Chapter 15 – Mistakes of Different Kinds

"Miaka!" Nikyia called out. Everyone was gathered around the priestess, everyone minus "Chiriko." Their eyes turned to her. Nikyia grinned and rested a hand on the small boy beside her.

"Who's your friend, Nikyia?" Hotohori raised an eyebrow.

"Doukun?" Nikyia looked down at him. He nodded and pulled up his robes just enough for everyone to see a glowing symbol on the top of his foot. A collective gasp echoed around the room.

"I am Ou Doukun, Suzaku seishi Chiriko!" he announced to the stunned group. There was silence, before it was broken by Miaka.

"He's so CUTE!!"

Miaka and Nuriko took to cooing over how adorable the small seishi was while the men sweatdropped. Nikyia looked around the room.

"So….how's the summoning coming along?"

Miaka 'eep'ed and turned towards the still burning fire.

"We may not be too late! Everyone, concentrate on the fire!"

The group retook their places around the fire quickly and closed their eyes. Nikyia, a bit back from the group, did the same. A few moments later…

"WHAT DO YOU FOOLS THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

Nikyia groaned mentally. After three months there was no doubting that voice. Opening her eyes confirmed it. Taiitsukun's giant head hung in the fire.

We're off to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz! drifted into her head and her hands came up to her mouth, hoping to hold back a snigger. Arafae chuckled himself. Nikyia raised an eyebrow. And just how do YOU know what that's about?

Hey, the gods have tons of free time when they don't have a kid to train. Byakko's pretty good at picking up television signals from that old world.

"Miaka, you failed to gather the seven constellations. Now, what's done is done. Suzaku can never be summoned."

Blood froze in the bodies of all nine there. Failed? Because of a simple mistake, they had failed?

"No…" Nikyia whispered as Arafae grumbled in frustration.

No summoning has ever failed before…of course, never has there been two sets of constellations at once…

"Never? Why-"

"Nikyia! Pay attention!!"

Nikyia jumped as the wrinkled old goddess shouted at her.

"S-sorry ma'am!"

Taiitsukun sighed, then looked towards Miaka.

"Perhaps, Miaka, you've grown some since we last spoke. And now that I think about it…there may be another way to summon Suzaku."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" Tamahome shouted. Taiitsukun stuck her nose in the air.

"Slipped my mind. NOW! Miaka, if you accept this task, you must realize it will be harder and more dangerous than anything you've faced yet. The bond between the priestess and the seishi must be unbreakable. You cannot fail again. Do you think yourself strong enough to accept what you must do?"

There was no hesitation on Miaka's part.

"I will. For all who've been hurt trying to get us here, as the priestess of Suzaku, I will do whatever I have to."

Nikyia nodded approvingly at the same time Taiitsukun did. Nuriko seemed to notice and chuckled.

"What?"

"Taiitsukun Junior," Nuriko smirked. Nikyia's eyes narrowed.

"Don't make me slug you…"

"T-to Hokkan?!" Miaka exclaimed. Taiitsukun nodded.

"In Hokkan, there is a relic known as the Shinzaho. This is what you need to summon Suzaku."

Miaka grinned and looked hopefully around at everyone.

"Of course, as you all are now you may not be able to handle this as well."

"Of that's wonderful…" Nikyia sweatdropped. Taiitsukun smirked.

"I suppose I can give you a power boost…"

In front of the seven seishi, a bubble of light appeared. For a few moments, it glowed before showering the seishi in the light. In front of all but Tamahome was an item.

"COOL!!" Tasuki shouted happily. "My tessen's DIAMOND!! Not old iron anymore!!"

Hotohori examined the sword that rested in his hands while Nuriko admired his new bracelets. Chiriko had already torn into his scroll to see what it read, Mitsukake studied the small jar in his hand, and Chichiri looked over his new prayer-beads. Nikyia blinked as the knife on her belt glowed for a moment and the ivory handle took on a swirling red pattern. Tamahome looked around excitedly.

"Oh, Taiitsukun, what do I get?!" he asked, practically bursting with anticipation. Taiitsukun huffed.

"You get nothing. You called me an old hag."

Tamahome's face fell as Taiitsukun looked at Miaka and Nikyia.

"You two, stay here. I wish to speak with the both of you in private."

Nikyia sighed and looked down at her feet. Why had that impostor stopped the summoning? He had to have been someone with magic, to use his flute for powers…The contemplation was brought to a halt by a hand resting on her shoulder. Nikyia looked up to see Chichiri, masked and smiling.

"Don't tell Taiitsukun, but…I'm kinda glad the summoning didn't work no da."

"I heard that monk!!" the giant head exploded. Chichiri laughed and ran out of the shrine after the others. The doors closed behind him, leaving Miaka, Nikyia and Arafae alone with the giant floating head of the Goddess of Konan.

"Miaka, I will speak with you first. Listen well, you must remember what I tell you."

Miaka nodded.

"I will. I'm not going to mess up again."

"Then you must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for this journey. Your relationship with Tamahome must come to an end. Immediately!" The shock Miaka felt was obvious as she went rigid. "The priestess must remain a virgin in order for the beast god to be summoned! The boundary between priestess and seishi must not be crossed! You and Tamahome may not touch during your journey! Do you understand, Miaka?"

Miaka was barely able to let out a squeak in reply. The look on her face at that moment was almost enough to move Taiitsukun.

"I'm sorry Miaka, but it must be done. You may leave now."

Barely nodding again, Miaka turned and slowly left the shrine. As the door closed again, fear began to set on Nikyia. What in Father's name was going to happen to her?!

"Nikyia…"

Slightly shaking, Nikyia got to her feet.

"Taiitsukun."

Madam.

Taiitsukun hesitated, then sighed.

"Sit back down. You've got a lot to hear."

Nikyia blinked and obeyed.

"What do you want to tell me?"

Something your father never got the nerve to.

Nikyia raised an eyebrow.

"It's true, Nikyia. He's kept secrets from you, but now it's time you knew," Taiitsukun paused for breath. "Nikyia, during your fight with Jaden a few days ago, when he called you a 'mistake'…he was telling the truth."

Nikyia's eyes widened.

"W-what? What the hell d'ya mean I'm a mistake?!"

Calm! Nikyia, calm down. Listen.

"You're not really a mistake…you…just aren't supposed to exist now."

"Not supposed to-"

"Shut it!!"

Nikyia shut her mouth.

"Every hundred years, about a hundred years, give or take a decade, there is one priestess. The gods were given their order by time of birth. Genbu, the oldest of the four gods, received his first, then Byakko. Seiryuu was next, and finally your father, Suzaku. Our gods only live about 1000 years each before retiring themselves to the land of the dead. We had a fifth god, the first. He was given his miko, and then, before Genbu was to receive his priestess, Keirii, the fifth god, just up and died. Genbu, Byakko, Seiryuu and Suzaku discussed this problem, realizing they too would pass on soon. And so, when Genbu was preparing for his priestess a second time, he found a woman and had a child by her. After the summoning, the teenaged boy returned to the home of his father in the heavens. Genbu trained him, taught him all he knew, and about 50 years before Genbu was to next get a priestess, the original died, and his son took on his name. Byakko, Seiryuu and Suzaku did the same. This has been going on for centuries, the story of each priestess being lost before the next one came. But then, now, 90 years after the priestess of Byakko came again, your father broke one of the strict codes of the gods: he fell in love with a mortal woman and gave her a child before his time. That child was you, Nikyia. That's why you're the only goddess of our time. Seiryuu's son had come only a few years before you, and the seishi for him were already chosen. When a god-child is born, the seishi are immediately chosen, whether they already live or await birth. Time knows who they are. Their looks never change. So with your birth, there were two god-children, two sets of seishi, and two priestesses. However, Seiryuu feels Suzaku wronged him by stealing his year of fame. Ever since the boy could walk, he's had Jaden after you. Because there can only be one god-child. There can be two seishi and two priestesses, but only one god-child may exist. Jaden will stop at nothing to kill you. The lives of the constellations cannot be put at risk. Miaka must have them to protect her. So, Nikyia, that's why…"

"Why what, Taiitsukun?" Nikyia was entranced by the story. Only a slight tugging at her heart warned her of the goddess's next words.

"That is why you must leave this world."

Nikyia's face matched the one Miaka had just worn minute before.

"WHAT?! L-leave?!?!"

Taiitsukun nodded solemnly.

"It's the best thing. You must return to the world and, Jaden and Miaka once knew. Jaden's after you. The lives of the seishi are not his goal, but with you traveling with them, it would be likely for them to die as well as you. He will follow you to Miaka's world. You both can fight there in safety."

"Taiitsukun…How…I don't stand a chance, Taiitsukun! The only reason I'm still alive today is because of Chichiri and Tasuki! Chichiri more than once!"

Taiitsukun. Arafae ruffled his feathers, still sitting on Nikyia's shoulder. Taiitsukun acknowledged the hawk. If I may, I would like to go with her.

"Now you…"

Taiitsukun, I promised her father I would take care of her and I will not back down from that promise.

Taiitsukun eyed the hawk warily.

"What good do you think you could do in their world?"

Better than Nikyia alone would do.

The withered goddess pondered this for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, if you insist. Suzaku would agree as well. Nikyia, wipe that look off your face, he's going with you."

Nikyia snapped.

"And also, I'm not sending you off right away without a goodbye. I may be old but I'm not cruel. The day the seishi leave for Hokkan, you'll leave for Miaka's world."

Nikyia sighed.

"It's better than nothing…I guess…I'd rather stay but…"

"You have no choice, Nikyia. I'm sorry. You're dismissed."

The fire extinguished and the giant head of the wonderful Goddess of Konan vanished. Nikyia trembled slightly as she dejectedly trudged out of the shrine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y'all aren't very happy with me about that, are ya? ^_~ Hopefully not mad enough to not review, because no review means no continue, and I'm SURE y'all wanna see the intriguing surprises I have in store in a few chapters (that still require writing.) So be nice and review! Thankies!

~TA, who owns only her original characters and none of the bishonen or sunukake babas owned by Watase-sama~