Chapter 12

"Aoi! I was yelling for you, didn't you hear me?!" Izumi asked sort of worried and angry at the same time.

Aoi's eyes turned from a glazed over state to her usual bright eyes. She shuddered as if waking from something and hearing Izumi's voice for the first time. She looked at Izumi, to her right, with an unusual face.

"Izumi? When did you get here?" She asked.

"Um, helloooooo?! I've only been here for like an hour tryin to snap you out of your gaze!" She exclaimed.

"Really? I just noticed you were here." Aoi said looking off into the darkness before her once again. She shook her head and placed important matters on the line once again. "Izumi! Oh my gosh! That's right! Well let's get out of here! Where's Chichiri?" She asked. A hand from behind touched her shoulder. She jumped and yelled.

"Wow. Jeez Jen. Not only did you not know I was behind you but you also didn't know it was me touching your shoulder. Are you alright?" He asked worried. He felt her forehead and compared the temperature to his. "Well, you don't have a fever." He said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lets do all this later! We have to go before more guards come for us!" Tasuki said.

"Well we don't want her spacing in the middle of running for our lives!" Izumi and Chichiri yelled at him.

"Don't worry about it guys! I'm fine!" Aoi said waving her hand. Her mood became serious all of a sudden. "Lets go, I know the way!" She said. She turned and ran down the hall. The others were following right behind her. Every once in a while, Aoi would stop and think about where they were but none the less, she lead them out of the dark castle. She ran out the door to find Emi and Yume sitting on top of all the guards they had battled and conquered. Yume had her pole under her arms behind her back and Emi was looking at her poor stick that had been broken in two. They looked up to see Aoi, Izumi, Chichiri and Tasuki running towards them.

"Hey!! You found her!" Aoi stopped. She looked in front of her and rubbed her eyes.

"Meg? Jeni?" She asked clearly thinking it was an illusion. Emi and Yume ran towards her for a hug. It was a huge, girl, group hug. All four friends were in it. They all laughed and jumped around doing happy dances. Izumi stopped when she remembered Usagi. Usagi wasn't there and Izumi feared that at the Hong-Nan Empire, Usagi was in grave danger.

"Hiiyyaahhh!!!!" Usagi screamed. She was still fighting Suzaku, and so far, she hadn't had much luck winning. She had a light cut in her left arm, a cut on the right side of her face and a gash in her right leg. She attacked him over and over again but she just wasn't having any luck. She had been hit so many times and yet she had barely touched Suzaku with on of her fingers. She was getting tired of this. She had to think of a way to fight him and win. Until she thought of something, she would keep attacking.

"Attacking without strategy won't help you win, priestess." Suzaku pointed out. It seemed that he had read her mind. Usagi put distance between them, and stood there panting for a second. (A/N I would like to point out that they are fighting in the shrine of Suzaku, not everywhere in the palace or on a battlefield.)

"What are, what are you talking about?" She said catching her breath.

"I know you don't have strategy. I know you have been blindly trying to hit your target." He said.

"You don't know anything. I know what I'm doing so leave me alone." She said boldly.

"Do you really know what you are doing?" He asked. She froze. Her breathing was silent. "I don't think you do. You can give up you know. It wouldn't be the first time someone has." He said slowly advancing towards her. She put her fists down next to her sides. It looked like she was thinking. "You see, you were quite right. I am invincible. There is no one who can stop the all mighty Suzaku." He said slowly gaining ground towards her.

"You're right. There wasn't anyone who could face your power..." She said trailing off. He was close enough to kill her. "...But there is now! And I won't be defeated by the likes of you!" She said. She did a back flip and ended up kicking him in the jaw. She plunged forward and kneed him in the stomach. He had the wind knocked out of him. Before he could retaliate she kicked him in the jaw. After that she picked him up and slammed him to the ground. His bones made this huge cracking sound. It was the sound of bones being broken. He was lying on the floor in pain. He could not move. She walked over to him.

"You see, Suzaku..." She said looking down at his face. "I am just not the kind of person who would give up so easily." She smiled and he just stared at her. "Suzaku, am I now worthy of your guidance?" She asked with a cheesy smile on her face.

Suzaku closed his eyes and nodded reluctantly.

"Good..." Was the last thing she said before she fell on top of Suzaku from exhaustion? She was very tired and sleepy. When she fell, a light yellow pebble fell out of her hands. Suzaku moved her from off him and looked at the pebble. Soon he noticed that it was a stone. A glass stone that she created to help her defeat him. He looked back at her and then at the glass stone again. He placed the glass stone in his pocket and went back to pick Usagi up. He carried her out of the shrine and through the hallways to.... his room.

TO BE CONTINUED

I'm very sorry that I made this chappy so short but I sorta had other things to do and I didn't have that much time and I really wanted to update so plz, plz, plz!!! Understand!!!! I will write a longer chappy next time!!! I promise!!!! Now that I have that done, the next chappy will be up soon.

-Kyoluver15