Part ten: The next warrior and a bit of romance



A/N: I originally wrote chapter nine and ten as one chapter but it was 4,000 plus words! So I split it to about 2,000 each. (About- I think ten is longer.) Anyway, I really hope that you all like the story, because I really have put a lot of time into it. These characters are special to me, because they are so cool. Someday I hope to create a story that is as awesome and touching as Fushigi Yugi, but for now I like to write fan fics as practice to get the hang of making them flow and all that junk. I really hope you review too. Like I've said before, constructive criticism is welcome as long as you are nice and don't hurt my feelings. (Like if you say something mean, say something nice too.) Thanks to those of you have reviewed! I love you!

Meant to post this yesterday and I forgot.well it was Superbowl Sunday.not that I watched it but my family came over and I stuffed myself on hot wings and brownies.ugh. And also, boyfriend go poof, algone. ^^ gonna get me a new one of these days. Sorry such a long Authors note. Bear with me.

This chapter is very nice and romancey, as are a lot of the ones from here on out.and sorry there is indeed a cliffhanger. I will try to get the next chapter up sooner that I have been.

Disclaimer: Still not mine, but I invented the kids

At lunch, the warriors of Suzaku plus Mako and Yuki, sat arguing about the stupidity of teachers. Jielain and Chuei, who had both gotten detentions for their uncompleted homework and for passing notes and for swearing at other students (that was Jielain), were both against teachers. Mako thought they deserved it for breaking the rules, and Kourin agreed, but Chiharu was to busy copying Mako's biology homework to really put in anything, and Yuki was trying to finish his own algebra homework, due next class.

"Well I ain't goin'." Jielain said simply. For all she cared the teachers could just go to hell and leave her alone. Besides, she'd only be in this world for a little longer, (Hopefully).

"Oh, but then the teachers won't like you." Kourin said that as if the world would end if the teachers didn't think the best about you. Jielain laughed.

"Why does a bandit care what a stupid teacher thinks?" she asked, deliberately staring at Kourin. Kourin flushed.

"Well, you tend to get better grades when they like you." Mako nodded.

"Yes, Kourin is correct. There is a direct correlation in the grades a student receives and their relation to the teacher in question." Chuei sighed dramatically.

"And we all know how important grades are to Jielain."

"Huh? I don't care about grades at all!" The table sweat dropped, but didn't deny it.

Just then a boy walked up to the table. He was tall, about 18 years old, and he had light brown hair done into a strange ponytail on top of his head.

"Hello Nuriko, Tasuki, Tamahome. My astronomical calculations concluded that the three of you would appear here at this designated time. I am glad to see that I was correct." He smiled at them warmly.

"Are you-?"

"Chiriko." He said, nodding at Jielain's question. "My name is Dokun, but I am the celestial warrior Chiriko of Suzaku. I've looked for you for quite a while."

They all stared at him for a minute, then sighed. Mako and Yuki looked around nervously.

"Is he a friend of yours Chuei?" Mako asked. Chuei sweat dropped.

"Well not exactly. It's .a family thing." He said hesitantly.

"Like a role playing game." Chiharu added. "Oh, actually, Mako, would you come with me to.the.front of the building, you too Yuki, I err.need to talk about something."

Mako stood up quickly, blushing. "Sure Chiharu." Yuki followed dejectedly. Chuei sighed inwardly. Thank goodness his sister was good in a tight spot. He turned to the newcomer, who had sat down in Mako's empty place.

"Hello, warriors of Suzaku. My name is Chuei." Dokun smiled.

"Are you Tamahome?" he asked. Jielain laughed.

"You think we're your friends from yer past life? You think I'm Genrou Tasuki?" Dokun nodded.

"Aren't you?" he asked, confused. Jielain continued laughing at the thought of her dad dressed in a girls' school uniform, and almost fell off the bench. But Kourin, ever polite and sweet, smiled at him kindly.

"I must apologize for Tasuki. She is Tasuki, as I am Nuriko, but she isn't the Tasuki you know. She is Jielain Tasuki, daughter of Genrou Tasuki. I am Kourin Nuriko, younger sister to the reincarnated Ryuuen Nuriko."

Chiriko nodded. Already he was calculating a way to determine the location of the other warriors. "What about him?" he looked at Chuei.

"Well, with me it's kinda weird actually. I have the mark of Chichiri, but I'm the son of the priestess and the former Tamahome Warrior. The girl who left is Chiharu, my twin sister. She has the mark of Tamahome."

"Aha." Dokun realized his mistake. He stood up and removed his shoe and sock, them put his foot on the table. The kids stared.

"X equals a negative B plus or minus the square root of B squared minus four AC all over two A." (that is the quadratic formula fyi) The top of his foot began to shine with a symbol.

"Ooh," the table watched him proudly display his mark of Suzaku.

Meanwhile, Mako and Chiharu were sitting on the front steps of the school. They had ditched Yuki at the councilor's office by telling him that they need volunteers for a math club, and went off alone. Chiharu was kind of nervous about being alone with him. She'd only ever talked to him when he was with her brother and Yuki. His light brown hair was covering his eyes, but when he looked up he brushed it away and took off his glasses.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Chiharu blushed, noticing his eyes were green. Without his glasses he was actually.cute.

"Oh, I was just trying to get away from them," she checked her emotions with a smile, ignoring the fact that he was staring at her. He nodded.

"You seem different today. What happened? Yesterday you wouldn't have talked to me if I was the last person on Earth." Chiharu nodded sadly.

"Well, Jielain actually was the one who made me realize that I was a total bitch." She said. Mako started.

"No, not always. You were always cold at school, even to your own twin brother, but not when we were all alone. I remember when all of us, Chuei, you and me would play in the tree house in your back yard. You always made us go up first and check for spiders."

Chiharu laughed. She did remember that, in the sixth grade, before she started playing softball and dating boys. What had happened to make her change so drastically?

"I apologize for the way I acted lately. Can you forgive me?" she asked. Mako nodded, smiling. "Sure. You've made up most of it today, just being with me. I appreciate your company."

"How can I make up the rest?" she was sincere in her request, especially since she was starting to really like this boy. Her heart skipped a beat involuntarily. He had major potential as a boyfriend, if she didn't blow it. Mako leaned over, and kissed her cheek softly.

"There, now you've made it up." Chiharu stared at him. He was being so mature. The Mako she knew would have rattled off math problems or something. Chiharu blushed. None of her old boyfriends were so nice or considerate.

Mako was also blushing. He put his glasses back on and scooted away form her, so she wouldn't see his face. Chiharu laughed.

"All that and all you do is kiss me on the cheek? I'd have thought you would smack me." She scooted over to him and hugged him. "You're so understanding."

"Mako, Mako, Mako." A voice said sarcastically from behind them. "Owww. what was that for?" Chiharu and Mako turned around to see Chuei, Jielain, Kourin, and Chiriko standing there staring. Jielain was rubbing her head.

"The lunch bell rang, are you two just gonna sit there all hugging?" Chuei asked. Mako and Chiharu jumped up and away from each other. Chiharu glared at her brother.

"No, we were just going to class." She said.

"More like goin' to the bathroom to- Owww." Chuei had bopped Jielain on the head again. He wouldn't let her cluelessness ruin the spark he saw between Chiharu and Mako.

"Well then you better go, come on Jielain." Chuei turned to the bandit girl smiling. She followed him, after making a face at Chiharu. Chiriko and Kourin followed, talking to Chuei.

"I'll go home and try to locate the last warrior, then I'll arrange to meet with your parents and Kourin's brother. I've been waiting to see them a long time." His eyes kind of got a far-out look, and then he waved and ran out to his car.

Jielain sighed. Thank goodness for him. Soon she would be able to go home. She was a little confused though. Part of her didn't want to go. Somehow, she wanted to stay with Chuei, but how could she stay and be the bandit leader back home. And despite her gripes, she did miss Boshin and Hinako, and Chichiri and her father and Houki and Kouji. Things were to confusing. Right now she had to focus on her mission, then when that was sorted out she could think about the rest of her life.



That afternoon, when Kourin was arguing with Jielain and Chuei about whether they should go to detention or not, A girl approached them. She was pretty, with short brown hair and green eyes. Chuei actually though she looked a bit like Mako, but pushed the thought aside when she smiled at them sweetly.

"Hello, my name is Kazuo, I'm new here. I was wondering if you could tell me where the office is." Jielain glared at her. The chi she felt wasn't exactly right. As if the girl was hiding something.but what?

"Sure, the office is right over there, around the corner." Chuei pointed the way.

"Thanks." She waved and walked the way he had pointed. As she turned, Jielain saw something in her backpack.

Yo-yo's! Jielain quickly turned to her friends. "That girl, Chuei, did you sense anything just now? She had something in her backpack that makes me suspicious.

"What was it?" Kourin asked.

"Yo-yo's." Jielain looked grim, but Kourin and Chuei just stared blankly.

"So? What does that have to do with anything? I didn't pick up anything right off." Jielain growled.

"She was covering something- her chi wasn't all there. And the yo- yo's- well that's really serious." Kourin frowned.

"How is that serious?" she asked Jielain. "Can't a person have a yo- yo and not be suspicious?"

"No. Ask Tamahome. He would say the same."

"Jielain, why would my dad hate yo-yo's? I think this world is just making you paranoid."

"NO! I know what I'm talking about Chuei! Do you know why I was named Jielain? Do you!?" she wasn't talking in her normal accent and she looked generally stressed out. Chuei grabbed her shoulders.

"Jielain! Calm down!" Kourin nodded in agreement.

"Yes, just tell us, we don't know." Jielain took a deep breath.

"Not here."

So they got a ride home with Ryuuen, ditching both detention and baseball practice. Chiharu stayed for her softball practice, and so did Mako. Chuei had a feeling that she would be playing very impressively today.

"Priestess, may I talk with you for a minute?" Jielain stood, still in her school clothes, with Miaka in the kitchen.

"What is it Jielain?" she asked.

"It's Suboshi or Amiboshi. I don't know which. I need you to help me explain to the others exactly what to watch out for in the Seriyuu warriors, since you know them better than I do." She would have laughed if she wasn't so serious. "All I know are the stories that I heard from my father and Chichiri."

Miaka stopped what she was doing. The Seriyuu warriors had been reborn too? Well, it made sense. After seeing Chiriko (he stopped by earlier that day) and Nuriko, it was just a matter of time until they showed up, since happiness was never meant to last.

"Yes. I know them. Maybe you should ask Chiriko, I- I don't know if I could make it through the whole story." She turned and hugged the bandit girl. "You remind me so much of your father, but so different. I wish he could come here." Jielain knew how she felt. She wished she could see her father again.

"We have to find the last warrior." Jielain was uncomfortable with the priestess being so familiar with her. "Hey, why don't you write him a letter, and we go back I'll give it to him?" Miaka smiled.

"Oh! I should! I will!" she rushed off to go do exactly that. Jielain sighed and went back to the living room.

"Well, I guess I'll have to do my best. Should I wait for Chiharu?" Chuei nodded, just as Chiharu burst through the door with Mako.

"Mom, I'm home! Oh hi guys!" her face was flushed and she grinned widely, holding a laughing Mako by the hand. She stopped when she saw the grim look on their faces.

"Guys? What's the matter with you? Look, I brought Mako over for dinner." She moved closer to him and stared. Chuei frowned.

"We have bad news." He said. Chiharu glared.

"Are you trying to ruin my day?" Mako tried to comfort her.

"It's ok, I'll come back tomorrow." Chiharu wouldn't stand for that. When she was determined, she really stood her ground. Good for fighting, bad for arguing with. Chuei was ready to give up.

"Sure Chiharu, I love to make you miserable. This is really important. We found another Seriyuu warrior." Jielain stood up, impatient.

"We'll meet up tomorrow. Hopefully, Chiriko will have the next warrior, and we'll be able to go my world before the Seriyuu bastards can get their warriors together." She went to her room, leaving everyone to stare at her strangely.



In her room, Jielain changed back to her bandit clothes and took her bag out of the closet. The picture was there, the one of her father and mother, along with her jewelry and the picture her father gave her of all the warriors. She smiled, seeing the resemblance of her friends to their parents. If Tamahome and Miaka had honey blonde hair and gray blue eyes, they would look just like Chiharu and Chuei. But then she looked closer, noticing that the priestess was more self conscious than Chiharu, and that Tamahome was much more arrogant looking than his son. Was she like her father? Chichiri always said that she was more mature than he was at her age. Was she less bandit like?

Finally Jielain reached in to look at the book, but found it wasn't there. She searched the closet, then the rest of the room.

'Shit.' She thought, running back to the living room.

"Priestess! Priestess!" she called for Miaka. Her heart was thumping loud in her chest, and she clutched the tessen in one hand.

"What is it Jielain?" Miaka asked, worried by the girl's frantic look.

"The book. Someone stole it." Miaka gasped.

"What!? Are you sure? Did you look everywhere?" Jielain nodded.

"We have to find it. Chuei, can you use your power to find it? Mine isn't strong enough." The other kids looked bewildered. Had the bandit actually gone mad?

"Jielain I don't know how to use my powers."

"Well try Dammit!" she was on the verge of Burning the entire house down. That book was the only link back to her world, her home. "Whatever happens we need the book! It's more important than finding the last warrior! Without it I can't even get home!" she ran past them and out the front door.

"Wait!" Chuei called, chasing her. Getting her lost in the middle of a strange world was the last thing they needed. Chuei grabbed her sleeve at the end of the driveway.

"Let me go!" she yelled, trying to get away from. "I have to find it!" Chuei was calm, holding her wrists to keep her from leaving. His eyes were hard and determined.

"Don't be so brash, my mom may have another idea for finding it. Running out into the street won't solve anything." Jielain stopped struggling.

"You're right. I'm not acting like a proper warrior." Chuei sighed. She was finally acting more like the regular Jielain.

"Come back." He said, putting his arms around her. "We will get it back. I swear." Jielain was taken aback by his sudden show of affection. Near tears, she shoved him off and stalked into street, alone.