Author's note: I've recently discovered that italics don't show on ffnet,
which will cause a bit of a problem if it hasn't all ready. to I'll find
some creative ways to mark future ones. ^_^
To BD/Ryuu: Your roleplay? really? wow, you'll have to tell me more about it. Don't worry, Tasuki and Inami won't be doing anything like that for a long time. *laughs* Actually, there is something referring to that in an upcoming chapter of mine.
Mane! Mane! Why can't I spell? Though, like always, the spelling "threw" seems to be out of my dictionary. I'm even proof reading them! Thanks for catching me.
To Amaya: Thank you! You're one of my favorite readers too! I take it we all know whose fear was whose then? thank you for the comments on battle scenes. The only way I have ANY idea on how to write them was because of this fic.oo;; Lol! I"ll send Tasuki a memo about that, maybe he'll be interested. I will read your story someday. perhaps over thanksgiving or Christmas break.
To Metajoker: Oh my gosh! I didn't think about that! They really wouldn't have pens, would they? Surprisingly, I really appreciated your comments. You seem to catch onto stuff that so far none of my readers/friends have caught onto, and it makes me love you to pieces! Yes, Inami is very attached to her past, and perhaps some of your comments will come true.
Chapter 42 : Unwanted Departures, a Final "Sayonara"
"Still a bit weary from travel, the Suzaku warriors prepared themselves for another trip. The mountains were cleanly visible from Sairo City, as was the large, boasting Byakko Shrine. Nevertheless, it would take half the day to reach the base of their desired mountain which held the mass storage unit for the items of the Aeri Royal Harem." Yui sighed. "This book just gets more and more confusing, right Hikari?"
"Spadoo." Hikari blundered as she smashed a block into the dark sock.
*******************************
"Mayo-sama, can I get you some water? It does get very hot out here."
Mayo looked up at the young man. Due to the immense heat of the day, The Seiryu Seven were camped out in their large white tents. Mayo was back in her school uniform, not her robes... they were much too warm.
"Yes, please." Mayo said politely. Mayo either began to feel comfortable with her role as Priestess or the heat did something to her, but she had been in a fairly decent mood all day.
Amiboshi walked to the other side of the large round tent and picked up an unused canteen. He returned and handed it to Mayo, who graciously accepted it from the cot she was situated on. Just then, an identical man walked in.
"Where is Nakago?" Mayo asked, taking a sip of water.
Suboshi rubbed his head, a bit flustered. "He's a little busy..." He said, walking over to a chair near the supplies and plopping down into it. He reached around and pulled the blue headband off his head, rubbing his forehead from the heat. His olive colored hair fell a bit.
"Busy with what?" Mayo pried.
Suboshi looked up. "He's busy with Soi, got it?" Suboshi shook his head and looked down.
Amiboshi handed him a canteen.
Mayo folded her arms. "I hope he hurries then, I want to talk to him."
"Like always..." Suboshi muttered.
"Suboshi..." Amiboshi whispered.
"Aniki, play us something on your flute." Suboshi suggested.
Amiboshi pulled up his own chair and sat down. "You can play it if you'd like." He said, pulling the wooden instrument out of his belt.
Suboshi shook his head. "No, you make it sound better."
Lifting the flute to his lips, Amiboshi began to play a more slowly paced song. Mayo sat still as she listened to it, watching intently at the twins. Amiboshi calmly played, never making a single mistake or wrong note. Suboshi sat staring off into space, listening.
"Suboshi must have heard that song a million times by now." Mayo thought quietly to herself. "Yet he still wants to hear it." Her eyes adjusted from one twin to the other. "It must be nice this time, being together while trying to Summon Seiryu. Last time it didn't work out that way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Suboshi."
Suboshi pulled the curtain of the tent away, peering inside and taking a few steps. "Yes, Nakago?"
Nakago sat comfortably in a chair, wearing his casual clothes. "I have another task for you to do."
"What is it this time?" Suboshi questioned suspiciously.
"The Suzaku seven are heading towards the range in the west, where the Byakko Shrine is." Nakago replied calmly. "They're getting the fourth clue of Suzaku, and if we have it, they can't summon the beast god."
"You want me to get it then?" Suboshi asked, slipping his thumb under the belt made by his ryuseisui.
"Yes." Nakago answered, finally looking at the sixteen year old. "I'd like Amiboshi to go with you."
Suboshi frowned at the blonde. "You know he won't."
"I see." Nakago stood up, much taller than the other man present. "He still feels the same then. Fine, I'll have Tomo attend with you."
******************************** "Why don't they just shoot me now, get it over with?" Inami pulled her hair up into a ponytail once again. She sighed from the immense heat. "I'd say 'let's travel at night,' but it's sweltering then too. Who the heck can live in a desert?"
"Who the hell can live in a frozen waste land?" Tasuki commented from behind.
"Why don't we play a game?" Saori quickly interjected before any arguing could ensue. "Uh, Miaka? Any ideas?"
Miaka looked around. "Not really..." She said, waving her hand around as she road on the horse with Tamahome.
"Alrighty then..." Saori thought. "We can... no, that won't work..."
"Face it, it's boring out here." Nuriko added. "But look ahead, it's not much longer until we reach the bottom of that cliff."
"I know!" Saori perked up. "I spy with my little eye."
"It's either gonna be sand or a rock, so don't bother tryin'." Tasuki interrupted.
Saori frowned. "It.uh. was the second one." She mumbled.
"That's it." Inami sighed, pulling out a golden rod from her side. "This hair is going...."
Saori reached up and grabbed Inami's hand. "Let's not do anything rash, got it?"
"Yes, please." Tasuki sighed.
"We must remember that we are doing this for a good cause, everyone. The sooner we get out here, the sooner we can all summon Suzaku." Hotohori reminded.
"But..." Miaka kept her voice down, though they were the only ones in sight. "Chichiri, isn't this stealing?"
"Well, we don't know if it's actually inside the actual room, no da." Chichiri began, "But if it is, I'm sure it will be understandable. The heat is so much and the doors and locks themselves are so grand that there aren't any guards up there, that's for sure no da."
"How does he know all this?" Miaka whispered to Taka.
"Yeah Miaka-sempai." Saori spoke up. "Besides, what are they gonna do, throw the priestess of Suzaku in jail? And since I'm a close friend, I'm good to go... and Chichiri can *POOF!* us out of there if anyone comes along, right?"
Chichiri smiled while Miaka's worried expression deepened.
***************************
"Don't worry coach." A girl with blonde hair patted Keisuke on the back. "Only one more class to go, right?"
"Thanks Soko." Keisuke addressed the girl by her last name like he did everyone.
"Um, Coach? When is Coach Sukunami coming back?"
"He's taking a rather long vacation, isn't he?" Keisuke joked.
"Yep." The girl began walking off. "I wonder where he's at right now..." She trailed off before entering the locker rooms.
"In a Chinese book..." Keisuke whispered. He sat on the bench, elbows on knees in a bit of concentration, barely hearing the bell ring a few minutes later.
"Wait..." Keisuke said to himself, lifting his head up. He moved his fingers around, thinking as a few students entered the gym. His eyes went wide. "Wait, what if... the book..." Keisuke stood up, the towel around his neck dropping to the floor. "Oh no..."
Keisuke took off running across the gym, barely avoiding knocking over one of the girl students.
"Hey, where are you going?!" The substitute for Taka shouted.
"I'll be right back!" Keisuke burst through the double doors, getting his car keys out of his pocket. "Please, please be okay...."
*******************************
"Wow." Nuriko looked up, shading his eyes. "I think the landscape alone is a warning sign..."
The base of the mountain was a steep cliff. The rock was hot from the sun, and the door wasn't in sight, meaning it was probably much higher up.
"We have to climb THIS?" Miaka gawked, almost falling backwards.
Chichiri untied his cloak, shaking it twice and laying it on the ground. "I can only take two at a time no da, so let's hurry, no da."
"Let Miaka and Tama go first." Tasuki said, poking the man forward.
"All right." Miaka took Tamahome's hand and walked over to Chichiri, feeling a bit guilty to put her sandy shoes on his nice cloak. She and Tamahome both stepped on.
Chichiri jingled his staff, striking the middle of the cloak. "Hold on, no da."
The blue cloak swirled around the trio, its ends raising up and glowing. In a second, they were gone.
"So, we wait." Tasuki muttered, leaning against the mountain.
"You can." Inami commented, motioning to Saori. "Come on."
"Huh?" Saori asked, walking over. She nearly screamed when she felt her feet lift off the ground.
Tasuki blinked a few times, then looked away. "Damn show offs."
After a moment Chichiri popped back, taking Mitsukake and Chiriko with him. Again the cloak swirled and he disappeared.
"What exactly do you expect will be up there?" Nuriko asked.
Tasuki shrugged. "I hope it's not too... uh... hefty."
Nuriko smiled.
"I'm sure we'll get through it just fine." Hotohori added.
"Well Tasuki, I guess you'd prefer this, ne?" Nuriko stated.
"What do ya mean by that?" Tasuki asked.
Nuriko shook a finger. "I think I remember you saying you were a mountain critter once."
"Come on, no da."
The three turned around. "Chichiri, you startled me." Hotohori spoke.
"You two go on ahead." Nuriko almost ordered.
"Thanks." Tasuki looked over to Hotohori. "Let's go."
The bandit and the emperor walked to the magician and stepped onto the cloak, disappearing in a wave of blue and light.
Nuriko folded his arms and looked out across the desert. "Sairo certainly is different." He commented to himself. The landscape was covered with sand and several rocks.
Nuriko suddenly felt himself stiffen.
"What was that?" He thought. "A presence?"
"Nuriko no da."
Nuriko turned around and walked towards the eldest of the Suzaku warriors. "Chichiri, do you sense anything out there?"
Chichiri nodded. "We should be careful, no da."
Nuriko stepped onto the blanket. The white patterns swirled until they blurred into one. The cloak settled on the ground, and Chichiri and Nuriko found themselves looking into the faces of the others.
Miaka and Tamahome came panting from around a rock. "I think we found it." Miaka breathed.
The others followed Miaka's lead up a narrow winding path. The path was only wide enough for one person to go safely at a time. Every here and there the edge of the path was chipped away or caved. Holding onto the rocks didn't help a lot either, the bright sun, though they were moving into later afternoon, had been scorching them all day, making them burn to the touch.
Finally, one by one, each member of the group of ten stepped onto a much wider portion of the mountain, awing at the large marvel.
A single, large, copper door towered above them, stiffly embedded into the mountain's hard rock. It was at least three times their height, and rather wide as well. A handle on it was golden and shaped like the wheel of a ship, several long points sticking out from the designed center. The bolted bands crisscrossing against the copper were studded with dulled gems. A large portion of the door seemed rusted.
"That's a lot of money put into a door no one uses..." Tamahome gasped.
"Tasuki..." Inami spoke.
Tasuki pulled out his fan. The red disk was glowing like mad.
"Do you think it could be one of these jewels?" Hotohori asked.
Chichiri shook his head. "I severely doubt it. I think what we're looking for is inside, no da." The monk stepped forward and inspected the door. "I imagine it's locked from the inside and outside, no da." He glanced over the lock. "A customary lock out here, and probably a bar slide on the interior, no da."
"Can't you just teleport us in?" Tamahome asked.
Chichiri shook his head. "Too dangerous, and I don't want to completely zap my strength, no da." He saw the look on Tasuki's face. "And we want it to look like no one was here when we're done, no da."
Tasuki frowned and put his fan back.
"I could try to pick the lock with a hairpin... but..." Saori put a finger to her mouth. "The lock is pretty big."
Hotohori tested the strength of the wheel-like handle. It was stuck hard.
"Well, we can't make everything perfect." Inami came up and looked at the lock. She again pulled out the rod, sticking the end to the keyhole. She shifted it over slightly, a loud, dull noise echoing through the door as the blade sharply shot through the lock itself. In a moment it shot back in, and Inami looked through the keyhole. "That should take care of it..."
"There could have been a nicer way to do that..." Chiriko frowned.
Inami shrugged.
"All right," Tasuki began, "If there's a wooden slab or something on the inside, then you can use your little 'mind control' thing and lift it."
Inami gave Tasuki a strange look. "I can't move what I can't see."
"Well, we're not positive it's locked inside, right?" Miaka commented, moving to the door herself. She pulled down on the handle. It moved a few inches around, and jammed again.
"Another lock?" Tamahome asked.
"No... I think it's just stuck..." Miaka grunted, finally letting go of the wheel.
Tamahome moved Miaka aside. "Let me try." He grabbed on a spoke of the wheel and turned it. He barely got farther than Miaka did before his muscles forced him to give up from the strain.
Tasuki moved forward next. Again, not very far.
"All right, my turn." Tasuki was brushed out of the way as Nuriko stepped up, cracking his knuckles and grabbing onto two spokes of the door. He pulled, getting to where the jam was. Using his immense strength, he pushed further, and...
~*CLINK!*~
"Oh dear." Saori frowned.
Nuriko looked at the wheel he had broken off of the door in his hands. "Huh." He said. "Guess it must be really jammed then."
"Nice going, smarty." Tasuki folded his arms. "How the hell are we supposed to get in now? Huh?"
Nuriko stared at the taller man, making a fist with his right hand, an armband forming around it. In one swing, Nuriko slammed it into the door. The copper rung and shook, pieces of rock and sand falling down from over head. The whole area shook lightly. Finally, the door slowly budged open a few inches.
Nuriko shot the bandit a pure "I-told-you-so" look and pushed on the door, opening it enough for a person entry.
The room was entirely dark except from the sunlight pouring in from the opening. Miaka coughed a as she entered from raised sand and dust.
"Rekka Shinen!"
Fire filled the room, and Tasuki's fan glowed brightly like a torch. Tamahome drooled.
"Wow!" Saori exclaimed. "It's like finding a treasure!"
"I think that's what it is..." Hotohori trailed off.
The room was full of several chests, some open and full of different jewelry and what not. Near the walls everything hung up from knight armor to vast capes. The disk on Tasuki's fan glowed brighter than the fire itself.
"Start waving that thing around Tasuki, see if it tells us anything." Nuriko ordered. "The clue could be anything in here."
Tasuki and the others spread out. Tasuki walked to the very back of the room, but the disk dimmed down. "I think it's on that side." Tasuki pointed, making his way slowly back.
"Hurry you guys." Miaka urged. "I don't want to get caught."
"Relax, you're freaking the rest of us out." Saori said.
The disk glowed it's brightest right near the door. "Maybe it is one of the jewels..." Tasuki muttered, though there weren't many on the reverse side of the copper.
"Wait!" Miaka said, noticing something dark standing out on the floor away from everything else. She picked it up. "Ouch!" She whimpered, dropping it again.
"Careful Miaka!" Nuriko scolded. Approaching her from behind and looking at her hand. "It's just a small cut on your finger, don't worry." Nuriko bent over to pick up what Miaka dropped.
"What is it?" Tamahome asked.
Nuriko held it up to the light. "It's an old dagger... but it looks like something that would belong to a guard, not something that's suppose to be in here."
Tasuki walked over, and the disk glowed so brightly it was almost blinding. The knife glowed red as well, and they both simultaneously dimmed down.
"I guess that's it then." Inami pointed out.
Miaka smiled, carefully taking the dagger from Nuriko and putting it into her bag. "Finally, we have to fourth clue! We're halfway there!"
Don't remind me." Tasuki complained. "Let's get out of here, this place is creepy."
Once everyone was out, Nuriko, with some struggle on finding a place to hold, forced to door shut, putting the handle back on. (Though with the lightest touch it would fall off again.) It was slightly cooler outside, but still quite hot. Sunset was still a good few hours away.
Miaka wiped her forehead, pulling the dagger out and inspecting it. Though it looked old, it looked new at the same time. The end of the blade was a bit rusty, but the middle shined like a full moon. She sighed. "We did it guys! Let's head back!"
~*CLING!*~
Miaka seemed to watch in slow motion as the knife in her hand leapt out, falling quickly away from her. She was losing it, and it wasn't the first time this had happened.
The knife spun through the air, twisting and turning alongside a long, red tinted robe until it was caught by the handle.
"Suboshi!" Tamahome shouted, saying his name as if it were a curse.
"Tomo." Chichiri muttered.
Suboshi, dagger in hand, stood mockingly with the meteor bells swirling dangerously around him. Near him was a man draped in red and black, and awkward headpiece on his head and face paint across his face.
Inami stepped back. "That's... Tomo?"
Tasuki whipped his fan around, ready, stepping a bit in front of Inami. "Give that back, you ((edited words!)), before I slice ya into pieces!!"
"Really?" Suboshi laughed, putting the dagger in his belt and swirling his ryuseisui into fighting position. "I think I'm the one who will do the 'slicing.'"
Hotohori drew his sword and darted forward towards Tomo. Before the Emperors eyes the sky seemed to darken as Tomo multiplied again and again, surrounding the Suzaku seven, a clamshell in his hand. Hotohori struck, but to his misfortune, it was only an illusion.
"Wrong, boy!" Tomo shouted, the feathers on his head winding like snakes straight for Hotohori. He jumped, but one painfully pierced through his shin, forcing him down to the ground.
"Hotohori!" Nuriko and Miaka shouted. They couldn't get to Suboshi through Tomo, but the Ryuseisui were still spinning dangerously behind him.
The dark sky was another powerful illusion of Tomo's, making it look like a cold night in the desert. The feathers that had pierced Hotohori's leg now spun around again like meteor bells, aiming for several new targets.
"Get down!" Inami yelled, pushing Saori to her knees. The sand around the Genbu warrior's feet swirled dangerously. Inami closed her eyes hard, her symbol charging up. Green light shot from her in a pillar, spreading out like a whirlpool, striking into the several Tomos.
The Tomos disappeared to one behind them, clutching his bleeding arm hard. "Damn you girl!" Tomo shouted, purple smoke rising up from Shin.
"AH!" Inami clasped her hands over her head, falling to the ground in pain.
"Akue!" Tasuki shouted. "REKKA SHINEN!"
Tomo avoided Tasuki fire, reappearing at the other end of the cliff.
Suboshi smirked. "Let's go."
Tomo began to cackle insanely, closing Shin as the darkness dispersed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Suboshi shouted.
Tomo eyes the twin evilly. "You're on your own now, boy."
Suboshi went wide-eyed. "WHAT?!"
Tomo's image began to disappear. "Sweet revenge, me dear Suboshi."
He was gone.
Suboshi barely had time to catch his breath before a sharp blow to his shoulder sent him tumbling back into the midst of the Suzaku seven. Suboshi winced painfully, sending his meteor bells up in protection as he scowled at the purple haired man who had hit him.
Tamahome and Tasuki came running. "You won't get away easily this time, Murderer!" Tamahome shouted.
"REKKA SHINEN!!!"
Suboshi hid his face from the fire as both the ryuseisui and the flames surrounded him.
Miaka and Saori watched terrified from the copper door. Tears were welling in Saori's eyes, not wanting to see any more fighting . Through the flames a fist came through, as well as a red symbol. Suboshi fell back with lifeless meteor balls as he received a blow to his jaw. A foot came in contact with his stomach.
One Ryuseisui blade managed to burst through the attackers towards Chiriko, Mitsukake, and the injured Hotohori, but it was blocked off by a red shield provided by Chichiri. He couldn't even see Suboshi in the uplifted dust and battle.
Suboshi felt his left forearm give way under some unknown pressure, and a painful snapped followed. Suboshi lost his footing, shooting his meteor bells off aimlessly.
"~Tomo, he left me hear to fight all of them!~" echoed through his mind. He reached down for the dagger he had stolen, but it wasn't there. He was dangerously close to the edge, and he could taste blood in his mouth.
"DIE!" Tamahome screamed in rage for not only himself but also his family. His foot collided hard with Suboshi's rib cage.
"Tamahome!" Nuriko said, holding the now out-of-control blue-haired man back.
Suboshi fell backwards, grabbing onto a rock. But his grip was too slow, too weak. His feet slid in the unstable sand, and he felt himself cast backwards as he looked on with painful eyes.
"SUBOSHI!!!" Saori shouted, running over. Even if he was evil, he didn't deserve to...
Nuriko and Tasuki darted forward too, but they couldn't reach him, not in time.
Suboshi fell down, over the high, steep cliff of the mountain, plummeting into the darkness below.
**************************
"Amiboshi?" Mayo asked, looking up from her rice bowl. The man had stopped his tune suddenly.
Amiboshi's body shook with fear. "No..." He whispered.
Mayo stood up over to the boy. "Amiboshi? Dou shita no?"
Amiboshi's eyes teared up and he bent over as if in pain. "Suboshi... I can't feel Suboshi's life force...." He shook more. "The Suzaku.... Suboshi, where are you?"
"Nakago!" Mayo called urgently as Amiboshi shook more. "Amiboshi, hold on, it's okay!" She paused. "What are you saying..."
"Suboshi..." Amiboshi whispered.
"SUBOSHI!!!!!!!!!!"
To BD/Ryuu: Your roleplay? really? wow, you'll have to tell me more about it. Don't worry, Tasuki and Inami won't be doing anything like that for a long time. *laughs* Actually, there is something referring to that in an upcoming chapter of mine.
Mane! Mane! Why can't I spell? Though, like always, the spelling "threw" seems to be out of my dictionary. I'm even proof reading them! Thanks for catching me.
To Amaya: Thank you! You're one of my favorite readers too! I take it we all know whose fear was whose then? thank you for the comments on battle scenes. The only way I have ANY idea on how to write them was because of this fic.oo;; Lol! I"ll send Tasuki a memo about that, maybe he'll be interested. I will read your story someday. perhaps over thanksgiving or Christmas break.
To Metajoker: Oh my gosh! I didn't think about that! They really wouldn't have pens, would they? Surprisingly, I really appreciated your comments. You seem to catch onto stuff that so far none of my readers/friends have caught onto, and it makes me love you to pieces! Yes, Inami is very attached to her past, and perhaps some of your comments will come true.
Chapter 42 : Unwanted Departures, a Final "Sayonara"
"Still a bit weary from travel, the Suzaku warriors prepared themselves for another trip. The mountains were cleanly visible from Sairo City, as was the large, boasting Byakko Shrine. Nevertheless, it would take half the day to reach the base of their desired mountain which held the mass storage unit for the items of the Aeri Royal Harem." Yui sighed. "This book just gets more and more confusing, right Hikari?"
"Spadoo." Hikari blundered as she smashed a block into the dark sock.
*******************************
"Mayo-sama, can I get you some water? It does get very hot out here."
Mayo looked up at the young man. Due to the immense heat of the day, The Seiryu Seven were camped out in their large white tents. Mayo was back in her school uniform, not her robes... they were much too warm.
"Yes, please." Mayo said politely. Mayo either began to feel comfortable with her role as Priestess or the heat did something to her, but she had been in a fairly decent mood all day.
Amiboshi walked to the other side of the large round tent and picked up an unused canteen. He returned and handed it to Mayo, who graciously accepted it from the cot she was situated on. Just then, an identical man walked in.
"Where is Nakago?" Mayo asked, taking a sip of water.
Suboshi rubbed his head, a bit flustered. "He's a little busy..." He said, walking over to a chair near the supplies and plopping down into it. He reached around and pulled the blue headband off his head, rubbing his forehead from the heat. His olive colored hair fell a bit.
"Busy with what?" Mayo pried.
Suboshi looked up. "He's busy with Soi, got it?" Suboshi shook his head and looked down.
Amiboshi handed him a canteen.
Mayo folded her arms. "I hope he hurries then, I want to talk to him."
"Like always..." Suboshi muttered.
"Suboshi..." Amiboshi whispered.
"Aniki, play us something on your flute." Suboshi suggested.
Amiboshi pulled up his own chair and sat down. "You can play it if you'd like." He said, pulling the wooden instrument out of his belt.
Suboshi shook his head. "No, you make it sound better."
Lifting the flute to his lips, Amiboshi began to play a more slowly paced song. Mayo sat still as she listened to it, watching intently at the twins. Amiboshi calmly played, never making a single mistake or wrong note. Suboshi sat staring off into space, listening.
"Suboshi must have heard that song a million times by now." Mayo thought quietly to herself. "Yet he still wants to hear it." Her eyes adjusted from one twin to the other. "It must be nice this time, being together while trying to Summon Seiryu. Last time it didn't work out that way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Suboshi."
Suboshi pulled the curtain of the tent away, peering inside and taking a few steps. "Yes, Nakago?"
Nakago sat comfortably in a chair, wearing his casual clothes. "I have another task for you to do."
"What is it this time?" Suboshi questioned suspiciously.
"The Suzaku seven are heading towards the range in the west, where the Byakko Shrine is." Nakago replied calmly. "They're getting the fourth clue of Suzaku, and if we have it, they can't summon the beast god."
"You want me to get it then?" Suboshi asked, slipping his thumb under the belt made by his ryuseisui.
"Yes." Nakago answered, finally looking at the sixteen year old. "I'd like Amiboshi to go with you."
Suboshi frowned at the blonde. "You know he won't."
"I see." Nakago stood up, much taller than the other man present. "He still feels the same then. Fine, I'll have Tomo attend with you."
******************************** "Why don't they just shoot me now, get it over with?" Inami pulled her hair up into a ponytail once again. She sighed from the immense heat. "I'd say 'let's travel at night,' but it's sweltering then too. Who the heck can live in a desert?"
"Who the hell can live in a frozen waste land?" Tasuki commented from behind.
"Why don't we play a game?" Saori quickly interjected before any arguing could ensue. "Uh, Miaka? Any ideas?"
Miaka looked around. "Not really..." She said, waving her hand around as she road on the horse with Tamahome.
"Alrighty then..." Saori thought. "We can... no, that won't work..."
"Face it, it's boring out here." Nuriko added. "But look ahead, it's not much longer until we reach the bottom of that cliff."
"I know!" Saori perked up. "I spy with my little eye."
"It's either gonna be sand or a rock, so don't bother tryin'." Tasuki interrupted.
Saori frowned. "It.uh. was the second one." She mumbled.
"That's it." Inami sighed, pulling out a golden rod from her side. "This hair is going...."
Saori reached up and grabbed Inami's hand. "Let's not do anything rash, got it?"
"Yes, please." Tasuki sighed.
"We must remember that we are doing this for a good cause, everyone. The sooner we get out here, the sooner we can all summon Suzaku." Hotohori reminded.
"But..." Miaka kept her voice down, though they were the only ones in sight. "Chichiri, isn't this stealing?"
"Well, we don't know if it's actually inside the actual room, no da." Chichiri began, "But if it is, I'm sure it will be understandable. The heat is so much and the doors and locks themselves are so grand that there aren't any guards up there, that's for sure no da."
"How does he know all this?" Miaka whispered to Taka.
"Yeah Miaka-sempai." Saori spoke up. "Besides, what are they gonna do, throw the priestess of Suzaku in jail? And since I'm a close friend, I'm good to go... and Chichiri can *POOF!* us out of there if anyone comes along, right?"
Chichiri smiled while Miaka's worried expression deepened.
***************************
"Don't worry coach." A girl with blonde hair patted Keisuke on the back. "Only one more class to go, right?"
"Thanks Soko." Keisuke addressed the girl by her last name like he did everyone.
"Um, Coach? When is Coach Sukunami coming back?"
"He's taking a rather long vacation, isn't he?" Keisuke joked.
"Yep." The girl began walking off. "I wonder where he's at right now..." She trailed off before entering the locker rooms.
"In a Chinese book..." Keisuke whispered. He sat on the bench, elbows on knees in a bit of concentration, barely hearing the bell ring a few minutes later.
"Wait..." Keisuke said to himself, lifting his head up. He moved his fingers around, thinking as a few students entered the gym. His eyes went wide. "Wait, what if... the book..." Keisuke stood up, the towel around his neck dropping to the floor. "Oh no..."
Keisuke took off running across the gym, barely avoiding knocking over one of the girl students.
"Hey, where are you going?!" The substitute for Taka shouted.
"I'll be right back!" Keisuke burst through the double doors, getting his car keys out of his pocket. "Please, please be okay...."
*******************************
"Wow." Nuriko looked up, shading his eyes. "I think the landscape alone is a warning sign..."
The base of the mountain was a steep cliff. The rock was hot from the sun, and the door wasn't in sight, meaning it was probably much higher up.
"We have to climb THIS?" Miaka gawked, almost falling backwards.
Chichiri untied his cloak, shaking it twice and laying it on the ground. "I can only take two at a time no da, so let's hurry, no da."
"Let Miaka and Tama go first." Tasuki said, poking the man forward.
"All right." Miaka took Tamahome's hand and walked over to Chichiri, feeling a bit guilty to put her sandy shoes on his nice cloak. She and Tamahome both stepped on.
Chichiri jingled his staff, striking the middle of the cloak. "Hold on, no da."
The blue cloak swirled around the trio, its ends raising up and glowing. In a second, they were gone.
"So, we wait." Tasuki muttered, leaning against the mountain.
"You can." Inami commented, motioning to Saori. "Come on."
"Huh?" Saori asked, walking over. She nearly screamed when she felt her feet lift off the ground.
Tasuki blinked a few times, then looked away. "Damn show offs."
After a moment Chichiri popped back, taking Mitsukake and Chiriko with him. Again the cloak swirled and he disappeared.
"What exactly do you expect will be up there?" Nuriko asked.
Tasuki shrugged. "I hope it's not too... uh... hefty."
Nuriko smiled.
"I'm sure we'll get through it just fine." Hotohori added.
"Well Tasuki, I guess you'd prefer this, ne?" Nuriko stated.
"What do ya mean by that?" Tasuki asked.
Nuriko shook a finger. "I think I remember you saying you were a mountain critter once."
"Come on, no da."
The three turned around. "Chichiri, you startled me." Hotohori spoke.
"You two go on ahead." Nuriko almost ordered.
"Thanks." Tasuki looked over to Hotohori. "Let's go."
The bandit and the emperor walked to the magician and stepped onto the cloak, disappearing in a wave of blue and light.
Nuriko folded his arms and looked out across the desert. "Sairo certainly is different." He commented to himself. The landscape was covered with sand and several rocks.
Nuriko suddenly felt himself stiffen.
"What was that?" He thought. "A presence?"
"Nuriko no da."
Nuriko turned around and walked towards the eldest of the Suzaku warriors. "Chichiri, do you sense anything out there?"
Chichiri nodded. "We should be careful, no da."
Nuriko stepped onto the blanket. The white patterns swirled until they blurred into one. The cloak settled on the ground, and Chichiri and Nuriko found themselves looking into the faces of the others.
Miaka and Tamahome came panting from around a rock. "I think we found it." Miaka breathed.
The others followed Miaka's lead up a narrow winding path. The path was only wide enough for one person to go safely at a time. Every here and there the edge of the path was chipped away or caved. Holding onto the rocks didn't help a lot either, the bright sun, though they were moving into later afternoon, had been scorching them all day, making them burn to the touch.
Finally, one by one, each member of the group of ten stepped onto a much wider portion of the mountain, awing at the large marvel.
A single, large, copper door towered above them, stiffly embedded into the mountain's hard rock. It was at least three times their height, and rather wide as well. A handle on it was golden and shaped like the wheel of a ship, several long points sticking out from the designed center. The bolted bands crisscrossing against the copper were studded with dulled gems. A large portion of the door seemed rusted.
"That's a lot of money put into a door no one uses..." Tamahome gasped.
"Tasuki..." Inami spoke.
Tasuki pulled out his fan. The red disk was glowing like mad.
"Do you think it could be one of these jewels?" Hotohori asked.
Chichiri shook his head. "I severely doubt it. I think what we're looking for is inside, no da." The monk stepped forward and inspected the door. "I imagine it's locked from the inside and outside, no da." He glanced over the lock. "A customary lock out here, and probably a bar slide on the interior, no da."
"Can't you just teleport us in?" Tamahome asked.
Chichiri shook his head. "Too dangerous, and I don't want to completely zap my strength, no da." He saw the look on Tasuki's face. "And we want it to look like no one was here when we're done, no da."
Tasuki frowned and put his fan back.
"I could try to pick the lock with a hairpin... but..." Saori put a finger to her mouth. "The lock is pretty big."
Hotohori tested the strength of the wheel-like handle. It was stuck hard.
"Well, we can't make everything perfect." Inami came up and looked at the lock. She again pulled out the rod, sticking the end to the keyhole. She shifted it over slightly, a loud, dull noise echoing through the door as the blade sharply shot through the lock itself. In a moment it shot back in, and Inami looked through the keyhole. "That should take care of it..."
"There could have been a nicer way to do that..." Chiriko frowned.
Inami shrugged.
"All right," Tasuki began, "If there's a wooden slab or something on the inside, then you can use your little 'mind control' thing and lift it."
Inami gave Tasuki a strange look. "I can't move what I can't see."
"Well, we're not positive it's locked inside, right?" Miaka commented, moving to the door herself. She pulled down on the handle. It moved a few inches around, and jammed again.
"Another lock?" Tamahome asked.
"No... I think it's just stuck..." Miaka grunted, finally letting go of the wheel.
Tamahome moved Miaka aside. "Let me try." He grabbed on a spoke of the wheel and turned it. He barely got farther than Miaka did before his muscles forced him to give up from the strain.
Tasuki moved forward next. Again, not very far.
"All right, my turn." Tasuki was brushed out of the way as Nuriko stepped up, cracking his knuckles and grabbing onto two spokes of the door. He pulled, getting to where the jam was. Using his immense strength, he pushed further, and...
~*CLINK!*~
"Oh dear." Saori frowned.
Nuriko looked at the wheel he had broken off of the door in his hands. "Huh." He said. "Guess it must be really jammed then."
"Nice going, smarty." Tasuki folded his arms. "How the hell are we supposed to get in now? Huh?"
Nuriko stared at the taller man, making a fist with his right hand, an armband forming around it. In one swing, Nuriko slammed it into the door. The copper rung and shook, pieces of rock and sand falling down from over head. The whole area shook lightly. Finally, the door slowly budged open a few inches.
Nuriko shot the bandit a pure "I-told-you-so" look and pushed on the door, opening it enough for a person entry.
The room was entirely dark except from the sunlight pouring in from the opening. Miaka coughed a as she entered from raised sand and dust.
"Rekka Shinen!"
Fire filled the room, and Tasuki's fan glowed brightly like a torch. Tamahome drooled.
"Wow!" Saori exclaimed. "It's like finding a treasure!"
"I think that's what it is..." Hotohori trailed off.
The room was full of several chests, some open and full of different jewelry and what not. Near the walls everything hung up from knight armor to vast capes. The disk on Tasuki's fan glowed brighter than the fire itself.
"Start waving that thing around Tasuki, see if it tells us anything." Nuriko ordered. "The clue could be anything in here."
Tasuki and the others spread out. Tasuki walked to the very back of the room, but the disk dimmed down. "I think it's on that side." Tasuki pointed, making his way slowly back.
"Hurry you guys." Miaka urged. "I don't want to get caught."
"Relax, you're freaking the rest of us out." Saori said.
The disk glowed it's brightest right near the door. "Maybe it is one of the jewels..." Tasuki muttered, though there weren't many on the reverse side of the copper.
"Wait!" Miaka said, noticing something dark standing out on the floor away from everything else. She picked it up. "Ouch!" She whimpered, dropping it again.
"Careful Miaka!" Nuriko scolded. Approaching her from behind and looking at her hand. "It's just a small cut on your finger, don't worry." Nuriko bent over to pick up what Miaka dropped.
"What is it?" Tamahome asked.
Nuriko held it up to the light. "It's an old dagger... but it looks like something that would belong to a guard, not something that's suppose to be in here."
Tasuki walked over, and the disk glowed so brightly it was almost blinding. The knife glowed red as well, and they both simultaneously dimmed down.
"I guess that's it then." Inami pointed out.
Miaka smiled, carefully taking the dagger from Nuriko and putting it into her bag. "Finally, we have to fourth clue! We're halfway there!"
Don't remind me." Tasuki complained. "Let's get out of here, this place is creepy."
Once everyone was out, Nuriko, with some struggle on finding a place to hold, forced to door shut, putting the handle back on. (Though with the lightest touch it would fall off again.) It was slightly cooler outside, but still quite hot. Sunset was still a good few hours away.
Miaka wiped her forehead, pulling the dagger out and inspecting it. Though it looked old, it looked new at the same time. The end of the blade was a bit rusty, but the middle shined like a full moon. She sighed. "We did it guys! Let's head back!"
~*CLING!*~
Miaka seemed to watch in slow motion as the knife in her hand leapt out, falling quickly away from her. She was losing it, and it wasn't the first time this had happened.
The knife spun through the air, twisting and turning alongside a long, red tinted robe until it was caught by the handle.
"Suboshi!" Tamahome shouted, saying his name as if it were a curse.
"Tomo." Chichiri muttered.
Suboshi, dagger in hand, stood mockingly with the meteor bells swirling dangerously around him. Near him was a man draped in red and black, and awkward headpiece on his head and face paint across his face.
Inami stepped back. "That's... Tomo?"
Tasuki whipped his fan around, ready, stepping a bit in front of Inami. "Give that back, you ((edited words!)), before I slice ya into pieces!!"
"Really?" Suboshi laughed, putting the dagger in his belt and swirling his ryuseisui into fighting position. "I think I'm the one who will do the 'slicing.'"
Hotohori drew his sword and darted forward towards Tomo. Before the Emperors eyes the sky seemed to darken as Tomo multiplied again and again, surrounding the Suzaku seven, a clamshell in his hand. Hotohori struck, but to his misfortune, it was only an illusion.
"Wrong, boy!" Tomo shouted, the feathers on his head winding like snakes straight for Hotohori. He jumped, but one painfully pierced through his shin, forcing him down to the ground.
"Hotohori!" Nuriko and Miaka shouted. They couldn't get to Suboshi through Tomo, but the Ryuseisui were still spinning dangerously behind him.
The dark sky was another powerful illusion of Tomo's, making it look like a cold night in the desert. The feathers that had pierced Hotohori's leg now spun around again like meteor bells, aiming for several new targets.
"Get down!" Inami yelled, pushing Saori to her knees. The sand around the Genbu warrior's feet swirled dangerously. Inami closed her eyes hard, her symbol charging up. Green light shot from her in a pillar, spreading out like a whirlpool, striking into the several Tomos.
The Tomos disappeared to one behind them, clutching his bleeding arm hard. "Damn you girl!" Tomo shouted, purple smoke rising up from Shin.
"AH!" Inami clasped her hands over her head, falling to the ground in pain.
"Akue!" Tasuki shouted. "REKKA SHINEN!"
Tomo avoided Tasuki fire, reappearing at the other end of the cliff.
Suboshi smirked. "Let's go."
Tomo began to cackle insanely, closing Shin as the darkness dispersed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Suboshi shouted.
Tomo eyes the twin evilly. "You're on your own now, boy."
Suboshi went wide-eyed. "WHAT?!"
Tomo's image began to disappear. "Sweet revenge, me dear Suboshi."
He was gone.
Suboshi barely had time to catch his breath before a sharp blow to his shoulder sent him tumbling back into the midst of the Suzaku seven. Suboshi winced painfully, sending his meteor bells up in protection as he scowled at the purple haired man who had hit him.
Tamahome and Tasuki came running. "You won't get away easily this time, Murderer!" Tamahome shouted.
"REKKA SHINEN!!!"
Suboshi hid his face from the fire as both the ryuseisui and the flames surrounded him.
Miaka and Saori watched terrified from the copper door. Tears were welling in Saori's eyes, not wanting to see any more fighting . Through the flames a fist came through, as well as a red symbol. Suboshi fell back with lifeless meteor balls as he received a blow to his jaw. A foot came in contact with his stomach.
One Ryuseisui blade managed to burst through the attackers towards Chiriko, Mitsukake, and the injured Hotohori, but it was blocked off by a red shield provided by Chichiri. He couldn't even see Suboshi in the uplifted dust and battle.
Suboshi felt his left forearm give way under some unknown pressure, and a painful snapped followed. Suboshi lost his footing, shooting his meteor bells off aimlessly.
"~Tomo, he left me hear to fight all of them!~" echoed through his mind. He reached down for the dagger he had stolen, but it wasn't there. He was dangerously close to the edge, and he could taste blood in his mouth.
"DIE!" Tamahome screamed in rage for not only himself but also his family. His foot collided hard with Suboshi's rib cage.
"Tamahome!" Nuriko said, holding the now out-of-control blue-haired man back.
Suboshi fell backwards, grabbing onto a rock. But his grip was too slow, too weak. His feet slid in the unstable sand, and he felt himself cast backwards as he looked on with painful eyes.
"SUBOSHI!!!" Saori shouted, running over. Even if he was evil, he didn't deserve to...
Nuriko and Tasuki darted forward too, but they couldn't reach him, not in time.
Suboshi fell down, over the high, steep cliff of the mountain, plummeting into the darkness below.
**************************
"Amiboshi?" Mayo asked, looking up from her rice bowl. The man had stopped his tune suddenly.
Amiboshi's body shook with fear. "No..." He whispered.
Mayo stood up over to the boy. "Amiboshi? Dou shita no?"
Amiboshi's eyes teared up and he bent over as if in pain. "Suboshi... I can't feel Suboshi's life force...." He shook more. "The Suzaku.... Suboshi, where are you?"
"Nakago!" Mayo called urgently as Amiboshi shook more. "Amiboshi, hold on, it's okay!" She paused. "What are you saying..."
"Suboshi..." Amiboshi whispered.
"SUBOSHI!!!!!!!!!!"