Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! : O My Christmas present. There's a character in here that has finally made their appearance, and I hope you like them. Though, I'm not sure when they'll appear again. XD

Suzuno Oosugi- O.O Wow, so many theories! : D I like them all, and I hope to answer these questions for you soon! Puriti is acting like Yui? Well, that's good! I kinda wanted her to be like Yui in some aspects . . . But she's still tougher!

taiyoukai-chan- lol! Asking questions is always so tempting! Everyone has their eyes on Puriti this chapter. : D Well, while I can't guarentee the idea of her going in the book (Afterall, she can't become a Priestess!), she will still play some pretty important roles. Hopefully!

Kaeru Soyokaze- lol! Yes, more Ame-chan torture! Poor guy, and he's going to go through so much more . . TT I can't help it though! He's my torture character, and I luv him. But at the same time, he's everyone's favorite. So it works! –heart- Hee, I like Oku too. She's like how Suzuno was in the beginning, only . . worse? I'm not sure. I guess that's for the readers to decide!

Chapter Twenty-Four

Amefuri awoke with a sudden start, a throbbing pain at his chest. He at once sat up and felt over his lung and winced as he breathed; he was very tempted to hold his breath had it not been a more fatal option. He looked down and realized the previous emerald silk robe given to him by the Emperor had been removed, and instead was replaced tightly by what seemed like miles of bandages wrapped around his torso.

"It would be best not to move I should say, Lord Amefuri," the Warrior heard, and he looked up. He smiled, though on the inside he didn't feel like smiling much at all.

"Ryeu-Chou-Rai, am I right?" he asked. That was certainly a lot of effort. Now he was sure that the Serpent had done something to him, even if he couldn't remember what. He could barely remember being there, now that he thought about it; suddenly the entire incident seemed fuzzy.

The old man, who looked like he was washing his hands in a large, white round bowl of steaming water, smiled back with crinkly lips.

"Ah, so you remember, Lord Amefuri!" he said, chuckling a bit. Amefuri caught a glance at the water inside the bowl and his heart skipped a beat; it was red, soaking with blood.

Ryeu-Chou-Rai cleaned his moisty hands with a clean towel, which also turned quickly red. Then with another unsoiled towel he dipped it in a second steamed bowl. He walked over to the bed where Amefuri was lying at, pressing his old, wrinkly finger on the young mans' forehead and pushing him down slowly. After Amefuri's head was lying on the pillow, the old man lied the cloth on his brow.

"You're in too much pain to be moving," Ryeu-Chou-Rai told him, as if he knew. "I can see it in you're face; don't try to hide it!"

"How long . . ." he paused to breathe in for a moment, though there was a sharp pain like a knife cutting through, " . . . have I been out?"

"Four days."

"Are you serio-" Amefuri sat up again, the cloth on his forehead falling, but he was cut off by coughing. He covered his mouth, feeling something thick and tepid crawl up his throat, then when he looked down, blood was dripping through his fingers. Instead of grimacing again, he smiled.

"With this melting in m hands," he started, "It looks even more potent than any of my poisons." Ryeu-Chou-Rai was a bit startled at how poignantly upset his eyes seemed. Of course, he was hurt now, but when meeting him he had the impression he was not one to so easily be brought down. Even through being tired and collapsing onto the bridge, the old man felt that.

And as he cleaned the sticky blood off of his hand for him, he noted there was not just strength, but a lot of pain too.

"Yes," Ryeu-Chou-Rai started, this time a little more forcibly pushing Amefuri back onto the bed. The young man grunted, but he just chuckled anyway. "I remember quite well, four days ago; Her highness rushed in with you on her back, shouting orders left and right for you."

"Is that so?" Amefuri replied, with seemingly no sound of hurt pride in his voice by being taken care of by a woman. "I'll have to thank her."

"That you should."

"Have I even been gi- given a bath? Before I hadn't had one for . . . at least two days then, so now . . ."

"Ah, yes!" said the old man, who had no more work to be done. He sat down in a chair next to Amefuri, keeping his friendly smile on. "The servant girl, Oku, cleaned you as best as she could before I took over. She was very worried about making the would on your torso worse."

"How is she?"

"Just fine, I would say. The wound on her shoulder was nothing to worry about, and she's back again. Oh!"

While the two were speaking, Ryeu-Chou-Rai had been back at the table with the bowls and cloth, this time fiddling with a small box with a clear anesthetic and some cotton balls. As he walked towards the warrior after mixing a few things together into a tiny golden pastry dish, Amefuri held up his hand in decline.

"I really don't like medicines," he told him, laughing a little then cutting himself off with a bit more coughing, "They- they don't mix well with me."

"Ah, I see." There was a pause between the two, then as if the elderly has suddenly realized something his eyes with wide with surprise. Amefuri, who was watching the liquid painkiller more carefully than the servant, noticed this abrupt change in expression. "I forgot to mention this; there are a few people who wish to see you."

He quickly dismissed himself and left the room, giving Amefuri a chance to glance at where he was exactly. It definitely wasn't the same crystal-like room before, but instead it was lined with more gold than he had ever seen in his life; the border between the wall and floor, the wall and ceiling, the pillars placed evenly around the room to hold it up, the bed, the color of the covers . . . all pure, shining gold.

In his opinion, while a sight to behold since he wasn't exactly rich himself, all of it looked more like whoever owned it was just showing off their riches. All of that rich glittered rock was a bit tacky to him. Just looking at how much his bed sheets alone shimmered made him a bit nauseous when he stared at it too long.

Although he was extremely sore all over, the most painful part being his chest, he was even more frustrated over the fact that he couldn't remember any of it. It wasn't like he hadn't had incicdents where he had been hurt before. So why couldn't he remember this one?

"Amefuri!"

His eyes became wide as he recognized the voice, which was unusually bouncy and cheery. He turned his head, not wanting to bother sitting up and having to be forced back down again by Ryeu-Chou-Rai and smiled as Suzuno ran through the doors. She stopped right in front of his bed with a grin on; it wasn't a wide one, but it was bigger than her other shy ones. The atmosphere around her seemed almost merry. "I'm happy you're alright, or . . . well . . . At least your arm is better then when I last saw you."

'That's right,' Amefuri thought, remembering when he left, 'I was still missing my arm the last time I saw her.'

"I agree," Subaru said, who was walking in with her fiance. Behind them was a man he hadn't seen before, who had quickly caught his interest with his powerful stance. "We heard from the attendant Ryeu-Chou-Rai that you were in a fight."

"But you got knocked out," Lanva cut in, chuckling a bit. Even if it was childish Amefuri stuck out his stuck in retaliation since it was practically all he could do at the moment, though it was hard to hold back laughing when Subaru elbowed Lanva's stomach. He was glad she and him had gotten on good terms before he left.

"So . . ." Amefuri began, pointing behind the couple. Suzuno, Subaru and Lanva followed the direction he was pointing in. "Who is that?"

To his surprise again, the Priestess answered, and with out a single stutter to boot. Where in the world had she been? "Oh! This is Tatara, of the Byakko Seven. Lanva and I met him in the Haunted Mountain before, but we saw him again in Hashi."

"Hashi?" Amefuri raised an eyebrow, remembering the fact that he wasn't supposed to sit up but dd it anyway. The golden bedspread only covered up to his waist now, so everyone saw how binded was he was, and how the newly wrapped ones were already staining with a bit of red.

He imagined that moving around so much made whatever cut or wound on his chest reopen; he couldn't tell the difference between that and the throbbing consistent pain he was feeling now. Ignoring their rather disgusted and slightly horrified faces, he continued with his question. "What were you doing all the way over there?"

Subaru answered this time, and he noticed that her face tried to avoid looking at him directly. "We actually weren't sure where we were heading before; just anywhere to get clues on finding the Warriors."

"But once Subaru heals you, we can go back again," Lanva completed. He glared at Tatara and started speaking in a tone that was surely mockery, " It's 'cause this guy just has to go all the way to Inmetsu to see one of the latest Toroki."

"But that'll put Suzuno in danger!" Amefuri shouted, becoming angry with the idea as well. He said he would protect the Priestess no matter what, and going anywhere near Kutou was by far the stupidest lead he had ever heard. "There's no way we-"

He started coughing again, and once again a little more blood came. The fever he had a few days ago was taking the oppurtunity to rise again. He saw Suzuno's worried expression as she kneeled down a little and lied her hands down on the bed, trying to gain a more level eye contact with him. Suddenly, looking at her, another dizzy spell hit him, but this one was different; it almost felt . . . good.

"Alright," Amefuri started, as if he had just decided something. He ignored the blood on his hand, carelessly wiping it on the covers. "I really don't understand why you want to go to Inmetsu, but once Subaru sets time back on me we can get down to the details."

Seki bowed as her latest customer had left, smiling generously since the the man had given her a few extra silver ryo for being so 'nice' so him. She was releived that the bruises she had on her arms, legs and face were already starting to heal. After all, it was hard to get much money when everyone looked at you like you were a freak. However, some gave sympathy coins, which would definitely make her Master happy.

Quickly she ran into the very last room in the back of their rambler Inn, remembering to knock before entering such a holy space. Her knuckles, which her a little thin on flesh and very pink, ached as she rapped them on the door. After a moment, she unwrapped the overgown she wore for waiting on customers and walked in.

Inside of the small room was the most gorgeous man she had ever known, and she knew in her mind that most other women would agree. His short, shining hair was light a blonde with an almost feathered way of falling into his face when he turned his head. His dark blue eyes were now cold and slender, in a way that would make one shiver with just a glance. When she walked in, the armor he often wore was off and he wasn't wearing any shirt. Even without any sort of protection, he was holding his sword and cleaning it with care.

"Your Highness," she said in a small voice, backing as far away from him as she could; she didn't like him so much when he had a sword, even if he had more sex appeal. He didn't hear her, and she cleared up her throat before saying louder, "Your Highne-"

She gasped as he violently swung his sword towards her, pointing it threateningly at her throat. Her hand was over her chest, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. But, as if he just noticed who came in, he lied his sword flat down on a wooden table and smiled widely, pulling Seki into a tight hug.

"Seki!" he said, laughing a little as he patted her back like they were old friends. "My buddy! I haven't seen you all day; you've been so busy!"

"Your Highness," she repeated, this time leaning her head against his chest and also smiling. She always felt at ease when he was like this. "I'm sorry that I couldn't take time off."

"No, it's okay," he replied, letting her go. He stetched his arms up high over his head, opening his mouth wide for a yawn. "I was busy all day too, scouting around here for the Priestess of Byakko. You said she was here a few days ago, but we couldn't find her. I wonder where she went . . ."

"I couldn't stop them! I'm sorry your Highness . . ." He patted her on the head lightly with his unusually pale hand, ruffling her hair a bit. She pouted at being treated like a little girl, though she tried her best to hide the expression.

He turned around and fell back on the bed, his body bouncing up and down a little from the sudden force. He sighed. "Commander-Shuri-Sir is been very lenient lately," he confessed, which she made a face at. "I wonder if he's getting better."

"I hope you're not serious when you say that," Seki replied, sticking her tongue out at him. "About Commander Shuri being so compassionate. He's always been so cold!"

Amai shrugged a little, reaching a hand out to the waitress. She cautiously looked down at it then took it. As soon as he had a good grip on it he pulled her down onto the bed with him, giving her a tight, big brother hug again. It was dark, with only the lamp on the Prince's desk to see the room, but Seki's face was a deep red.

"I think," Amai said, letting go of her a little to tickle her sides, which resulted in many giggles from the young lady. "I think everyone only sees that one side to Commander-Shuri-Sir. It wasn't so bad when Reikoku left, but . . ."

There was a sudden silence in the room, a heavy one that thickened the air. Slowly Amai's fingers weren't being to adorably touchy and Seki wasn't laughing. He once again pulled her into a hug, and she could tell this was one that was given in need of comfort. She frowned, thankful that they were lying on their sides and her back was to him. 'Highness Amai . . .'

"Reikoku," he softly said, ignoring what he originally was going to say. She could feel his grip was harder, and she flinched when she felt his knuckles on a bruise at her side. "I can understand why he's upset . . . Reikoku and you . . . all of us . . .he was . . ."

Seki turned her body when he loosened his arms for a moment, and for the first time in her life she saw the Princes' face filled with tears. It broke her heart as if it were stabbed a hundred times with a knife. She held him tighter, one of her hands wiping away the tears. In a way, she was almost happy he was able to cry in front of her, and a welling a pride came from inside. 'My Prince . . .'

She kept holding him affectionately for many moments, until finally she realized he had stopped crying. When she let go of him to look into his eyes again, she was met with a baby, sleeping face. Her face tinged with pink as she snuggled against his chest a little bit before sitting up off the side of the bed.

When Amai pulled her onto the bed, the large dish she used to carry drinks had fallen to the ground. She quickly picked it up, holding it like a book in her arms and lying her chin on the hard edge. 'It's been nine weeks since then . . . since Reikoku and Commander Shuri's nephew had gone missing . . . no one knows what happened, or where to go . . .'

She turned her face around to see Amai again. He rolled over a little, the bangs of his fluffy blonde hair falling over his long lashes. Seki was glad to be his friend, really, but . . . She really did want more. But what kind of girl would she be if she took advantage of him? He may not act much different than normal to ordinary people, but to her, she could tell he was hurting every single day. 'Just like the Commander . . .'

"Prince Amai!" Someone from the other side of the door shouted, making her jump. They hammered on the door and she quickly turned around to shake him awake; however, it already looked like he had been stirred from the intense banging on the doorknob. He was sitting up, and the men, impatient, had let themselves in. It was a young soldier with dark hair and eyes, dressed in heavy Kutou armor. "Your Highness, there's been another Toroki sighting!"

"Where?" Amai asked, not giving his full attention to the soldier, but massaging his soldiers and getting off the bed to reach for his sword. He admired it for a moment with lust, as Seki noticed he always did before sheathing it and buckling it as it side. "Kutou or Sairou?"

"In Sairou, Sir," the soldier replied seriously. "A . . . a scout just came reporting it in Daini Toshi, where your fiancee the Princess Nashie lives!"

"Is that so?" he asked again, and the soldier nodded. After a silence where he was putting on a shirt and placing his own armor over his shoulders, he giggled. "Well, then. I say we should let them take care of it. Princess Nashie must be strong enough to handle it herself, and the Sairou Army is fairly decent."

"Eh? Sir?" Amai laughed out loud again. Seki frowned at the thought of Nashie being his wife, but he didn't notice.

"Well, you know what they say," he started, "Behind every good man is a fabulous woman."

X x x x

Well, there you go! Prince Amai has made his appearance, and I'm curious how everyone feels. I know what I want his personslity to be like, but it hasn't come out completely here. He's sorta supposed to be . . . Well, I geuss we should wait till later! Or until I put a profiel up or something. And Seki makes her return as Amai's buddy! O.o What's these bruises? Who's her master? –Questions, questions- I'm pretty sure people still wont like her though, for some reason.

And a little background on Commander Shuri, and what's been going on! I've already written the entire saga involving this incident (It's big- over twenty chapters and tens upons tens of pages!). It's a long part and has a lot of involvement with Kutou. And will Warriors appear? Good question! A lot of people have their eyes on some potention Warriors already . . . : D

Another profile! 'Cause I can! (Did I already put this one up? O.o lol!)

Nashie

Age: 19

Personality/Extra: Nashie is none other than the Princess of Sairou, destined to marry the Prince of Kutou, Amai, and unite the two countries. These are plans her Father forced on her; truthfully, she's completely smitten with the Prince of Konan, Sousui, who visits regularly to keep a peace within them.

Along with that, the Prince of Hokkan is in love with her, and his little sister is in love with the Prince of Kutou. She's mixed up in something that seems impossible for one woman to handle, but she isn't just any ordinary woman; she is extremely strong willed, bossy, and overall a complete brat who's used to getting what she wants. But, when people bring this up, she's someone who will prove that she very well can go on without material things and is much more smart and responsible than others think, even if she is conceited without a doubt.

X.x I like Nashie! Even if she is a meanie. –giggles and plays the Eminem song 'meanie'- XD