Chapter 20

"What was the point of stealing these girls in the first place?" A voice asked.

"What was the point?! The point is one of those priestesses have poisoned lord Nakago! He has fallen for one of them. But we don't know which one used their evil powers to seduce him!"

"Well why do we have these two then?"

A conflict between three voices was going on. Yume and Emi were blind folded so they couldn't see and they couldn't be sure if they recognized the voices.

"Yeah, he's right for once. There were four priestesses in all, how did we only end up with two?"

"Well he snatched these two when they were near the lake so that was no problem but the problem I had was that the other ones were with Suzaku warriors and I didn't want them to be alarmed and blow our cover." There was silence for a few seconds and then they started arguing again.

"Well, then how do we know which one has used their craft to take Nakago?"

"We don't, we just simply kill them all."

Emi and Yume gulped.

"Yes, and you two will be first, did you enjoy our little conversation? Good, it might be the last words you hear."

Tasuki looked behind him from Aoi to Chichiri and back again. 'Oh boy.' He thought. It was totally silent and too disturbing. They were riding horses to Qu-Dong. Tasuki couldn't take anymore so he broke the silence.

"So, uh, where are we going?"

"Huh?" Aoi answered, knocking herself out of a daydream of what had happened.

"Where are we going?" He asked again.

"Oh, uh," Aoi opened reached in her back pocket and pulled out a map. "It seems that the only ones that are still alive of the Seriyu 7 is Soi, Ashitare, Miboshi, and Nakago."

"Well okay, we know where Nakago is, why don't we check out his place first?"

"No, I don't think it was him this time." Chichiri barged in.

"Why not?" Tasuki asked appalled.

"Well, he would've taken Aoi instead of Meg and Jeni right? After all, he claims to love her."

"True, but what if he took them as bait to make her come back to him?"

"No, I Chichiri is right." Aoi sided. "It even says here that Soi, Miboshi, and Ashitare are all together on the other side of the mountain. It must have been them. Meg and Jeni would've screamed as soon as they saw his face and we definitely would've heard it if that were the case."

Tasuki looked forward and spoke under his breath.

"Of course you would side with him..." He turned back around and looked at them. "Fine. I'll check out Nakago's and you two check out the other's place okay?"

"Oh, do we have a thing for Nakago now?" Aoi winked at Tasuki.

"NO!!! I was trying to save you the misery of going over there!"

"Why do you have to go in the first place?" Chichiri asked.

"What if we're wrong and they are at his place? We have to get to them as soon as we can so it's only right for us to split up right?"

Aoi stared at him for a moment and then clapped.

"You're actually using that brain of yours! Go Tasuki!" She rode off past him and Chichiri followed.

"I use it all the time!" Tasuki yelled after them. "Okay, maybe I'm making myself look bad now..." Tasuki watched them ride over the horizon. 'Now that those two love birds are alone, time to get down to business.'

"We have company." Ashitare reported.

"Company? As in a priestess or Suzaku warrior?" Soi asked.

"Both. They're heading up the steps as we speak."

"How did they figure out where we were?" Miboshi asked.

"It doesn't matter. Another priestess is here. It only means we have less work to do. She was so kind as to deliver herself here to the enemy. The fools!" Soi laughed.

"It always amazes me how dumb the Suzaku warriors always were."

"Ashitare! Keep a close eye on them and make sure they get in with little effort. Tell the guards to stand down."

"Yes Soi."

"You really will marry him huh? You two would make a perfect couple. Lord Nakago and you."

"Yes, thank you. I will make sure we are together, even if it means killing people that stand in the way."

"Aw.... How touching." Miboshi wiped a tear from his eye.

"And for staying by me, you will be my personal helper at all times, if that is what you want."

"I could think of no greater honor. Thank you."

Soi smiled. "Thank you for helping me get rid of these pests." Soi thought of something. "Why don't we give our guests a greeting they'll never forget? I mean its the least we can do right?" Soi barred her fangs and her eyes glowed red.

"You are too cruel." Miboshi smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"We hit a lucky break, there's no guards, but that sort of bothers me. There were guards at all the other castles, why not this one?"

"Its called camouflage. Now how do we get in?" Aoi asked. The horses were tied up a little way away from the castle and Aoi and Chichiri were under an overhang connected to the castle. "Isn't there locks on the door?"

"Yeah there are and I don't know how to pick a lock. Did Izumi teach you how to pick a lock?" Aoi thought for a minute.

"I think she did, but if she did, I forgot already! What do we do?!"

"Well just try to remember. You can do it."

"But I don't have the right materials!"

Chichiri pulled out the spy ware bag with a smile. "I thought this might come in handy."

"Sweet!" Aoi dug into the bag and looked for the right gadget to pick a lock. What she found was a laser instead. "Why pick a lock when you can melt it right off?" Aoi turned the intensity all the way up to maximum and aimed at the lock. The lock rapidly melted off the hinges and on the ground. Aoi turned it off and kicked the door open. "There you go, one open door."

"Nice gadgets."

"Thank you."

The stepped over the melted lock and ran in the main hall. Everywhere you looked there was a painting of Nakago, a statue of Seriyu or a monument of the priestess of Seriyu, Yui.

"Wow, this place is like a shrine all together."

"No, if it was a shrine, we wouldn't be able to be in her-Oh my Goddess!" Chichiri looked at Aoi and followed her gaze. Her friends were on the ground, bleeding. She ran to them.

"No!! Not you guys too! Why is this happening! Why?!?!" Emi lifted her hand up to Aoi's face.

"We're fine, don't worry about us," All of a sudden, Yume was behind Aoi and holding her in a headlock, threatening her with a knife.

"Yeah, you should be more worried about yourself!" Yume exclaimed with an evil laugh.

TO BE CONTINUED