An: I've decided to stop being lazy for once and get the next chapter up. This one includes a lot of Tasuki and Miaka in it for change. I finally realized that maybe it was about time I wrote something on the two of them, and well, this is the end result. Oh and did I mention Tasuki finds someone new to fry now that Tama's gone?
Another scream met the now highly irritated bard's ears. He was really beginning to regret having skipped out on some of his magic lessons when he was a child. Especially the ones where they learned the silencing spells. He thought ruefully. Another loud noise interrupted his thoughts. Okay, that's it! He abruptly turned Mystic around and faced the group. They stopped at the expression on his face. "What is it, Garret?" Miaka asked. "I want to know who keeps hitting Tasuki into the rocks and trees." Garret said his calm facade masking just how angry he really was. Tasuki pointed to Nuriko.
Nuriko gulped, he was in for it now. The bard stared at him long and hard. Finally, he decided it was time Tasuki got some payback. Tasuki, I'm gonna hold Nuriko with a spell and I want you to use your tessen on him. That seems like a reasonable punishment for all those times he hit you into something. The bard said silently to the bandit. The seishi gave a feral grin. Garret gave a quick gesture in Nuriko's direction. "Huh?! What's happening?!" he cried, when he found he couldn't move any more. Tasuki pulled out his tessen. "LEKKA SHIEN!" The fan's flame shot out and engulfed Nuriko, cutting him off from view for a full thirty seconds. When the flames disappeared, the others were greeted with a burnt Nuriko. His hair and clothes all had soot and burn marks. "Learned your lesson?" Garret asked the dumbfounded seishi. Nuriko could only manage a nod of his head. "Good." The bard turned Mystic back around again, giving the mare a quick pat on the neck. The Suzaku people stared after him for a moment then started after him again.
******
Satura and Keldar had made good time and were now approaching the vast capital city. The buildings were tall and of a gothic nature having large stained glass windows and arches and domes. The mage led them to the group of noble's manors that lay directly outside the king's palace. She stopped before a gilded gate and used the hanging knocker on the side of the gate to knock on a large block of wood. A gatekeeper came out and spotting Satura broke out into a grin. "My lady! It is so good to see you!" he cried. "It is good to see you too, Balek." Satura said. "I'll let his Grace know you've arrived."
The man disappeared into the house. He came out a few minutes later and opened the gate. Two hostlers came out of the stables, ready to help with the horses. Bonfire and Windstar walked into the courtyard and stopped while the two women dismounted. "The hostlers will see to the horses and the bags." Balek said. Both women nodded but remembered to grab the bags they always kept with them, no matter what the situation. The horses were led off and Balek led them into and ornate front hall with antique chairs and tables.
Delicate porcelain vases rested on the tables, jewel-like designs or flowers were painted on them. Portraits of family members and paintings of nature scenes hung on the wall. Balek started to lead the women up the stairs when he suddenly remembered something. "Um, those two won't destroy anything will they?" he said pointing at the two Guardians who had followed them into the house. "No, their fine." Keldar said. The gatekeeper led them into a room where a tall man wearing clothes in simple but expensive breeches and shirt, and woman in a blue dress waited for them.
"Satura!" The woman cried, jumping and throwing her arms around the mage. Satura grinned and hugged the woman just as hard. "Ayla, how are you?" she asked. Ayla laughed and let go of Satura. "You only ask that because you never write or visit, sister dear." She teased. "I wrote you two days ago and I visited for a month just before I summoned Miaka and the others. "That was over six months ago!" Satura said indignantly. Ayla just laughed again and turned her attention to Keldar. "Who might you be?"
"I am Keldar My'ava of the Dyra Clan." The druid said, bowing. "I am pleased to meet a friend of Satura's." Ayla said. "And to share my hospitality with a Lady of the Forest." Keldar smiled. "I see you are as sharp as your sister." "Don't worry the nobles and even the King are Druid-Friends. You need not fear for your safety while you are here." Keldar nodded, a look of relief on her face. She didn't want a repeat of the incident with the bandits. "Well, how long will you be with us?" The man who had been watching the three women asked.
"Just long enough to give my oath, Caylek." Satura said. "You are Duke Calek, fourth heir to the throne?" Keldar asked. "Yes, but please don't get all formal on me. I have enough people doing that." He said with a long-suffering sigh. The three women giggled at him. "Well come on Satura, let's go find you a gown." Ayla said a hint of irritation in her voice. "Its a good thing we keep a few dresses in your size."
******
Satura gingerly patted her head, making sure her hair was still in place. She was in a small waiting room outside the King's Great Hall. Several nobles had already gone ahead of her to make their oaths. She wriggled in the tight corset, trying to loosen it up a bit, but the maid who had tied had done such an expert job of it that not amount of moving was going to get the laces on the corset to loosen up. She had nothing but complete loathing for the garment that fashion dictate she wear. Fashion! She thought disdainfully. Who cares about fashion? As long as the person looks nice, is warm and comfortable who the hell cares about anything else having to do with clothing?
She sighed and picked at a piece of lint on her gown. She was wearing a deep blue gown, a diamond and sapphire pendent, diamond earrings and her hair was pulled up into an elaborate braid, with strings of diamond and sapphire gems woven into it. The only thing that belonged to her out of the whole outfit was the pendent and earrings. She sometimes found it necessary to carry valuable jewelry with her. Although most often she found herself pawning it rather than wearing it. She even kept one or two nice dresses tucked in a saddlebag and while she had been planning to wear one of them to the oath ceremony, when she pulled the dresses out of the saddlebag they had been so wrinkled that her sister and have her staff had nearly had a heart attack at the sight. Hell, even she had been surprised at the state they were in. So for now she was stuck in her sister's borrowed gown.
"Lady Satura?" A page stood in the doorway. "Yes?" It is time." The page said. The woman gave herself a last go over, and then entered the Hall. The Hall was essentially a huge ballroom, with glass windows that reached to the ceiling. Small alcoves of comfortable chairs lined the room. Tapestries of hunts and of the deeds of kings past added color and warmth to the room. The mage walked up to the dais where the King's throne was. She gave a graceful curtsy, then said in her rarely used formal voice, "Greetings Your Majesty. Your loyal subject has come once again to pledge her loyalty."
The King inclined his head in her direction an indication for her to begin. "I, Lady Satura Mel'si of Rosethorn Manor do hear by pledge my loyalty to the King and Kingdom of Natolla for all the remaining days of my life." The mage finished reciting. The King bowed his head to her. "I receive your oath and loyalty with glad tidings." He said, giving his usual reply. Satura gave a last curtsy and then walked out of the Hall. "One down, one to go." She muttered.
******
Many miles away in a camp under the stars, Miaka sat by herself looking up at the twinkling lights. Everyone had gone to sleep a long time again. She didn't know why but she was feeling restless for some reason tonight. Shadow was busy grazing a few feet from her. I'm going to have trouble hiding a unicorn when I get home. She thought absently. She shivered a little in the cold night air.
A warm blanket was suddenly dropped on her shoulders. She looked up to see a pair of familiar amber eyes. "Tasuki." She murmured. Tasuki sat down next to her, leaning against a rock and pulled her against him. Miaka snuggled up against him, feeling warm from the blanket and his body heat. "Miaka, what are ya thinkin' about?" Miaka hesitated but she was a truthful girl so she couldn't give anything but a truthful answer. "About how I feel about you." She felt him stiffen a little. "I'm-I'm not sure how I feel. I still love Taka but I think I'm starting-" She stopped when she noticed something change in the-for lack of a better description- feel of the air. It suddenly felt like they weren't alone.
Both of them noticed sparkling red lights coming out of the distance. Red mist started to gather in the clearing. The lights and the mist mixed together and exploded in an eruption of red light that was all to familiar. When the light finally cleared they found themselves in a landscape of twinkling stars and streaks of the red mist floated path. "This- this looks familiar." Miaka murmured. She suddenly gasped. "This is where I met Suzaku when I summoned him the first time!" "It is?" Tasuki asked in a near whisper, to awestruck to say much. On a sudden impulse Miaka whirled around and met another familiar sight.
There before her was the Phoenix God's human form. Tasuki was not completly dumbstruck never having been this close to the god. "Suzaku no Miko," Suzaku's deep voice intoned. "I have called you here to give you some explanations that should have been given too you a long time ago." "What sort of explanations?" Miaka asked, confused. "Why you and the seishi Tamahome are no longer the way you are." "Why aren't we?" The Miko asked. "Why don't we love each other?"
"I will show you." At first nothing happened, then a small glow started emanating from Miaka's chest. The light formed into a ball and a strange shape took form in it. The shape turned out to be a strange rune that looked half completed. "What is it?" The startled girl wondered. "It is your soul rune." Suzaku said. "Soul rune?" The pair chorused. The god nodded. "The soul rune is the symbol of your soul, your innermost self. The rune always remains half complete until you find your soul mate." he explained.
Suzaku held up another hand. Another half formed rune took shape in it. "This is the soul rune of the one known as Tamahome." Miaka gasped as she looked at her own rune then back at Tamahome's. His rune was compeletly different from hers. "So that's why we aren't in love anymore." The girl whispered. The god nodded. "That is why you were never meant to be together. The bond was only that of a brother and sister." He explained. "This seishi though is another matter." Suzaku said fixing his gaze on the bandit who jumped. The god mad a gesture and the same glow that had come out of Miaka's chest came out of Tasuki's. The seishi's half formed rune took shape in it.
"What the?!" The miko and seishi exclaimed upon seeing Tasuki's rune. "It's a perfect match for mine!" Miaka said. "That is why you and Tamahome could not stay together. Tasuki is and always has been your soul mate." Suzaku said, a smile coming to his face. Miaka, suddenly shy, looked at Tasuki who looked like he had just won the lottery. So its always been you Tasuki. She thought. I wish I had known sooner. "Miko," Suzaku's voice brought her back to the situation at hand. "Seishi, my time with you is ending. Go with my blessings and know that I watch over you." The runes had disappeared and the mist was gathering around them again, blocking the god from sight. Suzaku's red light flashed around them. "Good luck Miaka!" Suzaku's last words reached them before everything went black and they lost consciousness.
Author notes: I think I owe the readers of this fic, the one or two I have left at this point an explanation as to why this thing has not been updated. I'll be honest. I didn't work on it at all last summer, not until school started again and even then I only worked on it a little. Even though I had written enough material for 3 or 4 chapters at least. I even considered the idea of taking it down, but I decided not to. I've regained my enthusiasm for the fic again and hopefully I'll manage with weekly updates. If I can't I'll let you know. Who knows maybe I'll even manage 2 chapters a week on occasion? ^_^ Well I hope you liked this chapter and chapter should be coming out next week.