After securing Hotohori's cooperation, Miaka, Chichiri, and Taka set
out once more in hopes of finding more of the celestial warriors. Spirits
were high, as they already had over half of the group assembled, and
already the next character had appeared in the crystal ball: doctor. This,
of course, brought them to the assumption that their next target would be
Mitsukake.
"If I were the reincarnated version of Mitsukake," Miaka said, more to herself than the other two, "Where would I be?"
"He could be working at any of the hospitals around here..." Taka said, ponderously.
"Or a private practice, no da."
The three walked slowly down the street, each deep in thought, considering where they might be able to find their former comrade. Distracted as they were, none of them noticed an orange-haired man running up the street toward them. Nor, in fact, did the man notice the trio in his path, being rather distracted by looking over his shoulder. Inevitably, the general lack of awareness lead to collision.
Miaka found herself knocked to the ground as the orange-haired man ran into her. After a moment of being utterly dazed and confused, Miaka sat up and glanced over at the fallen figure of the man.
"Watch where you're going!" The man shot as he looked back at her. Miaka opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short as she took in the man's appearance. He was young, perhaps twenty or so years of age, no more than twenty-five, she thought. His eyes were bright and burning with a kind of energy that was reflected in the fiery orange color of his hair.
His eyes were the same, she thought. His face was different (although it bore some resemblance,) but his eyes had the same look to them, the same energy. And, she thought, his hair was orange as well, not a particularly common color. Besides, Chichiri and Chiriko's faces were rather different from their past-life counterparts as well.
"Tasuki?" Miaka spoke after a moment of hesitation. The man halted, having been about to fling some manner of insult. After a moment of puzzled gaping, he got up and brushed himself off.
"That's not my name. Who are you? What do you want?" He said, in a manner that fairly well assured that he was lying.
"Tasuki! Get back here! You still owe me money!" Shouted a somewhat distant voice. The man looked over his shoulder with a frown and then turned, running off swiftly. Miaka scrambled to her feet to give chase, but was blocked by Chichiri's arm.
"Don't worry, Lady Miaka. I'll get him, no da." Chichiri said, pulling off his hat and stepping into it. A moment later, Chichiri reemerged from the hat about a hundred feet up the street, cutting off a very confused and surprised Tasuki.
"Right this way, Tasuki-san. Taiitsukun-sama will explain everything, no da." Chichiri spoke in a reassuring tone, even as he tugged the dazed man into the hat's vortex.
"Uhm...do you think he'll be okay?" Miaka said to Taka as she straightened herself out from the fall.
"Sure. Tasuki will get used to all this, I'm sure."
"I meant Chichiri." Miaka pointed out, shaking her head. "Tasuki can get pretty violent."
"Oh, yeah. Well, Chichiri's always been pretty capable of handling himself." Taka noted as they resumed walking, bypassing the very confused man who had been chasing Tasuki.
"I wonder why the crystal ball didn't say anything about Tasuki, even though we were so close?" Miaka pondered.
"I don't know. Maybe it only sees one warrior at a time." Taka suggested with a shrug, "Or it knew we would find him on our own. Who knows?"
Miaka just shook her head a bit. Thinking about it gave her a headache...She simply sighed and turned to Taka once more.
"Back to looking for Mitsukake, I guess."
"Yes...I guess so." Taka replied. The two got perhaps five or six more steps before their attention was drawn to the side by the sound of a cat's meow. That sound would not have normally been anything special, except the cat seemed to take a particular interest in Miaka, as though the little feline recognized her. Miaka, of course, paused to pet the little creature, which purred contently.
"Tama!" A voice from inside a nearby building called, just barely audible from outside. A few seconds passed before a tall, rather heavy-set man emerged from the building, wearing a white coat that indicated that he was a doctor. Miaka looked up, somewhat surprised, but said nothing at first.
"Tama, you shouldn't go wandering like that. Your leg still hasn't healed." The man spoke in a deep voice, reaching down and snatching up the cat carefully. Meanwhile, Miaka looked him over for a moment.
"Can I help you?" The man spoke a few moments later, once he had the little feline safely in him hands.
"Oh, uhm, we're looking for a doctor named Mitsukake." Miaka replied, "Do you know him?"
The man was silent for several seconds before he turned toward the door of a nearby building, a small building with a sign upon it, explaining it to be a veterinary office, pulling it open with his free hand. He glanced back over his shoulder at the two.
"You'd better come inside."
Miaka and Taka followed the tall man inside the front door. Miaka glanced around as she entered, observing the waiting room, wherein a small assortment of animals waited, along with their respective owners. A few steps farther took them into a small office, complete with a large oak desk, slightly cluttered by stacks of papers and folders which are typical of medical practices.
The man took a seat behind the desk, and picked up a pair of glasses, placing them securely on his nose.
"You are the priestess of Suzaku, I take it?" He asked. Miaka was somewhat taken aback by this, but nodded a confirmation. "I suppose you have already gone to see Hotohori, then?"
"Yes." Taka answered, seeming rather confused by this, "You know him?"
"Oh, yes, of course." The man said, "Our families have been friends for years."
"And you're Mitsukake?" Miaka asked quietly. The man smiled a bit.
"You might say that, yes." The man smiles further, "It is my family name. I am Mitsukake Kiyou, a descendant of the celestial warrior Mitsukake. I have been told since I was a child that some day the Priestess of Suzaku might seek my help, just as my father was told, and his father before him."
"Oh. Well, you see, Taiitsukun told me that I have to gather the warriors again."Miaka explained, "Something about gathering darkness."
"I will certainly do what I can to help." Mitsukake replied, "Although at the moment, I'm afraid I have quite a few patients waiting."
"Oh, yes, we understand. We'll come back when we need you." Taka said, taking Miaka by the arm, and with that, the two left.
Samantha stood on a street corner, staring off into the distance. The voice had told her to look for a man and a woman coming out of the veterinarian office. She had been waiting for perhaps ten minutes when the two emerged: a young brown-haired woman walking beside a dark-haired man. The voice had told her to remember what they looked like. She would be encountering them quite a lot later, it told her, in the tasks that needed to be accomplished. It had said something about celestial warriors or some such bizarre nonsense, but it really didn't matter. The voice made some impressive promises, and since she really had nothing better to do with her time, she had decided to go along with it, for better or for worse. Well at least it couldn't be all bad, she thought. The dark-haired man was very attractive, after all.
"If I were the reincarnated version of Mitsukake," Miaka said, more to herself than the other two, "Where would I be?"
"He could be working at any of the hospitals around here..." Taka said, ponderously.
"Or a private practice, no da."
The three walked slowly down the street, each deep in thought, considering where they might be able to find their former comrade. Distracted as they were, none of them noticed an orange-haired man running up the street toward them. Nor, in fact, did the man notice the trio in his path, being rather distracted by looking over his shoulder. Inevitably, the general lack of awareness lead to collision.
Miaka found herself knocked to the ground as the orange-haired man ran into her. After a moment of being utterly dazed and confused, Miaka sat up and glanced over at the fallen figure of the man.
"Watch where you're going!" The man shot as he looked back at her. Miaka opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short as she took in the man's appearance. He was young, perhaps twenty or so years of age, no more than twenty-five, she thought. His eyes were bright and burning with a kind of energy that was reflected in the fiery orange color of his hair.
His eyes were the same, she thought. His face was different (although it bore some resemblance,) but his eyes had the same look to them, the same energy. And, she thought, his hair was orange as well, not a particularly common color. Besides, Chichiri and Chiriko's faces were rather different from their past-life counterparts as well.
"Tasuki?" Miaka spoke after a moment of hesitation. The man halted, having been about to fling some manner of insult. After a moment of puzzled gaping, he got up and brushed himself off.
"That's not my name. Who are you? What do you want?" He said, in a manner that fairly well assured that he was lying.
"Tasuki! Get back here! You still owe me money!" Shouted a somewhat distant voice. The man looked over his shoulder with a frown and then turned, running off swiftly. Miaka scrambled to her feet to give chase, but was blocked by Chichiri's arm.
"Don't worry, Lady Miaka. I'll get him, no da." Chichiri said, pulling off his hat and stepping into it. A moment later, Chichiri reemerged from the hat about a hundred feet up the street, cutting off a very confused and surprised Tasuki.
"Right this way, Tasuki-san. Taiitsukun-sama will explain everything, no da." Chichiri spoke in a reassuring tone, even as he tugged the dazed man into the hat's vortex.
"Uhm...do you think he'll be okay?" Miaka said to Taka as she straightened herself out from the fall.
"Sure. Tasuki will get used to all this, I'm sure."
"I meant Chichiri." Miaka pointed out, shaking her head. "Tasuki can get pretty violent."
"Oh, yeah. Well, Chichiri's always been pretty capable of handling himself." Taka noted as they resumed walking, bypassing the very confused man who had been chasing Tasuki.
"I wonder why the crystal ball didn't say anything about Tasuki, even though we were so close?" Miaka pondered.
"I don't know. Maybe it only sees one warrior at a time." Taka suggested with a shrug, "Or it knew we would find him on our own. Who knows?"
Miaka just shook her head a bit. Thinking about it gave her a headache...She simply sighed and turned to Taka once more.
"Back to looking for Mitsukake, I guess."
"Yes...I guess so." Taka replied. The two got perhaps five or six more steps before their attention was drawn to the side by the sound of a cat's meow. That sound would not have normally been anything special, except the cat seemed to take a particular interest in Miaka, as though the little feline recognized her. Miaka, of course, paused to pet the little creature, which purred contently.
"Tama!" A voice from inside a nearby building called, just barely audible from outside. A few seconds passed before a tall, rather heavy-set man emerged from the building, wearing a white coat that indicated that he was a doctor. Miaka looked up, somewhat surprised, but said nothing at first.
"Tama, you shouldn't go wandering like that. Your leg still hasn't healed." The man spoke in a deep voice, reaching down and snatching up the cat carefully. Meanwhile, Miaka looked him over for a moment.
"Can I help you?" The man spoke a few moments later, once he had the little feline safely in him hands.
"Oh, uhm, we're looking for a doctor named Mitsukake." Miaka replied, "Do you know him?"
The man was silent for several seconds before he turned toward the door of a nearby building, a small building with a sign upon it, explaining it to be a veterinary office, pulling it open with his free hand. He glanced back over his shoulder at the two.
"You'd better come inside."
Miaka and Taka followed the tall man inside the front door. Miaka glanced around as she entered, observing the waiting room, wherein a small assortment of animals waited, along with their respective owners. A few steps farther took them into a small office, complete with a large oak desk, slightly cluttered by stacks of papers and folders which are typical of medical practices.
The man took a seat behind the desk, and picked up a pair of glasses, placing them securely on his nose.
"You are the priestess of Suzaku, I take it?" He asked. Miaka was somewhat taken aback by this, but nodded a confirmation. "I suppose you have already gone to see Hotohori, then?"
"Yes." Taka answered, seeming rather confused by this, "You know him?"
"Oh, yes, of course." The man said, "Our families have been friends for years."
"And you're Mitsukake?" Miaka asked quietly. The man smiled a bit.
"You might say that, yes." The man smiles further, "It is my family name. I am Mitsukake Kiyou, a descendant of the celestial warrior Mitsukake. I have been told since I was a child that some day the Priestess of Suzaku might seek my help, just as my father was told, and his father before him."
"Oh. Well, you see, Taiitsukun told me that I have to gather the warriors again."Miaka explained, "Something about gathering darkness."
"I will certainly do what I can to help." Mitsukake replied, "Although at the moment, I'm afraid I have quite a few patients waiting."
"Oh, yes, we understand. We'll come back when we need you." Taka said, taking Miaka by the arm, and with that, the two left.
Samantha stood on a street corner, staring off into the distance. The voice had told her to look for a man and a woman coming out of the veterinarian office. She had been waiting for perhaps ten minutes when the two emerged: a young brown-haired woman walking beside a dark-haired man. The voice had told her to remember what they looked like. She would be encountering them quite a lot later, it told her, in the tasks that needed to be accomplished. It had said something about celestial warriors or some such bizarre nonsense, but it really didn't matter. The voice made some impressive promises, and since she really had nothing better to do with her time, she had decided to go along with it, for better or for worse. Well at least it couldn't be all bad, she thought. The dark-haired man was very attractive, after all.