Author's note: Another quick update! Go me!
To Silver Pain: Yep, since Kazuki controls the book, he technically is Taiisukun.
To Poruporu: I didn't take THAT long, did I? Oh well, this will make up for it! I miss Nuriko too, actually, which is silly seeing how I'm the writer. He'll come back… eventually. I just need to think of something wickedly awesome for him to do.
To Quackabott (and ANYONE who wants an explanation!): The way Kazuki/Hachiro's writing works is like this: They can control anything in the book, or anything the book relates too. Example: Hachiro can send Miaka, Taka, Mayo, and possibly Yui into the book if he wanted. He cannot send Keisuke, because in reality, he has nothing to do with the book. He can send in himself and Kazuki, because they're the ones controlling it. See how that works? The book world is essentially the book, so writing on the ground or something in it would have the same effect as writing on the page. (It would only work for those two though!)
Also, what happens to Keisuke, Tetsuya, and the others is not in the story. Kazuki actually can't even read what Miaka is doing if she's not in the book.
To Amaya-san: Thank you for beta-ing this chapter again! You'll see your darling Tasuki soon. (He got a lot of airtime in 8 anyway.)
-----------------------------------------------
Chapter 10: Split Between Worlds
"You sent her back?" Hachiro asked his shorter companion, who was taking off some of the layers of his Chinese garments.
"Yes, I did. I wanted to see if it would work, and it did." Kazuki stated matter-of-factly.
"And the point of this experiment was…?" Hachiro asked, slight annoyance in his voice. "The priestess is like, the main character, Kazuki."
"It doesn't matter, and I'll tell you what my 'experiment' was for." Kazuki, finding himself comfortable, sat down on the loveseat opposite Hachiro. "You read the book, didn't you? Taiisukun, who is supposed to be the ruler of the world or whatever, has been replaced. My dear Hachiro, I am Taiisukun."
Hachiro raised an eyebrow. "How much sleep have you been getting, man?"
Kazuki scowled.
"Listen," Hachiro closed the book and set it aside for the moment. "If you've become the great ruler of some foreign universe, then why do you need me to send you in and out of it, hm?"
Kazuki shook his head. "I think you're missing the point. I may not be a powerful genie of a ruler, but as long as I have control over this book, I have control over this universe."
Hachiro kept his mouth closed. He wasn't up for a battle against Kazuki's egotism.
"Now…" Kazuki stood back up, pacing like he always did when he was in thought. "We need something new, something exciting."
"You just took away the Suzaku no Miko!" Hachiro pointed out, "You want more?"
"You have much to learn about plot and conflict," was Kazuki's haughty reply. "Yes, I want something new. We need…" His brown eyes lit up. "That's it! I'm brilliant!" He darted over to the sloppy computer center by his bedroom door, pulling out drawers and ruffling through the mess of papers in them.
Hachiro stood up, trying to see what his friend was getting into. "What the hell are you doing, Kazuki?"
"Black mages!"
Hachiro was totally lost. "What the who now?"
Kazuki pulled out a worn notebook, the front cover of it barely hanging on to its spiral binding. He began flipping through it like a mad man, several folded papers scattering onto the floor around him. Finding the page he was looking for, he ripped it out and sped back to Hachiro, shoving the parchment into his hands. "There," he announced, "perfect."
Hachiro eyed Kazuki strangely, and then looked at the wrinkled paper in his hands. On it were two sketches of what looked like inaccurate ninjas, one facing forward and one facing to the side, like a prison photo. They were actually drawn fairly well, much to Hachiro's surprise. The ninjas had cold, empty eyes, which were the only part of the face that was visible. Messy notes and arrows filled in the gaps around them, one saying "dark blue here and here", "lightening here", and "sword here".
"…What is this?"
"Black mages."
Hachiro shrugged. He supposed they could be mages if they had elemental powers, but they were more like ninjas. They looked kind of like the ones from the movie "Artic Night", a cheap movie he had seen a while ago. He remembered seeing it with Saori.
Kazuki snatched the paper back and scanned over it. "Yes, this is perfect. I want these in the story."
"Are you serious?"
Kazuki avoided the frown and went straight to the snap. "Yes. Do it."
Hachiro grabbed the book and flipped to the place he had left off. "Listen, Kazuki, can you just be patient for two seconds? Let's wait to see what happens with Miaka. Once all that excitement dies down, we'll put your stupid ninjas in."
"Mages." Kazuki corrected. He thought for a moment, "fine, Hachiro, have it your way. Start reading."
---------------------------------------
Miaka found herself staring at a cupboard. It took a moment to register, but then she recognized it. It was the cupboard that had read "hon", the symbol she had seen before returning to the book world. She spun around. Miaka was in her kitchen; she was home.
She stood there, dazed for a moment, then snapped to attention. "Hikari!" She shouted, running out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. She dashed into Hikari's small nursery, not finding her there. The apartment was dead silent.
"Taka?" She asked. He wasn't there either… just her, it seemed.
Her next action lead her to the phone. She seized it from its holder and dialed the number to Keisuke's apartment. She held it to her ear and waited. It ringed several times, and then Keisuke's unique message came on, the one that ha Mayo yelling in the background for him to cut it out. She didn't leave a message, just hung up. She thought for a moment. She could call his cell… no, she'd call Yui.
She dialed the number, it rang twice, then…
"Hello?"
"Yui!" Miaka shouted into the receiver. "Yui, I'm back!"
"Miaka!" Yui shouted even louder than Miaka did. "Miaka, how did you come back? Where's Taka? Miaka, are you home?"
"Yes, I'm home." Miaka said, calming down. "Taka's not with me. Where's Hikari?"
"She's here, with me." At that point Miaka could faintly here Tetsuya exclaiming something, but she couldn't hear what. "Miaka, don't go anywhere, okay? I'll be right over. I'm going to call Keisuke too, all right? Don't go anywhere!"
"I won't, Yui!" Miaka promised. "Please hurry, I have so much to tell you!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I didn't see anything but a red light…" Taka said, calming down inside the palace where Miaka had been just ten minutes earlier, "She's gone back to our world."
Chichiri contemplated this for a moment. "The balance of the world is gone again, no da. But I don't think it's because of Miaka's disappearance. Perhaps our wrongdoer went back with her, no da." He spotted a worried look come onto Taka's face. "B-but don't worry, no da! I'm sure she's safe at home now, no da!"
Hotohori placed a finger under his chin, "Perhaps that is the best, for now. She has family there who can take care of her, and she may be able to find this madman from her world."
They talked about Miaka's disappearance a little longer, and then left it at that. There wasn't much that could be done about it, only wait for her to come back… if she did. It was then that Chiriko announced he had to return back to the Chouan Prefecture, since he was out of vacation time. Chichiri offered to walk him to a carriage, and saw the youngest of the Suzaku seven off from the front of the palace. One his way back, he stepped on something rather sharp.
"Itai no da!" Chichiri jumped back, looking down. To his surprise, it was only a small rock on the pathway to the palace.
Chichiri lifted his foot and looked at the bottom of his shoe, which was horribly worn out. The spot that now throbbed gently had a small hole in it. He frowned through his mask. With all the travel he did, we wore through shoes like nothing else. He glanced back at the palace. Nothing too important was going on, nothing to which he could be of much help. So he decided to take a quick trip into the market to get a new pair of shoes to avoid giving himself further mischief.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yui and Tetsuya arrived at Miaka's apartment within ten minutes, Hikari running on her small legs to her mother, crying softly. Miaka squeezed her missed daughter tightly, so glad to see that she was all right. Yui let Emi occupy herself with Hikari's toys as Miaka explained her story. She told them about her appearance in Konan, about Nuriko and how he was married, about Hotohori and Chichiri and Tasuki, about Chiriko, and about all the strange symbols that had been materializing in that world too, and how each one of them lead to something like the one they had seen in the kitchen. She told them how Taka suddenly showed up, which answered their questions about him going missing. She told them about Taiisukun, and about the balance on the world being out of sync. She was almost to the part where she had ended up in the garden when her front door burst open, Keisuke standing in the doorway, panting heavily. He spotted Miaka and ran to her, giving her a tight hug.
He let go and looked at her. "Miaka, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Miaka shook her head, "Iie, onii-chan. I'm fine, I…"
"Miaka!" Mayo followed in Keisuke's footsteps. "I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Miaka! You are back!" Saori's harmonic voice came into audibility. She ran up and squeezed her friend. "Is Taka back? Yui didn't say…"
Miaka shook her head, glad to see all of her loved friends again. "No, he's still…" She looked past Saori and gasped. "S-Suboshi? Or… Amiboshi?"
"Suboshi." Saori answered, stepping back. "When Taka disappeared, he showed up here. We don't know why."
"There was a symbol," Suboshi explained, "that I saw… it said 'universe'…"
Miaka slowly nodded. "I see… so it's affecting you as well…" She trailed off. She lit up a bit. "Balance… that's why you're here…"
Suboshi looked confused.
"Miaka?" Yui asked questioningly.
"Chichiri told me about it, remember?" She pulled her eyes away from Suboshi to concentrate on Yui. "If he came here when Taka showed up, maybe it's supposed to balance things out…"
"Then why hasn't he gone back, since you're here?' Tetsuya asked.
Miaka shrugged. "I don't know."
Saori grabbed Suboshi's hand subconsciously. She hadn't thought about the idea of him going back.
"Anyway," Keisuke began, pulling away from his sister to give her some room, "maybe with you here, you can help us. We're pretty stuck trying to figure out what's going on from our side, but we're going to get a library list…"
"I saw him." Miaka said quietly.
"What?" Yui asked. "Miaka, what did you say?"
"I saw him." The redhead repeated. "I saw him, the one who's doing this, right before I came back here. He was in the garden."
"M-Miaka, are you sure?" Mayo spoke up.
Miaka nodded. "I am, I think. I've never seen him before, and he was definitely Japanese… he was in the garden, looking at me. He wrote something in the sand, and then I wound up here. It was him… yes, I'm positive it was him. I could feel it…"
"What did he look like?" Keisuke broke in, "Do you know his name?"
Miaka shook her head in the negative. "No, I've never seen him before, not that I can remember. He had black hair and brown eyes, tan skin…"
"That narrows it down." Tetsuya commented sarcastically.
"He wasn't very old," Miaka continued, "I think around my age, maybe a little older… at least, that's how he looked." Miaka remembered something, "he wasn't in modern day clothing, though, but he looked Japanese."
"Well, we know it's a man, and that does narrow it down…" Keisuke pondered out loud.
"Maybe he has some Chinese clothing." Saori pointed out. "If he's from Japan and he has the book, I'm sure he's from this world."
Miaka nodded. "Hai, I think you're right, Saori." She caught a glimpse of Saori's hand holding Suboshi's, but she didn't say anything.
"Are you tired, Miaka?" Yui spoke again, "You should probably rest."
"No," Miaka said, "I'm fine, really. I just want to find out who's doing this, who's trying to hurt everyone…"
"We will, Miaka," Keisuke placed a reassuring hand on his imoto's shoulder. "We will."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Arigatou, no da." Chichiri said to the young man who handed him over a pair of plain, strapless black shoes from his booth. The man nodded and picked up the ryou that Chichiri had paid him with to put away. Chichiri decided to change his shoes there and then, and tucked his older ones away under his kesa.
"Oi, 'Chiri!" A familiar voice called to him.
The monk glanced around at his name, and spotted the caller coming down the crowded dirt road on a horse. He smiled. "Tasuki, you're back, no da!" He hollered.
The bandit pushed his mare through a bit more of the crowd until he came up along side Chichiri. "Shoppin?" He asked.
Chichiri nodded. "Just new shoes, no da."
Tasuki shrugged. "I'm headin' back to the palace. Hope no one's missed me too much."
Chichiri shook his head. "Miaka's gone, no da."
Tasuki looked surprised. "Whattaya mean, she's gone? She went back?"
A nod.
"… and Tama?"
"He's fine, no da. Miaka is too, I'm sure. Go on back though, Tasuki, I'll catch up, no da."
Tasuki hesitantly nodded, then, seeing a clearing in the pedestrians, kicked the haunches of his mare and rode off towards the palace, leaving the magician to his own doings.
Chichiri watched after him for a moment, then headed the same way, on foot. He didn't get very far when he heard a faint "meow."
Chichiri glanced around, but continued.
Then it was louder. "Meow!"
Chichiri stopped and looked down. A cat was sitting but two strides ahead of him, its head cocked to one side. His white and brown fur easily gave away to Chichiri what cat this was.
"What are you doing all the way out here, Tama?" Chichiri asked, kneeling down to the cat and holding his good hand out. The cat came without hesitation to the man who had been his temporary owner and climbed up to his shoulder, perching there like a bird.
Chichiri scanned his surroundings. No familiar faces. He frowned. He went a little further down the road until he passed all the booths, then stepped off-road into the long grass that lined it. He took off the broad hat that rested on his back and held it above his head.
"Guess you want me to go to Sourun, no da." Chichiri said to the furry animal.
The cat seemed to nod.
Holding his staff close to him, Chichiri released the hat, and disappeared.
----------------------------------------------
When Chichiri reappeared, he found himself in Sourun, a small town far south of Eiyo. Tall oak trees sheltered the whole town, and the sky was fairly cloudy, giving the place a constant shade. A few civilians walked to and fro, a milkman making his deliveries or a young woman on a walk with her two small children. It had been a little while since he'd been there, but the area was still memorable.
Cat still on shoulder, Chichiri headed down the small roads, most only big enough for a single carriage to get by, on the route he remembered fairly well. He has to stop occasionally to make sure he was going the right way, but since Sourun wasn't very large, he didn't have too much of a problem. A bookkeeper who must have recognized him said a "hello" as he passed, which Chichiri returned. Eventually Chichiri found a small cabin-like house only a little bit out of the way, Tama jumping off his shoulder and prancing up to it.
"You sure came a long way…" Chichiri said to the cat as he walked up to the front door. He hoped nothing was wrong with his fellow warrior.
He knocked on the door, and waited.
At first Chichiri didn't think anyone was going to answer, but at the last moment a young woman answered the door, her aquamarine eyes meeting Chichiri's mask.
"Chichiri-san?" She asked, opening the door wider. It was young Shouka, a girl of about 16 years of age.
The cat pawed at Shouka's feet.
"There you are!" Shouka exclaimed best she could with her light voice, kneeling down to pick up Tama. "I've been worried sick about you, you've been gone for days!" She scratched behind the cat's ears, then focused back to the monk on the doorstep. Her face looked solemn. "He's not doing too well." She said.
Chichiri took the statement with mild surprised. "May I come in?"
Shouka nodded and stepped aside to let the warrior passage. Closing the door after him, she led the way through the home to the bedroom in back.
Chichiri bit his lip. Mitsukake's large frame lay on the bed, covers up to his chest. There was a folded cloth on his forehead, and he slept, unaware of Chichiri's presence.
"I think it's Honu fever, but I'm not sure." Shouka let Tama down on top of his master's covers. "Juan… he's the only doctor around here, so he can't really diagnose himself like this…" Shouka tried to smile a bit. She felt the cloth on Mitsukake's head, then took it off, moving to a bowl of water on the dresser to re-wet it.
"You've bee taking care of him?" Chichiri asked, sad to see his friend so ill.
"Hai." Shouka replied quietly, ringing the rag out. "I don't have to stay during the night anymore… even though he's still sick, he is getting better, slowly. He wakes up every now and then to eat, but he's usually just like this, resting. A few weeks ago I was really worried about him, but I think he's recovering."
Chichiri felt Mitsukake's forehead, then the sides of his neck. If it was Honu Fever, then he was recovering. "How long has he been sick?"
Shouka walked back over and placed the cloth back on Mitsukake's forehead. "He started filling unwell about two months ago, but he's too stubborn to worry about himself. His fever got worse, but I think the climax of it is over."
"Have you given him any medicine?"
She nodded. "He has a lot of it in the other room, I've been using that. Just the powder for fever, though."
Chichiri nodded. "That's good, no da." It wouldn't be wise to give anyone a prescription they didn't need.
"I'll tell him you came to visit… He'll be disappointed that he missed you."
Chichiri stepped back from the bed. "I'll come again very soon, don't worry. He hasn't missed out on too much." Chichiri glanced over at the cat. "That's some animal, no da."
Shouka smiled and petted Tama. "Hai, he is. He's been worried about Juan too."
Chichiri stayed for a little while longer before saying his goodbyes, promising he'd return soon.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I still… don't understand how this thing works." Suboshi said, sitting in front of the TV in Saori's small living room, watching with interest the show "Sports Unlimited." He also wasn't quite sure what the point of football was.
Saori was drying the dinner dishes from the meal they had had a little while ago. "It's electromagnetic, it's complicated. I'm not quite sure how it works either." Saori had given up on trying to explain technology to Suboshi a few days ago. Luckily, Suboshi took most of it in stride.
Suboshi felt a wet nose sniffing him from behind. He turned to the small off-white colored dog. "Hey Mame." He said the animal's name, petting it.
Mame barked and wagged her tail excitedly, putting his front paws on Suboshi's leg.
"Mame, treat!" Saori called from the kitchen. At that word the dog immediately left Suboshi to prance into the kitchen where Saori was digging a small dog biscuit out of a cookie jar. "Sit." She ordered. Mame intently did so. Saori dropped the treat and Mame skillfully caught it in her mouth, taking it away from the kitchenette and to the side of the couch to eat it.
"I never actually taught him how to do any of that." Saori laughed, watching the companion she'd had ever since Mayo moved out. Her smile faded as she watched the Papillion gobble up the biscuit.
"Saori?" Suboshi questioned.
"Gomen." Saori said calmly, returning to the sink to do the dishes that were already clean.
Suboshi stood up from his seat on the floor and walked over to the kitchenette.
"What if…" Saori began without being asked, "What if Miaka's right, and the reason you're here is just for balance?" Her voice sounded worried. "What if when Taka comes back, you disappear? This isn't your home, Suboshi, you won't be able to stay…"
"Saori…" Suboshi stepped towards her.
"I can't go with you!" Saori shouted, slamming a strainer back into the sink. She spun around. "If you go back, I won't be able to go with you! I…" Tears began welling up in Saori's eyes.
Suboshi took Saori in his arms, holding her against him tightly. Saori cried lightly against his shirt, holding onto the fabric with a tight grip.
"Then I'll find my way back to you." Suboshi answered. "That's all there is to it."
Saori pulled away from him a bit, looking sadly into his blue eyes. "Demo… what if…"
Suboshi brushed a strand of hair out of Saori's face and kissed her, trying to show her how he felt about her. After a moment he slowly pulled away, meeting Saori's gaze again.
"I promise." He whispered, kissing her forehead, "if I ever get separated from you, I promise I'll find my way back."
Saori's eyes watered again, and she fell back into his embrace, resting her head against his collarbone.
"Suboshi…" she hummed quietly, "I love you so much, Suboshi."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Where'd Chichiri go?" Taka asked as he came into the throne room of the palace where Hotohori was.
"He offered to take Chiriko to a carriage, I believe." Hotohori answered.
"Was he going to take him all the way to Chouan? He's been gone for a while."
"He has been gone for an extended amount of time." Hotohori agreed.
Taka shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about him too much, that guy can take care of himself."
"I suppose so." The emperor concluded. Hotohori sighed and rubbed his temples. "There has been… quite a bit going on lately. I can only hope that we'll keep some peace for a while…"
"Let's hope." He sighed. "I hope Miaka's alright."
"I…" Hotohori began, but then hesitate. "Tamahome, look there!" He pointed to one of the long curtains at the front of the room. The kanji for "mage" glimmered in red on it, then faded.
"Damn…" Taka cursed. "Mage? That's a new one…"
The lighting in the room eerily dimmed, despite the time of day. Hotohori drew his sword, walking backward towards the center of the room, eyes scanning the walls. The guards from outside and in the corners of the large area looked around in confusion, pointing their spears towards an invisible enemy.
"Be on your guard, Tamahome." Hotohori's low voice warned, "I feel a predator among us."
As if by invitation, several dark clad figures suddenly dropped from the ceiling, landing gracefully onto the marble floor. They surrounded the two Suzaku warriors. The guards shouted out commands and moved towards the intruders.
"Who are they!" Taka shouted, lifting his fists up.
"It does not matter, they are our enemies." Hotohori readied his sword, then attacked. The swift blade lunged for one of the supposed "mages", but the figure leapt out of the way like a cricket, soaring high into the air before landing again silently. He didn't attack.
Hotohori took the moment to evaluate the situation. There were about eight of the trespassers there. He watched as two guards lunged for another one of the mages, and the mage did the same as the other, leapt out of the way, but didn't attack.
"What are they waiting for?" Taka wondered. He charged at one, the ninja stepped aside, brought a quick hand down on Taka's back, and stopped.
Taka regained his balance, wincing. For such a minor function, these freaks knew what they were doing.
Finally, a few of the mages reacted. They leapt into the air again, bringing their hands together and shooting lightening down at the two warriors. The electricity cracked loudly as it crashed into the marble floor, leaving small craters where it hit.
"Tamahome!" Hotohori shouted, now running to dodge the attacks. "We have fought this kind of enemy before!"
Taka remembered. In a way, they mimicked the lightening witch from Seiryu. The way to beat them was to get up high… even though these mages didn't stay in the air.
Taka leapt into the air as one of the ninjas in front of him did, and reeled his fist back as he flew, striking the mage in the stomach in mid-air. The mage fell to the ground, grabbing its stomach in pain. This was just like an ordinary fight, for this world, anyway. They could handle it. However, they were greatly outnumbered.
The guards charged the ninjas, mostly being beaten around, though one did manage to pierce his spear into one of the enemy's arms. Hotohori took advantage of that injury and swung his sword into the side of the mage, the mage stiffening and disappearing in a flash of red light before the holy sword finished passing through it. Swinging around, Hotohori attacked another mage. Every swing or jab he made the mage dodged, ducking and flying out of the way. He flipped behind the Konan emperor, and charged up his hands with a fresh bolt of lightening. Hotohori turn around just as the charge flew at him, and the emperor thrust his sword forward, the magnificent blade absorbing the energy from the attack. With a strong swing, Hotohori sent the lightening back at the mage. The mage fell to the ground, and disappeared.
Several more guards flooded into the throne room, and the mages took care of most of them with ease, several unconscious bodies scattering the edges of the room. A few guards still kept up, teaming up to take out on more of the mages.
Taka shook his hand violently, a current of electricity having hit it and numbed it greatly. They were knocking them down, but not fast enough.
"REKKA SHINNEN!"
The shout echoed throughout the dark room, a blaze of fire swirling through the air and around the remaining black mages. It continued growing until the rest of the enemies were wiped out, again disappearing in a flicker of red light. When the fire died down, the sunlight in the room was restored to how it had been before the fight.
"What th'hell were those?" Tasuki asked, stepping over an unconscious body and into the throne room. He eyed the cracks in the marble floor.
"Tasuki!" Taka exclaimed, still shaking out his hand. "You're back!"
"Good thing too." Tasuki reached behind him and sheathed his favorite toy. "You guys just can't do anythin' around here, can ya?" He smiled.
Hotohori lowered his sword, then sheathed it as well. He caught his breath. "Tasuki… it is good to see you again, especially at such a desired time."
A few of the guards started to wake up.
"Who were those guys?" Tasuki asked more seriously, meeting up with Taka and Hotohori in the center of the throne room.
"Mages, apparently." Taka said, "That's what the symbol said, anyway."
Tasuki understood. "And Miaka? She's gone?"
A nod. "She disappeared this morning, back to her own world." Hotohori replied.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"That went well." Kazuki interrupted.
Hachiro looked up from the page. "Do you want me to finish the dialogue or not?"
Kazuki waved his hand. "It's unimportant jabber. I don't really care if you read it or not."
Hachiro rolled his eyes. "How did that go well? I thought you little 'black mages' got beat pretty bad." He flipped back a page and looked at the drawing Kazuki had put into the book of the mages.
"It just shows me what I need to improve on—but they were stealthy." Kazuki said. He suddenly got excited. "Excellent! Tasuki is back and we've gotten rid of that boring one for the time being…"
"Chiriko?" Hachiro questioned.
"Yes." Kazuki answered. "Now, we need to continue working up to the climax of this story, we can't let our guard down for too long, or the tale will get drab again." He rubbed his chin, "we need a character to replace the miko for the time being, until I decide what to do with her."
"…we could bring Nuriko back in." Hachiro suggested.
Kazuki shook his head. "No, that's not good enough."
"Seii? She's a female character too, we could give her a…"
"Hachiro," Kazuki interrupted, "You are NOT helping. Go read your precious dialogue if you're going to give me such lame ideas."
Hachiro frowned. He looked over at an end table and spotted the character list Kazuki had made at the beginning of all of this. He picked it up and looked over it.
"What about… Yui?"
"No, Hachiro."
Hachiro read down the list. Buru… who the heck was that guy anyway? They could do something with Houki… maybe give Tamahome more to do.
Then Hachiro noticed a name that they hadn't used yet, a character Kazuki had mentioned a while ago. "What about this Inami?"
Kazuki shook his head again. "No, she's not even living in that…" Then Kazuki stopped, a smile spreading across his face. "That may just work… bringing in a character back like that, one who had supposedly left the story forever…"
Hachiro was glad just to get Kazuki to agree to something. "Well, let's use him… her, then."
Kazuki nodded. "I think we will, Hachiro. I think we will."