To Metajoker: Ah yes, our Inami-hater. Someday she'll do something you
like, I hope. (Of course I can tell you right now she's going to do a few
tings you'll absolutely hate her for.) I do think it was really meant as a
joke! In chapter 52 I believe Saori makes a few connections that could
possibly answer the first part of your review about Mayo. Tell me which
characters you DO like, and I'll see if I can't give them more air-time.
^_^
To BD: Again, thank you for your comments. I probably still miss them, but you have no idea how hard I try to find the "Throughs" and "Threws" in my chapters!
Chapter 50 : Fare Well Saori, Welcome Back
The Suzaku group walked down a fairly wide dirt road, the trees and forestry on either side growing more lush and dense the further east they went. There was a good chance of reaching the large Kutou gates by nightfall, but if that was the case, they'd wait until morning to enter.
Tamahome and Tasuki walked, leading their horses behind them. Not much direction needed to be given, all that was in front of them was more long, stretching rode. They had passed by a merchant a little ways back, but other than that is was pretty quiet. Miaka thought she had seen a tiger, but it was just a fern. So now everyone just traveled in quiet- At least until the bright red and yellow sparks began flying in front of Mitsukake's horse.
"What the?!" Tasuki shouted, turning around and whipping out his fan.
Mitsukake and Inami's horses, which were closest, began bucking madly from the fright. The sparks shot up almost vertically, lashing out like lightening.
"What's going on?!" Tamahome yelled, pulling his horse with Miaka away from the light.
Nuriko jumped off his own horse and cautiously walked towards the growing sparks. Mitsukake calmed his animal down but Inami lost her grip, luckily catching herself 2 feet before she hit the ground.
"Something's commin up!" Tasuki pointed. It was a dark blue wave of fabric, growing and spreading out within the colorful flashes.
Tamahome lit up. "That cloak!"
"About time." Nuriko put his hands on his hip.
Finally, the sparks stopped and the cloak fell, revealing its captors. A pair of brown eyes blinked at their new surroundings.
"Saori!" Chiriko yelped, jumping off of his horse.
"Saori!" Miaka and Nuriko shouted.
"You guys!" Saori exclaimed, finally realizing where she was. In her excitement she leapt into Nuriko, squeezing him tightly. It didn't take long for pretty much everyone else to swarm over.
"She's back safe and sound, na no da." Chichiri commented, smiling.
"So THAT'S where you went." Tasuki said, rubbing the top of Saori's head.
"Chichiri, you're hurt." Inami stated, looking at the cut on his knee. That phrase seemed to immediately get Mitsukake's attention.
Chichiri nodded. "I had a bit of a run in with the Seiryu seven, but not much, no da." He turned to Mitsukake. "Mitsukake, if you could. can you heal my leg and my arm, no da?"
"You're arm?" Saori asked.
Chichiri nodded. "I'm pretty sure it broke when Nakago hit me with his chi blast, no da."
Saori stared at him. Didn't this guy feel pain?
"HOLD IT!" Tasuki said, finally hearing things out. "The Seiryu Seven? Nakago? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Seiryu?" Tamahome echoed.
Chichiri began to explain as Mitsukake began healing his left arm, which was fracture below the shoulder. "That's where Saori was, no da."
Everyone went bug-eyed at Saori.
Saori bit her lip. "This might take a second to explain...."
~
"SUBOSHI?!" About half the group shouted at once. Most of them had had unsuitable run-ins with the boy.
Saori nodded timidly, seeing the reaction. "I found him in the middle of the desert, he was really hurt."
"I'm not surprised." Tamahome said a bit coldly.
Saori tried to smile at him. "After a while none came to find us, so I asked him where his camp was and I took him there..."
"You spoke with him?" Inami questioned.
Saori nodded. "Only a little, he was really hurt."
"And he didn't try to kill ya?" Tasuki asked.
Saori shook her head. "I don't think he could have if he wanted to, like I said..."
"Saori," Miaka sounded concerned, "Did they... do anything to you?"
"Oh no!" Saori held her hands up, waving them. "I was only there for about a day, I stayed with Mayo the whole time..."
"You finally saw her?" Nuriko asked.
Saori nodded, but a gloomy expression came over her face. She tried to hide it. "She's healthy and everything. She's being treated all right."
Nuriko saw Saori's sudden discomfort. "Uh... well then, you'll fill us in later." He stood up, brushing off his robe. "We need to be moving."
"Hey Chichiri," Tasuki began, "If the Seiryu Seven are still in Sairo, shouldn't we be safe in Kutou?"
"I'm afraid not, no da." Chichiri responded. "The Seiryu could show up unexpectedly, no da. We need to dull down our chi as much as possible, even before we reach the main gates."
Chiriko nodded. "That would be best."
As everyone began walking out of the shade of the tree and back to the horses, Saori grabbed onto Miaka's arm, turning her around.
"Saori, what is it?" Miaka asked.
Saori looked at Miaka seriously. "Miaka, It's... important. When... when I was at that camp..."
Miaka watch with wide eyes and Tamahome turned around further up.
"Miaka-sempai..." Saori paused, "I heard Yui, I heard her voice. Miaka, I think... I think she's up there!"
Miaka froze to the ground, hearing her heart stop.
************************************
"How's my girl?" The shorthaired woman said, lifting Hikari off the ground and into the air. "I missed you so much!"
Keisuke smiled. "See? She's all in one piece. Aren't I a good babysitter?"
Ms. Yuuki nodded. "Of course you are honey." She snuggled Hikari to her cheek. "I can't wait until I get to hold one of yours."
Keisuke lifted an eyebrow as his mother walked into the kitchen with Hikari. Curious, Keisuke pulled out the Universe of the Four Gods from his small duffle, opening it up to his marked place.
"Ring......"
"Ring......"
"Ring....."
Keisuke leaned against the wall as the phone rang, listening to his mother in the other room.
"You've reached the office of...."
Keisuke hung up the phone before the message finished. He picked it up again, dialing in a new number--Tetsuya's cell.
"Ring....."
"Ring....."
"Moshi moshi?"
"Tetsuya!" Keisuke yelled before remembering to keep his voice down. "Tetsuya, where the hell are you?"
"I'm driving home...." Tetsuya answered as if Keisuke was a total moron.
"All right, I'll meet you at your apartment."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"You bet." Keisuke answered. "Saori's returned to Miaka and the others. Tetsuya, they know Yui's in the book, and Saori just told them exactly where she is."
******************************************
"Miaka, listen to me." Tamahome said quietly but firmly, alone with Miaka under a tree a few meters of f the road. They were alone.
Miaka turned her head away from Tamahome, a defiant aura about her. "No." She stated.
Tamahome sighed, taking grasp of Miaka's shoulders. "Miaka, we can't go back for Yui right now, and you know it." His voice was sympathetic. "Right now our first priorities are to collect the rest of the shinzaho clues. We need to do at least that."
Miaka shook her head slowly, her eyes watery. "Tamahome... I can't. I can't leave her..."
"Miaka." Tamahome continued, still serious, "Yui is the priestess... she was the priestess of Seiryu. I don't know why she's in this world... or even why she's with them, but I don't think they'll do any harm to her."
Miaka didn't answer, but a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Tamahome released her shoulders. "Miaka..." He knelt down slightly, lowering his head just a bit below hers so he could see her face. "You know I care about Yui just like you, but I need you to trust me on this. Think about the others and how far they've come, they're doing it for you. Please don't let them down." He whispered.
Miaka lifted an arm and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She finally looked into Tamahome's eyes. She noticed they looked more violet than what she was used to. "Tamahome... Yui, she'll be safe?"
Tamahome nodded. "After all this is over, we'll get her back, I promise."
New tears formed in Miaka's eyes. "Tamahome!" She said, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face into her neck, sobbing lightly.
Tamahome put a hand behind her head, slowly standing up again. He pulled away from her slightly, leaning over and warmly kissing her. His kiss was soft but brief, and he pulled back again. He wiped a tear away from Miaka's cheek. "Let's go catch up to the others, we don't want them getting to far ahead."
Miaka nodded, holding onto Tamahome's hand as they walked back to their solitary horse on the rode.
"Saori?"
Saori looked back forward to Nuriko, who rode on the horse in front of her. "Hm?"
Nuriko smiled. "They're coming, don't worry."
Saori smiled. "I won't." Of course, Tamahome and Miaka were only half of what she was thinking. Her mind buzzed around the thought of Yui. She knew it was she; there was no doubt in her mind. But why? Did Mayo know about it? What are Keisuke and Tetsuya doing?
Two green eyes looked back at Nuriko and Saori, almost wanting to hear Saori's thoughts.
"What's up?" Tasuki asked, noticing Inami's concentration.
Inami slowly looked forward again. "Just... that name. Yui, it sounds familiar."
Tasuki nodded. "She's Miaka's friend. You probably heard Miaka mention her."
"Perhaps." Inami sighed. "How much longer until we're at the gates?"
"Hopefully around nightfall, no da." Chichiri answered. "We'll camp out a few miles before we actually reach them, no da."
"That would make sense." Mitsukake added.
****************************
"Sire, are you ready?"
The young, slender man in the shadows turned around, stroking his black beard with his thumb and index finger. "Not quite Karin. Especially without my head general."
The man nodded. "We have fleets one through five prepared."
The emperor nodded. "That will do for the time being. I want all the spies to obtain surveillance."
"Yes, Highness."
***************************
The blinkers shut off on Keisuke's car as he turned the corner into the parking lot of one of Japan's many apartment buildings. Keisuke luckily got to leave his niece with his mother, and now he couldn't even remember the excuse he gave for leaving so quickly. Something to do with laundry detergent...
It took Keisuke quite a while to find a decent parking spot, and the one he got pulled next to the curve in the rear of the building. He quickly got out of the car with the book, shutting the door behind him. He sprinted to the front of the building and up the first flight of stairs, crossing across an outdoor hallway before taking another flight. He was out of breath by the time he hit the bell on Tetsuya's door. As if it were automatic, the door swung open immediately and a hand shot out, grabbing Keisuke by the collar and yanking him in, the door slamming behind him.
"Whoah!" Keisuke said, regaining his balance. The book was swiped out of his hands and Tetsuya began thumbing through it.
"Where'd you leave off?" He asked.
"Where the writing stops." Keisuke said bluntly.
"Anything else happen?"
"Nope, I haven't read it."
"WHAT?" Tetsuya asked, pacing through his living room to a chair. "Yui's actually GOT a chance being rescued and you're not reading?"
Keisuke sighed, sitting on a chair near the door. "Tetsuya, this book is the only thing I've cared to read in my entire LIFE other than dirty magazines, and sadly I don't have those anymore. Even with my own sister in this, I can't read Chinese kanji every minute of the day."
"Yeah yeah..." Tetsuya waved his comment aside, finally landing on his spot. He began reading quietly to himself again, a thing that still drove Keisuke mad.
Keisuke got up. "Got any beer?"
"I dunno. Check the fridge." Tetsuya replied, uninterested. "They're headed to Kutou?"
"Oh... yeah." Keisuke rooted his hand through the shelves on the fridge.
"You're such an idiot sometimes." Tetsuya mumbled, running his fingers down the black characters as he read.
"Why do you ask?" Keisuke questioned, pulling a quart of milk out of the fridge.
"Because they're there."
To BD: Again, thank you for your comments. I probably still miss them, but you have no idea how hard I try to find the "Throughs" and "Threws" in my chapters!
Chapter 50 : Fare Well Saori, Welcome Back
The Suzaku group walked down a fairly wide dirt road, the trees and forestry on either side growing more lush and dense the further east they went. There was a good chance of reaching the large Kutou gates by nightfall, but if that was the case, they'd wait until morning to enter.
Tamahome and Tasuki walked, leading their horses behind them. Not much direction needed to be given, all that was in front of them was more long, stretching rode. They had passed by a merchant a little ways back, but other than that is was pretty quiet. Miaka thought she had seen a tiger, but it was just a fern. So now everyone just traveled in quiet- At least until the bright red and yellow sparks began flying in front of Mitsukake's horse.
"What the?!" Tasuki shouted, turning around and whipping out his fan.
Mitsukake and Inami's horses, which were closest, began bucking madly from the fright. The sparks shot up almost vertically, lashing out like lightening.
"What's going on?!" Tamahome yelled, pulling his horse with Miaka away from the light.
Nuriko jumped off his own horse and cautiously walked towards the growing sparks. Mitsukake calmed his animal down but Inami lost her grip, luckily catching herself 2 feet before she hit the ground.
"Something's commin up!" Tasuki pointed. It was a dark blue wave of fabric, growing and spreading out within the colorful flashes.
Tamahome lit up. "That cloak!"
"About time." Nuriko put his hands on his hip.
Finally, the sparks stopped and the cloak fell, revealing its captors. A pair of brown eyes blinked at their new surroundings.
"Saori!" Chiriko yelped, jumping off of his horse.
"Saori!" Miaka and Nuriko shouted.
"You guys!" Saori exclaimed, finally realizing where she was. In her excitement she leapt into Nuriko, squeezing him tightly. It didn't take long for pretty much everyone else to swarm over.
"She's back safe and sound, na no da." Chichiri commented, smiling.
"So THAT'S where you went." Tasuki said, rubbing the top of Saori's head.
"Chichiri, you're hurt." Inami stated, looking at the cut on his knee. That phrase seemed to immediately get Mitsukake's attention.
Chichiri nodded. "I had a bit of a run in with the Seiryu seven, but not much, no da." He turned to Mitsukake. "Mitsukake, if you could. can you heal my leg and my arm, no da?"
"You're arm?" Saori asked.
Chichiri nodded. "I'm pretty sure it broke when Nakago hit me with his chi blast, no da."
Saori stared at him. Didn't this guy feel pain?
"HOLD IT!" Tasuki said, finally hearing things out. "The Seiryu Seven? Nakago? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Seiryu?" Tamahome echoed.
Chichiri began to explain as Mitsukake began healing his left arm, which was fracture below the shoulder. "That's where Saori was, no da."
Everyone went bug-eyed at Saori.
Saori bit her lip. "This might take a second to explain...."
~
"SUBOSHI?!" About half the group shouted at once. Most of them had had unsuitable run-ins with the boy.
Saori nodded timidly, seeing the reaction. "I found him in the middle of the desert, he was really hurt."
"I'm not surprised." Tamahome said a bit coldly.
Saori tried to smile at him. "After a while none came to find us, so I asked him where his camp was and I took him there..."
"You spoke with him?" Inami questioned.
Saori nodded. "Only a little, he was really hurt."
"And he didn't try to kill ya?" Tasuki asked.
Saori shook her head. "I don't think he could have if he wanted to, like I said..."
"Saori," Miaka sounded concerned, "Did they... do anything to you?"
"Oh no!" Saori held her hands up, waving them. "I was only there for about a day, I stayed with Mayo the whole time..."
"You finally saw her?" Nuriko asked.
Saori nodded, but a gloomy expression came over her face. She tried to hide it. "She's healthy and everything. She's being treated all right."
Nuriko saw Saori's sudden discomfort. "Uh... well then, you'll fill us in later." He stood up, brushing off his robe. "We need to be moving."
"Hey Chichiri," Tasuki began, "If the Seiryu Seven are still in Sairo, shouldn't we be safe in Kutou?"
"I'm afraid not, no da." Chichiri responded. "The Seiryu could show up unexpectedly, no da. We need to dull down our chi as much as possible, even before we reach the main gates."
Chiriko nodded. "That would be best."
As everyone began walking out of the shade of the tree and back to the horses, Saori grabbed onto Miaka's arm, turning her around.
"Saori, what is it?" Miaka asked.
Saori looked at Miaka seriously. "Miaka, It's... important. When... when I was at that camp..."
Miaka watch with wide eyes and Tamahome turned around further up.
"Miaka-sempai..." Saori paused, "I heard Yui, I heard her voice. Miaka, I think... I think she's up there!"
Miaka froze to the ground, hearing her heart stop.
************************************
"How's my girl?" The shorthaired woman said, lifting Hikari off the ground and into the air. "I missed you so much!"
Keisuke smiled. "See? She's all in one piece. Aren't I a good babysitter?"
Ms. Yuuki nodded. "Of course you are honey." She snuggled Hikari to her cheek. "I can't wait until I get to hold one of yours."
Keisuke lifted an eyebrow as his mother walked into the kitchen with Hikari. Curious, Keisuke pulled out the Universe of the Four Gods from his small duffle, opening it up to his marked place.
"Ring......"
"Ring......"
"Ring....."
Keisuke leaned against the wall as the phone rang, listening to his mother in the other room.
"You've reached the office of...."
Keisuke hung up the phone before the message finished. He picked it up again, dialing in a new number--Tetsuya's cell.
"Ring....."
"Ring....."
"Moshi moshi?"
"Tetsuya!" Keisuke yelled before remembering to keep his voice down. "Tetsuya, where the hell are you?"
"I'm driving home...." Tetsuya answered as if Keisuke was a total moron.
"All right, I'll meet you at your apartment."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"You bet." Keisuke answered. "Saori's returned to Miaka and the others. Tetsuya, they know Yui's in the book, and Saori just told them exactly where she is."
******************************************
"Miaka, listen to me." Tamahome said quietly but firmly, alone with Miaka under a tree a few meters of f the road. They were alone.
Miaka turned her head away from Tamahome, a defiant aura about her. "No." She stated.
Tamahome sighed, taking grasp of Miaka's shoulders. "Miaka, we can't go back for Yui right now, and you know it." His voice was sympathetic. "Right now our first priorities are to collect the rest of the shinzaho clues. We need to do at least that."
Miaka shook her head slowly, her eyes watery. "Tamahome... I can't. I can't leave her..."
"Miaka." Tamahome continued, still serious, "Yui is the priestess... she was the priestess of Seiryu. I don't know why she's in this world... or even why she's with them, but I don't think they'll do any harm to her."
Miaka didn't answer, but a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Tamahome released her shoulders. "Miaka..." He knelt down slightly, lowering his head just a bit below hers so he could see her face. "You know I care about Yui just like you, but I need you to trust me on this. Think about the others and how far they've come, they're doing it for you. Please don't let them down." He whispered.
Miaka lifted an arm and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She finally looked into Tamahome's eyes. She noticed they looked more violet than what she was used to. "Tamahome... Yui, she'll be safe?"
Tamahome nodded. "After all this is over, we'll get her back, I promise."
New tears formed in Miaka's eyes. "Tamahome!" She said, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face into her neck, sobbing lightly.
Tamahome put a hand behind her head, slowly standing up again. He pulled away from her slightly, leaning over and warmly kissing her. His kiss was soft but brief, and he pulled back again. He wiped a tear away from Miaka's cheek. "Let's go catch up to the others, we don't want them getting to far ahead."
Miaka nodded, holding onto Tamahome's hand as they walked back to their solitary horse on the rode.
"Saori?"
Saori looked back forward to Nuriko, who rode on the horse in front of her. "Hm?"
Nuriko smiled. "They're coming, don't worry."
Saori smiled. "I won't." Of course, Tamahome and Miaka were only half of what she was thinking. Her mind buzzed around the thought of Yui. She knew it was she; there was no doubt in her mind. But why? Did Mayo know about it? What are Keisuke and Tetsuya doing?
Two green eyes looked back at Nuriko and Saori, almost wanting to hear Saori's thoughts.
"What's up?" Tasuki asked, noticing Inami's concentration.
Inami slowly looked forward again. "Just... that name. Yui, it sounds familiar."
Tasuki nodded. "She's Miaka's friend. You probably heard Miaka mention her."
"Perhaps." Inami sighed. "How much longer until we're at the gates?"
"Hopefully around nightfall, no da." Chichiri answered. "We'll camp out a few miles before we actually reach them, no da."
"That would make sense." Mitsukake added.
****************************
"Sire, are you ready?"
The young, slender man in the shadows turned around, stroking his black beard with his thumb and index finger. "Not quite Karin. Especially without my head general."
The man nodded. "We have fleets one through five prepared."
The emperor nodded. "That will do for the time being. I want all the spies to obtain surveillance."
"Yes, Highness."
***************************
The blinkers shut off on Keisuke's car as he turned the corner into the parking lot of one of Japan's many apartment buildings. Keisuke luckily got to leave his niece with his mother, and now he couldn't even remember the excuse he gave for leaving so quickly. Something to do with laundry detergent...
It took Keisuke quite a while to find a decent parking spot, and the one he got pulled next to the curve in the rear of the building. He quickly got out of the car with the book, shutting the door behind him. He sprinted to the front of the building and up the first flight of stairs, crossing across an outdoor hallway before taking another flight. He was out of breath by the time he hit the bell on Tetsuya's door. As if it were automatic, the door swung open immediately and a hand shot out, grabbing Keisuke by the collar and yanking him in, the door slamming behind him.
"Whoah!" Keisuke said, regaining his balance. The book was swiped out of his hands and Tetsuya began thumbing through it.
"Where'd you leave off?" He asked.
"Where the writing stops." Keisuke said bluntly.
"Anything else happen?"
"Nope, I haven't read it."
"WHAT?" Tetsuya asked, pacing through his living room to a chair. "Yui's actually GOT a chance being rescued and you're not reading?"
Keisuke sighed, sitting on a chair near the door. "Tetsuya, this book is the only thing I've cared to read in my entire LIFE other than dirty magazines, and sadly I don't have those anymore. Even with my own sister in this, I can't read Chinese kanji every minute of the day."
"Yeah yeah..." Tetsuya waved his comment aside, finally landing on his spot. He began reading quietly to himself again, a thing that still drove Keisuke mad.
Keisuke got up. "Got any beer?"
"I dunno. Check the fridge." Tetsuya replied, uninterested. "They're headed to Kutou?"
"Oh... yeah." Keisuke rooted his hand through the shelves on the fridge.
"You're such an idiot sometimes." Tetsuya mumbled, running his fingers down the black characters as he read.
"Why do you ask?" Keisuke questioned, pulling a quart of milk out of the fridge.
"Because they're there."