To Metajoker: I can't wait to see what your review is for an upcoming
chapter... ^_^;;; I've had several people review saying Tasuki was theirs! I
find it all quite entertaing!
To Amaya: I did the thing with Toroki mainly because I missed those characters! Oh well, the others I killed/will kill off I won't miss too much. *laughs evilly*
To MaryDfair: They did feel it when he was mortally wounded, end of chapter 62, remember? I must say I got a kick out of your Inami-Tasuki comment. We'll see for the future, but I do try to keep this PG13!
To Chibi-face: I really liked your review. You had good opinions and ideas. I'm glad you find my "angle" interesting! Thanks for reading too!
Author's note: When naming the monster in chapter 63, I could not remember for the life of me what if was, and hanks to Amaya, I now It it's the "shikonki".
I'm REALLY sorry for the late update. Part of it is because of laziness and lack of time, the other part is because ffnet hasn't let me upload anything.
To the story...
Chapter 64 : One Short Breath Away
Miaka opened the door to Saori's bedroom quietly, but released any caution when she saw that Saori was fully awake and sitting on the corner of her bed, working at some odd handicraft.
She looked over. "Oh, hi Miaka!" She said in her usual cheerfulness. "Where's Tamahome?"
"He's sleeping still." Miaka smiled back. "It's just too early for him, I suppose."
Saori laughed. "Doesn't he usually get up before you?"
Miaka shrugged. "What are you doing?"
Saori was forming a round ring in her hands from what looked like paper and some sort of wire. "Oh, you'll see. It'll be great if it works."
"Uh... okay then..." Miaka looked around Saori's room. "Do you need any help?" She finally asked.
"Huh? Oh no, that's okay." She crumbled the outer ring of paper in her hands. "Actually, you can help me with something."
"What?"
"You know the long paper they have here? Like this?" She put the ring down and held her hands out to show the size .
"You mean the kind for scrolls and stuff?" Miaka questioned.
"Yeah." Saori picked the ring back up. Can you get me one or two more sheets of those?"
"Sure!" Miaka said happily. She turned on her heel and headed out the door, leaving it a crack open.
"I wish I had tape so bad right now..." Saori commented to herself.
~
Miaka walked with a light step down the hallway. Inami's room was nearby, and she knew with all the weird things she had to do she'd have some of the paper she was looking for. By watching the Priestess, you could tell Tamahome had succeeded in cheering her up over the past few days. Even now the thoughts of the shinzahos and problems going about didn't seem to weigh down on her mind.
Since Saori was all ready up, Miaka assumed that Inami would be too, so she opened the door to the ambassador's room and walked in.
"Inami, I was..."
Miaka stopped short in her speech, but then a calming smile came over her face as she stood near the entrance of the room.
The first thing she had seen was Tasuki, fast asleep, lying calmly on Inami's bed, his orange hair messed up a bit like it always was in the morning. His right arm rested across Inami's waist, and she slept soundly with her head resting on Tasuki's chest, her visible hand relaxing lightly on the wrinkles of his white shirt.
Very quietly, Miaka retraced her steps out of the room, shutting the door silently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saori held a brown, leather-bound ball in her hands. It didn't bounce very well, but it served her purpose well enough. After her strange request for the object, Boushin had managed to find something she could use.
She brought the ball up a little ways above her head, holding it steady with her fingers tips. With a little jump, she released it. In an almost perfect arch the leather sphere soared up through the air, landing cleanly through the paper and wire hoop temporarily mounted on the outside palace wall.
Saori brought her hands up and formed two "V"s with her index and middle fingers before retrieving the ball. When she does get back to Tokyo, she can't be behind on her team. The morning air was the perfect temperature and the location she was at was shaded from the bright sun, so it made a perfect arena for her. Returning to the position she had been at before, Saori made another perfect shot.
It was just too bad that her luck would only last the morning.
**************************
"What do you mean I have to take Hikari?" Tetsuya asked on the front step to his apartment.
"Give me the book and take Hikari with you. I have to go home, and I have no good excuses for my mom as to why I still have custody of Miaka's kid!"
Tetsuya sighed. "All right..." Leaning his briefcase on the railing outside his door, He opened it and pulled out the worn book, handing it to Keisuke. After he closed the case, Keisuke swiftly handed him Hikari, and took off.
"Why are you in such a hurry?!" Tetsuya shouted after him.
"I have no excuses for why I'm late either!" He yelled back.
************************
"I am glad to have finally found time to speak with you, Houki." Hotohori said as he and the empress stepped into the well-lit chamber of their personal quarters. It was fairly late at night now, but the royal couple had finally gotten some spare time to themselves.
Houki smiled, resting a hand on the rounding portion of her belly. "I always appreciate your company, highness."
Hotohori looked down at Houki's showing pregnancy through his long bangs. He had never gotten to see her like this when she was carrying Boushin. It then came to his realization that a name hadn't yet been discussed.
Houki smiled at the Emperor and moved her smooth hand to his, holding it gently to her palm.
Hotohori met Houki's blue eyes with his own, and placed a light kiss on her cheekbone. "I am afraid, however, that our time will have to be cut short."
Houki nodded. "I understand that, Sire."
Hotohori turned towards the door, his fingers still lightly linked with Houki's. "I shall try to finish my work early though."
Houki smiled, nodding in a way that made her earrings jingle against the line of her jawbone. She turned back towards the window for a moment, and her face went pale at what she saw.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Houki!" Hotohori quickly turned around to see a black-clad Kutou assassin hovering in the corner of their bedroom. He swiftly reached for the hilt of his sword. "Houki, GET BACK!"
~*SWOOSH!*~
The arrow could barely be seen as it flew through the air in a split second, piercing through the red fabric of Hotohori's robe and into his chest before the holy sword could even be drawn.
"HIGHNESS!" Houki screamed as her husband fell to the floor.
Suddenly the door busted open.
"Houki!" Nuriko called. He gasped. "HOTOHORI-SAMA!"
The bow of the assassin released two more arrows without hesitation.
~*SWOOSH!*~
"HOUKI!!!!"
Nuriko clasped on tightly to the Empress, pushing her out of line of the arrows. The arm covering her chest received a sharp blow by the flying object, as did Nuriko's left hip.
Both persons fell to the ground.
Suddenly another sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Sou kin a ra tu!!!" The high shout came. Like a laser beam a bright red light shot forth from Chichiri and struck to assassin dead on, his eyes instantly popping open and his steaming body falling to the floor.
"What's goin' on?!" Tasuki's voice came from the hallway.
Chichiri was instantly at Hotohori's side, the man unconscious, his skin already burning to the touch.
Nuriko stood up best he can, gripping the right arm that still had an arrow in it. "Hotoho...." Nuriko's words ended and he collapsed to the ground.
"NURIKO!" Tasuki ran in like wind, catching the man before he hit the ground. "Chichiri! These arrows are poisoned!"
"GET HELP NO DA!" Chichiri shouted at the empress, who because of Nuriko lay unscathed.
With a shocked expression and tears in her eyes, Houki darted out of the room, screaming.
*************************
"Oh no..." Keisuke said, reading the book while in the computer chair in his room. "This... this can't be happening..."
"Keisuke?" A knock came, "Are you all right in there?"
"Yeah mom." Keisuke replied. "Just going over scores for the season." Pathetic. He was 24 and still lived with his mother. It was all ready one of his resolutions to get his own apartment, but with his father gone, he felt bad leaving his mom alone in the house... and he got a lot of free meals...
"What am I thinking?" Keisuke scolded himself. "People are freaking dying and I'm thinking about rent..."
**************************
"Nuriko!" Yui shouted as she ran into the room where's the warrior's limp body was being placed on a bed with doctors swarming every which way. One physician was already examining his right arm as he was being settled down, and it was still bleeding.
"Please, what's going on?!" Yui shouted, grabbing the attention of an unfamiliar man.
"We need you out of the room, now!" He ordered, pushing Yui towards the door.
"No, wait!" She resisted. "What happened? Tell me what happened to him!" Yui was shoved back, and hit into another, taller figure.
"He's been hit..." Tasuki said quietly, placing his hands on Yui's shoulders to calm her as they stood in the open doorway. "The arrows were poisoned...."
Yui turned around sharply, though Tasuki never met her gaze, only looked at the dying warrior on the bed. "Who... who would do such a thing?"
Tasuki's eyebrow's lowered fiercely. "Kutou."
Yui gasped. This was their doing?! She glanced at Nuriko, then back at Tasuki. The bandit's eyes were becoming teary.
"His Highness too..."
~
"HOTOHORI!!!" Miaka cried out, collapsing against the bed the emperor laid on. Houki sat in the corner, crying harshly into her violet sleeves.
"Sorry priestess, you must leave." A Magistrate spoke to her through the hustling of medics.
"No, please!" Miaka wailed. "Will he be okay? Hotohori!"
"Miaka..." Tamahome said, placing his hand around her upper arm.
"No!" Miaka pulled away from him harshly, getting a somewhat shocked look from her husband "I won't leave him! Hotohori!"
Miaka felt another hand touch her, and the image of Hotohori's lifeless form melted together in front of her, being replaced by a red and white wall. She gasped, and spun around.
"Now's not the time, no da." Chichiri said in a very sad, serious voice. He removed the placid mask from his face. "His Highness was injured with a poison arrow, he needs as much medical attention as soon as possible if he is to live."
"Chichiri..." Tamahome whispered.
"Hoto...hori..." Miaka inhaled sharply, and she placed both hands over her mouth to quiet herself, her hot tears pouring down over her hands. Tamahome's arms came around her, hoping to settle her. He didn't speak though, he knew if he did, the words would only come as sobs.
"Nuriko... Nuriko too?" A fourth voice asked.
Chichiri and Tamahome looked down the hall to see Inami and Chiriko, both with shocked looks on their faces.
Chichiri nodded.
At that, a large heave of sorrow escaped Miaka, and Tamahome's arms were soon the only thing holding her up. He slowly lowered her to the palace floor, turning he around so that her forehead could rest on his shoulder.
Inami placed a hand over her mouth and Chiriko lowered his head, not able to do anything for the comfort of Miaka... or themselves.
*******************************
Houki's eyelids were heavy as the night went on into early morning, the sky still black with miniscule stars speckling it. She hadn't moved from that corner, and every now and then a freshly built tear would roll from her eyes. Boushin sat quietly in front of her.
"Quickly, re-wet this rag." A man in a white coat directed a serving girl. She quickly took the gray rag to the bowl of ice water on the dresser.
~"I promise I won't let anything happen to you..."~
Houki stifled another sob at the remembrance of her dear friend's words. If it wasn't enough that her husband was shot, but Nuriko was hit with two arrows protecting her. She knew what those arrows were too. One for her, aimed at her heart... the other for the baby inside her womb.
"Quickly, I need you to retrieve the..." The doctor stopped for a moment.
"Sir?" Another physician questioned.
The doctor looked at his patient closely. "Sire...?"
~
His eyes opened so very slowly, just a touch of the pink iris revealing in the dark room.
"Hotohori-sama..." The barely audible mumble came. That was all he could do before the poison again overtook him.
~
"Sire?" The doctor placed a hand on Hotohori's neck. "SIRE!"
Houki looked up from her position, placing both hands on the floor. "No... Highness!"
"Chichiue!" Boushin stood up. He looked from his father to the doctor, who shook his head.
"CHICHIUE!!"
******************************
A dark shadow dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the cold floor of the bedroom. "Sire," it spoke, "It's done."
The Kutou emperor smiled, twisting a finger in the dark hair of his chin. "Good, very good..."
"The empress escaped the attack, however, and the Prince still lives as well."
The emperor stood and waved the assassin aside. "Yare yare. Once the main pillar falls, the rest will fall as well." He smirked, then turned towards the window. "Get Nakago's army ready immediately. I want everything done by dawn."
******************************
Saori sat quietly at the foot of the Imperial throne, her knees hugged to her chest, the tie of her uniform loose around her neck. She was tired, she hadn't slept all night. After the news, she had wandered around mindlessly, and apparently this is where she ended up. her eyes felt dry from crying, and she was thirsty... but none of it seemed to bother her. A few hours ago she found out Hotohori had passed, and Nuriko wasn't doing well. How could she really go on knowing the man who had shown her nothing but kindness and hospitality had died" How must the empress and Boushin feel?" What about Miaka? Another one of her warriors gone, what will she do? She had seen her with the death of Mitsukake... the loss of Hotohori would hurt her even more. How many more people must die before Konan could be at rest?!
Saori's head jolted up, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. What was that? She paused, and listened.
There it was again... A sound coming from in front of her... a quiet one. She wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to be coming from the opposite wall of the room.
Very slowly, Saori got up, taking a moment to regain her balance before slowly walking down the steps to the throne and towards the noise.
It came again, a bit louder this time, probably because Saori's was nearing to it. She kept her eye on the wall... or closer to the door that led outside. Was the noise outside?
It occurred again, almost like it had multiplied and gotten louder. Much louder. Finally, Saori reached the door, placed her hands upon it, and...
Her eyes widened. She knew this noise!
With a jolt she spun around and took back off the same way she come, but she only got a few steps before the fragile doors bust down and several armed soldiers poured into the room. The lead ones immediately spotted the girl, and drew their swords, charging at her.
Saori ran faster through the throne room. "Help me!" She screamed, not sure how long her weak legs would last. She could feel the soldiers gaining on her, the forced wind from their swinging swords brushing against her back. She collided in with the door out of the room.
"PLEASE!" she screamed, "PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!"
The moment she broke into the hallway she felt an unbelievably strong grip grab her arm and force her harshly to the ground. Her knees collided with the floor painfully, and the grip released her as a loud clanging of metal was heard overhead. Saori turned around, and gasped.
Boushin had a long sword holding off a taller man. After a hesitation, He pushed back and sent the soldier into three others behind him.
"Saori, get out of here!" He shouted.
"Boushin..." Saori said in shock. He had just gotten here... his hair was down in a ponytail and he wasn't even in his full robes.
Saori shrieked as another sword came at him, but miraculously Boushin struck it back, turning it around and striking into the soldier's midsection. He turned back again.
"Saori, please! Leave! I don't want you hurt!!"
After a pause of unsurity, Saori lifted herself off the floor and bolted down the hallway. Kutou was attacking the palace!
"Boushin... please be okay..." She thought, or more so prayed. Then she released the only thing she had.
Her voice.
"KUTOU ATTACK!" She screamed, so loud it hurt her own ears. "TASUKI, CHICHIRI! KUTOU IS ATTACKING!!!!"
***************************
Keisuke took a deep breath. "Think you could have taken any longer to get of there, Kawai?" He rubbed his temple the second and third fingers of his right hand. He held the book under his lamplight and continued reading. "Kutou soldiers struck against the front of the palace, though no attacks were made on the rear. The celestial warriors Chichiri, Tasuki, and Tamahome ran to the battle, and Chiriko and Inami rushed to find the Suzaku no Miko..."
***************************
"REKKA SHINEN!!!"
A wave of fire came over the advancing Kutou soldiers, scorching the ground at their feet as well as the air that spun around them.
"They're everywhere!" Tamahome shouted, striking a shorter man in the chest with his heel.
"We gotta keep them from advancing forward no da!" Chichiri alerted. "SOU KIN GO!"
A huge violet light wiped over the palace floor like an ocean, sweeping up everything in its path. Kutou soldiers, along with furniture and walls, shot out of the front of the palace onto the grounds.
A massive Konan army began a heated battle with the blue clad men, beating them away from the palace. Spears soared and swords swiped over the new battlefield.
~
"Hayaku Miaka!" Inami snatched the redhead's arm and pulled her into the still-safe confinements of the palace.
"What's happening?!" Miaka screeched, struggling in Inami's grip.
"We're being attacked!" Chiriko called from behind her, running with Yui.
Inami stopped, Miaka running into her backside.
"Oh no..." She gasped, "The Seraglio! Chiriko, take Miaka!" Inami let go of Miaka's wrist and ran down another hallway.
"Seraglio?" Yui asked, catching up with Miaka.
Chiriko had a worried look on his face. "That's where his Highness's harem is... but we must hurry." He motioned for the two girls to follow him.
~
A good portion of the army had been pushed off palace grounds, but none of the soldiers tried to destroy nearby towns--they had all been set for the palace. With the death of Hotohori, they had found the perfect opening to attack.
A red light flashed around the palace. Chichiri stood before it, chanting while Tamahome, Tasuki, and the Konan army fought. He had to secure the force field around this section of the palace to keep everyone safe, especially the royalty and Nuriko.
"REKKA SHINEN!"
"AH!" A Kutou soldier screamed, running from the expanding flames. "He's got to be a warrior!" He shouted.
"Damn right." Tasuki added, slinging his into its holder and running towards Tamahome.
~
"Gya!" A young woman shouted, running from the open gates of the Seraglio.
Inami ran against the small crowds. How could Kutou soldiers go so far as to attack these innocent women? As she turned, she saw a sight that made her gut wrench.
Two finely dressed women lay on the ground, their gowns stained with red blood. A Kutou soldier held the wrist of another, who screamed and struggled for mercy.
"Let her GO!" Inami shouted, thrusting her right hand out. The Kutou soldier released the woman as his arm snapped back against the joint of his elbow and he flew back towards the gates, where more soldiers were entering. As soon as the army men stepped into the boundaries of the Seraglio though, they were swept back by a strong invisible force.
"Retreat men!" A man on horse back announced, though he didn't seem to be the rank of a general.
~
"They're retreating!" A Konan soldier shouted, raising his sword into the air.
A large cry of victory over swept the men as the army retreated, though several troops still chased after them.
"That was too easy, ya know?" Tasuki said from behind Tamahome.
Tamahome nodded. "They must have come from around the south to have gotten here so easily... but it doesn't make sense."
"There wasn't a single general among them, no da."
Tasuki and Tamahome both turned towards Chichiri, who walked towards them on the ruined grounds of the palace. "This was a small army by Kutou's standards, and they arrived here without any detection, no da. Plus, no other cities were attacked beforehand."
"Maybe they wanted the army stronger for the palace." Tamahome suggested, looking around at the destruction.
Chichiri shook his head again. "If The Kutou Emperor had been set on destroying the palace and the capitol, he would have sent a larger force, and more than one at that, no da."
"Whatcha gettin' at?" Tasuki asked.
"A diversion."
The three looked back to see Inami, who was out of breath from catching up with them. "The assassination attempts and this pathetic excuse for a battle wasn't Kutou's real objective... they..." She took a deep breath. "They had to be after something else."
Chichiri nodded. "I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, no da."
"Then..." Tasuki rubbed his head. "What happened?"
~~~~Just earlier~~~~
The sounds of battle were only mild grumbles from inside the quiet room of the treasury, one of the most protected rooms in the Konan palace.
However, the left wall simmered lightly, and a tall form stepped through it as though it wasn't there. Blue eyes looked over the large marble area, ignoring coins and fine swords that lay there. His gaze relaxed on the small pillar in the back of the room, where a golden harp lay solemnly under glass casing.
Nakago smirked. With only the sounds of his boots on the floor, he walked over, easily disposing of the glass case that held the shinzaho.
"It seems as though our dear warriors have gotten careless." He said to himself, his low voice finally disturbing the peace. Tucking the harp under his cape, he walked backwards into the nearest wall, disappearing beneath its sheath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
. . . Author's note continued: Well, I don't think it was written as well as it could have been, but I look forward to your reviews!
Oh, and I've been asked (kinda) to advertise for a couple of RPGs. One's an Escaflowne one, and if I may say so myself, has come to be barely based on anything Esca, but it's fun and thus quite easy to get into. It's a Y! group called "Aprictos_on_my_pants". Don't ask about the name... And the other Y! group is an Xmen one called "xfirecardsx", if anyone is interested.
To Amaya: I did the thing with Toroki mainly because I missed those characters! Oh well, the others I killed/will kill off I won't miss too much. *laughs evilly*
To MaryDfair: They did feel it when he was mortally wounded, end of chapter 62, remember? I must say I got a kick out of your Inami-Tasuki comment. We'll see for the future, but I do try to keep this PG13!
To Chibi-face: I really liked your review. You had good opinions and ideas. I'm glad you find my "angle" interesting! Thanks for reading too!
Author's note: When naming the monster in chapter 63, I could not remember for the life of me what if was, and hanks to Amaya, I now It it's the "shikonki".
I'm REALLY sorry for the late update. Part of it is because of laziness and lack of time, the other part is because ffnet hasn't let me upload anything.
To the story...
Chapter 64 : One Short Breath Away
Miaka opened the door to Saori's bedroom quietly, but released any caution when she saw that Saori was fully awake and sitting on the corner of her bed, working at some odd handicraft.
She looked over. "Oh, hi Miaka!" She said in her usual cheerfulness. "Where's Tamahome?"
"He's sleeping still." Miaka smiled back. "It's just too early for him, I suppose."
Saori laughed. "Doesn't he usually get up before you?"
Miaka shrugged. "What are you doing?"
Saori was forming a round ring in her hands from what looked like paper and some sort of wire. "Oh, you'll see. It'll be great if it works."
"Uh... okay then..." Miaka looked around Saori's room. "Do you need any help?" She finally asked.
"Huh? Oh no, that's okay." She crumbled the outer ring of paper in her hands. "Actually, you can help me with something."
"What?"
"You know the long paper they have here? Like this?" She put the ring down and held her hands out to show the size .
"You mean the kind for scrolls and stuff?" Miaka questioned.
"Yeah." Saori picked the ring back up. Can you get me one or two more sheets of those?"
"Sure!" Miaka said happily. She turned on her heel and headed out the door, leaving it a crack open.
"I wish I had tape so bad right now..." Saori commented to herself.
~
Miaka walked with a light step down the hallway. Inami's room was nearby, and she knew with all the weird things she had to do she'd have some of the paper she was looking for. By watching the Priestess, you could tell Tamahome had succeeded in cheering her up over the past few days. Even now the thoughts of the shinzahos and problems going about didn't seem to weigh down on her mind.
Since Saori was all ready up, Miaka assumed that Inami would be too, so she opened the door to the ambassador's room and walked in.
"Inami, I was..."
Miaka stopped short in her speech, but then a calming smile came over her face as she stood near the entrance of the room.
The first thing she had seen was Tasuki, fast asleep, lying calmly on Inami's bed, his orange hair messed up a bit like it always was in the morning. His right arm rested across Inami's waist, and she slept soundly with her head resting on Tasuki's chest, her visible hand relaxing lightly on the wrinkles of his white shirt.
Very quietly, Miaka retraced her steps out of the room, shutting the door silently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saori held a brown, leather-bound ball in her hands. It didn't bounce very well, but it served her purpose well enough. After her strange request for the object, Boushin had managed to find something she could use.
She brought the ball up a little ways above her head, holding it steady with her fingers tips. With a little jump, she released it. In an almost perfect arch the leather sphere soared up through the air, landing cleanly through the paper and wire hoop temporarily mounted on the outside palace wall.
Saori brought her hands up and formed two "V"s with her index and middle fingers before retrieving the ball. When she does get back to Tokyo, she can't be behind on her team. The morning air was the perfect temperature and the location she was at was shaded from the bright sun, so it made a perfect arena for her. Returning to the position she had been at before, Saori made another perfect shot.
It was just too bad that her luck would only last the morning.
**************************
"What do you mean I have to take Hikari?" Tetsuya asked on the front step to his apartment.
"Give me the book and take Hikari with you. I have to go home, and I have no good excuses for my mom as to why I still have custody of Miaka's kid!"
Tetsuya sighed. "All right..." Leaning his briefcase on the railing outside his door, He opened it and pulled out the worn book, handing it to Keisuke. After he closed the case, Keisuke swiftly handed him Hikari, and took off.
"Why are you in such a hurry?!" Tetsuya shouted after him.
"I have no excuses for why I'm late either!" He yelled back.
************************
"I am glad to have finally found time to speak with you, Houki." Hotohori said as he and the empress stepped into the well-lit chamber of their personal quarters. It was fairly late at night now, but the royal couple had finally gotten some spare time to themselves.
Houki smiled, resting a hand on the rounding portion of her belly. "I always appreciate your company, highness."
Hotohori looked down at Houki's showing pregnancy through his long bangs. He had never gotten to see her like this when she was carrying Boushin. It then came to his realization that a name hadn't yet been discussed.
Houki smiled at the Emperor and moved her smooth hand to his, holding it gently to her palm.
Hotohori met Houki's blue eyes with his own, and placed a light kiss on her cheekbone. "I am afraid, however, that our time will have to be cut short."
Houki nodded. "I understand that, Sire."
Hotohori turned towards the door, his fingers still lightly linked with Houki's. "I shall try to finish my work early though."
Houki smiled, nodding in a way that made her earrings jingle against the line of her jawbone. She turned back towards the window for a moment, and her face went pale at what she saw.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Houki!" Hotohori quickly turned around to see a black-clad Kutou assassin hovering in the corner of their bedroom. He swiftly reached for the hilt of his sword. "Houki, GET BACK!"
~*SWOOSH!*~
The arrow could barely be seen as it flew through the air in a split second, piercing through the red fabric of Hotohori's robe and into his chest before the holy sword could even be drawn.
"HIGHNESS!" Houki screamed as her husband fell to the floor.
Suddenly the door busted open.
"Houki!" Nuriko called. He gasped. "HOTOHORI-SAMA!"
The bow of the assassin released two more arrows without hesitation.
~*SWOOSH!*~
"HOUKI!!!!"
Nuriko clasped on tightly to the Empress, pushing her out of line of the arrows. The arm covering her chest received a sharp blow by the flying object, as did Nuriko's left hip.
Both persons fell to the ground.
Suddenly another sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Sou kin a ra tu!!!" The high shout came. Like a laser beam a bright red light shot forth from Chichiri and struck to assassin dead on, his eyes instantly popping open and his steaming body falling to the floor.
"What's goin' on?!" Tasuki's voice came from the hallway.
Chichiri was instantly at Hotohori's side, the man unconscious, his skin already burning to the touch.
Nuriko stood up best he can, gripping the right arm that still had an arrow in it. "Hotoho...." Nuriko's words ended and he collapsed to the ground.
"NURIKO!" Tasuki ran in like wind, catching the man before he hit the ground. "Chichiri! These arrows are poisoned!"
"GET HELP NO DA!" Chichiri shouted at the empress, who because of Nuriko lay unscathed.
With a shocked expression and tears in her eyes, Houki darted out of the room, screaming.
*************************
"Oh no..." Keisuke said, reading the book while in the computer chair in his room. "This... this can't be happening..."
"Keisuke?" A knock came, "Are you all right in there?"
"Yeah mom." Keisuke replied. "Just going over scores for the season." Pathetic. He was 24 and still lived with his mother. It was all ready one of his resolutions to get his own apartment, but with his father gone, he felt bad leaving his mom alone in the house... and he got a lot of free meals...
"What am I thinking?" Keisuke scolded himself. "People are freaking dying and I'm thinking about rent..."
**************************
"Nuriko!" Yui shouted as she ran into the room where's the warrior's limp body was being placed on a bed with doctors swarming every which way. One physician was already examining his right arm as he was being settled down, and it was still bleeding.
"Please, what's going on?!" Yui shouted, grabbing the attention of an unfamiliar man.
"We need you out of the room, now!" He ordered, pushing Yui towards the door.
"No, wait!" She resisted. "What happened? Tell me what happened to him!" Yui was shoved back, and hit into another, taller figure.
"He's been hit..." Tasuki said quietly, placing his hands on Yui's shoulders to calm her as they stood in the open doorway. "The arrows were poisoned...."
Yui turned around sharply, though Tasuki never met her gaze, only looked at the dying warrior on the bed. "Who... who would do such a thing?"
Tasuki's eyebrow's lowered fiercely. "Kutou."
Yui gasped. This was their doing?! She glanced at Nuriko, then back at Tasuki. The bandit's eyes were becoming teary.
"His Highness too..."
~
"HOTOHORI!!!" Miaka cried out, collapsing against the bed the emperor laid on. Houki sat in the corner, crying harshly into her violet sleeves.
"Sorry priestess, you must leave." A Magistrate spoke to her through the hustling of medics.
"No, please!" Miaka wailed. "Will he be okay? Hotohori!"
"Miaka..." Tamahome said, placing his hand around her upper arm.
"No!" Miaka pulled away from him harshly, getting a somewhat shocked look from her husband "I won't leave him! Hotohori!"
Miaka felt another hand touch her, and the image of Hotohori's lifeless form melted together in front of her, being replaced by a red and white wall. She gasped, and spun around.
"Now's not the time, no da." Chichiri said in a very sad, serious voice. He removed the placid mask from his face. "His Highness was injured with a poison arrow, he needs as much medical attention as soon as possible if he is to live."
"Chichiri..." Tamahome whispered.
"Hoto...hori..." Miaka inhaled sharply, and she placed both hands over her mouth to quiet herself, her hot tears pouring down over her hands. Tamahome's arms came around her, hoping to settle her. He didn't speak though, he knew if he did, the words would only come as sobs.
"Nuriko... Nuriko too?" A fourth voice asked.
Chichiri and Tamahome looked down the hall to see Inami and Chiriko, both with shocked looks on their faces.
Chichiri nodded.
At that, a large heave of sorrow escaped Miaka, and Tamahome's arms were soon the only thing holding her up. He slowly lowered her to the palace floor, turning he around so that her forehead could rest on his shoulder.
Inami placed a hand over her mouth and Chiriko lowered his head, not able to do anything for the comfort of Miaka... or themselves.
*******************************
Houki's eyelids were heavy as the night went on into early morning, the sky still black with miniscule stars speckling it. She hadn't moved from that corner, and every now and then a freshly built tear would roll from her eyes. Boushin sat quietly in front of her.
"Quickly, re-wet this rag." A man in a white coat directed a serving girl. She quickly took the gray rag to the bowl of ice water on the dresser.
~"I promise I won't let anything happen to you..."~
Houki stifled another sob at the remembrance of her dear friend's words. If it wasn't enough that her husband was shot, but Nuriko was hit with two arrows protecting her. She knew what those arrows were too. One for her, aimed at her heart... the other for the baby inside her womb.
"Quickly, I need you to retrieve the..." The doctor stopped for a moment.
"Sir?" Another physician questioned.
The doctor looked at his patient closely. "Sire...?"
~
His eyes opened so very slowly, just a touch of the pink iris revealing in the dark room.
"Hotohori-sama..." The barely audible mumble came. That was all he could do before the poison again overtook him.
~
"Sire?" The doctor placed a hand on Hotohori's neck. "SIRE!"
Houki looked up from her position, placing both hands on the floor. "No... Highness!"
"Chichiue!" Boushin stood up. He looked from his father to the doctor, who shook his head.
"CHICHIUE!!"
******************************
A dark shadow dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the cold floor of the bedroom. "Sire," it spoke, "It's done."
The Kutou emperor smiled, twisting a finger in the dark hair of his chin. "Good, very good..."
"The empress escaped the attack, however, and the Prince still lives as well."
The emperor stood and waved the assassin aside. "Yare yare. Once the main pillar falls, the rest will fall as well." He smirked, then turned towards the window. "Get Nakago's army ready immediately. I want everything done by dawn."
******************************
Saori sat quietly at the foot of the Imperial throne, her knees hugged to her chest, the tie of her uniform loose around her neck. She was tired, she hadn't slept all night. After the news, she had wandered around mindlessly, and apparently this is where she ended up. her eyes felt dry from crying, and she was thirsty... but none of it seemed to bother her. A few hours ago she found out Hotohori had passed, and Nuriko wasn't doing well. How could she really go on knowing the man who had shown her nothing but kindness and hospitality had died" How must the empress and Boushin feel?" What about Miaka? Another one of her warriors gone, what will she do? She had seen her with the death of Mitsukake... the loss of Hotohori would hurt her even more. How many more people must die before Konan could be at rest?!
Saori's head jolted up, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. What was that? She paused, and listened.
There it was again... A sound coming from in front of her... a quiet one. She wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to be coming from the opposite wall of the room.
Very slowly, Saori got up, taking a moment to regain her balance before slowly walking down the steps to the throne and towards the noise.
It came again, a bit louder this time, probably because Saori's was nearing to it. She kept her eye on the wall... or closer to the door that led outside. Was the noise outside?
It occurred again, almost like it had multiplied and gotten louder. Much louder. Finally, Saori reached the door, placed her hands upon it, and...
Her eyes widened. She knew this noise!
With a jolt she spun around and took back off the same way she come, but she only got a few steps before the fragile doors bust down and several armed soldiers poured into the room. The lead ones immediately spotted the girl, and drew their swords, charging at her.
Saori ran faster through the throne room. "Help me!" She screamed, not sure how long her weak legs would last. She could feel the soldiers gaining on her, the forced wind from their swinging swords brushing against her back. She collided in with the door out of the room.
"PLEASE!" she screamed, "PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!"
The moment she broke into the hallway she felt an unbelievably strong grip grab her arm and force her harshly to the ground. Her knees collided with the floor painfully, and the grip released her as a loud clanging of metal was heard overhead. Saori turned around, and gasped.
Boushin had a long sword holding off a taller man. After a hesitation, He pushed back and sent the soldier into three others behind him.
"Saori, get out of here!" He shouted.
"Boushin..." Saori said in shock. He had just gotten here... his hair was down in a ponytail and he wasn't even in his full robes.
Saori shrieked as another sword came at him, but miraculously Boushin struck it back, turning it around and striking into the soldier's midsection. He turned back again.
"Saori, please! Leave! I don't want you hurt!!"
After a pause of unsurity, Saori lifted herself off the floor and bolted down the hallway. Kutou was attacking the palace!
"Boushin... please be okay..." She thought, or more so prayed. Then she released the only thing she had.
Her voice.
"KUTOU ATTACK!" She screamed, so loud it hurt her own ears. "TASUKI, CHICHIRI! KUTOU IS ATTACKING!!!!"
***************************
Keisuke took a deep breath. "Think you could have taken any longer to get of there, Kawai?" He rubbed his temple the second and third fingers of his right hand. He held the book under his lamplight and continued reading. "Kutou soldiers struck against the front of the palace, though no attacks were made on the rear. The celestial warriors Chichiri, Tasuki, and Tamahome ran to the battle, and Chiriko and Inami rushed to find the Suzaku no Miko..."
***************************
"REKKA SHINEN!!!"
A wave of fire came over the advancing Kutou soldiers, scorching the ground at their feet as well as the air that spun around them.
"They're everywhere!" Tamahome shouted, striking a shorter man in the chest with his heel.
"We gotta keep them from advancing forward no da!" Chichiri alerted. "SOU KIN GO!"
A huge violet light wiped over the palace floor like an ocean, sweeping up everything in its path. Kutou soldiers, along with furniture and walls, shot out of the front of the palace onto the grounds.
A massive Konan army began a heated battle with the blue clad men, beating them away from the palace. Spears soared and swords swiped over the new battlefield.
~
"Hayaku Miaka!" Inami snatched the redhead's arm and pulled her into the still-safe confinements of the palace.
"What's happening?!" Miaka screeched, struggling in Inami's grip.
"We're being attacked!" Chiriko called from behind her, running with Yui.
Inami stopped, Miaka running into her backside.
"Oh no..." She gasped, "The Seraglio! Chiriko, take Miaka!" Inami let go of Miaka's wrist and ran down another hallway.
"Seraglio?" Yui asked, catching up with Miaka.
Chiriko had a worried look on his face. "That's where his Highness's harem is... but we must hurry." He motioned for the two girls to follow him.
~
A good portion of the army had been pushed off palace grounds, but none of the soldiers tried to destroy nearby towns--they had all been set for the palace. With the death of Hotohori, they had found the perfect opening to attack.
A red light flashed around the palace. Chichiri stood before it, chanting while Tamahome, Tasuki, and the Konan army fought. He had to secure the force field around this section of the palace to keep everyone safe, especially the royalty and Nuriko.
"REKKA SHINEN!"
"AH!" A Kutou soldier screamed, running from the expanding flames. "He's got to be a warrior!" He shouted.
"Damn right." Tasuki added, slinging his into its holder and running towards Tamahome.
~
"Gya!" A young woman shouted, running from the open gates of the Seraglio.
Inami ran against the small crowds. How could Kutou soldiers go so far as to attack these innocent women? As she turned, she saw a sight that made her gut wrench.
Two finely dressed women lay on the ground, their gowns stained with red blood. A Kutou soldier held the wrist of another, who screamed and struggled for mercy.
"Let her GO!" Inami shouted, thrusting her right hand out. The Kutou soldier released the woman as his arm snapped back against the joint of his elbow and he flew back towards the gates, where more soldiers were entering. As soon as the army men stepped into the boundaries of the Seraglio though, they were swept back by a strong invisible force.
"Retreat men!" A man on horse back announced, though he didn't seem to be the rank of a general.
~
"They're retreating!" A Konan soldier shouted, raising his sword into the air.
A large cry of victory over swept the men as the army retreated, though several troops still chased after them.
"That was too easy, ya know?" Tasuki said from behind Tamahome.
Tamahome nodded. "They must have come from around the south to have gotten here so easily... but it doesn't make sense."
"There wasn't a single general among them, no da."
Tasuki and Tamahome both turned towards Chichiri, who walked towards them on the ruined grounds of the palace. "This was a small army by Kutou's standards, and they arrived here without any detection, no da. Plus, no other cities were attacked beforehand."
"Maybe they wanted the army stronger for the palace." Tamahome suggested, looking around at the destruction.
Chichiri shook his head again. "If The Kutou Emperor had been set on destroying the palace and the capitol, he would have sent a larger force, and more than one at that, no da."
"Whatcha gettin' at?" Tasuki asked.
"A diversion."
The three looked back to see Inami, who was out of breath from catching up with them. "The assassination attempts and this pathetic excuse for a battle wasn't Kutou's real objective... they..." She took a deep breath. "They had to be after something else."
Chichiri nodded. "I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, no da."
"Then..." Tasuki rubbed his head. "What happened?"
~~~~Just earlier~~~~
The sounds of battle were only mild grumbles from inside the quiet room of the treasury, one of the most protected rooms in the Konan palace.
However, the left wall simmered lightly, and a tall form stepped through it as though it wasn't there. Blue eyes looked over the large marble area, ignoring coins and fine swords that lay there. His gaze relaxed on the small pillar in the back of the room, where a golden harp lay solemnly under glass casing.
Nakago smirked. With only the sounds of his boots on the floor, he walked over, easily disposing of the glass case that held the shinzaho.
"It seems as though our dear warriors have gotten careless." He said to himself, his low voice finally disturbing the peace. Tucking the harp under his cape, he walked backwards into the nearest wall, disappearing beneath its sheath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
. . . Author's note continued: Well, I don't think it was written as well as it could have been, but I look forward to your reviews!
Oh, and I've been asked (kinda) to advertise for a couple of RPGs. One's an Escaflowne one, and if I may say so myself, has come to be barely based on anything Esca, but it's fun and thus quite easy to get into. It's a Y! group called "Aprictos_on_my_pants". Don't ask about the name... And the other Y! group is an Xmen one called "xfirecardsx", if anyone is interested.