Chapter 25 : The Start of the Beginning
"Suzaku Seishi, you are once again needed... to summon Suzaku!!!"
"What?!" Miaka gasped, running up to the floating woman. "Summon Suzaku?"
Taiisukun nodded. "That is correct. Chichiri, I commend you and the others for you work and sensing evil's presence, but it is past time to take action."
"Taiisukun, we need to summon Suzaku again? Why?" Nuriko asked.
"Wait a moment and allow me to explain." Taiisukun ordered. "As you know, the Seiryu Seven have been reborn as well, and they are now back in power. Suzaku Seishi, history is slowly repeating itself. Nakago has power over Kutou once again, as well as a new priestess."
"Mayo..." Saori whispered.
"With them back, horrible things have and will happen. Nakago's goal still seems unchanged." Taiisukun paused to make sure everyone was with her.
"Could it be? The Seiryu Seven are once again summoning Seiryu, and the past battles are rising?" Hotohori questioned.
Nuriko scratched the back of his head. "Well... it does put sense into things..."
Tamahome looked glum. "You're telling me."
Taiisukun put her hand up. "I will continue. You must once again summon Suzaku, as you did when the priestess was first brought into this world. Without summoning the beast god, Konan's future as you know it will result in horror and death, and so will Miaka's world."
"Taiisukun!" Miaka wailed. "So much more nearly happened last time, it couldn't possibly happen again!"
Taiisukun ignored the red head and went on. "You all face a dilemma, however. Miaka is no longer a virgin, as you all know, so she cannot summon Suzaku, not alone."
"Alone?" Tamahome asked.
Taiisukun nodded. "Since Miaka IS the priestess, there is still a way."
Tasuki looked from Miaka to Taiisukun. "Well? Say it all ready!"
"As before, you must find two shinzahos, which will make it possible for Miaka to summon Suzaku. You must find the Shinzahos of both Suzaku and Seiryu."
"Suzaku and Seiryu? So, we must gather the shinzahos of the gods of the south and east." Chiriko pondered out loud.
"The shinzaho can be anything with the priestess when she summoned the beast god, even down to a single hair. However, the shinzahos have taken a different form over time. It can be anywhere in this world where the priestess has been, which mean it could be in any of the neighboring four countries."
"All... four....?" Tamahome stuttered. That was a whole heck of a lot of land to cover. He remembered how long it took them last time, and all the conflicts they ran into. And back then they actually had an idea of where to look.
"Yes, that is correct." Taiisukun blinked very slowly. "You must first find Miaka's, and then the Priestess of Seiryu's, Yui. However, finding these shinzahos will not be as easy as before."
Tasuki choked. "Easy?!"
"Be quiet." Taiisukun ordered. Saori was standing halfway behind Boushin, the old woman frightening her somewhat.
"Since they shinzaho of the priestess has changed forms before, it is now held within an original object at the first summoning. However, to reach its full power, the shinzaho needs its counterparts." Taiisukun ignored the blank looks given her and continued. "There are seven objects you must find as well for each shinzaho. Without these objects, the shinzaho will not activate, rendering it useless. Every object, however, acts as a clue to find the next. The seventh should lead you to the shinzaho itself."
Tasuki looked very unsure. "That would be like..." he counted quickly in his mind. "Finding 16 shinzahos, and we don't even know where they are!"
"Can't you help us?" Tamahome asked somewhat rudely, trying to refrain from his usual name-calling.
"You always expect me to do everything, don't you?" Taiisukun snapped. "Very well." She held out a single had, and mumbled something. A red light sparked from her palm, expanded, and solidified into a glass-like, red, thick disk.
"This will alert you when you're nearing a clue, but it must attach to a holy relic to work." Taiisukun explained.
"Holy whatta what?" Tasuki asked, confused.
"A holy relic!" Chiriko repeated, suddenly excited. "That would be like his highness's sword, or Chichiri's staff!"
Taiisukun nodded. It was obvious she was glad she wouldn't have to go into serious details with at least one of the Suzaku seishi.
"Suzaku seishi, this is a serious matter. You are far behind in your journey. The Seiryu Seishi have all ready found their first clue." Taiisukun warned.
"So that's where they've been, no da." Chichiri added.
Tamahome mussed his hair with his hands in confusement. "Wait... wait! Why are the Seiryu seven after the shinzahos?"
Taiisukun was getting restless. "Miboshi of the Seiryu seven was not revived with the others, thus they are missing a member."
Nuriko planted his hands firmly on his hips. "Well, so much for going home."
Chichiri picked up the red disk and held it to his staff. The circular glass-like object immediately attached to the top of his staff like a magnet, right where the gold ended. As soon as it was secure it flashed a quick burst of light, signaling it was working.
"I will make preparations at once." Hotohori informed.
"I trust that you will succeed, seishi, do not let me down." And with that, Taiisukun disappeared as easily as she entered, quickly and without a trace.
"Chichue," Boushin walked up to his father, "I must insist you go with the others and protect our priestess. I will watch over things here in your absence."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you, Boushin."
"I'll go too!" Saori shouted. "I came here for Mayo, and going along will help me get to her."
Tasuki sighed. "I wish that hag had at least told us where to start. Until we find that first whatever-you-call-it, we're screwed."
Horses were soon prepared, one for each warrior, plus two extra to carry supplies. Hotohori soon informed his magistrates as well as Houki of his sudden, unexpected departure, and was once again dressed in "ordinary" clothes, which of course couldn't hide his royal radiance. Hotohori made sure they took enough with them. They would have to move quickly since they were behind, and they may not have time to return to the palace if they needed more. Chichiri recommended going west, since the distant east had several clouds, it would be better to travel away from bad weather so they could cover more ground.
"Let us hope we are heading in the right direction, or we could be out for months on the first clue." Hotohori said.
************************************
Keisuke's body was spread out messily over a sofa, his feet hanging off the end. Yui covered his sleeping form up with a thin blanket before returning to Tetsuya's side. Tetsuya was busy reading the book. He read a little faster than Keisuke, but he skimmed more.
"Anything happen since they left the palace?" Yui asked, keeping her voice down.
Tetsuya shook his head. "It's not going too well. It says they've been through three towns already, and nothing has happened."
"Well, what does it say now?" Yui asked, attempting to read over her boyfriend's shoulder.
Tetsuya skimmed a little more and turned the page. "The afternoon of the second day, the group arrived at a small inn outside the town of Rekkushu, where they rented a few rooms and stayed the night. As the morning sun woke Konan to another day, a few were all ready unsure of what lay ahead. Luckily, some hope was soon to come..."
************************************
Miaka, the priestess of Suzaku, rode on a horse with Tamahome, sitting in front of him. Saori rode with Nuriko, sitting behind him. Everyone, despite the large group, had been silent for quite a while now, looking around for any rare sign that they were going in the right direction. Tasuki was right. The clues would always point them in the right direction, but with none at hand, the Suzaku seven were as good as lost.
"Chichiri," Miaka asked, breaking the silence, "How far is it from here to Sairo?"
"Sairo is still very far, no da. At the rate we're going, it would take a couple of weeks to get there, no da." Chichiri answered.
Miaka looked down at the mane of her brown horse. "Please don't be in Sairo..." she thought.
Suddenly, Chichiri's horse stepped back and neighed in fright. Chichiri pulled on the reins to control the animal.
"What's is doing?!" Saori shouted.
"Look!" Chiriko pointed.
Chichiri's staff, which was secured to the side of his horse, began shaking violently beneath its restraints. After a moment, the disk flashed and the staff freed itself. It shot out from the horse and landed several feet ahead of the traveling party, spinning ferociously on the ground.
Chichiri, after calming his horse, jumped off and slowly approached it. Tasuki and Chiriko rode up closer to see what was going on.
The rings on the long staff jingled as it spun counterclockwise on the ground. After every turn the staff slowed down some.
"What in the world?" Nuriko wondered.
"It's possessed man!" Tasuki declared.
After a moment, the staff came to a stop. The disk flashed once more before returning to its normal color.
Chichiri looked up at the sun, then back down. "It's pointing north west, no da."
"Do you think it's showing us which way to go?" Chiriko asked.
Tasuki pulled his horse back. "Sounds good enough to me, unless your toy there does that on a regular basis."
Chichiri nodded, picking up his staff.
So, the Suzaku seven headed a bit more north than before, finding side roads to follow until reaching long street, which gradually led to a small town two miles down. The scenery seemed slightly more familiar.
"I believe we are near Suzaku Village." Chiriko stated.
Tasuki looked around as the small markets grew closer and closer together. He looked back to Tamahome.
"Hey Tama, doesn't this place look a little... familiar?" He asked.
Tamahome took a quick look around. "Uh... kinda..." he answered.
Nuriko had an odd feeling as he rode up next to Tasuki. "Strange, It looks familiar to me too... very familiar..."
"I'm pretty sure this is the city of Kakiyo, na no da." Chichiri said a little more cheerfully. "And it should look familiar if you think about it, no da."
Miaka blinked, confused.
"Kakiyo?" Nuriko asked, "That explains it."
Tasuki and Tamahome had very puzzled expressions. "What? What is it?"
Nuriko rolled his eyes and sighed.
"This is where we found Nuriko three years ago, no da." Chichiri informed.
The disk on Chichiri's staff lit up again, maintaining a dim glow.
Miaka lit up. "I guess that means the shinzaho clue must be near here!"
Chichiri turned his horse sideways and stopped. "Miaka's probably right, no da. We should split up and look around. We passed an Inn down that way, no da. At nightfall we'll meet back there no da."
The others consented and divided up into parties. Nuriko, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Miaka, and Tamahome were in one group, and Chiriko, Tasuki, Saori, and Hotohori were in the second. They took separate sides of the town. They had a few hours before their meeting time.
The first group took a different rode from the one they had been on.
"Look over there." Mitsukake instructed. The party stopped to see what Mitsukake was referring to.
Outside a small house, a young girl, about 18, was talking with a taller man. She had dark blue hair in a large braid, which rested over her right shoulder.
The disk on Chichiri's staff lit up slightly more.
"Perhaps one of them has the clue?" Nuriko pondered.
"Please, she needs a doctor. She's not doing well." The girl pleaded.
The man shook his head. "I saw her just last week and she was fine."
The girl tightened her shawl. "She's one of your patients, you know her conditions waver. Please, just come see her, just for a moment."
"I will not, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. If you'll excuse me..." The taller man stepped back inside his home.
"Wait!" The girl called. Her response was the door slamming in her face.
She looked at the door for a moment more, than turned and slowly began walking down the street.
Mitsukake urged his horse forward, going ahead of the others.
The girl heard the running of the horse's hooves and turned around. Mitsukake stopped next to her.
"I am a doctor, can I be of any help?"
A look of relief came over the girl's pretty face. "Yes, thank you kind sir. It's my mother..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door of a fairly large home opened with a slight creek. The room had a few candles lit, and two children sat with each other on the floor playing a game, a boy about the age of 13, and a girl who seemed to be about seven.
"She's in here, please, follow me." The girl instructed to Mitsukake. She turned to Chichiri, Tamahome, Miaka, and Nuriko. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." She turned to the boy. "Haku, go get some tea for our guests, please."
The boy nodded and left the room. The blue-haired woman and Mitsukake went down a short hallway.
The disk on Chichiri's staff glowed brighter, drawing in Miaka's attention.
"Hi! Are you my sister's boyfriend?" The little girl asked, tugging on Tamahome's robe.
Nuriko laughed.
Tamahome knelt down and patted the girl's short, blue hair. "No, I'm sorry to say I'm not. What's your name?"
The girl put her hand over her mouth, giggled, and ran off just as the young woman returned.
"I'm terribly sorry to bring you all here. I'm Etuin." The woman bowed.
'Etuin... why does that sound familiar?' Nuriko thought.
"It's quite all right, no da." Chichiri explained.
Etuin smiled slightly. "My mother has been ill for almost three years now. I'm not sure why she has become sick so physically though. My younger sister passed away right before she started to get sick. I think the grief just took a toll on her. I feel terrible, really. She never seems to become better."
"I'm terribly sorry, no da." Chichiri said.
Etuin looked out the window into the dimming sky. "Strange, actually. We imagined Reishun passed away, but we don't really know. She just disappeared... kidnapped, I suppose."
Nuriko's eyes went wide. He cleared his throat. "What did you say your name was again, Miss?"
"Etuin, Etuin Ko." The girl politely re-stated.
The expression on Nuriko face sunk like a rock. He put on a fake grin. "Uh... will you give me just a second? I need some... uh... air..." Nuriko grabbed onto Tamahome's sleeve, nearly ripping it off as he dragged Tamahome with him out the door.
Miaka seemed dually embarrassed.
"Nuriko! Let go of me!" Tamahome flailed about.
Nuriko released his grip, taking hold of Tamahome's shoulders and shaking him. "DID YOU JUST HEAR THAT?!!!"
Tamahome blinked, confused.
Nuriko let go and smacked his forehead. "Etuin Ko! Don't you remember? Reishun?!"
Tamahome slowly seemed to understand, but only slightly.
Nuriko groaned. "I'm Reishun!!! I totally... I'm such an idiot! It seems that when I regained my memories as a warrior, I stupidly forgot my other ones..." Nuriko smacked Tamahome upside the head. "You block head! What's wrong with you?!!!"
Tamahome rubbed his head painfully as Chichiri and Miaka came outside.
"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Tamahome winced.
"Why didn't you tell my parents before you kidnapped me?!" Nuriko shouted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was quite some time later before everyone re-entered the house, quietly sitting in the front room.
"It all is coming up now." Nuriko explained. "The boy, Haku... the little girl's name is Sakusha. I didn't recognize her, she had a growth spurt and cut off all of her hair..."
"This is really difficult, no da..." Chichiri trailed off.
Nuriko leaned back. "How in the world will I tell them? Will they believe me?"
"Nuriko..." Miaka said sympathetically.
Nuriko smiled some. "Funny, all of a sudden I really miss them."
Author's note: Again, not great, but it will get better. And longer. We're talking 5 chapters per clue here.
"Suzaku Seishi, you are once again needed... to summon Suzaku!!!"
"What?!" Miaka gasped, running up to the floating woman. "Summon Suzaku?"
Taiisukun nodded. "That is correct. Chichiri, I commend you and the others for you work and sensing evil's presence, but it is past time to take action."
"Taiisukun, we need to summon Suzaku again? Why?" Nuriko asked.
"Wait a moment and allow me to explain." Taiisukun ordered. "As you know, the Seiryu Seven have been reborn as well, and they are now back in power. Suzaku Seishi, history is slowly repeating itself. Nakago has power over Kutou once again, as well as a new priestess."
"Mayo..." Saori whispered.
"With them back, horrible things have and will happen. Nakago's goal still seems unchanged." Taiisukun paused to make sure everyone was with her.
"Could it be? The Seiryu Seven are once again summoning Seiryu, and the past battles are rising?" Hotohori questioned.
Nuriko scratched the back of his head. "Well... it does put sense into things..."
Tamahome looked glum. "You're telling me."
Taiisukun put her hand up. "I will continue. You must once again summon Suzaku, as you did when the priestess was first brought into this world. Without summoning the beast god, Konan's future as you know it will result in horror and death, and so will Miaka's world."
"Taiisukun!" Miaka wailed. "So much more nearly happened last time, it couldn't possibly happen again!"
Taiisukun ignored the red head and went on. "You all face a dilemma, however. Miaka is no longer a virgin, as you all know, so she cannot summon Suzaku, not alone."
"Alone?" Tamahome asked.
Taiisukun nodded. "Since Miaka IS the priestess, there is still a way."
Tasuki looked from Miaka to Taiisukun. "Well? Say it all ready!"
"As before, you must find two shinzahos, which will make it possible for Miaka to summon Suzaku. You must find the Shinzahos of both Suzaku and Seiryu."
"Suzaku and Seiryu? So, we must gather the shinzahos of the gods of the south and east." Chiriko pondered out loud.
"The shinzaho can be anything with the priestess when she summoned the beast god, even down to a single hair. However, the shinzahos have taken a different form over time. It can be anywhere in this world where the priestess has been, which mean it could be in any of the neighboring four countries."
"All... four....?" Tamahome stuttered. That was a whole heck of a lot of land to cover. He remembered how long it took them last time, and all the conflicts they ran into. And back then they actually had an idea of where to look.
"Yes, that is correct." Taiisukun blinked very slowly. "You must first find Miaka's, and then the Priestess of Seiryu's, Yui. However, finding these shinzahos will not be as easy as before."
Tasuki choked. "Easy?!"
"Be quiet." Taiisukun ordered. Saori was standing halfway behind Boushin, the old woman frightening her somewhat.
"Since they shinzaho of the priestess has changed forms before, it is now held within an original object at the first summoning. However, to reach its full power, the shinzaho needs its counterparts." Taiisukun ignored the blank looks given her and continued. "There are seven objects you must find as well for each shinzaho. Without these objects, the shinzaho will not activate, rendering it useless. Every object, however, acts as a clue to find the next. The seventh should lead you to the shinzaho itself."
Tasuki looked very unsure. "That would be like..." he counted quickly in his mind. "Finding 16 shinzahos, and we don't even know where they are!"
"Can't you help us?" Tamahome asked somewhat rudely, trying to refrain from his usual name-calling.
"You always expect me to do everything, don't you?" Taiisukun snapped. "Very well." She held out a single had, and mumbled something. A red light sparked from her palm, expanded, and solidified into a glass-like, red, thick disk.
"This will alert you when you're nearing a clue, but it must attach to a holy relic to work." Taiisukun explained.
"Holy whatta what?" Tasuki asked, confused.
"A holy relic!" Chiriko repeated, suddenly excited. "That would be like his highness's sword, or Chichiri's staff!"
Taiisukun nodded. It was obvious she was glad she wouldn't have to go into serious details with at least one of the Suzaku seishi.
"Suzaku seishi, this is a serious matter. You are far behind in your journey. The Seiryu Seishi have all ready found their first clue." Taiisukun warned.
"So that's where they've been, no da." Chichiri added.
Tamahome mussed his hair with his hands in confusement. "Wait... wait! Why are the Seiryu seven after the shinzahos?"
Taiisukun was getting restless. "Miboshi of the Seiryu seven was not revived with the others, thus they are missing a member."
Nuriko planted his hands firmly on his hips. "Well, so much for going home."
Chichiri picked up the red disk and held it to his staff. The circular glass-like object immediately attached to the top of his staff like a magnet, right where the gold ended. As soon as it was secure it flashed a quick burst of light, signaling it was working.
"I will make preparations at once." Hotohori informed.
"I trust that you will succeed, seishi, do not let me down." And with that, Taiisukun disappeared as easily as she entered, quickly and without a trace.
"Chichue," Boushin walked up to his father, "I must insist you go with the others and protect our priestess. I will watch over things here in your absence."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you, Boushin."
"I'll go too!" Saori shouted. "I came here for Mayo, and going along will help me get to her."
Tasuki sighed. "I wish that hag had at least told us where to start. Until we find that first whatever-you-call-it, we're screwed."
Horses were soon prepared, one for each warrior, plus two extra to carry supplies. Hotohori soon informed his magistrates as well as Houki of his sudden, unexpected departure, and was once again dressed in "ordinary" clothes, which of course couldn't hide his royal radiance. Hotohori made sure they took enough with them. They would have to move quickly since they were behind, and they may not have time to return to the palace if they needed more. Chichiri recommended going west, since the distant east had several clouds, it would be better to travel away from bad weather so they could cover more ground.
"Let us hope we are heading in the right direction, or we could be out for months on the first clue." Hotohori said.
************************************
Keisuke's body was spread out messily over a sofa, his feet hanging off the end. Yui covered his sleeping form up with a thin blanket before returning to Tetsuya's side. Tetsuya was busy reading the book. He read a little faster than Keisuke, but he skimmed more.
"Anything happen since they left the palace?" Yui asked, keeping her voice down.
Tetsuya shook his head. "It's not going too well. It says they've been through three towns already, and nothing has happened."
"Well, what does it say now?" Yui asked, attempting to read over her boyfriend's shoulder.
Tetsuya skimmed a little more and turned the page. "The afternoon of the second day, the group arrived at a small inn outside the town of Rekkushu, where they rented a few rooms and stayed the night. As the morning sun woke Konan to another day, a few were all ready unsure of what lay ahead. Luckily, some hope was soon to come..."
************************************
Miaka, the priestess of Suzaku, rode on a horse with Tamahome, sitting in front of him. Saori rode with Nuriko, sitting behind him. Everyone, despite the large group, had been silent for quite a while now, looking around for any rare sign that they were going in the right direction. Tasuki was right. The clues would always point them in the right direction, but with none at hand, the Suzaku seven were as good as lost.
"Chichiri," Miaka asked, breaking the silence, "How far is it from here to Sairo?"
"Sairo is still very far, no da. At the rate we're going, it would take a couple of weeks to get there, no da." Chichiri answered.
Miaka looked down at the mane of her brown horse. "Please don't be in Sairo..." she thought.
Suddenly, Chichiri's horse stepped back and neighed in fright. Chichiri pulled on the reins to control the animal.
"What's is doing?!" Saori shouted.
"Look!" Chiriko pointed.
Chichiri's staff, which was secured to the side of his horse, began shaking violently beneath its restraints. After a moment, the disk flashed and the staff freed itself. It shot out from the horse and landed several feet ahead of the traveling party, spinning ferociously on the ground.
Chichiri, after calming his horse, jumped off and slowly approached it. Tasuki and Chiriko rode up closer to see what was going on.
The rings on the long staff jingled as it spun counterclockwise on the ground. After every turn the staff slowed down some.
"What in the world?" Nuriko wondered.
"It's possessed man!" Tasuki declared.
After a moment, the staff came to a stop. The disk flashed once more before returning to its normal color.
Chichiri looked up at the sun, then back down. "It's pointing north west, no da."
"Do you think it's showing us which way to go?" Chiriko asked.
Tasuki pulled his horse back. "Sounds good enough to me, unless your toy there does that on a regular basis."
Chichiri nodded, picking up his staff.
So, the Suzaku seven headed a bit more north than before, finding side roads to follow until reaching long street, which gradually led to a small town two miles down. The scenery seemed slightly more familiar.
"I believe we are near Suzaku Village." Chiriko stated.
Tasuki looked around as the small markets grew closer and closer together. He looked back to Tamahome.
"Hey Tama, doesn't this place look a little... familiar?" He asked.
Tamahome took a quick look around. "Uh... kinda..." he answered.
Nuriko had an odd feeling as he rode up next to Tasuki. "Strange, It looks familiar to me too... very familiar..."
"I'm pretty sure this is the city of Kakiyo, na no da." Chichiri said a little more cheerfully. "And it should look familiar if you think about it, no da."
Miaka blinked, confused.
"Kakiyo?" Nuriko asked, "That explains it."
Tasuki and Tamahome had very puzzled expressions. "What? What is it?"
Nuriko rolled his eyes and sighed.
"This is where we found Nuriko three years ago, no da." Chichiri informed.
The disk on Chichiri's staff lit up again, maintaining a dim glow.
Miaka lit up. "I guess that means the shinzaho clue must be near here!"
Chichiri turned his horse sideways and stopped. "Miaka's probably right, no da. We should split up and look around. We passed an Inn down that way, no da. At nightfall we'll meet back there no da."
The others consented and divided up into parties. Nuriko, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Miaka, and Tamahome were in one group, and Chiriko, Tasuki, Saori, and Hotohori were in the second. They took separate sides of the town. They had a few hours before their meeting time.
The first group took a different rode from the one they had been on.
"Look over there." Mitsukake instructed. The party stopped to see what Mitsukake was referring to.
Outside a small house, a young girl, about 18, was talking with a taller man. She had dark blue hair in a large braid, which rested over her right shoulder.
The disk on Chichiri's staff lit up slightly more.
"Perhaps one of them has the clue?" Nuriko pondered.
"Please, she needs a doctor. She's not doing well." The girl pleaded.
The man shook his head. "I saw her just last week and she was fine."
The girl tightened her shawl. "She's one of your patients, you know her conditions waver. Please, just come see her, just for a moment."
"I will not, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. If you'll excuse me..." The taller man stepped back inside his home.
"Wait!" The girl called. Her response was the door slamming in her face.
She looked at the door for a moment more, than turned and slowly began walking down the street.
Mitsukake urged his horse forward, going ahead of the others.
The girl heard the running of the horse's hooves and turned around. Mitsukake stopped next to her.
"I am a doctor, can I be of any help?"
A look of relief came over the girl's pretty face. "Yes, thank you kind sir. It's my mother..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door of a fairly large home opened with a slight creek. The room had a few candles lit, and two children sat with each other on the floor playing a game, a boy about the age of 13, and a girl who seemed to be about seven.
"She's in here, please, follow me." The girl instructed to Mitsukake. She turned to Chichiri, Tamahome, Miaka, and Nuriko. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." She turned to the boy. "Haku, go get some tea for our guests, please."
The boy nodded and left the room. The blue-haired woman and Mitsukake went down a short hallway.
The disk on Chichiri's staff glowed brighter, drawing in Miaka's attention.
"Hi! Are you my sister's boyfriend?" The little girl asked, tugging on Tamahome's robe.
Nuriko laughed.
Tamahome knelt down and patted the girl's short, blue hair. "No, I'm sorry to say I'm not. What's your name?"
The girl put her hand over her mouth, giggled, and ran off just as the young woman returned.
"I'm terribly sorry to bring you all here. I'm Etuin." The woman bowed.
'Etuin... why does that sound familiar?' Nuriko thought.
"It's quite all right, no da." Chichiri explained.
Etuin smiled slightly. "My mother has been ill for almost three years now. I'm not sure why she has become sick so physically though. My younger sister passed away right before she started to get sick. I think the grief just took a toll on her. I feel terrible, really. She never seems to become better."
"I'm terribly sorry, no da." Chichiri said.
Etuin looked out the window into the dimming sky. "Strange, actually. We imagined Reishun passed away, but we don't really know. She just disappeared... kidnapped, I suppose."
Nuriko's eyes went wide. He cleared his throat. "What did you say your name was again, Miss?"
"Etuin, Etuin Ko." The girl politely re-stated.
The expression on Nuriko face sunk like a rock. He put on a fake grin. "Uh... will you give me just a second? I need some... uh... air..." Nuriko grabbed onto Tamahome's sleeve, nearly ripping it off as he dragged Tamahome with him out the door.
Miaka seemed dually embarrassed.
"Nuriko! Let go of me!" Tamahome flailed about.
Nuriko released his grip, taking hold of Tamahome's shoulders and shaking him. "DID YOU JUST HEAR THAT?!!!"
Tamahome blinked, confused.
Nuriko let go and smacked his forehead. "Etuin Ko! Don't you remember? Reishun?!"
Tamahome slowly seemed to understand, but only slightly.
Nuriko groaned. "I'm Reishun!!! I totally... I'm such an idiot! It seems that when I regained my memories as a warrior, I stupidly forgot my other ones..." Nuriko smacked Tamahome upside the head. "You block head! What's wrong with you?!!!"
Tamahome rubbed his head painfully as Chichiri and Miaka came outside.
"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Tamahome winced.
"Why didn't you tell my parents before you kidnapped me?!" Nuriko shouted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was quite some time later before everyone re-entered the house, quietly sitting in the front room.
"It all is coming up now." Nuriko explained. "The boy, Haku... the little girl's name is Sakusha. I didn't recognize her, she had a growth spurt and cut off all of her hair..."
"This is really difficult, no da..." Chichiri trailed off.
Nuriko leaned back. "How in the world will I tell them? Will they believe me?"
"Nuriko..." Miaka said sympathetically.
Nuriko smiled some. "Funny, all of a sudden I really miss them."
Author's note: Again, not great, but it will get better. And longer. We're talking 5 chapters per clue here.