"Hey! Raini-Chan! Over here!!" Miaka called. Rain stopped mid-step and lifted her
head. Thunder still rumbled softly in the sky, but it was still quite a distance away.
Miaka waved, in her panties and bra with her shirt in her hand, from the bank of a
steaming spring. Rain turned her head slightly.
"Ah....Hi.....Miaka..." she said uncertainly. Miaka giggled and dumped her shirt into a
pile by her feet.
"Come on over here and join us, the water feels great!" Soi put in, standing up. Rain's
eye widened and she looked away. Soi was already very naked.
"Um...that's....all right." She said, trying to scoot out of their line of sight.
"Guys, come on, we're making her uncomfortable." Yui said from somewhere out of
Rain's sight.
"Oh hogwash, what's she got to be uncomfortable about? We're all girls here." Miaka said,
matter of fact, and proceeded to make her way towards Rain. She smiled and latched onto
Rain's arm, tugging her towards the hot spring.
"Really...that's fine Miaka....I'm happy just taking my walk..." Rain attempted, planting her feet
into the ground, trying to stop Miaka. Miaka continued smiling and pulling her.
"Don't be silly, you just need to jump in and relax, it'll make you feel ten times better about this
whole Taits-kun deal!" she said, good-naturedly.
"I said I'd be fine!" Rain finally snapped, yanking her arm out of Miaka's grip. Miaka stopped and
stared at her in shock. Yui and Soi, who was sitting on the edge of the spring with her feet in the
water, both looked at Rain in surprise. Pursing her lips, Rain straightened her shirt and turned away.
"I mean...I'm just not comfortable bathing around other people. I'll go find another spring." She said
in a low voice, walking back the way she came. Miaka stared after her, hurt, and raised one hand to
her face as if she'd been slapped.
"That's such a shame. I think the company makes the whole experience ten times better." Nuriko said
from beside Yui, rubbing his cheek with a white towel. Yui made a tiny "eek" noise, her eyes popping
out of her head as she looked to her side.
"Most definitely. It's so depressing to be in a hot spring alone." Tomo added from beside Nuriko,
rubbing his own cheek with a white towel.
Across the way, the guys looked up from their process of undressing as there was a loud series of
screams from the girl's area. They turned back to undressing a moment later.
"Think that was a bear attacking them?" Taka asked Hotohori, pulling off his shirt.
"Nah, I think Nuriko and Tomo made their way over to them finally." Amiboshi grinned, wrapping a
white towel that Nyan-Nyan had supplied them with before leaving, around his waist. Those who were
"living impaired" were almost fully solid now, some having a patch of transparency here and there on
their arms or legs. Not too far away from their hot spring, Ashitare sat, a washcloth on his head,
immersed up to his nose, and whimpered at being sent to his own spring. Tama-Neko floated by him
happily on his back, swishing his tail back and forth.
Chichiri looked up from his place in the spring and blinked. "Hey Tasuki, aren't you going to join us,
no da?" he asked, sitting up a bit. Tasuki turned away, his arms folded firmly across his chest.
"No thank you." He said haughtily, tossing his hair back. Taka, grinning evilly, pounced on Tasuki from
behind, clad in nothing but the towel. Tasuki screamed and flailed his arms about as Taka wrapped
his arms around his waist and lifted him into the air.
"Whassa matter, afraid you might drown?" he gloated, dragging the struggling Tasuki over to the hot
spring. Tasuki wailed and pleaded.
"NO NO NO! PUT ME DOWN YOU HOMOSEXUAL!" he wailed, kicking his legs.
Now in their own hot spring, Tomo suddenly sneezed.
"You should put your shoulders under." Nuriko stated, his eyes still shut, but a red handprint puffing
up on his face. Tomo, his nose swelling from a punch to it, nodded.
"Good idea" he said, and ducked under.
Taka shook his head as he settled himself in the water, Tasuki clinging for dear life onto a boulder.
Chiriko blinked and tilted his head at him as he cleared his throat and got off.
"What's the matter Tasuki, you're not still afraid of water, are you?" he asked curiously. Miboshi
snorted next to him.
"Of course he's not. He just thinks someone's going to pinch his butt, that's all" he said acidly. His
face lowering into an annoyed look halfway through Miboshi's sentence, Chiriko raised his arm out
of the water and back fisted Miboshi in the nose without looking. His eyes spinning, Miboshi slowly
sunk under the water.
"Don't be stupid, that's not it at all....not all of it at least." He said casually, straightening his coat.
"I just prefer to bathe alone, thank you. Bandits of Mt. Raikoku always bathe alone. Less chance of
someone stabbing you in the back." He finished, walking away from the spring. Hotohori raised an
eyebrow.
"I always thought the bandits of Mt. Raikoku were very communal when it came to bathing....and every
other activity." He thought aloud. Mitsukake, eyes shut, nodded his head in agreement.
"Yep. He thinks we're gay." He diagnosed.
-----------------------------------------
"Should you be really be reading this part?" Keisuke asked. Hoshi was on her side upon the floor,
rolling in laughter. She rolled over onto her back and held her hand in the air.
"I can see it now....the head line reads 'Male bonding secrets revealed; what really happens when a
group of men get together in the hot springs of Kyoto'." She giggled, moving her hand across the air as
if casing the words. Keisuke snatched the book from her hand as she continued to laugh.
"I think someone has drank way too much coffee and not had any sleep." He retorted. His hair was still
wet from the shower he'd just emerged from. "Why don't you go grab something to eat, take a shower
and a nap. Miaka's got some extra clothes here so you can change into those.....I think it's time you had a
break." He settled himself onto the couch and thumbed through the pages for the place she'd left off on.
Not looking at her, he heard her compose herself, then get to her feet. He began to read silently.
"Why don't you join me...?" Hoshi asked him in a sultry voice, pressing herself against his back. Keisuke's
eyes popped open and a small drop of blood made it's way out of his nose. He quickly wiped it from his
face and slowly turned to face her. Is she serious? No way!!
Several parts, including his ego, deflated as he saw the wide grin on her face.
"HAH! I so got you!" she laughed, standing. She wandered into the bathroom and shut the door. Keisuke
watched the door in stunned silence until he heard the reassuring 'click' of the lock being turned, then
lunged for the Kleenex.
------------------------------------------
"Finally." Rain murmured, coming across an empty hot spring. Miaka's "tons" of hot springs ended up
being just enough for the "girls, guys, animals and queers". After about ten minutes of walking, she
found herself at another, located quite a distance from the others. Thanking all powers that be for the
silence, she undressed quickly and slipped into the water.
The smell made her wrinkle her nose at first, but Soi had been right, the water really did feel great.
Sighing and shutting her eyes, Rain drew in a breath of air and sunk down beneath the water.
"Damn, it's about time." Tasuki murmured, coming upon an empty hot spring. He'd been walking around
for about ten minutes. So much for Miaka's counting skills, he thought bitterly, stripping free of his
clothes. Wearing only his necklaces, he slipped into the water, wincing at the temperature, but then
easing into it. A small smile playing on his lips, he sighed and sunk deeper into the water.
Rain didn't know what to do. She had heard the surface being disturbed, and had opened her eyes
under water. Currently, she saw a LOT more of some guy than she ever thought she'd see. The air in
her lungs fast becoming stale, she winced and prayed that the guy would get up and leave. She was
clutching at a rock on the bottom of the spring, trying to keep any part of herself from floating to the
top. Bubbles escaped her mouth in a loud burst, and she clamped her hand over her lips to keep the rest
in, hoping that he hadn't been paying attention.
Tasuki lifted an eyebrow as the burst of bubbles broke the surface. He stood up, the water covering him
from just below his belly button down, and trudged over to the source.
Rain's eyes popped out as she got a VERY good view of the guy, then shut them tight, a few small bubbles
escaping from around her fingers. Oh please go away. she prayed.
Tasuki squinted as a mass of what appeared to be dark algae swayed just below the surface of the water.
"That's one hell of a big frog to make bubbles like that." He murmured as more broke the surface. He took
a couple of steps back and began to feel around the bottom of the spring with his foot.
A combination of her fingers getting smashed between the rock she held for leverage by the guys
foot, and finally loosing all air, Rain let loose all her air and broke the surface, gasping. She stood up,
coughing. After composing herself, she froze as Tasuki stared back at her in utter horror. There was
a moment of silence, a monkey jumping in and out of the spring as they stared at each other in horror,
followed by Rain finally finding her voice and shrieking.
"YOU REALLY ARE A PERVERT!" she exclaimed, covering her chest with her arms and sinking down
below the water.
"I'm a pervert? What about you! I'll bet you were under there looking at me!" he shouted back at her,
retreating to the farthest side away from her and ducking under, covering himself.
"Oh right, like I could help it, sitting there exposing yourself like some male prostitute!" she snapped
back at him. Tasuki stuttered.
"How was I exposing myself? I was taking a bath for cryin out loud!" he snapped back. Rain stuck
her tongue out at him.
"My clothes were RIGHT there, you can't miss them. How am I supposed to know you didn't just jump
in to cop a feel?!" she shouted.
"Cop....Cop a feel?! ON YOU?!?!?" Don't make me laugh! You're the one talking about using bochu on me
with the bochu queen herself!" Rain's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"That was a private conversation you eavesdropper!" she snarled, pushing her hands out and splashing
him in a wave of water. "And if you had eavesdropped correctly, I specifically said I'd NEVER use
Bochu on you!!!"
"Oh yeah?! Well I'd be sick in the head to let you anyway!" he retaliated with his own wave of water.
Rain blinked the sulfur water from her eyes and gasped.
"And why not? I might be good at it!" she splashed him back.
"HAH! Right, and Ashitare is better looking then Hotohori!" he yelled, sending back another splash.
In their springs, Ashitare and Hotohori sneezed. "For one, you're flat chested, for two, you're a
power stealer, for three..."
"FLAT CHESTED?? Raini cried, splashing him and standing up. "Do I look flat chested to you?!"
Tasuki's eyes widened. "You have room to talk, I'll bet Chiriko's bigger than you!" Disturbing the
contented silence that had once again fallen over the guy's hot spring, Chiriko let out a large sneeze.
"YOU WISH!!!" he yelled back, splashing her and standing as well. This commenced the largest, serious
splash fight Rain had ever been involved in. Several white monkeys climbed down from the trees and
began to stare at the funny humans. Two of them, reviving the age-old saying of 'monkey see, monkey
do' jumped into the water and began splashing each other and screeching. After ten minutes, the monkeys
lost interest and scampered away. Rain and Tasuki began to wear out, and their splashes weakened.
They both collapsed against separate sides a moment later, breathing heavily.
Tasuki looked off into the woods, staring down one of the remaining monkeys. He blinked as several
threads of red color began to drift towards him. He blinked and raised his head, following the trail
back to Rain. His face reddened slightly and he cleared his throat.
"Um.....hey Rain....you're bleeding..." he said awkwardly. Rain lifted her head from where she had it rested
against the bank, and looked at him, then down at the trail. Her eyes widening, she looked into the water,
then let her shoulders drop.
"Huh. Guess I won't be able to have one without the other." She said weakly, raising her right arm. The
'wings' character trickled water-mixed blood back into the spring. Tasuki sat upright.
"Are you injured?" he asked, concerned. Rain shook her head.
"It doesn't hurt....but all three of them are bleeding...I guess this is what Soi was talking about." She
said, her voice breaking slightly from their shouting match earlier. Tasuki blinked at her.
"So....what, are they going to bleed now until you....." he cleared his throat nervously and waved his
hand in a circle in front of him. "...you know......bochu..?" he managed out. Rain tilted her head at him
slightly, caught off guard at his sudden nervousness. She shrugged, dropping her arm back into the water.
"I guess so.....but I guess I'll just have to put up with that, now won't I?" she smiled. It left a moment
later. "Um....hey, listen, I didn't mean what I said about...you know...the whole being small bit...." she
apologized, her cheeks turning pink. She glanced at the monkey who refused to leave and frowned.
"What're you looking at?"
"Yeah....um.....I didn't mean the bit about the flat chest either....heh..." he apologized back, rubbing
the back of his neck with his hand. He too glanced at the monkey and frowned. "Just what is up with
that thing?" The monkey stood on it's hind legs and stared straight ahead, almost statuesque. Pulling
themselves out simultaneously, they redressed, their backs to each other, but both staring at the monkey.
Rain was the first to be finished, and she approached the animal, reaching out a tentative finger and
poking it.
"This thing is like.....stoned or something..." she giggled. Tasuki came up behind her and leaned down
next to her. Rain's eyes widened as every muscle in her body tensed at the feel of him next to her.
His reaction seemingly the same, they inched away from each other until they were comfortable again,
and returned their attention to the animal. Tasuki pulled out his tessen and poked the monkey with
the end of it.
"Oy.....peanut-brain, what's up with you?" he asked it, poking it once more. The monkey wobbled once,
then suddenly broke out of its daze, gripping Tasuki's tessen and hissing at them with sharp teeth.
Rain jumped and backed away, while Tasuki wrestled it for the fan.
"Shit, what the hell is up with this...what are you, a powerhouse rodent or something?" he grunted,
pulling as hard as he could. The monkey continued to hiss and pull back. Rain blinked at him, then
began laughing.
"What's the matter Tasuki, is the monkey too much for you to handle?" she giggled, moving back
over to his side and taking hold of the tessen as well. She pulled once with him, then stopped and
blinked in surprise. She rubbed her hands together and pulled on it again. "What the...?"
"My words exactly." Tasuki grunted. Rain's eyes widened.
"Um....Tasuki...is it just me......or is that thing growing?" she asked, ceasing her pulls. Tasuki pulled a
few more times, then peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, the small, rabbit-sized monkey was
now the size of a small dog and rapidly gaining height. The both let go of the tessen at the same
time as the monkey continued to enlarge, finally stopping at quite possibly the same seven feet
height as Ashitare, and growled. It's appearance changed into a hairy, muscle-bound, monkey-man
beast. Rain and Tasuki stumbled backwards a few steps, their eyes opened wide. The monkey beast
stretched his lips back across his mouth in a form of carnivorous grin, and lifted up Tasuki's tessen.
"Rekka Shinen." He growled, throwing it forward.
"Look out!" Tasuki shouted, grabbing Rain by the shoulders and jumping them both out of the way.
The resulting fireball flared behind him and into the hot spring, boiling some water off and
decreasing its level by a few inches. Kneeling and still holding Rain from his jump away, Tasuki
looked over his shoulder.
"What the hell, no one with evil in their heart is supposed to be able to enter Taits-Kun's mountain."
He spat. Rain looked up at him, her eyebrows creasing.
"But....Taits-Kun's dead...." she said in a soft voice. He looked down at her with wide eyes, remembering.
He then jerked upright and jumped again as the beast let loose another 'Rekka Shinen'. Ready for his
dodge this time, the beast lurched forward and hit him in the back with a massive clawed fist, causing
him to loose his grip on Rain, dropping her to the ground mid-jump, and slam into a rock wall several
meters off. Tasuki out of the way, the monkey beast towered over Rain, throwing the tessen to the side.
"Goku shall kill Taits-kun for master." The beast slurred primitively. Rain pushed herself to her feet
and bravely stood her ground.
"Tough luck!" she shouted up to him, and raised her hands above her head. "REKKA SHINEN!" she
shouted, throwing her arms forward. As she had hoped, the fan-arc of fire appeared from her, and
swept out to the beast. It circled him in a strange form of a tornado. 'Goku' emerged from it,
scratching his chest and laughing.
"Goku say that tickles!" he guffawed. Rain stared at the beast in disbelief. No way, did he just get
bigger? Unable to remember the feeling she got when she threw the lightning, she raised her hands
above her head again.
"REKKA SHINEN!!!" she said louder, hoping that it would make the flame stronger. It did the same
as before, surrounding Goku in a whirlwind of flames, him stepping out of it, laughing. Gritting her
teeth and clenching her fists, Rain raised her hands above her head to try it a third time, when a
sharp pain and a light spray of blood from her arm caused her to wince and drop her arm to the ground,
the appendage paralyzed from pain. The character on her arm had begun to bleed worse, this time
with pain, and ran down her arm in a steady stream. There was a small spot of blood on her jeans
from the symbol on her leg, and she could only guess that there was one on her foot too. Now helpless,
she stumbled backwards, and tripped over a rock.
"Goku now kill Taits-kun for master." He growled, reaching down to her with one massive hand. She
drew up and winced.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
She opened her eyes just as a bright blue light hit Goku in the small of his back and knocked him
into the forest, out of sight. Rain sat up and blinked. Tasuki stood ten feet away, breathing heavily
and holding one arm out. Emblazoned on his head, in a glowing blue light, was the symbol that read
'heart'. His original red symbol glowed just as bright, the two colors standing out oddly on his skin.
He winced and dropped to his knees.
"Shit....what...was that........." he panted, leaning down on all fours. Rain stood up just as she heard a
gasp. Soi, Ashitare and Chiriko all stood just outside of the clearing, Soi the one who gasped. She
took a step forward, putting a nervous hand out to Tasuki.
"Is that....Nakago's.....symbol?" she asked in a hushed voice. Tasuki looked up at her wearily, the
symbol's glow dying, but the character itself remaining. Soi sunk to her knees.
"SOI LOOK OUT!" Chiriko suddenly shouted, Goku barreling back through the trees directly for her.
She turned and barely had time to gasp when Ashitare jumped out and wrestled the large monkey-
beast's claws away. Goku was well over three feet taller than Ashitare's seven, making the massive
wolf-man seem tiny in comparison. They both growled and clawed at each other, Goku opening
bloodless wounds on Ashitare. He threw Ashitare into a tree, then turned and advanced on the
weakened Tasuki.
"STOOOP!" Rain shouted, reaching a hand towards Tasuki. She felt a strange, familiar sharp pain
in her hand as she shouted.
"This way!" Chichiri shouted, leading the rest of the group to the clearing. They arrived just as
several dozen vine whips broke through the ground and shot up, encircling and pinning a massive
monkey beast. Rain was screaming, her hand outstretched and glowing softly, and more vine whips
came through the ground to pin the beast.
Goku struggled against the plants, snapping through them as fast as they covered him. Holding his
magic staff in front of him and bringing two fingers in front of his chin, Chichiri said a quick spell
that strengthened Rain's vines, pinning Goku to the ground as more were added.
Tasuki stumbled to his feet, his coat hanging open, coming unfastened from being thrown, just as
Goku bit through a large vine, and launched it towards Rain. It missed her, but hit some loose
rocks and dirt in a small overhanging hill that sided the hot spring. The rocks and dirt came tumbling
down upon her. His breath catching in his throat, the blue character on his head flared along with
the one on his arm. His face distorting into rage, he held his arm out again and shouted, another blue
ball of light gathering in front of him and shooting outward towards Goku. It engulfed him in blue
fire, this time burning him. Goku screamed for several minutes, then it was quiet.
Not taking time to think about what just happened, Tasuki rushed over to where the dirt had fallen
and began digging as fast as he could, a desperate look pasted onto his face. Coming out of his
stunned shock, Nuriko pushed up the sleeves of his coat and jogged over to Tasuki, and began
digging as well. They pulled Rain out a moment after they both began, Rain gasping for air and
choking.
Much to everyone's surprise(including Rain's) Tasuki hugged her to his chest tightly in relief, letting
out a few relieved half-sobs. Her eyes open wide, she blinked in shock, both from Tasuki's sudden
burst of affection, and from the fact that a new symbol adorned her body. Trembling, she lifted her
hand and stared at it from over Tasuki's shoulder. Upon it, underneath the new stream of blood, was
a white character that meant 'lasso'. Shutting her eyes slowly, her features relaxed as she finally,
silently accepted her destiny.
--------------------------------
Tetsuya had just paced around his 'room' for what was quite possibly the 100th time, poking and
prodding the walls for some sort of hidden booby trap Nazo might have set for him. He sighed and
sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes. The headache had only worsened, and he felt like
he hadn't slept for days.
"Master!!" a mournful cry came from the main hall, startling Tetsuya out of the verge of a doze.
He lifted his head and squinted groggily towards his door, then moved over to it. He peeked his
head outside, several other doors to separate apartments opening, and people rushing out to the noise.
He managed a tight-lipped grin. So there are other people here.
Tetsuya slowly walked out of his room and towards the crowd that was gathering at the end of the
main hall, everyone murmuring excitedly. Several turned to look at him, and gasp or whisper in
surprise, then move out of his way. Ignoring their chastisement, he continued forward until he
reached the cause of the shout.
A horribly burned, tall ape-faced man lay on the floor, sobbing. Lai-Lai's hands were glowing,
trying to soothe the wounds. "MASTER!!" he shouted mournfully again. Rolling the sleeves up on his
shirt, he knelt down beside the beast, on the opposite side of Lai-Lai.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked. Lai-Lai looked up at him in surprise for several moments.
"You would help Lai-Lai?" she breathed in surprise, her eyes wide. Tetsuya nodded as he looked
upon the man-beast with pity "Give hand" she said softly, reaching out to him. He looked up at her,
and placed his hand in hers. She clasped his hand between hers, palm facing down, and shut her
eyes. "Now, think no hurt for Goku." She whispered. It took a moment for her words to make sense
in his head, but he shut his eyes and concentrated on healing the monster, the glow around Lai-Lai's
hand brightening.
Still sobbing loudly, Goku raised his head to look above him, his burnt skin crackling with the
movement. He sobbed in relief as Nazo came into his vision. "Master...." he whimpered, reaching a
hand out towards him. Tetsuya opened one eye slightly to glance at Goku, then up at Nazo. "Master..
.help Goku..." the man-beast whimpered again, a single tear welling up in his eye and dripping down
his blackened cheek.
Nazo stared down at Goku without emotion, then lifted a hand. There was a single circle of healed
skin forming at the center of Goku's back, finally healing from Lai-Lai and Tetsuya's effort.
"I'll help you Goku." Nazo said in a tone as equally emotionless as his expression. A black light began
to form around Nazo's hand, the outer edges of the light crackling as if it were lit gunpowder.
Goku shut his eyes and relaxed, a peaceful smile crossing his face. "Goku thanks master." He said
softly as the light left Nazo's hand. Tetsuya and Lai-Lai jumped back in surprise as the light engulfed
him and began to shrink. All that was left of Goku, when the light finally blinked out, was the charred
body of a small tree monkey. Tetsuya stared at the corpse in shock, then up to Nazo.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" he shouted, standing up and facing him. "Lai-Lai was healing him!"
On the floor, Lai-Lai stared up at Tetsuya in surprise, one hand holding her dress tight across her
shoulders.
"He asked for me to help him, and so I did." Nazo stated, turning away from Tetsuya. "Come, it is late
and we are all tired." He stopped halfway down the hall and turned. "You'd better get some rest before
that headache gets any worse, Tetsuya." Tetsuya's eyes widened, then he scowled. Nazo turned back
around. "Lai-Lai, come."
Standing, Lai-Lai stopped beside Tetsuya for a moment, and stared up into his face curiously, then
dashed down the hall to Nazo. Tetsuya glared after him for a few more moments, then retreated
into his own room.
It was almost an hour after Tetsuya had finally gone to bed when he heard the soft rustling of someone
entering his room. Sitting up and squinting as his head pounded, his eyes focused on Lai-Lai.
"Lai-Lai? What are you doing in here, I thought you were with Nazo." He said, clearing his throat.
Lai-Lai took a few steps forward, her head lowered slightly in a truly seductive look, and kneeled
beside his bed.
"Lai-Lai can be many, or just one." She said in her purring voice, taking his hand and pressing it against
her cheek. Tetsuya frowned and drew his hand away.
"What are you doing?" he asked as she stood up again. Lai-Lai shut her eyes and unfastened the frog
clasp that held her dress shut over her chest. The upper half of her dress fell away, and Tetsuya's eyes
widened as she began to unfasten her belt. "Hey, knock that off, put your clothes back on!" he stuttered,
drawing away from her. The movement made his head pound harder and he put a hand to it, wincing.
"You helped Lai-Lai....now Lai-Lai shall help you..." she said, placing a softly glowing hand on his head.
He blinked up at her in surprise, her touch actually calming the pounding. Lai-Lai sat next to him,
undressed, and slowly stroked his hair with her hand, soothing away the pain.
Yui....he thought weakly as a groggy feeling forced him back down on the bed. His vision blurred and
he shut his eyes.
It's all right Tetsuya...Yui said, brushing the hair from his eyes. He smiled and reached a hand up to
clasp her cheek, drawing her head down to his so he could kiss her.
Yui startled herself awake and sat up, her eyes wide. Not too far from her, Miaka lifted her head and
rubbed her eyes.
"What is it Yui?" she asked, her voice rough. Yui looked down and blinked, placing a hand on her temple.
"It....it's nothing Miaka...just go back to sleep." She said in a low voice. Miaka watched her for a few
more moments, blinking heavy lids, then laid back down and shut her eyes. Yui pushed herself to her
feet and wandered to the flap of their tent. "Tetsuya...where are you?" she murmured to the sky.
Lightning flashed across it, but oddly enough, no thunder came.
head. Thunder still rumbled softly in the sky, but it was still quite a distance away.
Miaka waved, in her panties and bra with her shirt in her hand, from the bank of a
steaming spring. Rain turned her head slightly.
"Ah....Hi.....Miaka..." she said uncertainly. Miaka giggled and dumped her shirt into a
pile by her feet.
"Come on over here and join us, the water feels great!" Soi put in, standing up. Rain's
eye widened and she looked away. Soi was already very naked.
"Um...that's....all right." She said, trying to scoot out of their line of sight.
"Guys, come on, we're making her uncomfortable." Yui said from somewhere out of
Rain's sight.
"Oh hogwash, what's she got to be uncomfortable about? We're all girls here." Miaka said,
matter of fact, and proceeded to make her way towards Rain. She smiled and latched onto
Rain's arm, tugging her towards the hot spring.
"Really...that's fine Miaka....I'm happy just taking my walk..." Rain attempted, planting her feet
into the ground, trying to stop Miaka. Miaka continued smiling and pulling her.
"Don't be silly, you just need to jump in and relax, it'll make you feel ten times better about this
whole Taits-kun deal!" she said, good-naturedly.
"I said I'd be fine!" Rain finally snapped, yanking her arm out of Miaka's grip. Miaka stopped and
stared at her in shock. Yui and Soi, who was sitting on the edge of the spring with her feet in the
water, both looked at Rain in surprise. Pursing her lips, Rain straightened her shirt and turned away.
"I mean...I'm just not comfortable bathing around other people. I'll go find another spring." She said
in a low voice, walking back the way she came. Miaka stared after her, hurt, and raised one hand to
her face as if she'd been slapped.
"That's such a shame. I think the company makes the whole experience ten times better." Nuriko said
from beside Yui, rubbing his cheek with a white towel. Yui made a tiny "eek" noise, her eyes popping
out of her head as she looked to her side.
"Most definitely. It's so depressing to be in a hot spring alone." Tomo added from beside Nuriko,
rubbing his own cheek with a white towel.
Across the way, the guys looked up from their process of undressing as there was a loud series of
screams from the girl's area. They turned back to undressing a moment later.
"Think that was a bear attacking them?" Taka asked Hotohori, pulling off his shirt.
"Nah, I think Nuriko and Tomo made their way over to them finally." Amiboshi grinned, wrapping a
white towel that Nyan-Nyan had supplied them with before leaving, around his waist. Those who were
"living impaired" were almost fully solid now, some having a patch of transparency here and there on
their arms or legs. Not too far away from their hot spring, Ashitare sat, a washcloth on his head,
immersed up to his nose, and whimpered at being sent to his own spring. Tama-Neko floated by him
happily on his back, swishing his tail back and forth.
Chichiri looked up from his place in the spring and blinked. "Hey Tasuki, aren't you going to join us,
no da?" he asked, sitting up a bit. Tasuki turned away, his arms folded firmly across his chest.
"No thank you." He said haughtily, tossing his hair back. Taka, grinning evilly, pounced on Tasuki from
behind, clad in nothing but the towel. Tasuki screamed and flailed his arms about as Taka wrapped
his arms around his waist and lifted him into the air.
"Whassa matter, afraid you might drown?" he gloated, dragging the struggling Tasuki over to the hot
spring. Tasuki wailed and pleaded.
"NO NO NO! PUT ME DOWN YOU HOMOSEXUAL!" he wailed, kicking his legs.
Now in their own hot spring, Tomo suddenly sneezed.
"You should put your shoulders under." Nuriko stated, his eyes still shut, but a red handprint puffing
up on his face. Tomo, his nose swelling from a punch to it, nodded.
"Good idea" he said, and ducked under.
Taka shook his head as he settled himself in the water, Tasuki clinging for dear life onto a boulder.
Chiriko blinked and tilted his head at him as he cleared his throat and got off.
"What's the matter Tasuki, you're not still afraid of water, are you?" he asked curiously. Miboshi
snorted next to him.
"Of course he's not. He just thinks someone's going to pinch his butt, that's all" he said acidly. His
face lowering into an annoyed look halfway through Miboshi's sentence, Chiriko raised his arm out
of the water and back fisted Miboshi in the nose without looking. His eyes spinning, Miboshi slowly
sunk under the water.
"Don't be stupid, that's not it at all....not all of it at least." He said casually, straightening his coat.
"I just prefer to bathe alone, thank you. Bandits of Mt. Raikoku always bathe alone. Less chance of
someone stabbing you in the back." He finished, walking away from the spring. Hotohori raised an
eyebrow.
"I always thought the bandits of Mt. Raikoku were very communal when it came to bathing....and every
other activity." He thought aloud. Mitsukake, eyes shut, nodded his head in agreement.
"Yep. He thinks we're gay." He diagnosed.
-----------------------------------------
"Should you be really be reading this part?" Keisuke asked. Hoshi was on her side upon the floor,
rolling in laughter. She rolled over onto her back and held her hand in the air.
"I can see it now....the head line reads 'Male bonding secrets revealed; what really happens when a
group of men get together in the hot springs of Kyoto'." She giggled, moving her hand across the air as
if casing the words. Keisuke snatched the book from her hand as she continued to laugh.
"I think someone has drank way too much coffee and not had any sleep." He retorted. His hair was still
wet from the shower he'd just emerged from. "Why don't you go grab something to eat, take a shower
and a nap. Miaka's got some extra clothes here so you can change into those.....I think it's time you had a
break." He settled himself onto the couch and thumbed through the pages for the place she'd left off on.
Not looking at her, he heard her compose herself, then get to her feet. He began to read silently.
"Why don't you join me...?" Hoshi asked him in a sultry voice, pressing herself against his back. Keisuke's
eyes popped open and a small drop of blood made it's way out of his nose. He quickly wiped it from his
face and slowly turned to face her. Is she serious? No way!!
Several parts, including his ego, deflated as he saw the wide grin on her face.
"HAH! I so got you!" she laughed, standing. She wandered into the bathroom and shut the door. Keisuke
watched the door in stunned silence until he heard the reassuring 'click' of the lock being turned, then
lunged for the Kleenex.
------------------------------------------
"Finally." Rain murmured, coming across an empty hot spring. Miaka's "tons" of hot springs ended up
being just enough for the "girls, guys, animals and queers". After about ten minutes of walking, she
found herself at another, located quite a distance from the others. Thanking all powers that be for the
silence, she undressed quickly and slipped into the water.
The smell made her wrinkle her nose at first, but Soi had been right, the water really did feel great.
Sighing and shutting her eyes, Rain drew in a breath of air and sunk down beneath the water.
"Damn, it's about time." Tasuki murmured, coming upon an empty hot spring. He'd been walking around
for about ten minutes. So much for Miaka's counting skills, he thought bitterly, stripping free of his
clothes. Wearing only his necklaces, he slipped into the water, wincing at the temperature, but then
easing into it. A small smile playing on his lips, he sighed and sunk deeper into the water.
Rain didn't know what to do. She had heard the surface being disturbed, and had opened her eyes
under water. Currently, she saw a LOT more of some guy than she ever thought she'd see. The air in
her lungs fast becoming stale, she winced and prayed that the guy would get up and leave. She was
clutching at a rock on the bottom of the spring, trying to keep any part of herself from floating to the
top. Bubbles escaped her mouth in a loud burst, and she clamped her hand over her lips to keep the rest
in, hoping that he hadn't been paying attention.
Tasuki lifted an eyebrow as the burst of bubbles broke the surface. He stood up, the water covering him
from just below his belly button down, and trudged over to the source.
Rain's eyes popped out as she got a VERY good view of the guy, then shut them tight, a few small bubbles
escaping from around her fingers. Oh please go away. she prayed.
Tasuki squinted as a mass of what appeared to be dark algae swayed just below the surface of the water.
"That's one hell of a big frog to make bubbles like that." He murmured as more broke the surface. He took
a couple of steps back and began to feel around the bottom of the spring with his foot.
A combination of her fingers getting smashed between the rock she held for leverage by the guys
foot, and finally loosing all air, Rain let loose all her air and broke the surface, gasping. She stood up,
coughing. After composing herself, she froze as Tasuki stared back at her in utter horror. There was
a moment of silence, a monkey jumping in and out of the spring as they stared at each other in horror,
followed by Rain finally finding her voice and shrieking.
"YOU REALLY ARE A PERVERT!" she exclaimed, covering her chest with her arms and sinking down
below the water.
"I'm a pervert? What about you! I'll bet you were under there looking at me!" he shouted back at her,
retreating to the farthest side away from her and ducking under, covering himself.
"Oh right, like I could help it, sitting there exposing yourself like some male prostitute!" she snapped
back at him. Tasuki stuttered.
"How was I exposing myself? I was taking a bath for cryin out loud!" he snapped back. Rain stuck
her tongue out at him.
"My clothes were RIGHT there, you can't miss them. How am I supposed to know you didn't just jump
in to cop a feel?!" she shouted.
"Cop....Cop a feel?! ON YOU?!?!?" Don't make me laugh! You're the one talking about using bochu on me
with the bochu queen herself!" Rain's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"That was a private conversation you eavesdropper!" she snarled, pushing her hands out and splashing
him in a wave of water. "And if you had eavesdropped correctly, I specifically said I'd NEVER use
Bochu on you!!!"
"Oh yeah?! Well I'd be sick in the head to let you anyway!" he retaliated with his own wave of water.
Rain blinked the sulfur water from her eyes and gasped.
"And why not? I might be good at it!" she splashed him back.
"HAH! Right, and Ashitare is better looking then Hotohori!" he yelled, sending back another splash.
In their springs, Ashitare and Hotohori sneezed. "For one, you're flat chested, for two, you're a
power stealer, for three..."
"FLAT CHESTED?? Raini cried, splashing him and standing up. "Do I look flat chested to you?!"
Tasuki's eyes widened. "You have room to talk, I'll bet Chiriko's bigger than you!" Disturbing the
contented silence that had once again fallen over the guy's hot spring, Chiriko let out a large sneeze.
"YOU WISH!!!" he yelled back, splashing her and standing as well. This commenced the largest, serious
splash fight Rain had ever been involved in. Several white monkeys climbed down from the trees and
began to stare at the funny humans. Two of them, reviving the age-old saying of 'monkey see, monkey
do' jumped into the water and began splashing each other and screeching. After ten minutes, the monkeys
lost interest and scampered away. Rain and Tasuki began to wear out, and their splashes weakened.
They both collapsed against separate sides a moment later, breathing heavily.
Tasuki looked off into the woods, staring down one of the remaining monkeys. He blinked as several
threads of red color began to drift towards him. He blinked and raised his head, following the trail
back to Rain. His face reddened slightly and he cleared his throat.
"Um.....hey Rain....you're bleeding..." he said awkwardly. Rain lifted her head from where she had it rested
against the bank, and looked at him, then down at the trail. Her eyes widening, she looked into the water,
then let her shoulders drop.
"Huh. Guess I won't be able to have one without the other." She said weakly, raising her right arm. The
'wings' character trickled water-mixed blood back into the spring. Tasuki sat upright.
"Are you injured?" he asked, concerned. Rain shook her head.
"It doesn't hurt....but all three of them are bleeding...I guess this is what Soi was talking about." She
said, her voice breaking slightly from their shouting match earlier. Tasuki blinked at her.
"So....what, are they going to bleed now until you....." he cleared his throat nervously and waved his
hand in a circle in front of him. "...you know......bochu..?" he managed out. Rain tilted her head at him
slightly, caught off guard at his sudden nervousness. She shrugged, dropping her arm back into the water.
"I guess so.....but I guess I'll just have to put up with that, now won't I?" she smiled. It left a moment
later. "Um....hey, listen, I didn't mean what I said about...you know...the whole being small bit...." she
apologized, her cheeks turning pink. She glanced at the monkey who refused to leave and frowned.
"What're you looking at?"
"Yeah....um.....I didn't mean the bit about the flat chest either....heh..." he apologized back, rubbing
the back of his neck with his hand. He too glanced at the monkey and frowned. "Just what is up with
that thing?" The monkey stood on it's hind legs and stared straight ahead, almost statuesque. Pulling
themselves out simultaneously, they redressed, their backs to each other, but both staring at the monkey.
Rain was the first to be finished, and she approached the animal, reaching out a tentative finger and
poking it.
"This thing is like.....stoned or something..." she giggled. Tasuki came up behind her and leaned down
next to her. Rain's eyes widened as every muscle in her body tensed at the feel of him next to her.
His reaction seemingly the same, they inched away from each other until they were comfortable again,
and returned their attention to the animal. Tasuki pulled out his tessen and poked the monkey with
the end of it.
"Oy.....peanut-brain, what's up with you?" he asked it, poking it once more. The monkey wobbled once,
then suddenly broke out of its daze, gripping Tasuki's tessen and hissing at them with sharp teeth.
Rain jumped and backed away, while Tasuki wrestled it for the fan.
"Shit, what the hell is up with this...what are you, a powerhouse rodent or something?" he grunted,
pulling as hard as he could. The monkey continued to hiss and pull back. Rain blinked at him, then
began laughing.
"What's the matter Tasuki, is the monkey too much for you to handle?" she giggled, moving back
over to his side and taking hold of the tessen as well. She pulled once with him, then stopped and
blinked in surprise. She rubbed her hands together and pulled on it again. "What the...?"
"My words exactly." Tasuki grunted. Rain's eyes widened.
"Um....Tasuki...is it just me......or is that thing growing?" she asked, ceasing her pulls. Tasuki pulled a
few more times, then peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, the small, rabbit-sized monkey was
now the size of a small dog and rapidly gaining height. The both let go of the tessen at the same
time as the monkey continued to enlarge, finally stopping at quite possibly the same seven feet
height as Ashitare, and growled. It's appearance changed into a hairy, muscle-bound, monkey-man
beast. Rain and Tasuki stumbled backwards a few steps, their eyes opened wide. The monkey beast
stretched his lips back across his mouth in a form of carnivorous grin, and lifted up Tasuki's tessen.
"Rekka Shinen." He growled, throwing it forward.
"Look out!" Tasuki shouted, grabbing Rain by the shoulders and jumping them both out of the way.
The resulting fireball flared behind him and into the hot spring, boiling some water off and
decreasing its level by a few inches. Kneeling and still holding Rain from his jump away, Tasuki
looked over his shoulder.
"What the hell, no one with evil in their heart is supposed to be able to enter Taits-Kun's mountain."
He spat. Rain looked up at him, her eyebrows creasing.
"But....Taits-Kun's dead...." she said in a soft voice. He looked down at her with wide eyes, remembering.
He then jerked upright and jumped again as the beast let loose another 'Rekka Shinen'. Ready for his
dodge this time, the beast lurched forward and hit him in the back with a massive clawed fist, causing
him to loose his grip on Rain, dropping her to the ground mid-jump, and slam into a rock wall several
meters off. Tasuki out of the way, the monkey beast towered over Rain, throwing the tessen to the side.
"Goku shall kill Taits-kun for master." The beast slurred primitively. Rain pushed herself to her feet
and bravely stood her ground.
"Tough luck!" she shouted up to him, and raised her hands above her head. "REKKA SHINEN!" she
shouted, throwing her arms forward. As she had hoped, the fan-arc of fire appeared from her, and
swept out to the beast. It circled him in a strange form of a tornado. 'Goku' emerged from it,
scratching his chest and laughing.
"Goku say that tickles!" he guffawed. Rain stared at the beast in disbelief. No way, did he just get
bigger? Unable to remember the feeling she got when she threw the lightning, she raised her hands
above her head again.
"REKKA SHINEN!!!" she said louder, hoping that it would make the flame stronger. It did the same
as before, surrounding Goku in a whirlwind of flames, him stepping out of it, laughing. Gritting her
teeth and clenching her fists, Rain raised her hands above her head to try it a third time, when a
sharp pain and a light spray of blood from her arm caused her to wince and drop her arm to the ground,
the appendage paralyzed from pain. The character on her arm had begun to bleed worse, this time
with pain, and ran down her arm in a steady stream. There was a small spot of blood on her jeans
from the symbol on her leg, and she could only guess that there was one on her foot too. Now helpless,
she stumbled backwards, and tripped over a rock.
"Goku now kill Taits-kun for master." He growled, reaching down to her with one massive hand. She
drew up and winced.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
She opened her eyes just as a bright blue light hit Goku in the small of his back and knocked him
into the forest, out of sight. Rain sat up and blinked. Tasuki stood ten feet away, breathing heavily
and holding one arm out. Emblazoned on his head, in a glowing blue light, was the symbol that read
'heart'. His original red symbol glowed just as bright, the two colors standing out oddly on his skin.
He winced and dropped to his knees.
"Shit....what...was that........." he panted, leaning down on all fours. Rain stood up just as she heard a
gasp. Soi, Ashitare and Chiriko all stood just outside of the clearing, Soi the one who gasped. She
took a step forward, putting a nervous hand out to Tasuki.
"Is that....Nakago's.....symbol?" she asked in a hushed voice. Tasuki looked up at her wearily, the
symbol's glow dying, but the character itself remaining. Soi sunk to her knees.
"SOI LOOK OUT!" Chiriko suddenly shouted, Goku barreling back through the trees directly for her.
She turned and barely had time to gasp when Ashitare jumped out and wrestled the large monkey-
beast's claws away. Goku was well over three feet taller than Ashitare's seven, making the massive
wolf-man seem tiny in comparison. They both growled and clawed at each other, Goku opening
bloodless wounds on Ashitare. He threw Ashitare into a tree, then turned and advanced on the
weakened Tasuki.
"STOOOP!" Rain shouted, reaching a hand towards Tasuki. She felt a strange, familiar sharp pain
in her hand as she shouted.
"This way!" Chichiri shouted, leading the rest of the group to the clearing. They arrived just as
several dozen vine whips broke through the ground and shot up, encircling and pinning a massive
monkey beast. Rain was screaming, her hand outstretched and glowing softly, and more vine whips
came through the ground to pin the beast.
Goku struggled against the plants, snapping through them as fast as they covered him. Holding his
magic staff in front of him and bringing two fingers in front of his chin, Chichiri said a quick spell
that strengthened Rain's vines, pinning Goku to the ground as more were added.
Tasuki stumbled to his feet, his coat hanging open, coming unfastened from being thrown, just as
Goku bit through a large vine, and launched it towards Rain. It missed her, but hit some loose
rocks and dirt in a small overhanging hill that sided the hot spring. The rocks and dirt came tumbling
down upon her. His breath catching in his throat, the blue character on his head flared along with
the one on his arm. His face distorting into rage, he held his arm out again and shouted, another blue
ball of light gathering in front of him and shooting outward towards Goku. It engulfed him in blue
fire, this time burning him. Goku screamed for several minutes, then it was quiet.
Not taking time to think about what just happened, Tasuki rushed over to where the dirt had fallen
and began digging as fast as he could, a desperate look pasted onto his face. Coming out of his
stunned shock, Nuriko pushed up the sleeves of his coat and jogged over to Tasuki, and began
digging as well. They pulled Rain out a moment after they both began, Rain gasping for air and
choking.
Much to everyone's surprise(including Rain's) Tasuki hugged her to his chest tightly in relief, letting
out a few relieved half-sobs. Her eyes open wide, she blinked in shock, both from Tasuki's sudden
burst of affection, and from the fact that a new symbol adorned her body. Trembling, she lifted her
hand and stared at it from over Tasuki's shoulder. Upon it, underneath the new stream of blood, was
a white character that meant 'lasso'. Shutting her eyes slowly, her features relaxed as she finally,
silently accepted her destiny.
--------------------------------
Tetsuya had just paced around his 'room' for what was quite possibly the 100th time, poking and
prodding the walls for some sort of hidden booby trap Nazo might have set for him. He sighed and
sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes. The headache had only worsened, and he felt like
he hadn't slept for days.
"Master!!" a mournful cry came from the main hall, startling Tetsuya out of the verge of a doze.
He lifted his head and squinted groggily towards his door, then moved over to it. He peeked his
head outside, several other doors to separate apartments opening, and people rushing out to the noise.
He managed a tight-lipped grin. So there are other people here.
Tetsuya slowly walked out of his room and towards the crowd that was gathering at the end of the
main hall, everyone murmuring excitedly. Several turned to look at him, and gasp or whisper in
surprise, then move out of his way. Ignoring their chastisement, he continued forward until he
reached the cause of the shout.
A horribly burned, tall ape-faced man lay on the floor, sobbing. Lai-Lai's hands were glowing,
trying to soothe the wounds. "MASTER!!" he shouted mournfully again. Rolling the sleeves up on his
shirt, he knelt down beside the beast, on the opposite side of Lai-Lai.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked. Lai-Lai looked up at him in surprise for several moments.
"You would help Lai-Lai?" she breathed in surprise, her eyes wide. Tetsuya nodded as he looked
upon the man-beast with pity "Give hand" she said softly, reaching out to him. He looked up at her,
and placed his hand in hers. She clasped his hand between hers, palm facing down, and shut her
eyes. "Now, think no hurt for Goku." She whispered. It took a moment for her words to make sense
in his head, but he shut his eyes and concentrated on healing the monster, the glow around Lai-Lai's
hand brightening.
Still sobbing loudly, Goku raised his head to look above him, his burnt skin crackling with the
movement. He sobbed in relief as Nazo came into his vision. "Master...." he whimpered, reaching a
hand out towards him. Tetsuya opened one eye slightly to glance at Goku, then up at Nazo. "Master..
.help Goku..." the man-beast whimpered again, a single tear welling up in his eye and dripping down
his blackened cheek.
Nazo stared down at Goku without emotion, then lifted a hand. There was a single circle of healed
skin forming at the center of Goku's back, finally healing from Lai-Lai and Tetsuya's effort.
"I'll help you Goku." Nazo said in a tone as equally emotionless as his expression. A black light began
to form around Nazo's hand, the outer edges of the light crackling as if it were lit gunpowder.
Goku shut his eyes and relaxed, a peaceful smile crossing his face. "Goku thanks master." He said
softly as the light left Nazo's hand. Tetsuya and Lai-Lai jumped back in surprise as the light engulfed
him and began to shrink. All that was left of Goku, when the light finally blinked out, was the charred
body of a small tree monkey. Tetsuya stared at the corpse in shock, then up to Nazo.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" he shouted, standing up and facing him. "Lai-Lai was healing him!"
On the floor, Lai-Lai stared up at Tetsuya in surprise, one hand holding her dress tight across her
shoulders.
"He asked for me to help him, and so I did." Nazo stated, turning away from Tetsuya. "Come, it is late
and we are all tired." He stopped halfway down the hall and turned. "You'd better get some rest before
that headache gets any worse, Tetsuya." Tetsuya's eyes widened, then he scowled. Nazo turned back
around. "Lai-Lai, come."
Standing, Lai-Lai stopped beside Tetsuya for a moment, and stared up into his face curiously, then
dashed down the hall to Nazo. Tetsuya glared after him for a few more moments, then retreated
into his own room.
It was almost an hour after Tetsuya had finally gone to bed when he heard the soft rustling of someone
entering his room. Sitting up and squinting as his head pounded, his eyes focused on Lai-Lai.
"Lai-Lai? What are you doing in here, I thought you were with Nazo." He said, clearing his throat.
Lai-Lai took a few steps forward, her head lowered slightly in a truly seductive look, and kneeled
beside his bed.
"Lai-Lai can be many, or just one." She said in her purring voice, taking his hand and pressing it against
her cheek. Tetsuya frowned and drew his hand away.
"What are you doing?" he asked as she stood up again. Lai-Lai shut her eyes and unfastened the frog
clasp that held her dress shut over her chest. The upper half of her dress fell away, and Tetsuya's eyes
widened as she began to unfasten her belt. "Hey, knock that off, put your clothes back on!" he stuttered,
drawing away from her. The movement made his head pound harder and he put a hand to it, wincing.
"You helped Lai-Lai....now Lai-Lai shall help you..." she said, placing a softly glowing hand on his head.
He blinked up at her in surprise, her touch actually calming the pounding. Lai-Lai sat next to him,
undressed, and slowly stroked his hair with her hand, soothing away the pain.
Yui....he thought weakly as a groggy feeling forced him back down on the bed. His vision blurred and
he shut his eyes.
It's all right Tetsuya...Yui said, brushing the hair from his eyes. He smiled and reached a hand up to
clasp her cheek, drawing her head down to his so he could kiss her.
Yui startled herself awake and sat up, her eyes wide. Not too far from her, Miaka lifted her head and
rubbed her eyes.
"What is it Yui?" she asked, her voice rough. Yui looked down and blinked, placing a hand on her temple.
"It....it's nothing Miaka...just go back to sleep." She said in a low voice. Miaka watched her for a few
more moments, blinking heavy lids, then laid back down and shut her eyes. Yui pushed herself to her
feet and wandered to the flap of their tent. "Tetsuya...where are you?" she murmured to the sky.
Lightning flashed across it, but oddly enough, no thunder came.