Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

Red Wings of Fate

Chapter 5: Finding Warriors

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Ugh. I'm not dead yet. Just slowly being murdered by schoolwork. You all understand right? I try my best, but believe me, the period between last chapter and this chapter will probably be the norm until I have some longer vacations.

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Momo sighed as she walked around near the twin's house. Her strength had mostly come back, but not completely. Amiboshi encouraged her to stay inside and rest, but she was too stubborn to listen. She still really had no idea where she was. Amiboshi never had the time to completely explain this world to her and Suboshi never gave her more than a funny look or a snort.

She held onto a low branch and stared out into the forest. 'Why am I here? Why aren't I where ever I was with Kohana?'

Another wave of exhaustion and nausea washed over her and she slumped against the tree. "Dammit…" She whispered. "Why aren't I getting better?"

"'Cause you're being stubborn and not resting, dumb ass." Suboshi slipped his arms under hers and helped her stand up. "Come on. Lunch is ready."

She frowned. "Stop calling me a dumb ass. I bet I'm smarter than you."

"Yeah right." He helped Momo back to the house and got her to sit at the table.

She stared at the food, but didn't make a move to eat it. Lunch was the last thing on her mind.

"What? Something wrong with my cooking?"

She jerked her head up. "N…no. It's not that. I just don't feel like eating."

"Aniki will kill me if you don't eat."

"Just tell him I ate then."

"I can't lie to my brother."

Momo stared out the window. "I'll try then…"

"Why do you always stare out the window like that?"

"Huh?"

"You stare out the window all day. Why?"

"Guess I'm just thinking about home…"

Suboshi looked up at her. "What's your home like?" It was a question that had been nagging him since he first saw her. There had never been a good time to ask though.

"What's it like? Um…" She wasn't sure how to explain it to him without making him think she was even more insane than he already did.

He waited for her to find the words. There were no funny looks or rude comments from him this time.

"It…it's very different from here…"

"Would you call it a completely different world?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah…it is I guess. I can't explain it any other way."

"Maybe you are her then…"

"Her? Her who?"

"The girl of legend. The priestess of Seiryuu."

"Seiryuu?"

"The dragon god we worship here."

"You think I'm her?"

"Amiboshi does. I don't know. Nor do I care…"

"What's it matter to him? What's a priestess do?"

"She gathers the 7 warriors of her god and summons him. She gains the god's power and makes all her dreams come true."

"Oh…I see." She shook her head. "I doubt I'm her though."

"Like I said, I don't care. I'd rather not have to go out looking for the other seishi."

"Why would you?"

"I'm one of the Seiryuu 7. So is Amiboshi."

"Oh…" She took a few bites of food. "I suppose that's why Amiboshi's been so nice to me."

"Something like that."

"And you just don't care?"

"Nope."

"Okay then." She gave him a small smile. "That's fine."

For the first time since she'd been there, Suboshi gave her a friendly smile. "Thanks."

She nodded and turned back to her lunch.

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Piaoliang folded a few sheets and put them away. They were the last few things she had to do before bed. Sighing, she ran one hand through her hair to fix it a little. It had been a long day and she was ready to sleep.

She trudged out of the laundry room and down to her room. On her way she passed by Kohana's room. Kohana was dancing around her room, looking rather happy.

"Hey, what's with you?" She leaned on the doorway.

"Hotohori thinks he's got a way to get me home." She smiled.

"Really?" As happy as she was to see Kohana happy, she didn't really like the thought of her newfound friend leaving. "How?"

"He said something about going north through the forest to some magic mountain or something like that. He said there's some one up there who might be able to help me."

"You can't go through the Northern Woods." Piaoliang shook her head.

"Why not?" Kohana pouted.

"Well, not without someone who knows their way around there. Those woods are impossible to navigate unless you grew up there."

"Says who?"

"Says me. Shen and I grew up in the Northern Woods."

Kohana stopped for a moment. "So then you two should come with us."

"Both of us?"

"Well, if just you come, Shen'll follow and if just Shen comes, you'll follow, right?"

Piaoliang turned bright red. "Excuse me?!"

"What? I'm just saying…"

"Shen would not follow me."

"Yes he would. He worries about you. It's sweet of him."

"Who worries 'bout Piao-chan?" A happy little girl appeared at their side. It was Nuriko's little sister, An Hua. She was an adorable little girl with dark blue hair pulled up in two buns on the sides of her head and bright green eyes. Hime meowed and flicked her tail back and forth.

"Piao-chan's boyfriend worries about her." Kohana smiled.

"I do not have a boyfriend!" Piaoliang stomped her foot.

"Piao-chan has a boyfriend? Is he cute?" She clapped her hands together.

"Stop it!"

"You bet he's cute. You know the soldier Piao's always with? He's the one."

"Awesome! He's so hot!" An Hua had been hanging around Kohana a lot since Nuriko brought her to the palace and picked up on a lot of Kohana's language.

Piaoliang let out a sound a kin to a whine and a groan. "Would you stop that?!"

"No." Both girls answered, grinning.

Piaoliang groaned again and looked up at the ceiling. "Why Suzaku? Why me?" She threw her arms up in frustration.

Kohana laughed. "We tease because we love Piao."

"And 'cause it's easy." An Hua giggled.

"You…" Piaoliang's face was bright red. "You…You're a bad influence on her!" She rushed off, flustered.

An Hua giggled and hung onto Kohana's hand. "Can we go find ni-chan?"

"Sure. Let's go." Kohana smiled and took the small girl to find her brother.

An Hua happily skipped along side the priestess. Hime hopped up to An Hua's shoulder. Kohana liked seeing the little girl so happy.

"Ni-chan said you're the one who wanted us to live here in Hoto-chan's house. Is he tellin' the truth?"

"Yep. I invited you guys up here."

"But ni-chan's the one that's got the special powers or whatever."

"Well…family's important right? Can't split it up."

An Hua cocked her head to one side. "Okay!" She then smiled and kept going.

Kohana walked An Hua back to Nuriko's room. The little girl chattered about everything from what kinds of bus she saw outside to what kind of man she wanted to marry. Nuriko was sitting in bed reading. He looked up when he heard his sister's voice. "There you are." He put down his book. "Where have you been?"

"Talkin' 'bout Piao-chan's boyfriend." She smiled and tried to look innocent.

Nuriko raised an eyebrow and looked at Kohana. "She's not being a brat, is she?"

"I'm not a brat, ni-chan!" She pouted.

"Most of the time no." He smiled and picked her up.

"She was fine." Kohana smiled. "She reminds me of me when I was her age."

"Really?"

"Really." Kohana nodded and left them alone. "See ya later."

Piaoliang sighed as she pulled her hair back into a braid. 'Jeez…could they tease me any more? So what if I don't tell Shen I'm head over heels in love with him and have been since before we came to the capital?'  A few loose ends of her hair fell across her face.

She soon realized she wasn't all that tired. She slipped on a warmer robe over her normal nightclothes and left her room.

She hugged the robe closer to her body as the cool night breezes blew stronger. No one except for a few guards were out right now. She knew Shen's watch schedule and decided it was all right to go out because he should have been asleep by now. She made no sound as she glided around the palace, trying to make herself tired.

She stopped in one of the hallways were she had a particularly good view of the full moon and the stars. The moon was so bright she could still see her hands even though it was probably past midnight.

"Piao?" A voice from behind made her jump. "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No. Why would anything be wrong?" The words tumbled from her mouth. "What are you doing up so late Shen?"

His dark red hair carelessly blew about his face, obscuring his eyes. "Just thinking…that's all…" He quickly ran a hand threw his hair in an attempt to keep it down. "You?"

"Ummm…couldn't sleep." She pushed the loose strands behind her ears.

"You sure nothing's wrong?" He wasn't wearing much more than her, just a shirt and pants.

"I uh…I was thinking about Kohana and the other seishi going to the Northern Woods…" It seemed like a decent excuse.

"Oh. Yeah…" He turned towards the sky. "Hotohori was asking me if I would go and show them the way."

"Oh…well…it would be the right thing to do…"

"Yeah…might be nice to go home for a couple of days…"

"Yeah…I guess you'll have to say hi to my mom and dad for me."

"You could come along…" He stood next to her, calm and collected, the features of his face accented in the bright moonlight.

"I could?" She looked up at him.

"It wouldn't be home without you." He silently cursed himself, wishing he hadn't said that. It was too romantic, hardly like him. He was a solider now, not some silly love struck teen.

A faint blush passed across her cheeks. "That…that's nice of you to say…but I can't just come along. There's really no place for me in a group of soldiers, seishi and a priestess." She shook her head, trying to breathe normally.

He reached out to touch her face. "I won't go without you." His hands were rough from all the years he'd worked, but he was still gentle.

Her breathing stopped for a split second when he touched her. Her blush deepened and she leaned into his touch. "I suppose I could find some way to tag along…"

A faint smiled passed across his lips. "Good…"

She shivered a little. Partially because of the wind and partially because of how nervous she was.

"Cold?"

"A little."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Better?"

She nodded into his shirt. He'd never held her close like this before. She enjoyed being so close to him. She didn't understand why he was showing such affections towards her though. But she decided it was better not to say anything. Her thoughts were interrupted by his gentle nudges at her neck. She looked up at him timidly, unsure of everything at the moment.

He looked down at her. One part of him still saw her as the young girl he'd always protected. The other saw her as a young woman. A woman who within a year or less would have many men asking for her hand in marriage only to be turned down. The woman who had already been promised to him years ago, since before either of them knew what marriage was. He knew and wanted to tell her, but was afraid of how she'd react. Piaoliang had never been one to be pushed into any situation.

He slowly lowered his lips to hers. She could have pulled away any time she wanted, but all she did was close her eyes.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if he was going too far. They weren't married, they weren't supposed to be doing things like this.

Piaoliang wasn't sure what to do. She never expected Shen to ever kiss her. Her eyes fluttered open again when he moved back. She watched him carefully, trying to read his face.

"Shen?"

"Yes?"

"Do you…" She stopped mid sentence.

"What?"

"Oh…never mind…" She almost asked him if he loved her, but decided against it. "Good night, Shen…" She smiled.

"Good night…" He watched her walk down the hall, unsure if what he thought happened really did. He walked back to his own room and fell onto his bed. He took a deep breath. The distinct aroma of cinnamon rushed into his nose. It was the only thing that told him he really had just kissed Piaoliang. The way she acted after he kissed her confused him. He wanted to know what her question was.

His questions eventually gave way to sleep though.

Piaoliang took a deep breath and closed the door to her room. 'What just happened? Did he really…no…he couldn't have…' She shook her head. 'It's late…I'm dreaming…but then…why does his touch feel so real?' She ran her finger over her lower lip. She decided something that moment.

She liked full moons.

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Morning came quickly. Kohana immediately went to talk to Hotohori after breakfast. She poked her head in his room. "Ah…Hotohori, gotta minute?"

"Of course." He smiled and turned to her. "Is anything wrong?"

"No…I was just wondering…can Piaoliang come along when we head north to that mountain thing?"

He looked at her for a moment. "What for?"

"Well…what if something happens to Shen Yuan? We should have a back up guide…"

"This really has nothing to do with guides, does it? You want Piaoliang and Shen Yuan to be together don't you?" He sighed.

"Well…that's part of it…" She innocently played with her hair.

"You shouldn't meddle in their business, you know."

"I'm not meddling. I'm pushing in the right direction." She pouted. "Please? I could use another girl on the trip anyway. Otherwise it'll be you, Nuriko, Shen and Tamahome."

Hotohori smiled. "You never stop until you get your way do you?"

"Nope!" Kohana smiled and sat next to Hotohori. "So, please?"

"Well…it would be nice to see Shen and Piao be together…but if anyone asks, that's not why I'm letting her come."

Kohana hugged him. "Thank you so much Hotohori!" She paused for a moment. "Oh…what the hell?" And with that she leaned forward and kissed him.

He responded by kissing back. It was a short kiss, unlike their garden kiss, but sweet nonetheless. "You'll come back after visiting home, right?"

"Of course. I promised I would. I don't break promises to anyone." She stood up again. "I'm gonna go tell Piao, kay?"

He nodded.

"I'll see you later." She smiled and left him alone.

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Amiboshi waved to one of the shopkeepers and left. He'd been shopping all day and now had to bring home everything. Though the entire time, he had the feeling someone was watching him.

His instincts served him well though. Someone was watching him. Everywhere he went, a figure in a dark cloak followed. No one seemed to notice or they were all too afraid to say anything. Occasionally, when the wind blew a bit harder, one could see the faintest glimpse of the most emotionless, nondescript gray blue eyes.

As Amiboshi walked home, he used a very indirect path in an attempt to shake his newfound shadow. When it became clear that the shadow would not leave, he stopped.

Never turning to the shadow, he opened his mouth. "Who are you?"

"So you did know someone was following you…" The voice was too soft to tell if it was a man or a woman.

"Yeah…since I walked into the village…what do you want?" He carefully turned.

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"You know who I mean. The forest girl."

'The forest girl…' He swallowed hard. Everyone in the village who didn't know Momo's name called her that since that was where they had found her. "Why does it matter?"

"She's the priestess of Seiryuu, Amiboshi. I've come to bring her, you and your brother to the palace. It's time to gather the Seiryuu 7."

"How do you know who I am? How can you be sure she's really the one?"

The figure approached Amiboshi. It was small, only a tiny bit taller than him, yet commanded an incredible presence. "So many questions…" The figure shook back the cowl. Midnight blue hair framed the face that held the blue gray eyes. It was the face of a woman, battle hardened, a warrior who never looked back.

Amiboshi frowned when he caught a glimpse of a blue glow on her forehead. "You…you're a seishi…"

The woman nodded. "I am Nakago. Now where is the girl?"

"Momo's not strong enough to travel. She's still resting."

"I didn't ask about her condition, boy. I asked for her location." Nakago's voice remained level, yet Amiboshi could tell she was mad.

"Ah…well…she's at home with Suboshi…I…I was just going there now…"

"Very well. Lead the way, boy." Nakago pushed her hair behind her ears and followed Amiboshi home.

Nakago made Amiboshi very uncomfortable, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Suboshi was outside chopping wood when Amiboshi and Nakago arrive.

"Ototo, where's Momo?"

He looked up. "Inside resting. Why?"

"She…has a visitor…" Amiboshi motioned towards Nakago who was looking at the house with an expression of disgust.

Suboshi was caught off guard by Nakago's presence. "I…I'll see if she's up…" He hurried inside. Momo was lying on one of the beds, but not asleep. "Momo?"

"What?"

"There's someone outside who wants to see you…"

She saw worry in his eyes. "Who…who is it?"

"I…I'm not really sure…but something tells me Aniki's not the only person who thinks you're the priestess of Seiryuu…"

She got off the bed with some trouble. "Um…okay…can you help me out though?" She asked, a bit ashamed of asking for help.

"Uh…yeah…" He supported her while they walked back outside.

Momo was unsure of what to say when she saw Nakago. "Uh…I'm Momo…you…you were looking for me?"

"Rumors of a girl from another world have reached the palace. I came to look into it…" Nakago looked her over. "Judging by your…less than appropriate attire…I'd say they were correct."

Momo was taken aback by the comment. Yes, she was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but in her opinion, there was nothing wrong with it. "Well…excuse me for not caving to your traditions." She stood up straighter, her nervousness gone now that she'd been insulted.

Nakago raised one eyebrow. "You must not know who you're speaking to…"

"No. Nor do I care. No one tells me I'm inappropriate." She put her hands on her hips.

Suboshi and Amiboshi watching in quiet fear. They'd heard rumors about Nakago. Supposedly, she's been trained as hard as any man, perhaps harder, since she was young. Her family had turned her over to the palace when it was discovered she was a seishi so that she could use her powers to the fullest. Her manner was cold and her ways ruthless. Neither one of them wanted to make her angry and desperately wanted Momo not to insult her.

"I apologize, Lady Momo…" Nakago removed her heavy cloak. She wore black pants and a navy blue shirt underneath. A long sword sheath was tied to her belt. "But attire such as yours isn't appropriate for a priestess. She put the cloak on Momo's shoulders. "It attracts unwanted attention."

Momo almost hauled off the cloak. "Wait…who said I was the priestess you're looking for?"

"Well, you are from another world are you not? Konan has already found their priestess. It's your friend I believe."

"Kohana…" Momo felt the need to pull the cloak tighter.

"Ah, yes. That was the name…Konan is planning to invade our country, with your friend leading them…"

"What? Kohana wouldn't do that…she…she hates war…" Momo shook her head.

"You might not be dealing with the girl you think. They may have brainwashed her. You may have to save her."

Momo was quiet for a moment. "If…if she really was brainwashed…I could help her by becoming your priestess?"

Nakago nodded. Momo looked to the twins. They didn't know what to say. These rumors were new to them, but news hardly ever got as far as their village.

"Well…I came here to help her…I'll do it then…"

"Are you willing to fight her if need be?"

"Yes…" She nodded.

"I am glad to hear that." Nakago looked at the twins. "Boys, pack up. It's time to gather the Seiryuu 7."

They merely nodded and went inside. Momo tied the clasp at the throat of the cloak. She wondered if Kohana was really going to lead a war. The other part didn't care. If Kohana could be a priestess, so could she. She never wanted Kohana to be above her.

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The morning came when Kohana and the others would start their journey to Tai Itsukun's mountain. Piaoliang and Shen Yuan hadn't said a word to each other about their midnight meeting a few nights ago. The horses were ready and An Hua was out to see her brother off.

"You're coming back, right ni-chan?" She hugged him.

"Of course. I won't be gone long."

"You too?" An Hua looked up at Kohana.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Kohana smiled.

"What am I suppose to do for fun without you here?" She stomped her foot.

"Would you like Hime to stay with you?"

"Yeah!" An Hua's eyes brightened.

Kohana smiled. "Alright." Kohana took Hime off her shoulder. "Hime, stay with An Hua. And don't you dare get her into any trouble."

A meow was the only response as the cat rubbed her head against the little girl's leg.

Shen Yuan helped Piaoliang into the saddle. "Ready?"

"I think so. We're just going home after all."

"True." He swung his leg up and grabbed the reins. Piaoliang lowered her head to hide her blush. In order to take the reins, Shen had to wrap his arms around her.

Kohana sat in front of Hotohori in the saddle. She preferred horseback riding in pants rather than a skirt like Piaoliang.

Nuriko and Tamahome had their own horses. After Hotohori convinced his advisors they needed no guards, they left.

The first half day's ride was uneventful, but when they reached a small village for a meal, that changed.

They were inside a restaurant when a small girl came in. She had bright blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes. The most distinct thing about her was the large straw hat she wore.

She sat at a table by herself and the cook gave her some food.

Things went rather normally until a group of tough looking guys came in. Obviously they didn't know who this girl was as they tried to make her go away. Kohana watched her, not paying attention to the current world events that the men talked about. Piaoliang soon joined Kohana in watching.

The girl looked up. "I'm not leaving till I finish. So go away." She stuck her tongue out at them.

"You're taking up too much room. Move it, squirt, before we get really mad."

Kohana and Piaoliang looked at each other.

"No." She frowned. "Quit picking on little kids."

Kohana looked up at the woman serving them. "Shouldn't someone help her?"

"Her? No need. She's fine on her own."

The guys were starting to notice the confrontation on the other side of the room. "But she's a little kid…" Tamahome started.

"Looks can be deceiving honey. You can hang around and watch if ya like."

The group exchanged worried glances. They didn't understand why no one was concerned about the child.

"Get out of here, kid. You're being a brat."

"Am I really?" The girl finally stood up and took off her hat. "You really wanna see a brat?" She smiled sweetly and reached into the hat. From what seemed like thin air, she pulled out a long staff decorated with gold rings at the top. She twirled it quickly and seemed to cast a spell.

There was no longer a little girl standing there. Now, a woman of about 25 stood in her place. Same basic features, but somewhat more threatening.

"I told ya she didn't need help."

"Who is she?" Hotohori asked.

"Not really sure. She comes here every once in awhile. Never gives a name, always alone. Everyone likes her and we ask her to stay a lot, but she seems to be a wanderer of sorts."

The woman looked at her provokers. "So, interested in seeing a real brat?"

They all looked at each other, wondering if the child was really a woman or the woman was really a child.

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~*~Shadow Hawk~*~