As Kokie and I were the only ones with our own horses, and Kokie proclaimed that if she had to share with Tokaki he wouldn't get to our destination alive, I ended up with him. I wasn't quite sure whether it was a good or bad thing, though. At first, I remained perfectly still, trying to avoid any contact with him. That didn't work too well, and after an hour or so, the sun managed to make me rather tired, so I closed my eyes and leaned back against him, falling into a light sleep. He didn't protest - I later realized that it was because in that position, I offered him a great view of my cleavage.
I was jarred awake a few hours later, when the sun was just setting over the horizon. Amefuri, with an embarrassed laugh, announced that she wasn't as good at following maps as she thought she was, and that we were in fact a five hour ride away from what was supposed to be our lodgings for the night. With much whining from Toroki, we set up a small camp.
Embarrassed by my forwardness of falling asleep in his arms, I tried to stay as far away from Tokaki as I could. I stayed at the fire for an hour or so, not really talking unless asked something. Eventually, I got irritated by watching Suzuno and Tatara off at the edge of camp, content in each other's arms. Obviously, they had decided that they weren't going to hide their romance anymore. None of the others said anything about it, and I excused myself and went to sleep.
I awoke a little before dawn. Kokie and Amefuri were peacefully sleeping on either side of me, but Suzuno was mysteriously missing. I figured that she'd just gone off with Tatara, but still, something alarmed me about her disappearance, and I sneaked out of the tent quietly.
Glancing into the other tent, I could make out Toroki's smaller form, but neither Tokaki nor Tatara were anywhere to be seen. Walking into the forest a bit, the sun started to rise, and I could make out Suzuno and Tatara near a small stream. I turned and started back towards camp, only to be stopped by Suzuno's sudden scream.
I rushed forward, halting at the edge of the clearing. Tatara stood protectively in front of Suzuno, his arms out. They both looked up into the trees, and I followed their gaze to see a young man standing there, smirking down at them.
"What did I tell you, Byakko no Miko? Give up, now, before it's too late."
Suzuno stared up at him in fear, and I knew at once that this was the mysterious rebel seishi. Before any of us could react, the seishi threw a knife, striking Tatara in the arm. Suzuno screamed again, and Tatara grimaced, falling to his knees.
"What will it take, Byakko no Miko? I will kill your protectors, one by one, if that's what you want."
"No! No!" The Miko kneeled next to Tatara, tears in her eyes. "Stop it! Don't hurt anyone!"
The seishi just smirked. The bushes behind Suzuno shook, and I saw the glint of metal. Before I could call out a warning, Toroki dashed forward, and the sword came down, slashing across the boy's chest. His eyes widened and blood soaked through the fabric of his shirt. The attacked retreated back into the trees, and Toroki collapsed.
I hadn't even noticed when Kokie, Amefuri and Tokaki had joined us, but now Amefuri rushed forward, cradling Toroki in her arms. Suzuno held onto the injured Tatara, tears streaking her cheeks. The rebel seishi and his small army had disappeared.
I blamed myself completely for Toroki's death. Even though Amefuri later assured me that nothing could have been done, that it was an instant death, I was racked with guilt. All I saw at that moment was everyone rushing to Suzuno, making sure that she was all right. Tatara, even though he was injured, held her and comforted her. I was so shocked and angry and confused at what had happened that I didn't even hear Tokaki's question until he repeated it.
"Subaru, are you okay?"
I turned and just looked at him for a moment. Why wasn't he over with the Miko? She was the important one, after all.
Amefuri's voice confirmed out worst fears. "He's… Dead."
I decided I didn't care what Tokaki's reasons for staying with me were. I fell forward into his arms, and he held me while I cried.
***
As an odd twist of fate, Amefuri's sense of direction had brought us closer to Toroki's home village. We took his body back to his family. At first, his mother was so angry with us, yelling and screaming that it was our fault that he died. That didn't help my guilt any. But then she apologized and just cried and cried. Suzuno told her everything that Toroki had done to help us, and that brought her some comfort.
We stayed in the village for a few days, attending the funeral and trying to figure out what our next move was. No one seemed to be sure what was to be done now - one seishi was dead and another was completely against us. By deduction, we had at least figured out that the rebel seishi was Karasuki.
We went back to the capital to relay the bad news to the Emperor, who was at a loss for what to do as well. There seemed to be no options, but we couldn't just give up. Kutou staged several more attacks on the border, and had gained a few miles of land in the process. Things were beginning to look more hopeless by the day.
About a week after Toroki's death, I was sitting in the palace gardens, thinking. None of us had said much at all during the past week. Suzuno and Tatara had just left, and I was alone again.
Not for long. Tokaki appeared next to me after a few moments of solitude. I almost hit him for scaring me so much, but by now I was getting used to his rather unorthodox entrances.
"So," he mused casually, "How long have you had this thing for Tatara?"
I turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. "What?"
He shrugged. "It's obvious. They way you look at him with such longing, and how green you turn when he's with Suzuno."
I stood up, fuming. "I do not have a 'thing' for Tatara!"
"Suit yourself. Lying won't get you very far."
"It's not him," I muttered. "It's them."
"Them?"
I nodded, sitting back down again and staring at the nearby flowers wistfully. "What they have. They're so much in love, anyone can see."
"Ah. You're a hopeless romantic."
I blushed furiously, standing up again. "Forget I said anything!"
He shrugged again, then turned and left. I stood there silently for a few moments, my heart pounding in my ears. Why did he have that effect on me? Just being so close to him was enough to send my emotions into overdrive. I knew what it was, though. I was jealous of Tatara and Suzuno because of what they had, because I wanted it for myself. And I wanted Tokaki to be the one I had it with.
***
The next morning, Suzuno called us all together for a meeting. She was excited, and obviously had good news. None of us had been smiling much like she was now in the past week, and it was infectious, even before she told us what had happened. I noticed how she and Tatara beamed at each other, but when I glanced at Tokaki, he was completely oblivious, waiting for Suzuno to speak.
"We don't have to give up yet," She proclaimed, practically bouncing in her chair. "Last night, Taiitsukun, the creator of the world, came to me. She told me that if we were to get the Shinzaho of Suzaku and Seiryuu, we would be able to summon Byakko."
"Shinzaho?" Amefuri looked puzzled.
"The Shinzaho," Tatara explained, "Is something that a Miko had when summoning her God. Almost three hundred years ago, Suzaku no Miko came to this world and summoned her God. Fifty years after that, Seiryuu no Miko appeared and did the same."
"If we have the Shinzaho," Amefuri asked, "Do we still need to change Karasuki's mind?"
"No…" Suzuno lost a bit of her optimism. "Taiitsukun said that the living seishi all still had to support their Miko.
"The Suzaku one is simple enough," Tokaki stated, changing the subject. "But has anyone else realized we're at war with Kutou? I doubt they'll just let us waltz in and take their Shinzaho."
"So obviously we don't waltz in," Kokie said dryly.
"We'll go to Konan first, and then worry about what to do about the Seiryuu no Shinzaho," Suzuno said, still with her optimistic attitude.
I had to smile. I couldn't hate Suzuno, and I was mad at myself for being so jealous of her. Now that I realized what my intentions were, I was feeling better towards her. Apparently she had some intuition towards these things, for that night when we were packing, she came to visit me.
"Subaru, forgive me for being so forward, but do you dislike me?"
I had to laugh. She looked confused, and I sat down next to her on the bed, smiling. "Of course I like you. How could I not? You're kind, sweet, cheerful, bright… There's nothing about you to dislike."
She sighed, relieved. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I just had this weird feeling that for whatever reason, you didn't like me."
"No…" I decided not to tell her what I had really been jealous of her for, though.
"I'm glad. Because you're going to have to get used to me." She winked at me. "I expect we'll become really good friends in the future. I want you living right near me so we can visit all the time."
I looked at her, confused. "Suzuno… I can't live in your world."
"No, silly!" She laughed, a hand against her mouth. "I'm going to stay here, in this world. That's what one of my wishes will be."
I was jarred awake a few hours later, when the sun was just setting over the horizon. Amefuri, with an embarrassed laugh, announced that she wasn't as good at following maps as she thought she was, and that we were in fact a five hour ride away from what was supposed to be our lodgings for the night. With much whining from Toroki, we set up a small camp.
Embarrassed by my forwardness of falling asleep in his arms, I tried to stay as far away from Tokaki as I could. I stayed at the fire for an hour or so, not really talking unless asked something. Eventually, I got irritated by watching Suzuno and Tatara off at the edge of camp, content in each other's arms. Obviously, they had decided that they weren't going to hide their romance anymore. None of the others said anything about it, and I excused myself and went to sleep.
I awoke a little before dawn. Kokie and Amefuri were peacefully sleeping on either side of me, but Suzuno was mysteriously missing. I figured that she'd just gone off with Tatara, but still, something alarmed me about her disappearance, and I sneaked out of the tent quietly.
Glancing into the other tent, I could make out Toroki's smaller form, but neither Tokaki nor Tatara were anywhere to be seen. Walking into the forest a bit, the sun started to rise, and I could make out Suzuno and Tatara near a small stream. I turned and started back towards camp, only to be stopped by Suzuno's sudden scream.
I rushed forward, halting at the edge of the clearing. Tatara stood protectively in front of Suzuno, his arms out. They both looked up into the trees, and I followed their gaze to see a young man standing there, smirking down at them.
"What did I tell you, Byakko no Miko? Give up, now, before it's too late."
Suzuno stared up at him in fear, and I knew at once that this was the mysterious rebel seishi. Before any of us could react, the seishi threw a knife, striking Tatara in the arm. Suzuno screamed again, and Tatara grimaced, falling to his knees.
"What will it take, Byakko no Miko? I will kill your protectors, one by one, if that's what you want."
"No! No!" The Miko kneeled next to Tatara, tears in her eyes. "Stop it! Don't hurt anyone!"
The seishi just smirked. The bushes behind Suzuno shook, and I saw the glint of metal. Before I could call out a warning, Toroki dashed forward, and the sword came down, slashing across the boy's chest. His eyes widened and blood soaked through the fabric of his shirt. The attacked retreated back into the trees, and Toroki collapsed.
I hadn't even noticed when Kokie, Amefuri and Tokaki had joined us, but now Amefuri rushed forward, cradling Toroki in her arms. Suzuno held onto the injured Tatara, tears streaking her cheeks. The rebel seishi and his small army had disappeared.
I blamed myself completely for Toroki's death. Even though Amefuri later assured me that nothing could have been done, that it was an instant death, I was racked with guilt. All I saw at that moment was everyone rushing to Suzuno, making sure that she was all right. Tatara, even though he was injured, held her and comforted her. I was so shocked and angry and confused at what had happened that I didn't even hear Tokaki's question until he repeated it.
"Subaru, are you okay?"
I turned and just looked at him for a moment. Why wasn't he over with the Miko? She was the important one, after all.
Amefuri's voice confirmed out worst fears. "He's… Dead."
I decided I didn't care what Tokaki's reasons for staying with me were. I fell forward into his arms, and he held me while I cried.
***
As an odd twist of fate, Amefuri's sense of direction had brought us closer to Toroki's home village. We took his body back to his family. At first, his mother was so angry with us, yelling and screaming that it was our fault that he died. That didn't help my guilt any. But then she apologized and just cried and cried. Suzuno told her everything that Toroki had done to help us, and that brought her some comfort.
We stayed in the village for a few days, attending the funeral and trying to figure out what our next move was. No one seemed to be sure what was to be done now - one seishi was dead and another was completely against us. By deduction, we had at least figured out that the rebel seishi was Karasuki.
We went back to the capital to relay the bad news to the Emperor, who was at a loss for what to do as well. There seemed to be no options, but we couldn't just give up. Kutou staged several more attacks on the border, and had gained a few miles of land in the process. Things were beginning to look more hopeless by the day.
About a week after Toroki's death, I was sitting in the palace gardens, thinking. None of us had said much at all during the past week. Suzuno and Tatara had just left, and I was alone again.
Not for long. Tokaki appeared next to me after a few moments of solitude. I almost hit him for scaring me so much, but by now I was getting used to his rather unorthodox entrances.
"So," he mused casually, "How long have you had this thing for Tatara?"
I turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. "What?"
He shrugged. "It's obvious. They way you look at him with such longing, and how green you turn when he's with Suzuno."
I stood up, fuming. "I do not have a 'thing' for Tatara!"
"Suit yourself. Lying won't get you very far."
"It's not him," I muttered. "It's them."
"Them?"
I nodded, sitting back down again and staring at the nearby flowers wistfully. "What they have. They're so much in love, anyone can see."
"Ah. You're a hopeless romantic."
I blushed furiously, standing up again. "Forget I said anything!"
He shrugged again, then turned and left. I stood there silently for a few moments, my heart pounding in my ears. Why did he have that effect on me? Just being so close to him was enough to send my emotions into overdrive. I knew what it was, though. I was jealous of Tatara and Suzuno because of what they had, because I wanted it for myself. And I wanted Tokaki to be the one I had it with.
***
The next morning, Suzuno called us all together for a meeting. She was excited, and obviously had good news. None of us had been smiling much like she was now in the past week, and it was infectious, even before she told us what had happened. I noticed how she and Tatara beamed at each other, but when I glanced at Tokaki, he was completely oblivious, waiting for Suzuno to speak.
"We don't have to give up yet," She proclaimed, practically bouncing in her chair. "Last night, Taiitsukun, the creator of the world, came to me. She told me that if we were to get the Shinzaho of Suzaku and Seiryuu, we would be able to summon Byakko."
"Shinzaho?" Amefuri looked puzzled.
"The Shinzaho," Tatara explained, "Is something that a Miko had when summoning her God. Almost three hundred years ago, Suzaku no Miko came to this world and summoned her God. Fifty years after that, Seiryuu no Miko appeared and did the same."
"If we have the Shinzaho," Amefuri asked, "Do we still need to change Karasuki's mind?"
"No…" Suzuno lost a bit of her optimism. "Taiitsukun said that the living seishi all still had to support their Miko.
"The Suzaku one is simple enough," Tokaki stated, changing the subject. "But has anyone else realized we're at war with Kutou? I doubt they'll just let us waltz in and take their Shinzaho."
"So obviously we don't waltz in," Kokie said dryly.
"We'll go to Konan first, and then worry about what to do about the Seiryuu no Shinzaho," Suzuno said, still with her optimistic attitude.
I had to smile. I couldn't hate Suzuno, and I was mad at myself for being so jealous of her. Now that I realized what my intentions were, I was feeling better towards her. Apparently she had some intuition towards these things, for that night when we were packing, she came to visit me.
"Subaru, forgive me for being so forward, but do you dislike me?"
I had to laugh. She looked confused, and I sat down next to her on the bed, smiling. "Of course I like you. How could I not? You're kind, sweet, cheerful, bright… There's nothing about you to dislike."
She sighed, relieved. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I just had this weird feeling that for whatever reason, you didn't like me."
"No…" I decided not to tell her what I had really been jealous of her for, though.
"I'm glad. Because you're going to have to get used to me." She winked at me. "I expect we'll become really good friends in the future. I want you living right near me so we can visit all the time."
I looked at her, confused. "Suzuno… I can't live in your world."
"No, silly!" She laughed, a hand against her mouth. "I'm going to stay here, in this world. That's what one of my wishes will be."