To everyone: Wow, I kill off a character and these are the reviews?! J/k.
I just thought there'd be more with them!
To Soi-chan: Hey, new reviewer! Thanks! Seiryu will come n a bit more strongly, in the future I have a chapter almost intirely dedicated to them. Saori I find isn't nearly as annoying as Miaka. You don't know her? Haven't you watch Eikoden? Miaka has smaller parts, but I'm afraid Saori's role is only increasing for a little while!
To BD: Again, I love your compliments. Suboshi killed Tomo, because the homo was picking on Amiboshi. That's why Tomo has a grudge.
To Metajoker: Ah, good comments with you. Yes. Chiharu will check her use of apostrophes! I actually did consider them calling eachother by their realy names, seeing as how they would have growing up together most likely, but since they never refer to eachother like that in the anime, I decided not to. The closest I ever get to it is Suboshi referring to Amiboshi as "Aniki." But yes, you do have a point.
Hey, using "Shinkaku!!" would have been awesome! You know what, even thought the chapter's all ready posted, I think I'll change it to that, thanks! Thank you for the "this story is getting good" part too! I told ppl it would get remotely better as it went!
Chapter 43 : Call of the Seiryu
The book hit the floor hard, the pages losing track of where they left off.
"Su...boshi...?" Yui gasped, staring straight ahead into nothingness as tears formed in her eyes. Hikari looked up curious.
Yui fell down to her knees, clutching the carpet with her hands as the tears that quickly formed ran down the sides of her face. "Suboshi... no... why did you have to die, again?" With those words and memories, Yui's emotions let loose, and the tears and cries seemed almost never- ending.
Suboshi had been killed in Tokyo. Why? Because he had come there after her, to protect her, and he lost is life. Suboshi was killed when his spirit took over Amiboshi's body and he had died again, once again, protecting her. Now he died for a third time, only this time she wasn't there. Was that why? If she had been there... no, she was being foolish. She wasn't going to blame the Suzaku Seven, it wasn't their fault, it was an accident, just like with Amiboshi... except this time, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Suboshi, the one who had loved her so dearly in the book... was dead.
******************************
Saori fell at the rim of the cliff, staring in complete shock. Suboshi, a warrior of the Seiryu Seven, perhaps the one who had fought against them the most, was dead. Though he had threatened her life so many times, Saori always felt that he was good, somewhere deep down, though she had never spoken to him. All the good things she's heard about his brother, how could Suboshi be evil? Even so, was death the answer? He was so young, probably not much older than herself.
"Suboshi..." Nuriko trailed. "I know he's the enemy, but it's a bit of a shock, still."
Tamahome turned his head. "I know, but now Miaka's safer than she was yesterday."
"That's right." Miaka thought to herself. "Suboshi has tried to kill me, even more than that before. But still..." Miaka didn't know whether or not to shed any tears. "But still, ~what about Yui~?"
After a long moment of silence, in which Hotohori was healed for his injuries, someone finally spoke up.
"We should go, no da." Chichiri said, a little quietly.
"Yeah you guys, we need to get back." Inami added. She was one to take the impact a little lighter than everyone. She hadn't known the warrior, or his supposed brother for long at all.
"Saori." Nuriko knelt down by the girl as everyone began to leave. He pulled her arm up gently. "Saori, let's go."
Saori slowly stood up, not able to take her eyes off of the dark abyss lying at the bottom of the cliff. Eventually though, she had to. She followed Nuriko and the others back down the cliff, back to Sairo City.
They'd pass through Sairo City and get a few supplies, then head further south. There was another city there, the one where Seiryu had been summoned before. Perhaps they'd find good fortune there.
***********************************
"I'd leave him alone if I were you."
Mayo, who was about to open the door to a smaller tent. turned around at the woman's voice. Soi's stare told her enough, and Mayo stepped away from the tent, following the woman out.
The tent was empty except for a solitary person. He wasn't on either of the two beds in the room, but in the center of the floor, hunched over and gripping onto his shoulders tightly.
"Suboshi... Suboshi...." He whispered over and over through his heavy tears. "I should... have gone with him... Suboshi...." His entire body ached. He hurt from the mourning he couldn't control, the heartbreak within himself, like a part of his soul was missing. In many ways, it was. The bond between twins was closer than that of just a brother and sister.
Images of the Suzaku seven flashed through his mind. How could they do such a thing?
~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~
"What happened?" Nakago calmly asked. "We were involved in a fight with the Suzaku seven." Tomo said, his voice sourly honey-coated. "My illusions spells were broken with the help of the Magician and that Ambassador. We were outnumbered, and Suboshi, seeing how his powers are not fully developed, was sadly killed. He battled a losing fight with the majority of the Suzaku seven before being run off the cliff, which is when I escaped."
"You're lying!" Amiboshi cried.
"Come come, young Amiboshi. I wouldn't dare lie to Nakago, and you know that well off yourself." Tomo began walking out of the tent, past the shocked and crying Mayo. "Besides," He added before leaving, "Wasn't it the Suzaku seven who ~first~ killed your brother?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How could this happen? How could Suboshi, the person he cared more about than anyone else, be gone? He was murdered, beaten helplessly and thrown off a cliff. Amiboshi himself knew Suboshi couldn't fend off that many people.
"I still can't believe it though." Soi said as she sanded her nails in a tent with Nakago and Mayo. "Suboshi always was reckless, getting himself into trouble. I guess he had to face to consequences." Soi looked up. "Nakago, what are you doing?"
Nakago's hand was spread out over a small blue object, blue light radiated from his palm. "I told you tomorrow, didn't I?"
Soi smirked. "It's about time."
Mayo couldn't help but smile a bit herself. "Finally, it's finally going to happen."
"I'm just making the last preparations." Nakago said.
Just then, the tent cover on the entrance was moved, and a man stepped into the shadows.
Soi looked up, and Nakago turned around, a calm smirk on his face. "What do you need?." He asked coldly.
"I'm leaving." Amiboshi said lowly.
"In the middle of the night?" Soi asked. "Don't you know there are wolves out there?" Soi's voice was informative, but not caring.
"I'm doing as you wish, Nakago." Amiboshi said, cold himself.
"And what would that be?" The general questioned.
"I'm going..." Amiboshi tightened his grip on his flute. "After the Suzaku Seven." Without another word, Amiboshi closed his cold blue eyes and left the tent, two small wooden flutes tucked securely in his belt.
"Soi."
"Yes Nakago?"
Take Ashitare and go with him." Nakago smiled. "This may just get interesting."
**************************************
"Ah, a good night's rest is all I needed." Chiriko sighed, stretching his arms out.
"I think we could all use a little break." Nuriko commented.
"I'm hungry..." Miaka's stomach growled. "Hotohori, while we're hear, would it be okay if I got a little snack?"
"I think that would be all right." Hotohori answered as he walked down the hallway.
"I'd be careful your majesty, a snack to Miaka is more like a meal... or two."
"You can say that again." Tamahome agreed, yawning.
Saori ran to catch up with Miaka. "Say Miaka, can I have some of that snack too?"
"Make it fast at least." Inami said from beside Tasuki. "We need to get an early start."
"Inami's right, no da. I'll get a few more supplies and some more water, then we should leave while it's still early. It's not as hot during the day, no da."
"I'll head out with Chichiri, so no one get hurt, got it?" Mitsukake stated.
"We won't, don't worry." Miaka smiled. "We're heading south, right?"
"Yes." Chichiri answered. The red disk was now on his staff again.
"I'm kind of excited." Tamahome said. "While we're down there we might get to see Tokaki and Subaru again, if they're in good health." Tamahome remembered the days training with is master.
"Yeah." Tasuki said snidely. "Have fun, little ghost."
"OW!"
*************************************
"All right Hikari, all changed." Yui adjusted the diaper strap on one side a little better. It wasn't the baby's bedtime yet, but Yui didn't have much idea of what to do, and she needed her mind off of things. Yui had finally managed to dry her eyes and calm herself down, now wasn't the time for her tears. She took out a small bunny suit from the clothes Keisuke had brought over, and stood Hikari up with a bit of trouble, and put her small feet into the tiny slippers of the pajamas. Then came the arms, and the zipper. She picked Hikari up and gave her a big hug.
"Keisuke sure has a cute little niece, doesn't he?" Yui said, moving the child to her hip as she walked out of the room and down the hall. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, but Miaka says I'm your aunt Yui." The blonde smiled. "A little silly, isn't it?"
Hikari quietly replied with a yawn.
Yui patted the child's mussy hair down as she entered the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to get herself something to eat. She found a strawberry-banana yogurt and took it out, going over to a utensil drawer for a fork. She walked over to the small table, putting Hikari down on the floor, keeping an eye on her. Taking the lid off and dipping her spoon in, Yui was about to take a bite when something caught her eye.
Yui lowered her spoon and looked into the living room, which was fully visible from where she was. She stood up. "Just one moment Hikari-chan." She said. A bit of suspicion ran through her, and she walked into the living room. She saw that blue light again, and this time she knew it wasn't just her.
She looked around the living room, across the floor and couches, but the light was gone. Yui turned back to the door, still looking. "Odd..." She said.
Then she saw it again.
It was coming from the couch, or more so, the red book on the couch. Yui hesitantly walked towards it, not taking her eyes off the Chinese book. It was now radiating, flashing blue on and off. She knew this blue color. Approaching the book, her fingertips touched the cover, opening it to the pages.
"YUI!" Keisuke screamed, reaching for the doorknob, finding it locked. As he struggled for Tetsuya's spare keys mixed with his own, the interior of the apartment flashed blue through the cracks of the doorway, dimming down slowly as the lock turned and opened.
"Yui!" Keisuke shouted again, opening the door. The apartment was quiet. Nothing was out of place. It was still clean with the exception of a few things on the floor of the living room and the book resting on the couch. "Yui?! " Keisuke called. Maybe she left. He ran into the kitchen, and what he saw terrified him.
Hikari, sitting quietly on the floor, by herself. Yui wouldn't leave without Hikari.
"YUI!!" Keisuke screamed, running down the hall into Tetsuya's bedroom. Nothing. He ran into the bathroom, nothing. The apartment was empty.
"YUI!" He shouted, running into the living room. He dived for the couch, praying the hunch he had gotten at school was wrong. He opened the book to where the writing left off, reading frantically.
"Oh no..." Keisuke breathed hard, panicked. He had been right. The illegible writing, it had been about Yui. How was he going to tell Tetsuya...
...that his girlfriend was in the book?
***************************
"Miaka?" Tamahome asked, feeling Miaka stiffen on the horse in front of him. "Are you okay?"
Miaka shook her head hard. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just got the chills all of a sudden."
"How the heck can you get chills out here?" Inami asked, again suffering from the heat.
Tasuki looked ahead of them, seeing nothing but rocks, mountains, and desert... plus a few cacti here and there. "Yeah, I remember coming here last time... it took a while..."
"We'll get there eventually." Saori said from Hotohori's horse. Saori had a blanket thrown over her bare legs. It was warm, but best. Sairo didn't exactly have sunscreen, and Inami all ready was a bit burned herself, as was Miaka and Chiriko.
"Tell me more about them, more about Subaru and Tokaki." Saori asked.
"They had a spell put on them, well, a spell Subaru put on them." Hotohori said, remembering hearing it from the others, though he wasn't there. "It made them younger physically, but internally it would make them age faster."
"And that's what happened to Ta... Tatara? Is that the name?"
"Yes." Miaka answered. "Tatara was a good man, he was the one who had the Shinzaho of Byakko."
"Sure seems a lot tougher to get these shinzahos now than it was then." Saori commented.
Nuriko was just silent, listening in. Chiriko didn't say much either.
"We should water these horses within the next hour, Chichiri." Tasuki said.
Chichiri nodded. "That's true, no da. We don't want more dead horses."
"I have a strange feeling mine doesn't like me very much..." Mitsukake remarked, pulling the reins over a bit.
"Ha!" Tasuki laughed. "You must have the one I had last time." Tasuki joked. "Hey man, I think that horse just gave me a dirty look."
"Oh please." Inami sighed.
"I'm serious!" Tasuki eyed Mitsukake's horse suspiciously. "I think that horse is related to the possessed one I had... it must be a generation thing."
"Or it could be a heat thing." Inami stated. "The heat of this dang desert is getting to everyone, making us think horses are giving us evil looks or wolves are roaming the sand right now..." Inami squinted her eyes. "Uh, is that a wolf?"
Up ahead a dark gray blur moved around, though through the moving heat waves it was hard to see. It stopped for a moment, and then ran off.
"I think it's a coyote, actually." Chiriko spoke up. "They're more likely to prowl in the desert, though they don't come out in the day much."
"You're like a walking encyclopedia, Chiriko!" Saori giggled. "I should really get you to come back to Japan with me and help me do my homework!"
Chiriko smiled.
"Japan..." Miaka trailed off. "Tamahome, I wonder how Yui and Keisuke are doing, and Tetsuya too."
Tamahome put a hand on Miaka's shoulder. "Don't worry, they're fine."
"I really miss them, and Hikari. How long has it been...?"
"Saori," Tasuki began, "Didn't you say you weren't going back without Mayo?"
Nuriko smacked the bandit on the back of the head best he could from his horse. "Tasuki! Don't bring that up!"
"It's okay, really." Saori smiled. "I'll get her back eventually, I just have to hope I run into her, that's all."
"There, you see? You offended her." Nuriko whispered loudly.
"I did not, she said it was okay!" Tasuki shot back.
"She just said that so you wouldn't feel guilty! Women do that all the time!"
"No they don't!"
"Hey, Inami," Nuriko whispered a bit louder. "Do women lie to make guys..."
"All the time." Inami answered.
"What?!" Tasuki said, rather loudly. "How am I supposed to know whether or not you're tellin' me the truth now?"
Saori gazed down at the main of the brown horse she road as the three argued in the background. Mayo, she had just managed to clear her mind about that. It was way more difficult to see her friend than she had realized, and still, after all this time, hadn't even gotten a glimpse of her. Everyone wondered why Mayo became the priestess of Seiryu and attacked Miaka like she did, but they could never know what she knew.
~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~
"Saori? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Sakaki asked as she opened the door to see the brunette standing there, books in hand and still dressed in her uniform.
Saori bowed. "Gomen, but I know Mayo wasn't at school today, and I brought her the work we did."
Mrs. Sakaki smiled. "That's so nice of you, Saori. Yes, Mayo was feeling rather ill today, but I'm sure she'll enjoy seeing you. She's upstairs in her room." The woman opened the door wider for Saori to enter. Saori came in and took her shoes off, walking up the stairs in the front to the upper level.
"Ah!" Saori said, stopping at the top and rearranging her books and papers. Her English book was trying to slip away. Once she made sure everything was together, she turned left down the short hallway. Mayo's room was the last room on the right. Upon arrival, Saori shifted her books to one side to free an arm, grabbing hold of the doorknob and twisting it, opening the door.
"Mayo, I brought you your homework so you don't get left behind and..." Saori gasped, dropping each and every book and paper to the floor. "MAYO!" She screamed, running over to the red head on the bed. "Mayo, DON'T!" She screamed, running over.
"Saori! Stop it! Leave me ALONE!" Mayo screamed, trying to get the brunette off of her.
"Mayo, please! Don't do this!" Saori pushed Mayo over on her bed, trying to wrestle the knife out of her best friend's hands.
Mayo squirmed and struggled under her friend. Saori pushed all of her weight onto Mayo's hand until Mayo was forced to let go of the kitchen blade. Saori quickly scooped it up in her hands and ran off the bed.
Mayo sat up and leaned over into a fetal position crying, hiding her face from the other girl in the room.
Saori was breathing hard. She put the knife on the desk and closed the door, pushing away most of the books back into the hallway. She ran over to Mayo and put her arms around her, holding her close as the red head wept.
"Mayo, it'll be all right. Please..." Saori begged her crying friend, who was now holding onto one of Saori's arms. "Suicide won't make anything better, believe me. Things will clear up..." Saori felt herself start to cry as she hugged Mayo closer. "Shhh..." She said, trying to comfort the trouble girl in her arms. "It's okay Mayo..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what if I did lie about something like that?"
"That's not the point! Ack! Stop screwin' up my brains!"
"You're screwed up enough, red!" Nuriko shouted.
Hotohori sighed after looking back at the arguing trio, seeing Nuriko and Inami begin to team up on Tasuki. He looked ahead of him, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes.
"Hotohori?"
Hotohori looked down at the small girl. "Yes?"
Saori looked down into the sand in front of her. "Hotohori, do you ever wish you weren't an emperor?" She asked quietly.
Hotohori was a bit taken back by the question. "What make you think that?"
Saori sighed. "I guess, I just think everyone doesn't want... or doesn't like something or other in their lives every now and then..."
Hotohori thought. "I suppose there may have been times, but I choose to use my power to help those in my country..."
"Exactly." Saori quietly spoke. "So, there is a good way to look at it, and if you choose, you could always look at it badly, couldn't you?"
"Yes..." Hotohori answered.
Saori lifted her head a little and stared off into the desert. "Everything has a good side and a bad side, Hotohori. Why can't everyone understand that? Why do some people see the bad side, the dark side before the light? The glass half empty, instead of half full?"
Hotohori closed his eyes. "Saori, I have a feeling this conversation goes deeper than I think."
Saori didn't answer.
"How did this start again?"
"It started with you two... no, THREE loud mouths getting hyped up over nothing!" Tamahome interjected. "My ears hurt!"
"Excuse me?" Inami called over from her horse. "Are you asking to join in? Because believe me, I have a handful of things I can say about you..."
"Yeah Tamahome, you got a problem?" Tasuki asked.
"AH! I can't take it anymore!" Tamahome shouted.
Miaka patted him on the shoulder.
"There there, Tama-kins." Nuriko smiled.
Tamahome sighed.
Inami and Tasuki looked at each other, and began cracking up.
"Why the hell is that so funny?!" Tamahome shouted.
"I think you all have a few problems no da." Chichiri interjected. "I think the heats gotten to all of you, no da."
"Hotohori?"
"Yes?"
Saori smiled softly. "Tell me a bit more about Boushin. I really miss talking to him, and you two are a lot alike."
Hotohori thought. "Very well then, where should I start?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm beat." Tasuki keeled over onto one of the several small beds laid out in a room.
The group had reached a way station about and hour or two past sundown. There were two or three inns, a small supply store and water pump, plus a small doctor's office. About the only people that lived there were the people that ran the businesses, though there were a few civilians. It honestly would take 5 minutes to walk from one side of the whole place to the next.
Inami sat down on the edge of the bed where Tasuki was lying down, putting her arms behind her for support. "You're telling me..."
Miaka sighed, taking off the parcel around her neck. "I really thought that rattle snake was going to kill us."
Saori laughed. "Hotohori took care of it. Honestly, it's one snake against all of these guys?"
"Yeah," Miaka smiled, "You're right."
"This is so weird!" Saori looked around. "All of us in the same room! Coolie!"
Nuriko looked around. "As long as no one's a loud sleeper..." He yawned, stretching. "Cause I need my beauty sleep..."
"I guess they must expect large groups of people to come by here if they have rooms stocked like these." Hotohori looked around. It was a bit of a damper compared to the lush beds in the Konan palace.
Chichiri untied his cloak. "We should hurry to bed, no da, so we can get an early rise."
He heard a chorus of moans throughout the room.
"Again?" Tasuki asked. "All we do is get up early... Back at Reikaku, we get up whenever we want... sorta."
"It's called discipline." Inami joked, playing with one of Tasuki's necklaces.
"Chichiri, do you know where I can change?" Miaka asked.
"Can't you just sleep in those?" Tamahome asked.
Saori and Miaka gave Tamahome a weird look.
"Yeah, Tama, if we were MEN, I'm sure we could." Saori snapped.
"We'll take care of it in a moment, no da." Chichiri smiled. "I'm going to run outside and get some of our supplies off the horses, no da."
Saori ran to the door in front of Chichiri. "Don't worry about it!" She called. "I'll go get them for you! You need a break!"
Chichiri smiled through his mask. "Thanks you Saori."
Saori smiled as she opened the door and ran outside.
"Okay, I want all the girls over in these beds." Nuriko instructed.
"Why is that?" Tasuki asked.
Nuriko raised an eyebrow. "If they're going to be in a room with seven men, they need to be together and AWAY. The only exception would be Miaka and Tamahome."
"Nuriko, exactly what do you take me for?" Inami laughed.
"It's what I take HIM for." Nuriko joked, getting a look from Tasuki.
Saori skipped down the white painted stairs to where the horses were tied up. She was suddenly in a good mood and had a good amount of energy left. She walked over to Nuriko's horse, which had the most supplies.
"Let's see..." She patted the horse and pushed the saddle over a bit to look into the saddlebags. She took off the two canteens and put them around her neck and over her shoulder, and continued sifting through the supplies. "I don't think we'll need bandages... well, maybe, if Miaka wants to change the one on her finger..." Saori lifted off one of the saddlebags, one with a strap like the canteen, and put it over her shoulder. She put a few bandages and of course, snacks. She found a washcloth and some soap too.
Saori moved to the other horse, Chichiri's, which had even more supplies on it. She reached under the patient mare and unhooked the belt to the saddle to remove the linked bags better.
Saori looked around. "Funny..." She said to herself, "I thought I heard something." Shrugging, Saori went back to the bags, tugging at them until they released from under the leather saddle. She put the fairly heavy bags over her forearms and started back to the inn, when she heard it.
Saori stiffened. She slowly looked to her left.
Dogs, wolves...
"Coyotes..." Saori whispered. There were at least six of them, and they weren't too far away either.
Saori was frozen in place. She didn't dare move, she didn't dare breath. The coyotes were a lot bigger than they had seemed before, and they were all glaring at her, growling. She heard a horse behind her paw at the ground.
Saori stepped back. "Uh... guys?" She whispered, not wanting to be loud in fear that the coyotes would attack, but the others wouldn't be able to heal her. "Guys?" She whispered again.
Finally, the front dog barked and started running for her, the others following.
"AAAAAHHH!" Saori screamed, dropping the bags in her hands and running for it. The horses around her neighed loudly and pulled at the reins that held them. A few of the dogs stopped to get at the horses, but two of them took after the running bait.
"HELP!!!" Saori screamed, running as fast as she could.
"Saori?" Tamahome sat up from his bed. He exchanged glances with Chichiri, and everyone started heading for the door when they heard another scream.
"HELP!!!!"
"GO!" Hotohori ordered. When everyone got outside, they saw five coyotes jumping at the horses, which were baying and jumping frantically.
"Wild Coyotes?!" Tamahome shouted.
Hotohori and Chichiri ran down the stairs. "Where's Saori?!"
"Rekka, Shinen!!!"
Saori ran faster. Her side started to ache, but the adrenaline kept her going. She wasn't even at the way station anymore, but she could hear the coyotes' panting and running behind her. She may have been an athlete when it came to basketball, but she didn't know much about track.
"Help! SOMEONE!" She screamed again, running over to a wide area scattered with rocks. She didn't look back, she just kept running.
Saori ran around one rock and jumped over another, finding the ground on the other side to be lower than she had expected. She stumbled her landing but forced herself up again, still running. She could hear at least one dog still after her, and she didn't want to listen enough to see if two were on her tail.
Saori darted across a plain of sand before hitting several rocks again, barely a space in between them. She grabbed onto the top of one and pulled herself up, tumbling down its edge before hitting another. She crawled under it, finding solid ground on the other side. She turned to avoid hitting more rocks as she kept running, as far as she could get on plain ground. The dogs chasing her ran better on plain ground... heck, they ran better on anything. So now Saori had two choices. Try to lose them, or see what would run out first, their energy or her adrenaline. She pushed the thought out of her mind as she ducked under a stone ledge and took off across more sand, her lungs burning for air.
"Rekka, SHINEN!"
"ARF!" A coyote yipped. The dogs definitely didn't like fire, but as soon as Tasuki's back was turned another came up for the horses. These dogs were daredevils.
"Ko shi nan mi ento ka!" Chichiri shouted. From his staff emerged several red circles like ripples, waving out at the dogs like water on a shore. The dogs rambled about and confused themselves, finally yipping more and running off at top speed, rather saving their own hides than eating the ones of the horses'.
Everyone took a breath. Two of the horses had mild injuries, but they weren't too bad.
"Saori..." Tamahome panted. "Where's Saori?"
Miaka looked around frantically. "Do you think... they got her?" She cried.
"No." Chichiri answered. "She couldn't have gotten far, everyone, spread out and start looking!"
~
"Saori!"
"Saori-chan! Doko?!"
"SA-O-RI!"
"I can't sense her life force..." Chichiri said. "If she's hurt, she's near. Keep looking!"
~
Meanwhile, Saori ran, further and further into the desert.
To Soi-chan: Hey, new reviewer! Thanks! Seiryu will come n a bit more strongly, in the future I have a chapter almost intirely dedicated to them. Saori I find isn't nearly as annoying as Miaka. You don't know her? Haven't you watch Eikoden? Miaka has smaller parts, but I'm afraid Saori's role is only increasing for a little while!
To BD: Again, I love your compliments. Suboshi killed Tomo, because the homo was picking on Amiboshi. That's why Tomo has a grudge.
To Metajoker: Ah, good comments with you. Yes. Chiharu will check her use of apostrophes! I actually did consider them calling eachother by their realy names, seeing as how they would have growing up together most likely, but since they never refer to eachother like that in the anime, I decided not to. The closest I ever get to it is Suboshi referring to Amiboshi as "Aniki." But yes, you do have a point.
Hey, using "Shinkaku!!" would have been awesome! You know what, even thought the chapter's all ready posted, I think I'll change it to that, thanks! Thank you for the "this story is getting good" part too! I told ppl it would get remotely better as it went!
Chapter 43 : Call of the Seiryu
The book hit the floor hard, the pages losing track of where they left off.
"Su...boshi...?" Yui gasped, staring straight ahead into nothingness as tears formed in her eyes. Hikari looked up curious.
Yui fell down to her knees, clutching the carpet with her hands as the tears that quickly formed ran down the sides of her face. "Suboshi... no... why did you have to die, again?" With those words and memories, Yui's emotions let loose, and the tears and cries seemed almost never- ending.
Suboshi had been killed in Tokyo. Why? Because he had come there after her, to protect her, and he lost is life. Suboshi was killed when his spirit took over Amiboshi's body and he had died again, once again, protecting her. Now he died for a third time, only this time she wasn't there. Was that why? If she had been there... no, she was being foolish. She wasn't going to blame the Suzaku Seven, it wasn't their fault, it was an accident, just like with Amiboshi... except this time, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Suboshi, the one who had loved her so dearly in the book... was dead.
******************************
Saori fell at the rim of the cliff, staring in complete shock. Suboshi, a warrior of the Seiryu Seven, perhaps the one who had fought against them the most, was dead. Though he had threatened her life so many times, Saori always felt that he was good, somewhere deep down, though she had never spoken to him. All the good things she's heard about his brother, how could Suboshi be evil? Even so, was death the answer? He was so young, probably not much older than herself.
"Suboshi..." Nuriko trailed. "I know he's the enemy, but it's a bit of a shock, still."
Tamahome turned his head. "I know, but now Miaka's safer than she was yesterday."
"That's right." Miaka thought to herself. "Suboshi has tried to kill me, even more than that before. But still..." Miaka didn't know whether or not to shed any tears. "But still, ~what about Yui~?"
After a long moment of silence, in which Hotohori was healed for his injuries, someone finally spoke up.
"We should go, no da." Chichiri said, a little quietly.
"Yeah you guys, we need to get back." Inami added. She was one to take the impact a little lighter than everyone. She hadn't known the warrior, or his supposed brother for long at all.
"Saori." Nuriko knelt down by the girl as everyone began to leave. He pulled her arm up gently. "Saori, let's go."
Saori slowly stood up, not able to take her eyes off of the dark abyss lying at the bottom of the cliff. Eventually though, she had to. She followed Nuriko and the others back down the cliff, back to Sairo City.
They'd pass through Sairo City and get a few supplies, then head further south. There was another city there, the one where Seiryu had been summoned before. Perhaps they'd find good fortune there.
***********************************
"I'd leave him alone if I were you."
Mayo, who was about to open the door to a smaller tent. turned around at the woman's voice. Soi's stare told her enough, and Mayo stepped away from the tent, following the woman out.
The tent was empty except for a solitary person. He wasn't on either of the two beds in the room, but in the center of the floor, hunched over and gripping onto his shoulders tightly.
"Suboshi... Suboshi...." He whispered over and over through his heavy tears. "I should... have gone with him... Suboshi...." His entire body ached. He hurt from the mourning he couldn't control, the heartbreak within himself, like a part of his soul was missing. In many ways, it was. The bond between twins was closer than that of just a brother and sister.
Images of the Suzaku seven flashed through his mind. How could they do such a thing?
~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~
"What happened?" Nakago calmly asked. "We were involved in a fight with the Suzaku seven." Tomo said, his voice sourly honey-coated. "My illusions spells were broken with the help of the Magician and that Ambassador. We were outnumbered, and Suboshi, seeing how his powers are not fully developed, was sadly killed. He battled a losing fight with the majority of the Suzaku seven before being run off the cliff, which is when I escaped."
"You're lying!" Amiboshi cried.
"Come come, young Amiboshi. I wouldn't dare lie to Nakago, and you know that well off yourself." Tomo began walking out of the tent, past the shocked and crying Mayo. "Besides," He added before leaving, "Wasn't it the Suzaku seven who ~first~ killed your brother?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How could this happen? How could Suboshi, the person he cared more about than anyone else, be gone? He was murdered, beaten helplessly and thrown off a cliff. Amiboshi himself knew Suboshi couldn't fend off that many people.
"I still can't believe it though." Soi said as she sanded her nails in a tent with Nakago and Mayo. "Suboshi always was reckless, getting himself into trouble. I guess he had to face to consequences." Soi looked up. "Nakago, what are you doing?"
Nakago's hand was spread out over a small blue object, blue light radiated from his palm. "I told you tomorrow, didn't I?"
Soi smirked. "It's about time."
Mayo couldn't help but smile a bit herself. "Finally, it's finally going to happen."
"I'm just making the last preparations." Nakago said.
Just then, the tent cover on the entrance was moved, and a man stepped into the shadows.
Soi looked up, and Nakago turned around, a calm smirk on his face. "What do you need?." He asked coldly.
"I'm leaving." Amiboshi said lowly.
"In the middle of the night?" Soi asked. "Don't you know there are wolves out there?" Soi's voice was informative, but not caring.
"I'm doing as you wish, Nakago." Amiboshi said, cold himself.
"And what would that be?" The general questioned.
"I'm going..." Amiboshi tightened his grip on his flute. "After the Suzaku Seven." Without another word, Amiboshi closed his cold blue eyes and left the tent, two small wooden flutes tucked securely in his belt.
"Soi."
"Yes Nakago?"
Take Ashitare and go with him." Nakago smiled. "This may just get interesting."
**************************************
"Ah, a good night's rest is all I needed." Chiriko sighed, stretching his arms out.
"I think we could all use a little break." Nuriko commented.
"I'm hungry..." Miaka's stomach growled. "Hotohori, while we're hear, would it be okay if I got a little snack?"
"I think that would be all right." Hotohori answered as he walked down the hallway.
"I'd be careful your majesty, a snack to Miaka is more like a meal... or two."
"You can say that again." Tamahome agreed, yawning.
Saori ran to catch up with Miaka. "Say Miaka, can I have some of that snack too?"
"Make it fast at least." Inami said from beside Tasuki. "We need to get an early start."
"Inami's right, no da. I'll get a few more supplies and some more water, then we should leave while it's still early. It's not as hot during the day, no da."
"I'll head out with Chichiri, so no one get hurt, got it?" Mitsukake stated.
"We won't, don't worry." Miaka smiled. "We're heading south, right?"
"Yes." Chichiri answered. The red disk was now on his staff again.
"I'm kind of excited." Tamahome said. "While we're down there we might get to see Tokaki and Subaru again, if they're in good health." Tamahome remembered the days training with is master.
"Yeah." Tasuki said snidely. "Have fun, little ghost."
"OW!"
*************************************
"All right Hikari, all changed." Yui adjusted the diaper strap on one side a little better. It wasn't the baby's bedtime yet, but Yui didn't have much idea of what to do, and she needed her mind off of things. Yui had finally managed to dry her eyes and calm herself down, now wasn't the time for her tears. She took out a small bunny suit from the clothes Keisuke had brought over, and stood Hikari up with a bit of trouble, and put her small feet into the tiny slippers of the pajamas. Then came the arms, and the zipper. She picked Hikari up and gave her a big hug.
"Keisuke sure has a cute little niece, doesn't he?" Yui said, moving the child to her hip as she walked out of the room and down the hall. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, but Miaka says I'm your aunt Yui." The blonde smiled. "A little silly, isn't it?"
Hikari quietly replied with a yawn.
Yui patted the child's mussy hair down as she entered the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to get herself something to eat. She found a strawberry-banana yogurt and took it out, going over to a utensil drawer for a fork. She walked over to the small table, putting Hikari down on the floor, keeping an eye on her. Taking the lid off and dipping her spoon in, Yui was about to take a bite when something caught her eye.
Yui lowered her spoon and looked into the living room, which was fully visible from where she was. She stood up. "Just one moment Hikari-chan." She said. A bit of suspicion ran through her, and she walked into the living room. She saw that blue light again, and this time she knew it wasn't just her.
She looked around the living room, across the floor and couches, but the light was gone. Yui turned back to the door, still looking. "Odd..." She said.
Then she saw it again.
It was coming from the couch, or more so, the red book on the couch. Yui hesitantly walked towards it, not taking her eyes off the Chinese book. It was now radiating, flashing blue on and off. She knew this blue color. Approaching the book, her fingertips touched the cover, opening it to the pages.
"YUI!" Keisuke screamed, reaching for the doorknob, finding it locked. As he struggled for Tetsuya's spare keys mixed with his own, the interior of the apartment flashed blue through the cracks of the doorway, dimming down slowly as the lock turned and opened.
"Yui!" Keisuke shouted again, opening the door. The apartment was quiet. Nothing was out of place. It was still clean with the exception of a few things on the floor of the living room and the book resting on the couch. "Yui?! " Keisuke called. Maybe she left. He ran into the kitchen, and what he saw terrified him.
Hikari, sitting quietly on the floor, by herself. Yui wouldn't leave without Hikari.
"YUI!!" Keisuke screamed, running down the hall into Tetsuya's bedroom. Nothing. He ran into the bathroom, nothing. The apartment was empty.
"YUI!" He shouted, running into the living room. He dived for the couch, praying the hunch he had gotten at school was wrong. He opened the book to where the writing left off, reading frantically.
"Oh no..." Keisuke breathed hard, panicked. He had been right. The illegible writing, it had been about Yui. How was he going to tell Tetsuya...
...that his girlfriend was in the book?
***************************
"Miaka?" Tamahome asked, feeling Miaka stiffen on the horse in front of him. "Are you okay?"
Miaka shook her head hard. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just got the chills all of a sudden."
"How the heck can you get chills out here?" Inami asked, again suffering from the heat.
Tasuki looked ahead of them, seeing nothing but rocks, mountains, and desert... plus a few cacti here and there. "Yeah, I remember coming here last time... it took a while..."
"We'll get there eventually." Saori said from Hotohori's horse. Saori had a blanket thrown over her bare legs. It was warm, but best. Sairo didn't exactly have sunscreen, and Inami all ready was a bit burned herself, as was Miaka and Chiriko.
"Tell me more about them, more about Subaru and Tokaki." Saori asked.
"They had a spell put on them, well, a spell Subaru put on them." Hotohori said, remembering hearing it from the others, though he wasn't there. "It made them younger physically, but internally it would make them age faster."
"And that's what happened to Ta... Tatara? Is that the name?"
"Yes." Miaka answered. "Tatara was a good man, he was the one who had the Shinzaho of Byakko."
"Sure seems a lot tougher to get these shinzahos now than it was then." Saori commented.
Nuriko was just silent, listening in. Chiriko didn't say much either.
"We should water these horses within the next hour, Chichiri." Tasuki said.
Chichiri nodded. "That's true, no da. We don't want more dead horses."
"I have a strange feeling mine doesn't like me very much..." Mitsukake remarked, pulling the reins over a bit.
"Ha!" Tasuki laughed. "You must have the one I had last time." Tasuki joked. "Hey man, I think that horse just gave me a dirty look."
"Oh please." Inami sighed.
"I'm serious!" Tasuki eyed Mitsukake's horse suspiciously. "I think that horse is related to the possessed one I had... it must be a generation thing."
"Or it could be a heat thing." Inami stated. "The heat of this dang desert is getting to everyone, making us think horses are giving us evil looks or wolves are roaming the sand right now..." Inami squinted her eyes. "Uh, is that a wolf?"
Up ahead a dark gray blur moved around, though through the moving heat waves it was hard to see. It stopped for a moment, and then ran off.
"I think it's a coyote, actually." Chiriko spoke up. "They're more likely to prowl in the desert, though they don't come out in the day much."
"You're like a walking encyclopedia, Chiriko!" Saori giggled. "I should really get you to come back to Japan with me and help me do my homework!"
Chiriko smiled.
"Japan..." Miaka trailed off. "Tamahome, I wonder how Yui and Keisuke are doing, and Tetsuya too."
Tamahome put a hand on Miaka's shoulder. "Don't worry, they're fine."
"I really miss them, and Hikari. How long has it been...?"
"Saori," Tasuki began, "Didn't you say you weren't going back without Mayo?"
Nuriko smacked the bandit on the back of the head best he could from his horse. "Tasuki! Don't bring that up!"
"It's okay, really." Saori smiled. "I'll get her back eventually, I just have to hope I run into her, that's all."
"There, you see? You offended her." Nuriko whispered loudly.
"I did not, she said it was okay!" Tasuki shot back.
"She just said that so you wouldn't feel guilty! Women do that all the time!"
"No they don't!"
"Hey, Inami," Nuriko whispered a bit louder. "Do women lie to make guys..."
"All the time." Inami answered.
"What?!" Tasuki said, rather loudly. "How am I supposed to know whether or not you're tellin' me the truth now?"
Saori gazed down at the main of the brown horse she road as the three argued in the background. Mayo, she had just managed to clear her mind about that. It was way more difficult to see her friend than she had realized, and still, after all this time, hadn't even gotten a glimpse of her. Everyone wondered why Mayo became the priestess of Seiryu and attacked Miaka like she did, but they could never know what she knew.
~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~
"Saori? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Sakaki asked as she opened the door to see the brunette standing there, books in hand and still dressed in her uniform.
Saori bowed. "Gomen, but I know Mayo wasn't at school today, and I brought her the work we did."
Mrs. Sakaki smiled. "That's so nice of you, Saori. Yes, Mayo was feeling rather ill today, but I'm sure she'll enjoy seeing you. She's upstairs in her room." The woman opened the door wider for Saori to enter. Saori came in and took her shoes off, walking up the stairs in the front to the upper level.
"Ah!" Saori said, stopping at the top and rearranging her books and papers. Her English book was trying to slip away. Once she made sure everything was together, she turned left down the short hallway. Mayo's room was the last room on the right. Upon arrival, Saori shifted her books to one side to free an arm, grabbing hold of the doorknob and twisting it, opening the door.
"Mayo, I brought you your homework so you don't get left behind and..." Saori gasped, dropping each and every book and paper to the floor. "MAYO!" She screamed, running over to the red head on the bed. "Mayo, DON'T!" She screamed, running over.
"Saori! Stop it! Leave me ALONE!" Mayo screamed, trying to get the brunette off of her.
"Mayo, please! Don't do this!" Saori pushed Mayo over on her bed, trying to wrestle the knife out of her best friend's hands.
Mayo squirmed and struggled under her friend. Saori pushed all of her weight onto Mayo's hand until Mayo was forced to let go of the kitchen blade. Saori quickly scooped it up in her hands and ran off the bed.
Mayo sat up and leaned over into a fetal position crying, hiding her face from the other girl in the room.
Saori was breathing hard. She put the knife on the desk and closed the door, pushing away most of the books back into the hallway. She ran over to Mayo and put her arms around her, holding her close as the red head wept.
"Mayo, it'll be all right. Please..." Saori begged her crying friend, who was now holding onto one of Saori's arms. "Suicide won't make anything better, believe me. Things will clear up..." Saori felt herself start to cry as she hugged Mayo closer. "Shhh..." She said, trying to comfort the trouble girl in her arms. "It's okay Mayo..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what if I did lie about something like that?"
"That's not the point! Ack! Stop screwin' up my brains!"
"You're screwed up enough, red!" Nuriko shouted.
Hotohori sighed after looking back at the arguing trio, seeing Nuriko and Inami begin to team up on Tasuki. He looked ahead of him, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes.
"Hotohori?"
Hotohori looked down at the small girl. "Yes?"
Saori looked down into the sand in front of her. "Hotohori, do you ever wish you weren't an emperor?" She asked quietly.
Hotohori was a bit taken back by the question. "What make you think that?"
Saori sighed. "I guess, I just think everyone doesn't want... or doesn't like something or other in their lives every now and then..."
Hotohori thought. "I suppose there may have been times, but I choose to use my power to help those in my country..."
"Exactly." Saori quietly spoke. "So, there is a good way to look at it, and if you choose, you could always look at it badly, couldn't you?"
"Yes..." Hotohori answered.
Saori lifted her head a little and stared off into the desert. "Everything has a good side and a bad side, Hotohori. Why can't everyone understand that? Why do some people see the bad side, the dark side before the light? The glass half empty, instead of half full?"
Hotohori closed his eyes. "Saori, I have a feeling this conversation goes deeper than I think."
Saori didn't answer.
"How did this start again?"
"It started with you two... no, THREE loud mouths getting hyped up over nothing!" Tamahome interjected. "My ears hurt!"
"Excuse me?" Inami called over from her horse. "Are you asking to join in? Because believe me, I have a handful of things I can say about you..."
"Yeah Tamahome, you got a problem?" Tasuki asked.
"AH! I can't take it anymore!" Tamahome shouted.
Miaka patted him on the shoulder.
"There there, Tama-kins." Nuriko smiled.
Tamahome sighed.
Inami and Tasuki looked at each other, and began cracking up.
"Why the hell is that so funny?!" Tamahome shouted.
"I think you all have a few problems no da." Chichiri interjected. "I think the heats gotten to all of you, no da."
"Hotohori?"
"Yes?"
Saori smiled softly. "Tell me a bit more about Boushin. I really miss talking to him, and you two are a lot alike."
Hotohori thought. "Very well then, where should I start?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm beat." Tasuki keeled over onto one of the several small beds laid out in a room.
The group had reached a way station about and hour or two past sundown. There were two or three inns, a small supply store and water pump, plus a small doctor's office. About the only people that lived there were the people that ran the businesses, though there were a few civilians. It honestly would take 5 minutes to walk from one side of the whole place to the next.
Inami sat down on the edge of the bed where Tasuki was lying down, putting her arms behind her for support. "You're telling me..."
Miaka sighed, taking off the parcel around her neck. "I really thought that rattle snake was going to kill us."
Saori laughed. "Hotohori took care of it. Honestly, it's one snake against all of these guys?"
"Yeah," Miaka smiled, "You're right."
"This is so weird!" Saori looked around. "All of us in the same room! Coolie!"
Nuriko looked around. "As long as no one's a loud sleeper..." He yawned, stretching. "Cause I need my beauty sleep..."
"I guess they must expect large groups of people to come by here if they have rooms stocked like these." Hotohori looked around. It was a bit of a damper compared to the lush beds in the Konan palace.
Chichiri untied his cloak. "We should hurry to bed, no da, so we can get an early rise."
He heard a chorus of moans throughout the room.
"Again?" Tasuki asked. "All we do is get up early... Back at Reikaku, we get up whenever we want... sorta."
"It's called discipline." Inami joked, playing with one of Tasuki's necklaces.
"Chichiri, do you know where I can change?" Miaka asked.
"Can't you just sleep in those?" Tamahome asked.
Saori and Miaka gave Tamahome a weird look.
"Yeah, Tama, if we were MEN, I'm sure we could." Saori snapped.
"We'll take care of it in a moment, no da." Chichiri smiled. "I'm going to run outside and get some of our supplies off the horses, no da."
Saori ran to the door in front of Chichiri. "Don't worry about it!" She called. "I'll go get them for you! You need a break!"
Chichiri smiled through his mask. "Thanks you Saori."
Saori smiled as she opened the door and ran outside.
"Okay, I want all the girls over in these beds." Nuriko instructed.
"Why is that?" Tasuki asked.
Nuriko raised an eyebrow. "If they're going to be in a room with seven men, they need to be together and AWAY. The only exception would be Miaka and Tamahome."
"Nuriko, exactly what do you take me for?" Inami laughed.
"It's what I take HIM for." Nuriko joked, getting a look from Tasuki.
Saori skipped down the white painted stairs to where the horses were tied up. She was suddenly in a good mood and had a good amount of energy left. She walked over to Nuriko's horse, which had the most supplies.
"Let's see..." She patted the horse and pushed the saddle over a bit to look into the saddlebags. She took off the two canteens and put them around her neck and over her shoulder, and continued sifting through the supplies. "I don't think we'll need bandages... well, maybe, if Miaka wants to change the one on her finger..." Saori lifted off one of the saddlebags, one with a strap like the canteen, and put it over her shoulder. She put a few bandages and of course, snacks. She found a washcloth and some soap too.
Saori moved to the other horse, Chichiri's, which had even more supplies on it. She reached under the patient mare and unhooked the belt to the saddle to remove the linked bags better.
Saori looked around. "Funny..." She said to herself, "I thought I heard something." Shrugging, Saori went back to the bags, tugging at them until they released from under the leather saddle. She put the fairly heavy bags over her forearms and started back to the inn, when she heard it.
Saori stiffened. She slowly looked to her left.
Dogs, wolves...
"Coyotes..." Saori whispered. There were at least six of them, and they weren't too far away either.
Saori was frozen in place. She didn't dare move, she didn't dare breath. The coyotes were a lot bigger than they had seemed before, and they were all glaring at her, growling. She heard a horse behind her paw at the ground.
Saori stepped back. "Uh... guys?" She whispered, not wanting to be loud in fear that the coyotes would attack, but the others wouldn't be able to heal her. "Guys?" She whispered again.
Finally, the front dog barked and started running for her, the others following.
"AAAAAHHH!" Saori screamed, dropping the bags in her hands and running for it. The horses around her neighed loudly and pulled at the reins that held them. A few of the dogs stopped to get at the horses, but two of them took after the running bait.
"HELP!!!" Saori screamed, running as fast as she could.
"Saori?" Tamahome sat up from his bed. He exchanged glances with Chichiri, and everyone started heading for the door when they heard another scream.
"HELP!!!!"
"GO!" Hotohori ordered. When everyone got outside, they saw five coyotes jumping at the horses, which were baying and jumping frantically.
"Wild Coyotes?!" Tamahome shouted.
Hotohori and Chichiri ran down the stairs. "Where's Saori?!"
"Rekka, Shinen!!!"
Saori ran faster. Her side started to ache, but the adrenaline kept her going. She wasn't even at the way station anymore, but she could hear the coyotes' panting and running behind her. She may have been an athlete when it came to basketball, but she didn't know much about track.
"Help! SOMEONE!" She screamed again, running over to a wide area scattered with rocks. She didn't look back, she just kept running.
Saori ran around one rock and jumped over another, finding the ground on the other side to be lower than she had expected. She stumbled her landing but forced herself up again, still running. She could hear at least one dog still after her, and she didn't want to listen enough to see if two were on her tail.
Saori darted across a plain of sand before hitting several rocks again, barely a space in between them. She grabbed onto the top of one and pulled herself up, tumbling down its edge before hitting another. She crawled under it, finding solid ground on the other side. She turned to avoid hitting more rocks as she kept running, as far as she could get on plain ground. The dogs chasing her ran better on plain ground... heck, they ran better on anything. So now Saori had two choices. Try to lose them, or see what would run out first, their energy or her adrenaline. She pushed the thought out of her mind as she ducked under a stone ledge and took off across more sand, her lungs burning for air.
"Rekka, SHINEN!"
"ARF!" A coyote yipped. The dogs definitely didn't like fire, but as soon as Tasuki's back was turned another came up for the horses. These dogs were daredevils.
"Ko shi nan mi ento ka!" Chichiri shouted. From his staff emerged several red circles like ripples, waving out at the dogs like water on a shore. The dogs rambled about and confused themselves, finally yipping more and running off at top speed, rather saving their own hides than eating the ones of the horses'.
Everyone took a breath. Two of the horses had mild injuries, but they weren't too bad.
"Saori..." Tamahome panted. "Where's Saori?"
Miaka looked around frantically. "Do you think... they got her?" She cried.
"No." Chichiri answered. "She couldn't have gotten far, everyone, spread out and start looking!"
~
"Saori!"
"Saori-chan! Doko?!"
"SA-O-RI!"
"I can't sense her life force..." Chichiri said. "If she's hurt, she's near. Keep looking!"
~
Meanwhile, Saori ran, further and further into the desert.