Narrator's POV

Uniyame cooked as the other seishi and the miko set up camp in the small clearing that they had found in the forest that they where traveling through. At first, Uniyame was surprised that Takiko was helping, but she soon found out that the young miko had insisted that she helped soon after she had found Tomite. It was a few days after she had joined their little group and now they were now making their way to the capital. Uniyame smiled a bit, remembering how Tomite's face had looked when he had finally realized that she was one of his fellow Genbu Seishi.

Since Uruki wasn't with them, Hatsui had been cooking for the group while they where traveling, before they had found Uniyame. But they had all discovered although he was better than Tomite, Hikitsu and Iname, he was still an awful cook. So, now that they had found Uniyame, she was doing the cooking.

Soon, the camp was set up and they were all sitting around the small fire that Uniyame had been cooking over eating and talking. (Or, in Uniyame's case, teasing Tomite. She found it quite fun and did it often.) After they where done eating, everyone went to bed. Or... At least almost everyone; Takiko couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried or how hard Morpheus tempted her (Morpheus is the Greek god of slumber.). She was glad that they had found the last seishi. But at the same time, she was scared. She didn't know what would happen when she summoned Genbu. She didn't even know how! She sighed and sat up in her bedroll, exasperated. Quietly, so that she wouldn't wake Uniyame up, she stepped outside. Takiko needn't of bothered. Uniyame wasn't in bed as well. But she didn't know that.

She silently slipped outside and looked around. At first, she was surprised to see Tomite leaning on a tree, but then she remembered that it was his turn to watch. He didn't notice her until she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around with a start, but when he saw her, his face broke into a grin.

"Couldn't sleep, Takiko?" He asked.

"No... Do you mind if I sit down?" She replied and he nodded. She sat, shivering because of the cold. He put his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. And they just sat there is silence for a while, content to just be together.

"Tomite..." Takiko whispered softly.

"Hmm...?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Takiko." She, too, smiled and snuggled closer to him. And they were happy. Happy to finally be together...

Uniyame watched the two as they sat together. She smiled slowly. Those two really were meant for each other. She hoped that they would find happiness someday... somewhere... 'And what about them?' a small part of her asked. 'Didn't they deserve happiness? Didn't they deserve just as much of a chance as Tomite and Takiko do now? Why didn't you give them a chance? Why did you ruin their lives? Why did you murder them?'

"Jonmesta... Give me the strength and the patience that I could never have with you..." she whispered. She hoped that the spirit that the prayer was directed to could hear her. She took one last look at the couple by the tree, and then walked into the woods that surrounded them. She wanted to be alone. To think about her departed sister and her husband.

Uniyame walked deeper and deeper into the forest. She rarely showed this side around others. Only when she was alone was it ever revealed, and since those times were few and far between, it was a surprise this art of her personality had lasted...she liked her other side better, to be honest. But sometimes- despite her attempts to keep it inside- sometimes this side of her showed. It had to. She sat on a fallen log and stared at her withered old hands, setting her staff on the ground carefully. It was the last thing that she had left of her dear sister... The one she had murdered... The one whose life she had destroyed...

She didn't know how long she sat there, lost in thought. She only woke up from her "trance" when she heard a high pitch scream. Uniyame stood, grabbed her staff, and dashed off with surprising speed for someone of her age. She burst into the clearing and was horrified at what she saw. She knew that man that stood before Takiko and Tomite. She knew him.

"Miboshi!"

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Tomite's POV

"Miboshi!"

I heard Uniyame's low voice yell out the name of the tall, greasy haired man that floated before Takiko and I. For a second, I wondered how she knew who he was, but then I turned my attention back to Miboshi, hoping that Uniyame or one of the other seishi could get there soon. I didn't think that I could hold him off alone. Remembering what had happened the last time that we had met him sent shivers down my spine.

I felt, rather than saw, Takiko shivering in fright behind me and watched as Miboshi's spindle began to spin. He was making a demon. I wondered absently if this demon would be as bad as the last one Uruki and I had fought as it formed in mid air. As soon as it was finished, I saw that it wasn't. It was worse. Much worse.

Above us, floating in mid air, were about two dozen long lizard type demons. They had four short, stubby legs and long tails that they would flick back and fourth every few seconds. They also had very long tongues that looked almost like they belonged to a snake. I could tell that their fangs were poisons because every few seconds a small drop of poison would drip off of one of them and fall to the ground, leaving a small teardrop shaped sizzling black spot. They were colored almost a sickly yellow, with darker yellowed spots, like partially burned parchment, that covered them in no distinct pattern.

I quickly put an arrow to my bow and aimed at the nearest one of the demons. But, before I could shoot, another one of the demons lunged at Takiko and I, ready to kill. I changed my target and shot at the demon who was speeding towards us as fast as I could. The arrow hit it in one of it's legs, just above it's knee. But my arrow didn't stop it and it continued to speed towards us. Unfortunately, since I had wasted so much time trying to shoot it, now there was no time to get out of it's way. I cursed and pulled Takiko down onto the ground, using my body to shield her. And there, I waited for the impact. The impact that would kill me.

I waited...

And waited...

But the impact never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and turned around to see why the demon didn't kill me now that I was at his mercy. To say the least, I was surprised by what I saw. The demon that had been attacking Takiko and I was lying on the ground dead. Something was holding off the others, I don't know what. I couldn't see it. It looked like they where just being held by the air alone. But... Air couldn't hold demons... Could it?

Suddenly, Uniyame appeared in fount of Takiko and I. "Are you all right, Takiko? Tomite?" She asked. I dumbly nodded. How did she just appear in mid air like that? It baffled me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Takiko with the same surprised expression that I knew I had to be wearing.

"Well then... If you're okay, Tomite, then you'd better get up and help me fight these things." She laughed suddenly, and for a moment I could see the young woman she had once been. "That is... Unless you would rather lay on top of Takiko like you're doing now." I blushed and quickly got up. Did she ever stop teasing me?! I mean, we were in the middle of a battle. How could she just joke around like that? In a way, it unnerved me.

I wondered how she was planing to fight when she was so old, not to mention that she needed that staff to stand, as I put another arrow to my bow. I carefully picked my target... and the fight started.

I was surprised by Uniyame. It seemed that she didn't need that staff to stand. She was all over the place, hacking away with it. Apparently, the staff was her weapon, although I don't know why she always leaned on it when she wasn't fighting like it was a cane. Like most things about Uniyame, I found this very strange. At first, we were winning. Especially when the other seishi joined us. That is... At first.

Suddenly, I heard a scream of fear from near the tree where I'd left Takiko. I turned, as did the rest of the seishi, and saw that one of the demons had gotten to her. She tried to scramble away from it, but couldn't. The demon grinned, and then blew a misty fog type substance onto her. Slowly, she began to freeze. She was becoming an ice statue! It was exactly what I'd seen happen to so many of Hikitsu's foe's.

"TAKIKO!" I yelled and rushed to her, trying to stop the ice from crawling up her legs and arms any more.

"T-T-Tomite..." She was shivering. Soon, she would freeze to death!

"No! Takiko! You have to hold on! I'll get you out of this!" I almost yelled, trying to assure her as much as myself. But I couldn't do anything. Before long, she was completely frozen...

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~End of Chapter 24~

I decided to make Takiko turn into an ice cube for one simple reason. Tomite and Hikitsu made Miaka go through the same thing. So, if a horrible character like her (I don't like Miaka) could stand it, then Takiko must have been able to do it. I wanted to prove that Takiko is just as good as Miaka. So, if she survives this, the it will be proven that she is just as good as Miaka. And if she doesn't, then you can all you Miaka fans can laugh at me and tell me what a fool I am. But we all want Takiko to survive, right? Besides, Tomite and Hikitsu had to think of freezing Miaka as a test somewhere. So this is where they got it from.

Anyway, please review! And more coming soon.