Gah! Okay, this Ambassador is getting on my nerves too. *mumbles
something about getting rid of her* Um. this chapter is okay. I think at
the very end of this story before the sequel (Yes, I'm making a sequel. oh
dear this will take me forever to finish.) I'll set up a poll for readers.
can't tel lyou what it is though ^_~
Chapter 14 : Distant Friends
A knock came at the ambassador's door.
"Come in."
Nuriko stepped inside. "Are you okay, Inami?" He asked, calling her by the name that still felt so new.
Inami was in a long white shirt and loose pants. He damp hair fell heavily down her back. "I'm fine, Nuriko... really."
Nuriko sighed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I need to speak with Mayo!" Saori shouted, arguing with Miaka and Taka over breakfast the next morning.
"She's in Kutou, Kawai." Taka informed again.
Saori paced nervously in the room. "Chichiri! He made a connection to the emperor once!" She turned and darted out of the room, leaving Taka and Miaka confused.
Saori's short hair bobbed lightly around her face as she ran down the halls of the palace. She practically had them memorized by now; she had been in Konan for so long. She saw Chiriko in one of the resting lounges.
"Chiriko!" She shouted, hanging onto the railing of the door. "Chiriko, have you seen Chichiri? I need to speak with him and it's urgent!!!"
Chiriko put his book down and shook his head. "Is there anything I can help you with...?" Chiriko raised an eyebrow. Saori had already left.
She retraced her steps and ran to the throne room. Hotohori... er... the emperor would surely know where the magician was. She ran through a curtain and entered. Hotohori was on his thrown, talking to another magistrate.
"Highness!" She interrupted. "Have you seen..." Saori stopped. Chichiri stood by the emperor.
Saori took a moment to catch her breath, and quickly ran over to Chichiri. "Chichiri, I need a favor... please."
Chichiri looked curious, as Hotohori. "What, no da?"
Saori looked very thoughtful. "Miaka said Mayo was in Kutou, right? Can you PLEASE do what you did for Hotohori, please let me talk to her!"
Chichiri had a look on his face that meant Saori was going to be disappointed. "Saori, the things that have been happening around lately are too serious to simply send a message, no da. Mayo would not even answer if I located her, no da."
"She would if she knew it was me!" Saori looked to Hotohori, pleading. "Mayo doesn't know I'm here, right? I'm her best friend! She's the reason I'm here! I need to talk to her!"
Hotohori massaged his forehead. It was obvious he was overstressed, and Saori felt guilty. "Please?" She asked, quieter.
"No good, no da." Chichiri answered.
Saori whirled back around. "What? What's wrong?"
Chichiri held still for one more moment, than looked to the short girl. "I cannot feel Mayo's presence, no da." He looked to Hotohori, the sudden sensation being more than a busy signal. "Sire, I can't sense Mayo or the Seiryu Seven, no da. Something is blocking me, no da."
Hotohori stood up and walked down to Chichiri. "Are you saying they're missing?"
"I don't think so, no da." Chichiri replied. "Something is blocking their life force. I can't sense anything, no da."
Hotohori sighed. "If it is necessary, please try again." He turned to Saori, his eyes tired. "You will reunite with your friend, I promise."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But the Genbu seven died 200 years ago, didn't they? How can you be here?" Taka asked as Inami opened a cupboard. She had finally come downstairs with Nuriko, and started a discussion with Taka. At first Miaka and Nuriko were the only other ones there, but the room seemed to accumulate several more people, including Chiriko and Tasuki.
Inami sighed. She was already in trouble, so she would spill. "After the Suzaku seven retrieved the Shinzaho from Mount Black, Hikitsu and Tomite were free to leave." She put a bowl down, still not making eye contact. "Hokkan no longer had a guardian to watch over her, so I was. sent down, if you will. Instead of being a spirit, since I had nothing to guard and had to move around the country, I was reincarnated as a five year old."
Taka remembered how Nuriko, Hotohori, Chiriko, and Mitsukake had been reincarnated. "How long did it take until you had your memories back?"
Inami smiled and moved her rice bowl down to the table, where she sat. "I was born with them. If I wasn't, what good would I be?"
Miaka counted on her fingers. "So how old would you be if you were born at five?"
"Twenty." Inami answered. She thought for a moment. "Though, all together I would be 67."
"That means you died at 47." Nuriko commented, now in a wonder of what could have happened.
Inami looked over towards Nuriko, and back at her bowl. "It's... nothing. The reason I had to keep quiet is because... well... People will get rowdy knowing someone who is meant to be dead is walking the earth after so long... People who aren't supposed to know will use it against Hokkan. Nakago is the last one that should have seen..." Inami stirred her spoon around in her bowl. "The only ones in Hokkan who know are the elders and the royal family... and my parents, of course."
"Do you miss them?" Miaka asked.
Inami smiled. "Which ones?"
Miaka was confused for a moment.
"What about the band, no da? You took it off in Kutou, no da. That's only time you're without it, no da."
Inami looked down the table at Chichiri.
She ran her index finger over the gold. "It had a spell on it. It keeps me from accidentally doing anything."
"With the powers of Nakago, you can do a lot." Nuriko chimed in.
Inami slapped on an obvious fake smile. It was obvious she was uneasy. "Actually, Nakago and I are quite different." She explained, knowing everyone in the room now had a detailed story of what had happened. "Nakago of the Seiryu seven can use his life force to do all kinds of things... his chi is quite powerful, to add. All I do is telekinetic manipulation."
Without actually eating anything, Inami pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll be leaving..." She stated as she left the room.
Nuriko clapped his hands. "See Tasuki! You two can be civilized!"
******************************************
"Let's see... I could always wish for Miaka and my Taka to be split up..." Mayo thought as she swung her legs over a large iron block in the Seiryu shrine. "Or maybe Miaka can just... die..." She smiled evilly. "Nakago, why can't we just summon Seiryu now?"
Nakago stood up. He had been kneeling by the water. "It is not as simple as you think, priestess."
Mayo stopped swinging her legs. "Why not?"
Nakago walked over to her a short ways. "As you know, all of the Seiryu Seven must be present for the ceremony."
Mayo looked up at him. "Aren't they?"
"Miboshi was not reincarnated like the others. He lived more than his deserved life span by manipulating the bodies of others to his own." Nakago informed.
Mayo looked upset. "Than why am I here?!" She yelled.
Nakago still remained calm. "Do not let your emotions get the better of you, priestess." Nakago advised. "There is another way to summon Seiryu, it will just take longer."
Mayo smiled. "I'm listening."
********************************
"Chichiri could not reach past Nakago's barrier into Kutou." Yui read to Tetsuya, Keisuke absent. "He would not allow Mayo to know Saori was in Konan, trying to communicate with her."
The following page had a black and white sketch of Inami holding a bag, leaving the palace.
******************************
"Thank you for your hospitality, Highness." Inami thanked him, her bag over her shoulder. Her hair was again pulled back partially into a bun with chopsticks going through it, and her forehead was decorated with a thin gold rim. A carriage waited outside.
Hotohori took his hand, regretful of the events that caused Inami to leave so early. "Will you return?"
Inami shook her head. "I imagine that if a Hokkan presence is required here, they will send another person to do the job." She bowed. Only glancing at the rest of the Suzaku seven behind the Emperor, Inami turned to the carriage.
*********************************
Suboshi poked his head out of the door into the dark corridor. Not seeing anyone, he turned back into the room. There was a short hallway with a closet built into it, and at the end it spread out into a medium- spaced rectangular room.
In the room there was a dresser and a small table. In the far right corner was a simple bed, excused from any lavishes dressings or canopies. A young boy laid on it with his shirt off, his back facing upward. A small lantern at his bedside lighted the room.
Suboshi walked over to a bowl by the lantern. He picked up one of the rags in it and squeezed the water out. He walked over to the injured boy, who was identical to himself.
Amiboshi's back was covered with long, red marks and cuts, going as high as his neck and as low as the small of his back. Suboshi sat on the bed beside him and placed the wet rag over one of the wounds. Amiboshi squinted and gritted his teeth as he did so.
"Nakago will get what's coming to him..." Suboshi said quietly but angrily, forming a fist with his right hand. He pressed his left one against the rag on his best friend's back.
Amiboshi opened his eyes. "Suboshi," he whispered back, "What should I do? Surely Lord Nakago knows I'm aware of the kodoku poisoning..."
Suboshi stood back up and returned to the water bowl. He began ringing out another rag. "I do really wish you would stay. You were reborn to be one of the Seiryu seven, perhaps this time we can summon Seiryu together... though Lady Mayo isn't nearly as nice as Lady Yui was..." Suboshi stated, staring at the wall.
Amiboshi sighed. "You know I wish to stay with you, brother. But I cannot will myself to fight against the Suzaku seven, or serve Nakago nor the Priestess."
Suboshi returned to Amiboshi's side and placed the second rag on his back. "If I had known Nakago was mutilating you with Tamahome's poison, I would have killed him."
Amiboshi moved his tan arms against the bed in an attempt to get up, but the shooting pain through his back forced him back down, as did Suboshi.
"You shouldn't wish to kill anyone, Suboshi." Amiboshi simply stated. "Not like that."
Suboshi stood back up and faced his brother. "How can you say something like that after all he did to you? He brainwashes you and does... this!" Suboshi exclaimed, pointing to Amiboshi's back. He fell to his knees and put his elbows on the bed, along with his lowered head. "You are too good, brother. Perhaps that is your greatest fault."
**********************************************
"Tetsuya, answer that, it could be Keisuke." Yui ordered.
Tetsuya jumped up and over the sofa and grabbed the phone next to the refrigerator. "Moshi moshi?" he asked.
Keisuke placed his hand over the speaker. "Good job! Hit the showers!" he yelled to his team. He turned away from the gym. "Tetsuya, what's happening?"
Tetsuya thought for a moment. "Not anything too big, well...." He trailed off.
"Just tell me!" Keisuke shouted.
"All right, all right, keep your panties on." Tetsuya joked. "The Ambassador of Hokkan left, Amiboshi got the crap beat out of him by Nakago..." He looked towards Yui. "Yui thinks that Nakago is up to something, something to re-summon the beast god."
"Are they having a ceremony now?" Keisuke asked, anxious.
"Nah." Tetsuya replied. "Apparently Miboshi didn't get reborn because he's lived out all 'nine' lives." Tetsuya explained, referring to a cat.
Keisuke nodded. "Okay. I'll be over in an hour."
Tetsuya hung the phone up.
Yui motioned for him to come back. Once he did, she read aloud. "A week after the parting of Akue Cheinun of Hokkan, Saori Kawai, the girl from another world, fell terribly ill with fever. Mitsukake sadly told the Emperor that it was do to deep stress, and there was only so much he could do...."
**********************************
Saori's eyes were closed and she was tucked into a large bed with magenta covers. A folded cloth lay on her head.
"I can only heal her physical state, Majesty." Mitsukake reported. "I cannot heal her mind or the stress she feels."
Hotohori nodded. "Then please do so. She probably misses her family as Miaka did, and the knew knowledge regarding Mayo is overwhelming."
The fifteen-year-old Boushin looked upon Saori with remorse. Miaka, who was also in the room, sat by Saori's side. She slowly stroked the girl's short hair away from her face.
Hotohori turned and left the room. The stress on him too was building... soon he would be the one in bed.
Hotohori ran into Chichiri in the hallway. "Chichiri," he addressed, "Has Tasuki left?"
Chichiri nodded. "He just left this morning, no da. Worries about his gang, no da."
"Everyone is plagued with worry in Konan." Hotohori's soft amber eyes trailed down to the floor.
Chichiri placed a hand on the emperor's shoulder. "It will be okay, no da. Nuriko left back to his brother's house, no da. But he says he'll be back shortly, no da. Taka is outside right now preparing a horse for him and Miaka, no da. He says they are going to visit his home town, and his family's graves, no da."
Hotohori nodded and thanked his friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you're all right?" Boushin asked.
Saori had been healed in the morning by Mitsukake, and now she was forced to face her problems consciously. She sat on a long sofa in a lounging room, staring at the pieces of a Nisuya board. she solemnly shook her head 'yes.'
Boushin didn't buy it. He walked across the room and sat across the table from Saori. He wore an outfit identical to his father's; long robes and strange shoes. His brown hair was pulled into a matching hat that sat upon his head. Though at the moment you could not tell, Boushin's hair only fell a couple of inches past his shoulders, unlike Hotohori's.
"I know what it's like, in a way." Boushin commented.
Saori looked up. "What?" she asked dumbly.
"What it's like to miss family." Boushin simply stated. "I didn't get to see my father for a very long time, but things worked out. In the end you'll have a happy ending. Lady Mayo will return to you, and you'll return to your family."
Though Saori only half-believed him, she still took comfort in his words. "Thank you, Highness."
Boushin smiled. "You may call me Boushin."
Saori nodded. "All right, thank you. Boushin."
*****************************
Yui startled herself as she read the next passage, re-reading the characters that magically appeared on the blank pages of the book.
"No..." She whispered. She turned to Keisuke. "What if they summon Seiryu?"
Tetsuya was frozen. Words wouldn't come. This meant trouble.
Yui opened the book wide. "MIAKA!!!" she shouted. "Miaka, can you hear me?! There's danger! Miaka!"
But nothing was heard.
******************************
"Highness." Chichiri came to the Emperor early the next morning. "I have important news regarding the Seiryu Seven, no da."
Hotohori perked up from his slouched position on the throne. "Yes? What is it? Have you reached Mayo?"
Chichiri shook his head. "No, but it's something else, no da. The barrier blocking me from reaching into the Kutou capital is gone, but I can't sense the presence of the Seiryu seven... or Mayo, for that matter, no da." Chichiri reported in his usual, higher pitched voiced.
"Are you sure?" Hotohori asked. He walked down from his throne, stumbling some.
Chichiri went to him. "Sire, if you don't mind my saying so, you need some serious sleep, na no da." Chichiri advised.
Hotohori stood straight. "I'm fine, really. Are you sure you cannot sense their life force?"
Chichiri nodded, clutching his staff. "I think that perhaps they have left Kutou, Majesty." He said, more serious.
Hotohori thought. "Why would they..."
"Never mind it now, no da." Chichiri interrupted. "You need some rest, no da. A country is only as good as its emperor, no da."
Hotohori thought, and closed his eyes. "Perhaps you are right. Please, Tell Boushin to take my place while I am at rest."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And when the light hits the water just right, it looks like a boar, see?" Boushin pointed out.
Saori was in her school uniform. She gripped her hands onto the railing firmly of the gazebo at the end of a small bridge. Her brown eyes reflected the shimmering sun on the lake. She waited a moment. "I see it!" She shouted, excited.
Boushin smiled. He looked out at the lake too, but he wasn't as excited as Saori.
Saori yawned. "Back home, I would be asleep right now, I think...." She turned and boosted herself into a sitting position atop the rail. "Unless it was a school day. I wonder how long it's been... I remember Mayo telling me that time goes by quicker here."
Boushin kept his hand together in front of him. "I'm not sure about the time difference, really. All I know about the 'other world' is what I've heard from my Father, and he's heard it from the Priestess."
Saori sighed. She tilted and looked back onto the lake. A silence lasted too long for comfort. Saori coughed. "So.... how's your mother?"
Boushin looked back towards the palace. "She's well, I believe."
"Is it fun? Being an emperor, and all..." Saori asked, crossing her legs.
Boushin turned back. "I don't know about 'fun.'" He stated. "An emperor's duty is to watch over and protect the people, for now I am just in training, with my Father back."
Saori grinned. "It must be nice, finally having him around."
Boushin nodded, a calming happiness passing over his features.
"You look just like him." Saori pointed out. Boushin and his father were both quite attractive, now that she thought about it.
Boushin moved closer to the girl. "I believe I'll take that as a compliment."
"Except one thing." Saori added on. "You Father seems to be a little more serious."
Boushin nodded slightly. "Perhaps it is because he is older and has more experience with so many things. I assume I too will one day be great and noble like him."
"You really look up to your father, don't you, Boushin?" Saori asked quietly.
Boushin smiled again. "I suppose I do."
Now Saori smiled. She felt so comforted being around him. He was so... nice.
Their gaze lasted only a moment.
"Highness." Boushin was addressed from behind.
Boushin turned, startled.
Chichiri stood before him. "Highness, your presence is requested in the palace. You are to look over things while your father recovers from his lack of sleep, no da."
"Thank you, Chichiri." Boushin turned back to Saori. "I must go, you can stay out here if you like."
Saori hopped down. "I'll go inside too, I'm kind of hungry."
Chapter 14 : Distant Friends
A knock came at the ambassador's door.
"Come in."
Nuriko stepped inside. "Are you okay, Inami?" He asked, calling her by the name that still felt so new.
Inami was in a long white shirt and loose pants. He damp hair fell heavily down her back. "I'm fine, Nuriko... really."
Nuriko sighed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I need to speak with Mayo!" Saori shouted, arguing with Miaka and Taka over breakfast the next morning.
"She's in Kutou, Kawai." Taka informed again.
Saori paced nervously in the room. "Chichiri! He made a connection to the emperor once!" She turned and darted out of the room, leaving Taka and Miaka confused.
Saori's short hair bobbed lightly around her face as she ran down the halls of the palace. She practically had them memorized by now; she had been in Konan for so long. She saw Chiriko in one of the resting lounges.
"Chiriko!" She shouted, hanging onto the railing of the door. "Chiriko, have you seen Chichiri? I need to speak with him and it's urgent!!!"
Chiriko put his book down and shook his head. "Is there anything I can help you with...?" Chiriko raised an eyebrow. Saori had already left.
She retraced her steps and ran to the throne room. Hotohori... er... the emperor would surely know where the magician was. She ran through a curtain and entered. Hotohori was on his thrown, talking to another magistrate.
"Highness!" She interrupted. "Have you seen..." Saori stopped. Chichiri stood by the emperor.
Saori took a moment to catch her breath, and quickly ran over to Chichiri. "Chichiri, I need a favor... please."
Chichiri looked curious, as Hotohori. "What, no da?"
Saori looked very thoughtful. "Miaka said Mayo was in Kutou, right? Can you PLEASE do what you did for Hotohori, please let me talk to her!"
Chichiri had a look on his face that meant Saori was going to be disappointed. "Saori, the things that have been happening around lately are too serious to simply send a message, no da. Mayo would not even answer if I located her, no da."
"She would if she knew it was me!" Saori looked to Hotohori, pleading. "Mayo doesn't know I'm here, right? I'm her best friend! She's the reason I'm here! I need to talk to her!"
Hotohori massaged his forehead. It was obvious he was overstressed, and Saori felt guilty. "Please?" She asked, quieter.
"No good, no da." Chichiri answered.
Saori whirled back around. "What? What's wrong?"
Chichiri held still for one more moment, than looked to the short girl. "I cannot feel Mayo's presence, no da." He looked to Hotohori, the sudden sensation being more than a busy signal. "Sire, I can't sense Mayo or the Seiryu Seven, no da. Something is blocking me, no da."
Hotohori stood up and walked down to Chichiri. "Are you saying they're missing?"
"I don't think so, no da." Chichiri replied. "Something is blocking their life force. I can't sense anything, no da."
Hotohori sighed. "If it is necessary, please try again." He turned to Saori, his eyes tired. "You will reunite with your friend, I promise."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But the Genbu seven died 200 years ago, didn't they? How can you be here?" Taka asked as Inami opened a cupboard. She had finally come downstairs with Nuriko, and started a discussion with Taka. At first Miaka and Nuriko were the only other ones there, but the room seemed to accumulate several more people, including Chiriko and Tasuki.
Inami sighed. She was already in trouble, so she would spill. "After the Suzaku seven retrieved the Shinzaho from Mount Black, Hikitsu and Tomite were free to leave." She put a bowl down, still not making eye contact. "Hokkan no longer had a guardian to watch over her, so I was. sent down, if you will. Instead of being a spirit, since I had nothing to guard and had to move around the country, I was reincarnated as a five year old."
Taka remembered how Nuriko, Hotohori, Chiriko, and Mitsukake had been reincarnated. "How long did it take until you had your memories back?"
Inami smiled and moved her rice bowl down to the table, where she sat. "I was born with them. If I wasn't, what good would I be?"
Miaka counted on her fingers. "So how old would you be if you were born at five?"
"Twenty." Inami answered. She thought for a moment. "Though, all together I would be 67."
"That means you died at 47." Nuriko commented, now in a wonder of what could have happened.
Inami looked over towards Nuriko, and back at her bowl. "It's... nothing. The reason I had to keep quiet is because... well... People will get rowdy knowing someone who is meant to be dead is walking the earth after so long... People who aren't supposed to know will use it against Hokkan. Nakago is the last one that should have seen..." Inami stirred her spoon around in her bowl. "The only ones in Hokkan who know are the elders and the royal family... and my parents, of course."
"Do you miss them?" Miaka asked.
Inami smiled. "Which ones?"
Miaka was confused for a moment.
"What about the band, no da? You took it off in Kutou, no da. That's only time you're without it, no da."
Inami looked down the table at Chichiri.
She ran her index finger over the gold. "It had a spell on it. It keeps me from accidentally doing anything."
"With the powers of Nakago, you can do a lot." Nuriko chimed in.
Inami slapped on an obvious fake smile. It was obvious she was uneasy. "Actually, Nakago and I are quite different." She explained, knowing everyone in the room now had a detailed story of what had happened. "Nakago of the Seiryu seven can use his life force to do all kinds of things... his chi is quite powerful, to add. All I do is telekinetic manipulation."
Without actually eating anything, Inami pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll be leaving..." She stated as she left the room.
Nuriko clapped his hands. "See Tasuki! You two can be civilized!"
******************************************
"Let's see... I could always wish for Miaka and my Taka to be split up..." Mayo thought as she swung her legs over a large iron block in the Seiryu shrine. "Or maybe Miaka can just... die..." She smiled evilly. "Nakago, why can't we just summon Seiryu now?"
Nakago stood up. He had been kneeling by the water. "It is not as simple as you think, priestess."
Mayo stopped swinging her legs. "Why not?"
Nakago walked over to her a short ways. "As you know, all of the Seiryu Seven must be present for the ceremony."
Mayo looked up at him. "Aren't they?"
"Miboshi was not reincarnated like the others. He lived more than his deserved life span by manipulating the bodies of others to his own." Nakago informed.
Mayo looked upset. "Than why am I here?!" She yelled.
Nakago still remained calm. "Do not let your emotions get the better of you, priestess." Nakago advised. "There is another way to summon Seiryu, it will just take longer."
Mayo smiled. "I'm listening."
********************************
"Chichiri could not reach past Nakago's barrier into Kutou." Yui read to Tetsuya, Keisuke absent. "He would not allow Mayo to know Saori was in Konan, trying to communicate with her."
The following page had a black and white sketch of Inami holding a bag, leaving the palace.
******************************
"Thank you for your hospitality, Highness." Inami thanked him, her bag over her shoulder. Her hair was again pulled back partially into a bun with chopsticks going through it, and her forehead was decorated with a thin gold rim. A carriage waited outside.
Hotohori took his hand, regretful of the events that caused Inami to leave so early. "Will you return?"
Inami shook her head. "I imagine that if a Hokkan presence is required here, they will send another person to do the job." She bowed. Only glancing at the rest of the Suzaku seven behind the Emperor, Inami turned to the carriage.
*********************************
Suboshi poked his head out of the door into the dark corridor. Not seeing anyone, he turned back into the room. There was a short hallway with a closet built into it, and at the end it spread out into a medium- spaced rectangular room.
In the room there was a dresser and a small table. In the far right corner was a simple bed, excused from any lavishes dressings or canopies. A young boy laid on it with his shirt off, his back facing upward. A small lantern at his bedside lighted the room.
Suboshi walked over to a bowl by the lantern. He picked up one of the rags in it and squeezed the water out. He walked over to the injured boy, who was identical to himself.
Amiboshi's back was covered with long, red marks and cuts, going as high as his neck and as low as the small of his back. Suboshi sat on the bed beside him and placed the wet rag over one of the wounds. Amiboshi squinted and gritted his teeth as he did so.
"Nakago will get what's coming to him..." Suboshi said quietly but angrily, forming a fist with his right hand. He pressed his left one against the rag on his best friend's back.
Amiboshi opened his eyes. "Suboshi," he whispered back, "What should I do? Surely Lord Nakago knows I'm aware of the kodoku poisoning..."
Suboshi stood back up and returned to the water bowl. He began ringing out another rag. "I do really wish you would stay. You were reborn to be one of the Seiryu seven, perhaps this time we can summon Seiryu together... though Lady Mayo isn't nearly as nice as Lady Yui was..." Suboshi stated, staring at the wall.
Amiboshi sighed. "You know I wish to stay with you, brother. But I cannot will myself to fight against the Suzaku seven, or serve Nakago nor the Priestess."
Suboshi returned to Amiboshi's side and placed the second rag on his back. "If I had known Nakago was mutilating you with Tamahome's poison, I would have killed him."
Amiboshi moved his tan arms against the bed in an attempt to get up, but the shooting pain through his back forced him back down, as did Suboshi.
"You shouldn't wish to kill anyone, Suboshi." Amiboshi simply stated. "Not like that."
Suboshi stood back up and faced his brother. "How can you say something like that after all he did to you? He brainwashes you and does... this!" Suboshi exclaimed, pointing to Amiboshi's back. He fell to his knees and put his elbows on the bed, along with his lowered head. "You are too good, brother. Perhaps that is your greatest fault."
**********************************************
"Tetsuya, answer that, it could be Keisuke." Yui ordered.
Tetsuya jumped up and over the sofa and grabbed the phone next to the refrigerator. "Moshi moshi?" he asked.
Keisuke placed his hand over the speaker. "Good job! Hit the showers!" he yelled to his team. He turned away from the gym. "Tetsuya, what's happening?"
Tetsuya thought for a moment. "Not anything too big, well...." He trailed off.
"Just tell me!" Keisuke shouted.
"All right, all right, keep your panties on." Tetsuya joked. "The Ambassador of Hokkan left, Amiboshi got the crap beat out of him by Nakago..." He looked towards Yui. "Yui thinks that Nakago is up to something, something to re-summon the beast god."
"Are they having a ceremony now?" Keisuke asked, anxious.
"Nah." Tetsuya replied. "Apparently Miboshi didn't get reborn because he's lived out all 'nine' lives." Tetsuya explained, referring to a cat.
Keisuke nodded. "Okay. I'll be over in an hour."
Tetsuya hung the phone up.
Yui motioned for him to come back. Once he did, she read aloud. "A week after the parting of Akue Cheinun of Hokkan, Saori Kawai, the girl from another world, fell terribly ill with fever. Mitsukake sadly told the Emperor that it was do to deep stress, and there was only so much he could do...."
**********************************
Saori's eyes were closed and she was tucked into a large bed with magenta covers. A folded cloth lay on her head.
"I can only heal her physical state, Majesty." Mitsukake reported. "I cannot heal her mind or the stress she feels."
Hotohori nodded. "Then please do so. She probably misses her family as Miaka did, and the knew knowledge regarding Mayo is overwhelming."
The fifteen-year-old Boushin looked upon Saori with remorse. Miaka, who was also in the room, sat by Saori's side. She slowly stroked the girl's short hair away from her face.
Hotohori turned and left the room. The stress on him too was building... soon he would be the one in bed.
Hotohori ran into Chichiri in the hallway. "Chichiri," he addressed, "Has Tasuki left?"
Chichiri nodded. "He just left this morning, no da. Worries about his gang, no da."
"Everyone is plagued with worry in Konan." Hotohori's soft amber eyes trailed down to the floor.
Chichiri placed a hand on the emperor's shoulder. "It will be okay, no da. Nuriko left back to his brother's house, no da. But he says he'll be back shortly, no da. Taka is outside right now preparing a horse for him and Miaka, no da. He says they are going to visit his home town, and his family's graves, no da."
Hotohori nodded and thanked his friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you're all right?" Boushin asked.
Saori had been healed in the morning by Mitsukake, and now she was forced to face her problems consciously. She sat on a long sofa in a lounging room, staring at the pieces of a Nisuya board. she solemnly shook her head 'yes.'
Boushin didn't buy it. He walked across the room and sat across the table from Saori. He wore an outfit identical to his father's; long robes and strange shoes. His brown hair was pulled into a matching hat that sat upon his head. Though at the moment you could not tell, Boushin's hair only fell a couple of inches past his shoulders, unlike Hotohori's.
"I know what it's like, in a way." Boushin commented.
Saori looked up. "What?" she asked dumbly.
"What it's like to miss family." Boushin simply stated. "I didn't get to see my father for a very long time, but things worked out. In the end you'll have a happy ending. Lady Mayo will return to you, and you'll return to your family."
Though Saori only half-believed him, she still took comfort in his words. "Thank you, Highness."
Boushin smiled. "You may call me Boushin."
Saori nodded. "All right, thank you. Boushin."
*****************************
Yui startled herself as she read the next passage, re-reading the characters that magically appeared on the blank pages of the book.
"No..." She whispered. She turned to Keisuke. "What if they summon Seiryu?"
Tetsuya was frozen. Words wouldn't come. This meant trouble.
Yui opened the book wide. "MIAKA!!!" she shouted. "Miaka, can you hear me?! There's danger! Miaka!"
But nothing was heard.
******************************
"Highness." Chichiri came to the Emperor early the next morning. "I have important news regarding the Seiryu Seven, no da."
Hotohori perked up from his slouched position on the throne. "Yes? What is it? Have you reached Mayo?"
Chichiri shook his head. "No, but it's something else, no da. The barrier blocking me from reaching into the Kutou capital is gone, but I can't sense the presence of the Seiryu seven... or Mayo, for that matter, no da." Chichiri reported in his usual, higher pitched voiced.
"Are you sure?" Hotohori asked. He walked down from his throne, stumbling some.
Chichiri went to him. "Sire, if you don't mind my saying so, you need some serious sleep, na no da." Chichiri advised.
Hotohori stood straight. "I'm fine, really. Are you sure you cannot sense their life force?"
Chichiri nodded, clutching his staff. "I think that perhaps they have left Kutou, Majesty." He said, more serious.
Hotohori thought. "Why would they..."
"Never mind it now, no da." Chichiri interrupted. "You need some rest, no da. A country is only as good as its emperor, no da."
Hotohori thought, and closed his eyes. "Perhaps you are right. Please, Tell Boushin to take my place while I am at rest."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And when the light hits the water just right, it looks like a boar, see?" Boushin pointed out.
Saori was in her school uniform. She gripped her hands onto the railing firmly of the gazebo at the end of a small bridge. Her brown eyes reflected the shimmering sun on the lake. She waited a moment. "I see it!" She shouted, excited.
Boushin smiled. He looked out at the lake too, but he wasn't as excited as Saori.
Saori yawned. "Back home, I would be asleep right now, I think...." She turned and boosted herself into a sitting position atop the rail. "Unless it was a school day. I wonder how long it's been... I remember Mayo telling me that time goes by quicker here."
Boushin kept his hand together in front of him. "I'm not sure about the time difference, really. All I know about the 'other world' is what I've heard from my Father, and he's heard it from the Priestess."
Saori sighed. She tilted and looked back onto the lake. A silence lasted too long for comfort. Saori coughed. "So.... how's your mother?"
Boushin looked back towards the palace. "She's well, I believe."
"Is it fun? Being an emperor, and all..." Saori asked, crossing her legs.
Boushin turned back. "I don't know about 'fun.'" He stated. "An emperor's duty is to watch over and protect the people, for now I am just in training, with my Father back."
Saori grinned. "It must be nice, finally having him around."
Boushin nodded, a calming happiness passing over his features.
"You look just like him." Saori pointed out. Boushin and his father were both quite attractive, now that she thought about it.
Boushin moved closer to the girl. "I believe I'll take that as a compliment."
"Except one thing." Saori added on. "You Father seems to be a little more serious."
Boushin nodded slightly. "Perhaps it is because he is older and has more experience with so many things. I assume I too will one day be great and noble like him."
"You really look up to your father, don't you, Boushin?" Saori asked quietly.
Boushin smiled again. "I suppose I do."
Now Saori smiled. She felt so comforted being around him. He was so... nice.
Their gaze lasted only a moment.
"Highness." Boushin was addressed from behind.
Boushin turned, startled.
Chichiri stood before him. "Highness, your presence is requested in the palace. You are to look over things while your father recovers from his lack of sleep, no da."
"Thank you, Chichiri." Boushin turned back to Saori. "I must go, you can stay out here if you like."
Saori hopped down. "I'll go inside too, I'm kind of hungry."