Chapter 2

"How- how can that be?" Aoi was very confused.

"What do you mean, Jen?"

"They can't be here! They didn't have the book. The book is at my house right now. Keisuke would have kept the book. He wouldn't just carelessly loose it." Aoi said panically.

A grim expression came over Chichiri's face as he took of his mask. "We were afraid of this, ya know."

"What?" Aoi looked like she had heard the worst news ever.

"Yeah, we noticed there was something wrong when ya guys came in. Since then we all were looking for ways to solve da mystery of you 5 other priestesses." Tasuki said.

"There must be more books, ya know?" Chichiri was looking in her eyes. Aoi stared into space past Chichiri. When Chichiri touched her to make sure she was all right, her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. The last thing she heard was them panicking.

"Jen? Jen..." Aoi opened her eyes. She saw Chichiri's face without the mask and suddenly noticed she was in a bed. She jumped and banged heads with Chichiri. "Ow. Your head is pretty hard, ya know?" Chichiri was rubbing his head to ease the pain.

"Ow, I'm really sorry." Aoi was holding her head with both her hands and was looking down at the bed sheets. The pain she felt in her head stopped. "Where am I? I know I'm not in my bed, in Hong-Nan."

"Actually we're at Tai Yi-Jun's place. I couldn't take you to the palace in the condition you were in. Plus, we came here to see if Tai Yi-Jun knows anything about this book you guys come through to get here, ya know?" There was some water on a stand near by. He got up and brought some over to her. "You have a fever, ya know? I volunteered to take care of you so if you need anything, ask me, ya know?" He handed her the glass and set the pitcher next to the bed. He walked towards the door. "Now, I think you should get some rest, I've got to go talk to Tai Yi-Jun, ya know?" Chichiri placed on his mask and walked out the door. Aoi was left there to feel lonely. She wondered where Lai Lai was. AS if knowing what she was thinking, Lai Lai popped up with some food in her hands.

"Hi hi!" Lai Lai said while eating. Aoi just stared at her. "Hm? Are you feeling better now?" She said dancing around.

"Um, yes. I'm feeling much better. Did you heal me?"

"No no. Chi-chan did that! He did he did!" She stuffed a banana in her mouth, chewed slowly, and then swallowed. Aoi got up and slowly but surely, started walking to the door. "Where are you going? Huh huh?"

"I'm going to the courtyard to look at the Sakura. They're very beautiful this year." Aoi walked out the door and Lai Lai followed her.

Aoi was outside in the courtyard when she collapsed on the ground. She didn't want to make Lai Lai worry so she fell back too, to make it seem like she wanted to look up at the sky. "The sky is very blue today. And the Sakura, its just all so beautiful!" Aoi stretched her fingers in front of her knowing that Lai Lai wasn't paying attention to her. A face popped up over hers. It was Lai Lai. "Yes?" Lai Lai's arms shot out, and she placed a Sakura crown on her head. "Um, thanks Lai Lai. Its beautiful." Lai Lai then brought out a brush that Aoi always kept in the castle on the mountain and started brushing her hair. As if it were magic, Aoi's hair looked like was starting to grow, although it wasn't. Her hair was actually only straightening out. Once Lai Lai was done she laid down next to Aoi to look up at the sky. It was very quiet.

Maybe I should try Chichiri's advice. Aoi closed her eyes and was about to drift off to sleep when a person called her name.

"Jen?" It was Chichiri. He didn't have his mask on. Aoi sat up and turned. The Sakura crown looked like a halo of light and Aoi's hair looked like silk. She looked more like a princess out of a fairytale then a priestess.

"Oh, Chichiri. Where did you come from?" Aoi flipped her hair behind her shoulder. Chichiri couldn't take his eyes off her.

Chichiri was blushing slightly but he managed to say, "I've been looking everywhere for you. When you weren't in the room, I was a little worried, ya know?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should have stayed there. You're right." Aoi stood up but immediately fell back down.

"Jen? What's wrong?" Chichiri was at her side in less than a second.

"Its nothing. I'm fine don't worry about it." She reassured him.

"I don't know. Maybe I should carry you back to the room, ya know?"

"No really, I'm fine. Don't-" Aoi was cut off. Chichiri had picked her up without her even realizing it.

"I don't know, you look a little feverish to me, ya know." He placed his head on hers and she swore that her heart had skipped a beat. "Are you hungry?"

"Actually I am a little hungry."

"Okay then, I'll set you in the room and be back soon with some food." He walked with her in his arms and placed her on the bed in the room. "Do you want anything in particularly?"

"Uh, fruit?" Aoi said.

"Okay. Fruit." With that Chichiri left her sight, yet again, to go get her some fruit.

Lai Lai had stayed in the courtyard so Aoi was left all alone again. She didn't want to leave the room, she didn't have enough strength to, and so Aoi ended up falling asleep.

Minutes later, Chichiri, with his mask, walked into the room. "Hey, Jen, I brought your fruit ya know." Chichiri walked in the room and found Aoi asleep. He took his mask off and looked at her with tender eyes. He set the fruit down, grabbed a chair and sat by her side. He watched her sleep so innocently and took her hand. He held it all through the night.

It was morning and sunlight was filtering in from the windows. The curtains were holding some of the light back. Aoi woke up and found that another was holding her hand. She looked to her side and found the owner of the other hand, Chichiri. He was asleep without his mask and he looked like an innocent child. She pulled away her hand slowly and gently rolled out of the bed. She then tiptoed to the door, took one final look at him, and walked out to the courtyard.

Out in the courtyard, Aoi was leaning up against a tree in the shade. The Sakura flowers were still falling down and she was just watching fall.

"I wonder why he was there like that. That was so... interesting...." Aoi placed her hand over her heart. It was beating crazily. "Even after a while, my heart still beats so fast."

"Well that's bad isn't it." A voice behind her said.

She jumped. She knew that voice. She slowly turned around and in front of her appeared Nakago of the Seriyu seven. A creepy grin crossed his lips before he said, "Hello my priestess."

TO BE CONTINUED

WHOA! Very scary I know, and I also know that my friend is probably gonna kill me for this but hey, that's sorta how I said it before..... ok not really. I'll try to finish the next one real soon!