~An American Miko~ A Change of Scenery Chapter Thirty-Seven

Nuriko slid the door open quietly thinking that Hotohori would still be unconscious. He gasped happily when he saw the two embracing in the middle of the room. He was about to say something when Myst' turned her head and spoke to him over her shoulder.

"Nuriko, get Mitsukake and tell one of the servants to bring a bowl of chopped fruit and some mind meat pies and willow bark tea to the bathhouse."

Nuriko nodded at once then stepped back out of the room, closing the door and rushing down the hallway excitedly.

Myst turned back to Hotohori and brushed his messy hair back over his shoulders. She spoke lightly. "We have to do something about this hair of yours lover. It's all over the place."

Hotohori gave a tearful fraction of a smile, no where near normal. He really had come so close to breaking and it would take time for him to feel even halfway right again, though he would only show his weakness in private.

Myst sighed when she saw this, but still went on as she had been. "Well lover, let's venture to the bathhouse. We're in the seishi halls right now so it's just down the way." She hooked his left arm around her right one and, limping, guided him to the door, through it and down the empty walkway.

Hotohori turned his head in her direction and asked, "The seishi halls?"

Myst patted his hand and nodded even if he couldn't see it. "Yeah, our room was kinda, really destroyed."

Hotohori nodded and turned his head strait again. "What about Boushin? Was anyone else hurt?"

Myst shook her head as she turned them into the bathhouse. "No. No one else was hurt. Boushin is fine. He'll be happy to see you after we get you cleaned up. He's missed his Daddy." She had him sit in one of the chairs so she could take the few bandages off of him. "You're still a little injured, so the water might sting some when you get in." When the bandages were off she pulled him to his feet again and let their robes slip off before leading them to the water.

Hotohori hissed a little as his torn ankles sank below the water line, but walked on until be could sit on the bottom with his shoulders submerged.

The water stained a dark pink as Myst gently washed her husband body of the filth and grime, then washing his matted hair. "Just relax beloved. Know that you are safe and loved and I'll take care of everything for now,"

Hotohori sighed and closed his eyes as he savored the feel of the warm water washing the grim and blood from his tired body and with it, easing the memories.

Mitsukake and some of the other seishi walked in a little later. Myst kissed Hotohori's shoulder gently. "Beloved, Mitsukake's here to check up on you. Would you like to get out now, or would you rather have him come out here to you?"

Hotohori sighed. "To be honest, I would prefer to stay in the water."

Myst nodded. "Alright." Then she motioned for Mitsukake.

Mitsukake nodded and disrobed, stepping into the water and up to the royal couple. "How are you feeling Your Majesty?"

Hotohori kept his eyes closed and just sighed, his shoulders sloping a little.

Myst looked over her husband's shoulder at the healer. "He's blind Mits. He can't see. His eyes look different too."

Mitsukake frowned. "My healing should have fixed that too."

Hotohori finally spoke, relating what had happened between himself and Nakago, and how it had been done. Myst closed her eyes and hugged him close from behind as she listened with a heavy heart to some of the details of her husband's horrible torture.

Mitsukake, his face grim nodded. "Majesty, would you open your eyes for me?"

Hotohori's eyes slid open, not focusing on anything. Mitsukake reached out and gently touched his face, pulling his eyelids up and examining his gray eyes. Finally he sighed and dropped his hands. "He is right I'm afraid. There is nothing I can do for him. At least in regards to his blindness." He reached down and picked up one of Hotohori's hand.

Hotohori flinched drastically away from the touch, wrenching his arms away and drawing in on himself and closer to Myst with a small whimper of fear.

Mitsukake saw what he had done wrong at once. When he spoke again his voice was gentle and soothing. "Forgive me. I should have warned you that I was going to touch you. I'm just going to check the abrasions around your wrists, ankles, and that bruise around your neck. It looks quite painful."

Hotohori slowly calmed down and nodded as Myst rubbed his shoulder's gently, whispering sweet reassuring words to him the whole time. "Yes, forgive me. I'm just a little jumpy."

Mitsukake nodded. "I understand fully. No need to apologize Your Majesty."

Hotohori gave a tiny smile. "Thank you for your understanding my friend."

"You're welcome Majesty."

Myst wrapped her arms lightly around Hotohori's waist, breathing in his familiar scent. "Oh beloved, I missed you so much. I need you, now and forever."

Hotohori closed his gray, unseeing eyes and leaned back against his wife while Mitsukake checked his wrists and throat out, finally healing him fully.

Myst felt the water moving again and looked up and to the side to see Tamahome wading out to them carrying a tray of fresh-cut fruit and meat- pies that the servants had just dropped off. She looked further and saw that all of the seishi and Hakurou and Rouko had gathered and were either standing, sitting, or undressing to climb in the water and give their own wounds a good soaking.

Myst kissed behind Hotohori's ear and said, "All of our friends are here. All of our family, even Rouko with Boushin. They're all here to welcome you back."

Hotohori turned his sightless gaze to the side, towards the group.

Said group were all able to hold in their gasps at this sight, but Myst saw the wide eyes and the shocked looks.

Hotohori's voice was quiet and carried almost none of the strength and conviction that it always had before. "Hello my friends. I thank you all for your help, and I apologize greatly for the injuries you attained while saving me."

It was Chichiri who spoke first. "Don't worry about such things Your Majesty. We all need you, and not just because you're a seishi or the Emperor, and we would all gladly and proudly die for you as we would for each other. We will not let them have even one of us!" This last was said with conviction and brought verbal and physical agreements from everyone, Myst and Rouko included.

Hotohori smiled and his face lit up. "It's good to be home."

Everyone smiled then and began talking with each other and with Hotohori. Rouko was one of the ones to climb into the water and handed Hotohori's son to him. Boushin wrapped his arms around his father's neck and refused to let go, just as adamantly as Hotohori refused to let go.

Tamahome informed Hotohori that he was going to touch him so as not to startle him again and guided his hand to the tray of fruit and meat pies, holding the tray for him and Mitsukake warming Hotohori not to eat too much too soon.

Thus a time of healing and adjusting began.

*****

A Week after the rescue Hotohori had adjusted to palace life in the dark, so to speak, better than anyone could have hoped. He would walk down the halls with his head held high and either, Myst's arm hooked around his or one of the Seishi's hands on his shoulder or arm, guiding him. He sat in for short audiences after the first three days of rest as well. All documents were read off to him and Myst sat by him for every one now. She hardly ever left his side now, something they were both grateful for.

All in all he was well adjusted, if not still a little jumpy. He blessedly wasn't holding anything inside like some people would. He talked to Chichiri a lot. Hakurou and Mitsukake were great helps as well. At night when he woke up screaming from horrible nightmares, Myst was there for him to cling to while his body was wracked by soul searing sobs. She listened to him with a fully opened ear, mind, and heart.

This was how it went until the day that Myst and Hotohori were praying in the temple of Suzaku with a few of the other seishi, and Rouko who once again held Boushin. Myst suddenly went stiff and her back arched as a red light exploded around her. The eyes of the golden statue of Suzaku glowed and pulsed with the same fierce light.

The rest of the seishi, and Kouji who was visiting Genrou and Hakurou, not already in the room felt this and came at a dead run. The crimson light started flashing blue as well as soon as the twins stepped into the room. The nine seishi's symbols exploded on their body's and the symbol of Suzaku began to flash on Myst's brow. Her face was at ease and her eyes were closed, but her body was still rigid.

As soon as all the seishi were in the room, the statues eyes flashed again and the doors slammed closed, sealing the seishi, their Miko, Hakurou, Rouko, Kouji, and Boushin into the room. Nuriko tried to smash through one of the doors while Chichiri tried spells, while still other's were doing other things, but to no avail.

Hotohori clung to his wife, feeling the energy rolling through her as he tried to wake her from the obvious trance she was in.

Finally Myst tensed more and her scream rang through the room covered their eyes as the lights seemed to explode around them.

*****

When Myst awakened again, she looked first and foremost for everyone else. They were luckily lying around her, all of them breathing but still out cold. Then she noticed someone missing, two someone's in fact. "Hotohori? Hotohori! Boushin?!" She heard Hotohori's voice from just over the rise. She pulled herself up off the grass and walked to where the voice had come from.

There he was in full Imperial garb, just as she was, with Boushin held in his arms in his own little Imperial robes.

Myst walked up behind them. "Hotohori, love? What are you doing?"

"Looking."

Myst froze at this. "What?"

Hotohori turned and looked at her with his beautiful gold eyes, a sight she had missed so much, and said, "I'm looking."

Myst ran the rest of the way to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Hotohori wrapped his free arm around her and held her tightly for a while.

When shouts from the others came like hers had before, she called back, "We're over here! Hotohori can see again! He's not blind anymore!"

The rest of the group topped the rise at a run to see for themselves and have a minor celebration. Then it was Tasuki that said, "Now where the hell are we?" They all stopped and looked around for the first time at the completely unfamiliar territory.

Myst thought it looked familiar but couldn't seem to grasp where she had seen this area before. "Why don't we all walk a little ways and take a look around."

Everyone agreed and they pushed Rouko, Myst, who objected since she always had her sword with her like Hotohori did, Hotohori, and Boushin into the middle and formed a circle around them. After a few minuets of walking they topped another rise and Shunkaku, who had been scouting ahead, yelled, "Hey I see a huge house over there! I've never seen a building like that!"

Myst pushed through the crowd and her jaw dropped, her eyes wide. "Oh... no way... in hell! Great Good Gods!" They all looked at her as she stared silently at the huge mansion.

Hotohori finally touched her shoulder. "Myst, what is it? Do you know this place?"

Myst nodded slightly and swallowed still looking at the white house, which they were still quite far away from. This... this is my house. We're on my lands back in my world. That's why it looks so familiar."

Everyone stared and then fell back a step into defensive positions as a pack of five wild looking rottweilers came charging from the house. As they neared, Myst broke into a run for them, hiking up her royal robes, looking like she was going to draw them away from the rest. She fell onto her back as one tackled her, alarming the seishi until they saw that it was licking her face enthusiastically.

Myst was laughing madly as the other four crowded around her as well, little stub tails wagging. "Max! Max, I'm happy to see you too! Now get off. Heel!" At her barked command, the dogs immediately backed off and stood before her in a strait line, almost as if at attention, and looking only at her as she stood and brushed herself off. "Sit!" And they sat as one, proud as any soldier.

The rest of Myst's group all stepped around her, but not in front of her. Hotohori said, "So these are your dogs?"

Myst smiled and nodded. "Yep! These are my babies! From left to right, Cody, Ginger, Max, the one who tackled me and is the alpha male of the group, Tinka, and Felix. Ginger and Tinka are the females. Let each of them smell your hand after I give them this next command, and don't be afraid, they're well trained and won't bite unless I tell them to. Let them know your scent and they'll protect you like they do me, otherwise you might have trouble with them later on. Go in a line and don't rush them okay?"

They nodded and Myst took Boushin in her arms and stood back. "Max, Cody, Felix, Ginger, Tinka! Scent!"

The dogs stood, staying strait in their line and looked at the group of people before them. Their master had just given them the order to learn, know, accept, and protect these people, and by god, they were going to do it!

Hotohori was the first in the line followed by Chichiri, Mitsukake, Shunkaku, Kotoku, Tamahome, Hakurou, Tasuki, Nuriko, Chiriko, Kouji, and Rouko. Once that was done, they stepped back and Myst stepped forward, getting to her knees with Boushin still in her arms sitting on her lap.

Myst gave the dogs a new set of commands. "Gentle, come, scent." The command to be gentle put before the other commands, made sure that whenever they saw Boushin they would treat him almost as if he was a newborn pup while still protecting him from possible threats.

Boushin laughed and patted each dog as they came forward one by one sniffed him and pressed a cold wet nose to his soft cheek in a sign of recognition and gentle affection.

Myst smiled when it was done and stood again. "Well, lets go see my old home shall we? We can figure out what happened to get us here then, when we're all settled. I know this land still belongs to me, or else my dogs wouldn't still be here."

The huge group nodded and followed her and the dogs, which ran happily before them, to the house.

**********

AN: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT!!! Ducks keyboards flying at her. I feel so bad! I've been so busy and my E-mail crapped out for some odd reason too! I will try so hard to get the next part out soon. I'll have proper thank you's on that one too! But for right now, thank you to all those who still reviewed again or E-mailed me, just to kick me in the ass and say. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? Did you fall in, in the bathroom and get stuck?!" Well, Thank you again! More to come ne?! I have it written out, now I just have to get up off my ass and type it out! Thank you once again! I love you all! JA!

~Celesta Hellewise Harman