An Alternate Path

Soi stumbled across the wilderness, her vision glazed by the crimson haze of pain and agony. Slowly, she felt her life force ebb away, but she forced herself forward. Every step she took was an ordeal, a struggle to maintain that precarious balance between life and death. One more step. She had to…just for one last time…

            The flickering lights of the Seiryuu seishi's camp greeted her, wavering like the dying fire of her spirit.

            She had to see him for one last time. 

***

Nakago looked up from the battle strategies that he had been studying. He felt it. An erratic wave of chi, so faint as to be barely discernable.
Soi.

***

The world was gradually blurring. Soi felt her eyes closing as the cold that she had managed to keep at the edge of her senses slowly seeped through her body.

He was holding her. At least, she could die in his arms…even though she had failed him…failed to repay a debt that never be repaid.

            "N-aka-go-ss-ama…" She could feel the end drawing near, the eternal darkness that was beckoning.

            "I…"

            Her last words dying with her, Soi only could only feel one emotion as she took her last breath.

            Regret.

***

            "This is downright frustrating," Tamahome commented wryly, "Hokkan didn't have to be this big."

            "Don't worry, no da," Chichiri said cheerfully, "We'll just split up. Why don't we meet back here in another two hours or so?"

            Miaka nodded with all of her customary exuberance. Her high spirits, however, were immediately dampened by Chichiri saying, "Miaka, why don't you stay here? You need some rest no da."

            "But I want to help…"

            "You've helped enough, Miaka," Chichiri told her gently, "You need the rest. Nuriko, Koutoku? Maybe you can stay here with her."

            Miaka pouted, but she didn't protest any further. It was hard to argue with Chichiri when he's in that particular mood. Besides, she was a little exhausted.

            "Shun, why don't you go with Chichiri-san?" Amiboshi suggested in an attempt to get his brother to show some a little interest in everyday events. Ever since their foster father's death, Suboshi had never been exactly the same. True, to the casual observer, he seemed to be his usual energetic self, but Amiboshi wasn't so easily deceived. 

            Suboshi shrugged and nodded. Chichiri smiled consolingly at Amiboshi, the smiling mask somehow managing to convey amusement as Amiboshi's eyes widened ever so slightly. Amiboshi knew he shouldn't be surprised that Chichiri knew what was going on, but he was anyway. Chichiri always managed to amaze him by revealing how much he really knew under that smiling façade. Amiboshi was reassured, and extremely grateful.

            No matter what happens, Chichiri-san is always there. That in itself was what Amiboshi believed in. Somehow, over the course of their less than satisfactory life, Chichiri had always been there when they needed it. Amiboshi wondered if they had come to depend on the smiling monk a little too much.       

            But sometimes it was nice to have someone you can trust your life to, especially someone like Chichiri.

***

            Chichiri frowned under his mask. The group of thugs obviously weren't going to be cooperative. Already he could feel the air of animosity around them, and he was sure that those loafers were just waiting for the opportunity to bash someone up. As a monk accompanied by a fifteen-year-old, he and Suboshi were probably their prime choices. He sidestepped them merely to find his way barred by another few of their accomplices.

            Well, since they didn't seem to have any intentions of letting him pass, he might as well ask them if they knew of the Shinzaho. The idea by itself was totally ludicrous, but Chichiri decided he might as well give it a try while he was at it.

            "Excuse me, but I don't suppose you could tell me of the Genbu Shinzaho's whereabouts?

            The gangsters sneered. "I might have heard of it somewhere," one of the young men drawled to the laughter of his companions, "but it's only fair if you gave us something for our trouble."

            "Knew this was coming," Chichiri thought sarcastically. And from the looks of Suboshi's face, he probably knew that they were in for a skirmish.

            Chichiri ducked as the young man who had spoken swung a blow at his, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. Within seconds, Chichiri found himself amidst five of those unkempt ruffians, while Suboshi was completely lost from sight. These ruffians were probably looking for something to relieve the boredom of their useless existence.

            Really, they should have had the sense to pick on someone else.

***

Chichiri looked down at the young man who was trying his best to scramble away. So far, the youth wasn't making much success at it, taking into account that he had a broken rib and a badly sprained ankle. He didn't exactly have anywhere to go either, since Suboshi had conveniently planted himself at the mouth of the alley.

"Please, kind sir…let me go…"

            "You told me that you might know the whereabouts of the Shinzaho. Would you care to divulge the information no da?" Chichiri asked cheerfully.

            The young man paled visibly. He obviously didn't know. Chichiri suppressed a sigh. This was obviously a waste of time.

            "I didn't mean it…" The youth looked about ready to faint. Chichiri was just about to let him go when a whimper from the ruffian attracted his attention.

            "They say…that there're monsters at Mount Black, I don't know about this Shinzaho or whatever…but…"

            Chichiri glanced at Suboshi. Suboshi took the signal and moved aside. The youth limped hurriedly out of the alley with barely audible words of gratitude.

***

            Chichiri was thoughtfully silently as he and Suboshi continued on their way. They had no other lead, and he had always believed that rumours were based on facts. Perhaps he could give the young man's words some merit…

            "Chichiri-san?" Suboshi asked, "Are we going to Mount Black? Do you believe him?"

            Chichiri frowned underneath his mask. "I really don't see any other option no da. We'll go back to the others first, and then we'll all go together no da."

            Suboshi was about to inquire the street they walking on suddenly emptied itself in a matter of moments.

            "There they are!" someone yelled from a distance.

            Both of them looked back to see the group of gangsters that they had encountered earlier.

            "Our young friend seems to have gathered some supporters no da," Chichiri noted dryly. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased about the recent turn of events. It wasn't in his nature to get involved in brawls every other hour.

            "Uh," Suboshi agreed, sounding none too enthusiastic either.

            Chichiri worried absently that the mulish youth might not get off this time with only a sprained ankle.

***

            Suboshi groaned. This is the very last time that he's ever going to deal with louts that have wool for brains…

            Wait a minute…where's Chichiri-san?

            Suboshi cursed under his breath, glaring so angrily that one of the gangsters who was crawling his way along the street started scrambling for his life.

            Suboshi didn't bother to try tracking Chichiri's chi. He didn't have much in the way of empathic powers, and Chichiri had plenty of practice in concealing his chi.

            Was Chichiri looking for him? Maybe he should go back to their meeting place. Chichiri is sure to return there. His decision finally made, Suboshi turned round another corner, tuning in his senses to Amiboshi's chi. After all, it was extremely hard for him to get lost with a twin as a homing beacon.

***

            Yui walked down the alley, tremendously relieved at having finally left the eyes of her watchful seishi.

             She stopped in mid-stride when she saw a group of street thugs lounging by the walls.

            "No!!! Help, somebody, help me!" Yui screamed in terror as she struggled against the hold of her attackers.

            "No one will hear you here…darling…"

            "No!!! Miaka, help me!!!"

 "No…" Yui panicked and turned the other way, running down the alley blindly.

            "Umph!" Yui bumped into someone and reeled backwards, almost hitting the ground when a pair of strong arms grasped her.

            "Are you alright, miss?" the person inquired.

Yui pulled away in embarrassment, quickly brushing away the dust from her clothes. "Yes, I'm…" her words froze in mid-air when she found herself staring

into a pair of very familiar lavender eyes.

 "Su…Suboshi?"

            Yui gasped when the boy's eyes suddenly hardened in pure hatred.

***

            Suboshi stared at the girl before him, barely able to contain the irrational anger that had welled up when he recognized her.

            This is all her fault. Aniki and I have been waiting for years…for her to show up, to end everything. Instead, things have only become worse. Nakago's murdered otousan, and she hasn't even done anything to help! Why did she let Nakago do this? She must be inhuman…this is all her fault.

            Suboshi backed away slowly, still glaring at his Miko hatefully. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He couldn't let her return to Nakago. If she did, Nakago would still strive to summon Seiryuu, which meant that he and his brother would be forever in fear of the shogun. Even if there was now a way to summon Seiryuu without him and his brother, Nakago would still want them if possible, since it would mean that there would be no need for the Seiryuu seishi to waste their time on finding the Shinzaho.

            "Shunkaku, where have you been no da?" a blessedly familiar voice called.

            Suboshi turned to see Chichiri walking towards him. "Shunkaku, I'm sorry. I lost you among the crowd…" Even as Chichiri spoke, the monk noticed the girl beside Suboshi.

            "Seiryuu no Miko," he acknowledged, "you must have come for the Shinzaho as well."

            Yui nodded, her blue eyes unreadable.

            Chichiri studied the young girl before him. This was the first chance he had to really observe Yui. The girl's eyes were filled with deep sorrow beyond that of her age. She conveyed grief, jealousy, and… Chichiri identified that last emotion as a profound regret. He knew from Miaka that Yui wasn't entirely to blame for everything. Miaka cared very deeply for her friend, and Chichiri had told her that she should save Yui. Miaka had never given up on her friend. Chichiri was merely afraid that Yui had lost hope in Miaka.

Something had to be done about this.

"Yui-san," he began, seeing Yui give a start at the use of her name. "We haven't really met before, but I have heard of you from Miaka." Yui's eyes hardened at the mention of Miaka.

"Yui-san, you must understand Miaka very well; she wouldn't do anything to betray you. Miaka has told me that she would do anything within her means to get you back, and she sincerely misses you."

            Yui shook her head vehemently. "No! It's impossible for us to return to the relationship that we once had. Not after what has happened…"

            Chichiri could only look on silently as tears started to leak out from the edges of her eyes. Suboshi listened to their conversation, utterly confused.

            "Yui-san, it is not necessary for you to summon Seiryuu, just come back with me, and perhaps you might able to resolve the misunderstanding with Miaka. Yui-san, Miaka still cares about you, I know that. All you have to do is return with me…"

            "No," Yui answered coldly, twisting her head away from Chichiri's gaze. "I'm already prepared to summon Seiryuu. It is already too late, Suzaku seishi."

            "Yui, perhaps it isn't. You refuse to see the truth because you afraid. Miaka can explain…it's just a misunderstanding…"

            Yui turned to go.

            Chichiri frowned. He wondered if he was ever like this when he was a teenager. Undoubtedly so, he thought ruefully.

            He couldn't stand by and watch what happened to him repeat itself again with Yui and Miaka.

Delivering a sharp careful rap to the back of the girl's head, he quickly caught Yui as she slumped to the ground. He noticed that Suboshi was staring at him in utmost disbelief. Chichiri admitted that this was more than a little out of character for him, but he wanted to see the problem within the two mikos resolved.

He'd deal with the problem at hand first and make amends later.

"Shunkaku, we'd better leave now no da."

            Suboshi followed Chichiri back to their meeting place, looking extremely skeptical about the entire matter.

***

 "Miaka-san…"Amiboshi said worriedly as they walked down the street. Miaka had insisted on going after Tamahome.

 "What is it, Amiboshi?" Miaka asked.

             "I sense something…it's a…Seiryuu seishi's chi," Amiboshi scanned their surroundings quickly, "In fact, I think it's…"

             Right on cue, a snarl resounded from above the rooftops. A hulking figure leaped down.

             "Suzaku no Miko…I've finally found my meal at last."

             "…Ashitare." Amiboshi finished.

***

            "Kill the Suzaku no Miko!" Ashitare snarled as he lunged himself at Miaka.

            "Miaka!!!" Nuriko leaped in between them and flung Miaka out of the way.

             "Nuriko!" Miaka cried as Nuriko gripped his arm, his face twisted in pain.

             Ashitare turned his attention back to Miaka. "Finally…" he hissed.

            Miaka blanched, her head swinging frantically around. "Hotohori's sword, where is Hotohori's sword?! Waaa!!" she wailed, "The sword is with the others!"

             "Ashitare." Amiboshi said coldly.

            The beast-man whipped his head around. "Traitor…" he snarled, "I will deal with you…after I've dealt with Suzaku no Miko.

            Amiboshi brought his flute to his mouth. Instinctively, Miaka and Nuriko covered their ears with their hands as the first few notes of the ear-piercing melody rang out on the frosty plane.

             Ashitare howled in pain. "You will pay for this, traitor," he bounded off, leaping over the rooftops, his howls of frustration resounding throughout the quiet town.

             "Nuriko-san!" Amiboshi knelt down beside Miaka, "Are you alright?"

             Nuriko nodded. "I'm fine, I just need some rest."

             "Let's go back to the monument," Miaka suggested, her face still pale from fright.

             She smiled gratefully at Amiboshi. "Arigatou, Amiboshi."

            Amiboshi smiled awkwardly. "After all you've done for me, it was nothing, Miaka-san." 

***

  "Chichiri!!" Miaka cried happily as they returned. Half of the Suzaku seishi were already gathered. Her eyes widened when she saw the girl he held in his arms. "Yui-chan…"

            "We met on our way back no da," Chichiri explained simply.

             Miaka was still staring at Yui in disbelief, obviously not listening to a single one of his words.

Chichiri noticed Nuriko's arm. "Nuriko-kun, what happened?"

             "A Seiryuu seishi that looked like a wolf attacked us just now," Miaka answered as she was jolted back to reality at the mention of Nuriko's arm. She frowned, "Amiboshi said that his name was…was…"

             "Was it Ashitare, Aniki?" Suboshi asked. Amiboshi nodded in reply.

            Tamahome scowled. "They never know when to give up, do they? One after another, they can't even play fair and do something honest to get the Shinzaho." He was obviously in a terrible temper over the incident, not even noticing the identical flinches of the twins at his mention of the Seiryuu seishi's deceit.

            Chichiri didn't miss it. Trying to divert the others' attention from the awkward comment, he addressed the elder twin. "Thank you for saving Miaka's life no da."

            Amiboshi looked embarrassed. "You're welcome…it was only what I should have done."

            "Chichiri, have you found out the fuckin' whereabouts of the Shinzaho?" Tasuki asked, his temper seemingly no better than Tamahome's. Both of them had identical swells on their heads—courtesy of Nuriko to prove it.

             "Perhaps, perhaps not no da," Chichiri answered vaguely. What he had discovered was no more than the thinnest straw. "We've heard rumours that there were strange happenings in Mount Black, but it's rather far-fetched no da."

             Miaka, on the other hand, seemed to automatically assume that they had the Shinzaho within their grasp. "We've finally got something!" she squealed. Chichiri couldn't help noticing that Miaka was always a trifle over-enthusiastic over everything. True, her hyper and outgoing attitude might be the driving force of her seishi, but it might prove to be a disaster as well. Now was not the time to discuss the matter though.

             "We should find a place to stay for the night, though," said Nuriko while eyeing the unconscious Yui.

             Miaka agreed eagerly, "And we can have dinner! I'm soooo hungry! After that, I can explain everything to Yui-chan and things will be all right!"

            Everybody sweat dropped. "Miaka, it's only four-o-clock," Nuriko commented wryly.

***

             "Shun, is she…?" Amiboshi asked, staring at the unconscious Yui. Tamahome and Nuriko were having a private talk in the inn's common room, Miaka was still busy gobbling up her food. It left the twins to watch over the unconscious girl.

             "Hai, Yui-sama is the Seiryuu no Miko," Suboshi said grimly.

             Amiboshi couldn't place his brother's sudden change in attitude. Ever since Suboshi had returned with Chichiri and Yui, Suboshi had entered a harsh, almost sullen phase. He also seemed to be silently glowering at Yui's direction. It was almost as if he held a personal grudge against their Miko.

             "Otouto, what's troubling you?"

  Suboshi's head jerked up, "Nothing, Aniki."

            Amiboshi frowned slightly. "Otouto, I know you're hiding something."

             Suboshi didn't answer. Instead, he seemed to be directing his effort into examining the teacup he was holding.

             "Shun…"

             "Aniki," Suboshi suddenly burst out, "It's all her fault!"

 Amiboshi looked perplexed. "Yui's fault? Why?"

            "She is the Seiryuu no Miko, isn't she? Why didn't she do something when…when Nakago…otousan…" Suboshi's voice broke, his hands gripping the teacup firmly.

            Amiboshi could only stare at his twin in shock. "Otouto…she might not know…"

            "No! She's cruel! She doesn't care about anything or anyone!"

            "Otouto, how would you know that?" Amiboshi gently pried the cup from Suboshi's grip; he didn't want his twin to hurt himself.

            "She was there…"

            "Where?"

            "When Nakago was…whipping me…she was there. She didn't do anything to stop it…and she…didn't do anything to help otousan either…"

            Amiboshi put his arms around his twin. Just a slight mention of the painful past was enough to send Suboshi in tears again.

            "But Yui is Miaka-san's best friend. Miaka-san is a good person; I trust her judgment in her friends. Maybe Yui has her own dilemma…"

            "No…no…" Suboshi said stubbornly.

            Amiboshi held his brother silently as Suboshi went on sobbing.

***

-- All right, in response to all the reviews, we killed Soi. Sorry, we feel Soi's a very interesting character (at the very least, Snowdancer does), but her death serves to further the plot.

-- Again, we apologize for the oh-ever-so-slow updates. School, you understand.