Tasuki…" She began. She paused and took a deep breath.

"Tasuki. I… uh…" She faltered again. Nuriko watched closely. This was getting interesting. If the bandit ever took his eyes off her slim little body, he would see the love in Yumi's eyes. Even Nuriko could see it. She blushed and looked down.

"I don't feel comfortable in that chamber, so close to the emperor, I feel he might… I feel better when I'm near you. I know that you won't take advantage of me. You proved that before." She looked up at Tasuki. Nuriko felt like he could cry. It's so cute! He tried not to coo, but the cute little priestess was just too much.

Nuriko found that both Tasuki and Yumi's attention had shifted to him, and he realized that he actually had squealed. Ooops. He waved his hands at them, trying to signal them to continue, but the moment had been ruined. Tasuki, no longer blushing, took Yumi's hand and led her out of the dining hall.

Nuriko sighed. When Yumi had faltered the second time, it was so obvious what she was going to say. She needs to be more aggressive! Nuriko waited for a good half hour, sitting and sipping tea, before he left for the priestess' room.

-------

Once safely in Nuriko's room, Yumi peeled her clothes off and shrugged on a comfortable robe and tied it closed in the front. It was soft and silky, a pale sea-green color. She loved the way it felt when it moved across her skin. It felt much better than the dress Nuriko had picked out for her. She would never have worn the outfit if she had known how the emperor would react. He probably thinks I've decided to be his wife. She shivered, trying to think about something else. I'm only in high school. I can't marry anyone! Not right now…

Yumi felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. She distanced herself from the person in her room, thinking that Hotohori had found out about her and Nuriko's deception. She saw a blue Mohawk and realized she was looking at Chichiri. His mask was bent into a confused expression.

"Yumi? Where's Nuriko, no da? Ah! Is she in your room, no da?" Yumi nodded and Chichiri laughed.

"His Highness is in for a surprise tonight, no da!" Yumi smiled, glad that Chichiri appreciated her strange joke. Chichiri stopped laughing and suddenly became serious.

"He does care for you, no da." Yumi sighed. She didn't want to hear this from Chichiri right now. How could he understand that I can't marry anyone here? I have to go back to my own world and finish school, hopefully get into college… Then maybe I can get married. It's so much simpler here…

Perhaps Chichiri could see Yumi's thoughts on her face. He nodded understandingly.

"Do you have someone special to you in your own world, no da?" Why do I feel like I'm talking to an older brother? Yumi shook her head slowly.

"No, I don't, not really. I have good friends… In my world, people don't get married until later, so I haven't really thought about it." Chichiri sighed softly.

"You should always keep your friends close, no da. Protect them, no da. They need you, and you need them, whether you know it or not, no da." Yumi thought about that statement and realized that Chichiri had changed the subject.

"What makes you say that, Chichiri?" Chichiri changed the subject again.

"What is there in your world? Why would you want to go back?" He asked in a disarming manner. Yumi even forgot to get huffy over the question. So she answered without even thinking about it.

"My family lives there. That's where I was born, and everyone I know and care about is my world. I'll have to go back someday, but I need to save Megumi first. She needs the power of Seiryu to get back, or I need to gain the power of Suzaku. I can go back on my own, but for some reason, she can't, and I won't leave her here alone." Yumi thought for a moment, realizing that it was true. She felt that if she tried to go back, she would be able to. Yumi suddenly realized that Tasuki had entered her room as well. She wondered how long he had been listening. Yumi decided that it was her turn to change the subject. So she laughed and said lightly,

"Any time now, we should be in for a little treat." Tasuki looked confused, so Yumi explained the full extent of the plan.

"If I'm in here, then where do you think Nuriko is? And Hotohori thinks I'm still in my room…" She smiled inwardly as she saw the expressions on her warrior's face change as he finally realized her plan.

-------

Hotohori sat awake on his bed, thinking. He didn't know that the priestess would clean up so nicely… He would have to get Nuriko to teach Yumi. Hotohori caught himself. That would be encouraging his strangeness, though. It was a dilemma. Hotohori wondered where Nuriko had found that particular costume for Yumi. He had never seen anything like it before. He supposed it was an idea from the priestess' world. Hoping she had many more ideas like that in store for him in the future, he put his hands behind his head and lay back, staring at the ceiling. Have I finally found an empress? He thought hopefully. Ever since he was a child, no one had looked at him as a person, only as the next emperor. Some people might like all the public attention, but in his opinion, he would much rather receive personal attention from a few special people. The candles in his room went out, and the room went dark.

A door creaked. Hotohori assumed it was Yumi returning to her room for the night. He smiled. She will make a good empress. She's polite, pretty, and she comes from another world! What more can I ask for? For some reason, a girl's face appeared in his mind, but he didn't recognize it at all. What was that? She had blue eyes, but they were lighter than Yumi's, and she had much lighter hair, yellow, almost white. He had never seen a girl like that in his life, and briefly he wondered if she existed.

Hotohori sat up again and listened hard. He heard nothing from the room next to his. He strained his ears, and thought he could hear a soft, slow breathing. Yumi must be falling asleep now. Glad that Tasuki was on the other side of the palace, Hotohori stood up and quietly walked over to the door that connected his and Yumi's rooms. He opened it and found that Yumi's room was completely dark. By the faint light of the stars coming in through the wide window, he could see a sleeping form on the bed. He tried not to smile too widely, but it was hard. He had won. After tonight, that bandit would never trust the priestess again, and she would be his!

Hotohori slipped onto the bed and leaned down to kiss Yumi. Just before he made contact, though, she opened her eyes and grabbed onto him.

"Hotohori-sama!" Hotohori knew that voice, and it was NOT Yumi's. Calling for assistance, he tried to disentangle himself from the celestial warrior, Nuriko. He struggled, but found that he could barely move. Slowly, he managed to drag himself off of the bed, but Nuriko still had a hold on his legs and Hotohori was forced to crawl along the floor. Every step forward he was pulled about the same distance backward. He called out for help again, panicking.

The door slammed open and light was shed on the scene. Hotohori looked up and saw Tasuki, Chichiri, and two of his attendants staring at him. Nuriko finally let go of him, and Hotohori fell on his face, no longer supported by him. Gasping for air, Hotohori tried to order Nuriko out, but his voice came out small and breathless, and no one heard him over the laughter of Chichiri and Tasuki.

"This is great, no da! New headline: Emperor Attacked in Bedroom by Homo, Attendants Concerned, no da!" Nuriko calmly collected himself and sat ladylike on the floor, waving and winking at an invisible audience. Hotohori just wished this would end when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck and everything went black.

-------

Megumi came back from her bath, her hair wrapped in a soft towel and feeling refreshed. However, even before she opened her bedroom, she knew something was wrong. Slightly nervous, Megumi opened her door and looked inside. Suboshi was sitting on her chair. Alone. Where is Amiboshi? She started to panic. Suboshi looked up hopefully, but the light in his eyes dimmed when he saw that it was Megumi.

"Wh- what happened to Amiboshi?" Megumi tried hard not to show her distress, but she knew she failed when her voice came out as a squeak. Suboshi looked worriedly at her.

"Nakago took him away." That was all he said. Megumi felt as though her throat wasn't working properly. She couldn't say anything for fear. Megumi usually wasn't quick to hate, but that was all she could feel toward Nakago right now. First, he had taken Yumi away from her, indirectly, and now he's taking Amiboshi! What will he do next, just to get me to be his slave? Megumi started out of the room to give Nakago a talking to, then stopped. She didn't know where Nakago was at the moment, and he might take Suboshi away as well, if she left him on his own. Grabbing Suboshi's arm, she rushed out of her room, the towel still wrapped around her wet hair. Suboshi hurried along so that he wouldn't be dragged. He looked at Megumi questioningly, but Megumi was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice. She marched purposefully to Nakago's chambers, hoping to find him there. She was almost angry enough to forget her fear of the man. When she reached the right place, she yanked open the doors and walked in.

"Nakago!" She called angrily. "Nakago!" The lighting in his room was far dimmer than in her room. Megumi wondered about this, then realized that the windows were shaded by long, thick curtains. She kept a tight hold on Suboshi's arm; afraid he might disappear if she let him go for a second.

When her eyes had adjusted, she saw Nakago sitting on the edge of his bed. Megumi wanted to leave when she saw that he was only in his trousers. That's more of him than I ever wanted to see… Megumi thought to herself. But she didn't leave.

"Amiboshi!" She said angrily. "Where is he?"

Nakago's gaze flickered to Suboshi for a moment.

"You can tell them apart?" He said calmly, as though it was the only interesting thing in the world. Megumi didn't like the way Nakago looked at Suboshi, as though he had a plan for him. Megumi tightened her grip on Suboshi's arm, and she felt Suboshi wince slightly.

"Where is my brother?!" Suboshi demanded, advancing on Nakago. Megumi held him back knowing Suboshi stood no chance against the general if it came to a fight.

"What's all this commotion, Nakago?" Megumi heard a soft female voice. She looked around for a woman and found her where she feared she would. Next to Nakago, wrapped only in a blanket. Megumi narrowed her eyes in disgust. Didn't the man have the decency to be at least a little embarrassed?

"These two want to know-" Nakago began but Megumi interrupted him.

"I want to know where Amiboshi is!" Nakago continued as though Megumi hadn't spoken.

"Her Eminence wants to know what happened to her lover. Amiboshi, you remember him, right?" The woman came into better view and looked over at Megumi in a calculating manner.

"But I thought the Priestess has to be a virgin in order to summon the god?" Megumi felt Suboshi's arm tense.

"Soi!" He gasped. "Soi, what are you-" he stopped in mid-sentence. What she had been doing was obvious. Megumi looked at the woman again. So this is Soi. My celestial warrior. Right.

"I do not know where Amiboshi is right now. I sense that his chi is not in the palace." Nakago said smoothly.

"I could have told you that!" Suboshi said angrily. "He's gone, and he won't reply when I try to contact him! What have you done with him?" Megumi continued to hold Suboshi back, but it was getting more difficult.

"I told you that he's not here. I don't know where he went, but you'd better be glad he left; otherwise I might have killed him. Don't get involved with any more men, Your Eminence." Megumi realized she wasn't going to get any useful information out of Nakago. She was proud of how well she was dealing with Nakago's snide comments about her and Amiboshi. She left the room with Suboshi, full of doubt and anger.

"Megumi," Suboshi said when they were out in the hallway, "Amiboshi's alive. I'm sure of that. I would know what happened the moment he died. Aniki is okay." Megumi wanted to trust the younger twin, but she still had doubts.

They silently made their way back to Megumi's rooms. Suboshi seemed worried, but he was confident in his older brother's abilities, and knew he was okay. Megumi couldn't be sure of that, and wished she could talk to Amiboshi, if only for a moment, to know he was alive.

"Suboshi, you said you could contact your brother. How can I do that?" Megumi asked, remembering what he had said in Nakago's chambers.

"It won't work right now for some reason, but it's very easy, actually." Megumi watched as Suboshi pulled of one of his left armband and showed Megumi his bare inner arm. Megumi looked at it blankly.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked, wondering what would come next. Then, with his right hand, Suboshi traced a message on his arm.

"Aniki. Where are you?" He read as he wrote. Megumi caught her breath when she saw that the writing stayed on Suboshi's arm.

"Right now, the same thing is written on Aniki. We are connected. If he traced a message somewhere on his body, I would receive it, and we would know where he is. But he hasn't written back yet." Suboshi looked more worried than before.

"But I can't figure out why he won't reply…"