There, as promised, an extra chapter this week! I hope you like it, as we get to meet another rather important character to the storyline. XD Yeah!!!

Suzuno Oosugi - Tears up Wow . . . Glomps You're so nice, thank you so much! XD I've gotta bring in Tatara soon for you . .. TT

Lady Rhian Knightmage- Wooooooow . . . Seriously?! I had no idea! Yummy, candy! Candy is a cute meaning, and the other meaning 'In the Rain', fits him too. You know Japanese? You're so kewl! TT I had no idea I hurt him all the time . . . lol! He's my sufferin' character or something. ' lol, just kidding! He's just good for that stuff! Or something . . . ' lol!

Chaotic Demon- Chicken! XD When you said meep I was reminded of the sound baby chicks make . . . lol!

Kaeru Soyokaze- Thank you! Hugs Yes, man-eating fish are SCARY! Lol! XD The inspiration was the Pirahna. Yeay for Pirahanas! '

Chapter Seventeen

"Father."

A beautiful woman, tall and fair skinned with long, thick, completely braided to the last strand violet hair and dark ruby, cunning eyes stepped into the Emperor's quarters. Her nails were fairly long and painted the same color as her eyes with little golden dots shaped like branches with leaves on them, and her curvacious body was shown off quite a bit. Her top had been cut right underneath her breasts, which were exposed half way. It had been cut sleeveless and followed the same red and with mauve lining as her natural beauty showed, and was collared all the way around her neck as well.

Her chinos were cut very low with the same colors, and towards the bottom flared out like a soft cusion and came back in at her ankles tightly where she was barefoot. On her very exposed but well fiigured stomach was a tatoo of Seiryu one of the four Gods, the one for Kutou. It started at her navel, then circled around to her back all the way to the front again, its' tail crawling down dangerously close to underneath her clothing.

The Emperor, who was a short man with small round eyes like Ryeu-Chou-Rai but instead plump and bald, smiled jovially.

"Nashie!" he said, raising a golden lined cup he had, getting out of his enormous palace chair to greet his daughter, pacing over and stopping right before her. "How are you, daughter? Is there something you need?"

"Ryeu-Chou-Rai arrived a moment ago," she replied, crossing her arms underneath her breasts and tapping her elbow with one of her long fingernails. "and he had a young man in his arms. Completely unconcious."

"Is that so?" The leader's curiosity aroused itself and as if he would see his loyal friend behind her, he checked around both sides of her. "What was he doing?"

Nashie sighed. "He said it was the man you bought for me, but asleep like that, he did not look so impressive as you implied."

"Oh, Amefuri! Oh, don't worry, he's very good, I've heard. Very popular among the woman at the Capital, I hear."

"Popular or not, he couldn't possibly live up to me. After all, those are normal women. I'm the future Empress of both Kutou and Sairou."

"True, true!" he said still in a cheerful tone, with not a dose of annoyance. Nashie was clearly upset and dissapointed at this man she was receiving that she had heard so much about. When she wondered why her Father didn't order changes right away like he usually would have done for her, she looked in the cup he was holding and notice red wine. She sighed and turned around, the braids in her hair turning with her.

"I'm going to see him," she said, putting her hands at her sides as she walked out of the chamber, "And let me tell you Father, if I'm not impressed when he wakes up, I won't be doing anything with him. That idiot of a Prince from Kutou will have to put up with waiting ever longer."

"Right, right . . . Whatever you wish, my little Princess!"

She groaned at his pure stupidity and continued to wall through the hallway of the palace, walking past arched doors and turning into new halls until she came upon a smaller room. In this one there was Ryeu-Chou-Rai next to a large, King sized four post bed that took up more than half the glassy room. In the bed with thick cloud colored covers and fluffy white pillows was the young man she saw before, referred to as Amefuri.

She walked up to the bed next to the Kingdom's Attendant, and when he saw her he immediantly bowed and greeted her.

"This is him?" Nashie said in a disgusted voice, putting one hand on her hip and shifting her weight to one leg, raising an eyebrow to increase her body language, "He looks like a little boy."

"Well, he is younger than you, your ladyship," he replied. He had a small silver bowl with warm water in one hand, and dipped a wash cloth in to put on his forehead with the other. "You are turning nineteen years old next month, and he is barely over sixteen, so his majesty has told me."

"Barely over sixteen? How pitiful, to be whoring himself out at that age."

"Now, that's no way to speak!" he corrected her quickly. The two didn't converse for a moment, giving her a chance to examine him closely. Although she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell they were probably going to be large, considering how boyish his face was. Even the way his hair parted in the center, with shorter bits sticking out this way and that looked childish to her. She couldn't see below his neck thanks to the covers, but she was immediantly dissapointed at how much of an adolescent he looked to be. How could he teach her about sex?

"Your Father told me very much about him," he continued on after a second, and she noticed a bit of a sad tone in his voice. "Growing up too fast, the poor lad. Becoming a prostitue at eleven, and I was specifically told his first was his Mother when she had been drinking. She forced herself on him."

Now the idea of being taught by Amefuri was further revolting her. She wondered why her Father, the Emperor of all Sairou, had often talked about him in honor, even when he wasn't sipping his tasteful wine. 'A toy for random passerbys and his Mother,' Nashie thought, her anger building up.

"Well, if I don't like him," she warned, pointing her index finger between his eyes and pushing in his pointy nose, "then there will be hell to pay."

"Of course," Ryeu-Cou-Rai said without stuttering, as if he were used to such strong demands. He bowed again, smiling and saying his goodbyes and left the room, leaving Nashie alone with Amefuri.

She placed one elbow on the bedspread and rested her chin in her hand, the other arm tapping on her back while she was slightly leaning over the bed. Because of her height, she had no trouble keeping her ground. She had noticed that Ryeu-Chou-Rai left cleverly when the young Warrior's eyes seemed disturbed, so she was the only one waiting for him to awaken.

After a few moments of waiting and her extreme impatience growing, Amefuri slowly opened his eyes, and she became immediately fond with the rare soft, light mix of lavender and azure in them. He slumped his head -which was looking upwards- a little to the side to look at her, and then, realizing he had a warm wet cloth on his head, he sat up and removed it. Though she wasn't impressed with him so far, she was hoping for a glimpse of his chest, but was dissapointed to see that other than his arms, one which was bandaged at his shoulder, he was covered with tattered robes.

"Hello," he said in a weak, tired voice that was not in the least bit childish, impressing her yet again. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't high pitched like she expected; it was sexy and soft like he had practiced and perfected the silkiness over time.

"So, you're the harlot?"

He wiped his eyes a little to get the sleepiness out casually, as if he hadn't noticed the more than obvious insulting tone in her voice, then looked at her and smiled, saying, "I guess I am, aren't I?"

"Yeah. . ."

There was a seemingly awkward silence between them for a second where neither had no idea what to say. Amefuri took the cloth that was on his forehead and wiped it a little around his face, where a large amount of dirt had come off. She scoffed at how the cloth, which was once white, had now become as dark as a black panther.

"I'm sorry if I'm not sanitary enough for you," he said while cleaning himself a bit more, not really looking at her directly, "It's a long journey from the Capital to here."

"I'm supposed to do it with you?" Nashie asked, finally standing up straight. He seemed surprised by her statement, as if he just realized he was just speaking to the future Empress of all Sairou, but didn't breach the subject any more. He put the cloth down for a moment to take off his shirt, which was so torn it might've well have not been there at all with all the protection it had now. It revealed a well sculpted body that looked like it would take hours a day away to own. It was nicely toned and tanned like the rest of his skin, and because of his thin body, it wasn't overly muscular either, but just enough to show he had worked hard to receive such an attractive anatomy.

"You're looking less and less like a boy and more and more like a man," she finally complimented him, eyeing him with a sly smile.

"Glad to have that honor, your highness," he replied nonchalantly. "Is your Father nearby? I would like to talk to him about something important."

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Go get your Father for me." she looked at him like she was even more appalled, then he laughed and said, "I'm sorry your highness. Please. Is that what you want?"

Her face started looking purple with anger, and instead of being scared of the almost dark aura that illuminated off of her, he sighed. "Women, women. All of you get angry so easily. And you demand too much repsect!" He laughed again.

"Listen here!" Nashie shouted inapropriately , "I will not be disrepected in such a manner! I am the Princess of Sairou! Do you know what I can do to you if you ever talk to me like that again?"

"Anything you like," he replied indifferently, "That's what you paid me for, right?"

"Quiet! If you want him, go find him yourself!" She had both her fists clenched and they were shaking, but then as if she had lost an argument she turned around. Like a toddler was ready to stomp away in defeat when she felt something grab hold of her arm and pull her around. "What the hell do you think you-"

She felt something lightly brush her lips and her face went from purple to red, then she looked down to see Amefuri; it was his turn to smile slyly.

"Just a small tip," he explained, his fingers crawling slowly up her arm to her shoulder, where they stopped for a moment before reaching for her cheek. "Now, could you please get your Father?"

For a moment her mind was racing with questions, a louder voice above them all yelling at her and telling her to say, 'No! No!' but before that voice made its' message clear enough she said with a small stutter, "A-Alright." And turned around to leave the room.

Amefuri lied back down on the bed, the wet cloth next to his pillow. He felt his forehead and sighed. "I can feel something," he said to himself, a little dissapointment coursing through him. "Looks like some of the acid I used got to me more than that fish . . .If anything, I need more rest." While waiting for the Emperor's precense, the young Celestial Warrior tried his hardest to stay awake, but instead dozed off, unable to fight the temptation of sleep.

"Sorry Miss, I'm not renting my horses away."

"What?"

Suzuno sighed heavily and then looked over at the four horses the man had at the stable. The man was wide, though it could easily be disguised over the heavy sand colored robes he was wearing, with a thick black beard and a few gray heairs pointy out this way and that. He ran his hand through the mane of the one horse closest to the small gate that kept them under control, a small and rather bony paper-white colored one. It seemed to be particularly weak.

The man looked down at Suzuno, who seemed completely distraught by the fact she couldn't borrow three of the four. Wasn't this place to rent horses out? That's what she was told by Lanva and Subaru, anyway. "I'm sorry," he finally said in an apologetic tone, "But last night someone broke in and stole one."

"Stole . . .?"

"Yeah. They left money, but no one comes in the middle of the night unless they've got other intentions. Besides, it's freezing out there in the desert at night. Who would be foolish enough to go out there unless it was for something bad?"

The man had proved his point, and rightly so. 'Who would do such a thing?' Suzuno thought, a whole row of possibilities cramming into her mind all at once. She thought of maybe asking the man again, perhaps even identifying herself as the Priestess of Byakko so he would think of it easier.

"Please dear, don't tell anyone you're the Priestess. There are more than enough people, especially men, who'd do things I'd rather not think about if they knew who you were."

When she remembered that, she decided against it. She thanked the man and turned with her head down to walk toward Amefuri's home. She was surprised that she hadn't seen Amefuri's Mother since she was here at all, and she was a little dissapointed, though part of her was also relieved. She had stayed here for a couple of days, and already she had to leave.

Then again, as the Priestess of Byakko, it was her duty. At first she was a happy about it, but now that the effect had worn off all the problems of being the Priestess had surfaced to her mind. 'There's men, like Subaru said,' she started, 'Then there's finding the warriors . . .'

"And out of three," she said in a low mumble so others walking by the rather quiet streets couldn't hear, "I've already lost two warriors . .."

It was so complicated. Afterall, these people had lives of their own. Tatara couldn't leave his home, and Amefuri had his . . .proffesion. As much as she would like them to come with her and help everyone, she couldn't exactly tell them that.

"Suzuno!"

Suzuno looked up suddenly, her thoughts completely gone from her mind in an instant to see Lanva waving in front of Amefuri's house. In one hand slouched over his shoulder was a large bag. Behind him was Subaru with a smile. Quickly so that they wouldn't have to wait, she ran through the not nearly as crowded market place to them.

"Where's the horses?" he asked curisouly, and for a moment she didn't want to make an excuse as to why she didn't have them with her. Afterall, it was the only they've really asked her to do since she came here to Sairou, and she couldn't do it.

She looked past Amefuri's house and the two of them, watching the rising sun cover the sky with a greusome yet beautiful mauve and crimson. She imagined that once the sun came up completely, it would be extremely hot; even hotter than when she was walking a little outside Lanva and Subaru's house. At least there was shade from the trees there.

They had all planned to leave when the sun was rising, to try and get to the next town closest to them as possible. At night, the temperature drops and during the day, the temperature is scorching, so in between, though short, seemed the most logical.

"Suzuno . . .?"

She was driven out of her thoughts again by Lanva's voice, and decided not to drag it out any longer and make them wait. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get them."

"What do you mean?" Subaru inquired.

"I tried, but the man wasn't renting them out. When I asked why, he said it was because someone stole them."

For a moment Lanva looked at her strangely and she felt a little awkward, averting her eyes a bit to the side. Then he laughed jovially and gave her a tight childish hug, ringing her body in to him like someone would when they wrapped and arm around their neck.

"See, you can do it!" he said, and she was a little confused at what he meant. "You really can talk with out stuttering! Two sentences in a row too!"

"We got to see a rare treat," Subaru teased, giggling a little. Suzuno had put her head down in embarrassment. "Oh, no need to act bashful about it, dear. It's a wonderful thing. It proves you're getting to know us better as friends."

'Friends?' Suzuno thought, a shockwave penetrating through her entire body. The thought was wonderful, it was overwhelming. Now she had real, solid proof.

"Yes," she said, smiling, "You both are my friends!"

X x x x x

I dunno what people are going to think of Nashie. XD I think most aren't going to like her! That's because she's sort of a brat, in case you couldn't tell already. ' I drew her since she's a very detailed-ly character, and someay I may put it up on my DA account! I think I wanna put up of Byakko Bouken Artwork when all seven are revealed . . Dun-Dun-duuuun! How long will that take? Oo I have no clue! Lol!

I've been informed that I torture Amefuri too much. ' Yes, I do! I dun do it on purpose, honest! He's just so perfect for that part . . .

Now I'm gonna go continue to listen to Usher . . . yeay! XD