Chapter Nine: Jian Rian

"Jian," Toroki said softly. "You have to calm down. You're not thinking properly! Your head's bleeding!"

Jian stood away from Toroki, her face covered in blood and sweat. She pushed some of her blond hair out of her eyes and tried to think things through. One moment they had been fighting against the enemy, and then suddenly she wakes up and finds that she's been betrayed. Toroki... Chi, had been brainwashed. Think clearly!?! She was thinking clearly, it was Chi who couldn't think clearly.

"Chi, everything we've ever known, ever been told to believe... You just suddenly don't believe it anymore?"

"I don't know anything for sure! But I'm willing to find out! I'm going to figure this out Jian. Please try and understand!"

"No..." All of them could see how upset Jian looked, the tears brimming her eyes. "Them or me."

"Jian, don't even think something like that! I have to go with them!"

"Fine!" Jian yelled and instantly set herself on her lifelong friend.

Toroki barely had time to look shocked as Jian ran at her, her spear outright. Toroki had no weapons on her. Her symbol flared to life instead and right before Jian's spear found its way to her chest, Toroki quickly jumped aside, her hand grabbing the spear's shaft and pushing it away. Then as Jian continued on from the momentum, Toroki kicked her in the back.

Jian tripped, but using her spear kept her feet grounded. She turned around with spite in her eyes.

"Go on Toroki! Kill me with your cursed powers!"

"I won't kill you!"

"Well I'll kill you!" Jian threw her spear.

The other Seishi looked on in fear. Suddenly Tokaki was no longer standing beside them, and before they could ask where he had gone, they saw Toroki teleport safely away and the spear fly on into the wall.

Jian screamed with rage. "Demons!" She turned to the Seishi, where she saw Tokaki holding onto the confused looking Toroki.

Tokaki winked at Toroki. "Thank me later babe."

"I don't need your help," Toroki said forcefully, pushing Tokaki away. "This is my fight!" She looked at all of them. "So stay out of it."

Toroki ran at Jian.

"You never did fight fair," Jian remarked and the two clashed. Punches and kicks flying. All of them could tell that Toroki was holding back, fighting just enough to make sure Jian couldn't hurt her.

"We can't just stand here, someone could get really hurt," Suzuno urged, looking on with concern. Things were finally coming together for the better, and now this. Would they ever succeed in summoning Byakko? Would she ever get home?

Tatara nodded, about to go forward, but Tokaki grabbed his arm. "Just wait." The two looked at each other for a few seconds and then Tatara looked away. "Fine, I'll wait."

Subaru looked on, a different view on her mind. Two friends were locked in combat, it couldn't end well of course... But if she could stop the fight then neither of them had to hurt each other, they wouldn't hate each other forever. This fight could not continue to go on.

Toroki knew her time was running out. Jian meant to kill her, she was sure of that, and the longer they fought the closer she came to the realisation that the only way this fight would end is if one of them wasn't moving any more. If she could just knock Jian out... but Jian would wake up and hate her even more.

What was she supposed to do?

Jian became increasingly frustrated, throwing everything she had at Toroki, but Toroki had always been the superior fighter. If she could get her spear back, then she would have a chance. A chance to... to kill her. She was going to kill her best friend... her enemy.

Subaru closed her eyes, still feeling the drain on her powers from the fight before. If she could just make Jian Rian younger, then the fight would have to stop. Then they could convince her of the truth, that Toroki was still her friend and doing what she believed to be right. Everything would be just fine.

Toroki looked over and saw the Seishi and Miko huddled together, and there Subaru stood a little ways away, her eyes closed in concentration, her hands up as if she were praying. And Toroki suddenly knew that she was going to use her Seishi powers. She was trying to hurt Jian.

"No," Toroki hissed out, distracted from Jian's kick aimed at her stomach. She doubled over in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. "Stop!" Toroki choked out, and quickly picked up a rock and threw it at Subaru. The rock just missed Subaru, crashing against the wall behind her head. Subaru's eyes flung open in surprise.

"This isn't your fight!" Toroki called out, getting to her knees. She then looked behind her, hearing Jian's running footsteps behind her. She quickly turned, still on one knees and Jian thrust her spear and it found it's way to Toroki's left shoulder, piercing it's way to the other side.

Toroki screamed and took hold of the spear with her right hand. She glared up at Jian who stood over her with a spiteful look still plastered on her face. She pushed it forth as far as she could, causing immense pain in Toroki's shoulder.

"Jian!" Toroki called out in desperation, the look of hatred on her friends face so unfamiliar and hurtful. Her character began glow brighter and brighter until the white seemed to wrap completely around Toroki.

Everyone looked on in wonder, except for Jian who took a step back with shock on her face, but she still held onto her spear.

Suddenly Toroki clenched her fist around the spear and it splintered and snapped in half. Jian gasped in disbelief as she pulled back, a third of her spear now missing, but the jagged end still looking like it would do some damage.

Toroki struggled to her feet, the aura around her not disappearing. She grabbed the piece of spear still embedded into her shoulder and with a horrible wrench she pulled the spear end out, blood dripping off of it. She threw the spear away and it clattered in the deathly silence of the cave.

Jian gave a nervous smile. "No turning back now, is there?"

Toroki didn't stop glaring at Jian. "This is going to end here Jian."

Jian nodded sadly. "I know."

Subaru stood there cursing herself. This was going to end badly now no matter what, and she felt partially responsible. If this was fate had guided them to, though, then so be it. That didn't mean she liked the fact.

Jian launched herself at Toroki, her broken spear in her left hand, and her right hand ready to punch. Toroki brought her right arm up, blocking the punch. Then Jian thrust the spear forward, and Toroki had to duck to miss the blow.

Toroki then stood up with all her force, sending her right shoulder into Jian's stomach.

Tokaki smiled to himself. His hatred of her because she was a bandit seemed to melt away as she watched her fight. She had been manipulated all her life he could see that, but this girl was strong, she was a good fighter... and really hot. He was glad she was on their side now.

Amefuri stood nearer to the half conscious Kokie, ignoring him as he asked what the hell was going on. He too wanted to stop this fight, but something held him back, some part of him understood that these two needed to finish the fight and nobody else should interfere. Some part of him understood that greatly...

Jian fell to the ground, blood dripping from her mouth. She couldn't speak as pain swept through her body. Toroki didn't wait for her to get up, she couldn't control her anger, the betrayal she felt. She picked up her leg and kicked Jian, pushing her roughly into the hard rock.

Jian screamed then, not in pain, but in anger. She grabbed the broken spear in her hands and with all her strength rose to her feet and thrust the spear at Toroki. Toroki grabbed the spear and then kicked Jian again.

She let go of her spear and fell onto her back, tears of frustration streaming down her face as she tried to ignore the pain and get up.

Toroki didn't give her the chance, with the broken spear she flung herself on Jian, thrusting the spear through her left shoulder. Jian called out in pain as the spear went through her shoulder and into the rock, nailing her to the floor.

"Chi..." Jian called out, looking up at her friend. Toroki's eyes looked uncaring as she head butted the younger girl. Jian's head was sent back, hitting the rock.

She didn't move.

Toroki took a deep breath and sat back, the white aura and her character disappearing. She almost fell back from mental and physical exhaustion, but suddenly everyone was by her side. Tokaki was on his knees, holding her up.

Suzuno crouched by her side, taking the hand of her Seishi. "Are you ok?" She asked in concern. Toroki nodded and then looked at Jian.

The question was there in her eyes, "is she ok?" But she said nothing, unable to.

Amefuri crouched down beside Jian's head and took her pulse. He looked up at Toroki and nodded. "She alive."

Toroki looked away sadly. She looked up towards the ceiling of the cave, swallowing the overwhelming sadness she felt. "Now she won't stop until one of us is dead."

"We could take her back with us," Subaru suggested.

"No," Toroki said, shaking her head. "My father will be here soon, and he will find her. She'll be just fine..."

Toroki stood up.

"Well that's not what I meant. I meant we could help her see the truth."

"The truth?" Toroki looked down at her. "I don't even know what the truth is."

--

The six Seishi, Miko made their way out of the cave, there were horse outside, probably belonging to the dead bandits who they left in the cave. There was one great black stallion, it was Toroki's, and she mounted it without a word.

Suddenly they heard a small meow and they all looked down to see a small black and white tabby cat running up to Kokie.

"Byakko!" Suzuno called out happily and got onto her knees, she began to pet the cat and Byakko in turn began to purr. "I was wondering what happened to you!"

Kokie turned his head as he lay on the ground, and he found himself smiling at the cat as she left Suzuno's side and made her way over to Kokie where she began to lick his face and purr. "Nice ta see you too kitty."

"Why anything likes him is beyond me," Tokaki mumbled to himself annoyed as he mounted a horse.

They all got onto a horse and then began their journey back to the capital. Kousa could barely move, and the rest were very exhausted and hurt, but they had to keep moving because of the close threat of the bandits who probably came upon the cave hours after they left, just missing them and maybe gaining on them.

They couldn't take any chances and wounded or not, they travelled as fast as they could. They had to keep a close eye on Kokie to make sure that he didn't fall off of his horse, though Tokaki kept threatening to drag him by a rope if he didn't stop complaining about the pain.

Toroki's arm had been put into a sling and the entire way back to the capital she didn't say a single word to anyone, and they gave her her space, wanting her to feel more comfortable around them and not try to pry into her personal life.

"Only one more Seishi to find," Suzuno smiled as she walked with Subaru and Tatara. "I wonder where we should look... We've been lucky so far, Amefuri saying that he knows who they are... but where could they be...?"

A light came to Tatara's eyes. "Now that you mention it..." He reached into his bag and pulled out a white scroll. "I've had it for years, both Tokaki and me were given it by the Emperor who thought the Seishi ought to hold onto it. I was never given a chance to show it to you before, and then I completely forgot."

Suzuno opened the scroll and looked at it. "I know this!" She exclaimed suddenly, recognizing the characters from her fathers book, the book she had been reading when she woke up in this crazy world. "This is the Universe of the Four Gods!"

Tatara nodded. "They say Tai-Yi-Jun* gave each country one, in case the Miko ever came she would know where to look for us," he pointed at one character, the character for flower and lasso. "There I am."

"Oo," Subaru looked at it. "That's me!" Subaru pointed out the characters for beauty and rise. "Fits perfectly I'd say." Se said with a wink and Suzuno smiled.

"Well, this helps," she said rolling it back up. "We can look at it more once we get back to the capital," she handed it back to Tatara.

"No," Tatara said, looking into her eyes. "It's yours now."

Suzuno nodded and put it into her own bag. "Ok." She paused for a moment. "But who's this Tai-Yi-Jun fellow?"

"The creator of our planet, and both father and mother to the four Beast Gods."

"Really???"

Tatara nodded. "According to legend, Tai-Yi-Jun lives on Mount Daichi*."

Suzuno looked back north to where they came from. The mountains where the war between the north and south began, when the Prince's true love fell to her death, bearing the child who may or may not have been Byakko. Suzuno was sad just looking at the mountains, and so looked back to the south, towards the horizon where the capital awaited them.

--

"Jian, speak to me. Where is my daughter?"

Jian's eyes shot open and pain flooded into her system. She almost felt back unconscious, except for the persistent voice near by.

"Where is my daughter?"

Jian looked around trying to find the source of the voice, but all she could see was black. Panic nearly seized her, but then the black began to melt away and a face came into view. A face she knew very well.

Chi's father.

"Sir..." she whispered, glad that he was there, and yet a sudden sadness grabbed hold of her and tears started to form in her eyes. "They've taken her. They've taken Chi."

"What? What are you talking about Jian? Who took her?" He didn't look as concerned as most fathers would.

"The Seishi and their whore whom they call 'Miko'!" Jian spat out, thinking of how they had brainwashed her best friend and forced them to fight. "They discovered she was a Seishi! And they turned her against us!"

"Keep your voice down," he scolded as some of the bandits looked there way. Most of the bandits were adults from his band, but a few of the younger bandits who now stood among their slaughtered comrades were there, having run away to find Chi's father and rush him and his bandits back to the cave. But once they arrived, the Seishi were gone and most of the bandits in the cave were dead or terribly wounded.

"I'm sorry," Jian muttered, looking away in shame. "But she's gone."

He stood up, looking towards the exit.

"Don't worry Jian, I am not mad at you," he looked down at her. "But do not mourn that traitor, and traitor she is. You must save your strength and heal, because there is much work to do."

He looked back towards the exit, plans beginning to form in his head. "Their Miko and all the Seishi will die."

Jian looked up with wide eyes. "All?"

"All."

*Terms:

Tai-Yi-Jun: In the Manga/Anime, it's Taiitsukun, that's Japanese, this is Chinese.

Daichi: Mount Taikyoku in Japanese. Is also Daichi-San

(Aoi Dragon mentioned about Yuu Watase writing the Genbu story. I had heard of that and am absolutely psyched over it, and I have also thought about her taking on Byakko. That'd be cool and all, though it would make me sad and I'd probably take this story down. So! Read and you can, and let's keep watching the stars! Anyway, it's crazy how fast I wrote this chapter. I wrote half a page after posting the last one, and then today I sat down and finished the whole chapter - thank you Aoi Dragon for giving me some inspiration with your review! This chapter had a lot of influence from 'The Illiad'. They use a lot of spears in it, and so that was very helpful seeing Jian obviously fights with a spear. Mind you, I was alsot listening to the soundtrack from 'Wicked' - which is, forgive the pun, a wicked musical - so that may have given my writing a strange mood. But I think I'm happy with this chapter. A new little arc has begun, and that's exciting! I think it might be overdue for me to go back and edit the last few chapters, so hopefully I'll do that before my next update. Ok, can't think of what else to say, please review because that really, really, really helps me write. Thank you and goodnight!)

Review:

Aoi Dragon: Hey! You've finally given me a review! I've been waiting for you to review for so long and now it's finally happened! *Throws confetti*