~An American Miko~
Chapter Twenty
Fight & Fire
They were on opposite side of the sparring grounds in the courtyard of the bandit stronghold. The bandits were on one side and the and the seishi on the other. Genrou grumbled and glared across the packed dirt of the salle at his opponent from time to time as he prepared. Kouji looked at him a little worried. "Genrou, are ya sure ya want to do this? Ya don't know who she is."
Genrou cut him off with an annoyed growl. "I don't care who she is! She's just a stupid woman who doesn't know when ta shut her big mouth. I'll plant her on that pretty ass once and it'll all be over."
Kouji sighed but didn't say anything. He knew full and well that Myst didn't want the fiery bandit to know about her quite yet.
On the other side of the field, Myst had her back to the bandit and was facing her group of seishi. She was perfectly relaxed as she adjusted her bracers.
Tamahome spoke up. "He's glaring at you."
A strait-faced Myst simply nodded once.
Tamahome continued. "Well aren't you going to glare back?"
She shrugged. "Na. Might as well show him my back now. It's the only time he'll see it during this fight. He'll learn quickly not to underestimate me just because I'm a woman." She strapped her jeweled sword on under the robe she was wearing and looked up at Mitsukake. She spoke sternly and completely serious. "Mitsukake, I want you to be ready at every moment. This fight is going to be a bloody one and we're both going to come very close."
Mitsukake nodded and Hotohori opened his mouth to object at this news but shut it promptly when she turned eyes that blazed on him.
Hakurou called out from the middle of the arena. "Fighters are you ready?!"
Each side wished there fighters luck. Myst leaned up and kissed her husband once. She shed her robe which revealed the clothes from her world that she now wore. Myst's golden hair was in a tight french braid that now went a little below her shoulder. The only things she wore from this world were her bracers with the daggers, her sword, and boots like Hotohori's. She looked across the field now. Genrou was wearing his normal attire with a sword in his hand and, 'The tessen!' Myst knew about the tessen. She sent a look to Hakurou who nodded knowingly. She turned once more to her seishi. "Please, everyone lend me your strength. I'll need it with what he's packing now."
They all nodded and began concentrating their chi.
As the opponents walked to stand a short distance from each other in the center of the arena, Myst felt rejuvenated by Mitsukake. She could feel her muscles loosen with Tamahome's martial arts experience. She could feel Nuriko's strength and Hotohori's extra skill with the sword, and she could feel Chichiri channeling it all.
Hakurou nodded and walked to the side. Genrou smirked. "Ya won't catch me by surprise this time."
Myst kept her face strait and nodded. "We'll see oh fanged one."
His face hardened and he let out a yell as he charged her, sword drawn.
She saw and opening because of his brashness and took it soundlessly. Genrou had barely seen her move and stopped dead in amazement. He clutched his now bleeding left side and turned slowly.
Myst was still in her finishing stance. Her back was to him, sword out and half on one knee. Her face had not changed as she looked blankly into the amazed group of bandits. Even with her earlier display, they had not expected this. She stood fully and looked at this blood on her sword, then turned to look at Genrou. Her voice was flat and sent shivers down everyone's spine. "You should feel honored. This sword has now tasted real first blood. Yours." Her voice hardened more and her eyes narrowed. "Now you will take me seriously.." She stood in an expert stance that any fighter would know. "Or next time I hit something vital."
His face hardened and he stood strait. His bloody hand left the shallow wound in his side, and sheathed the sword then threw it to the side. "Fine! If you want it serious, then I'll use this!" He pulled the tessen off his back and gasps went through the crowd of bandits. They all looked to Hakurou who stood in the middle against the side of the arena. Hakurou with his arms crossed once again nodded.
Genrou pulled his arm back and Myst nodded at the seishi who started concentrating seriously. The cry rang through the air, "REKKA SHINEN!"
Just as the flame was about to hit her, Myst jumped into the air, with Nuriko's strength and Tamahome's agility. He saw her coming and sent out another blast that caught her in the shoulder. She smiled since she still managed to mark his arm.
The fight went on like this for a good ten minuets. They were both on their last dregs of energy and breathing hard holding various deep wounds. They were equal for equal both with only a sword and a tessen left. It came down to one last strike and they both knew it. They were both bleeding, burned, bruised, split, and cut.
Myst sent up a prayer that the seishi somehow heard in their minds. It made their hearts break and Hotohori eyes water with the weak and pained sound of it. 'Please. Please! Just a little more! Just one more hit!'
The seishi sent a burst of strength to her and their symbols flared to life on her body. Every bandit stared in wonder as red light engulfed her and the symbols flashed before them and stood brightly on her skin as well as on the other seishi.
Genrou recovered from his shock and drew the last of his strength for the biggest fireball yet. Myst let out a battle cry and charged full tilt as he released the fireball, once again surprising everyone.
Myst ran through and under the fire. As she emerged, still running full on she pulled her arm back as if to make a strike.
Genrou knew he was open, but as she swung and seemingly missed a glimmer of triumph entered his eyes. Then he watched as she let go of the sword flinging it to the side and knew what she had really intended to do. Realization struck his face as her shoulder plowed into his stomach.
They both went down, but Myst grabbed one of her daggers which was embedded into the ground. They ended up with Myst's knee in his stomach and him on his back with her pressing the dagger onto his throat. Breathlessly but loud enough for everyone to hear she said, "Do you yield?"
He simply laid still, unable to move, and glared at her. As it was she was about ready to collapse as well. When he didn't answer she drew back and hit him with the hilt of the dagger, knocking him out. "Too bad. I win anyway."
Myst dropped the dagger then sweaty, tired, and bloody, she looked up at her seishi with pleading eyes and in a small voice that surprisingly carried, "Hotohori?" With that she collapsed on the bandit and fell into darkness.
Hotohori shot towards his wife. "Mistyc! Mitsukake!" They all ran to their miko. Kouji and Hakurou joined them as the rest of the bandits stood stunned that Genrou had lost.
Hotohori cradled his battered wife in his arms and Hakurou and Kouji propped Genrou up. Mitsukake looked at both of them with a critical eye. Genrou needed him more but his main goal was to protect the empress and Miko.
Myst groaned and cracked an eye open. Hotohori looked down at her worriedly. "Shh. Don't move. Mitsukake!"
Myst grabbed Hotohori's hand and gasped out, "No! Heal Genrou first."
Hotohori shook his head. "You are both equally injured. What's more, you're the Empress and that gives you priority."
She grasped his hand tighter and shook her head. "No! A lot of my injuries are simply burns. His are sword and dagger wounds, and some of them very deep. I'll live for a while. Painfully yes, but if I am healed first, Genrou will bleed to death before Mits' powers regenerate."
Hotohori shook his head again. "That's a chance I'm willing to take."
Myst's eyes turned sad then she looked at Mitsukake. "Mitsukake, I order you to heal him first. Since this is an order from the Miko and it concerns one of my seishi, I outrank the Emperor. Do what you must."
Since it was a formal order, Mitsukake nodded formally. "Yes Miko-sama." Without another thought, he turned and began healing the bandit.
Myst looked up into Hotohori's eyes and place a bloody palm to his pale cheek. "I'm sorry to have to pull rank on you love, but you cannot let your bias for me cloud your judgment of priority."
Tears ran down Hotohori's cheeks at seeing his wife in such condition as she gasped in pain. He smiled however and held her closer. "Spoken like an Empress. I was wrong. Forgive me."
"I love you." Myst sighed against his warm, strong chest and her hand fell from his face as she went limp.
**********
Genrou woke up to see Kouji and a big man sitting by the bed and talking quietly. Well, Kouji was talking and the other was just nodding or grunting once in a while. They saw that he was awake and the big man leaned over him. "How are you feeling?"
Genrou raised an eyebrow. "Yer one of that woman's friends aint ya?"
Mitsukake nodded. "Myst asked that you be healed first so all you need now is a little more rest."
Realization flared in the bandit's eyes. "Healed? That's how the boss was saved isn't it?"
Mitsukake nodded again. "Myst asked me to heal him as well. She was very worried about him."
Just then the door opened. Tamahome held it open for Nuriko who was carrying a seriously bandaged Myst into the room. Myst was wearing a long thick robe that even covered her feet. What you could see of her was all bandaged. Her hands and neck, even her right eye and a small patch on her left cheek.
Mitsukake was up at once. "What is this? Take her back! Majesty, you should be in bed. You're still seriously injured."
Myst raised her hand a little as Nuriko sat in the chair that Mitsukake had just vacated and cradled Myst in his lap. Myst's voice was quiet and weak but still calm. "No Mitsukake. Other than the bandages itching, feeling like a mummy, and my depth perception being fucked, I feel fine." The deep pain reflected in her eye belied the last comment but no one said anything. "How are you feeling Genrou?"
Genrou crossed his arms. "Why? Come to gloat?"
Myst shook her head and then winced. "No, not at all. It's just that we were both beat to shit and I was worried about you."
"Well I don't need some damn woman worrying about me. What's the deal with ya anyway? Ya don't act or talk like any woman around here."
"No. I don't suppose I would."
"Heh, why do you care anyway?"
Her eye crinkled as she gave a tiny smirk. "Because you are a Suzaku Seishi and I love and care about all of my seishi."
Genrou stared at her. "Well, ya are right about that, but ya say it like yer Suzaku himself."
She smirk this time despite the pain in her cheek. "Or his Miko."
Genrou's head came up and he uncrossed his arms. "Whaa?"
Kouji had inconspicuously melted out of notice into a corner of the room to watch. The two standing seishi stood behind and on either side of their Miko, with crossed arms and smirks, and Nuriko raised his head higher and smiled as well.
Tasuki looked dumbfounded as it really clicked. "Yer Suzaku no Miko?"
She gave a small nod. "Yes, and each of my friends that are here with me are my seishi. Tamahome is to my right, his ability is martial arts. To my left is Mitsukake, who's ability as you know is healing. This beautiful man holding me is Nuriko, his ability is strength. Chichiri, who's ability is Magic and my husband, who's ability is swordplay, are around here somewhere."
Genrou blinked. "Wait a minuet, didn't I hear somewhere that Suzaku no Miko was now the Empress?"
Myst looked away almost guiltily. "Oh, that's just a technicality."
The bandit blanched and pulled the blanket over his head as he curled into a ball. He mumbled something that the others could just barely make out. "I almost killed the Empress. twice! Oh Suzaku! I threatened the Emperor! I said. I did."
Myst chuckled. "It's all right Genrou. The other reason I came now is also to ask if you still want to hold up your end of the deal."
He came out from under the blanket and looked at her with his head held high. "Of course. I an a man of honor and I keep my word. What's yer price?"
"Come with us. Take your place as Tasuki of the Suzaku Seishi. That's what I want, but that's not the price."
"Huh? What is then?"
"The price is that you choose. You must choose to come or stay. I will not force you. All the seishi and even myself have accepted this responsibility by choice and freewill. Your choice will be no different. It is friendship that I offer. A relationship of equals in a sort of family. Not a relationship where one is Empress and the other servant. Save that for when Saihitei and I are in court. And even then it might be slack. You don't have to answer now. We have plenty of time."
Genrou was still absorbing the Empress thing. "Wait. then the longhaired guy is the Emperor too?! Oh man!"
Myst chuckled then looked at Nuriko. "We should let him think about it more. Plus I'm tired. Bed time. wanna join me?"
Nuriko nodded and kissed her forehead as he stood up. Myst looked back at Genrou. "Like I said, think about it carefully. It's a big choice and there's no pressure to answer right now."
Genrou nodded and Nuriko turned to leave. Myst cracked a tiny smile at Tamahome. "Hey Tamahome, nap time. Wanna come?"
A smile lit Tamahome's face . "I could use a bit more sleep."
Myst turned her eyes to the large man in the room. "Hey Mits-chan! Room for one more!"
Mitsukake shook his head. "I think I'll see what his Majesty and Chichiri are doing. This time stay in bed. You're condition is not as good as I'd like it to be. I'll be in to check on you later."
Myst nodded and beckoned him closer. When he was close enough she kissed his cheek. "Thank you Mitsukake. Please tell my husband not to wear himself out. He didn't get much sleep."
Mitsukake nodded. "I will."
They left and Genrou stared at the door as Kouji came back into the light. Genrou muttered, "Is she always like that?"
Kouji nodded and looked at the door too. "Ever since she's been here. I don't think she was exaggerating about them being like family. Geez. I've never met a woman like her before. She's really something."
Genrou was still staring at the door. "Yeah she is isn't she?"
Kouji looked at him. "You want to go with her don't you?"
Genrou looked at Kouji now. "She's a damn woman ya fool. but. yeah. There's something about her. Something. I don't know. That makes me want to be around her. Even when she is a loud mouth. Ya know, she's the first woman I know that can actually back up her talk."
Kouji shook his head. "Ya got that right."
**********
A.N.: Chapter twenty and still no end in sight. I hope that was a good chapter for you. I had fun writing it. Of course feedback is good. I really like hearing what you guys think no da. Ell, I'll let you go. Stay tuned! Same Phoenix Time! Same Phoenix Channel!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman
They were on opposite side of the sparring grounds in the courtyard of the bandit stronghold. The bandits were on one side and the and the seishi on the other. Genrou grumbled and glared across the packed dirt of the salle at his opponent from time to time as he prepared. Kouji looked at him a little worried. "Genrou, are ya sure ya want to do this? Ya don't know who she is."
Genrou cut him off with an annoyed growl. "I don't care who she is! She's just a stupid woman who doesn't know when ta shut her big mouth. I'll plant her on that pretty ass once and it'll all be over."
Kouji sighed but didn't say anything. He knew full and well that Myst didn't want the fiery bandit to know about her quite yet.
On the other side of the field, Myst had her back to the bandit and was facing her group of seishi. She was perfectly relaxed as she adjusted her bracers.
Tamahome spoke up. "He's glaring at you."
A strait-faced Myst simply nodded once.
Tamahome continued. "Well aren't you going to glare back?"
She shrugged. "Na. Might as well show him my back now. It's the only time he'll see it during this fight. He'll learn quickly not to underestimate me just because I'm a woman." She strapped her jeweled sword on under the robe she was wearing and looked up at Mitsukake. She spoke sternly and completely serious. "Mitsukake, I want you to be ready at every moment. This fight is going to be a bloody one and we're both going to come very close."
Mitsukake nodded and Hotohori opened his mouth to object at this news but shut it promptly when she turned eyes that blazed on him.
Hakurou called out from the middle of the arena. "Fighters are you ready?!"
Each side wished there fighters luck. Myst leaned up and kissed her husband once. She shed her robe which revealed the clothes from her world that she now wore. Myst's golden hair was in a tight french braid that now went a little below her shoulder. The only things she wore from this world were her bracers with the daggers, her sword, and boots like Hotohori's. She looked across the field now. Genrou was wearing his normal attire with a sword in his hand and, 'The tessen!' Myst knew about the tessen. She sent a look to Hakurou who nodded knowingly. She turned once more to her seishi. "Please, everyone lend me your strength. I'll need it with what he's packing now."
They all nodded and began concentrating their chi.
As the opponents walked to stand a short distance from each other in the center of the arena, Myst felt rejuvenated by Mitsukake. She could feel her muscles loosen with Tamahome's martial arts experience. She could feel Nuriko's strength and Hotohori's extra skill with the sword, and she could feel Chichiri channeling it all.
Hakurou nodded and walked to the side. Genrou smirked. "Ya won't catch me by surprise this time."
Myst kept her face strait and nodded. "We'll see oh fanged one."
His face hardened and he let out a yell as he charged her, sword drawn.
She saw and opening because of his brashness and took it soundlessly. Genrou had barely seen her move and stopped dead in amazement. He clutched his now bleeding left side and turned slowly.
Myst was still in her finishing stance. Her back was to him, sword out and half on one knee. Her face had not changed as she looked blankly into the amazed group of bandits. Even with her earlier display, they had not expected this. She stood fully and looked at this blood on her sword, then turned to look at Genrou. Her voice was flat and sent shivers down everyone's spine. "You should feel honored. This sword has now tasted real first blood. Yours." Her voice hardened more and her eyes narrowed. "Now you will take me seriously.." She stood in an expert stance that any fighter would know. "Or next time I hit something vital."
His face hardened and he stood strait. His bloody hand left the shallow wound in his side, and sheathed the sword then threw it to the side. "Fine! If you want it serious, then I'll use this!" He pulled the tessen off his back and gasps went through the crowd of bandits. They all looked to Hakurou who stood in the middle against the side of the arena. Hakurou with his arms crossed once again nodded.
Genrou pulled his arm back and Myst nodded at the seishi who started concentrating seriously. The cry rang through the air, "REKKA SHINEN!"
Just as the flame was about to hit her, Myst jumped into the air, with Nuriko's strength and Tamahome's agility. He saw her coming and sent out another blast that caught her in the shoulder. She smiled since she still managed to mark his arm.
The fight went on like this for a good ten minuets. They were both on their last dregs of energy and breathing hard holding various deep wounds. They were equal for equal both with only a sword and a tessen left. It came down to one last strike and they both knew it. They were both bleeding, burned, bruised, split, and cut.
Myst sent up a prayer that the seishi somehow heard in their minds. It made their hearts break and Hotohori eyes water with the weak and pained sound of it. 'Please. Please! Just a little more! Just one more hit!'
The seishi sent a burst of strength to her and their symbols flared to life on her body. Every bandit stared in wonder as red light engulfed her and the symbols flashed before them and stood brightly on her skin as well as on the other seishi.
Genrou recovered from his shock and drew the last of his strength for the biggest fireball yet. Myst let out a battle cry and charged full tilt as he released the fireball, once again surprising everyone.
Myst ran through and under the fire. As she emerged, still running full on she pulled her arm back as if to make a strike.
Genrou knew he was open, but as she swung and seemingly missed a glimmer of triumph entered his eyes. Then he watched as she let go of the sword flinging it to the side and knew what she had really intended to do. Realization struck his face as her shoulder plowed into his stomach.
They both went down, but Myst grabbed one of her daggers which was embedded into the ground. They ended up with Myst's knee in his stomach and him on his back with her pressing the dagger onto his throat. Breathlessly but loud enough for everyone to hear she said, "Do you yield?"
He simply laid still, unable to move, and glared at her. As it was she was about ready to collapse as well. When he didn't answer she drew back and hit him with the hilt of the dagger, knocking him out. "Too bad. I win anyway."
Myst dropped the dagger then sweaty, tired, and bloody, she looked up at her seishi with pleading eyes and in a small voice that surprisingly carried, "Hotohori?" With that she collapsed on the bandit and fell into darkness.
Hotohori shot towards his wife. "Mistyc! Mitsukake!" They all ran to their miko. Kouji and Hakurou joined them as the rest of the bandits stood stunned that Genrou had lost.
Hotohori cradled his battered wife in his arms and Hakurou and Kouji propped Genrou up. Mitsukake looked at both of them with a critical eye. Genrou needed him more but his main goal was to protect the empress and Miko.
Myst groaned and cracked an eye open. Hotohori looked down at her worriedly. "Shh. Don't move. Mitsukake!"
Myst grabbed Hotohori's hand and gasped out, "No! Heal Genrou first."
Hotohori shook his head. "You are both equally injured. What's more, you're the Empress and that gives you priority."
She grasped his hand tighter and shook her head. "No! A lot of my injuries are simply burns. His are sword and dagger wounds, and some of them very deep. I'll live for a while. Painfully yes, but if I am healed first, Genrou will bleed to death before Mits' powers regenerate."
Hotohori shook his head again. "That's a chance I'm willing to take."
Myst's eyes turned sad then she looked at Mitsukake. "Mitsukake, I order you to heal him first. Since this is an order from the Miko and it concerns one of my seishi, I outrank the Emperor. Do what you must."
Since it was a formal order, Mitsukake nodded formally. "Yes Miko-sama." Without another thought, he turned and began healing the bandit.
Myst looked up into Hotohori's eyes and place a bloody palm to his pale cheek. "I'm sorry to have to pull rank on you love, but you cannot let your bias for me cloud your judgment of priority."
Tears ran down Hotohori's cheeks at seeing his wife in such condition as she gasped in pain. He smiled however and held her closer. "Spoken like an Empress. I was wrong. Forgive me."
"I love you." Myst sighed against his warm, strong chest and her hand fell from his face as she went limp.
**********
Genrou woke up to see Kouji and a big man sitting by the bed and talking quietly. Well, Kouji was talking and the other was just nodding or grunting once in a while. They saw that he was awake and the big man leaned over him. "How are you feeling?"
Genrou raised an eyebrow. "Yer one of that woman's friends aint ya?"
Mitsukake nodded. "Myst asked that you be healed first so all you need now is a little more rest."
Realization flared in the bandit's eyes. "Healed? That's how the boss was saved isn't it?"
Mitsukake nodded again. "Myst asked me to heal him as well. She was very worried about him."
Just then the door opened. Tamahome held it open for Nuriko who was carrying a seriously bandaged Myst into the room. Myst was wearing a long thick robe that even covered her feet. What you could see of her was all bandaged. Her hands and neck, even her right eye and a small patch on her left cheek.
Mitsukake was up at once. "What is this? Take her back! Majesty, you should be in bed. You're still seriously injured."
Myst raised her hand a little as Nuriko sat in the chair that Mitsukake had just vacated and cradled Myst in his lap. Myst's voice was quiet and weak but still calm. "No Mitsukake. Other than the bandages itching, feeling like a mummy, and my depth perception being fucked, I feel fine." The deep pain reflected in her eye belied the last comment but no one said anything. "How are you feeling Genrou?"
Genrou crossed his arms. "Why? Come to gloat?"
Myst shook her head and then winced. "No, not at all. It's just that we were both beat to shit and I was worried about you."
"Well I don't need some damn woman worrying about me. What's the deal with ya anyway? Ya don't act or talk like any woman around here."
"No. I don't suppose I would."
"Heh, why do you care anyway?"
Her eye crinkled as she gave a tiny smirk. "Because you are a Suzaku Seishi and I love and care about all of my seishi."
Genrou stared at her. "Well, ya are right about that, but ya say it like yer Suzaku himself."
She smirk this time despite the pain in her cheek. "Or his Miko."
Genrou's head came up and he uncrossed his arms. "Whaa?"
Kouji had inconspicuously melted out of notice into a corner of the room to watch. The two standing seishi stood behind and on either side of their Miko, with crossed arms and smirks, and Nuriko raised his head higher and smiled as well.
Tasuki looked dumbfounded as it really clicked. "Yer Suzaku no Miko?"
She gave a small nod. "Yes, and each of my friends that are here with me are my seishi. Tamahome is to my right, his ability is martial arts. To my left is Mitsukake, who's ability as you know is healing. This beautiful man holding me is Nuriko, his ability is strength. Chichiri, who's ability is Magic and my husband, who's ability is swordplay, are around here somewhere."
Genrou blinked. "Wait a minuet, didn't I hear somewhere that Suzaku no Miko was now the Empress?"
Myst looked away almost guiltily. "Oh, that's just a technicality."
The bandit blanched and pulled the blanket over his head as he curled into a ball. He mumbled something that the others could just barely make out. "I almost killed the Empress. twice! Oh Suzaku! I threatened the Emperor! I said. I did."
Myst chuckled. "It's all right Genrou. The other reason I came now is also to ask if you still want to hold up your end of the deal."
He came out from under the blanket and looked at her with his head held high. "Of course. I an a man of honor and I keep my word. What's yer price?"
"Come with us. Take your place as Tasuki of the Suzaku Seishi. That's what I want, but that's not the price."
"Huh? What is then?"
"The price is that you choose. You must choose to come or stay. I will not force you. All the seishi and even myself have accepted this responsibility by choice and freewill. Your choice will be no different. It is friendship that I offer. A relationship of equals in a sort of family. Not a relationship where one is Empress and the other servant. Save that for when Saihitei and I are in court. And even then it might be slack. You don't have to answer now. We have plenty of time."
Genrou was still absorbing the Empress thing. "Wait. then the longhaired guy is the Emperor too?! Oh man!"
Myst chuckled then looked at Nuriko. "We should let him think about it more. Plus I'm tired. Bed time. wanna join me?"
Nuriko nodded and kissed her forehead as he stood up. Myst looked back at Genrou. "Like I said, think about it carefully. It's a big choice and there's no pressure to answer right now."
Genrou nodded and Nuriko turned to leave. Myst cracked a tiny smile at Tamahome. "Hey Tamahome, nap time. Wanna come?"
A smile lit Tamahome's face . "I could use a bit more sleep."
Myst turned her eyes to the large man in the room. "Hey Mits-chan! Room for one more!"
Mitsukake shook his head. "I think I'll see what his Majesty and Chichiri are doing. This time stay in bed. You're condition is not as good as I'd like it to be. I'll be in to check on you later."
Myst nodded and beckoned him closer. When he was close enough she kissed his cheek. "Thank you Mitsukake. Please tell my husband not to wear himself out. He didn't get much sleep."
Mitsukake nodded. "I will."
They left and Genrou stared at the door as Kouji came back into the light. Genrou muttered, "Is she always like that?"
Kouji nodded and looked at the door too. "Ever since she's been here. I don't think she was exaggerating about them being like family. Geez. I've never met a woman like her before. She's really something."
Genrou was still staring at the door. "Yeah she is isn't she?"
Kouji looked at him. "You want to go with her don't you?"
Genrou looked at Kouji now. "She's a damn woman ya fool. but. yeah. There's something about her. Something. I don't know. That makes me want to be around her. Even when she is a loud mouth. Ya know, she's the first woman I know that can actually back up her talk."
Kouji shook his head. "Ya got that right."
**********
A.N.: Chapter twenty and still no end in sight. I hope that was a good chapter for you. I had fun writing it. Of course feedback is good. I really like hearing what you guys think no da. Ell, I'll let you go. Stay tuned! Same Phoenix Time! Same Phoenix Channel!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman