Disclaimer: I think you get the message. I just own my original characters and the story.
Basic story notes: "Talking." 'Thoughts.' Any speaking with a star (*) in front of it is in English. All other speech is in Japanese.
Comments: Thank you for the reviews. I appreciate the positive input. A few more of the Seiryuu seishi will probably come in, but I don't know much about stuff like what goes on between Yui and Suboshi 'cause I've only seen the first half of the show and don't really know much about the ending or the OVAs. Also, yes, people are going to be out of character. Hotohori never got married; therefore he has no son. Since I don't think I said it before, Hotohori is 22, Chichiri 23, Nuriko 22, Miaka 18, and Taka 21. Keep in mind, my story, my ages. Period. Last, I'm going to begin typing the chapters like I was in the beginning. I decided it's too hard for me to write dialogue style. Anyway, on with the story.
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The next morning, the seishi and the girls awoke. Lily had gotten up earlier and went outside for some fresh air.
'Good Lord…I never thought this world really existed…I mean, Kei's grandmother talked about it and I know Taki and she believed it, but I had to be the skeptical one.' Lily removed her dark sunglasses and stared at the pendant Hikari had given her. 'I'll admit, I've lived a stranger life than most other people, but this takes the cake.' Lily sighed and leaned on a railing of a bridge over a river that ran through the town. As she stood there, watching the water, Chichiri's reflection joined hers.
"Oh, here you are, no da. Everyone is looking for you. Your friends are worried, na no da." Chichiri stood next to her.
Lily didn't look at him. She just sighed again and winced when another jolt of pain ran through her shoulder again. "Well then, I guess you're telling me to go back to the inn, right?"
Chichiri was a bit startled. "Well, no, but you should get your shoulder re-bandaged. It bled through the bandage no da."
Lily glanced at her shoulder. Chichiri was right. Nakago had slashed deep into her shoulder. She could clearly remember the last time she had been hurt so badly. The night her parents were killed. "I suppose it should get looked at. The last thing I need is for this to get any worse."
"Well, then, let's go back and have a look at it, na no da." Lily followed Chichiri back to the others. When they got back everyone was.
Taki and Kei were sitting with the seishi, watching Miaka shovel food down her throat.
"Taki, is she even chewing?" Kei watched the brunette with wide eyes.
Taki set down her chopsticks, pushed her and food away. She moaned, "I don't really want to know either way. I think I just gained 5 kilos watching. That has got to be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." Taki buried her face in her hands. "Tell me when it's over… I'm gonna be sick."
Tasuki saw her and just laughed. "Heh, you'll get used to that eventually… It kinda comes with the territory."
Taki muttered through her hands, "I don't wanna get used to that! It's gross!"
Hotohori watched her and smiled. "So that means you won't be finishing that?"
Taki gave Hotohori a funny look. "Is it necessary to ask?" Miaka, noticing the extra food, reached across the table and grabbed the plate. Taki groaned again.
Kei rested her chin in her hand and absent-mindedly sipped some orange juice. (A.N.: I don't know if orange juice was around over there, but for the sake of the story, they do) She wasn't paying attention to much of anything until Tasuki poked her, causing her to almost drop the glass.
"Hey, you okay? You look like yer gonna fall asleep over there."
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all." Kei waved her hand in his face and started to stare into the glass again. Tasuki arched an eyebrow.
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Well, I was hoping you would. I didn't sleep well last night. I have a headache too…" Kei rubbed her temples as she closed her eyes.
"Maybe you shouldn't have had so much to drink last night. You drank more than I did." Tasuki chuckled slightly.
"And I kept it down too, damn it. I told you I could." Kei giggled a bit.
"Even if I live to be over 100, I'll never understand you." Tasuki shook his head.
"No one said you had to." Kei smiled and finished her drink. As she finished, Huan-Lang walked up next to her and rested his large head on her leg. Tasuki once again tried to pet him on the head, but only succeeded in getting growled at.
Before Tasuki could say anything in response, he was interrupted by Lily's screaming.
"OW! CHICHIRI!! QUIT IT!! THAT HURT! Don't pull so hard!" Lily yanked her shoulder from him away and rubbed it.
"Well, I'm sorry, but if I don't pull it tight and put pressure on it, it won't heal, no da!" Chichiri grabbed a loose end from the bandage and pulled again.
"ITAI!!! DAMMIT THAT HURTS!!! STOP IT!!!" Chichiri and Lily began yelling about getting the bandage on.
"I swear, that girl hates getting help from anyone…" Taki sighed and shook her head.
"Is she always so stubborn?" Hotohori finished his meal and sat back a bit.
"Well, seldom, no wait, sometimes…err…quite often…oh hell she's like that all the time…" Taki carelessly drew circles in the air as she spoke. "She prefers to be totally independent."
"That isn't the wisest course of action."
"You wanna tell her that?" Taki questioned Hotohori while watching Lily fuss and yell at Chichiri over the bandage on her arm. Chichiri
"I suppose not…" Hotohori sweat dropped and sighed with Taki.
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In Kutou, Nakago was plotting ways to kill Lily and kidnap Kei.
A random soldier came up to Nakago. "Sir, are you sure you're all right? You are injured. Perhaps you shouldn't work so hard."
Nakago glared at the soldier. "And what if I don't work despite the fact that I'm injured? The Uchu no Hogosha (Guardian of the Universe [rough translation]) will lie in the hands of the Suzaku bastards… If she wakes up on their side, we will all be destroyed. Is that what you want?"
The soldier backed down. "I…I…I'm sorry sir…Of course not. Forgive my questioning you…I'm not worthy."
"Damn straight you aren't…now go. Get out of my sight." Nakago looked over his plans again. Suddenly an angry Yui comes running in.
"Nakago! What is going on? Are you plotting against Konan again?" An out-of-breath Suboshi came in after her.
"Gomen nasai Nakago-sama! I couldn't stop her!"
"Oh, Yui-sama…You have returned. As out miko, I suppose I can tell you. Yes, we are. Problems have risen since you're departure. We have great need for a fast solution. It is going to require quite a bit of force."
Yui saw the plans on a table. She grabbed them before Suboshi could stop her.
"Is this your plan?" She began to look at them.
"Yes…It is." Yui gasped as she read them. Nakago was planning a very bloody death for all the seishi and Kei's friends.
"You can't be serious about all this! You have all gotten a 2nd chance at life! Why waste it by doing exactly what you did last time?!" Nakago looked at his miko.
"Suboshi, take Yui-sama to her room. This doesn't concern her right now."
Suboshi took hold of his miko and did as Nakago ordered, despite the fact that Yui yelled, cursed and kicked at Suboshi is an attempt to make him let go of her.
Inside Yui's room, Yui stared at Suboshi. "Suboshi-kun, how can you just sit there and let Nakago do this?"
"Yui-sama, as much as I disagree with him, I cannot do anything. Nakago is too strong for me. I don't stand a chance against him." Suboshi hung his head.
Yui sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands. 'Now Miaka will think I've turned on her again.'
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Kei, Taki, and Lily were standing on the bridge Lily had been at earlier. The seishi were inside finishing up breakfast.
Kei looked at her friends. "*Since you guys are here, does this mean I can go home? *I really want to go home…"
Taki wrapped her arm around Kei's shoulders. "*It isn't quite that easy. *We have to find some old lady named Tai Itsukun. *She's supposed to be able to help us get home…"
"*Wait. *You mean Grandma just sent you with that? *Nothing else? *You can't take me home on your own?"
Lily sighed. "*Sadly no. *We weren't given that power. *We have to find that old lady."
Kei frowned. "Man, this sucks! I wanna go home!"
"Well, unless you have a better idea, we have do things the way we were told." Taki let go of Kei and leaned on the railing.
"And what was would that be?" Hotohori asked as he and the other seishi joined the girls on the bridge.
Hotohori surprised all the girls and they all turned to face him. "Oh, we weren't talking about anything important. Just girl stuff." Taki nervously waved off his question.
"Well, never mind then. Since we have no other business out here, we were going to head back to the capital. Will you girls join us?" The three girls looked at each other and silently agreed to go with.
"Sure. At least for now, we really don't know anything about this place." Kei smiled.
"Yeah, so now that that's settled, I need to ask Lily a question." Taka walked up next to Lily and slung his arm around her shoulder. "So Lily, what do you say to a rematch for that fight we had a year or so ago at that tournament? You know the ne you won… If you even remember it…" He grinned.
Lily looked him up and down and then shoved his arm off of her. "Not on your life, Taka-baka. You weren't a challenge then, and it isn't hard to see that hasn't changed. Unless I actually thought the fight would be better, forget it." Lily turned away from him and smiled a bit. "I'm only interested in fights that would prove interesting."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Taka as Lily blew him off so casually. Even Chichiri and Hotohori chuckled at the stunned look on the former seishi's face. Tasuki and Kei were laughing the hardest.
"Obake-chan, would you like something to put your face back together with?" Kei began to hang on to Tasuki so she didn't fall as he made fun of Taka.
Everyone soon stopped laughing and they went back to the horses. Since there weren't enough horses for everyone to ride alone, Kei rode with Tasuki, Lily with Chichiri, Taki with Hotohori, and Miaka with Taka. Nuriko did ride alone.
It was a long trip back to the capital and Chichiri said he couldn't just transport everyone; it was too big of a group.
Around noon, the girls had fallen asleep on their respective guy, except for Miaka, who had too much sugar at breakfast.
Hotohori was amazed by Taki's features. He had never seen a more perfect girl. He wondered if there was someone back in Japan she was tied to. A few stray pieces of her silver hair fell across her face. He gently brushed them away. She sighed happily in her sleep and nuzzled closer to Hotohori. He smiled.
Taki slept peacefully, but was seeing two upsetting images from her past…
~*~Flashback Dream sequence~*~ (~*~FBDS~*~ for short)
A small 5-year-old Taki stood in a doorway, hidden, listening to her parents yelling at each other. A small tear rolled down her smooth face.
"*Why can't this work?! *Daisuke, we have a child! *You cannot just leave like this! *What will Taki think?" A silver-haired woman was in tears.
Her black-haired husband was unfazed. "*I'm just doing what's best. *This marriage didn't work out as planed… *Tell Taki I died for all practical purposes. *Rena, I can't stay anymore. *We don't love each other…" Daisuke turned away and walked out.
Rena followed. "*You died?! *For all practical purposes?! *What the hell does that mean?! *How am I going to tell her that?! *If she finds out the truth, she'll never forgive me…"
"*Then make sure she doesn't find out…" Daisuke got into a car and drove off. Never to be seen by either girl again. Taki swallowed hard and ran to her room before her mother found her.. She buried her face in a pillow and cried herself to sleep.
An 18-year-old Taki sat onto of a roof. She saw Kei and Lily on the ground going out somewhere. It was just getting dark. Taki pulled out a cigarette and lit it. After a few puffs, she put it out and looked up at the sky. The stars were just coming out.
"*Star Light, Star Bright. *First star I see tonight. *I wish I may, wish I might…have this wish I wish tonight…" She sighed. 'Another man broke my heart again tonight. There have been far too many. Please, send me someone who can show me true love and give my the strength to keep my heart together until I find him.' Taki sighed again and slipped back into her room through a skylight. She looked out a window at the stars. 'I hope there really is someone out there for me…'
~*~End FBDS~*~
A small crystal clear tear ran down her cheek in her sleep, but it went unnoticed by Hotohori.
Tasuki watched Kei as she slept. 'She can be such a bitch when awake, but she's so cute when she sleeps…Wait, what am I saying? I can't be attracted to her. I'm supposed to hate women, but I am attracted to her in some strange way. Damn. The things a woman can do to a man…absolutely pitiful sometimes…' He smiled a bit and pulled her closer as a cool, early spring breeze blew by and made her shiver.
Kei was only about half asleep and felt Tasuki holding her close. 'Damn, Tasuki feels so warm…inviting…a bit annoying at times though that doesn't matter, but he's just a bandit, well, one who's a Suzaku seishi too, but still a bandit at heart…isn't he? It doesn't even matter. Even if he cared the slightest bit for me, the whole coming for different worlds thing presents quite a problem. I think I'm destined to be alone because of my fate. Uchu no Hogosha…me…19-year-old rebel child…destined to save a world with the entity sleeping inside her, but not survive…Joy…I'm doomed…I wish there was another way…I don't wanna lose my soul I don't wanna have to surrender by body to the goddess so she can save the world.…I'm too young…I have too much havoc to reek. Too much trouble to cause…Too many people to beat up…Too many hearts to break…I have to find a way to make it win-win, not win-lose, me being the loss…' Kei sighed and fell into a deep sleep in Tasuki's strong arms.
Lily was asleep, but didn't stay that way for long…she woke up after a few minutes and noticed she as with Chichiri.
"Chichiri-san?" She rubbed her eyes.
"Hai, Lily-san?" Chichiri looked down at his passenger.
"Um, I'm sorry I was bein' such a bitch before…I just hate getting help from people…" She frowned a bit and watched the ground.
"It's alright, no da. No harm, no foul, no da." Chichiri smiled at her when she looked up at him.
She shook her head. "No it isn't. There is no excuse for the way I acted… You were trying to help and I was too stubborn to see that I can't do some things on my own. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was being a bitch and don't try to tell me other wise…"
"Lily-san, you don't have to apologize. You're beating yourself up over something very minor, no da. It isn't anything you need to apologize for. Everyone is stubborn at times." He smiled again
Lily arched an eyebrow at him. She could see straight through his mask, so to speak. He was hiding some thing behind a happy face…Just like her…She couldn't stop herself from tracing a line across his mask. "Chichiri-san, what are you hiding behind that mask?"
He sighed. "A painful past and terrible memories. How did you know?"
"People who carry secrets can tell when someone else is carrying one of their own…" She quickly stole a glance at her own gloved hand. No one knew what the glove hid except for her.
Chichiri took hold of her left hand and examined the glove. The fingers were cut off and it went down to about 8cm past her wrist. "Maybe someday, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours, na no da." He let go and she laid her hand in her lap.
"Maybe someday…If I decide I can trust you…But I probably can… It's really more a matter of being ready to tell someone." She chuckled a bit and smiled.
"Yes, I suppose it is, no da." Chichiri studied her face. "Well, it's a long ride back to the capital. You might want to get some rest like your friends. Never know when you might be attacked, na no da."
"Yes, you're right. And I think we've dwelled on tragic pasts enough for one day, don't you?" Lily shifted a bit in the saddle and rested her head back on Chichiri's shoulder. "Wake me if anything interesting happens…"
"Of course." Chichiri smiled as Lily drifted off into a deep sleep in his arms.
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Okay, another chapter is done. What did ya think? Is the plot developing all right? I know I talk about the history of Kei, Lily and Taki a lot, but eventually everything will be explained provided I get the reviews I need to continue. I don't want to keep going unless I know that more that a few people like the story. More reviews please! Romance is coming if you didn't notice. I might stick in angst as a secondary genre, since this will not be the happiest of stories. Suggestions are welcome, questions will be answered to the best of my judgment at the time at which they are asked, and, as always, flames are used for roasting marshmallows and light candles as stated before.
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~
(Previously Silver Hawk)