Solei and Nuriko came racing into the hallway just in time to see Tasuki fade into the portal after Amber. Solei, yelling curses, tried to grab Tasuki, but the portal closed before she could get there.
"Shit." She ended her curses and started heading towards her room determinedly.
"Where are you going?" Nuriko asked.
"To get the dress." She answered through gritted teeth. He looked at her in confusion.
"The dress?"
"Yes the dress. You saw me in it last night." Realization dawned in Nuriko's eyes.
"You looked good in it." She paused in her stride and turned towards him, the exasperated smile on her face quickly faded to annoyance as she spoke.
"I hate that dress."
"Oh..." Nuriko trailed into silence as she stalked away, unsure of what to say in response. She came back towards him a few minutes later, her hair loose and flowing over her shoulders in slightly damp curls, wearing the dress and carrying a drawstring pack that he presumed held her other clothes. He looked at her in confusion.
"Why are you wearing it if you hate it?" he asked. She set the pack down and turned her back towards him as she began rummaging through her pack.
"I need to talk to my father, and that requires formal dress. Let's just leave it at that." She pulled a double-bladed glaive out of the bag, immune to his stunned expression. She studied the blade, never looking away from its polished surface. "Coming with, Nakago, Nuriko?" she asked.
"Yes." Nakago's voice behind him made Nuriko jump sky-high before answering.
"Sure."
"Then please put these on." She tossed each of them an outfit out of the bag. They disappeared for a few minutes and when they returned they were garbed in dark clothing that would allow them to blend in with the inhabitants of this other world. She handed Nakago his sword and a whip, also from the bag, waiting until he had slid the sword through his sash to ask Nuriko what he preferred as a weapon. He pulled a pair of bracers from a bag in his room and put them on. He nodded when he was ready. Solei spoke quickly, eager to get the meeting over with.
"Nakago, put your hand on my shoulder, Nuriko, on my other shoulder." They complied equally as fast.
"Why are we-" She cut Nuriko off before he could ask. He would understand soon enough.
"Silence. I need to concentrate." She began to sing softly as she twirled her glaive, her voice echoing impossibly through the hall. Nuriko's eyes widened in surprise as her blade caught on air and ripped a portal into another world. She walked through slowly and Nuriko and Nakago followed, careful to keep in contact with her. When they emerged they saw a dark world, and they understood her request to put on the black clothes. Everyone was dressed in black, and coloured sashes were tied around their waists. Nuriko looked at Solei and noticed a long, unsheathed sword hanging from a pure white sash. He looked at his own waist, not remembering if he wore one. He did not.
"Why am I not wearing a sash?" he asked.
"Because when you wear a sash, you must have a weapon to put in it. It's a warning that you carry at least one visible blade, and, depending on the colour, many hidden ones. You don't even carry a hidden one. Don't worry. A white sash is something well respected." Another question came barreling out of his mouth before he could stop it.
"Why are white sashes respected?" She grinned.
"It means I'm trained in the ways of this world, and there is no limit to how many blades I carry." He gave her a very confused look. She continued. "It also means I'm part of the GUILD." Nuriko nodded.
"Right. The guild. What's the guild?" She sighed.
"Not the guild, Nuriko, the GUILD. It..." she paused, trying to come up with the right words. "It means I'm not to be trifled with. You can remove your hands from my shoulders, gentlemen. Follow me and don't stray from the path. Don't ask why, Nuriko. The inhabitants here already doubt you." They followed her in stony silence. A pair of ebony doors rose up in front of them, and she raised her hands to it, her glaive tucked back in the now invisible pack she had handed to Nuriko.
"Enuma Elish." She whispered, and the doors opened before her.
"What does-" Nakago answered Nuriko's question before he finished it.
"When above." Solei shot them a glare.
"Silence. When before my father pretend you aren't there. If you even think about speaking, he will probably kill you, and then Suzaku and Seiryu will both be mad at me. It's bad enough already." Nuriko cut off his question and nodded in understanding. She turned back to the front, and strode confidently down the darkened corridor. Another set of identical ebony doors stood before them when she stopped. A slightly stooped person walked over, his eyes void and empty.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" he asked. Kamai seemed to ripple before them, and as they watched she began to change. Her ears lengthened and tapered to points, her hair grew down to her hips and turned a darker black than the doors. An expression of extreme pain crossed her features unseen by Nakago and Nuriko as dark feathered wings erupted from her back, dripping blood on the snowy marble. The page's eyes widened in fear, and he ran away as fast as his uneven legs could carry him. The doors swung open unbidden. Slowly, Kamai walked forward, pain now concealed expertly through many years of practice. Halfway down the carpet towards a throne hidden in shadows, she stopped, dropping to her knee and placing her right hand over her heart. Nakago and Nuriko followed suit instantly.
"RISE." The god's voice echoed throughout the chamber. "WHO APROACHES ME UNANNOUNCED?" Kamai rose once he finished speaking and answered.
"I am the thirteenth Dark Angel."
"KAMAI." She waited; he had more to say. "MY CHILD. WHO COMES WITH YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
"The Seiryu Seishi Nakago stands to my right, on my left stands Suzaku Seishi Nuriko." They bowed in turn and the god raised an eyebrow, intending to inquire as to her relationship with them later. She continued. "I am forced to formally request the release of Shunhi'a Chi from her human form. She is in danger and I cannot do my duty properly at this point unless she knows who she truly is. Let her have control once more, majesty." The god seemed taken aback by her request.
"WHERE IS SHUNHI'A? SHE MUST BE WITHIN MY RANGE IF I AM TO COMMIT TO HER RELEASE." Solei licked her lips, then continued on.
"Chi is currently in the land of the four gods, a land well within your borders, my lord."
"WHAT IS SO PRESSING, ANGEL OF MINE?"
"I am..." She paused, embarrassed, "...blocked, from that realm. The cosmic powers do not want me to recreate the apocalypse that I made on Hian. I am, confined, highness."
"VERY WELL. IN WHICH OF THE FOUR REALMS IS SHE?" Kamai closed her eyes in concentration, locating her friend.
"Kutou, my lord." The god looked at Nakago in understanding.
"THEN THE TIME OF PROPHECY IS PAST. THE TIME OF ACTION ARRISES. LET THE TRUE FORM OF SHUNHI'A CHI, DAUGHTER OF THE DEMON GOD AND THE GIRL OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AMBER, BE RELEASED TO HER CONTROL." He stared at Kamai, his flaming red eyes boring into her own. "AND MAY THE GODDESS PROTECTOR BE FREE TO ONCE MORE ROAM THE REALMS." A small smile spread across her lips, and her eyes closed in sudden happiness.
"Thank you, majesty." She whispered. "Thank you."
"SEISHI, RETURN TO THE REALM SHE CARRIED YOU FROM. I WOULD SPEAK WITH MY THIRTEENTH ANGEL FOR A TIME." The men bowed and disappeared in a flash of light. Kamai looked slightly startled.
"About what did you wish to speak, my lord?" The shadow dispersed from around the throne, and the echoes vanished from the room.
"You, daughter, and the two men who came with you. What are they like, Nakago and Nuriko?" Anger flitted through her eyes.
"Father..." her voice trailed off menacingly. He laughed.
"Your anger doesn't frighten me, child. I gave it to you. Now, tell me, which holds your favor?"
"Father, please, neither. Nakago is so mysterious and cold, and Nuriko is so open and honest and gentle. I have no say in the matter anyways. It is preordained and I cannot change it. Even if I DID prefer one over the other, it wouldn't matter." The god grinned.
"Proof that you care for one of them. Which?" She focused on the ground. When she spoke, it was in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Both." She said. "Now please, consider your fatherly duties done and let me leave." He nodded, understanding her pain.
"See Nakago about your back, he can heal your wounds." Her brows furrowed, his statement seemed to hold more than a fatherly concern for her health, and she vanished in a flash of silver light, back towards Earth.
Tasuki woke up in extreme pain. He remembered Amber disappearing into a blue portal, and then a lot of blue light, then nothing.
'Nothing except a helluva lota trees.' He corrected himself. He sat up; his muscles protesting the movement as he made his way slowly to a nearby stream. He splashed some water on his face, shivering as the cold liquid came in contact with his face, reminding him of his previous rude awakening. His inner-self chided him.
'It wasn't THAT rude. Besides, admit it. You enjoyed it. Especially AFTER she woke you up, you know, that whole sequence where ya had her in your arms and then coulda, but didn't, kiss her? That bit.' He growled.
'I did not. Havin' water thrown on ya is not da best way ta wake up ya know. An I didn't want to kiss her. I don like girls.' He could feel his inner-self laughing hysterically.
'Don't' laughter, 'like girls?! Right. That's why you gave her your shirt AND let her keep it.'
'I gave it to her for modesty reasons.'
'Whose? Hers or yours?'
'Not funny.'
'Yes it is. Face it. I'm right and you aren't. So there.' Tasuki muttered something about girls not being quite that bad, but it was quickly stifled as he fell back asleep in the glen.
Amber landed in a jumble of limbs on a wooden floor, her body screaming with promises of apple-sized bruises yet to come. She groaned and sat up, her head in her hands. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Amiboshi's concerned face only inches from her own. She fell backwards with a startled yelp, its tones rising as already injured parts of her body came in contact with the unyielding floor yet again. Amiboshi helped her up, carefully avoiding her shoulders, knowing that they would be coated in bruises and not wanting to hurt her.
"Amber?" he asked, his voice full of amazement. She leaned on the wall for support.
"What? Where am I? Why is everything swimming?" He grinned.
"You're in Kutou, in the palace. Here, if you sit down, everything will stop swimming." She sat down on a rickety chair behind her.
"How'd I get here?" she asked, rocking back and forth in the chair. Amiboshi heard the chair begin to creak dangerously, and he caught her as the chair collapsed beneath her. She sank down against the nearest wall, still waiting for Amiboshi's answer.
"I don't know." He said truthfully. She opened one eye and looked at him.
"You don't know?" she asked.
"No. One moment I was here, the next, you had landed on the floor." She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the wall support her.
"Oh. Right. What happened to you? You disappeared after the demon, then all goes black for awhile...What happened?" She stared at him expectantly, waiting for his response.
"Well," he started, "after the demon was banished, I remember being sent back here and meeting this really powerful guy all in black and he told me that my part was over. That I had outgrown my usefulness, but I would still be allowed to live. I've been here ever since."
"Oh..." her voice was quieter and he walked over to her, lifting her chin with his fingers and gazing closely into her eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly, his voice taking on a frighteningly husky undertone.
"Fine." She said in a falsely ecstatic voice that blew him backwards slightly. "Really." He tipped his head at her.
"Are you sure?" She nodded brightly.
"Yes!" She smiled, the smile not quiet reaching her eyes. "I'm, positive!" He looked at her closely, scrutinizing every little detail, placing them in his mind for the rest of eternity. Then he smiled as well.
"Good. Then I can do this." With that, he leaned in and captured her lips with his own, warm lips covering hers and an intruding tongue pleading entrance. Without thinking she started to push away, placing her hands on his chest even as she felt his own hands fall away from her face and onto her shoulders, then around her waist. She tried to pull away forcefully, starting to tell him what for, and in doing so opened her mouth to his eager tongue. She unthinkingly fell into the kiss as his tongue caressed her own, returning it with added passion and slipping her hands around his neck. The young man retracted his tongue after a few minutes and pulled away gently, still holding her in his arms. She dropped her own arms and pulled away, cornering herself and closing up.
"I..." she tried to speak, but his lips covered hers once more. She submitted with only hints of pause and uncertainty to his caress. His fingers tracing the line of her collarbones through her shirt as her arms embraced him again, the kiss deepened and they moved even closer together.
After finding that he could move again, he saw the same blue flash that had brought him and Amber to the lands shinning not too far away. He scrambled to his feet and started slowly lopping towards it, allowing his muscles to warm up before pushing them to run. He saw the Kutou palace ahead of him and his eyes narrowed, thinking of all of the bad things that had happened here. His inner-self began to list them all before Tasuki shut him up with a few well-chosen words. Scrambling through the underbrush and hoping like a crazy maniac that none of the Seiryu warriors were around, he crept closer and closer to the foreboding shrine from which the blue light had previously emitted. She heard a crash and moved closer still to the no- longer glowing shrine. He walked boldly through the door a few minutes later and found Amber and Amiboshi locked in the middle of a very passionate kiss over in the far corner.
"What the Hell!?!" he yelled loudly. "Get away from her!" He sprinted over to the corner and dragged Amiboshi away from Amber. Amber stood shakily.
"Tasuki..." she whispered softly. "Something's funny...not quite right..." She collapsed against the wall again, this time in a dead faint. Tasuki knocked Amiboshi senseless, then went quickly to her side.
"Yes? What's not right?" the other warriors would have been amazed. Amber stood up again, leaning heavily on Tasuki's shoulder.
"My head...and tailbone...and teeth..." He held her up by her waist and stood her back so he could look at her. Under his watchful gaze, a pair of fuzzy ears erupted from her head and an equally fluffy tail from her rear. His eyes widened, and she seemed to wake up fully.
"What?" she asked, completely awake. "You're looking at me like I've sprouted ears and a tail!"
"And fangs." He added.
"And fangs." She repeated unconsciously. "Wait a minute...WHAT!?!?!?! You're saying I have ears, fangs and a TAIL!" definitely fully awake. Tasuki nodded.
"Fluffy, ears and tail."
"COOL!! I HAVE EARS, FANGS, AND A TAIL!! I HAVE GOT TO TELL SOLEI!!" an image of Solei appeared in front of them.
"Tell me what, Amber?" she asked, rubbing her head as if in pain. "I can hear you yell across the worlds."
"I HAVE EARS, FANGS, AND A TAIL!!" Solei nodded.
"Good, father kept up his end of the bargain." Amber tipped her head sideways, a confused look on her face. Solei sighed, then a shinning glaive blade ripped a hole in the dimensions near them. "Come on through. I'll explain it to you and the guys all at once. Quickly." Amber and Tasuki stepped through the portal, and watched as she expertly pinched the sides together again, destroying her portal before Amiboshi could follow them. Amber tucked her hair behind her ears, using the motion to mask her feeling for the cat-like appendages that had been there a minute earlier; they were gone. Solei stood in front of the four others as they seated themselves comfortably on the couches. The warriors felt a ripple of chi race past them as Kamai soundproofed the room. She turned back to the already seated four, taking a seat herself in the overstuffed, high backed armchair behind her. She sighed and took a deep breath before starting. "It all began with a single girl."
Gee, it must be getting annoying to read this but, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!! Just hit the nice blue button, k? PLEASE?