Tasuki looked down at the sleeping priestess, her head resting on his chest. She had fallen asleep as soon as she had got back into her room. When Yumi had fallen asleep, Tasuki had replaced the jeweled necklace she had lent him. But, he didn't know why Yumi insisted that he had to stay here. He was so confused. How could he have done that? The bandit shifted slightly. Yumi's arms tightened painfully around his waist at the small movement and she began to wake up.
"Tasuki?" She blinked. "You're still here right?" Her voice was soft and insistent, needing him. He smiled reassuringly through his enormous guilt.
"'Course I'm still 'ere." He said, fighting down his self-loathing. Yumi could apparently read his mind, because she snuggled up to him and smiled.
"You don't need to worry, Tasuki. It wasn't your fault. And when you sliced my back, and almost killed Nuriko, and fought against Hotohori, and ran me through with a dagger, that wasn't your fault, it was Nakago's kodoku! No one holds it against you." She insisted. Tasuki sagged with each word, guilty to the core. To his surprise, Yumi laughed quietly and hugged him.
Tasuki was still confused. He always thought he would hate women, being raised in a family with five women and his wimpy father. But now, his heart simply swelled with love for this small and lively, yet fragile woman before him. He wanted her to be safe and happy. Tasuki would give his life for her, and he wanted to stay with her and protect her forever.
"Tasuki…" Yumi said quietly. She snuggled against him and whispered. "I'm glad to have you back." Tasuki could feel his insides squirming. He had stabbed her, tried to kill her. For that, there was no forgiveness.
"Uh, Yumi? Did you know that you could break the spell?" The question had been in his mind, and he needed to ask it. He still couldn't believe he had been manipulated so easily. Yumi didn't answer for a moment.
"I didn't break it alone. We did it together. Of course, I had no way of knowing whether it would work. That was just love, or fate, or something." She said softly, sounding very self-assured. Tasuki shifted slightly, leaning against the wall. He was sitting on the floor with Yumi curled in his lap, like nothing had ever happened. But it had.
"So… ya could have died, and it might not have broken it?" He pushed, the guilt weighing down his already heavy heart. Yumi simply smiled at him, complete adoration in her eyes. Suddenly she scrambled up and sat straight, off his lap and beside him in an instant. She took his hand in hers and clasped it tightly. Tasuki looked at her, confused.
"Fine. Lets make a deal. You can make up for all that bad stuff you did by making me a promise!" Tasuki grinned weakly, revealing his fangs, as Yumi called them.
"Sure, what kinda promise?" He said. Yumi simply looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling sweetly, making his heart flutter briefly, though he stomped it down quickly. I don't deserve this woman…
"You have to promise me that you'll never, ever, leave me." Yumi said excitedly, shaking his hand vigorously. Tasuki pulled her to his chest quickly, making her yelp, caught off guard. He nuzzled against the side of her face, his arms around her waist.
"That's it? Stay with ya forever? That isn't too hard, ya know." He said, making Yumi giggle when he nipped at her ear playfully. The priestess snuggled up against his chest, smiling broadly.
"Well, and you have to do whatever I say for a week. So when I say 'jump,' you say 'how high?'" She added as an afterthought. Tasuki smiled contentedly, knowing now in his heart that Yumi loved him, no matter what.
"I can live with that…" He murmured in her ear, pulling her close. She soon fell asleep, a smile on her lips. Tasuki watched her silently for a moment before he too fell asleep.
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Megumi blinked tiredly. She didn't know how Soi could be so energetic all the time. They had been traveling on horseback for… Megumi didn't even know how long anymore. Once they had entered Konan, Suboshi had not been able to pick up on any more leads to the whereabouts of Amiboshi. The sun was hidden behind a blanket of rain-filled clouds. Yesterday afternoon, it had begun raining, and it had not stopped since. So Megumi was tired, wet, and cold. But every time she thought about seeing Yumi an Amiboshi again, her hope was renewed.
"Megumi." She looked over to see Suboshi addressing her. "Look ahead." He pointed at the horizon. Megumi looked where Suboshi indicated. She could see trees and grass stretching out into the distance. Everything was fuzzy. Megumi shook her head slightly and fished her glasses out of her saddlebag, managing not to lose balance. Once she had placed the glasses on her face, Megumi could see what Suboshi was trying to point out. Buildings. So that's what the fuzzy dark stuff on the horizon was… Megumi looked over at Suboshi.
"Is that the capitol?" She asked. Suboshi nodded, smiling broadly through the rain at her. Megumi couldn't wait to get there. Yumi would be there, of course, and then Megumi could introduce her warriors, and Soi and Suboshi could meet Yumi's warriors. And everyone would be FRIENDS, no matter what Nakago had implanted in the minds of the Seiryu warriors about the people of Konan. Megumi picked up the pace a little, hoping to reach the capitol before dark, ignoring the surprised look from Suboshi. She knew he was confused at her sudden willingness to ride faster. Since the first wild day, she had kept the pace to a walk, just glad to be away from Nakago.
"Finally ready to go faster?" Suboshi asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but Megumi could understand. Soi pulled up beside Megumi, almost protectively. Ahead, Megumi could see the buildings coming closer with every minute. Maybe they were closer than Megumi first thought, but distances could be deceptive. Megumi shivered in the cold and hugged her cloak closer around her. The sky was darkening, and Megumi tried to pick to pick up the pace a little more. I'm cold. The ground was soggy from the long, persistent rain, preventing Megumi from bringing her horse, Sango, into a proper canter, so she settled for a fast trot. Sango was sturdy and showed no signs of fatigue. Around her, Megumi could hear Soi and Suboshi discussing escape plans should the Suzaku warriors prove to be hostile.
Megumi ignored them, knowing they were just being paranoid. Thinking that, Megumi laughed out loud. Usually, she was the one that was paranoid. It was a trait inherited from her mother. Every man represents a potential rapist or kidnapper. Every car contains people who will pick up unsuspecting children and kill them, leaving their body on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. That was the only lesson Megumi's mother had ever tried to teach her, and it had finally sunk in from constant repetition. Megumi sighed.
She and her mother hadn't been on very good terms lately, and Megumi didn't think that a long absence would serve to help matters at all. Yumi hadn't been able to tell Megumi what was going on when she came to Kutou. She and her warriors had been chased off, rather quickly and violently, before Yumi had done much more than deliver Megumi's medicine. Megumi was expecting a full explanation upon arrival. And it had better be good. Her mind wandered off on a tangent for some while, never noticing how far the party had come.
Megumi shook herself out of a fond daydream, mainly featuring Amiboshi, and realized that she and her warriors were now riding along a muddy street. Rain splashed in the puddles on the road. A few children ran through the road, wet and covered in mud, chased by their mothers, who were calling dire warnings after their unruly offspring. Megumi looked up, suddenly realizing what she was seeing.
"We're here!" She said excitedly. Suboshi laughed softly with relief. Soi looked around, her eyes cold and calculating.
"Which way to the palace?" She asked. "That is where the priestess of Suzaku is staying, right?" Soi looked to Megumi for an answer, but Megumi wasn't really sure which way to go. She had never spent any time in the outskirts of the city, and anyway…
"I thought you didn't want to see Yumi." Megumi said. Soi coughed slightly into her hand, as though clearing her throat.
"I… I want to get the mission over with. And since don't have anywhere to stay, free lodging in Konan's palace sounds pretty good to me." Megumi shook her head. Sometimes that woman was hopeless. Suboshi interrupted.
"Umm, I know where the palace is. If you two ladies would kindly follow me, I shall escort you." Megumi looked at Suboshi. What in the world is he saying? He had a hand over his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Suboshi?" Megumi stared at him. He smiled broadly.
"Well, I had to get your attention somehow, and that seemed as good a way as any, right?" He shrugged slightly.
"But I do know where to go, follow me." Megumi and Soi followed Suboshi through the nearly empty streets of Konan's capitol. Whenever they passed someone, the three of them riding on horses in the rain always received strange looks, but Megumi didn't care. She was going to be with her best friend again. Maybe, now that Megumi was solid most of the time, the two of them would be able to travel and gather the rest of their warriors together. And then we can summon the gods and have our wishes granted! Megumi was working herself into a state of high excitement, but caught herself off guard when she wondered what she was going to wish for, and her mind went blank. What will I wish for? She wondered. Well, I'd better not get ahead of myself. I need to find all my warriors first, and then we have to summon Seiryu.
Some part of Megumi's mind registered the fact that Suboshi was getting down from of his saddle. Megumi blinked, and saw that they were standing at a gate, guarded by soldiers. One was questioning Suboshi. Megumi prayed that Suboshi didn't get impatient and just push his way past the guards. That would be… disastrous. Megumi got down off of Sango, her feet splashing in the road.
"Sir?" She tried to attract the guard's attention to herself. The man looked at her. Beneath all the armor, his eyes were wary.
"Can you pass a message to my friend? I need to get a message to the priestess…" Megumi trailed off, knowing the man would never believe that she knew the priestess personally. Megumi wondered how to make this guy trust her, even a little. She knew it wouldn't be normal for strangers to be able to talk to the priestess whenever they wanted. There was always danger of assassins. Megumi shivered. Through the gate, Megumi could see a young man with dark hair and eyes, dressed in simple clothing. He caught sight of the party standing outside the gate and approached the guards. The man continued to look at Megumi suspiciously. She squirmed. What do I do? Another guard caught sight of the man within the gate and hailed him.
"Tamahome!" He said, and Tamahome, for that must be his name, came up to the gate and studied Soi and Suboshi, carefully not looking at Megumi.
"Do you know these people?" He asked lightly, clearly expecting the answer to be negative. For a moment, Tamahome looked torn, but then he nodded.
"Yeah, let them in." Tamahome said. The guard hesitated, but decided to trust the man. Megumi figured he must pull some weight in the court. The gates were pulled open and the men stood back to allow Megumi's party into the outer courtyard. Tamahome smiled at them slightly and motioned for them to follow him.
"You'll have to forgive them, things have been a bit odd lately. Just today, a man got through their defenses." Tamahome said, as though imparting a secret, but then raised his voice to a normal level. "But they didn't know he was a warrior of Suzaku. There's no way they could have stopped him." Three boys in palace livery ran out to take their horses to the stables, leaving barely enough time to get their luggage. Tamahome still hadn't looked at Megumi, at least not directly. It was rather unsettling. Tamahome led the group into the front hall, out of the rain. He turned to Suboshi.
"I will inform Her Eminence of you arrival. I ask that you wait here for now." And he headed down a hallway. Megumi didn't feel like waiting, so she followed Tamahome. She wanted to see Yumi, of course, but she was going to MAKE Tamahome acknowledge her presence somehow. He must have heard her follow him and he turned.
"I want to see Yumi." Megumi stated. Tamahome shrugged.
"Follow me, then." The two of them walked down the empty hallways in silence. For some reason, Megumi almost felt as though she knew Tamahome from somewhere, just from his gestures and the way he walked. After a few minutes, he stopped at a door. He opened it a little and peeked inside before shutting it quietly. He turned to look at Megumi for the first time, eyes wide with shock.
"Ummm, she's asleep." He said sheepishly, and urged Megumi to go back to the entrance where her companions were waiting. Yumi is always sleeping… Megumi thought. I think she wouldn't mind being woken up, at least this once. Megumi grabbed the door and swung it open before Tamahome could stop her. Megumi could feel her eyes widening just like Tamahome's. Everything Megumi had been planning to say flew clean out of her head as soon as she saw Yumi. Yeah, Yumi is asleep… but who is THAT? Megumi felt like closing the door just as Tamahome had done, but she had come all this way, and didn't want to wait anymore to talk to Yumi.
"Yumi." Megumi said. "Guess who came to see you?" Yumi sighed and sat up on the man's lap. He had fiery orange hair and wore assorted sparkling necklaces and earrings. He looked… wild. He opened an eye and looked at Megumi warily, his arms still around Yumi's waist. Yumi disentangled herself from him and stood up, smoothing her skirt. She turned to face Megumi. Her eyes widened in surprise and suddenly ran to Megumi, throwing her arms around her friend.
"Megumi!" Yumi cried, holding Megumi at arm's length to get a better look. "What brings you here?" Megumi couldn't remember ever seeing Yumi looking happier or healthier. The man upon which Yumi had been sleeping stood up and walked over to Yumi, standing protectively at her side.
"Who's this?" He asked at the same time Megumi asked Yumi the same thing of him.
"Uh, Yumi?" Megumi asked, ignoring Yumi's question for the moment. "What exactly were you doing? And who is this?" Megumi indicated the man with orange hair. Yumi opened her mouth to answer, but was stalled by her own laughter.
"He's one of my warriors… I've found all seven now! You already met Chichiri, Nuriko, and Hotohori, but you might not remember them. The others are Tamahome, Chiriko, Tasuki, and Mitsukake! So you haven't met this one yet!" Yumi said, but was interrupted by her warrior.
"Whaddaya mean, 'this one?'" He asked, but he didn't seem at all put off. Megumi was shocked to see that when he spoke, he revealed pointed canines, almost like fangs. He wound one arm around Yumi's waist and pulled her to him. So Tamahome was a warrior of Suzaku. No wonder he was trusted around here. Yumi smiled happily. She leaned toward Megumi.
"This one is my favorite…" Yumi whispered conspiratorially into Megumi's ear, making sure the man could hear every word. She straightened up and looked at Megumi warmly.
"Megumi, let me introduce you to Tasuki, a celestial warrior of Suzaku. Tasuki, this is Megumi, the priestess of Seiryu and my best friend." Megumi smiled awkwardly at Tasuki, uncertain what to say to her best friend's… lover?
"Uh, hi."
"So you came from the other world, too?" He asked curiously, looking at Megumi. She nodded.
"Actually, I have a few questions about that…" Megumi began. Yumi nodded, but Megumi could see a look in her eyes that told Megumi to shut up and ask again later.
"Uh, hate to interrupt, but can we come in now?" Megumi turned around to see Suboshi poking his head just inside the door looking sheepish. She smiled and pulled him in by the arm, Soi following him in with an aggravated look on her face.
"Yumi, these two are my warriors. You remember Suboshi, right? And Soi?" Yumi nodded and smiled welcomingly, though Soi seemed impervious to the show of good will. Megumi continued to scrutinize the rough-looking man in front of her, his hand still comfortably around her best friend's waist. Who are you, where did you come from, and what in the world do you think you're doing with my friend? Megumi bristled.
"It's really nice to meet you again Suboshi, Soi." Yumi said, smiling broadly. Megumi looked over to see Suboshi blushing, apparently embarrassed by the blatant show of affection in front of him. Soi still looked mad, and Megumi could almost read her mind. We're fraternizing with the enemy.
"Um, Yumi? I'm really tired, and Suboshi and Soi are too, cuz you know, it's a long way from Kutou, so maybe we could talk tomorrow?" She said hurriedly. Yumi blinked before smiling and nodding, gently removing the man's arm from her waist.
"That's right! I'm so sorry! Here, um, Tamahome, would you get my friend and her warriors some rooms for the night?" She said. The Suzaku warrior was suddenly there in the doorway, nodding. He motioned for Megumi, Suboshi, and Soi to follow him.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay, Yumi?" Megumi said, hugging her friend once more. Yumi smiled and nodded before Megumi followed Tamahome out into the hall. Soi walked beside her like an honor guard, shooting icy stares at every servant and soldier they passed. Suboshi was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot as he walked.
"What's wrong, Suboshi?" Megumi asked, frowning slightly. The young man smiled disarmingly.
"Ah, nothing really. I just feel kind of funny around this palace, you know? It's probably just because this is Konan, our enemy country." Megumi shrugged. She decided to let the enemy comment pass. They'd realize soon that Konan was a really nice country. Megumi finally realized that they'd stopped, and three doors were in front of them.
"Pick whichever room you like." Tamahome said. There I go again… Megumi thought when she thought she recognized the way the man was leaning against the wall. She shook her head and headed to the room in the middle, not minding that Soi was following her. It was probably to protect her from the "evil Suzaku celestial warriors." Suboshi headed for the one on the left and once they closed the doors, Megumi realized huffily that Tamahome still hadn't looked at her. It offended her for some reason.