Warnings: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnothin…wait, oh yeah. Drama and sap. **slaps forehead** How could I have forgotten??!

Notes: Hi, everyone. ^_^ I'm tired. I still have a page to write for my paper due tomorrow, but I'm tired. And naturally, I was working on this instead. Ehehe. ^_^;; Anyway. I hope you like it. ^_^ Thanks for reading! Again, I'm behind on my emails. ^_^; But it doesn't mean I don't like you, or anything! I'll reply soon, I promise. ^_^

YET ANOTHER STORY

Chapter 21:

Destiny

We calmed down after only a few minutes, and we all sat down (well, those of us who were standing, anyway). The emotional overload had worn me out, and my eyelids felt heavy; crossing my legs beneath me, I leaned against Sai on the grass, his arm around my shoulders. Looking over, I saw that Chuin looked visibly less miserable, though he still appeared rather uncomfortable, dried tears streaking his pale cheeks.

Poor guy. He's really not that bad; he just tries too hard.

Gen-chan's pride wasn't about to let him apologize in public for the shouting match we'd had, but he'd caught my eye a few times in the aftermath, and I could tell he was sending me major contrition signals. I just smiled at him; I knew he'd meant well, he just didn't put things in perspective. It could have been any of us who'd fallen victim to Miboshi; I didn't want to think about it any more than I had to, but it was true.

Myojuan was the first to speak. "I think we ought to start with introductions," he rumbled. "Although we all know each other from other lives, it's important to start things anew; as Ryuuen and Saihitei have shown us, forgiveness is the foundation upon which peace stands."

I blushed, and Sai squeezed my shoulder.

"Fuckin poetic today, aren'tcha?" Gen-chan mumbled.

Ignoring him, Myojuan continued. "Gentlemen…and Miaka…"—Miaka smiled and nodded at the inclusion—"I'd like to present to you Sgt. Ayuru Gi, of the Champaign County Police Department."

Ayuru inclined his head slightly, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes. Shooting a worried gaze across at the others' faces, I saw that only Houjun was smiling. Miaka looked like she wanted to smile, but still looked dubious; Taka was staring at the ground as if lost in thought, and Doukun's jaw was clenched, but he kept his head held high. Amiboshi's mouth was shaking, and Chuin…Chuin had his knees to his face again, and was peering over at Ayuru almost shyly, his mouth hidden, with huge, fascinated eyes.

Tom received a slightly warmer welcome, but it was still a little dulled from the aftermath of meeting Ayuru. The black-capped young man was sitting up straight and beaming around at everyone, especially Houjun…and I decided that Myojuan would not be the only one who would soon be receiving feline snuggles. The big med student proceeded to introduce the rest of the Suzaku seishi for the benefit of the newcomers, and Houjun followed by going through the same process with Chuin and Koutoku Bu…though I didn't think I could ever call him that. Amiboshi came so much easier to my mind.

"I wish we had time for some invigorating ice-breaking activities," Doukun cut in almost sharply when the introductions had ended, "but we need to be quick about this. I sense him nearby; he's afraid, he won't attack us all together like this, but Suboshi is still in danger."

Miboshi. Miboshi's nearby; that's what he means.

"Ami…Koutoku," Sai said quietly, "might I ask why your brother has been imprisoned? He isn't…entirely dangerous, is he?"

Amiboshi fidgeted, his lips twisting into a self-conscious smile. "He's not…he's really not. It's really because of me he's in there," he said in a subdued voice. "There was a guy in our neighborhood who was always…giving me a hard time, and Shunkaku went after him one day…"

"This isn't important right now," Doukun interrupted. "We have a plan. We need to finish with the details and put it into play, before it's too late."

Houjun gave him a look, then glanced over at Amiboshi and Sai. "I'm sorry. Doukun's right, though; it doesn't matter why he's there, but we have to get him out, na no da."

"What's your plan?" Myojuan inquired.

"Houjun is going to transmogrify into some sort of minute flying arthropod," Doukun explained, solemn. "He needs to enter with one of us, who will ask to speak to Suboshi as a friend or relative; after the talk is done, Houjun will follow Suboshi to his cell, and, once there, will use his kasa to transport Suboshi back outside."

"Kasa?" I blinked.

Houjun reached for something sitting beside him, and held it up with a grin. It appeared to be a Chinese-style straw hat. "It's me who makes the magic, not the hat, no da," he said with a smile. "Luckily, I was able to find one before I was forced to experiment with different styles, na no da."

"Can you do that?" Tom breathed in awe. "Turn into a bug, I mean?"

Houjun shrugged and nodded. "It comes with the soul, na no da."

"What we need," Doukun sighed, "is someone who will go in with Houjun."

"Koutoku would be the logical choice," Sai said carefully, but he sounded as if he didn't think it would work, somehow.

"We can't have any of the Seiryuu seishi in danger, no da," Houjun said solemnly. "If Miboshi captures one of the Suzaku, it would be bad enough; the more Seiryuu he has, though, the closer he is to summoning his god, no da."

"They've already excluded me from the running," Doukun said bitterly. "Apparently, I'm too blinded by my personal feelings toward Miboshi to be considered competent in this case."

"Miaka certainly can't go," Taka added, no longer lost in space. "They're after her. And as much as I myself would like to help out, I…I need to stay here, to protect her."

"What about me, y'all?" Tom suggested, shrugging. "I ain't no seishi either way ya look at it. Ain't no danger in capturin me, and chances are, Mitsubishi wouldn't even recognize my life force, er whatever."

Houjun looked pensive. "It's a good thought," he said, "but it also means you have no seishi powers, no da. If, by chance, you were to be caught, no da, you'd have no means by which to protect yourself, na no da."

"I kin see in the dark," Tom mumbled, injured, crossing his arms.

"I'll go," someone said.

There was a long pause, and I looked around to see who had spoken; what I found, however, was that everyone was staring at me. Staring back at them, I felt my jaw drop slightly.

I…I didn't just say that. Did I?

"Ryuuen," Sai said firmly, "no. No; you're not going. It's too dangerous."

I gazed up at him, my eyes wide, and felt a flutter of regret in my stomach. Yes, it was dangerous. Of course it was. But…I was a seishi. I had to do dangerous things.

Seeing my hesitation, his eyebrows drew together, and he put his hand on my face. "No," he said again. "I won't let you. You've already been through too much…"

"Saihitei, no da," Houjun murmured from across the circle. "Don't look now…but I don't think we have any choice in the matter, no da."

Sai's eyes went wide, and suddenly…I was aware that his face was tinged with red, as if someone was shining a red-tinted flashlight with fading batteries at him. Almost reluctantly, he tilted his head to look at my chest, and I followed suit.

There, shining dully though the material of my jacket, was a glowing red…blotch. But we didn't have to be as smart as Doukun to figure out that it was coming from my seishi symbol.

"Wow," I mumbled, blinking. "Powerful wattage from that little sucker, huh?" Meeting Sai's eyes again, I was shocked to see that he looked like he was about to cry. His smooth bottom lip was actually shaking a little, and the hand on my face felt like it was trembling, as well…

"He's been chosen to go," I heard Myojuan say softly. "For some reason, Suzaku wants him…"

"No," Sai said again, stubbornly, and turned his head toward the others. "No; Suzaku can't want him to go. It's too much!" Facing me again, looking nearly desperate, he stroked my cheek. "Tell them it's too much," he pleaded. "Tell them you don't want to go, Ryuuen, and they won't make you. Please."

It was hurting my heart so much to see him this upset; he'd never been this openly fragile in front of anyone else, and only once or twice in front of me. He'd always try to be strong, to keep his calm…and he wanted to protect me so badly, it almost made me feel guilty. I knew that this protection stemmed from how much he loved me, though, and I wasn't one to argue with that.

"Sai," I said, smiling sadly, "Houjun's right. I don't just glow like this for no reason, not when I'm just sitting. Maybe Suzaku knows something about what's going to happen; maybe there's something to do that only I can do, or something. Like break through bars." I shrugged.

He shook his head. "Last time you went off alone when you knew there was a Seiryuu seishi roaming around," he reminded me, "you wound up getting killed. Do you think Suzaku didn't have a hand in that, too?"

"Saihitei."

Sai looked up at Myojuan, who'd spoken, and the big man regarded him at length before speaking again.

"He needs to go. He's been chosen; it's part of his destiny."

Clamping his lips together, Sai peered around at everyone, and found no support. Sympathy, yes; no one really liked the idea, I could tell, but it was out of our hands now.

"I won't be alone," I reminded him, still smiling. "Houjun'll be with me, right?"

Turning back to me, Sai fixed me with a resentful look. "But he'll be a fly."

I couldn't help it; I tried to stop myself, but I snickered, and finally started giggling. The silence was broken by more quiet chuckles from around the circle, and Sai, searching for whatever it was that had been so funny, finally found the humor in it, too, and cracked a watery smile.

"He'll be a very powerful fly, though," I giggled. "A fly with cool hair."

His response to that was to pull me to his chest, almost roughly. Surprised, my laughter ceased, my arms going automatically around him. "I just want you to be safe," he said, under his breath. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Promise me you'll be safe."

I smiled against him; we both knew that I had no way of knowing if such a promise would hold. "I promise," I said anyway. "I promise, Sai."

~*~

We approached the prison boldly a few minutes later. Well, I approached it; Houjun was hitching a free ride in my ear, of all places, in the form of a small fly. Surprisingly enough, I could hear him when he spoke to me, and felt like the Disney version of Aladdin. Unfortunately for Houjun's nerves, however, my hands kept shooting up by reflex to swat him away.

"Ryuuen," he said, his voice pitched much higher when he was so small, "it's just me up here, no da; please try to control your instincts."

"I'm trying," I apologized under my breath. "I'm sorry; usually, when a bug flies in my ear, it's not one of my best friends in disguise." My arm jerked up once more, but I managed to force it down. "Ahhh, sorry; it's got a mind of its own!"

Houjun sounded mildly stressed. "We're…almost there…no da… Just stuff it in your pocket, or something, na no da…"

"Aren't you cold, Houjun? Flies die in cold weather, right?"

"Thanks for reminding me, no da. That's why I'm sitting in your ear, na no da; I'm stealing your body heat."

"You sound like you're on helium."

"Shhhhh, no da! We're getting closer; don't let the guards see you talking to yourself, no da. That can only hurt us. Do you have your ID papers?"

"Mm," I confirmed. Ayuru, being familiar with the procedures of such institutions, had described to Houjun exactly what paperwork I'd need to get in to see Suboshi, after which Houjun had conjured up everything with my name.

My name, for the record, was Kari Bu. Suboshi's sister.

Everyone had agreed that the less suspicious I seemed, the easier it would be for me to get in. And the easiest and least suspicious thing I could do, apparently, was to pass myself off as a girl so they wouldn't have to go through the mandatory double-take of "Whaaaat??! You're a guy??! Are you sure??!" So, I went along with it. It was for an important undercover mission thing, so it didn't really bother me.

My heart pounding as we entered the building, I spotted the front desk and strode over to it. The guy sitting behind it was middle aged and balding, with a brown mustache; he looked up from his Tom Clancy novel and blinked at me.

"Can I help you, miss?" he asked, gruff but pleasant.

So far, so good.

"Work it a little, no da," Houjun whispered.

…Don't make me hurt you, bug, I thought, but followed his instructions, shooting a sweet smile at the guard. "Hi," I greeted brightly. "I'm here to see Shunkaku Bu. Am I too early?" Ayuru had said that visiting usually began around two or three, so I was crossing my fingers and hoping that the timing was okay. Houjun would have crossed his fingers, too, I knew, if he had them.

The guard smiled back, setting his book down. "Naw, sweetheart, you're right on time! First one today; early bird gets the worm, eh?" Handing me a clipboard with a piece of gridded paper on it, he continued, "Now, have you been here before? I'm sure I'd remember if you had."

I batted my eyelids, trying to appear cute and moderately ditzy. "Well, no, sir; I haven't been to visit Shunnie yet, it's my first trip home since he…well, you know." I sure hoped he knew what Suboshi had done to wind up there, because I sure didn't.

"All right; I'll set you through the motions," he said kindly, and proceeded to do just that. All my papers seemed to pass just fine, and I signed my name—well, "Kari's" name—and the time I arrived on the clipboard. He then directed me down the hall, where, he explained, I would meet another guard who would search me for hidden weapons—he sounded like this, as far as I was concerned, was a joke—and have me put my coat and purse in a locker.

It's not a purse, my mind insisted stubbornly. It is a SATCHEL. But I just smiled and thanked him, and he nodded back, not even giving me a glance over, to his credit. So, all straight men weren't scum, after all.

How comforting.

"You're doing fine, na no da," Houjun whispered. "He didn't even think twice, no da."

The man we approached around the corner was much bigger than Behind The Desk Guard, and my heart, which had calmed down slightly when everything was going so well, began to palpitate once more.

Search me??! He's gonna SEARCH ME?!?!? Does he have to search… EVERYWHERE??!?! Because the game will be over immediately if he does!…

But when the guy turned to face me, his square-jawed face became gentle. "Good afternoon, miss," he greeted, nodding his head at me. "Who're you here to see?"

I took a breath. "Shunkaku Bu, please."

"Just a moment, please." He picked up the phone from where it hung on the wall nearby and asked briefly for "Bu" to be brought to the visiting area. When he put it down again, he took a step over to me…and it was all I could do not to take a step back.

"Please hang your coat and bag in one of the lockers," he said kindly, handing me a key that was hanging from the same wall as the phone.

I managed a shaky smile and did what he said, careful not to accidentally whap myself in the ear and murder Houjun. When I came back out, the key in my pocket, he was looking up and down the hallway, as if expecting someone to arrive.

"Excuse me, miss," he said after a while. "I'm waiting for the lady of the operation to get back; she was supposed to be back from her lunch break half an hour ago, and I don't expect you'd like to have me be the one to frisk you." He was polite about it, at least, and I laughed nervously, my hopes sinking. If it was just this big guy doing the frisking, he might at least get shy, since I was supposed to be a girl; if it was a woman, she probably wouldn't show half as many inhibitions when it came to…uhh… groping.

We stood there waiting for about fifteen minutes; the big guy even called up to the front desk to inquire after the missing female guard, but to no avail. Houjun, meanwhile, was getting awfully impatient, rambling on and on under his breath… "This isn't heeelping, no da…this isn't helping…we're never gonna get there in time…"

Finally, though, the male guard shrugged and beckoned me over.

"Honey," he said, "I'm awful sorry, but it don't look like she's comin. But, tell you what… I can't imagine you're hidin anything in that pretty sweater, so I'm just gonna let you in, all right?"

I smiled gratefully, although a bit miffed that, even though I hadn't bothered to change clothes, my normal BOYYYY sweater was still "pretty." Well, maybe he was just being polite again. "All right," I said, barely able to resist slapping my ear as Houjun apparently danced a jig up there. "Thank you, sir; sorry for the trouble."

"Not your fault, not your fault," he chuckled, opening the door for me. "You have a good talk, now, and your things will be right here when you're done."

I thanked him again, and walked through into the visiting area: a row of booths in front of a thick, glass window. On the other side of the glass, crossing his arms sullenly, was Amiboshi's mirror image, dressed in orange prison garb with a black number over his breast pocket. There was another guard in the corner nearby, sitting in a chair.

"About time, no da," Houjun sighed in relief, finally leaving my ear, assumedly to fly over the glass to the other side.

Keeping up the act, I smiled brightly into the sour face, giving Suboshi an excited little wave. Rushing over to the chair in front of him and picking up the conversation phone, I watched as he did the same.

"Who the hell are you?" he muttered, glaring at me.

I forced my smile to widen. "Awww, Shunnieeeee, stop teasing me! I come all the way to visit you, and this is how you say hello??"

Narrowing his eyes, he jutted his jaw out. "I dunno what the hell you want me for, pervert, but whatever it is, you can take it and shove it up your ass."

Well. How pleasant.

"Don't play with me, kid," I said, now smiling around gritted teeth. "Your twin brother's really worried about you, okay? I dunno if the words crazed, homicidal midget ring any bells for you, but judging from the nice name you just called me, I imagine you have at least a teensy clue as to who I am."

"And who the hell are you?" he asked again, but I thought some of the animosity had faded, as unlikely as that sounds.

Perking up, I beamed. "I'm your sister, of course, silly!"

He raised an eyebrow, slouching in his chair.

"Mom and Dad say hi," I went on, "and Cousin Albert just got a job at the yo-yo factory!" Really, it amazed me that I could keep this annoying act up for so long.

"Mom's been dead for three years, sis," he told me bluntly, which made me falter.

"Oh," I said, my smile fading, pretty much back to my normal self. "I'm…I'm sorry, Suboshi…"

And that was when I felt it, like a sharp prickling at the back of my neck, creeping down my spine. And somehow…I knew what it meant.

Miboshi.

He's here. He's here, and he's looking for us…

"Hey," came Suboshi's voice from the phone. "Hey, what's wrong? Did you feel that just now?"

My breath coming harder, I shivered; I probably looked mildly psychotic, but I didn't care. "Suboshi," I breathed, "I…I gotta go. Go back to your, uhh…your cell; as quick as you can, it's important that you go there fast, all right?"

His confusion was evident, and he leaned toward the glass…

"Go!" I shouted, not caring if the whole prison heard me, standing up quickly and knocking my chair to the ground with a clatter. "Hurry!"

Mouth open, he gave a quick nod and dropped the phone, backing into the guard on his side that had been lurking into the background. I watched them go out the door, and hoped that Houjun hadn't been slapped or anything, because Suboshi was all up to him now.

After I'd seen them go, I turned quickly to my own door, still feeling the evil presence crawling all around me, brushing against my arms, wrapping itself around my chest…but I fought it, and pushed through to where I knew the big guard was waiting.

He smiled as I came through, but his face fell, because, like I said, I probably looked psychotic. "Are…are you okay, darlin?"

No. No, I'm not okay; the walls are closing in, I can feel him, he's all around me, he's coming…

And with a sinking heart, I remembered…

…My wish in the car. I said that if anybody had to die, it had better be me, because I couldn't bear it if anyone else… I said it had better be me. And Suzaku chose me to go, Suzaku must have known he was here…that's why he chose me.

I'm going to die.

The knowledge settled in my stomach like lead, and I almost forgot to breathe. When I made my eyes refocus, the guard was staring at me in worry. "Miss? Are you all right?"

I could tell that the blood had drained from my face, and my entire body was shaking, but I managed a sickly smile. "I'm…I'm fine; I don't…like…prisons, that's all…um… Sorry," I whispered, heading into the locker area. Numbly, I fumbled for the key in my pocket; also numbly, I turned it and opened my locker door, taking my jacket and satchel. My movements were slow, as if I was swimming…

Well. If I'm going to die… If I'm going to die, I might as well do it with dignity. And I won't die without a fight.

Straightening the collar of my jacket, doing up the buttons, I stared at the painted face of the locker and saw that it was nearly the same color gold as Sai's eyes. An invisible fist took a tight, choking grip on my heart, even as the evil feeling kept trying to wind its way around me, and I realized that, if my assumptions were correct, I'd never be able to see Sai again…

Wait a second, Ryuuen. Wait; this is stupid.

Suzaku might have chosen me. He might even have chosen me to die. But I'm not dead yet, and as long as I'm not dead yet…I can write my own destiny.

Sai.

I can still get out. I'm not dead yet, Sai…and I can still get out…

Taking a few deep breaths, I clutched the strap of my satchel tightly and tried to fight the echoing roar in my ears.

I can write my own destiny.

Suddenly, I was aware of a low choking sound behind me…and when I turned, the guard was lying on the floor, his eyes bugged out and staring at nothing, with something wrapped tightly around his neck. And the evil feeling spread and spread, grew from a roar to a scream in my head until I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and cover my ears and wait for it to go away…

But then, she was there, stepping out into the door frame and standing with her arms crossed. A pretty young woman with short blond hair, dressed in a tight black shirt and a pair of black pants.

I'd seen her before, I knew: once in front of the Colonial Pantry where I'd accidentally run into her, once in the holiday store with Miaka the week before. I hadn't recognized her then, and I wouldn't have recognized her now, if not for the evil, slitted look in her eyes…and the way the screaming grew louder and louder and louder as she twisted her thin lips into a smile…

"M…Miboshi…" I choked out, leaning against the locker with one hand to my head, wanting to tear out the screaming part inside me, tear it out and kill it, kill it…

"Did you really think you could escape me this time?" she sneered, her voice somehow seeming to come from inside me.

I'm…I'm not dead yet.

I panted harshly, my chest heaving, and braced myself, lowering my shaking hand from my head and resting it on the wall behind me.

I can write my own destiny.

With all the strength I had left, I used my power, burning in my chest, to launch myself off of the wall, propelling myself at Miboshi; if I could only push my way past her, if I could only immobilize her for a second…

I don't know what happened. I flung my arm out to strike her, to knock her to the side…but I must have misjudged, or else she moved out of the way, because I didn't connect with anything. With panic growing even more in my chest, I just kept going, trying to escape…but she lunged forward with an almost feral snarl, catching me by the hair and ramming me into the wall.

And then…darkness. The world didn't even have time to fade.

TBC…

Notes: Aww, c'mon… You don't really think I would kill my Ryuuen, now, do you? ^_~ Worry not, all shall be well. And I'm sorry Doukun and Suboshi were so pissy in this chapter, but...that's just how it is right now. ^_~

I'm really too tired to think of an akugi this time. ^^;; I'm sorryyyy! Forgive meeeee!!! But have fun! ^_^ Sorry for any mistakes (note aforementioned fatigue). ^_^;;

Last Note: Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! Tuck Everlasting is coming out on Friday!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!! I read that book when I was, like, EIGHT!!!! **bounce bounce bounce** Yayyyyy!!!!!!!

Okay, this is really the last note: I don't know anything about the security in prisons like the one Suboshi's in. So I'm sorry if I'm wrong. ^_^;;;; Just pretend I'm right, though, okay? ^_~