Amaya: Thank you for your compliments! I know, I was like "I love you
Amibohsi!" even though I was the one who put it in there. oo;; And thanks
for tha "hug-tackle". You really don't want Nuriko to die, do you?
*smiles* we'll see.
Metajoker: You're he first one to mention Hikitsu. Thank you. Actually, in a little while you'll see I purposely find a way to get Inami out of major battles and what-not. If you actually remember that, you catch on, and it becomes rather enteraining to see what I manage to do.
Lol! Yes, Inami is terrified of spiders. I'm glad you like the Yui- Tetsuya thing! I love those two. and yes, you're right again, he is. or was planning to propose.
Yes, Saori is getting her limelight back. I really love her as a character. She's not an OOC, but I can still invent a lot with her. As for the Headache, Inami has a huge weakness against Tomo in chapter 22, and he's what kept her from doing much. The ending of it was Saori breaking through/Tomo letting go.
To Sakura 162: Hey, thanks for reviewing! Thank you so much for your compliments and for reading. My replies to reviews are taking up pages now, aren't they?
I won't write anything to quartazium-kaos since he/she is on chapter 1, but if you get up to here, thanks! If there is a way to reply to reviewers other than like this, some one please tell me. ^_^
Author's note: I was just looking a bit through this, and I think this is my longest chapter-14 pages WITHOUT the spacing between paragraphs. I wonder how long it will be when I'm done revising it for ffnet.
There is a mild fluff warning in here. I kinda gagged when I read it. but yeah.
Chapter 41 : The Flurry of Sairo
"No trees... no shade..." Miaka sighed as she leaned forward on her horse, tangling her fingers in its brown main. The landscape over the past day had changed dramatically. Now a good ways into Sairo, desert and dunes lay everywhere, only a few shrubs growing distantly from each other. In the distance were tall, dark, rugged-looking mountains, only a preview for what lay ahead. Unlike the other countries, Sairo had a few large cities, instead of several separated ones. The group still hadn't seen a single village or town since they left Goko Terrace.
Miaka kept looking ahead, hoping to see the buildings of the capitol soon. She hadn't been there when they had first traveled to Sairo four years ago, though she had gotten there eventually. She remembered the main lands of Sairo. they were pretty. The Capitol, also the biggest city, was closest to their current location. It was also called Sairo, and it was where Subaru and Tokaki had been. The large city, if she could even call it that, was divided into several subsections. The entire place could even be called a province or a state.
The others seemed to be uncomfortable in the heat as well. Konan was constantly warm and dry, but it still had rain and a climate to keep it from baking into a desert. Right now, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Tasuki all ready had his over shirts off, as well as Mitsukake and Nuriko.
"Chichiri," Tasuki complained, "Just use that dumb cloak of yours and pop us over there! I'm dyin'!"
Chichiri shook his head. "It's too much, no da. You're really lazy, no da. At this rate we should reach there by tomorrow, maybe tonight. It is good to travel in the desert at night, no da."
Saori looked up at Chichiri, who smiled down on her. It was times like these she was glad she had short hair. She petted the neck of the brown horse she sat upon. "I feel bad for the horses."
"They can take it." Nuriko stated. "We have water for them anyways."
"Oh for the love of heaven..." Inami sighed, bringing her arms together. "I'm burning, I can feel it. I'm slowly baking alive..."
"Oh common you guys..." Tamahome spoke up, "It's not that bad."
"Snow... snow is nice..." Inami muttered.
Tamahome gave the girl a strange look. Her and Miaka both had their hair up in ponytails.
"I'm sure Sairo City will come up soon, and we can all rest." Chiriko said with the same enlightenment as Chichiri and Tamahome. "If anyone does sunburn badly, Mitsukake can heal them, right?"
The doctor nodded from the back.
"Yes, I think we all deserve a long rest upon our arrival." Hotohori chimed in.
Nuriko looked around. "I will admit, despite the heat I'm really glad to be here." He looked over to Miaka and winked. "Remember? Last time I couldn't!"
Miaka blinked, then felt guilty. She had forgotten that Nuriko never made it to Sairo. She looked back down at the neck of her horse.
"Ah Miaka, I didn't mean it like that." Nuriko added, seeing Miaka's face.
"I'm going to get heat stroke... I'm going to die a painful death..." Inami's voice continued in the background.
Tasuki took out his fan and stared at the red disk at the bottom. It had been a while since it had lit up; they continuously got delayed. Still no sign, though he honestly couldn't expect anything... they were basically out in the middle of nowhere.
"Miaka, can I see those chopsticks again?" Tamahome asked.
Miaka nodded, and reached down for the satchel that almost always seemed to be with her. She opened it, peering inside. At the bottom was a smooth pink stone, a wad of paper protecting the goblet from damage, and the chopsticks laying neatly along a seam. Miaka reached in and pulled the red sticks out, handing them to Tamahome.
Tamahome inspected the third shinzaho clue carefully. "These look more expensive than you say they were, Chichiri." Tamahome inspected the craftsmanship. "Believe me, I know."
"I think I sense a connection between these and Sairo City, no da." Chichiri said. "I'm sure the next clue lies there, no da, but the place is huge no da. It would take days just to travel from one end to the other, no da."
Inami leaned back. "Do we have any other hints of where to start when we get there?"
Tasuki lifted his fan. "Uh, hello?"
"Well it's not just going to give an address, Brainiac." Inami pointed out.
"So do we just walk around until it lights up?" Saori asked.
"Well, yes and No." Hotohori explained. "We can pay attention to it while we find a place to stay. We may get lucky and something will turn up. If not, I suppose we'll have to perform an investigation."
"Maybe someone can help us then." Miaka added.
"Ack! My foot fell asleep!"
Everyone turned and gawked at the rowdy 17-year-old.
Saori slapped on a smile while shaking her leg. "Sorry, but it did!"
************************************
"Hikari, what's wrong?!" Yui asked again, quite flustered with the girl's crying. She picked the baby up again and began to bounce her lightly, walking around Tetsuya's kitchen.
"You're not hungry, you're no thirsty, I gave you a clean diaper and you won't sleep!" She exclaimed. She continued carrying the crying baby into the living room, her eyes focusing on a picture on a shelf.
"You miss your parents, don't you?" Yui whispered, standing still as Hikari continued to wail. One of the framed pictures was a large group one. She and Tetsuya were smiling on the side, along with Keisuke and Mayo, Miaka and Taka. Around them were a few other people, Keisuke and Tetsuya's friends. All the men were wearing black jackets and sunglasses, and posing with ridiculous expressions on their faces. The three girls, in the center, actually posed seriously. Miaka was just beginning to show in her pregnancy, though it was hidden pretty well.
"I don't understand." Yui said, noticing Hikari's cries dying down again. "Mayo, she looks so happy, see Hikari?" She said, turning so the baby faced the picture. "She's smiling... what went wrong?"
Yui knew Mayo had a reason to be upset, but she overcame all of her struggles. Her and Miaka had even become friends, or so she thought.
Mayo's parents constantly fought with each other, though somehow always avoided divorce, possibly just for Mayo's sake. A lot of Mayo's work, whether at school or home, was taken for granted. Mayo fell in love with a man she knew she could never have, but she saw it for the better and got over Taka, didn't she? She was even at the hospital when Hikari was born. What tore her down? Saori was still with her, and so was everyone else. Mayo seemed especially close to her coach, Keisuke.
"I know it's not Taka, is it?" Yui asked the picture, not receiving an answer from the smiling high school girl. "You never even mention him in the book anymore. You're over him, I know it."
Maybe things in Mayo's life just built up to a point where she couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe, in the beginning, claiming feelings for Taka was a way to ease her own uncertain pain. Her hatred for Miaka, was it a cover up too? A scapegoat?
On one level, Yui did understand. She too had hated Miaka, her own anger getting her to a point where she felt trapped. Now Mayo was trapped, following in her own footsteps. Yui couldn't help but fell guilty, like it was partially her fault.
"And now Saori's involved." Yui shook her head and took the whimpering Hikari away from the pictures, sitting down onto a couch. Things with the book were depressing her spirits. She hadn't even had Tokyo University come into mind for the past few weeks, and she talked about it every day. She would be starting soon enough, but she had too many other things on her mind.
Yui wrapped her arms around Hikari's small form, feeling the warmth of the child as she stared up at the ceiling. "Tetsuya..." She whispered.
A flash.
Yui looked over, startled. The book lay on the other end of the couch, closed and waiting. Yui shut her eyes tightly. She must really be tired. How many times now had she imagined that blue flash? She stared intently on the red cover of the book. Should she read, or wait?
*********************************
"Thank the gods!" Inami said relieved as they approached the bustling city.
"Yes!" Saori cheered, waving her arms around. She would have stupidly fallen off the horse if it weren't for Chichiri's quick thinking.
"Let's get a room!" Tasuki urged. "I'm tired!"
"You're really loud, you know that?" Tamahome sniped from the horse next to the bandit's. "It really gets on my nerves."
"And whatcha gonna do about it, Tama-kins?" Tasuki teased, using Nuriko's old nickname for the man.
"Why you..."
"Okay! We can be happy now!" Miaka quickly jumped in, avoiding another brawl between the men. Tasuki and Tamahome were only half serious in their little fights, but still, avoiding them was better.
"Highness, if you'd like, I can go with Chichiri to find an inn for us." Nuriko suggested. "Maybe you and the others can take a breather for a while."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you, Nuriko."
The purple haired man turned to the Magician, who nodded. They looked at Saori.
"Yeah, I'll come." Saori answered without being asked. She stretched her arms and legs, yawning. "But let's hurry, okay?"
~
"Let's stay out of trouble, got it?" Nuriko said as Tamahome and Tasuki passed him with their luggage in the upper hallway of a fairly large inn.
"Yeah yeah." Tasuki muttered. He smiled wryly. "But there's a bar downstairs, so I gotta enjoy myself."
Inami frowned as she stepped up next to Nuriko. She sighed.
"Don't worry." Nuriko patted the brunette on the shoulder. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"That's impossible." Inami slumped against the wall. "Sometimes Nuriko, I think you're the only thing keeping us going."
"But of course." Nuriko instantly agreed, grinning.
Inami looked around and kept her voice low. "I can't help but begin to worry about his Highness Hotohori. I think he feels an unnecessary burden on his shoulders."
Nuriko nodded. "Hotohori is a good man, and he's tried to put in a lot on this journey. However, I think with the added troubles back in Konan..." Nuriko stood straight and put a smile on his face. "Hotohori- sama will always pull through, we just need to have faith in him."
Hotohori sat at the edge of his bed. He was staying with Chichiri for the night. It had been a while since he had worn his imperial robes and walked the hallways of Konan. Though many times he wished the burden of the emperor were not on him, he missed the palace. He still had good memories there. He missed Boushin, Houki, who was pregnant again... he wasn't there to comfort her. He had confidence in his son to rule over Konan in his absence, but his mind constantly plagued him of a strong attack from Kutou that his country may not be ready for.
Hotohori looked up after hearing his name called. She always did bring a smile to his face.
"Hotohori?" Miaka asked, stepping into the room, looking around.
"Yes, Miaka, what can I do for you?" The man asked, pushing away his long, soft brown hair that was held in a low and loose ponytail.
Miaka held out the two red chopsticks in her hands. "I was wondering if you could hold onto these for me." She smiled. "I know you're smart, so you could probably figure out their clue long before I could."
Hotohori nodded and gently picked up the items from Miaka's hands. "Thank you, Miaka."
Miaka smiled and quietly left the room. Even today, Hotohori wondered what it would have been like is he had fulfilled his childhood wish to be with the priestess of Suzaku. He loved his family dearly, but Miaka still and always would have a place in his heart. Maybe, just maybe if he could have been an ordinary man...
Hotohori shook his head. He shouldn't dwell on such thoughts now, he chose to give up on that love a long time ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Tamahome! Buddy, come sit down!" Nuriko said, a huge unrealistic smile plastered on his face.
Tamahome looked over the round table and the people sitting at it. All of them had some sort of drink or snack from the bar. Nuriko, who was closest to him, had something that looked an awful lot like the "Nuriko Special" he had tried a while back. Tasuki had what looked like white sake as well as something else, Saori had some wontons on a small dish, and Inami had, well, water.
"What are all of you guys doing?" Tamahome asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down, glad to feel welcome.
"Just a little game of truth and dare." Nuriko commented.
"More like truth and let us pry into the inner secrets of your lives, but however you want to look at it is good." Inami joked.
Tamahome scooted in closer so he could hear and talk over the noises of the bar. "Sounds good." He said.
"Whose turn, whose turn?!" Saori asked excitedly.
"I think it should be 'ol Tama's." Tasuki said slyly, looking over to the dark haired man.
"Sounds fair enough, but do I get to hear what else was said?" Tamahome asked.
"Nope." Came everyone's reply. For some reason, Saori's cheeks went red and she hid a face with her hand.
"Let's see..." Nuriko thought. "We can either ask you an extremely personal or embarrassing question, or just force you to let out a deep dark secret."
Tamahome gave Nuriko an evil side-ways look.
"Saori can help us out with this one." Nuriko said to the girl.
Saori thought, obviously enjoying herself now. "Oh, I know I've had ton of questions a minute ago, but I can't remember any of them!"
"Well, let's start of easy with the guy." Tasuki laughed. "Ever had any girl friends besides Miaka upstairs? Any flings?"
"WHAT exactly is THAT suppose to mean?" Tamahome asked harshly.
"Just a question, Tama-kins." Tasuki joked.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Relax." Inami rested her chin on top of her raised hands. "None of this leaves the table." She winked. "I won't tell."
"You're just as bad as him." Tamahome muttered. "And no, thank you."
"I believe it." Saori said. "Tak... Tamahome always was only good enough for one girl."
Nuriko laughed, patting Tamahome on the back.
"Yeah, but still, plenty of girls have dished over him." Tasuki added.
"Really?!" Inami asked, looking over. "Who? Details here."
Tamahome looked as if he didn't want to be there, yet still seemed to be having fun just to be around his good friends.
"Let's see... I remember a certain chick in, well, here, right?" Tasuki poked.
"Let's not get into that." Tamahome said, glad Miaka wasn't here."
"Yeah, Let's wait for the next turn!" Nuriko joked. "I want to hear more about this incident of Saori's."
"Hey, that's not fair game." Saori frowned. "I all ready said, and Tamahome will know the guy, so nix-it."
"Well, what about you, Nuriko? Ever plan on settling down?" Tamahome asked the man on his right.
Nuriko smiled. "I admit it's come into mind a few times, but honestly I don't know." He looked thoughtful. "I think Rokou wants me to get married more than anyone else, even himself."
"What was that one chick's name, Enin wasn't it?"
Nuriko looked over to the fiery bandit. "Don't even try it, fang boy."
"Huh? I didn't hear about this" Saori leaned in.
Nuriko reached over and patted her on the head. "And you won't, deary."
"I have a second good question for you on that subject." Tamahome chimed in. "Just out of curiosity, have you had any romances since I've been gone?"
Nuriko gave a small smile. "Not any worth mentioning. The closest I've gotten to what your definition is, well, the girls Rokou brings along to hook up with his little brother." Nuriko laughed. "Heh, he always brings the weirdest ones..."
"How about you, Inami?" Saori asked.
"Hmm?" Inami perked up. "What about what?"
Saori got a malicious look on her face. "Ever had any romances?" Saori looked across the table. "You, know, other ones?"
Inami raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a complete loser, if that's what you want to know."
"Exactly how serious have you ever gotten, Miss Cheinun?" Tamahome asked with a smirk, talking in a strange accent that made Saori giggle more.
Inami tapped her fingernails on the table for a moment, thinking. "Let's see... I was engaged once, but that's about it."
Tasuki nearly choked on his drink.
"Easy, easy!" Tamahome said, patting the man on the back.
"You were engaged?" Saori asked, sparkles in her eyes that made Inami a little ponderous as to what she was thinking. "To who? Was he cute?"
"Why do you not tell me these things?" Tasuki asked.
"You don't ask." Inami said.
"Well jeez, I'll just come up to you out of the blue and say 'So, how far have you gone with so-and-so...'"
Inami waved a hand towards the bandit. "It's not like that, really! I never even dated him or anything."
"Uh, Inami? You're a bit confusing..." Nuriko leaned over. "Come one, spill."
"It was an arranged thing, kind of..." Inami trailed off, thinking. "He and I, we were best friends... and we were the only one of our friends who weren't married." Inami looked around, then stared off at the wood of the table. "You see, we were getting pretty old, though we didn't look it because of this thing... but we made a deal that if neither of us was seeing anyone by the time he turned 50 we'd just drop it all and get married for the heck of it."
Saori thought, then sprang a finger into the air. "Oh! Was he a warrior too then?"
Inami smiled at Saori's blunt innocence. "Yes, he was."
"What happened then?"
"Well," Inami poked jokingly. "I kind of didn't make it to his 50th birthday, if you get me." Inami, as if it were nothing, counted on her fingers. "About 8 months to go, I think..." Inami looked around at the faces staring at her. "But anyway! It's a dumb story, really! Let's move on, Tasuki's turn, wasn't it?"
"What was his name?" Tasuki asked.
Inami seemed a bit flustered now. "His name was Chen."
"His other name." Tasuki asked again.
Inami frowned a bit. "I really don't think this is a good time, Tasuki."
Nuriko, sensing the stiffness, quickly began speaking. "So, Tama, want anything to drink? Eat? They have some good wontons here, right Saori?"
Saori nodded. "The best, want one?" She said, offering some off her plate.
"Sure." Tamahome said, taking a piece and popping it into his mouth. He made a slight face and swallowed. "Saori," He coughed a bit. "How much pepper did you... put on those?" Tamahome coughed again, the spicy taste still in his mouth.
Saori looked at the food. "Not a lot. Why, can't handle it?"
Tamahome quickly shook his head as his eyes watered, Nuriko handed him a drink. The drink did put the fire out, but it was so strong Tamahome felt his stomach churn painfully. He plopped his head down on the table. "Why do you guys do this to me?" He coughed again.
~
"Tamahome?" Miaka called, coming down the stairs.
"Hey baby!" A man called from another table. "Can I get you a drink or something?"
"Yeah!" His friend called.
Miaka quickly ducked her head and tried to navigate through the brawling room. "Tamahome?" She called again.
"You can call me Tamahome if you'd like!" A third man called, leaning back in his chair. "What's a pretty gal like you doing around here? Looking for a good time?"
Miaka made a disgusted face and tried to ignore the man, looking around desperately through the large room.
"Ow ow!" She heard another call.
As she walked past another table the third man grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. "C'mon, surely you're not here by yourself."
Miaka struggled to get free. "No, I'm not, so lay off!" She shouted.
"Ooo, feisty one." Another man at the table commented.
The man pulled Miaka hard and she stumbled closer to him. "I'm sure you'll make a little exception, right?" The man said lowly. Before Miaka could answer however, the man found something cold press against his throat.
"Let the girl go, wise guy," The orange-hair man ordered, "Before I cut you into pieces. She's with ME."
The man looked Tasuki up and down, noticing his apparent size and physique, as well as the strange weapon in his hand. Deciding it was in his best judgment not to pick a fight with this character, he quickly stuttered "You got it," and released Miaka's hand.
With a final cold look, Tasuki sheathed his fan back into the holder on his back and escorted Miaka away from the table towards the other end of the bar. Miaka sighed in relief. "Thanks Tasuki, really." She breathed.
"Eh, punks like that get on my nerves." He shrugged. "You really shouldn't be up this late, especially in a place like this."
"Sorry." Miaka stated guiltily. "I was wondering where Tamahome went. Have you seen him?"
Tasuki smirked. "Yeah, he was with us a second ago. He got a little... sick."
Miaka looked over and saw Inami approaching from behind. "He's gotten worse." She said, not sure whether to sound worried or laugh.
"How'd he manage that?"
"Well, Saori gave him some water to drink... she didn't know it would make it flame up more. Nuriko took him outside."
"What exactly happened?!" Miaka questioned. "Is Tamahome all right?"
"Don't worry." Tasuki replied. "The wimp just can't handle his spicy foods."
"Oh... okay..." Miaka said, still not sure.
"Is Saori with them?" Tasuki asked.
Inami nodded.
"Good, there are a lot of bums around this joint."
Miaka looked around. "Should I get Mitsukake?"
"Nah, don't bother." Tasuki answered. "He can deal with it." Tasuki watched as Miaka made it out of the room and outside, making sure no one else gave her any trouble. He addressed the person beside him. "You should stay close too."
Inami smiled. "All right, but I wouldn't worry as much about me." She said, turning to the stairs that led up to the rooms, Tasuki following. As they went Inami waved a finger around.
"What the...!" The beefy man asked as his cards and drinks spilled and flew off the table.
The man's thin friend looked around bewildered.
Tamahome bent over, leaning against a wooden rail outside. His hands were on his knees, and Miaka rubbed his back lightly. After a moment Nuriko and Saori finally emerged again from the inn and walked over.
"Here you go." Nuriko said, handing Tamahome a glass of cold milk.
Tamahome lifted a hand to accept the drink. "Thanks." He drank it slowly at first, then quickly, feeling the coolness relieve his mouth from its intense burning sensations.
"Sorry about the wontons! I really didn't think they were so spicy!" Saori apologized.
"Yeah, the drinks too..." Nuriko added, though he found the whole incident quite hilarious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tasuki quietly opened the door to an inn room, stepping inside. This was the room Inami and Saori were sharing, though Saori still hadn't come up. Inami sat on the edge of her bed, reading over something in the light provided by a bright candle. Her long hair was again undone and pulled into a loose ponytail over her shoulder.
Tasuki closed the door. "Whatcha readin'?"
Inami glanced up and closed the small book. "Basically the same old boring stuff."
"Fun." Tasuki simply stated.
Inami put the book down and stared off into space. "You know, sometimes I can't help but wonder."
Tasuki seemed curious. "About what?"
Inami shrugged. "Nothing, just wonder."
Tasuki walked over and sat down on the bed beside Inami. "You're a handful, you know that?"
Inami leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes." She whispered.
"I wonder where we'll end up tomorrow."
Inami sighed. "You never know with this group."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chiriko lightly padded down the wooden flooring of the Inn's hallway, fully dressed and ready to start the day. His hair was up in its usual ponytail, with two locks evenly placed by the sides of his face.
He stopped outside one of the several doors and knocked firmly, hand on the doorknob. He waited a moment and opened the door, a bit confused by what was going on.
Hotohori and Chichiri were crouched over by the window, leaning over the shelf that extended from the sill. The room was fully lit by the pure sunshine.
"What are you two looking at?" Chiriko asked with his usual pleasant voice.
Chichiri turned around to face the shorter man, still kneeling. He had a very excited look on his masked face. "The shinzaho clues are beginning to call out to each other, no da." He answered with enthusiasm. He motioned to Chiriko to come over. "The stone, the goblet, but now the chopsticks are reacting to where we are headed next, no da."
Chiriko saw the two chopsticks neatly laid together, pointing a bit out the window.
"Are you sure, Chichiri?" Chiriko asked.
"Watch." Hotohori said, turning the chopsticks lightly into another direction. As soon as he let go, the third clue slowly turned back into the position they had been in, without any physical help.
"Chiriko," Hotohori addressed, standing up from the new discovery. "Is Tasuki awake?"
"I'm afraid he's still out like a light, Sire." Chiriko answered, taking Hotohori's place by Chichiri. The young man picked up the red pair and inspected them. "I must say though, this is a little short of brilliant."
A door quietly creaked open as a head poked into the room, peering around. The blinds were shut, but thin traces of sunlight still lit the room, providing an amber colored essence to it. Saori sighed in disappointment when she saw the couple, Tamahome and Miaka, still fast asleep on one of the two provided beds.
But, she couldn't resist.
Taking a full run, Saori opened the door all the way and charged for Miaka's side of the bed, jumping up and landing harshly with her knees.
"WAKE UP!!!!" She screamed, laughing.
"AHH!" Tamahome shot up in bed, looking around frantically. At once he saw the innocent grin on Saori face. He grabbed the nearest thing he could find and threw it at the teenager.
Saori tumbled backwards off the bed, landing with a satisfactory thud on the floor. She pushed the white pillow off of her. "Hey, what's the idea?!"
"Morning all ready?" Miaka asked, rubbing her eyes and stretching. She blinked a few times before looking around. "Ohayo, Saori-chan."
Saori smiled again and stood up, chucking the pillow back at Tamahome. "I'm glad you're a happy riser, Miaka."
Miaka turned her attention to her husband. "Tamahome, are you feeling better?"
Tamahome nodded, rubbing his head. Apparently Saori's sudden burst of unwanted energy gave him a slight headache.
Another door opened within the Sairo inn, but not quite as cautiously. The opener gazed into the room, rolling her eyes. The first bed, which had been Chiriko's, was empty and neatly made, almost better than it had been when they arrived. Chiriko's light luggage was placed neatly on top, arranged in an organized manner. The second bed, near the window, was ruffled up by the sleeping mass beneath its covers, a slight peek of orange scattered across the pillow.
Inami walked across the room, looking around as she went. Chiriko was too polite to wake up his roommate, so he must have gotten dressed quietly without bothering to open the blinds.
Inami couldn't help but smile when she got to the other side of Tasuki's bed. The covers were wrapped around the bandit's shoulders, the tops drooping over his head. From the other side his sleeping face was clearly visible, as well as a few traces of his bare chest. Inami couldn't help but think he looked like a little kid, curled up and sleeping so peacefully.
Tasuki's fan lay at the top of the bed, in front of the pillow resting before it. Around the handle was the red disk, which seemed to reflect the thin streams of light cursing through the blinds. Inami held out her hand and allowed the fan to lift and float to her. The fan was a bit heavier than it looked, considering it was made of pure diamond. Inami looked over the red discus Taiisukun had given to them. It was smooth and clean, a scarlet tint covering its features. Other than that it was plain, yet extraordinarily valuable to their quest.
With one last look at Tasuki, Inami turned a bit and faced the blinds. She lifted her free hand, and in one jerk the string of the blinds shot down, opening the window to its full light.
"Good morning sunshine!" Inami called out as Tasuki quickly awoke and squinted painfully at the bright light. He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes with both hands, groaning. He used his forearm to shade his eyes as he looked about. "Are you insane woman?!" He snapped.
Inami bluntly nodded and handed Tasuki his fan. Tasuki blinked hard to adjust to the light and took his favorite keepsake back. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hunched over, trying to shake off the remaining sleepiness.
"We need an early start, and you're the only one who hasn't woken up yet." Inami said a bit more mild than usual.
"Yeah yeah..." Tasuki said, stretching his arms up. He glanced behind him, seeing Chiriko was already gone. "Do you know what time it is?"
Inami shrugged, stepping forward. "All I know is that it's morning." She replied, slightly bending over and gently meeting with the man's lips.
Tasuki had only a moment to respond before Inami pulled away, looking him up and down. "That's a good look for you." She ran a single finger over Tasuki's bangs before standing up again. "Now wake up, we've got to go."
"Do we have everything we need, Chichiri?" Chiriko asked as he finished adjusting the saddle on one of the horses.
Chichiri looked around. "I think so, we may want to pack some extra water, no da. Sairo has very few rivers no da, especially away from the cities. As soon we leave we're on our own, no da."
"But we're not necessarily leaving the province, are we?" Tamahome asked, riding up on his own horse.
Chichiri shook his head. "Not yet, but we will eventually, no da."
Miaka reached into her bag and walked over to a free spot outside the inn. She placed the red sticks on the ground, kneeling over them. The after a moment the sticks moved slightly left. As they stopped, the disk on Tasuki's back flashed slightly.
"It's like our own little compass!" Miaka said cheerfully.
"It's happened, before, hasn't it?" Nuriko reminded. "Remember, with Chichiri's staff? It went nuts with that darn disk on it."
Miaka scooped the clue back up and made sure it was secured in her parcel. "Can we go now, Hotohori?"
Hotohori nodded. "If everything is ready."
"Let's go, no da." Chichiri said, readying his horse. "Tasuki, keep that fan out, no da. We never know when that disk may flash, no da."
"Whatever." Tasuki reached back and pulled the weapon out of the slot in the band around his shoulder.
Saori, who was glad to be wearing a newly cleaned uniform, got a boost from Inami onto the horse, gripping onto the front of the leather saddle for balance. Once she was up Inami got on behind her, reaching forward and taking the reins.
"So, basically we got no clue what we're looking for except it's that way?" Tasuki pointed.
Chichiri kicked his horse lightly to move forward. "When that disk of yours lights up, we'll start asking around, no da."
********************************
"So the priestess and her warriors set off in the direction the shinzaho clue had given them, hoping something would strike their eye." Yui read to Hikari as if it were a children's story. Hikari, who barely paid any attention to the blonde, played gleefully on the floor with a small doll, a few colorfulcubes, and one of Tetsuya's socks. She made loud noises every now and then, followed by a slight giggle.
Yui smiled and looked back into the old pages of the book. "The crowds of Sairo were much denser than those of Konan, and especially of Hokkan, since most of the population thrived in these cities. The bustling took a bit of time to navigate through, but the priestess was in no hurry. The slightest sign, whether from the people or from the disk, would mean a complete stop and investigation."
"da da da mm..." Hikari murmured, forming spit bubbles around her lips. "KIREI!" She shouted, through the sock into the air, watching in plop back down onto her head.
"Saori nervously tugged her skirt down as the crowds passed by, starting to think it may have been better to wear a robe like the others. At long last, after about half an hour, the disk sparked red, and the chopsticks shook from within Miaka's parcel. The group was outside a small bar and diner, and they pulled through the masses and stopped their horses. Nuriko, Miaka, Tasuki, Hotohori, and Chichiri all entered to investigate."
*******************************
"At least this place isn't swarming." Nuriko commented, looking around. Booths lined the walls and tables scattered the interior. Approximately ten people were seated, and a single waitress was jotting down orders.
"What could be in here that could be a clue?" Tasuki asked.
"It could be anything, remember?" Nuriko replied. "It could be that chair over there for all we know."
As Nuriko pointed, the disk quietly radiated more. Tasuki gave Nuriko a strange look.
"Can I get you fellows anything?" A man cleaning glasses at the counter asked.
"Thanks, but we're good." Nuriko waved his hand, turning back to Tasuki. "Why don't you go order something so we don't look suspicious?"
"Why don't you?"
"Why don't the both of you please be quiet." Hotohori interrupted, walking forward with Chichiri and Miaka. Tasuki and Nuriko followed.
By a few people in a booth, the four-some sat down at a table, looking around. The disk was flashing on and off now.
Miaka reached into her bag once again and pulled out the chopsticks. "Maybe they use these here."
"I doubt it." Nuriko said. "Those are a bit too fancy for this place, and their design is for hair."
"Put them down, Miaka, on the table." Hotohori instructed.
Miaka did so, laying them on the table. Like before, the sticks turned, rotating together, before resting in a comfortable position. They pointed straight at a man eating by himself in a booth. The man had a bit of a belly and white hair that scattered his balding head, though he seemed no older than 50.
"What can I get you boys today?" A waitress asked, pulling out her pen. She winked at Hotohori.
"Excuse me, do you know who he is?" Nuriko asked, pointing inconspicuously to the man at the booth.
The waitress glanced over. "Yeah, he comes in here a lot." She said, her voice having a bit of an annoying ring to it. "His name is Masaharu Borisu, he's a well known trader and collector around here. He's got all kinds of nice stuff... he has a little booth a ways over." The girl shook her pen. "So, what can I getcha?"
"We'll start with water, thank you, no da." Chichiri answered.
The girl shrugged and wrote it down, disappearing from the table.
"We better hurry before we end up getting a whole meal." Nuriko commented.
Without hesitation, Miaka stood up with the chopsticks in hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" Nuriko asked. "Well," Miaka began, "If he knows anything, then that's good, if not, we'll try again." And without any agreements, she walked over to the man.
"Excuse me," She bowed quickly. "Masaharu-san?"
The man looked up from his bowl of rice. "Yes?"
Miaka stood straight, a bit intimidated. "Well, I hear you're a collector... and a trader, well, do you know anything about these?" She held out the chopsticks for him to see.
The man put down his own chopsticks and took a single one from Miaka's hands, inspecting it. "Where'd you get this?"
Miaka was at mercy for words. "You.you know what it is?"
"Yes, and if you're willing to trade or sell I'd be very interested."
Miaka exhaled finally. "Please, what is it?"
The man held the item horizontally to his face, looking it over. "This looks like it belonged to the Aeri Harem about 15, maybe twenty years ago, by the looks of it."
"The Aeri Harem?" Miaka asked, hearing someone approach from behind her. With a quick glance she noticed it was Nuriko.
"Yes." The man said, handing the chopstick back to Miaka. "The Aeri Harem was the Harem for the son of our current Emperor. He chose a bride and married quite some time ago. The remaining items of his harem are stored up with several other royal pieces in a cell over in the western mountains, by the large Byakko Temple that watches over the nation, though I'm sure you know where that is."
"Yes..." Miaka stuttered.
The man cleared his throat and looked up at the redhead and the man behind her. "Only a few things like this are still around, Miss. You're lucky to have one, and like I said, I'm willing to give you a great offer for it."
"That's all right, but thank you." Nuriko spoke before Miaka could. "My sister was just curious as to where it came from, she got it from our mother before she passed away. I'm sorry if we wasted any of your time."
The man stood up, brushing off his clothes. "Quite all right. But like I've said, I have a booth down by the Gin bookshop, if you're ever interested."
"Thank you." Miaka said. The man nodded and walked passed them to the counter at front before leaving the building.
"So?" Tasuki asked, standing up as Miaka walked back.
Miaka smiled, clutching onto the items in her hand. "So, we're headed for the western mountains!" She turned around to face Nuriko. "Wow Nuriko, that was a good story!"
Nuriko smiled a bit. "The chopsticks are from a harem a while ago, and the things from them are stored in a cell near the large Byakko temple."
"Ok, then if that's where we're headed, let's move it." Tasuki urged, walking away from the table.
"Wait, no da." Chichiri said, following him out. "If this is the case, then this cell is of royal property, no da. It won't be that easy, no da."
"We'll worry about it when we get there." Tasuki stated, opening the door.
"But Tasuki, isn't that stealing?" Miaka asked.
"Stealing?" Tamahome repeated, outside on the horse.
"What took you so long?" Inami asked.
"Did you find it?" Saori questioned, excited.
"No, but we know where we're headed next." Miaka answered. "To the mountains, west."
Author's Notes: Wow, 21 pages! Go me! It took about 45 minutes to revise too! Send in an comments, criticism. whatever makes you happy.
Metajoker: You're he first one to mention Hikitsu. Thank you. Actually, in a little while you'll see I purposely find a way to get Inami out of major battles and what-not. If you actually remember that, you catch on, and it becomes rather enteraining to see what I manage to do.
Lol! Yes, Inami is terrified of spiders. I'm glad you like the Yui- Tetsuya thing! I love those two. and yes, you're right again, he is. or was planning to propose.
Yes, Saori is getting her limelight back. I really love her as a character. She's not an OOC, but I can still invent a lot with her. As for the Headache, Inami has a huge weakness against Tomo in chapter 22, and he's what kept her from doing much. The ending of it was Saori breaking through/Tomo letting go.
To Sakura 162: Hey, thanks for reviewing! Thank you so much for your compliments and for reading. My replies to reviews are taking up pages now, aren't they?
I won't write anything to quartazium-kaos since he/she is on chapter 1, but if you get up to here, thanks! If there is a way to reply to reviewers other than like this, some one please tell me. ^_^
Author's note: I was just looking a bit through this, and I think this is my longest chapter-14 pages WITHOUT the spacing between paragraphs. I wonder how long it will be when I'm done revising it for ffnet.
There is a mild fluff warning in here. I kinda gagged when I read it. but yeah.
Chapter 41 : The Flurry of Sairo
"No trees... no shade..." Miaka sighed as she leaned forward on her horse, tangling her fingers in its brown main. The landscape over the past day had changed dramatically. Now a good ways into Sairo, desert and dunes lay everywhere, only a few shrubs growing distantly from each other. In the distance were tall, dark, rugged-looking mountains, only a preview for what lay ahead. Unlike the other countries, Sairo had a few large cities, instead of several separated ones. The group still hadn't seen a single village or town since they left Goko Terrace.
Miaka kept looking ahead, hoping to see the buildings of the capitol soon. She hadn't been there when they had first traveled to Sairo four years ago, though she had gotten there eventually. She remembered the main lands of Sairo. they were pretty. The Capitol, also the biggest city, was closest to their current location. It was also called Sairo, and it was where Subaru and Tokaki had been. The large city, if she could even call it that, was divided into several subsections. The entire place could even be called a province or a state.
The others seemed to be uncomfortable in the heat as well. Konan was constantly warm and dry, but it still had rain and a climate to keep it from baking into a desert. Right now, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Tasuki all ready had his over shirts off, as well as Mitsukake and Nuriko.
"Chichiri," Tasuki complained, "Just use that dumb cloak of yours and pop us over there! I'm dyin'!"
Chichiri shook his head. "It's too much, no da. You're really lazy, no da. At this rate we should reach there by tomorrow, maybe tonight. It is good to travel in the desert at night, no da."
Saori looked up at Chichiri, who smiled down on her. It was times like these she was glad she had short hair. She petted the neck of the brown horse she sat upon. "I feel bad for the horses."
"They can take it." Nuriko stated. "We have water for them anyways."
"Oh for the love of heaven..." Inami sighed, bringing her arms together. "I'm burning, I can feel it. I'm slowly baking alive..."
"Oh common you guys..." Tamahome spoke up, "It's not that bad."
"Snow... snow is nice..." Inami muttered.
Tamahome gave the girl a strange look. Her and Miaka both had their hair up in ponytails.
"I'm sure Sairo City will come up soon, and we can all rest." Chiriko said with the same enlightenment as Chichiri and Tamahome. "If anyone does sunburn badly, Mitsukake can heal them, right?"
The doctor nodded from the back.
"Yes, I think we all deserve a long rest upon our arrival." Hotohori chimed in.
Nuriko looked around. "I will admit, despite the heat I'm really glad to be here." He looked over to Miaka and winked. "Remember? Last time I couldn't!"
Miaka blinked, then felt guilty. She had forgotten that Nuriko never made it to Sairo. She looked back down at the neck of her horse.
"Ah Miaka, I didn't mean it like that." Nuriko added, seeing Miaka's face.
"I'm going to get heat stroke... I'm going to die a painful death..." Inami's voice continued in the background.
Tasuki took out his fan and stared at the red disk at the bottom. It had been a while since it had lit up; they continuously got delayed. Still no sign, though he honestly couldn't expect anything... they were basically out in the middle of nowhere.
"Miaka, can I see those chopsticks again?" Tamahome asked.
Miaka nodded, and reached down for the satchel that almost always seemed to be with her. She opened it, peering inside. At the bottom was a smooth pink stone, a wad of paper protecting the goblet from damage, and the chopsticks laying neatly along a seam. Miaka reached in and pulled the red sticks out, handing them to Tamahome.
Tamahome inspected the third shinzaho clue carefully. "These look more expensive than you say they were, Chichiri." Tamahome inspected the craftsmanship. "Believe me, I know."
"I think I sense a connection between these and Sairo City, no da." Chichiri said. "I'm sure the next clue lies there, no da, but the place is huge no da. It would take days just to travel from one end to the other, no da."
Inami leaned back. "Do we have any other hints of where to start when we get there?"
Tasuki lifted his fan. "Uh, hello?"
"Well it's not just going to give an address, Brainiac." Inami pointed out.
"So do we just walk around until it lights up?" Saori asked.
"Well, yes and No." Hotohori explained. "We can pay attention to it while we find a place to stay. We may get lucky and something will turn up. If not, I suppose we'll have to perform an investigation."
"Maybe someone can help us then." Miaka added.
"Ack! My foot fell asleep!"
Everyone turned and gawked at the rowdy 17-year-old.
Saori slapped on a smile while shaking her leg. "Sorry, but it did!"
************************************
"Hikari, what's wrong?!" Yui asked again, quite flustered with the girl's crying. She picked the baby up again and began to bounce her lightly, walking around Tetsuya's kitchen.
"You're not hungry, you're no thirsty, I gave you a clean diaper and you won't sleep!" She exclaimed. She continued carrying the crying baby into the living room, her eyes focusing on a picture on a shelf.
"You miss your parents, don't you?" Yui whispered, standing still as Hikari continued to wail. One of the framed pictures was a large group one. She and Tetsuya were smiling on the side, along with Keisuke and Mayo, Miaka and Taka. Around them were a few other people, Keisuke and Tetsuya's friends. All the men were wearing black jackets and sunglasses, and posing with ridiculous expressions on their faces. The three girls, in the center, actually posed seriously. Miaka was just beginning to show in her pregnancy, though it was hidden pretty well.
"I don't understand." Yui said, noticing Hikari's cries dying down again. "Mayo, she looks so happy, see Hikari?" She said, turning so the baby faced the picture. "She's smiling... what went wrong?"
Yui knew Mayo had a reason to be upset, but she overcame all of her struggles. Her and Miaka had even become friends, or so she thought.
Mayo's parents constantly fought with each other, though somehow always avoided divorce, possibly just for Mayo's sake. A lot of Mayo's work, whether at school or home, was taken for granted. Mayo fell in love with a man she knew she could never have, but she saw it for the better and got over Taka, didn't she? She was even at the hospital when Hikari was born. What tore her down? Saori was still with her, and so was everyone else. Mayo seemed especially close to her coach, Keisuke.
"I know it's not Taka, is it?" Yui asked the picture, not receiving an answer from the smiling high school girl. "You never even mention him in the book anymore. You're over him, I know it."
Maybe things in Mayo's life just built up to a point where she couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe, in the beginning, claiming feelings for Taka was a way to ease her own uncertain pain. Her hatred for Miaka, was it a cover up too? A scapegoat?
On one level, Yui did understand. She too had hated Miaka, her own anger getting her to a point where she felt trapped. Now Mayo was trapped, following in her own footsteps. Yui couldn't help but fell guilty, like it was partially her fault.
"And now Saori's involved." Yui shook her head and took the whimpering Hikari away from the pictures, sitting down onto a couch. Things with the book were depressing her spirits. She hadn't even had Tokyo University come into mind for the past few weeks, and she talked about it every day. She would be starting soon enough, but she had too many other things on her mind.
Yui wrapped her arms around Hikari's small form, feeling the warmth of the child as she stared up at the ceiling. "Tetsuya..." She whispered.
A flash.
Yui looked over, startled. The book lay on the other end of the couch, closed and waiting. Yui shut her eyes tightly. She must really be tired. How many times now had she imagined that blue flash? She stared intently on the red cover of the book. Should she read, or wait?
*********************************
"Thank the gods!" Inami said relieved as they approached the bustling city.
"Yes!" Saori cheered, waving her arms around. She would have stupidly fallen off the horse if it weren't for Chichiri's quick thinking.
"Let's get a room!" Tasuki urged. "I'm tired!"
"You're really loud, you know that?" Tamahome sniped from the horse next to the bandit's. "It really gets on my nerves."
"And whatcha gonna do about it, Tama-kins?" Tasuki teased, using Nuriko's old nickname for the man.
"Why you..."
"Okay! We can be happy now!" Miaka quickly jumped in, avoiding another brawl between the men. Tasuki and Tamahome were only half serious in their little fights, but still, avoiding them was better.
"Highness, if you'd like, I can go with Chichiri to find an inn for us." Nuriko suggested. "Maybe you and the others can take a breather for a while."
Hotohori nodded. "Thank you, Nuriko."
The purple haired man turned to the Magician, who nodded. They looked at Saori.
"Yeah, I'll come." Saori answered without being asked. She stretched her arms and legs, yawning. "But let's hurry, okay?"
~
"Let's stay out of trouble, got it?" Nuriko said as Tamahome and Tasuki passed him with their luggage in the upper hallway of a fairly large inn.
"Yeah yeah." Tasuki muttered. He smiled wryly. "But there's a bar downstairs, so I gotta enjoy myself."
Inami frowned as she stepped up next to Nuriko. She sighed.
"Don't worry." Nuriko patted the brunette on the shoulder. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"That's impossible." Inami slumped against the wall. "Sometimes Nuriko, I think you're the only thing keeping us going."
"But of course." Nuriko instantly agreed, grinning.
Inami looked around and kept her voice low. "I can't help but begin to worry about his Highness Hotohori. I think he feels an unnecessary burden on his shoulders."
Nuriko nodded. "Hotohori is a good man, and he's tried to put in a lot on this journey. However, I think with the added troubles back in Konan..." Nuriko stood straight and put a smile on his face. "Hotohori- sama will always pull through, we just need to have faith in him."
Hotohori sat at the edge of his bed. He was staying with Chichiri for the night. It had been a while since he had worn his imperial robes and walked the hallways of Konan. Though many times he wished the burden of the emperor were not on him, he missed the palace. He still had good memories there. He missed Boushin, Houki, who was pregnant again... he wasn't there to comfort her. He had confidence in his son to rule over Konan in his absence, but his mind constantly plagued him of a strong attack from Kutou that his country may not be ready for.
Hotohori looked up after hearing his name called. She always did bring a smile to his face.
"Hotohori?" Miaka asked, stepping into the room, looking around.
"Yes, Miaka, what can I do for you?" The man asked, pushing away his long, soft brown hair that was held in a low and loose ponytail.
Miaka held out the two red chopsticks in her hands. "I was wondering if you could hold onto these for me." She smiled. "I know you're smart, so you could probably figure out their clue long before I could."
Hotohori nodded and gently picked up the items from Miaka's hands. "Thank you, Miaka."
Miaka smiled and quietly left the room. Even today, Hotohori wondered what it would have been like is he had fulfilled his childhood wish to be with the priestess of Suzaku. He loved his family dearly, but Miaka still and always would have a place in his heart. Maybe, just maybe if he could have been an ordinary man...
Hotohori shook his head. He shouldn't dwell on such thoughts now, he chose to give up on that love a long time ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Tamahome! Buddy, come sit down!" Nuriko said, a huge unrealistic smile plastered on his face.
Tamahome looked over the round table and the people sitting at it. All of them had some sort of drink or snack from the bar. Nuriko, who was closest to him, had something that looked an awful lot like the "Nuriko Special" he had tried a while back. Tasuki had what looked like white sake as well as something else, Saori had some wontons on a small dish, and Inami had, well, water.
"What are all of you guys doing?" Tamahome asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down, glad to feel welcome.
"Just a little game of truth and dare." Nuriko commented.
"More like truth and let us pry into the inner secrets of your lives, but however you want to look at it is good." Inami joked.
Tamahome scooted in closer so he could hear and talk over the noises of the bar. "Sounds good." He said.
"Whose turn, whose turn?!" Saori asked excitedly.
"I think it should be 'ol Tama's." Tasuki said slyly, looking over to the dark haired man.
"Sounds fair enough, but do I get to hear what else was said?" Tamahome asked.
"Nope." Came everyone's reply. For some reason, Saori's cheeks went red and she hid a face with her hand.
"Let's see..." Nuriko thought. "We can either ask you an extremely personal or embarrassing question, or just force you to let out a deep dark secret."
Tamahome gave Nuriko an evil side-ways look.
"Saori can help us out with this one." Nuriko said to the girl.
Saori thought, obviously enjoying herself now. "Oh, I know I've had ton of questions a minute ago, but I can't remember any of them!"
"Well, let's start of easy with the guy." Tasuki laughed. "Ever had any girl friends besides Miaka upstairs? Any flings?"
"WHAT exactly is THAT suppose to mean?" Tamahome asked harshly.
"Just a question, Tama-kins." Tasuki joked.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Relax." Inami rested her chin on top of her raised hands. "None of this leaves the table." She winked. "I won't tell."
"You're just as bad as him." Tamahome muttered. "And no, thank you."
"I believe it." Saori said. "Tak... Tamahome always was only good enough for one girl."
Nuriko laughed, patting Tamahome on the back.
"Yeah, but still, plenty of girls have dished over him." Tasuki added.
"Really?!" Inami asked, looking over. "Who? Details here."
Tamahome looked as if he didn't want to be there, yet still seemed to be having fun just to be around his good friends.
"Let's see... I remember a certain chick in, well, here, right?" Tasuki poked.
"Let's not get into that." Tamahome said, glad Miaka wasn't here."
"Yeah, Let's wait for the next turn!" Nuriko joked. "I want to hear more about this incident of Saori's."
"Hey, that's not fair game." Saori frowned. "I all ready said, and Tamahome will know the guy, so nix-it."
"Well, what about you, Nuriko? Ever plan on settling down?" Tamahome asked the man on his right.
Nuriko smiled. "I admit it's come into mind a few times, but honestly I don't know." He looked thoughtful. "I think Rokou wants me to get married more than anyone else, even himself."
"What was that one chick's name, Enin wasn't it?"
Nuriko looked over to the fiery bandit. "Don't even try it, fang boy."
"Huh? I didn't hear about this" Saori leaned in.
Nuriko reached over and patted her on the head. "And you won't, deary."
"I have a second good question for you on that subject." Tamahome chimed in. "Just out of curiosity, have you had any romances since I've been gone?"
Nuriko gave a small smile. "Not any worth mentioning. The closest I've gotten to what your definition is, well, the girls Rokou brings along to hook up with his little brother." Nuriko laughed. "Heh, he always brings the weirdest ones..."
"How about you, Inami?" Saori asked.
"Hmm?" Inami perked up. "What about what?"
Saori got a malicious look on her face. "Ever had any romances?" Saori looked across the table. "You, know, other ones?"
Inami raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a complete loser, if that's what you want to know."
"Exactly how serious have you ever gotten, Miss Cheinun?" Tamahome asked with a smirk, talking in a strange accent that made Saori giggle more.
Inami tapped her fingernails on the table for a moment, thinking. "Let's see... I was engaged once, but that's about it."
Tasuki nearly choked on his drink.
"Easy, easy!" Tamahome said, patting the man on the back.
"You were engaged?" Saori asked, sparkles in her eyes that made Inami a little ponderous as to what she was thinking. "To who? Was he cute?"
"Why do you not tell me these things?" Tasuki asked.
"You don't ask." Inami said.
"Well jeez, I'll just come up to you out of the blue and say 'So, how far have you gone with so-and-so...'"
Inami waved a hand towards the bandit. "It's not like that, really! I never even dated him or anything."
"Uh, Inami? You're a bit confusing..." Nuriko leaned over. "Come one, spill."
"It was an arranged thing, kind of..." Inami trailed off, thinking. "He and I, we were best friends... and we were the only one of our friends who weren't married." Inami looked around, then stared off at the wood of the table. "You see, we were getting pretty old, though we didn't look it because of this thing... but we made a deal that if neither of us was seeing anyone by the time he turned 50 we'd just drop it all and get married for the heck of it."
Saori thought, then sprang a finger into the air. "Oh! Was he a warrior too then?"
Inami smiled at Saori's blunt innocence. "Yes, he was."
"What happened then?"
"Well," Inami poked jokingly. "I kind of didn't make it to his 50th birthday, if you get me." Inami, as if it were nothing, counted on her fingers. "About 8 months to go, I think..." Inami looked around at the faces staring at her. "But anyway! It's a dumb story, really! Let's move on, Tasuki's turn, wasn't it?"
"What was his name?" Tasuki asked.
Inami seemed a bit flustered now. "His name was Chen."
"His other name." Tasuki asked again.
Inami frowned a bit. "I really don't think this is a good time, Tasuki."
Nuriko, sensing the stiffness, quickly began speaking. "So, Tama, want anything to drink? Eat? They have some good wontons here, right Saori?"
Saori nodded. "The best, want one?" She said, offering some off her plate.
"Sure." Tamahome said, taking a piece and popping it into his mouth. He made a slight face and swallowed. "Saori," He coughed a bit. "How much pepper did you... put on those?" Tamahome coughed again, the spicy taste still in his mouth.
Saori looked at the food. "Not a lot. Why, can't handle it?"
Tamahome quickly shook his head as his eyes watered, Nuriko handed him a drink. The drink did put the fire out, but it was so strong Tamahome felt his stomach churn painfully. He plopped his head down on the table. "Why do you guys do this to me?" He coughed again.
~
"Tamahome?" Miaka called, coming down the stairs.
"Hey baby!" A man called from another table. "Can I get you a drink or something?"
"Yeah!" His friend called.
Miaka quickly ducked her head and tried to navigate through the brawling room. "Tamahome?" She called again.
"You can call me Tamahome if you'd like!" A third man called, leaning back in his chair. "What's a pretty gal like you doing around here? Looking for a good time?"
Miaka made a disgusted face and tried to ignore the man, looking around desperately through the large room.
"Ow ow!" She heard another call.
As she walked past another table the third man grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. "C'mon, surely you're not here by yourself."
Miaka struggled to get free. "No, I'm not, so lay off!" She shouted.
"Ooo, feisty one." Another man at the table commented.
The man pulled Miaka hard and she stumbled closer to him. "I'm sure you'll make a little exception, right?" The man said lowly. Before Miaka could answer however, the man found something cold press against his throat.
"Let the girl go, wise guy," The orange-hair man ordered, "Before I cut you into pieces. She's with ME."
The man looked Tasuki up and down, noticing his apparent size and physique, as well as the strange weapon in his hand. Deciding it was in his best judgment not to pick a fight with this character, he quickly stuttered "You got it," and released Miaka's hand.
With a final cold look, Tasuki sheathed his fan back into the holder on his back and escorted Miaka away from the table towards the other end of the bar. Miaka sighed in relief. "Thanks Tasuki, really." She breathed.
"Eh, punks like that get on my nerves." He shrugged. "You really shouldn't be up this late, especially in a place like this."
"Sorry." Miaka stated guiltily. "I was wondering where Tamahome went. Have you seen him?"
Tasuki smirked. "Yeah, he was with us a second ago. He got a little... sick."
Miaka looked over and saw Inami approaching from behind. "He's gotten worse." She said, not sure whether to sound worried or laugh.
"How'd he manage that?"
"Well, Saori gave him some water to drink... she didn't know it would make it flame up more. Nuriko took him outside."
"What exactly happened?!" Miaka questioned. "Is Tamahome all right?"
"Don't worry." Tasuki replied. "The wimp just can't handle his spicy foods."
"Oh... okay..." Miaka said, still not sure.
"Is Saori with them?" Tasuki asked.
Inami nodded.
"Good, there are a lot of bums around this joint."
Miaka looked around. "Should I get Mitsukake?"
"Nah, don't bother." Tasuki answered. "He can deal with it." Tasuki watched as Miaka made it out of the room and outside, making sure no one else gave her any trouble. He addressed the person beside him. "You should stay close too."
Inami smiled. "All right, but I wouldn't worry as much about me." She said, turning to the stairs that led up to the rooms, Tasuki following. As they went Inami waved a finger around.
"What the...!" The beefy man asked as his cards and drinks spilled and flew off the table.
The man's thin friend looked around bewildered.
Tamahome bent over, leaning against a wooden rail outside. His hands were on his knees, and Miaka rubbed his back lightly. After a moment Nuriko and Saori finally emerged again from the inn and walked over.
"Here you go." Nuriko said, handing Tamahome a glass of cold milk.
Tamahome lifted a hand to accept the drink. "Thanks." He drank it slowly at first, then quickly, feeling the coolness relieve his mouth from its intense burning sensations.
"Sorry about the wontons! I really didn't think they were so spicy!" Saori apologized.
"Yeah, the drinks too..." Nuriko added, though he found the whole incident quite hilarious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tasuki quietly opened the door to an inn room, stepping inside. This was the room Inami and Saori were sharing, though Saori still hadn't come up. Inami sat on the edge of her bed, reading over something in the light provided by a bright candle. Her long hair was again undone and pulled into a loose ponytail over her shoulder.
Tasuki closed the door. "Whatcha readin'?"
Inami glanced up and closed the small book. "Basically the same old boring stuff."
"Fun." Tasuki simply stated.
Inami put the book down and stared off into space. "You know, sometimes I can't help but wonder."
Tasuki seemed curious. "About what?"
Inami shrugged. "Nothing, just wonder."
Tasuki walked over and sat down on the bed beside Inami. "You're a handful, you know that?"
Inami leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes." She whispered.
"I wonder where we'll end up tomorrow."
Inami sighed. "You never know with this group."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chiriko lightly padded down the wooden flooring of the Inn's hallway, fully dressed and ready to start the day. His hair was up in its usual ponytail, with two locks evenly placed by the sides of his face.
He stopped outside one of the several doors and knocked firmly, hand on the doorknob. He waited a moment and opened the door, a bit confused by what was going on.
Hotohori and Chichiri were crouched over by the window, leaning over the shelf that extended from the sill. The room was fully lit by the pure sunshine.
"What are you two looking at?" Chiriko asked with his usual pleasant voice.
Chichiri turned around to face the shorter man, still kneeling. He had a very excited look on his masked face. "The shinzaho clues are beginning to call out to each other, no da." He answered with enthusiasm. He motioned to Chiriko to come over. "The stone, the goblet, but now the chopsticks are reacting to where we are headed next, no da."
Chiriko saw the two chopsticks neatly laid together, pointing a bit out the window.
"Are you sure, Chichiri?" Chiriko asked.
"Watch." Hotohori said, turning the chopsticks lightly into another direction. As soon as he let go, the third clue slowly turned back into the position they had been in, without any physical help.
"Chiriko," Hotohori addressed, standing up from the new discovery. "Is Tasuki awake?"
"I'm afraid he's still out like a light, Sire." Chiriko answered, taking Hotohori's place by Chichiri. The young man picked up the red pair and inspected them. "I must say though, this is a little short of brilliant."
A door quietly creaked open as a head poked into the room, peering around. The blinds were shut, but thin traces of sunlight still lit the room, providing an amber colored essence to it. Saori sighed in disappointment when she saw the couple, Tamahome and Miaka, still fast asleep on one of the two provided beds.
But, she couldn't resist.
Taking a full run, Saori opened the door all the way and charged for Miaka's side of the bed, jumping up and landing harshly with her knees.
"WAKE UP!!!!" She screamed, laughing.
"AHH!" Tamahome shot up in bed, looking around frantically. At once he saw the innocent grin on Saori face. He grabbed the nearest thing he could find and threw it at the teenager.
Saori tumbled backwards off the bed, landing with a satisfactory thud on the floor. She pushed the white pillow off of her. "Hey, what's the idea?!"
"Morning all ready?" Miaka asked, rubbing her eyes and stretching. She blinked a few times before looking around. "Ohayo, Saori-chan."
Saori smiled again and stood up, chucking the pillow back at Tamahome. "I'm glad you're a happy riser, Miaka."
Miaka turned her attention to her husband. "Tamahome, are you feeling better?"
Tamahome nodded, rubbing his head. Apparently Saori's sudden burst of unwanted energy gave him a slight headache.
Another door opened within the Sairo inn, but not quite as cautiously. The opener gazed into the room, rolling her eyes. The first bed, which had been Chiriko's, was empty and neatly made, almost better than it had been when they arrived. Chiriko's light luggage was placed neatly on top, arranged in an organized manner. The second bed, near the window, was ruffled up by the sleeping mass beneath its covers, a slight peek of orange scattered across the pillow.
Inami walked across the room, looking around as she went. Chiriko was too polite to wake up his roommate, so he must have gotten dressed quietly without bothering to open the blinds.
Inami couldn't help but smile when she got to the other side of Tasuki's bed. The covers were wrapped around the bandit's shoulders, the tops drooping over his head. From the other side his sleeping face was clearly visible, as well as a few traces of his bare chest. Inami couldn't help but think he looked like a little kid, curled up and sleeping so peacefully.
Tasuki's fan lay at the top of the bed, in front of the pillow resting before it. Around the handle was the red disk, which seemed to reflect the thin streams of light cursing through the blinds. Inami held out her hand and allowed the fan to lift and float to her. The fan was a bit heavier than it looked, considering it was made of pure diamond. Inami looked over the red discus Taiisukun had given to them. It was smooth and clean, a scarlet tint covering its features. Other than that it was plain, yet extraordinarily valuable to their quest.
With one last look at Tasuki, Inami turned a bit and faced the blinds. She lifted her free hand, and in one jerk the string of the blinds shot down, opening the window to its full light.
"Good morning sunshine!" Inami called out as Tasuki quickly awoke and squinted painfully at the bright light. He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes with both hands, groaning. He used his forearm to shade his eyes as he looked about. "Are you insane woman?!" He snapped.
Inami bluntly nodded and handed Tasuki his fan. Tasuki blinked hard to adjust to the light and took his favorite keepsake back. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hunched over, trying to shake off the remaining sleepiness.
"We need an early start, and you're the only one who hasn't woken up yet." Inami said a bit more mild than usual.
"Yeah yeah..." Tasuki said, stretching his arms up. He glanced behind him, seeing Chiriko was already gone. "Do you know what time it is?"
Inami shrugged, stepping forward. "All I know is that it's morning." She replied, slightly bending over and gently meeting with the man's lips.
Tasuki had only a moment to respond before Inami pulled away, looking him up and down. "That's a good look for you." She ran a single finger over Tasuki's bangs before standing up again. "Now wake up, we've got to go."
"Do we have everything we need, Chichiri?" Chiriko asked as he finished adjusting the saddle on one of the horses.
Chichiri looked around. "I think so, we may want to pack some extra water, no da. Sairo has very few rivers no da, especially away from the cities. As soon we leave we're on our own, no da."
"But we're not necessarily leaving the province, are we?" Tamahome asked, riding up on his own horse.
Chichiri shook his head. "Not yet, but we will eventually, no da."
Miaka reached into her bag and walked over to a free spot outside the inn. She placed the red sticks on the ground, kneeling over them. The after a moment the sticks moved slightly left. As they stopped, the disk on Tasuki's back flashed slightly.
"It's like our own little compass!" Miaka said cheerfully.
"It's happened, before, hasn't it?" Nuriko reminded. "Remember, with Chichiri's staff? It went nuts with that darn disk on it."
Miaka scooped the clue back up and made sure it was secured in her parcel. "Can we go now, Hotohori?"
Hotohori nodded. "If everything is ready."
"Let's go, no da." Chichiri said, readying his horse. "Tasuki, keep that fan out, no da. We never know when that disk may flash, no da."
"Whatever." Tasuki reached back and pulled the weapon out of the slot in the band around his shoulder.
Saori, who was glad to be wearing a newly cleaned uniform, got a boost from Inami onto the horse, gripping onto the front of the leather saddle for balance. Once she was up Inami got on behind her, reaching forward and taking the reins.
"So, basically we got no clue what we're looking for except it's that way?" Tasuki pointed.
Chichiri kicked his horse lightly to move forward. "When that disk of yours lights up, we'll start asking around, no da."
********************************
"So the priestess and her warriors set off in the direction the shinzaho clue had given them, hoping something would strike their eye." Yui read to Hikari as if it were a children's story. Hikari, who barely paid any attention to the blonde, played gleefully on the floor with a small doll, a few colorfulcubes, and one of Tetsuya's socks. She made loud noises every now and then, followed by a slight giggle.
Yui smiled and looked back into the old pages of the book. "The crowds of Sairo were much denser than those of Konan, and especially of Hokkan, since most of the population thrived in these cities. The bustling took a bit of time to navigate through, but the priestess was in no hurry. The slightest sign, whether from the people or from the disk, would mean a complete stop and investigation."
"da da da mm..." Hikari murmured, forming spit bubbles around her lips. "KIREI!" She shouted, through the sock into the air, watching in plop back down onto her head.
"Saori nervously tugged her skirt down as the crowds passed by, starting to think it may have been better to wear a robe like the others. At long last, after about half an hour, the disk sparked red, and the chopsticks shook from within Miaka's parcel. The group was outside a small bar and diner, and they pulled through the masses and stopped their horses. Nuriko, Miaka, Tasuki, Hotohori, and Chichiri all entered to investigate."
*******************************
"At least this place isn't swarming." Nuriko commented, looking around. Booths lined the walls and tables scattered the interior. Approximately ten people were seated, and a single waitress was jotting down orders.
"What could be in here that could be a clue?" Tasuki asked.
"It could be anything, remember?" Nuriko replied. "It could be that chair over there for all we know."
As Nuriko pointed, the disk quietly radiated more. Tasuki gave Nuriko a strange look.
"Can I get you fellows anything?" A man cleaning glasses at the counter asked.
"Thanks, but we're good." Nuriko waved his hand, turning back to Tasuki. "Why don't you go order something so we don't look suspicious?"
"Why don't you?"
"Why don't the both of you please be quiet." Hotohori interrupted, walking forward with Chichiri and Miaka. Tasuki and Nuriko followed.
By a few people in a booth, the four-some sat down at a table, looking around. The disk was flashing on and off now.
Miaka reached into her bag once again and pulled out the chopsticks. "Maybe they use these here."
"I doubt it." Nuriko said. "Those are a bit too fancy for this place, and their design is for hair."
"Put them down, Miaka, on the table." Hotohori instructed.
Miaka did so, laying them on the table. Like before, the sticks turned, rotating together, before resting in a comfortable position. They pointed straight at a man eating by himself in a booth. The man had a bit of a belly and white hair that scattered his balding head, though he seemed no older than 50.
"What can I get you boys today?" A waitress asked, pulling out her pen. She winked at Hotohori.
"Excuse me, do you know who he is?" Nuriko asked, pointing inconspicuously to the man at the booth.
The waitress glanced over. "Yeah, he comes in here a lot." She said, her voice having a bit of an annoying ring to it. "His name is Masaharu Borisu, he's a well known trader and collector around here. He's got all kinds of nice stuff... he has a little booth a ways over." The girl shook her pen. "So, what can I getcha?"
"We'll start with water, thank you, no da." Chichiri answered.
The girl shrugged and wrote it down, disappearing from the table.
"We better hurry before we end up getting a whole meal." Nuriko commented.
Without hesitation, Miaka stood up with the chopsticks in hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" Nuriko asked. "Well," Miaka began, "If he knows anything, then that's good, if not, we'll try again." And without any agreements, she walked over to the man.
"Excuse me," She bowed quickly. "Masaharu-san?"
The man looked up from his bowl of rice. "Yes?"
Miaka stood straight, a bit intimidated. "Well, I hear you're a collector... and a trader, well, do you know anything about these?" She held out the chopsticks for him to see.
The man put down his own chopsticks and took a single one from Miaka's hands, inspecting it. "Where'd you get this?"
Miaka was at mercy for words. "You.you know what it is?"
"Yes, and if you're willing to trade or sell I'd be very interested."
Miaka exhaled finally. "Please, what is it?"
The man held the item horizontally to his face, looking it over. "This looks like it belonged to the Aeri Harem about 15, maybe twenty years ago, by the looks of it."
"The Aeri Harem?" Miaka asked, hearing someone approach from behind her. With a quick glance she noticed it was Nuriko.
"Yes." The man said, handing the chopstick back to Miaka. "The Aeri Harem was the Harem for the son of our current Emperor. He chose a bride and married quite some time ago. The remaining items of his harem are stored up with several other royal pieces in a cell over in the western mountains, by the large Byakko Temple that watches over the nation, though I'm sure you know where that is."
"Yes..." Miaka stuttered.
The man cleared his throat and looked up at the redhead and the man behind her. "Only a few things like this are still around, Miss. You're lucky to have one, and like I said, I'm willing to give you a great offer for it."
"That's all right, but thank you." Nuriko spoke before Miaka could. "My sister was just curious as to where it came from, she got it from our mother before she passed away. I'm sorry if we wasted any of your time."
The man stood up, brushing off his clothes. "Quite all right. But like I've said, I have a booth down by the Gin bookshop, if you're ever interested."
"Thank you." Miaka said. The man nodded and walked passed them to the counter at front before leaving the building.
"So?" Tasuki asked, standing up as Miaka walked back.
Miaka smiled, clutching onto the items in her hand. "So, we're headed for the western mountains!" She turned around to face Nuriko. "Wow Nuriko, that was a good story!"
Nuriko smiled a bit. "The chopsticks are from a harem a while ago, and the things from them are stored in a cell near the large Byakko temple."
"Ok, then if that's where we're headed, let's move it." Tasuki urged, walking away from the table.
"Wait, no da." Chichiri said, following him out. "If this is the case, then this cell is of royal property, no da. It won't be that easy, no da."
"We'll worry about it when we get there." Tasuki stated, opening the door.
"But Tasuki, isn't that stealing?" Miaka asked.
"Stealing?" Tamahome repeated, outside on the horse.
"What took you so long?" Inami asked.
"Did you find it?" Saori questioned, excited.
"No, but we know where we're headed next." Miaka answered. "To the mountains, west."
Author's Notes: Wow, 21 pages! Go me! It took about 45 minutes to revise too! Send in an comments, criticism. whatever makes you happy.