Time for a "sweet" reunion between two old friends..

Disclaimer: All that usual stuff.

Chapter Nine – The Stretching of Shadows

Chichiri rode through the streets of Akanin, a city near the capital of Konan. He was still angry at Tasuki for burning his hat, but he decided it couldn't be helped. His friend had always done hare-brained things like that.

He thought back to how he had gotten the horse he was currently riding. It was a beauty, and he hadn't seen many like her, with her chestnut mane, almost scarlet. The way she moved was phenomenal, too. It was easy to guide her down the roads, for she obeyed without pause. Kouji, or Meji as he was known in this life, had acquired it for him. At first, Tasuki hadn't wanted to give him the horse, especially since he had punched his friend right between the eyes, but after some arguing by Meji on Chichiri's behalf, the bandit had changed his mind. After all, it was for the good of Konan, right?

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. He would have asked Tasuki if he had wanted to accompany him, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. No one could know about the gathering seishi until they were all together. Secrecy. That was a key point in this plan Taiitsukun had devised to counter Tenkou. Of course.. he had told the Byakko seishi about it, but that was before he knew the importance of it.

Finally, he reached the house where Chiriko had been raised during Miaka's time. He, along with Tasuki, Miaka, and Taka, had visited when they had been searching for Chiriko's memory orb. Chichiri pulled his horse to a stop and jumped off lightly. He looked the house over, making sure it was the right one and tied his horse to a post. Giving it a pat, for it had been a good horse, Chichiri began heading up the steps leading to the crimson front door.

"Hidoen? Hidoen, is that you?"

Chichiri turned and saw a young man running toward him. His hand had raised halfway to his face before he realized who it was. "Tsuriko!"

Tsuriko stopped running, a big grin on his face. "Hidoen, so it is you," he said solemnly.

"How have you been, no da?"

Tsuriko shrugged. "All right. Kageyo's been busy studying though, so Father sends me out to do all the errands."

Kageyo. The boy's sweet smile flitted through Chichiri's head. So the child was going to take the exams this year again? Hopefully he would pass all three of the tests this time. He wanted him to succeed, for he knew it had been the old Chiriko's dream to pass the exams. Maybe it wasn't the same thing, but it was close enough.

"Do you want to see Kageyo?" Tsuriko asked, shaking Chichiri out of his thoughts.

He nodded. If he had a chat with his old friend, maybe it could bring his spirits up. It was definitely something he needed.

Tsuriko turned and started up the stairs, passing Chichiri. "Let's go then."

The two of them entered the house and began walking down the hall, which was decorated with various paintings and calligraphy on the walls. Chichiri tried to get a good look of each of them, but because there were so many, he only saw a few. Tsuriko stopped in front of a large red door and knocked. "Kageyo, are you busy? There's a guest here for you."

"Come in," a boy called from inside, and Tsuriko slid the door open. Chichiri followed his friend inside and was greeted by a slightly feminine-looking teenage boy. Looking closer, he saw that Chichan's russet hair was pulled into a high braid, with a few strands hanging loose at the side of his angular face. His emerald eyes, which were half-covered by his bangs, were intelligent and studied him quietly. They flitted to Chichiri's scar, and Chichiri looked away, ashamed.

"Hello. Do I know you?" the boy asked politely.

Chichiri was silent for a moment. "What do you think, no da?"

"Richan!" There seemed to be an explosion and Chichiri suddenly found himself knocked to the wall. "You came, just like you promised!" Kageyo cried.

Chichiri grinned meekly. "I did, didn't I, no da?" He held up his pinky. "Isn't a promise a promise and something meant to be kept?"

Kageyo's eyes were bright as he linked pinkies with Chichiri. "Of course!"

There was an amused smile on Tsuriko's face. "And what about ole' Tsuchan here? Didn't you miss me, too?"

Chichiri laughed and pulled the young man to him, rubbing his hair. "And why wouldn't I?"

"Oy! OY! No touchie the hair!" Tsuriko pulled away and gazed reproachfully at Chichiri. "You know I don't like it."

Chichiri raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, it's been at least six years since we've seen each other.." He stroked his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous look in his eye. "I could have forgotten, no da." His eye flickered and his demeanor suddenly became serious as he looked at them curiously. "Do you -"

The wall in front of them exploded and Chichiri flung himself over his two friends, shielding them with his body. He ignored the rocks pelting down on his body and quickly whirled around, doing a twist with his staff and erecting a shield.

There was a gust of wind and a young man stepped lightly onto the wooden floor. Chichiri's eyes widened when he realized who it was. But why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be at the Byakko shrine with the others?

Karasuki spotted Chichiri, Kageyo, and Tsuriko in the corner and a cruel smile came over his face. He flipped his olive-green hair behind him, sniggering. "Ah.. Chichiri, one of the Taiitsukun Seven, am I correct?" He looked at his left hand as he twirled it once in the air. "Fancy meeting you here."

Chichiri clambered up as fast as he could and set his staff horizontally in defense position. He wasn't sure what was wrong with the Byakko seishi, but he had to be prepared for anything. "Karasuki! What are you doing here, attacking Kageyo and Tsuriko's house like this?

Karasuki laughed and raised an eyebrow. He extended his hand and pointed it at Kageyo, who had come up from behind Chichiri. "What other reason but because of him?"

At first, Chichiri was puzzled, but then as all the pieces fell together, it hit him. Of course! The legendary scroll of Suzaku that had once belonged to Chiriko, even the resemblance to his old friend. Kageyo was the reincarnation of Chiriko, making him one of the Taiitsukun seishi! But why was Karasuki attacking them? Didn't he realize that Chiriko was needed for the battle against Tenkou?

"Let me handle him," Kageyo's soft voice came from behind, and he walked out of the shield, his hands stretched out. There was a dangerous smile on his face. "You wanted me?" he called out to Karasuki. "Well, come and get me then..."

Chichiri started forward, but Tsuriko yanked him back. "Kageyo can handle him, don't worry. He's been training."

He wanted to argue, but forced it down. Instead, he silently observed Kageyo. There was a different aura to him now, something that had replaced the timidness that once surrounded the boy during Miaka's time. Then he remembered what Taiitsukun had said about them gaining new powers as a result of becoming her seishi. Perhaps that was what she meant.

Chiriko's eyes began to glow turquoise and her hands formed a circle as power began emitting from her. With a few well-chosen words, she swept her hands up and lashed out with a shot of ice.

Karasuki leaped into the air, cursing as the ice cut through his tan robe. "Why you...!" He raised a hand in the air and rocks flew up. With a slash, he sent them flying toward Chiriko.

Her sign flared brighter on her foot, the scarlet deepening until it was black, and she seemed to push the air. The rocks were repelled by shards of ice that had flown up and they hit the ground.

"Not good enough," Chiriko said lightly as she drew her hand slowly back. She suspected that her opponent wasn't fighting with his full power, but it didn't matter. Never again could she be called the weakest of the Suzaku Seven. In this new life, she had gained powers that could defeat many who challenged her. How she had received them she didn't know, but it didn't matter at the moment.

Karasuki smiled again. "One does gain many benefits when becoming a Taiitsukun seishi, don't you think?"

"What?"

"You didn't know? You're one of the Taiitsukun seishi," Karasuki said. He took a step backward, scrutinizing the situation. There was an almost jerky manner to his movement, something Chiriko took into account now that she could watch him more carefully. Something about him didn't seem natural.

Chichiri too noticed it as he had watched the two fight. Karasuki seemed so different from their first meeting. It almost seemed as if he had had a personality change. But how was that possible? He bit his lip, worried for Chiriko. Although he knew Chiriko was a lot stronger than he used to be, he didn't know the extent of Karasuki's power.

Suddenly, Karasuki jerked and grabbed his head. "D-Damn!" His green eyes blazed with anger and he leaped backward. "I'll be back, Taiitsukun seishi!" There was a flash of orange light and the seishi vanished, leaving Chiriko, Chichiri, and Tsuriko to stand there, shocked.

Chiriko whirled on Chichiri. "What did Karasuki mean by me being a Taiitsukun seishi?" he demanded.

Chichiri pointed to the sign on his friend's foot, which was glowing black. "That, no da."

There was silence. Then Chiriko looked up, his eyes mystified. "How is this possible? Does it.." He looked around the room, surveying the damage that had been done to their house. Luckily, because it opened into their backyard, outsiders couldn't see it and none had come running to see what was wrong.

Chichiri wasn't sure how to explain. For a moment, he wished Taiitsukun had left him instructions, but then he remembered the orb she had given him. Taking it out, he showed it to Chiriko.

Chiriko immediately recognized the orb when Chichiri took it out. Tasuki had told her about it in the past, and she wondered about its significance, about why Chichiri was showing it to her. Wasn't it the one that Miaka had used to find the Suzaku seishi? Why did Chichiri have it?

Two characters floated up from the black ball. "'Ice' and 'Scroll,' no da," Chichiri said. "You work with ice and you were the one who gave me the Holy Scroll." He smiled. "Proof that you're a Taiitsukun seishi."

Taiitsukun seishi. She could vaguely remember hearing that phrase before, but where? Chiriko racked her mind, searching for the memory that would have told her.

"...fact that your sign is black now shows that, too," Chichiri was saying.

"Hold on, what's all this about?" Tsuriko interrupted. "What's this about seishi? You can't be talking about Suzaku, right?"

There was an uneasy face on Chichiri's face, as if he wasn't sure how to explain. Chiriko watched him closely, silently noting the scar across his right eye that marred his otherwise handsome face. She wanted to ask him about it, but in her heart, she knew it wasn't a good idea.

The door burst open, revealing a disheveled woman with flour on her apron and in her hair. "Kageyo, Tsuriko, what or who was that?!"

"M-"

Chiriko knocked Tsuriko aside, interrupting him. "Mother, you do remember Shou Hidoen, right? He's come by to visit. Isn't that great?"

"By exploding our wall?" she asked doubtfully. "When did normal visitors do that kind of stuff?"

Chiriko nodded cheerfully. "Of course. He always did that kind of stuff, remember?"

Their mother nodded, unsure. "Well.." she looked Chichiri over and changed the subject. "You've grown, haven't you?"

Chichiri smiled wryly. "It's been a while, Madam Liao. We all change, no da."

Madam Liao wiped her hands on her apron and laughed. "All right then, I'll leave the three of you young ones to catch up on the years then. But..." her voice trailed off as her eyes rested on the rubble. "Please do refrain from destroying anymore of the house. I know we can easily replace it, but I would prefer not to do so over and over."

Chichiri bowed. "That I'll keep in mind, no da."

Madam Liao smiled and closed the door, quietly leaving the three of them alone.

Tsuriko gave Chiriko a skeptical look. "Hidoen always explode stuff? He was the one who always stopped us from destroying everything! If you're going to lie, at least do a good job of it!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Would you have wanted Mother to find out that we'd been attacked then? If so, I could have told her the truth. I'm sure she would have appreciated knowing."

"Well... no.."

"See what I mean?"

"But what about Hidoen?" Tsuriko protested. "All the blame was laid on him!"

"It's all right," Chichiri said softly. "It involves me anyways, no da." He shifted his staff on his shoulder, then glanced at Chiriko. "Did you want to come with me on my quest?" he finally asked.

Chiriko smiled wryly. "Even if I said no, you would still make me come, wouldn't you?"

I don't know how much I liked this chapter.. It was all right I guess.. Anyways, it's about time another seishi showed up. Nine chapters into the story, and only two out of the seven have been found? Good thing the others will show up soon. :P

I will also be doing a rewrite of Chapter One and changing some of the ideas around, so look for the next time I update. :)