
clothes in her hands.
"How.....are....are you reading my mind?!" Tetsuya demanded, standing as well. Lai-Lai smiled
seductively at him as Nazo took the clothes from her.
"Of course. It's the easiest way to know you." He said matter-of-fact. Tetsuya sputtered.
"Have you ever thought of asking?!" Nazo didn't answer him, but stood in front of him, holding
the pile of clothes out to him. Tetsuya shut his mouth and stared at them.
"Well, put them on." He said. Tetsuya blinked at them and took them uncertainly, letting go of
the blanket. It dropped to the floor. His face reddened as he saw Lai-Lai's eyes widen. She
put a hand to her mouth and gasped, then looked away. Nazo continued to stare into his eyes,
and his dark half-smile broadened. "I'd really put these on if I were you." Nodding grimly,
Tetsuya accepted the clothes and disappeared behind a screen painted with a black dragon.
---------------------------
"What happens if you change clothes in this book world?" Hoshi asked suddenly, startling
Keisuke from his doze. He raised his head groggily and looked at her.
"Huh?" he slurred, trying to open his eyes fully.
"What happens if you loose your clothes in this book world?" she re-phrased. Keisuke sat
up and rubbed his face.
"You loose any possible connection...why, did someone change their clothes?" he asked,
yawning. It was well into the early afternoon now, and Keisuke had fallen asleep, leaving
Hoshi to read silently to herself. She shrugged, deciding that it was best to not tell him
Tetsuya's current situation.
"Nothing.....I was just wondering." She said airily. She stifled a yawn and continued reading.
Keisuke moved over to her side of the couch and peered over her shoulder.
"What'd I miss?" he asked, reading her page. She slipped her finger from the page, causing
the previous pages to flip over her current reading spot. Keisuke lowered his eyes. "Real
subtle. Now what happened?"
"Oh....that Rain girl's been chosen to be the next Taits-kun." She said nonchalantly. Keisuke
nodded and smiled, not really fully awake.
"Oh....that's interesting." He moved back to his side of the couch and laid down. "Wake me
up when...............SHE WHAT?!?" he bolted upright and snatched the book away from her.
She grabbed desperately for it as he flipped through the pages, searching for any part
concerning a Taits-kun. He mumbled to himself as he read through the pages, then dropped
the book, a grim look on his face. Hoshi snatched it from the floor, relieved that he'd stopped
on the page of the original Taits-kun's death. He fell back down onto the couch, face first.
"What?" she asked, finding her page again.
"Rain has to become Taits-kun." He groaned, his voice muffled by the couch leather. Hoshi
blinked at him. "And Tetsuya is with a gay man..." Hoshi fell off the couch with a thud.
"I can't take it...wake me when they come home." He finally stated, flipping over onto his
back and covering his face with the decorative pillow he'd been sleeping upon.
Glaring at him, annoyed, she pulled herself back up onto the couch and re-seated herself again.
She opened up to her page, the writing advancing several pages ahead of her spot, and sped-
read to catch up.
---------------------------------
"EEEK!" Rain shrieked. Tasuki, and Miaka, who were nearby, dashed around a boulder
to the small waterfall dumping into a pool . Rain sat beside it, upon another rock, her jeans
discarded behind her.
"What is it Raini-Chan?!" Miaka cried, rushing over to her. Rain was pale, her left leg stretched
out before her, and her right bent underneath her. Tasuki, his eyes bulging, halted halfway
around the boulder, where Rain was just in view, and gawked.
Not noticing Tasuki, Rain looked into Miaka's face desperately and lifted her shirt that had
covered her lower half slightly. "There's another one...." she said in a quivering voice. Her flesh
was pink from her scratching, but standing out like a blue puckered scar, was the symbol that
meant 'chamber'. Miaka blinked at it, not able to read it, then looked up at Rains shocked face.
"Mmhmm. No doubt about it, that's Soi's mark all right." Nuriko stated, peering over Miaka's shoulder.
"Are you sure Nuriko? I mean it could be some......." Miaka stopped mid-sentence and looked over
her shoulder. Nuriko grinned cheesily and scrunched his fingers in an equally cheesy wave. Rain
whited out at the sight of the purple-haired see through person now standing beside her. Miaka
squealed and attempted to fling her arms around Nuriko's neck in a hug, but only succeeded with
falling through him. Rain blinked out of her dazed state in time to see her do that, and snorted a laugh.
"Honestly, the nerve of him just standing there and gawking at that poor half-dressed girl."
A haughty female voice suddenly said from behind Tasuki. Tasuki frowned, the voice striking
a familiarity within him.
"It doesn't surprise me. I always knew the Suzaku were perverts." A slimy male voice came.
It was followed by a cackle that made Tasuki haunch his shoulders and wince. He turned
slowly, still in a half-wince.
Soi and Tomo, both see-through like Nuriko, stood behind him, Soi standing with one hand
on her hip, and Tomo with his arms folded across his chest. He froze as Tomo cackled again,
then fell over woodenly, and fainted. Tomo and Soi stared down at his prone body with a
look of surprise.
"Oh dear, do you suppose we came on too strong for him?" Soi wondered, inspecting him.
Tomo cackled again.
"He just can't handle sexy specters of our caliber." He cackled. Soi blinked at him, then
put a hand by her mouth and began to laugh as well.
Yui sat off away from the group by herself, at the base of Mount Tai-kyoku and stared
up to the crumbling citadel. She let out a heavy sigh and rested her chin upon her bent knees.
"Lady Yui...why do you look so sad?" a familiar boys voice inquired from behind her.
Yui sighed again and shut her eyes.
"I'm worried about Tetsuya...." she answered. Her eyes opened wide a moment later,
and she turned to glance behind her.
Suboshi smiled from behind her, causing Yui to jump to her feet. "It's good to see you
again Lady Yui." He said in a soft voice. Yui shut her eyes tightly then re-opened them.
"H-how are you here?" she asked, taking a step towards him. His smile left his face
slowly and he glanced in the direction of the others.
"It is required of the protectors of the priestess to gather whenever she is near."
He said in a quiet voice. Yui perked up.
"You mean...Nakago and the others are here too?" she asked, taking a step forward.
Suboshi hid the hurt expression on his face and slowly shook his head.
"No. No one knows where Nakago has hidden himself. After Ten'kou was sealed away
by you, as the Priestess of Genbu, Nakago disappeared even in the Heavenly realm."
He took a deep breath and turned to face the same direction as Yui. "After Taits-kun
died, we were all released from the place in which the souls of the Celestial warriors
are kept, to reincarnate as many times over as a Priestess appears. Yui turned to him in
disbelief.
"You mean that you never go to heaven?" she asked, shocked. Suboshi stared straight
ahead for a moment, his jaw set, then turned to smile at her.
"That's not important right now. This world will be thrown off-balance and into limbo
if another Taits-kun does not take the place of the old. That's our mission at hand." He
glanced down. "....and finding your Tetsuya friend so you and the Suzaku Priestess can
return to your own worlds once more." With that he walked back towards the camp,
leaving a confused Yui to stare after him.
only guide. She tripped several times over fallen pillars or pieces of
debris. The citadel was a mess. She had never seen it, nor had any idea
of what it was supposed to look like, but Rain felt like she was walking
through bomb wreckage. Mist hung heavy in the air like sewer steam,
threatening to choke her if she inhaled it too deeply. She skidded to a stop
on the outside of the ring of light Chichiri's light globe cast. She took a
tentative step forward, a disbelieving look upon her face.
Miaka had her face buried in Taka's chest and was sobbing hysterically.
Tasuki, Chichiri and a small, blue-haired little girl all kneeled on the floor.
Tasuki was in front of her, his back to her, and blocking out the cause of
Miaka's scream from Rain's view. Chichiri still had his mask off, and was
concentrating intensely, one hand open above the floor, glowing a bright
blue as he worked some sort of spell.
"Finally, she decides to find her way here. I was getting tired of waiting."
An elderly female voice grated from beyond Tasuki. Tasuki glanced at
her over his shoulder, then turned away just as quick. Rain parted her lips
slightly. Were those tears in Tasuki's eyes?
"Stop dawdling and come over here, I can't see you over this big flame head,
and I haven't much time." The voice snapped, then succumbed to a coughing
fit. Uncertain, Rain slowly made her way around Tasuki in a wide circle and
stood just outside of the light. She took in a sharp breath.
Upon the floor laid two squat people. Or, at least, they appeared to be people.
One was on their stomach, bald, fat and apparently male. He didn't move, nor
breathe, quite possibly dead. The other laid on their back, and was definitely
female. She had long white hair that had once been done up on her head, but
know laid sprawled about her on the floor. Her long dress was tattered and
shredded in places. She sighed, her breath sounding more like paper ripping
and looked at Rain as best she could.
"Closer you stupid girl." She grated. Her eyes open wide, she walked closer,
almost mechanically, and kneeled at their feet. The woman sighed again and
reached into her robes, and pulled out a chain, the medallion upon it hidden in
her clenched fist. "Hold out your hand." She commanded. Rain blinked, and
again, mechanically did as she was told. The old woman dropped the chain and
medallion into her palm, then let her hand fall heavily to the floor.
"And so the new Taits-kun is chosen." She stated, a small smile crossing her face.
Rain finally snapped out of her doll mode and looked at the old woman in disbelief.
"What are you saying? Isn't Taits-kun omnipotent? I'm just a normal person!" she
exclaimed, pushing the medallion back towards the old woman. She didn't have to
look up to see that everyone was staring at her in shock.
"No you're not. Not anymore." She snapped, not taking the necklace. Rain stared at
her, her face darkening into anger. How dare this old lady tell her she's not normal!
Why....that's the only thing she ever tried her hardest at was to.....
"And you failed at it, didn't you?" a deep voice said. Rain turned her head slightly.
The voice had come from the small man on the floor. He turned his head with effort
to stare at her with red eyes. Rain drew back from him. He looked like a Buddha statue,
only with blood red eyes. Rain shook her head slightly, her breath quickening.
"Of course I didn't. I was always the head of my class...and no one knew..." she stopped
herself before giving away any secrets. Both people on the floor stared intently at her.
"That was the first sign. You've always had a strange-shaped mark on your foot, haven't
you?" the old lady said. Rain put a hand on her right foot, almost in a protective manner.
"What of it?" she challenged. The man chuckled softly, then began to cough.
"Ask either of these two, and they shall tell you that the symbol reads 'stretching'. It's
the symbol of the Suzaku warrior Chiriko, who was gifted with high intelligence." The
lady said. Rain shook her head.
"No...I don't know what you're talking about....I don't know anything about these...
Suzaku warriors....all I know is that this world...or whatever this place is has been
sending me horrible nightmares, and that the first moment I got sucked in here, I
began throwing fire. I mean, just out there I caught a lightning bolt and threw it!!
All I want is to know what's happening to me and to get sent back! I don't want
anything to do with this 'next Taits-kun'!" she said in a rising voice. She stood up
defiantly and turned to walk away.
"You were chosen by the four gods, Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko and Genbu, to take my
place." The woman said, her voice strong but fading. Rain paused and turned slightly
to look at the old woman. "The symbols of the Celestial Warriors appearing on your
body are the first step. Once you master one of their powers, their mark shall appear
on your body in the exact same place as theirs. To become Taits-kun you must master
the Celestial powers that the gods granted to those twenty eight warriors before you
can fully accept the power of Taits-kun." Tasuki sniffed and wiped under his nose
with his sleeve.
"Wait a minute...you mean that she's gotta master every single power each of the seishi
had?!" Tasuki asked, his voice wavering from tears, but thick with disbelief. The old
woman, whom Rain finally surmised as Taits-kun, turned her head to look at him.
"Yes. Chiriko's was the most harmless and could pass through worlds the easiest. It is
the same test that Yang and I had to pass, and it must be hers as well." The Buddha
faced man had shut his eyes and was beginning to look pale. Rain sunk to her knees
again.
"Who did this to you Taits-kun?" Chichiri asked in a soft voice. He had opened his eye,
but his hand still glowed brightly with the spell. Taits-kun smiled slightly and glanced
up at him.
"You're pushing yourself, idiot." She said in a gentle voice. She took a deep breath before
continuing, her voice softer yet. "It was your 'brother'. Chichiri's eye snapped open widely
and the light in his hand wavered. She shut her eyes, and then reopened them after a long
period of time. "You were not supposed to ever return here again Priestesses." She suddenly
said. Miaka looked up from Taka's chest, and Yui stepped out of the shadows surrounding
the globe of light. "I sense one more in this world besides you four."
"Isn't there anything we can do to help Taits-kun?" Miaka asked in a watery voice. Taits-kun
snorted and opened one eye.
"Don't be foolish Priestess." She said haughtily. Then she added, "Just teach this bull-
headed thing what you know about this place." She then shut her eyes heavily. Chichiri
dropped his spell and put a hand on Taits-kun's head.
"Taits-kun! Just hold on and I can heal you!" he exclaimed. The old woman and man suddenly
folded into themselves, leaving only tattered clothes and two specks of white light in their
place. The two lights swirled about each other, then disappeared into the amulet that Rain
had discarded on the floor. There was a stunned silence.
Tasuki was the first to break it as he stood up and walked away from the light circle and
into the darkness. Miaka sunk to her knees, one hand trembling by her mouth, and burst into
a fresh set of tears. Chichiri lowered himself to a sit and stared, dazed at Taits-kun's clothes.
Yui remained in the dark, and Taka knelt beside Miaka, rubbing her back.
Rain crawled slowly to where Taits-kun Yin and Yang had been, and picked up the necklace.
Almost as if she were in a trance, her eyes blank, Rain lifted the amulet to eye level and
stared at it as it spun back and forth. Tasuki, in a corner of the citadel, faced away from
the group so they wouldn't see his tears, turned slightly and watched her. With trembling
hands, Rain put the necklace on, then held the amulet in the palm of her hand, watching it.
Everyone turned to look at her as she stood up, a soft glow coming from the necklace and
surrounding her briefly. It was gone a moment later, and Rain crumpled to the ground.
-------------------------
Tetsuya groaned and winced. His head throbbed from walking in the sunlight without
sunglasses the previous day. Sitting up with effort, he pressed his fingers against his eyes,
then blinked hard.
"Good Morning Tetsuya." A velvety smooth male voice greeted him. "Or is it 'Ohayo' where
you come from?" Trying to clear the sleep-blur from his vision, Tetsuya squinted towards
the voice. Nazo sat at a table placed in the corner of the room, not to far from the bed,
and held an elegant knife in his hand as if it were a nail file. Tetsuya blinked at him and
swung his legs over the side of the bed, then stopped as a draft conveniently covered his
body in goose bumps. It was at this time he realized he was naked. Ducking back into the
bed, he pulled the covers up around himself protectively.
Nazo shut his eyes and chuckled good-naturedly at Tetsuya's embarrassment. He then
picked up a block of cheese from a sliver tray in front of him and sliced a small wedge
off of it. He popped it into his mouth and chewed, offering the rest of the block to
Tetsuya, who shook his head rapidly.
"That's all right...I'm not hungry right now." He said sullenly. This, of course was a lie.
He was truly starving.
"Suit yourself." Nazo shrugged, slicing off another wedge. He took a sip of drink from a
gold cup. Tetsuya tried not to watch him. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton too.
After a moment of silence, Tetsuya cleared his throat.
"Um...where are my clothes?" he asked. Nazo raised his eyebrows and looked at him
over the rim of his cup. He swallowed his mouthful of drink and smiled.
"They're gone." He said airily. Tetsuya's mouth dropped open, and he let go of the covers,
which tumbled back down to his waist.
"GONE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?!" he exclaimed, forgetting his state of undress
and standing. "Those clothes happened to be the only link I had to my world!" Nazo raised
an eyebrow and looked Tetsuya over with an expression that gave Tetsuya a chill. Men
weren't supposed to look at other men that way in his book.
Nazo shut his eyes and smiled again. "Lai-Lai." He said loudly. A light appeared in the floor,
and a full-grown woman slid up from it, then kneeled. She had long blue hair, the upper
half of it pulled up into a bun and secured with a decorated hair stick and a comb. She
wore a loose flowing pale green and blue gown, the top half sitting low on her shoulders
and exposing much of her chest. It had a large belt, much like an obi, and a slit that began
at the bottom of the belt that exposed her legs. The sleeves were large and billowy, and hid
her hands from view as she bowed. Tetsuya's face grew red and he pulled one of the blankets
off the bed to wrap around his waist.
"Yes master?" she said in a soft, sultry voice. Tetsuya sat down. She stood up from her
kneeling. She was barefoot, and had a large gold anklet and several bracelets adorning her
as jewelry. Nazo stood and walked over to Lai-Lai, and brushed her cheek as a lover would.
"Lai-Lai...would you bring Tetsuya his clothes?" he asked her in a gentle voice. Lai-Lai shut her
eyes and pressed her cheek into his hand. Tetsuya didn't know if he wanted to be ill or jealous.
Yui's smiling face flashed through his head, first how he last saw her, then in Lai-Lai's getup.
He decided he was going to be sick.
"Yes master." She repeated, opening her eyes. The light appeared around her feet and she sunk
back into the floor. Nazo returned to his chair and sat down.
"Lai-Lai is beautiful, isn't she?" he asked, smiling. Tetsuya looked up at him. Enough gawking,
now was the time for some answers.
"Just where am I...and who are you really?" he asked suspiciously. After almost becoming
part of the "Ten'kou chapter" he didn't want to trust anyone who didn't exist in the original
volume. Nazo continued to smile.
"Ten'kou was untrustworthy." He suddenly said. Tetsuya jumped, then stared at him in shock.
Nazo stood up again as Lai-Lai slid up from the floor again, carrying a bulk of folded
clothes in her hands.
"How.....are....are you reading my mind?!" Tetsuya demanded, standing as well. Lai-Lai smiled
seductively at him as Nazo took the clothes from her.
"Of course. It's the easiest way to know you." He said matter-of-fact. Tetsuya sputtered.
"Have you ever thought of asking?!" Nazo didn't answer him, but stood in front of him, holding
the pile of clothes out to him. Tetsuya shut his mouth and stared at them.
"Well, put them on." He said. Tetsuya blinked at them and took them uncertainly, letting go of
the blanket. It dropped to the floor. His face reddened as he saw Lai-Lai's eyes widen. She
put a hand to her mouth and gasped, then looked away. Nazo continued to stare into his eyes,
and his dark half-smile broadened. "I'd really put these on if I were you." Nodding grimly,
Tetsuya accepted the clothes and disappeared behind a screen painted with a black dragon.
---------------------------
"What happens if you change clothes in this book world?" Hoshi asked suddenly, startling
Keisuke from his doze. He raised his head groggily and looked at her.
"Huh?" he slurred, trying to open his eyes fully.
"What happens if you loose your clothes in this book world?" she re-phrased. Keisuke sat
up and rubbed his face.
"You loose any possible connection...why, did someone change their clothes?" he asked,
yawning. It was well into the early afternoon now, and Keisuke had fallen asleep, leaving
Hoshi to read silently to herself. She shrugged, deciding that it was best to not tell him
Tetsuya's current situation.
"Nothing.....I was just wondering." She said airily. She stifled a yawn and continued reading.
Keisuke moved over to her side of the couch and peered over her shoulder.
"What'd I miss?" he asked, reading her page. She slipped her finger from the page, causing
the previous pages to flip over her current reading spot. Keisuke lowered his eyes. "Real
subtle. Now what happened?"
"Oh....that Rain girl's been chosen to be the next Taits-kun." She said nonchalantly. Keisuke
nodded and smiled, not really fully awake.
"Oh....that's interesting." He moved back to his side of the couch and laid down. "Wake me
up when...............SHE WHAT?!?" he bolted upright and snatched the book away from her.
She grabbed desperately for it as he flipped through the pages, searching for any part
concerning a Taits-kun. He mumbled to himself as he read through the pages, then dropped
the book, a grim look on his face. Hoshi snatched it from the floor, relieved that he'd stopped
on the page of the original Taits-kun's death. He fell back down onto the couch, face first.
"What?" she asked, finding her page again.
"Rain has to become Taits-kun." He groaned, his voice muffled by the couch leather. Hoshi
blinked at him. "And Tetsuya is with a gay man..." Hoshi fell off the couch with a thud.
"I can't take it...wake me when they come home." He finally stated, flipping over onto his
back and covering his face with the decorative pillow he'd been sleeping upon.
Glaring at him, annoyed, she pulled herself back up onto the couch and re-seated herself again.
She opened up to her page, the writing advancing several pages ahead of her spot, and sped-
read to catch up.
---------------------------------
"EEEK!" Rain shrieked. Tasuki, and Miaka, who were nearby, dashed around a boulder
to the small waterfall dumping into a pool . Rain sat beside it, upon another rock, her jeans
discarded behind her.
"What is it Raini-Chan?!" Miaka cried, rushing over to her. Rain was pale, her left leg stretched
out before her, and her right bent underneath her. Tasuki, his eyes bulging, halted halfway
around the boulder, where Rain was just in view, and gawked.
Not noticing Tasuki, Rain looked into Miaka's face desperately and lifted her shirt that had
covered her lower half slightly. "There's another one...." she said in a quivering voice. Her flesh
was pink from her scratching, but standing out like a blue puckered scar, was the symbol that
meant 'chamber'. Miaka blinked at it, not able to read it, then looked up at Rains shocked face.
"Mmhmm. No doubt about it, that's Soi's mark all right." Nuriko stated, peering over Miaka's shoulder.
"Are you sure Nuriko? I mean it could be some......." Miaka stopped mid-sentence and looked over
her shoulder. Nuriko grinned cheesily and scrunched his fingers in an equally cheesy wave. Rain
whited out at the sight of the purple-haired see through person now standing beside her. Miaka
squealed and attempted to fling her arms around Nuriko's neck in a hug, but only succeeded with
falling through him. Rain blinked out of her dazed state in time to see her do that, and snorted a laugh.
"Honestly, the nerve of him just standing there and gawking at that poor half-dressed girl."
A haughty female voice suddenly said from behind Tasuki. Tasuki frowned, the voice striking
a familiarity within him.
"It doesn't surprise me. I always knew the Suzaku were perverts." A slimy male voice came.
It was followed by a cackle that made Tasuki haunch his shoulders and wince. He turned
slowly, still in a half-wince.
Soi and Tomo, both see-through like Nuriko, stood behind him, Soi standing with one hand
on her hip, and Tomo with his arms folded across his chest. He froze as Tomo cackled again,
then fell over woodenly, and fainted. Tomo and Soi stared down at his prone body with a
look of surprise.
"Oh dear, do you suppose we came on too strong for him?" Soi wondered, inspecting him.
Tomo cackled again.
"He just can't handle sexy specters of our caliber." He cackled. Soi blinked at him, then
put a hand by her mouth and began to laugh as well.
Yui sat off away from the group by herself, at the base of Mount Tai-kyoku and stared
up to the crumbling citadel. She let out a heavy sigh and rested her chin upon her bent knees.
"Lady Yui...why do you look so sad?" a familiar boys voice inquired from behind her.
Yui sighed again and shut her eyes.
"I'm worried about Tetsuya...." she answered. Her eyes opened wide a moment later,
and she turned to glance behind her.
Suboshi smiled from behind her, causing Yui to jump to her feet. "It's good to see you
again Lady Yui." He said in a soft voice. Yui shut her eyes tightly then re-opened them.
"H-how are you here?" she asked, taking a step towards him. His smile left his face
slowly and he glanced in the direction of the others.
"It is required of the protectors of the priestess to gather whenever she is near."
He said in a quiet voice. Yui perked up.
"You mean...Nakago and the others are here too?" she asked, taking a step forward.
Suboshi hid the hurt expression on his face and slowly shook his head.
"No. No one knows where Nakago has hidden himself. After Ten'kou was sealed away
by you, as the Priestess of Genbu, Nakago disappeared even in the Heavenly realm."
He took a deep breath and turned to face the same direction as Yui. "After Taits-kun
died, we were all released from the place in which the souls of the Celestial warriors
are kept, to reincarnate as many times over as a Priestess appears. Yui turned to him in
disbelief.
"You mean that you never go to heaven?" she asked, shocked. Suboshi stared straight
ahead for a moment, his jaw set, then turned to smile at her.
"That's not important right now. This world will be thrown off-balance and into limbo
if another Taits-kun does not take the place of the old. That's our mission at hand." He
glanced down. "....and finding your Tetsuya friend so you and the Suzaku Priestess can
return to your own worlds once more." With that he walked back towards the camp,
leaving a confused Yui to stare after him.