Kay, I remembered to update on a proper time. XD Yes! lol . . . I'm a little tired right now, but after re-reading the best Sasuke x Naruto fanfic eva' (But it never finiiiiished! XD Why? ) I am revitilized! Oh, I edited Chappie Twleve and put up the bolds and italics and stuffs, 'cause in the rush of updating I forgot to put them up . . . lol!

Suzuno Oosugi- Maybe, maybe not! I'm kinda not sure where I'm going with it, but I'll figure it out eventually . . . lol!

Care- Hmm . . . I wonder how they actually will act? XD I never thought about it! Everyone falls over I think ahead about as much I can throw people. . . And that's not a lot. lol! '

Kaeru Soyokaze- Yup! I think I put the link up in my profile thing . . . I dunno, I'm not sure! Do you have one? What is it? lol! Hopefully he'll get over hus suspicious-ness sooner or later . . . '

Chaotic Demon- Yeay for cute tigers! XD Actually, I had a scary tiger in a dream last night, major coincedence! Plus, I watched a documentary on clouded members, and they're cats so it's close enough! Ooooh, they're so cute . . goes off in her own little cat world XD lol!

Chapter Thirteen

"Would ya look at that," Lanva said, more to himself. The tunnel they walked out of had led them to the bottom, completely out of the mountain and safe on normal ground. Of course, they had to walk a little to get our of the wood, but nothing dangerous had happened, and the young man noted to himself to keep the Priestess close just in case. Standing on the grass, as though they had given up, were the three he had been previously traveling with.

Both Jin-Shun and Amefuri were sitting, the younger of the two cross-legged while cleaning his weapons again and the older with his legs spread, leaning back on his arms. Subaru was the one stadning, walking back and forth pacingly. It was obvious that her crying spell had not lasted very long at all.

"Hey, guys!" he shouted, getting all of their attention. He smiled and waved his available hand, and even Suzuno waved to them a little, though hers was much more modest. Immeadianly Amefuri jumpeed up, and like how Lanva reacted when he first saw the Priestess again, he looked like he was going to hug her, but suddenly stopped right before her and shifted his eyes a little.

"Are . . . Are you okay?" he asked, trying to sound polite. She didn't answer, alos not looking at him and feeling the shame she felt for running away. "About what happened earlier . . . You weren't supposed to hear that so directly. But even though that's my job, you're the Priestess, so-"he took both of her hands, which she had held together in front of her into his one hand, which surprised her. That's when they looked at each other directly, and as he smiled, he said, "-You won't ever have to worry about such a thing from me. I'll always protect you."

"Amefuri . . ." She couldn't help but cry when he said that, and she covered her face, trying to hide a huige whelling joy inside her. She had cried enough in front of them, and after such a wonderful said thing, she didn't want him to feel bad. She was surprised when she felt his arms around her and her head lying against his chest.

"Go ahead and cry," he said to her, his face a little red. He patted her back like a Mother would a baby, finding the moment awkward and not exactly sure what to do in such a situation. At least, he wasn't sure with a girl like Suzuno . . .

"I thought you said nothing perverted!"

He jumped when a furious voice came from behind him, and turned his head slightly to see Subaru with an annoyed expression. Amefuri let go of his hold only a little, muttering to himself 'I wasn't being perverted', and as soon as Suzuno looked up at her shyly, the expression changed to a soft and heartwarming smile, and the woman lightly pushed Amefuri out of the way to hug her. "There, there, dear. We were so worried about you. . ."

"I . . ." Suzuno tried to find the right words for it, a little scared of being scolded to be honest. Though in a way, she half-expected not to. It was a strange feeling, like predicting the future. "I won't do it again . . . I'm sorry. . ."

"It's alright, it's alright- What?!"

Suzuno thought she was in trouble and flinched a little, shutting her eyes; she felt Subaru let go, but then she noticed that she was victim to a . . a headlock? With Lanva. He was smiling cheerfully, as if there was nothing wrong with it, and while it looked a little painful (Even more for Lanva, since Subaru easily got out of it and hit him while yelling at him), the young girl couldn't help but smile. She wondered that if she ever fell in love or had to get married what it would be like. In all honesty, she didn't think the two hated each other . . .

"Anyways," Amefuri said, getting the attention of everyone, "You guys don't have anywhere to sleep, and I don't know if you have money or not . . . It's gonna be smelly and a little crowded, but if you don't mind that then you can stay at my place." He whirled around, away from Suzuno, Subaru and Lanva, pointning directly at Jin-Shun who was still engaged in cleaning. "But not you! You have a house, so you can't stay over!"

"That's fine, Echi," he replied flaty, finally standing up like the others and putting his things in his pocket. He walked over to Suzuno, who was a little less than half his size, and patted her head lightly. With a sweet expression before turning around and leaving towards the town he said, "I'm sorry for capturing you, Priestess. I hope you find all of the warriors and save us."

"Th-Thank you," she said, feeling the awe and power of his words. She still felt amazed that it was her duty to save everything that she saw. All the land around her, and more, was hers to decide the fate of. Butwhen she looked at Subaru and Amefuri, and when she thought of Tatara who had at least considered joining them, she felt that the journey wouldn't be so much a hardship after all.

As they walked back to the capitol as well, already hearing the crowds of the marketplace even though the sun was finally coming down, Lanva had dropped the tiger nearly everyone else had forgotten about in his his arms. Though there was a small 'thud' when it landed on the grass, it had caught itseld nicely, and immediantly walked over to Suzuno. She stopped walking and kneeled over, scratching the fur underneath its' chin as it rotated slowly.

"It's so cute!" Subaru said excitedlty, also stopping to pet it, "It's rare to see a tiger in this area though . . ."

"Ta-"she thought better of explaining the new warrior, as she didn't want to upset her friend, "I found in on the mountain."

"What's it's name?"

Suzuno hadn't thought of that at all; she was so wrapped up in, she supposed, how cute it was that she didn't think of a name. Words started to fly through her head, simple words. She remembered in the American romance films she had watched, that the woman would always have a kitten named 'Fluffy' or 'Darling'. Something simple and affectionate. However, she quickly decided on not choosing such a name. As cute as the baby tiger was, it was a tiger, not a kitten.

"Is it . . "she started, thinking again on the name she wanted, "Is it alright if we call him . . .Aoi-Yuki?"

"Aoi-Yuki?" Lanva said in a curious voice, putting hishands behind his head. "What's that mean?"

She looked into the baby's crystal azure eyes and it's pure colored fur and replied, sastisfied with the name, "It means . . . Blue snow."

"Pretty," Amefuri said, also in agreement. Subaru nodded her head and also went to pet it, bending down next to Suzuno. The two boys stayed for a moment, waiting for them until they were ready to go on, and when they were they walked over to Amefuri's home for the night.

Because it was almost sundown, the market place looked nearly completely deserted. Earlier, they all had to bustle through terrible traffic of people pushing and shoving, but without the loud company, it looked like a ghost town. The stabnds were cleared of their sales, and with the covers above them still, shadows reeked their path. Little lamps were outside each home next to each window, so despite all that, there was still plenty of light to see.

When they walked in his home, each of them were introduced again to the extremely powerful smell of perfume, and unlike one would expect, Amefuri sighed of relief. He had already once before told them he was used to the smell and barely noticed it anymore, even after being in clean air for so long.

"If my Mother was home, I would be able to smell it," he said, closing the door after everyone had walked in. They all sat down at the table before, and Amefuri walkedover to the cabinet to put on more ointments for his arm. "She's been out late again. But if she ever comes home, you shouldn't worry; she's just a little delusional, that's all."

"Why are you telling us this like you're not going to be here?" Lanva asked, putting his elbow on the table and leaning his cheek on his hand. "We'll be fine with however crazy your Mom acts as long as you're here, right?"

Amefuri scowled, as if he was annoyed everyone had forgotten his appointment. "I told you, I have to leave for a job with the Emperor. It's a long journey on foot, it'll probably take all night and half the day to get there."

"On with that again!" Subaru shouted, standing up and slamming her palm straight down on the table, shaking a couple of bottles that were on top of it. She glared at the younger of the two Celestial Warriors, obviously still not coming to terms with his lifestyle. "You are a warrior of Byakko now, not just a one night stand for any person! Not even the Emperor should stop you on this crossing!"

"No matter what I am now, it was my job before the Priestess came," he argued back, taking out some containers with his one hand and placing them securely in between his other arms and chest. He didn't seem nearly as enthusiastic of the argument as Subaru.

"Your job is more important to you than saving Sairou!?"

"Look, I promise I won't abandon everyone."

"You think running off and giving lessons about pleasing a man is not abandoning everyone?"

"What did I tell you earlier about judging people?" he said sharply, suddenly taking away the angry expression she had. While Lanva and Suzuno had no idea what he was talking about, Subaru seemed perfectly clear on his intention and stayed quiet. Amefuri sat down next to her, adjacent to his other two companion. As if to apologize, Subaru wordlessly cleaned out his wounds and rebinded them for him. Already, the skin seemed a little less gruesome.

Once again, Suzuno was chosen to sleep in the bed of Amefuri's Mother; since there were only two bedrooms in the small home, Subaru also stayed with her, and the two boys were in the second room. It wasn't very hard to sleep; they had an exhausting day, every single one of them, and once they stayed in the home long enough, even the once putrid smells of perfume were normal.

Subaru had a very strange dream, one she remembered clear as a bell, which was rare for her. She was standing in black, and far away she could hear something that sounded like a river. As she walked, her shoes clicked, sending a loud echo throughout the distance. While there was no light, it wasn't like she couldn't see; it was like the blackness was part of a wall painted room. She could see herself perfectly, and there were no shadows of her anywhere. As she walked, she continued to hear the river, growling louder and louder.

It came from nowhere, like someone had torn away the wallpaper of dark and there was a waterfall. The scent was clear, and the scenery relaxing. She walked over, smiling with her hands behind her back, and noticed just how strange this was. The water would tumble in the pool, and then that water would travel upwards, than down again in a circle. When she stood next to the water, she saw baby fish with sun dials on their sides. Even though there wasn't a sun, they turned every so slightly in unison, trying to look for a shadow. There were twelve of them, also in a circle, and Subaru watched in wonder.

"Strange," she said to herself, watching them as she readjusted her shoes; they started to feel quite large. The fish turned again, and she felt that her robes had become too large for her to fit in. When it became a bit too noticable for her tastes, she lifted her hands and watched it, seeing her gorgeous round nails shrink along with her now tiny, childlike fingers. The clothing she wore started to slip off she was so tiny, showing a flat chest. When she stared down, about ready to cover herself up from whatever was casting this spell on her, she saw the mark of Byakko.

'Unity', she thought to herself, looking at the glowing symbol. 'That's what my symbol means. But why . . .?'

Suddenly she woke up, and she was sitting up with her eyes wide. Everything that had occurred was like a memory it was so fresh in her mind. She looked down at her nightgown that she had been lended to, and saw full breasts. She wasn't a child anymore. She turned a little in her bed, holding onto the covers that covered her up to her waist. Beside her was Suzuno with her hair down, clinging to a tiny pillow. Her face didn't seem anxious like usual, but peaceful.

"I need some water," she said to herself, realising it was the middle of the night. She stepped out of bed, trying her best not to wake her friend, and carefully tip toed out of the room. Unfortunately, she knew that getting water would be the inconvience of going outside; this house was in the center of the city, so they wouldn't have a place to drink in this poor home.

When she walked down the hall, she saw, sitting at the table was Amefuri. His arms her crossed and his head resting on top, his eyes closed. She smiled, not used to seeing such a calm sight. He actually looked like a normal boy, though maybe a little older. When she stepped a little, his eyes closed tightly, disturbed, and then he opened them and lifted his head. He looked at her, and instantly her dream came to mind like a slap in the face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice groggy as he wiped his eyes and sat up completely. "It's late."

"I'm wondering the same for you," she replied in a quiet voice; she wasn't mad at him anymore at all, and maybe even a little happy since he wasn't where he said he'd be. "I thought you were going to the palace?"

"I thought I'd wait until my Mother comes home . . ." she didn't completely understand, and when he noticed her puzzled expression, he looked out at the single window that brought in some moonlight and said, "It's just that you probably don't want to deal with my Mother, so I was just gonna wait until she came home." He glanced at her for a second, and she didn't look very convinced so he said quickly, "Besides, she probably would want a kiss or something before I left. It's not like she cares or anything, but she is my Mom."

'Kiss?' she wondered curisouly, but she let it slide when the image of the river returned to her again. Not only did it plague her since she woke up a moment ago, as if it were real, but when she looked at her fellow warrior is seemed to explode in her brain. It was impossible to think of anything else. Suddenly, a small light glowed for a moment, and they both looked down at her chest where her symbol was glowing.

"What's going on?" he whispered, but she ignored it, still thinking.

'What could it mean, what would it mean?' she racked her brain, thinking again and again, and since it came up so loudly when her eyes met Amefuri's, she knew he had something to do with him. 'Come on . . . you can't be useless forever . . .'

"What in the . . !"

His mouth was gaped open a little as if surprised, and she could see the symbol on his tongue was glowing as well, and that the bandage on his arm seemed damp. Even in the shadows provided by the small lamp in the room and the rag curtain over the window, it was easy to tell that his powers were suddenly working.

Subaru ran over to him to try and help him, also trying to keep her mind off this alternate world, but it was pounding so hard it was giving her a headache. Amefuri looked at her as if completely surprised by something and she noticed that as close as they were in the small room, their distance looked further and further apart. It was harder to reach him, time was going slower and she could see the hand she reached out to him slowly dissapear into thin air.

"What's happening?!" he shouted loudly, ignoring the fact that it was night and that many were sleeping. She watched him stand up in slow motion and reach for her as well, and just before her hands had completely dissapeard, their fingers touched and his vanished as well.

- - - - -

Ooooh, msyterious-ish-ness! XD What's happening? Ooooh noo! I actually did this on the spot beacause I wanted to delay more stuffs! Besides, it's fun to do this twist and turns things! Yeeay!

Doulin Hahmu

Celestial Name: Subaru

Celestial Ability: - - - - -

Celestial Mark: Left Breast

Age: 17

Personality/Extra: Doulin was taken by Lanva's good looks when she first met him, but that doesn't mean she's still willing to marry him. In fact, it always seems like she finds it too troubling, keeping a man like that in line. Despite her seemingly biased ways towards men and their typical sexual behavior, she still seems to have a soft spot for her fiancée. Doulin is a very overprotective, motherly person, especially towards Suzuno, so anything that might not guarentee her safety makes her angry. . . And since most things are dangerous, she gets mad often. But in reality, she's a very sweet and mature woman.

' Poor Lanva . . . Or poor Doulin. I dunno! XD She's fun, and I like her lots. But I always make her mad! I dun do it on purpose, lol . . .