Megumi could feel Amiboshi stiffen as her thoughts wandered and her hands became less gentle.She quickly apologized, and turned her attentions to her hands, tying off the ends of the soft bandage. She was glad she had taken that medical class in health. At least six red scores criss-crossed across Amiboshi's back, and they made her wince just looking at them. It must have hurt.

That brought her mind back to what she had threatened to do. Megumi had been on depression medication since the eighth grade, and now she was in eleventh. But she'd never threatened to suicide. That was one of her good points. She was afraid of pain. And, suicide would hurt, wouldn't it? Finally she finished with her bandaging, and leaned back to admire her work. The bandaging went diagonally across Amiboshi's chest, which was nicely muscled… Megumi blushed softly. What in the world was she thinking? She sighed, and tapped her warrior's shoulder to tell him she was done.

Amiboshi turned around and nodded his thanks before slipping his shirt back on, leaving it unfastened in the front, for comfort's sake Megumi assumed. Suboshi, who had been sitting cross-legged to the side, watching, smiled.

"There Aniki! You'll be better in no time!" He said cheerfully, and Amiboshi nodded and smiled to reassure his younger brother. Somehow Megumi could always tell the difference between the two. It wasn't just the way they acted either. Suboshi did act the part of the younger sibling, even though he was probably younger by only minutes. He enjoyed a good time, playing jokes, being curious, and all sorts of things. Amiboshi on the other hand was a little more mature and responsible, though he still acted basically the same.

It wasn't the way they dressed either. Of course, sometimes they dressed alike, but most of the time they wore different clothing. Megumi confused herself sometimes. It wasn't so much the physical as the spirit. In a way that escaped her comprehension, she could feel which one was Amiboshi, and which was Suboshi. There was something… well, maybe it was their chi… that would explain it.

Megumi smirked softly to herself. Here she was, trapped in some strange world, with no plausible way to get back into her world except by summoning some beast god, and she was thinking about how she could tell Amiboshi and his brother apart. Hah.

With that in mind, Megumi remembered that she had not taken her medication since yesterday. She leaned to the side and fished around in her bag, and was surprised when she felt a soft touch on her neck. She turned to see Amiboshi, his hand tracing the scar she had inflicted on herself with the knife.

"You've taken care of me, but what about you?" Megumi blushed, but didn't back away.

"Oh, this is nothing, I'll be okay…" but Amiboshi did not back away.

"That's not true. You could have died!" Megumi hoped she wasn't blushing too much as Amiboshi cleaned her cut and bandaged it carefully. When he had finished, she felt the bandage now circling her throat.

"Thank you. That's better than I could have done for myself…" She trailed off, wondering what to say to ease the awkwardness. Suddenly she remembered what she had been doing before the interruption, and continued to look for her anti-depressant drug, trying to make the red sheen disappear from her face.

She found the bottle and removed one of the chalky blue tablets. She was about to pop it into her mouth to swallow when Suboshi leaned forward to stare intently at the antidepressant, as if it were some tribal voodoo magic, or something.

"Megumi-san? Why do you have to eat that blue thing? I've never had to eat blue food before." He gushed out, his nose about six inches away from the hand that held her medicine. Megumi cocked an eyebrow before noticing that Amiboshi had the same curious expression on his face that his brother did. Maybe she should explain.

"Um… well… it makes me happy." She offered, trying to figure out how to explain this kind of thing to people who didn't even know what real modern medicine was. Suboshi leaned back and put his hands on his crossed knees, and Megumi absentmindedly noted that Amiboshi and him were sitting exactly alike. A "twin thing" she supposed.

"Why does a blue thing make you happy Megumi-san?" Amiboshi chipped in. Megumi ground her teeth. Why did everyone call her that in this place? She wasn't special in any way. It was especially irksome coming from the twins. It made her feel… old.

"First off… my name is Megumi. ME-GU-MI. Not Megumi-san, or Megumi-sama. Got it?" She said, making sure she was clear. The two boys nodded quickly, eager to hear Megumi's explanation. The priestess coughed, before moving on.

"I'm sure you both know what it's like to be sad, right?" She said, thinking that was a good way to begin things. Both boys nodded. Amiboshi looked nostalgic for a brief moment.

"Our parents died in a civil war when we were little. We know what it means to be sad." The older twin said softly, and Megumi had to resist the impulse to hug Amiboshi.

"Well… um… see… I'm depressed, which means I feel sad all the time." Megumi thought that was a pretty straightforward explanation. Suboshi snapped his fingers as if he'd just realized something.

"So that's why you disappear! If I was sad all the time, I'd want to disappear too!" He chimed, looking extremely pleased with himself to have figured that out. Megumi grinned weakly. Well, at least they were catching on.

"Right… so… I take this blue pill. If I take the blue pill every day, then I will be happy. If I don't, I get really violent and depressed." Megumi finished, feeling as if she was teaching a kindergarten class. Oh well, as long as they understood. Maybe they'd be able to help her remember to take the medication. Suboshi looked thoughtful for a moment.

"But how does it make you happy?" He asked, blinking innocently. Megumi tried to remember what the doctors had told her about that when she'd asked the very same question.

"See, everyone has chemicals in their brain, and those chemicals keep you normal when they balance. If you're depressed, your 'happy chemical' is lower than all the others, and the blue pill makes it normal again." Megumi said, nodding. The twins looked at her blankly. A very long moment passed.

"Magic." She explained with a soft sigh. This was hopeless. That seemed to satisfy both the twin's insatiable curiosity. Just when she thought she was done, Amiboshi spoke up.

"Then what is that funny smelling cream you put on your back for?" He said, pointing to her joint medication. It was going to be a long night…

-------

"Wake up, no da!"

Yumi opened her eyes, and immediately shut them again. The sun was too bright for her poor eyes to take so early in the morning. The rough ground caused her back to ache. She shifted, trying to get comfortable. Wait a minute… Why am I sleeping on the ground? Yumi sat up quickly, looking around.

"Girls take so long, no da!" Yumi wished she hadn't sat up so quickly. Her view of the surrounding landscape was blocked by Chichiri's face, which was about two inches from her own. She backed up quickly and stood up, stretching and looking around. Her eyes fell upon Genro, who was leaning against a tree and talking to Nuriko. Yumi scratched her head, confused. Why would he be here? She looked back at Chichiri questioningly, and last night's events came back to her in a rush.

"Tasuki!" She called. He looked up at her, pausing in his conversation with Nuriko. Yumi was glad to see that Nuriko was acting somewhat manly today. It would have been pathetic for her to have to compete with Nuriko for Tasuki's attention.

"We have to go back to Konan. You need to meet Hotohori, and then we can try to find the other Suzaku warriors!" Tasuki was nodding when Nuriko made his thoughts heard, which Yumi didn't need at the moment.

"Actually, Yumi, we were just getting ready to leave. But we couldn't, because you decided that you wanted to sleep the day away. Who's catching up on her beauty sleep now, huh?" Yumi decided not to reply and looked over at Chichiri.

"Are we all ready to go, no da?" Everyone nodded. Yumi made a point not to look at Nuriko.

"All right, then. Everyone come here, no da." Chichiri held up his ornate staff and gently set one end into the dirt. The ground began to glow. With Chichiri, Yumi never knew how they would be traveling. Last time they went through a hat, and now, umm, they were traveling through a, umm, bright light.

"What the hell are you-" Tasuki began, but Yumi couldn't hear any more.

Everything disappeared in a flash of light. When Yumi could see again, she found herself flat on her back, and Tasuki's face was less than an inch from her own. He was supporting himself on his knees and elbows directly on top of her and seemed to be straining not to fall on her. Tasuki looked just as confused as Yumi knew she must. She tried not to blush, but, being in such a compromising position, she was sure she failed.

"Sorry about the landing, no da!" Yumi heard from somewhere above her, and she heard a squeak that had to mean Nuriko had tossed Chichiri.

"You really need to work on the landings, Chichiri." Yumi heard Nuriko say. Yumi could hear footsteps near her head, presumably Chichiri and Nuriko. Tasuki, his face now slightly flushed, was able to push himself off of Yumi, but he hadn't fully stood up when Yumi heard a voice she could easily recognize. And it didn't seem too happy.

"Chichiri, who is THAT man? Whoever he is, make sure he understands that Yumi is the Priestess, and as such he is not to touch her." Hotohori said. From her vantage point on the ground, Yumi looked over at him. His mouth was a thin line and his eyes were narrowed. Yumi realized that now, with Tasuki off of her, she could now stand up, and she did so. She could see the emperor looking suspiciously at Tasuki. This time, Chichiri took care of the introductions.

"This is Tasuki, no da, he is a celestial warrior, just like you, no da!" Chichiri explained in a quick, excited manner. Tasuki laughed softly.

"Chichiri, are you tellin' me that this useless pretty-boy is a warrior of Suzaku? Please tell me yer jokin'!" Yumi winced, knowing about Hotohori's giant ego. She looked at Hotohori, and almost laughed at his expression. It looked as though he were swelling up with pure indignation.

"Ummm, Tasuki," Nuriko said quietly, "that is Hotohori. He is the emperor of Konan…" Quickly, Yumi looked to see Tasuki's reaction. He was wearing a silly grin, exposing his fangs.

"R-really? Now isn't that interesting…" He trailed off, laughing slightly. Then he looked down at Yumi and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me he's the EMPEROR?!" Yumi smiled cheekily up at him and whispered to him, just to infuriate the man.

"Why don't you make friends with him? You'll be working with him for a while, until I summon Suzaku. Oh! And I should tell you something. He's FULL of himself!" Yumi could hear Tasuki choke back another laugh, and she looked over at Hotohori, who seemed to be getting less patient by the second.

"Well… ahem… I must say that I am pleased that you have gathered another warrior, Yumi. But, we have more pressing matters to attend to." Hotohori said self-importantly. As he spoke, he was glaring at Tasuki, and of course, the bandit glared right back.

"What kind of important matters, Hotohori-sama?" Yumi asked, trying not to giggle when she heard Tasuki begin to growl softly in pure indignation.

"We still have three more warriors to find, and I need to see you privately in my chambers to discuss a recent matter that has come up. It concerns Kutou." The emperor said, motioning for his priestess to follow him. As Yumi began to do just that, she felt Tasuki grab her arm to halt her.

"What?" She asked, noting the rather fierce expression on the man's face. This first warrior seemed rather protective of her. Tasuki cleared his throat huffily and lowered his voice.

"If'n that pretty boy tries anything funny… scream, okay?" He said, looking at her rather pointedly. She laughed. Like Hotohori would try anything? Honestly…

Yumi followed Hotohori through the palace and ended up standing before him as he sat on the edge of his bed. Maybe she should listen to Tasuki after all…

"What is it that you wanted to discuss, Hotohori? Does it have anything to do with Megumi? She's in Kutou now, after all." She said, hoping nothing untoward had happened to her friend in the brief time she'd been gone. She still felt horrible about that.

"We have received word that Kutou has been advancing on our borders. Soon enough they will begin attacking the smaller villages. They have gained a confidence that unnerves us. We can only assume that this is because Seiryu has gained a priestess…" Hotohori said softly, looking at Yumi with an expression she had never seen from him before. She tried not to faint. God, but he's gorgeous! Only… Yumi wished he would talk normally; his strange speech affliction was getting a little annoying. What was with the whole royal "we" thing anyway?

Yumi thought about what he had said. Megumi had become the priestess of Seiryu? But truthfully, that didn't mean anything. It didn't mean Megumi would change. If her friend summoned Seiryu, then she could wish to get out of this world on her own. Plus, that meant she wouldn't be in danger from the Nakago person Yumi had heard about. He'd have to protect her because she was the priestess. That did solve a few a problems. In a way, she was proud that Megumi was taking such a burden upon herself. It meant that she had gained some confidence.

Yumi was drawn out of her thoughts when she realized that Hotohori's face was mere inches from hers and that he was staring intently into her eyes. She backed away slightly, rather confused. Why did Hotohori have to be so… beautiful? And what is he doing?

"Ummm, Hotohori? Is there something I can help you with?" She said, continuing her hasty retreat, but almost immediately backed into a wall. Hotohori looked down at his hands briefly before returning his intense gaze to her.

"I know it is unfair of me to press this on you now of all times. You have warriors to gather, and you're worried about your friend, but I cannot deny this any longer. I love you, and I want you to be my empress." He said bluntly, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders and drawing her close. She stiffened as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She was so surprised that she didn't even notice that Hotohori had dropped the royal "we" and was speaking in first person. This is too sudden! She thought, trying to wiggle out from the man's grasp. He only pulled her in closer, and suddenly she was being thoroughly kissed. She couldn't even get a breath or cry out.

Tasuki… she suddenly thought. Hotohori… you're nice and everything… but I don't love you like this! Yumi made a muffled noise, trying to pry Hotohori away from her position backed against the wall where he had pinned her.

Suddenly the sound of slamming wood caused the emperor to release her and step back, allowing Yumi to catch the breath of air she needed. Tasuki was standing there, his harisen pointed straight at Hotohori, his fangs exposed in a snarl.

"You damned hypocrite! Tellin' ME not to touch the priestess?! Look at you! Get yer mitts off 'er!" Tasuki demanded heatedly, scowling to kill a bear with a glance. Hotohori looked back from Yumi to Tasuki as she ran towards her harisen wielding warrior.

"Yumi… I meant what I said and nothing can change that. Think about it." Hotohori said as Tasuki drew Yumi out of the emperor's room. Yumi sighed, glad for Tasuki being there. What would she have said? This was all so sudden. Men didn't normally kiss her and proclaim undying love for her within mere weeks of knowing her, and they never proposed to her! She sighed once more as she held onto Tasuki's arm. What was she going to do now?