For those of you who have been keeping up with the story, (and I really thank you for this ) I have rewritten Chp 2, thanks to help from Clarinet. :)

Also beware of Chichiri OOCness.

Disclaimer: FY and all its characters belong to Yuu Watase.

Chapter Eight – A Winged Flame

Chichiri rose from the ground, looking around curiously. It had been a while since he had last been in this region. He wondered how he would find Tasuki here. Maybe he could do a chi search?

He picked up his hat and set it on his head. There were some trees in the distance and he wanted to rest for a while, maybe even sleep before he searched for his bandit friend.

'I heard he was busy flaming trees, so be careful,' Hotohori's last words rang through his head.

Chichiri laughed. As there were trees in this region, he reckoned Tasuki hadn't been here yet. However, two things he failed to notice was the singed grass, slightly charred from the heat of recent fire, and the faint scent of trailing smoke.

"Rekka.... Shin'nen!"

Chichiri blinked as his hat caught on fire. His hat, his precious hat! He leaped backward and flung it on the ground before the flames caught on his hair, too. "No DA?!" What was going on?

"Enemies, be– oh Chichiri, it's you?"

Chichiri turned slowly at the sound of the voice. He glared at the guilty bandit. "Tasuki, you. Burned. My. HAT!!!"

Kutou, land of Seiryuu. It had once been a war-torn country, but lately, a good Emperor had come to rule. He was Habori, a brilliant strategist who had already won many battles. Now it was night in the country, and few wandered the streets of the capital. Who but the foolhardy or extremely brave dared to, when it was patrolled by none other than the Seiryuu seishi?

Eniru leaped from roof to roof, watching over his beloved city. His light blue eyes scanned the streets of Haron, the capital of Kutou. His dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, lightly brushing his elbows, with a metal ring around his forehead, a slight decoration in the middle. Two bangs stuck out. If anyone looked at him, they would have assumed he was an ordinary townsperson, richer than most because of the fancy designs sewn onto his sleeves. His jacket was a dark navy, shielding him from pedestrians, with a dragon etched on the high collar.

Of the Seiryuu Celestial Warriors, he was Miboshi, the Advisor. At twenty-six, he was already a close friend of the Emperor of Kutou, having grown up with him. In fact, he was using that connection to locate his six comrades. For more than a year, he had been sensing a strange presence in the air. He wasn't sure what it was, but his instincts told him they weren't good.

Of the six other Seiryuu Warriors, Nakago, Ashitare, and Soi had already been assembled. Now all he had to do was find Amiboshi, Suboshi, and Tomo. Recently, he had gotten some leads on Tomo's whereabouts and was looking into it. Ashitare and Soi had volunteered to help him, but Nakago, being a general in the army, couldn't help as much as he wanted. It didn't matter though, because with Ashitare, Soi, and his combined skills, they could track just about anyone down.

His keen eyes spotted a lone man running through the streets, carrying something on his back. Something about his manner bothered Miboshi and he stealthily began tracking him on the roofs. He considered possessing him, but he didn't think he should do it. Yet.

There was a quiet snarl behind him and he turned, smiling when he realized who it was. Ashitare was standing before him in his great wolf form, his steel-grey fur rippling in the night air. There was a slight shimmer in the air and Ashitare shifted to his human form, a young man of twenty-three with long indigo hair flowing loose down to his waist. It was a wonder his light grey robes weren't ripped from the transformation, but Miboshi supposed it was from years of practice.

Ashitare nodded at the escaping man. "He your latest victim?" His voice was sultry, with a crisp edge to it and was a low tenor, not quite at the ranks of bass. His green eyes were almost cat-like in appearance, but not as delicate. Something about them always gave a person the impression that he was thinking, scheming about just about anything.

Miboshi raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

Ashitare morphed back to his wolf form and Miboshi heard his voice in his head. –I'll help.-

Miboshi shrugged nonchalantly and began running across the roofs again, Ashitare close behind him. When they were close enough to the fleeing man, they leaped down. Miboshi's eyes hardened as he and Ashitare dove in for the kill.

Chichiri looked at the burnt remains of his hat, at a loss for words. He couldn't believe it. His hat, his favorite means of transportation, was destroyed. He knew he should have heeded Hotohori's warning.

Tasuki grinned sheepishly. "I'm real s'rry, Chichiri, but I thought you were an enemy."

Chichiri forced himself to remain calm. His friend hadn't done it on purpose. His friend hadn't done it on purpose. After all, what with Tenkou and everything, anyone could be an enemy. He closed his eyes and drew his breath in, forcing himself to remember why he was there. "It's all -"

Chichiri opened his eyes, only to see that Tasuki had taken the burnt straw hat and was in the process of burying it. A grave marker had already been set up and the bandit was poking incense sticks in the all-too-singed hat. A vein popped out of the monk's head.

"TASUKI!!!!"

Half an hour later, Chichiri finally got around to what he wanted to say. There was the half hour merely because of the string of crazy antics Tasuki pulled. Burying the straw hat had been but the first of things the bandit did. He really didn't want to remember what else his friend had done, but it had involved fire. Typical of Tasuki actually.

When Chichiri had asked Tasuki if he knew the whereabouts of Chiriko, the bandit had stopped shooting flames in the air long enough to say he didn't know. However, he did want to know if the little scholar was still afraid of ghosts. He could still remember the time Chiriko's sign had disappeared and he had reverted to his other personality.

"Ghost Boy," Tasuki had chuckled, remembering Tamahome's childhood nickname. "Oooh boy, wish Tama-boy was here." He then told Chichiri to start looking for Chiriko at his hometown from Miaka's day. Perhaps he had been reincarnated there?

Chichiri's thoughts turned to Chichan. Chichan had been the one who had given him Chiriko's scroll, so maybe he was related to Chiriko's reincarnation somehow. It was probably a good idea to look him up first, to see if he knew anything about Chiriko.

Tasuki looked up. "Chichiri, are ya wearin' a mask?"

Chichiri punched him.

On a cliff in Sairou near the capital, a man of about thirty was standing, silhouetted against the sky. His long violet hair was braided, reaching down past his waist and held back at the forehead by a thin band of silver decorated with tiny golden gemstones. His bangs were chin-length, thin and widely separated, and if one looked at his eyes, he would have found an unfathomable ocean in the deep blue. The sun was setting behind him and the man watched the bustling castle almost scornfully, the place where he worked at and was a close friend of the emperor's. His name was Takayama Shii, but he was known by another to those who knew him.

There were many things he desired in the world but few ways to actually obtain him. This newest idea of his was probably going to get him everything he wanted, but he knew it was literally playing with fire. After all, the demon his father had released could turn against him any moment. Not exactly something he had planned, but if something like that did happen, he was prepared.

His long dark blue robe covered the jeweled sword at his waist. He smiled, a faint one that portrayed not his lust for what did not belong to him. Extremely intelligent and a skilled fighter, having been trained from a young age, he had quickly risen in the ranks of the army and soon became a top general and Chief Advisor. Being just a few years older than the Emperor himself, the two had become close friends. However, Shii wasn't interested in friends; he wanted power, to be the ruler of Sairou or even all five of the countries. Unfortunately, that wasn't the easiest thing to obtain. The Emperor of Sairou had many friends and it was difficult to turn his people against him. Then again, there were the cursed Byakko seishi, who protected him. He knew he couldn't defeat all seven of them together with the skills he had now; he had to get rid of them some other way. What better way than to have the demon his family had released do the dirty work for him? He laughed. The events that were going to happen over the next few months were really going to be fun for him.

Suzaku, Nyan, and Byakko were walking through the main hall on their way to the War room. Byakko had fallen slightly behind as he walked slowly thinking to himself. Ahead, Suzaku and Nyan were talking animatedly. Byakko smiled a little, for he knew the two of them well. As usual, the pair was joking around, seeing who could make the other laugh first at their crazy jokes. He fingered the rich silk of his sleeve, feeling the etched tiger on it. The thread was smooth and had been specially woven for him by Nyan. Of course, Nyan had always sewn the decorations on their clothes, but he especially liked the tiger. He looked Suzaku over carefully, noting the red phoenix that traveled the length of his robe.

All of a sudden, Byakko felt something go through him and he jerked in mid-step. A shocked look came over his face and he collapsed.

"Byakko!"

There was a blur of red and Suzaku shot over, catching his brother before he hit the ground. He touched his hand to Byakko's forehead and winced. It was slick with sweat, as if he had a high fever.

"What's wrong with him?" Nyan asked anxiously. She felt her heart skip a beat when Suzaku didn't answer. Her voice slid up an octave in her fear. "He's not.. dead, is he?"

Suzaku lifted Byakko's limp body and bit his lip. The tiger God's eyes were closed and his breath was coming out shallowly. Suzaku looked down at his brother worriedly, his crimson eyes shining. He felt something stir in him, the heat of the emotion warming his body. Who had dared do such a thing to his brother? For sure Byakko hadn't deserved it, being the least likely of the Four Gods to make enemies with his easygoing nature. Then it hit him. Of course. It had to be Tenkou, for the girl who had sealed the demon away the first time had been Byakko's Priestess.

"All of a sudden, he lost a lot of chi," Suzaku finally said. "He'll be all right, but I don't know how long it'll take him to recuperate."

"Lost chi? You don't think..." Nyan's voice trailed off.

"I think it does," Suzaku said determinedly. He knew what it meant, but he didn't want to alarm Nyan. As they all knew, there were only two ways to knock a God unconscious. One of them was the death of his seishi, for a lot of chi was released when that happened. The other way was to sap his chi directly, feeding off the energy and transferring the power to one. He wasn't sure which one it had been, but he knew there was a possibility that both of them had been used. Definitely a severe breach on their security.

Suzaku shifted Byakko so his brother could be more comfortable and began walking toward the Tiger Room. "Tell Taiitsukun I'll be there later," he called over his shoulder.

Nyan nodded mutely and began running down the hall.

So. Tenkou had finally made his move, Suzaku thought. He looked at Byakko, who was still breathing shallowly, sweat beading on his forehead. And what a destructive move it had been.

Hm.. this chapter was a bit strange in my opinion. The insertion of Miboshi was random, I realize, but there IS a point to it. Anyways, I promise to stop skipping around so much in the next chapter.. --;