Megumi woke up and looked around, a little disoriented. Again, she had dreamed about being unable to move or see. She shivered, hugging the blanket to her. Why that particular dream bothered her so much was a mystery. Megumi looked across the room and saw that Soi was still sleeping. Megumi stood up and stretched, then reached for her joint cream. Why she had such bad bones, she didn't know, but she still had to deal with it. She had changed and was brushing her teeth when Soi woke up. She sat up and looked at Megumi strangely. Megumi finished brushing her teeth, ignoring her for the most part. When she finished, she left the room, giving Soi privacy to change her clothing. Megumi went over to Suboshi's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Megumi knocked again, a little louder.

"Suboshi, are you alive in there?" A moment later, Suboshi opened the door and looked out. Megumi blushed. He was still in his pajamas trousers. Amiboshi… she thought fondly, before remembering that this was his brother.

"Hey, Megumi." He said, yawning widely. He must have just gotten out of bed, for his hair was mussed and his eyes were somewhat sleepy. Megumi had thought he would be awake already.

"I was just wondering if you are ready for breakfast." She said hesitantly. "Soi is getting up right now, and I want to be able to go as soon as we can." Suboshi smiled and nodded, and was about to come out for breakfast, as he was when Megumi caught his arm.

"Suboshi, you have to get dressed." He grinned at her and went back into his room and closed the door. Megumi waited in the hallway for her warriors to be ready. She shook her head and went downstairs alone. The owner of the inn came to her and smiled.

"Did you have a good rest, miss?" She asked. Megumi nodded.

"Yes, I did. Do you serve breakfast?" The landlady smiled at her.

"Of course. I'll get the cook to whip something up for you." Megumi sat down gratefully at a table, and was surprised at how clean the place was. The light hadn't been very good last night, and she hadn't been able to tell. But now, with the morning light streaming through several open windows, she could see that the place was spotless. A few minutes later, Suboshi came downstairs. Megumi couldn't help but think about Amiboshi when she saw him. When Suboshi sat down with her, the cook bustled out, carrying a tray of assorted foods. They all smelled wonderful. She was just finishing her first helping when Soi made her appearance. She looked slightly peeved. Megumi flushed, realizing she had left all the packing and cleaning to her. Ooops. Soi didn't say anything as she joined them; she merely helped herself to a bowl of rice and a glass of water.

Ten minutes later, however, Soi was smiling again and the three of them were discussing the plans for the day.

"Which way do we go now, Suboshi?" Megumi asked. She knew Suboshi knew his way around Konan, at least a little. It had been him and his brother, after all, who had kidnapped her from the palace in the capitol all that time ago. Suboshi paused before answering.

"I'm not really sure. It all depends on where you want to go." Megumi rolled her eyes.

"I meant, where is Amiboshi?" She couldn't believe Suboshi had already forgotten the whole purpose of this mission. He looked across the table at her and grinned nervously.

"Um… About that… I don't know." Suboshi backed away in his chair slightly.

"Sit down, Megumi… It's okay." Soi said softly. Megumi hadn't realized she was standing, and sat down, flushing slightly. "I know he's alive, but I can't sense more than that anymore. We're in Konan now, so maybe Seiryu powers are disabled here… or something."

"Oh yeah. Now we are in Yumi's territory." Megumi wondered why she thought of Konan as "Yumi's." Megumi smiled to herself. If Yumi asked that emperor if she could have Konan, there's no way he would be able to refuse. She ALWAYS gets what she wants… When her attention returned to what was going on around her, Megumi saw that Suboshi and Soi were getting ready to leave. Megumi paid the bill and made her way back to her room with Soi. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and looked around the room. She didn't want to leave anything behind. Her bag felt lighter than before, and wondered at that until she remembered that she had split her clothes with Soi. Making a mental note to stop and get clothes at the next town they reached, Megumi went down to the stables, where she found Suboshi waiting for her.

She stroked Sango's mane a moment before checking that the saddle was tight and tied her bag to it before jumping up into the saddle. Soi entered the stable a moment later, and Megumi directed Sango out into the street. She waited for Suboshi and Soi to do the same. In a few minutes, they emerged from the stables, and Megumi smiled at her warriors. Maybe we ARE getting along better now… She was referring to Soi. Today she was wearing a kimono that Megumi had made. It wasn't fancy, but Megumi had to admit that the month spent in Kutou doing nothing but sewing and strangling guards had paid off. The dead guards left her alone and she had improved her sewing skills. Soi CHOSE to wear it, which must mean it's good. Megumi smiled as the three of them made their way down the street.

The town was just beginning to come to life. Megumi could see vendors choosing their favorite corners and setting up their wares. Small children peeked out of houses and chickens pecked at the ground here and there. All too soon, they had left the ordered peace of the village and were back in the wilderness. It was a calm, quiet, wilderness of trees and undergrowth, fields and ponds, but no Amiboshi in sight.

Megumi checked once in a while that her warriors were nearby, but for the most part, they traveled in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Megumi scanned the horizon and saw a lone mountain in the distance. It was shaped like a wolf howling at the moon. It was quite an impressive spectacle. She looked at Suboshi and saw that he, too, was looking at the mountain. Something about it seemed familiar to Megumi, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"What is that mountain?" She asked her warriors. Soi shrugged slightly, not even bothering to look where Megumi was pointing. Suboshi looked at Megumi and back at the mountain.

"I think that's the bandit headquarters of Konan. Mt. Reikaku. It's actually quite well-known." Something nagged at Megumi's memory, and it was bothering her.

"I think I've been there before." She said abruptly. Soi laughed and Suboshi looked at her sharply. Megumi grinned apologetically.

"I think I have. Maybe it was before I, uh, became solid. Everything that happened before that is fuzzy. Or maybe not." Suboshi made sure to steer the party away from the mountain as they continued.

"Where are we going?" Megumi asked him. He seemed to know.

"The capital." He replied. Megumi hoped he knew how to get there from here.

-------

Chiriko opened his eyes slowly and looked around him. He couldn't recognize his surroundings and wondered if he was dead or still dreaming. His limbs didn't seem to want to move, so he guessed that he was the former rather than the latter. He wondered why he wasn't scared.

"Hey, no da! You're finally awake, no da!" Chiriko lifted his head a little and saw Chichiri kneeling near him.

"We thought we'd lost you for sure, no da, but you're tough, no da!"

"You're tough!"

"You're tough!"

"We fixed you up!"

"We fixed you up!"

Chiriko looked around in confusion and rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn there were two identical little girls with green hair, one on either side of Chichiri. When he opened his eyes again, there were three. He put his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"I'm not better yet…" He said softly to himself. "Anyway, what happened? Why do I need to get better?" He wondered how long he had been unconscious. Was it hours or days? He opened his eyes to look at the ceiling, and instead, a creature from his nightmares loomed over him. He threw the blanket over his head, hoping he would wake up soon. She's scary! I didn't know people were ALLOWED to be so ugly! Help me, somebody! He heard an aged voice speaking to him, but he tried to block it out. Come on Chiriko, wake up already! He peeked out of the blanket, and now there were five identical girls, all with the same outfit and sea-green hair, and the hag had not disappeared. He heard Chichiri laughing softly.

"Chiriko, let me introduce you to Taiitsukun, no da." He pointed at the old woman floating near the ceiling, "And Nyan-Nyan." He pointed at the group of girls with green hair.

"Which one?" Chiriko wanted to know. Chichiri laughed again.

"All of them, no da. Anyway, it looks like we're okay now, no da, so you'd better thank Taiitsukun for healing you, no da, and then we can get back to Konan, no da, before anyone misses us. No da." Chiriko sat up and looked at the old ha-, er, Taiitsukun, and thanked her. Just as Chichiri had taken off his straw hat and urged Chiriko to pass through, Chiriko suddenly remembered the reason he had almost died. Miboshi. I killed the celestial warrior of Seiryu. What will mother say?

Chiriko blinked when they landed, and tried not to laugh. Chichiri had messed up the landing.

"Chichiri, it's really great that you can transport us so quickly, but I think-"

"Yeah, no da. I have to work on the landings, no da." Chichiri jumped out of the tree the two were tangled in, and Chiriko managed to find a way down without breaking his neck. A moment later, Chichiri had gone, replaced again by the image of the emperor. Chiriko sighed.

"I guess that means we're back on duty, right?" Chichiri nodded solemnly, just like Hotohori would have. Chiriko giggled.

"Your Highness," Chiriko bowed his head in mock reverence. "I await your orders." Chichiri looked down at Chiriko through Hotohori's golden eyes.

"You are to pray for the safe return of the priestess and her warriors. That is all. You are dismissed." Chichiri managed to hold a straight face only two seconds after he stopped speaking, and then burst into laughter, though he managed to keep Hotohori's form.

"How was that, Chiriko? I think I'm getting better at this 'Highness' stuff, no da." Chiriko looked blankly at the older warrior of Suzaku, but couldn't help laughing with him.

"But seriously, no da, I do hope that Yumi and the others are doing okay, no da."

--------

Yumi sat listlessly before the mounds of earth, each of which represented a person she had not been able to save. No matter what anybody said, she knew it was her fault. Yumi shivered slightly in the slight breeze. She had not moved since Hotohori left, and now it was fully dark. She hadn't been able to struggle against him. For some reason all of her energy had left her as soon as she was pinned, and she shuddered to think of what might have happened had Hotohori not come to his senses. He had stopped of his own accord.

I'll never be able to reject him completely… but I don't love him. My heart belongs to someone else… Please let him come back soon… Yumi looked up and saw dim shadows in the darkness. Even though she could not see them, she knew there were flowers on the graves. Somebody had survived to bury his friends and neighbors. Yumi felt tears welling in her eyes.

No person should have to do that job. I wonder how he survived. If everyone else died, he must have either been away, or he is exceptionally strong. Since he was here to bury the dead, I can't believe he abandoned these people. Maybe he was a celestial warrior… Yumi shook her head. I already have all of the Suzaku seven. Yumi felt a chill on the back of her neck and suddenly she knew she was being watched. She turned, looking over her shoulder. Almost automatically, she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest protectively and backed away. She would no longer trust any man.

A shadowy figure emerged from the gloom, and Yumi backed away even more. If Tamahome suddenly decides he loves me too, I think I'll jump off a cliff. If I can find one. Tasuki! Save me from this insanity! After a moment, she recognized the soft giggle and relaxed. Well, I can trust THIS man.

"Nuriko?" Yumi ran to him and fell against her warrior. She could see his face clearly up close, lit by the moonlight. He smiled down at her before he gently pushed her back and at held her at arm's length.

"Yumi…" he sighed. "I'm sorry about what happened to these villagers. But you can't let it get you down." Yumi tried to say she was perfectly fine but Nuriko interrupted.

"Very soon, you will summon Suzaku. We have all the warriors of Suzaku. Or we will when Tasuki gets back. What about after that?" Yumi wondered why Nuriko asked. While she was still trying to think of an answer, Nuriko told her not to worry about it. He smiled disarmingly at her.

"Just get some rest, Yumi. But at least come with me to our camp. You must be hungry, and I fixed up something special. I hope Tamahome didn't eat it all…" Nuriko stood up again and patted the dirt from his clothes. Yumi followed suit, just now realizing how hungry she was. She thought she could smell spicy soup, and her stomach started talking to her, insisting that it was about time Yumi fed it. Yumi couldn't refuse, and her nose led her to the house where everyone had chosen to stay.

Nuriko opened the door and stood back, allowing her to enter first. There was a warm fire in the fireplace, casting an orange, flickering light upon the faces of her warriors. Nuriko was busy getting her a bowl of soup while Mitsukake cleared a space next to him for her to sit. Tamahome was absently scratching the place his symbol had glowed the other day. It looked as though he was trying to scratch it off, but it wasn't there. Yumi was confused, but as soon as Nuriko pushed a full bowl of warm soup into her hands, Yumi sat down and immediately forgot about everything as she did Nuriko's cooking justice. There were no spoons or other utensils, and she hadn't brought any, so she sipped the soup. She looked around at her warrior's faces again. Tamahome was now leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, a slim flute held gently in his hands. For some reason, at that moment, Yumi thought of Amiboshi, the Seiryu warrior, but she quickly put it from her mind. Mitsukake was staring into the fire silently. When Yumi looked over at Nuriko, she was surprised to find him watching her.

"Hotohori-sama is taking a walk." He said, reading Yumi's mind. She didn't ask how he knew what she was going to say. Yumi decided to voice a different question instead.

"When will we arrive back at the capitol? Tomorrow, right?" Nuriko nodded slightly.

"I think so. It can't be far." Tamahome sat up suddenly and looked at Nuriko.

"Why are we going to the capitol?" He asked. The light of the fire revealed a strange, flickering, confused image of Tamahome's face. He looked… hopeful? Yumi was too busy studying her newest warrior that she forgot to answer his question. She tried to figure out his expression, but it was impossible. Nuriko answered for her.

"I thought Yumi told you before. That is where the other two warriors of Suzaku are. Chichiri and Chiriko. Then we will summon Suzaku."

"But…" Tamahome looked confused. "You haven't found all of your warriors yet. You need all seven to summon the god." Yumi saw that Tamahome looked surprised to be saying such things.

"What do you mean I haven't found all of my warriors?" Tamahome was silent for a moment. He didn't seem to know what to say. A moment later he shrugged.

"You have told me about two warriors in the capitol. Chichiri and Chiriko. And there are four of us here. Hotohori. Nuriko. Mitsukake. Tamahome. That's only six." Yumi laughed when she realized what he must have been talking about.

"The last warrior will come soon. The seventh is Tasuki." Why did I ever let him go out on his own? Why do we let Hotohori control us? She couldn't help but wonder where her bandit warrior had gotten to. But at the same time, Yumi wished that Chichiri would come and get everyone; instead of having to ride all the way back to the capitol. Her legs and back were so sore that she was numb from a constant throbbing in her muscles. Maybe that had something to do with my lack of energy earlier… She closed her eyes and leaned back. She practically jumped out of her skin when her support started moving. She realized that she had leaned on Mitsukake.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered, "I thought you were a wall… um, I mean…" Yumi decided that her apology just made things worse and went silent. Tamahome started playing a soft lullaby on his flute and Yumi couldn't help but listen. Yumi played the flute in her school's orchestra and seeing this primitive flute being played was fascinating.

Tamahome saw her watching him so intently and stopped, blushing slightly.

"I'm sorry, Yumi. I'll stop if you don't like it." Yumi shook her head, widening her eyes in shock. Something tugged at her memory, and she knew that the flute was the cause of it. Maybe, if she kept listening, she would remember.

"No, please play some more. It's beautiful." She sighed, wishing she had remembered to bring her flute. Then they could play duets, which, in Yumi's opinion, was the best part of flute playing.

"Do you have a request?" Yumi shook her head. Since she didn't know much about the music here, there was no way she could request something Tamahome would know. Yumi closed her eyes and Tamahome played a delicate melody that reminded Yumi of birds singing to one another in the morning. She must have fallen asleep because the next time she opened her eyes, the room was completely dark except for an orange glow from the embers of their fire. One of her warriors had wrapped her in a blanket. She snuggled against the coarse sheet and very soon she fell asleep again, unaware of Hotohori watching her.