TA: Introducing another character whom belongs to ME. Who? You'll see. But he is not yours. He is not Yuu Watase's. He is not the monkey's who lives in a tower who speaks in third person by the name of Mojo-Jojo. He is MINE. Everyone else is Yuu Watase's. (It's late. When it's late, I get weird. Blame the sleep faeries)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 4 - Reunions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikyia looked around. She seemed to be surrounded by an odd red light, but it was comforting in a way. As she looked around, an area in the red light shimmered and from it appeared a young man, about age 30 Nikyia guessed. He smiled at her silently.
"Who…who are you?" she asked the man.
"I didn't expect you to know me, my daughter…" he said, kindly, walking closer to Nikyia. She could see that he looked an awful lot like her, or she like him. It was hard to tell.
"Suzaku…"
The man, god, Suzaku, nodded.
"Right. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself to you before. It's a bit awkward, talking to your daughter for the first time. Forgive me, but now I must be straightforward. Konan depends on it."
"I…don't understand…"
Suzaku looked to his right at the wall. A blue light shimmered just past it. On the front and back, a green light and a white light also shimmered.
"Those are the realms of the others: Byakko, Genbu, and Seiryuu. Can you see the glistening stars on Genbu's and Byakko's realms?"
Nikyia nodded.
"Those stars symbolize that the children have returned to stay. Genbu and Byakko are peaceful with me, Seiryuu and each other. They're children are gods now."
"Gods?"
"Yes. Of all the children of the gods, you are the only girl there has ever been."
"Eerie thought…"
"Let's not dwell on that though. What I need to tell you is, the son of Seiryuu has come, at the same time as you. You know him, I'm afraid to say. And Seiryuu has been training him, as I should have done with you. Instead I left that to Taiitsukun. You learned well with her. Anyway, his son is set against Konan. He can and will destroy it. You must go to Kutou yourself, get the Universe Of The Four Gods from the emperor to stop their priestess from finding the constellations, and defeat him before he can get you. Only the children of the gods can defeat the other children. Hotohori has no idea what may happen if Seiryuu's son is sent to Konan. You must leave, and you must leave now for Kutou."
"So, let me get this straight. You want me to go to Kutou, nab a piece of paper and use my powers to kill Seiryuu's son before he can destroy Konan all by myself?!"
"If he destroys Konan, then we shall be destroyed as well. And you may not be by yourself the entire way. Use what you have learned. Now go, Nikyia, my daughter."
With that, she jerked awake. The sun was just beginning to go down. Her clothes and hair were dry now.
"What was that all about?" she mumbled.
"Miaka's gone to Kutou ALONE?!" Nuriko shrieked.
"What?!" Nikyia whispered. "No…Miaka you idiot…" Nikyia ran to the horse stall and pulled up her stallion. It had a red mane and red eyes, but brown fur, much like Nikyia with her hair, eyes, and tan skin. She mounted the stallion and took off towards Kutou.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two Days Later…
"Two days traveling and not hair nor hide of Miaka anywhere…Wonder where Kutou is any…way…"
The horse emerged from the underbrush at the gates of a large city, Kutou.
"Transport papers?" the guard at the front gate asked.
"I have no papers. Please let me pass though. It's quite important," she said, straightening up. The guards stared at her shirt.
"She must be…the priestess of Seiryuu…the brass said something about a girl dressed in weird clothes. Not only is the girl wearing weird clothes, she's obviously showing she supports Seiryuu," the guards whispered to each other.
They think I'm the priestess of Seiryuu…wait a minute…this works perfectly!
"Well duh I'm the priestess of Seiryuu! Isn't it obvious enough for you. I'm here to help you all kick some Suzaku ass!" she said surely while thinking, Forgive me Dad…
"We still need to see some transport papers…"
Nikyia gave a dark frown.
"You would put your country in danger with the priestess and child of Suzaku running wild, just because of a lack of transport papers?!"
"Good point. Please…continue. The palace shouldn't be too hard to find." With that, Nikyia led her stallion through the gates and into the city. After getting directions from kind strangers, she finally reached the palace. She patted her horse as she dismounted.
"Get Red Wing. Get out of here. Go back to Konan alone. Go."
The horse snorted then ran off as Nikyia asked it to.
"Now, let the games begin…"
Nikyia walked into the palace and found some guards who led her to the emperor. He was nothing at all like Hotohori.
"So you claim to be the priestess of Seiryuu as stated in the Universe of the Four Gods?" he asked.
"I do not claim anything majesty."
The emperor laughed.
"Wonderful! Now with the priestess and that boy of Seiryuu's, Konan will feel the wrath of Kutou finally!"
Nikyia forced a fake smile.
"Majesty, if it pleases you, I desire seeking the seven constellations as soon as possible, now if it pleases you."
"Straightforward child. Here. This is the Universe of the Four Gods as told for Seiryuu. The first, Nakago, has already been found. He is my army general. The others still must be sought out."
The emperor held out the scroll for Nikyia.
Success! She thought as she slowly approached the emperor, trying not to appear too enthusiastic. Just as she reached out for the scroll…
"Nikyia?!"
Miaka's stunned voice echoed throughout the room. She was surrounded by guards.
Aw hell no…Miaka, please don't say anything…
Nikyia clenched her fist in worry. A spark of fire flickered on her hand, thus causing the red symbol on her forehead to appear. The emperor narrowed his eyes at the red haired girl. "That red mark…you're with Konan!"
"Damn it!" Nikyia jumped at the emperor, grabbed the Universe scroll and ran out the door past Miaka.
"After her you idiots!" the emperor said, regaining his seating before turning to Miaka.
Nikyia was hopelessly lost. The palace was huge and nothing like Hotohori's palace. There were no doors anywhere and the guards weren't far behind. Finally, she turned around a corner, then another. She watched as the guards ran past her and she sighed with relief. Then she shivered. Everything seemed so cold…
BAM! Two doors slammed behind her. She hadn't turned into a hallway, but into a room, a room with a large dragon statue and incense.
"S…Seiryuu…"
"Seiryuu's shrine. Father is just to busy to be here himself all the time, but now and then, I'm sure you know how it is…"
That voice…no way…no….
By the statue, a tall boy, about her age, stepped out into sight. Ice cold blue eyes and bluish-black hair were visible in the dim light.
"Jaden…"
"In the flesh, Nikyia. How many years has it been?"
"That doesn't matter, as long as you weren't there they were good…"
Jaden laughed.
"Your attitude hasn't changed since your street days. What happened? Didn't your father come and find you when you came? Seiryuu came and found me only two days later."
"Father? Seiryuu? No…no that's just crazy…you don't deserve to be the son of any god!"
"Whether I deserve to be or not I am, just as you are. Don't argue with fate Nikyia. I knew you were coming. Now it's time for our last fight, and this is no street fight like before."
"I destroyed you on my own then! This time will be no different!" A ball of fire ignited in her hands as the red mark on her forehead flared to existence. With all her strength she threw it at him. He smiled as the fireball neared him. Then he raised one hand and a wave of water formed and extinguished the flame.
"Always, forever, fire loses to water. Elementally you are the underdog, Nikyia. You will always be the underdog." He kept his palm up and shot a blast of water out at her.
"Nikyia! Move!" Suzaku's voice echoed in her head like an order. With the agility of a gymnast, Nikyia jumped over the blast and began to run. The blast turned and began to chase her. Jaden laughed.
"Run, run, run as fast as you can. You'll never win against a water made man."
"Real corny Jaden. Real corny," Nikyia muttered, dodging the blast again.
"Use what you have learned, not just from Taitsukun but from yourself too!"
Suzaku's order echoed again in her mind.
Use what I know, but what do I know that can end this blast and give me the advantage?! Nikyia thought. Then it hit her. The enemies strength against themselves! But before that, I need to get something I can set on fire…but there are no candles around! Only…she sniffed the air…Incense! That's it!
"That's my girl."
Nikyia ran by an unlit incense burner and grabbed the stick out of the plate. She did the same three more times, so smoothly that Jaden missed it all, watching his water blast inch closer to Nikyia and laughing. When it was so close it began to spray her, he threw back his head and laughed in victory.
"Don't count yer waterballs before they blow, Jaden," Nikyia said, vaulting over Jaden's shoulder and landing behind him.
"What the?!" he got blasted with his own waterball. Jaden stood there, blinking and dripping wet. He angrily whirled around to face Nikyia. She was the one grinning now.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? I could sense that waterball had magic draining force in it. Dad may not have trained me, but Taiitsukun did. And when you're trained by the goddess of creation, you're trained well…" as she finished, the door to the shrine opened and Miaka and another girl walked in.
"Miaka! Get out of…heeaaa!" Nikyia couldn't finish. She was thrown forward with the force of a hit to her spine as the doors slammed shut. Jaden stood where she had just been, hand clenched and face contorted with an evil grin.
"Nikyia! What's going on?!" Miaka asked.
"You were tricked…into the shrine…of Seiryuu…" she said, between gasps for breath as she stood up.
"Yui, you…tricked me?" Miaka asked the other girl.
"No Miaka, you tricked me! You didn't come back here to get me, you came back for Tamahome! You always find someone to lean on, don't you? Is this another one of your armrests?" Yui asked Miaka angrily.
"I'm…nobody's….armrest…" Nikyia forced out. Jaden always had a strong hit. "Jaden," she forced herself to stay standing. "I've always hated you…If there's ever been one thing in this world I've wanted you to do, I'm going to show you right now…using your father for an example…" another fireball formed in her hand and she used it to light the four incense candles. They flamed up into a ball. Nikyia placed her hand in the fire and pushed. The ball of fire stretched, widened, and became scalding blue. Then, she yelled, "Burn in hell with blue flame!" The fire swooped over to the statue and struck it. The blue flames leapt up around it.
"Seiryuu!" Jaden and another man exclaimed. The man had appeared from the darker corners of the shrine. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and a blue mark on his forehead. A blast of energy shot at the two girls. Nikyia barely made it out of the way.
"Nikyia…" Miaka called out tiredly. Nikyia whirled at the call. Miaka was bleeding all over and the blue eyed man was preparing to send another blast at her.
"Miaka!" Nikyia jumped up and ran in front of Miaka just before the bullet like bolts hit her. Nikyia took them instead.
"Kill them both Nakago!" Jaden ordered. "Before they can cause any more trouble kill them!"
"As you command, Lord Jaden." The man narrowed his eyes. Nikyia felt limp all of a sudden, then she was flying through the air at high speed. Miaka stopped before she hit the wall as Nikyia slammed into it, then fell limply to the ground. Chichiri appeared, holding Miaka.
"Gee, that was a close one no da. She coulda died if she'd hit that wall no da."
"Hopefully the same can't be said for the redhead…" Jaden muttered.
"So, one of Suzaku's warriors has found a way to pass through walls and magic barriers. Surprising." Nakago muttered. "Perhaps you Suzaku's are smarter than you appear to be." Chichiri wasn't happy at Nakago's comment. "I've got plenty of surprises no da…" With a single spell, he blew up the surrounding area. Tamahome stood outside. Seeing Miaka bleeding all over, he forced his way past the barriers, which were quite powerful, and took Miaka.
"Tamahome!" Yui called out.
"Miaka, where's Nikyia?!" Chichiri called out.
Miaka's head turned towards the unconscious girl by the wall.
"Nikyia! Oh my god please no…" Miaka said quietly.
"Nakago! Stop watching them and kill them now!" Jaden ordered. Chichiri tossed Miaka and Tamahome his kasa.
"Tamahome! Hurry and take Miaka into the hat! It will take you right to her!"
"Right to who?"
"We can't leave Yui!" Miaka protested.
Tamahome held out his hand to her. "Yui, come with us! Hurry! We'll get you out of here!"
"Never!" Nakago answered for Yui as he prepared another attack. A wave of blue energy shot out at Miaka and Tamahome. Chichiri jumped in front of them and used his magic to stop the blast. Nakago shot another, with the same result. One more blast was more than enough. Chichiri fell to his knees and his mask fell to the ground.
"Chichiri!" Miaka called out, worried.
"Go now! I'll follow right through!" Chichiri yelled at Tamahome. Tamahome nodded and began to push Miaka into the kasa. She disappeared into it quickly. Tamahome followed yelling, "We'll be back to rescue you later Yui! Wait for us!" then he was gone. Chichiri grabbed the kasa and ran over to Nikyia.
"Come on, Nikyia, let's get out of here." He pulled her close to him and they both vanished into the hat. Jade watched them go, awestruck.
"Grr….DAMN IT!" he yelled, slamming his hand into the wall as he helplessly watched the statue of Seiryuu burn with a dark blue flame.