Disclaimer: No owning Fushigi Yuugi for me!
Author's Note: Yaaay! Third chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I had writer's block… I know bad excuse, huh? -;
"Tasuki…" Tasuki heard his name being called, and fought a fierce battle with wakefulness. Whoever needed him would just have to wait until he was good and ready.
"Tasuki…please wake up…"
Hah…Nothin' doin'. I don't want to get up; it's nice and quiet.
"Tasuki! Wake up!" He yelped in pain as he was roughly shaken by Miaka, and sat up angrily. The Suzaku seishi were standing around him, looking concerned.
"What the hell do you want?" He asked irritably, angry that his sleep had been disturbed. Miaka backed up a step from where she had been standing and bit her lip. Tamahome picked up a fallen blanket, and said bluntly,
"Akana's gone. We got back and didn't find her." Tasuki stared at him, then looked around at the worried faces of the others.
"What do you mean, gone?" Tamahome shrugged.
"We got back and she was gone, with nothing left behind…" Tasuki moaned and lay back down on some pillows.
"Great…This just makes my day… Um…I'll go check the stables. If she's here, her horse will be too." Tasuki got up and left the group of seishi to their own devices. For some reason, as he walked, Tasuki couldn't help but be afraid that she might really be gone. He quashed the feeling firmly and entered the stables. It was dark, and Tasuki could hear the sounds of the horses moving, and munching on hay. A murmur caught his attention, and he crouched low to the ground, moving quietly. A song reached his ears, sung softly by a familiar voice. Sneaking up behind Akana, who was grooming her horse with a brush, he joined her, humming softly. It took her a bit to realize there was someone else, and when she did, she gasped, and whirled around. Her face relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Oh, Tasuki! Why are you here?" He smiled at her question.
"I'm here because I wanted to make sure you haven't left. I woke up and you were gone. You need more rest." Akana waved away his concern.
"I'm fine, really. I just needed a little rest, that's all." Tasuki raised an eyebrow.
"By the way, what was that all about anyway? Miaka told me how you protected her, and made a giant bird come out of the sky. You can't possibly be a seishi, can you?" kana shook her head, and put her finger to Tasuki's lips.
"If you must know, let us get away from prying ears, first. Only then I can be sure I'm in the presence of the right people." Tasuki nodded, and Akana resumed brushing her horse, Tasuki having grabbed another and helping her with her task.
Back in the hut, the seishi had all circled around Akana, their faces grave. She took a breath, then spoke.
"You have all heard of the events of last night, yes? I have a confession to make. For the past few years, I have been searching for all of you. You are my lord's protectors, and he has decreed that I must join you on your journey. You see, I am Lord Suzaku's heir. Miaka," Akana gestured to Miaka, "Is the priestess, yes, but she only has the power to summon Suzaku. Once she does that, I am to take his place as a goddess. Almost all of my life I have been trained in his service, and he has decreed I must finish my training out in the world." The seishi stared dumbly at Akana.
"So you're like…a goddess in training?" Miaka asked, a confused look on her face. Akana nodded, then blushed.
"I will stay only if you permit me to. If not, I can go elsewhere…" Tasuki threw his hands up in the air.
"Whaddaya mean, permit you to stay? Of course we'll let you stay! You're a goddess!" The other seishi echoed their agreement enthusiastically. Akana smiled, and bowed from her sitting position.
"Thank you so much!"
The heir to Suzaku, eh? This may be important.
A slightly burned Suboshi smiled wickedly from his hiding spot beneath the window of the hut as he heard Akana's full confession. He crepped from his hiding place, then set off at a flat run towards the caravan where Nakago and Yui rode.
"Nakago! I have important information!" He ran up to the main tent where Nakago was mapping out the area. Nakago looked up, his eyes flinty.
"Report, Suboshi." Breathing hard, Suboshi relayed what he had heard from his hiding place. Nakago dismissed Suboshi, then sat and brooded.
The heir to Suzaku…We may have to shift our focus from the priestess to the goddess…