A Legend Reborn
Chapter 11
"Excuse me, sir..."
"Yes?"
"What city is that ahead?"
"Why it's the capital of the empire of Kutou, boy! Can't you tell?"
"Uh... yes... of course.... Thank you."
"No problem."
Ryunosuke gives his horse a small kick as a signal to continue on. He rides at a quick pace to the city before him.
"I'm almost there...," Ryunosuke thinks, "Chisa must already be there... She can move faster than I thought... Why didn't she tell me she was leaving? I would have gone with her.... Chisa....."
"Long time no see, Ryunosuke-san, no daa!"
Ryunosuke looks down to see a super-deformed Chichiri sitting in front of him. Surprised, he pulls his horse to a sudden stop. The horse rears back, throwing Ryunosuke out of the saddle.
"I'm sorry, no daa. Did I startle you, no daa?"
"Uh... yeah.... a little bit....," Ryunosuke peels himself off the ground and brushes himself off, "You're... you're that Chichiri guy, aren't you?"
"That's me, no daa." With that, Chichiri returns to his normal form.
"What about the other old guy who was with you?"
"Who are you calling old you little punk?" Tasuki says angrily, walking up behind Chichiri.
"Never mind that, Tasuki, no daa," Chichiri says, attempting to calm him, "You've come after Chisa, haven't you, no daa?"
"Yes, actually...," Ryunosuke says, "How did you know?"
"Don't ask," Tasuki says, "You'd never understand anyway."
"She's in Kutou, no daa," Chichiri says.
"Damn! I knew it," Ryunosuke says.
"I sensed a presence with her, no daa. I thought it might be you, but I guess not, no daa," Chichiri continues, "Did Shyoka or Boushin go with her, no daa?"
"No... She went alone. We were on our way to see the creator and the other night she decided to leave for Kutou and try to find her friend. All she left was a note."
"That's odd, no daa... I'm certain that I sense the chi of a Suzaku warrior with the miko, no daa....," he says scratching his chin, "My powers haven't exactly been as they used to be lately, but I'm positive on this, no daa...!"
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to Kutou," Ryunosuke begins to climb back onto his horse.
"Wait, no daa! I've got a better way, no daa." Chichiri takes his kasa off his head and drops it on the ground. "After you, no daa."
"What do you mean 'after you'?" Ryunosuke asks.
"Step into it, no daa," he says, "My kasa will take us into Kutou, no daa. This way we don't have to worry about dealing with guards and soldiers, no daa."
Ryunosuke takes a moment to think it over and then carefully steps into the hat and disappears.
"Why the hell didn't you use this earlier, Chichiri?" Tasuki asks, "If you had used this we wouldn't have lost Yui!"
"I didn't get a chance, no daa!" he says, tying Ryunosuke's horse to a tree, "By the time we got in range for it to work, it was too late, no daa. I would have used my cape, but the resistance is too strong, no daa."
"So why is it working this time?"
"I don't know, no daa...."
"So where is Yui anyway?"
"Her chi is still present so she's still alive, no daa... She's more than likely back at Taiitsukun's retreat, no daa," he says, "And if Chisa is successful in getting Misao from Kutou, that's where we're going to be heading, no daa."
"All right then. Let's go!" Tasuki takes a running leap for the kasa and dives in as though it were a swimming pool.
"Right behind you, no daa!" Chichiri follows, the kasa disappearing with him.
***
"Hurry up and open the door!"
"The books are getting wet!"
"All right already! Just let me find the key.... There it is..."
Keisuke, Rei, and Tetsuya rush through the door in a clump as soon as the door is open.
"It's really pouring out there!" Rei says.
"It was so clear earlier....," Tetsuya says.
"Where does Miaka keep the towels?" she asks.
"Uhh... There's a closet upstairs I think," Tetsuya says.
"Wait, Rei. I'll go get them," Keisuke offers.
"Okay.... I guess I'll go get some warm tea started then."
Keisuke heads upstairs and Rei to the kitchen, leaving Tetsuya alone on the couch.
_...Tetsuya..._ he hears his name being called.
Tetsuya looks around.
_...Tetsuya..._ it comes again.
He goes to the kitchen, "Did you call me, Rei?"
"Huh?" she says, "It wasn't me..."
"Maybe it was Keisuke then...."
"...probably..."
He leaves the kitchen and makes his way to the stairs.
_...Tetsuya..._
"Was that you, Keisuke?"
"What do you mean?"
"I could swear I heard somebody calling my name...."
_...Tetsuya, if you can hear me please answer!_
"I hear it, too....," Keisuke says, "It sounds like Yui."
"Yui?! How... Where..."
"Quick, what is there here that also exists there?"
"I-I don't know...," Tetsuya searches himself.
"Look! Your wedding band!" Keisuke points.
Tetsuya turns to see that the ring on his left hand is glowing. "That's it!" he exclaims. "Yui! Are you there? Yui....!" he begins talking into his wedding ring.
_Tetsuya? Is that you?_
"What's all the racket out here?" Rei says emerging from the kitchen.
"Yeah, it's me!"
"Why is Tetsuya talking to his wedding ring?" she asks.
"It's a link to the other world!"
"It really works?"
_I'm so glad! I wasn't sure this would work..._
"How is everybody there?"
_Well... We're all a little scratched up, but we're all right... Tamahome and I are anyway...._
"What happened?"
_To tell you the truth... I don't know... I was on my way to Kutou with Tasuki and Chichiri and Miaka and Tamahome went after Chisa in Konan.... but somehow we all ended up back here... Miaka's still unconscious, though... I was for a while, but now I'm all right..._
"Don't you have any clues about why this happened?"
_No... not yet... Taiitsukun's being very secretive... Every time we bring it up she changes the subject..._
"That doesn't make any sense...," Keisuke says.
"This just keeps getting stranger and stranger...," Rei says.
_Listen, I've gotta go now, but I'll try and contact you later. It's taking a lot to open up this channel now... Hotohori and the others are using a lot of strength to keep it open for just a few seconds. I just wanted to tell you that we're all right and we hope to see you all again soon..._
"All right..."
_Bye, everybody... I love you, Tetsuya..._
"I love you, too... Please hurry home...."
_We will... Bye..._
"Take care, Yui..."
"Bye..."
The glow of the ring fades away along with Yui's voice.
***
Chisa's eyes crack open slightly. It takes a minute for her them to adjust. Her eyes fly open when she is able to make out a rat mere centimeters from her face munching on some crumbs of food. She suddenly finds herself upright as she lets out a scream, scaring the poor animal. It scampers into a crack in the wall and disappears.
"Where... where am I....?" Chisa wonders out loud. A pungent smell of mold and rotting food fills her lungs as she takes in breath. She winces in pain and clutches her head suddenly realizing how much it hurts. She gingerly turns her head left and right to surveys her surroundings. The walls are made of gray stone, cold to the touch. There is a small wooden door, locked up tight. The window high above is barred as is the cage-like door.
"...bars....?" she mutters, "Now I remember...." She says to herself, her headache suddenly becoming worse with the realization. "This must be Kutou's prison...." Chisa stops. The guards just outside the cell do not seem to hear her or were not paying attention.
The sound of a door creaking open can be heard in the distance, followed by footsteps.
A third guard appears. He mumbles something to the other guards, but she can't make it out.
The other guards bow as he leaves, one of them pulling out a set of keys.
"Well, it looks like little miss spy has regained consciousness," the other says with a slight laugh.
The guard swings the door open, the old hinges moaning and squealing.
Chisa shrinks away a bit as the guard approaches her.
"The priestess wants to see you."
"...the priestess....?"
"I don't know what she wants with a miserable thing like you. We should just hang you and get it over with, but who am I to question orders?" he says. "Come on, now," he takes hold of her arm and forcefully pulls her to her feet. His touch is anything but gentle.
The two soldiers lead Chisa out of the prison cell and into the palace through many corridors.
"This place isn't so different from Konan...," she observes, "It's almost an exact replica in architectural design... except the colors here are blue.... Konan and Kutou are really pretty similar... Why do they fight like this?" She looks at the men standing on either side of her. "She's already become the priestess... I got here too late...." Chisa heaves a sigh. "If only I had been quicker... I'm sorry, Misao... I'm so sorry... Why did it take me so long to figure things out....?"
They come to the end of the hallway to a set of gigantic doors where two more soldier stand guard.
"We have brought the prisoner to see the priestess," one of the two says.
They bow and then begin to push against the doors. The doors open slowly and they continue inside.
"It's beautiful...," she awes. Precious silks and many kinds of jewels adorn the pristine white walls along with the hand-painted blue dragons. Blue, marble pillars support the roof of the palace.
At the end of the room is a throne. There are people who stand one either side of it, but they stand out from the soldiers and such around the palace.
"...five...six...seven...," Chisa counts them out to herself, "...three of them are women...."
There is a sound of another door opening, a side door. They all drop suddenly to one knee, bowing.
The guards harshly force Chisa down to the same position before she gets a chance to see who is entering.
There are footsteps in the distance, gentle footsteps. The sound becomes louder and louder, coming towards Chisa until she can see the feet in front of her face.
"....Ch-Chisa....?" comes a familiar voice.
Chisa slowly raises her head to meet the face of her best friend.
"Chisa... i-is it really you....?" her voice quivers, the tears forming in the corners of her eyes sparkle. "Chisa!" Misao cries out dropping to her knees and embracing her friend, almost toppling her.
"....Misao...," Chisa returns the embrace, tears trickling down her face.
"I found you... I finally found you, Chisa... You don't know how much I've missed you.... I was so worried about you...," Misao sobs, holding Chisa tightly, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again...."
Chisa can't speak for the lump in her throat.
Misao stands up, bringing Chisa up with her and release her. "So much has happened here, Chisa! Everyone has been so nice to me," she says excitedly, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Come on. There are some people I want you to meet." She takes hold of Chisa's hand and drags her over to where the people are lined up.
She points them out one by one.
"This is Tomokazu...," a man of possibly twenty. He is tall with blonde hair and gray eyes. He looks like a warrior, dressed from head to toe in armor.
"...Mayumi...," a young girl, maybe a year older than Chisa although her form-fitting and somewhat scandalous attire give off the appearance of an older woman. She has dark hair, pieces of it braided on each side of her face, but the rest drapes down to past her shoulders. Her eyes are a pale, familiar blue.
"...Ongaku...," a young man of about sixteen or seventeen. He has short, light-brown hair and serious violet eyes.
"...Mariko...," she is almost a female version of Ongaku. They have the same color eyes and hair and even similarly shaped faces. Her face is warmer and friendlier in contrast to the boy.
"...Yasuda...," a strange looking young man probably in his late twenties. His face is painted with some kind of war paint and his dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes are very dark, almost black.
"...Chiharu...," a girl of about nineteen. Her eyes are very cat-like and sinister. Her skin is darker than that of the others and her hair is jet black. In the center of her forehead is a red jewel, a third eye. She appears to be of Indian descent. Golden jewelry adorns her nose, ears, and neck. Her attire consists of a gold colored sarong and a veil that covers the lower half of her face.
"...and Eguchi...," he may be the strangest of them all. His hair is gray, but it looks more like animal fur than human hair. A spiked, metal collar is clamped onto his throat with a chain attached to it. A pair of sharp, pointy teeth, more like fangs, can be seen through his closed lips. His eyes are beady, like those of a beast.
"Everyone, this is my best friend Chisa, the one that I've been searching for since I came here," Misao says. "I'm really happy to see you, Chisa..... But I'm a little confused..." She turns to the two guards. "I thought that you were going to bring that Konan spy to meet me..."
The two men share a confused look.
"Uhhh.... Priestess, this... this is her."
"What...?"
"This is the one you requested to speak with..."
"It can't be...," Misao says in disbelief. "There must be some mistake.... Chisa, tell them... You're not her, are you? Y-You're not the Suzaku no Miko... You can't be..."
Chisa turns her face away from Misao and says nothing.
"Are you, Chisa...?"
Chisa still refuses to answer.
"Answer me, please! Tell them they're wrong!" Misao pleads. "Chisa... please..... You're not...."
"Misao.....," Chisa turns to face her friend. She looks her straight in the eye, "...I am she, Misao... I am the Suzaku no Miko...."
Chapter 11
"Excuse me, sir..."
"Yes?"
"What city is that ahead?"
"Why it's the capital of the empire of Kutou, boy! Can't you tell?"
"Uh... yes... of course.... Thank you."
"No problem."
Ryunosuke gives his horse a small kick as a signal to continue on. He rides at a quick pace to the city before him.
"I'm almost there...," Ryunosuke thinks, "Chisa must already be there... She can move faster than I thought... Why didn't she tell me she was leaving? I would have gone with her.... Chisa....."
"Long time no see, Ryunosuke-san, no daa!"
Ryunosuke looks down to see a super-deformed Chichiri sitting in front of him. Surprised, he pulls his horse to a sudden stop. The horse rears back, throwing Ryunosuke out of the saddle.
"I'm sorry, no daa. Did I startle you, no daa?"
"Uh... yeah.... a little bit....," Ryunosuke peels himself off the ground and brushes himself off, "You're... you're that Chichiri guy, aren't you?"
"That's me, no daa." With that, Chichiri returns to his normal form.
"What about the other old guy who was with you?"
"Who are you calling old you little punk?" Tasuki says angrily, walking up behind Chichiri.
"Never mind that, Tasuki, no daa," Chichiri says, attempting to calm him, "You've come after Chisa, haven't you, no daa?"
"Yes, actually...," Ryunosuke says, "How did you know?"
"Don't ask," Tasuki says, "You'd never understand anyway."
"She's in Kutou, no daa," Chichiri says.
"Damn! I knew it," Ryunosuke says.
"I sensed a presence with her, no daa. I thought it might be you, but I guess not, no daa," Chichiri continues, "Did Shyoka or Boushin go with her, no daa?"
"No... She went alone. We were on our way to see the creator and the other night she decided to leave for Kutou and try to find her friend. All she left was a note."
"That's odd, no daa... I'm certain that I sense the chi of a Suzaku warrior with the miko, no daa....," he says scratching his chin, "My powers haven't exactly been as they used to be lately, but I'm positive on this, no daa...!"
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to Kutou," Ryunosuke begins to climb back onto his horse.
"Wait, no daa! I've got a better way, no daa." Chichiri takes his kasa off his head and drops it on the ground. "After you, no daa."
"What do you mean 'after you'?" Ryunosuke asks.
"Step into it, no daa," he says, "My kasa will take us into Kutou, no daa. This way we don't have to worry about dealing with guards and soldiers, no daa."
Ryunosuke takes a moment to think it over and then carefully steps into the hat and disappears.
"Why the hell didn't you use this earlier, Chichiri?" Tasuki asks, "If you had used this we wouldn't have lost Yui!"
"I didn't get a chance, no daa!" he says, tying Ryunosuke's horse to a tree, "By the time we got in range for it to work, it was too late, no daa. I would have used my cape, but the resistance is too strong, no daa."
"So why is it working this time?"
"I don't know, no daa...."
"So where is Yui anyway?"
"Her chi is still present so she's still alive, no daa... She's more than likely back at Taiitsukun's retreat, no daa," he says, "And if Chisa is successful in getting Misao from Kutou, that's where we're going to be heading, no daa."
"All right then. Let's go!" Tasuki takes a running leap for the kasa and dives in as though it were a swimming pool.
"Right behind you, no daa!" Chichiri follows, the kasa disappearing with him.
***
"Hurry up and open the door!"
"The books are getting wet!"
"All right already! Just let me find the key.... There it is..."
Keisuke, Rei, and Tetsuya rush through the door in a clump as soon as the door is open.
"It's really pouring out there!" Rei says.
"It was so clear earlier....," Tetsuya says.
"Where does Miaka keep the towels?" she asks.
"Uhh... There's a closet upstairs I think," Tetsuya says.
"Wait, Rei. I'll go get them," Keisuke offers.
"Okay.... I guess I'll go get some warm tea started then."
Keisuke heads upstairs and Rei to the kitchen, leaving Tetsuya alone on the couch.
_...Tetsuya..._ he hears his name being called.
Tetsuya looks around.
_...Tetsuya..._ it comes again.
He goes to the kitchen, "Did you call me, Rei?"
"Huh?" she says, "It wasn't me..."
"Maybe it was Keisuke then...."
"...probably..."
He leaves the kitchen and makes his way to the stairs.
_...Tetsuya..._
"Was that you, Keisuke?"
"What do you mean?"
"I could swear I heard somebody calling my name...."
_...Tetsuya, if you can hear me please answer!_
"I hear it, too....," Keisuke says, "It sounds like Yui."
"Yui?! How... Where..."
"Quick, what is there here that also exists there?"
"I-I don't know...," Tetsuya searches himself.
"Look! Your wedding band!" Keisuke points.
Tetsuya turns to see that the ring on his left hand is glowing. "That's it!" he exclaims. "Yui! Are you there? Yui....!" he begins talking into his wedding ring.
_Tetsuya? Is that you?_
"What's all the racket out here?" Rei says emerging from the kitchen.
"Yeah, it's me!"
"Why is Tetsuya talking to his wedding ring?" she asks.
"It's a link to the other world!"
"It really works?"
_I'm so glad! I wasn't sure this would work..._
"How is everybody there?"
_Well... We're all a little scratched up, but we're all right... Tamahome and I are anyway...._
"What happened?"
_To tell you the truth... I don't know... I was on my way to Kutou with Tasuki and Chichiri and Miaka and Tamahome went after Chisa in Konan.... but somehow we all ended up back here... Miaka's still unconscious, though... I was for a while, but now I'm all right..._
"Don't you have any clues about why this happened?"
_No... not yet... Taiitsukun's being very secretive... Every time we bring it up she changes the subject..._
"That doesn't make any sense...," Keisuke says.
"This just keeps getting stranger and stranger...," Rei says.
_Listen, I've gotta go now, but I'll try and contact you later. It's taking a lot to open up this channel now... Hotohori and the others are using a lot of strength to keep it open for just a few seconds. I just wanted to tell you that we're all right and we hope to see you all again soon..._
"All right..."
_Bye, everybody... I love you, Tetsuya..._
"I love you, too... Please hurry home...."
_We will... Bye..._
"Take care, Yui..."
"Bye..."
The glow of the ring fades away along with Yui's voice.
***
Chisa's eyes crack open slightly. It takes a minute for her them to adjust. Her eyes fly open when she is able to make out a rat mere centimeters from her face munching on some crumbs of food. She suddenly finds herself upright as she lets out a scream, scaring the poor animal. It scampers into a crack in the wall and disappears.
"Where... where am I....?" Chisa wonders out loud. A pungent smell of mold and rotting food fills her lungs as she takes in breath. She winces in pain and clutches her head suddenly realizing how much it hurts. She gingerly turns her head left and right to surveys her surroundings. The walls are made of gray stone, cold to the touch. There is a small wooden door, locked up tight. The window high above is barred as is the cage-like door.
"...bars....?" she mutters, "Now I remember...." She says to herself, her headache suddenly becoming worse with the realization. "This must be Kutou's prison...." Chisa stops. The guards just outside the cell do not seem to hear her or were not paying attention.
The sound of a door creaking open can be heard in the distance, followed by footsteps.
A third guard appears. He mumbles something to the other guards, but she can't make it out.
The other guards bow as he leaves, one of them pulling out a set of keys.
"Well, it looks like little miss spy has regained consciousness," the other says with a slight laugh.
The guard swings the door open, the old hinges moaning and squealing.
Chisa shrinks away a bit as the guard approaches her.
"The priestess wants to see you."
"...the priestess....?"
"I don't know what she wants with a miserable thing like you. We should just hang you and get it over with, but who am I to question orders?" he says. "Come on, now," he takes hold of her arm and forcefully pulls her to her feet. His touch is anything but gentle.
The two soldiers lead Chisa out of the prison cell and into the palace through many corridors.
"This place isn't so different from Konan...," she observes, "It's almost an exact replica in architectural design... except the colors here are blue.... Konan and Kutou are really pretty similar... Why do they fight like this?" She looks at the men standing on either side of her. "She's already become the priestess... I got here too late...." Chisa heaves a sigh. "If only I had been quicker... I'm sorry, Misao... I'm so sorry... Why did it take me so long to figure things out....?"
They come to the end of the hallway to a set of gigantic doors where two more soldier stand guard.
"We have brought the prisoner to see the priestess," one of the two says.
They bow and then begin to push against the doors. The doors open slowly and they continue inside.
"It's beautiful...," she awes. Precious silks and many kinds of jewels adorn the pristine white walls along with the hand-painted blue dragons. Blue, marble pillars support the roof of the palace.
At the end of the room is a throne. There are people who stand one either side of it, but they stand out from the soldiers and such around the palace.
"...five...six...seven...," Chisa counts them out to herself, "...three of them are women...."
There is a sound of another door opening, a side door. They all drop suddenly to one knee, bowing.
The guards harshly force Chisa down to the same position before she gets a chance to see who is entering.
There are footsteps in the distance, gentle footsteps. The sound becomes louder and louder, coming towards Chisa until she can see the feet in front of her face.
"....Ch-Chisa....?" comes a familiar voice.
Chisa slowly raises her head to meet the face of her best friend.
"Chisa... i-is it really you....?" her voice quivers, the tears forming in the corners of her eyes sparkle. "Chisa!" Misao cries out dropping to her knees and embracing her friend, almost toppling her.
"....Misao...," Chisa returns the embrace, tears trickling down her face.
"I found you... I finally found you, Chisa... You don't know how much I've missed you.... I was so worried about you...," Misao sobs, holding Chisa tightly, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again...."
Chisa can't speak for the lump in her throat.
Misao stands up, bringing Chisa up with her and release her. "So much has happened here, Chisa! Everyone has been so nice to me," she says excitedly, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Come on. There are some people I want you to meet." She takes hold of Chisa's hand and drags her over to where the people are lined up.
She points them out one by one.
"This is Tomokazu...," a man of possibly twenty. He is tall with blonde hair and gray eyes. He looks like a warrior, dressed from head to toe in armor.
"...Mayumi...," a young girl, maybe a year older than Chisa although her form-fitting and somewhat scandalous attire give off the appearance of an older woman. She has dark hair, pieces of it braided on each side of her face, but the rest drapes down to past her shoulders. Her eyes are a pale, familiar blue.
"...Ongaku...," a young man of about sixteen or seventeen. He has short, light-brown hair and serious violet eyes.
"...Mariko...," she is almost a female version of Ongaku. They have the same color eyes and hair and even similarly shaped faces. Her face is warmer and friendlier in contrast to the boy.
"...Yasuda...," a strange looking young man probably in his late twenties. His face is painted with some kind of war paint and his dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes are very dark, almost black.
"...Chiharu...," a girl of about nineteen. Her eyes are very cat-like and sinister. Her skin is darker than that of the others and her hair is jet black. In the center of her forehead is a red jewel, a third eye. She appears to be of Indian descent. Golden jewelry adorns her nose, ears, and neck. Her attire consists of a gold colored sarong and a veil that covers the lower half of her face.
"...and Eguchi...," he may be the strangest of them all. His hair is gray, but it looks more like animal fur than human hair. A spiked, metal collar is clamped onto his throat with a chain attached to it. A pair of sharp, pointy teeth, more like fangs, can be seen through his closed lips. His eyes are beady, like those of a beast.
"Everyone, this is my best friend Chisa, the one that I've been searching for since I came here," Misao says. "I'm really happy to see you, Chisa..... But I'm a little confused..." She turns to the two guards. "I thought that you were going to bring that Konan spy to meet me..."
The two men share a confused look.
"Uhhh.... Priestess, this... this is her."
"What...?"
"This is the one you requested to speak with..."
"It can't be...," Misao says in disbelief. "There must be some mistake.... Chisa, tell them... You're not her, are you? Y-You're not the Suzaku no Miko... You can't be..."
Chisa turns her face away from Misao and says nothing.
"Are you, Chisa...?"
Chisa still refuses to answer.
"Answer me, please! Tell them they're wrong!" Misao pleads. "Chisa... please..... You're not...."
"Misao.....," Chisa turns to face her friend. She looks her straight in the eye, "...I am she, Misao... I am the Suzaku no Miko...."