Suboshi sat awake late into the night. Whatever he told Megumi, he was still worried about his brother. Moonlight shone in through the window, casting odd shadows. It was getting harder to stave off Nakago. He seemed to have some kind of plan in mind. While Megumi's headache had been real enough, the rest of the conversation, once they began, it was a tactic to drive Nakago away. Suboshi felt ashamed. Why do I have to run from one of my fellow stars of Seiryu? Shouldn't we be working together? Why am I afraid of him? With the same questions running through his tired brain, he stared out the window. Somewhere out there, Amiboshi was wandering. Probably alone. But at least he was alive. Twins aren't supposed to be separated! Why does Nakago do this to us? Still, Suboshi had hope. Someday, he would win.
He leaned back, finally ready to sleep. The sun would probably be coming up in a few hours. Then he heard Megumi speaking. He leaned closer to her to hear her better.
"Amiboshi…" She whispered and rolled over in her sleep. Suboshi sighed. Take away the right person, and everything goes wrong… Suboshi felt a small pain on his arm. At first, he ignored it, but then he came fully awake. Amiboshi was trying to contact him!
He stood up and rushed over to the window so he could see, and hastily pulled his armband off. He could still feel the slight pain, but no message was appearing. He was sure Amiboshi was trying to contact him, but something, or someone, must have been interfering. Probably Nakago. But at least I know Aniki is alive. He wanted to wake Megumi and tell her the good news, but he decided he could tell her just as easily in the morning. Finally at peace, Suboshi lay down on his cot on the floor and fell asleep.
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"How far are we supposed to get today, anyway?" Yumi asked no one, and no one answered. Yumi tried to massage her thighs while still riding on the horse, perched on the saddle in front of Nuriko. Her enthusiasm had died once they had left the capitol. She couldn't believe that she was already sore. Megumi had owned horses since middle school, but Yumi had never taken any interest in learning how to ride. Megumi had offered lessons more than once, but Yumi always turned down Megumi's offers. She was regretting it now. She tried to sit up a little higher on the saddle, but Nuriko put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.
"Sit still, Yumi, or you'll fall off!" Nuriko said, playfully pushing her. Yumi grabbed the horse's mane to keep from diving to the ground.
"Why do you have to be so cheerful?" Yumi asked. "This hurts! When can we stop?" Yumi could feel Nuriko laughing.
"I thought this would be easier…" Yumi sighed. Nuriko laughed lightly.
"It's not easy to find the Suzaku chosen…" He began, but Yumi interrupted him.
"I know! Taiitsukun told me all about that, I was talking about riding on horses!" Nuriko just laughed at her. At least HE thinks this is entertaining…
"When are we gonna stop?" Yumi heard Tasuki complain. She smiled inwardly. At least I'm not alone in my discomfort. When Hotohori answered, it was in a sarcastic, accusing voice.
"We stop when we have found the Suzaku Celestial warriors. I know that you aren't all that intelligent, but to forget-"
"Shut up, ya freak!! I meant for a rest! Or is that too complicated for you to comprehend, your Highness?"
Yumi winced and ducked down behind her horse's neck when she heard Hotohori growling in reply.
"Listen, commoner-!" He began threateningly, but he was interrupted.
"Children! That's enough, no da!" Chichiri said angrily, effectively stalling the argument from getting any worse than it already was.
"We will stop at the next village to rest, no da. Tasuki, please watch your language, no da." Chichiri turned his attention to Hotohori.
"While you ARE the emperor, you do NOT outrank any of us when it comes to this quest. We are all members of the Suzaku seven, no da." Yumi heard Tasuki muttering over the sound of the horses. Glad that he didn't give voice to whatever he was thinking, Yumi decided to change the subject.
"I wonder what Tamahome will be like?" She asked no one in particular, and looked back at Tasuki and Hotohori. They glanced at each other. Yumi suddenly wished she hadn't asked. Nuriko decided to join in the conversation as well.
"Maybe he'll be a SHE!? Wouldn't that be great, Yumi?" Yumi closed her eyes, blocking everything out.
"Better'n a pretty boy," Yumi heard Tasuki say in a low voice. She hoped Hotohori hadn't heard. Yumi looked over at Chichiri. It was difficult to read his expression. While his mask did change to reveal his expression, the features weren't well suited for being read. He seemed to be concentrating, trying to ignore the bickering. That gave Yumi an idea.
"Chichiri," Yumi called over Hotohori's newest comment about "dirty thieves." Chichiri looked over at her. Yumi knew the question would sound odd, but decided to ask it anyway.
"How do I attract warriors to me?" Chichiri looked at her blankly. Tasuki and Hotohori stopped their new argument to listen.
"What do you mean, no da?" Yumi tried to rephrase the question.
"It is difficult to find people. There are only seven people in this whole country with the mark of Suzaku." Chichiri nodded. Okay, so he's following me so far.
"I haven't done much searching, so how was I able to find so many of you already?" Yumi had wondered about this before. She had stumbled upon Chichiri in the dark. What kind of chance was that?
"Well, no da, the Suzaku stars feel the presence of the priestess. Even if he doesn't know he's one of the Suzaku chosen." Yumi nodded.
"Oh. But how will he find me?" Chichiri looked off in the distance.
"I know that I sensed your chi and came to you as soon as I could, no da. Of course, no da, I came in a form you wouldn't find disturbing. Your chi pulled you to Hotohori and Nuriko when they were out of the palace, no da. That was more than just luck, no da. You would not have been able to enter the palace, so they had to come out to you, no da. I don't know how Tasuki found you, no da… but it was probably much the same." Yumi thought back to when she first met Tasuki, or Genro, as she knew him then. In each instance, she had been looking for something. Maybe if she concentrated, she could attract the remaining stars to her. That would make things easier.
"Thank you Chichiri!" Yumi said brightly. She pulled the glowing jewel Taiitsukun gave her over her head and looked into the jewel. Maybe if I concentrate, my warriors will come to me. Tasuki came to me when I was in need. Twice, in fact. She glanced over at her fiery-haired warrior, and saw that he was looking at her. Yumi smiled back at him before delving back into her own thoughts. When I found Chichiri, I was alone and scared, and I WAS looking for my Suzaku warriors. I just didn't recognize the hat as a warrior at the time, so I kept searching. Whenever she thought about the hat, however, she had an urge to grab it and put it on her own head. I know that it is Chichiri's, but it's so cool! I wish I had a teleporting hat too! She dug through her memory. Why did Hotohori and Nuriko show up? She decided to trust Chichiri's explanation that she couldn't get into the palace to find them.
Yumi realized that she was staring at the jewel again. It was very pretty. She hoped Taiitsukun wouldn't want it back when the adventure was over. It reminded her of her own world. It looks like the Shikkon Jewel… Yumi caught her thoughts wandering, and quickly settled them on the warriors she had yet to find. If I concentrate on finding my warriors, maybe they'll come to me, just like before. Yumi closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but the same thoughts kept repeating in her head. She shook her head, loosening the cycle of thought and starting with a blank slate. Chichiri often meditates, so maybe it will work for me too. Yumi cleared her mind, willing her warriors to sense her.
"Hey! What was that?" Tasuki asked curiously. "I felt summat, jus' then!"
"So did I, no da." Chichiri responded lightly. "It's Yumi's life force, calling her warriors to her, no da."
Yumi smiled inwardly. It was working! Well, at least Tasuki and Chichiri felt it, and she was sure, somehow, that Hotohori and Nuriko had sensed it as well. Maybe the other warriors will sense it as well… Yumi blocked everything else out, concentrating with all her power. Suddenly, Nuriko began giggling. Yumi didn't want to let her concentration to break, so she just turned her thoughts to Nuriko. He laughed even harder.
"Yumi!" He gasped, causing her to open her eyes and look around. "Yumi, stop it! It tickles!" Completely baffled, Yumi looked back at Nuriko.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked her riding partner, a little peeved. Nuriko finally managed to breathe normally.
"Yumi, when you summon me to you, and I'm already here, well, it feels weird! I can't get any closer, but you still call me! I don't know how to explain it…" He trailed off, still giggling. Yumi decided she would have to look the old-fashioned way, or she might do something strange to poor Nuriko.
"Hey, look!" Tasuki cried, and everyone looked in the direction he pointed. "It's a village! We can stop there, right? Right, Chichiri?"
Chichiri looked for a moment as though he would refuse to let the party stop, and Tasuki's eyes widened with fear.
"Please let us stop! You promised we could! If we don't you'll have to hear about just how much I'm hurting right now, riding this damned horse!" Tasuki chuckled. "And you don't want that…" Yumi looked eagerly ahead. She could see smoke rising from several chimneys. Until Tasuki had said something, she had almost forgotten how much she was hurting.
She turned around in the saddle and smiled innocently at everyone, trying to make sure they stopped. Otherwise she might just start complaining about how much she hurt as well.
Hotohori looked at her for a moment before he sighed as if in defeat. He couldn't deny the priestess anything, and she knew it.
"Very well, we'll stop for the night. I certainly don't want to hear anything more from Tasuki." The bandit puffed up indignantly and was about to say something when Chichiri's masked eyebrows knitted together and he simply bonked the warrior over the head with his staff.
"Hey! What the hell was tha' for, Chichiri?" Tasuki demanded in a huff. Chichiri frowned and sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"To make you be quiet." He offered, his voice taking on a lower pitch than Yumi had ever heard. Was it just her imagination, or had the monk forgotten to say "no da?" Shrugging it off, she smiled and pointed ahead.
"I see an inn! We can stay there, right everybody?" She said excitedly, making Nuriko giggle softly. No man should giggle that much… Yumi thought. Chichiri nodded and led his horse ahead of the others.
"I'll go ahead and pay for the rooms. You three need to make sure you get the horses stabled, or we won't be able to ride tomorrow, no da." Chichiri said, ignoring Tasuki's remark of "that would be fine by me" and kicked his horse into what Yumi thought was a canter; or maybe a trot? Megumi would have known, but she was in Kutou. She noticed that her warrior's voice had returned to its normal high pitch, and his speech pattern had returned. Curious. Maybe she should ask about that later.
After they had seen to the horses, Hotohori, Tasuki, Nuriko, and Yumi went inside. Chichiri was already waiting for them, his mask smiling. As they approached him, he held up two fingers.
"Uh, Chichiri? What's with the peace sign?" Yumi asked wearily, holding up her hand the same way as Chichiri to mirror his gesture, trying to get her legs to work properly on the ground. The monk smiled again.
"They only had two rooms left, no da! So we'll have to double up! I'll stay with Yumi, and you three share the other room, no da!" Yumi could already hear Tasuki and Hotohori's protests.
"Nothin' doin' Chichiri! I'll stay with 'er!" The bandit said, poking a thumb at his chest in order to enunciate his point. Yumi arched an eyebrow when Hotohori spoke up.
"I will be able to protect her adequately. I will stay with Yumi." He said forcefully. Nuriko had his hands clasped together, looking fairly starry-eyed.
"I get to stay with Hotohori-sama!" He said dreamily. Yumi's eyebrows were liable to disappear into her hair at this rate. The emperor looked at Nuriko askance.
"I will definitely stay with Yumi…" He said, backing away from the terrifying cross-dresser. Chichiri frowned again.
"I said that I will be staying with Yumi. Now go to your room." He said softly, once again omitting his trademark "no da" and lowering his voice to a normal man's range. There was a very awkward silence before Hotohori began inching away from Nuriko towards the stairs leading up to the rooms. Nuriko followed Hotohori just as quickly and Tasuki muttered a disheartened goodnight before following after.
"Second door on the right, no da!" Chichiri called back to them. Yumi was still confused. Of all her warriors, she expected to spend the night with Nuriko, not Chichiri. Oh well, it didn't really matter to her, but she wouldn't have minded if she were paired up with Tasuki…