I was a little late updating this chapter. XD I was updating my other two stories! I'm doing pretty good so far though, right? Right? Sorry, I dun have time to reply to everyone! XD

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The room they could stay in was much nicer than the one in Hashi, where there was only a single bed and a lamp table. This one was wider, with two large, soft looking beds and even a separate washroom. A dresser to place clothing was provided in between the divans, and above that a lamp case with matches, though because it was so dark it had been previously lit.

"Alright!" Lanva said with a wide grin as he headed towards the washroom, "A bath! I haven't had one since we met Suzuno . . ."

"How long has that been?" Tatara asked, though he wasn't very curious about it. He was more or less to try and strike up some sort of conversation; with someone as enthusiastic as Lanva however, he had a feeling that finding something to talk about would be the least of their problems.

The younger of the two completely ingnored the inquiry, not even bothering to close the door that separated the two areas before he began stripping himself of his clothes. Tatara decided not to take any notice of it and sat down on the bed that was closest to the door, one of his hands gliding over the furry yet fluffy covers. It was softer than anything he remembered sleeping on before.

"Holy shit, they even have automatic irrigation baths!" Lanva exclaimed, not bothering to hide his excitement. He was so loud that the warrior wouldn't have been surprised if Subaru and Suzuno could hear him. "Do you know how rare these things are?"

"What are they?" Tatara asked.

"You don't know?!"

Lanva peeked his head out of the door frame, looking over and holding out both his hands, which moved feverishly as he explained. "You see, a couple of years ago some people started making these baths where you don't have to go out and find hot springs; it's stored underground, and a pipe which is usually closed off brings in water when you turn a little spigot. It makes things a lot easier!"

Tatara slightly understood what he was talking about, or at least he tried his best to keep up with it; he honestly never heard of such things, so they must have been new. He stayed quiet as the other rambled on and on about it. By that time, Tatara had already heard liquid in the other room running.

" . . . Yeah, like I said they're really rare though. Only rich places like here I guess have them, plus the Emperor and everything! You know, Amefuri is with the Emperor right now, doing his daughter and getting paid for it. That lucky little bastard! He's three years younger than me and getting laid by all the hottest girls!"

'Amefuri?' This was the one thing out of everything Lanva had said so far that had caught his interest. Wasn't Amefuri one of the Warrior's of Byakko? And Tatara's companion did seem young, so how old would this other boy have to be? He was curious to meet him and see what this warrior was like, and partly, he hoped he wasn't as loud as Lanva.

"Anyway . . ." Tatara had lied back on the bed, feeling the softening comfort of the cover bedspread overwhelm him. After having nearly two days of no sleep to look for the Priestess, he finally realized he was exhausted. He wanted to ask a few things, but perhaps it would be better in the morning. Instead, he listened. " . . . Tatara, what did you say to Suzuno earlier?"

He still didn't feel much like answering, though he recalled the incident perfectly. A small smile appeared on his face as he thought of it, though he had no idea what made the idea so funny before. It was more of the feeling, the strangeness of of it all that made him so amused with it.

"Nothing," he replied, though it wasn't very loud. He heard the water stopped running, and it was quiet.

"Listen," Lanva started, and Tatara was a little surprised to hear how serious it sounded. It was also louder too, but not because he was shouting. He opened his eyes, which he closed while relaxing and noticed that he was standing in the same room with a towel around his waist. "The reason I got the same room as you is because I don't like you."

"What are you talking about?" Tatara asked, this time wondering what his companion was thinking. It didn't really make much sense.

"You're suspicious, and I don't like how you hang all over Suzuno. You say you don't want to be a warrior, then just pop out of the blue and charm her. I don't know if you're doing it on purpose, but you're pissing me off. " He paused as he walked back into the was room, seemingly finished before he poked his head out of door frame again. "Why did you change your mind anyway?"

Tatara didn't feel much like answering his question, though he knew it couldn't be avoided. Why did he change his mind? Was it really his business? Not in a childish manner, but on a more personal level, it really wasn't necessary for everyone to know why. "I just changed my mind."

-

"So wait," Amefuri started, holding out his hand to pause the story he was being told. When it had begun, he was lying down, facing the opposite direction, but something had drawn him in; it started with the mention of the Toroki creature. Now, Tatara was interesting, and like Lanva he disliked him. "He just said that?"

"Yeah," Lanva replied, pushing his feet on the ground and leaning on the chair as much as it would allow. He was listening to Amefuri, but not making eye contact, his attention given much to the beauty of the room. "I know, he's a weird guy. He seemed like someone who was mysterious or something, but now he's just way too secretive in a stuck up way if you ask me."

"I don't trust him," Amefuri concluded, and the older of the two nodded in agreement. They looked over when a knock on the door was heard, in which Subaru had walked in, Nashie at her side.

"So you're awake," The Princess said as she stopped walking next to Lanva, who rudely didn't offer the royal the chair he was sitting on. She ignored him, her eyes on Amefuri. "You're feeling alright?"

"Does it look like it?" Amefuri replied a lttle coldly, still feeling irritated from the story. Evenhe noticed how bitter is sounded, and he smiled as if he were being sarcastic. "It hurts only a little, so it's nothing to worry about. We can take care of everything tonight if you want to."

"What?!" Lanva shouted in shock, making the two girls standing next to him jump a bit, "You mean you guys haven't done it yet?!"

"We're busy," Nashie replied, "I don't always have enough time for sluts." Amefuri sort of had a feeling she was just feeding him his own medicine from how he spoke to her before since in some way. Like he had with Subaru, he had managed a mutual connection with her. At least he thought he had; she was the type of person who would act more of herself in a one on one situation with him anyway than in a group.

"Alright," Subaru started, trying to drive the conversation away from sex, which she felt was always the subject around her, "It's time to heal you so we can find the rest of the Warriors."

-

Suzuno was the first to wake up inside the Midoru Inn; she was sure of it. She looked outside where a large window was provided, and knew she wouldn't be able to sleep with how bright it was. In fact, the azure sky was too beautiful to ignore. She sat up in her bed and looked over to Subaru, who looked like she wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Instead of waking her, she thought it was better to take a walk on her own.

Aoi-Yuki, who was curled up at the end of the bed she was sleeping in, seemed disturbed the second she shifted her covers to get out. He stood on all fours, his little toes spreading out as he stretched and relaxed his muscles. After a small yawn from the baby tiger, his blue eyes shown widely awake, he hopped off the edge of the bed, ready to follow his owner.

She quickly changed back into her schoool unform, since the Inn itself had provided night gowns in the dresser between their beds, and opened the door as quietly as she could. Even if there was no way possible anyone could hear her, she slightly tip toed out in the hall just in case people could hear someone walking from the rooms.

Other than the rather frighening yet at the same time amazing incident of the bonfire last night, Midoru seemed like an amazing place. Unlike the Inn in Hashi, this place had baths available, and when she walked out of the hallway towards the entrance, she noticed the tables were already set with plates of food. Her stomach growled, and she realized how rarely she had eaten since she had been here.

An older, plump woman with her black hair in a tight bun was placing down more plates of food when she saw Suzuno, giving her a warm smile. Her dark eyes seemed to sparkle with the cheer of someone much younger than she looked. "Well good morning!" she said, and Suzuno immediately had the impression of a Mother. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Yes," Suzuno replied, smiling meekly as well. Ever since coming here, she had met so many people that she was starting to get used to speaking to others a little; it didn't bother her nearly as much as it had before. "The bed made me fall asleep as soon as I lied down."

"It's a cloth with birds' feathers inside," the woman replied, casually revelaing their secret. "I love to sleep in the guest rooms myself!"

"Umm . . . Do you have to pay for the food?"

"No, not at all! If you spent the night here, all of the food has been accounted for; eat as much as you like."

"Thank you!" Suzuno said with a little bit of a bigger smile before properly dismissing herself and sitting down. She assembled herself together in front of one of the smaller tables, which had two bowls of warm soup. She felt Aoi-Yuki rub against her leg, and put down one of them, which he gratefully lapped down. She picked up a nicely carven wooden spoon that was next to the bowl, dipped it in, and relished the smell. It was definitely appealing, and she couldn't wait to try it.

The moment the taste slipped in her mouth she relished it; a sweet mixed of vegetables and broth slid down her throat. She couldn't ever remember having a meal taste so good! Perhaps it was because of the lack of food she'd been having? It didn't matter to her. She quickly sipped up the rest of the meal, and looking around to see if anyone was there. As inconspicuously as she could went to a second table to sip even more.

After the third bowel she felt satisfied, and smiled gingerly as she felt her now full stomach. She had no idea she could eat so much! She hoped it wasn't too bad for her. With that she stood up from her chair and walked outside, noticing that not a single one of her friends had woken up.

As she headed towards the door she stopped when it opened, and behind it was an incredibly handsome man. He was tall, with short, jet black hair; his eyes were of the same color, and his stance seemed amazingly straight and strong. He glanced down at her for a moment, and gave a sly smile. She shivered. This man didn't looked much older than herself; he might have still even been a teenager.

"Good morning, ma'am," he said, stepping aside and holding the door open for her. "How are you on this fine day?"

"V-Very good," Suzuno stuttered, though for once it wasn't because she was scared. This mans' confidence seemed to erupt from him, and his slender eyes were incredibly alluring. "Thank you . . ."

"You'd better be careful out there," he said in a soft, sexy voice, still smiling, "This town is a strange and dangerous place for a beautiful young lady like yourself."

Before her mind could register the idea of what he had said, she already walked outside, and the man was inside, the door slamming behind her. Something about him was frightening, but something was different; this chill, extreme lure to him made her want to know who he was. How strange . . .

The first place Suzuno wanted to look at was the place where the bonfire had been last night. She looked over, noticing that there was yet again another crowd, though it wasn't nearly as big and loud as the one before. She walked over, glancing around now that it wasn't dark. This place did seem different from the Capital, which was crowded and made of a muddy substance. This seemed more civilized, richer; the buildings looked like they were made of wood, with stunning jewels and details carved into them, making everything glitter and shine.

As she reached the small circle, she noticed how worried the whispers sounded. Since their weren't many people, she could easily squeeze her way through to see what they were talking about. She gasped when she saw that etched into the ground, right where the fire had been burning last night, was the engraved symbol 'Toroki'.

"It was all that man's fault!" a young lady said, her hands balling into fists. A elderly woman patted her back, trying to calm her down.

"Now, now," she said, "He probably had no idea of the consequences. If anything, he saved us from any more people being killed."

"Killed?" Suzuno said curiously, more to herself. The girl, whose hair was a fading blonde and her eyes a chocolate brown, nodded in a determined manner.

"Yes," she answered, her voice very powerful for someone who looked the same age. "The Toroki came to us nearly a week ago, but earlier yesterday a man with black hair came and killed it!"

'Black hair?' Suzuno thought, her mind instantly thinking of the man this from the Inn. Of course, there were plenty of people with the same color, but something told her that there was a connection.

"I mean, sure he looked like a decent guy, but this sign here," she pointed to the 'Toroki' mark on the ground, "-is a sign of disaster! He was the one who killed it! It's his fault!"

"Please, Danko!" The elderly woman said, and instead of patting the girls' back this time she smacked it a bit harder as if to scold her. She, in retaliation, stuck out her tongue.

"I don't care! He must have known something!" She swiftly turned to face Suzuno, and the Priestess could tell the girl had a very short temper. Her hair was long, much of it set in two pigtails, while the rest fell down to her back. It flew a bit into her face when she turn, though she pushed it away. "You agree with me, right?!"

"I-I'm sorry," Suzuno muttered. To be honest, she was a bit intimidated. "I only just came here last night, I really don't know anything about what's going on . . ."

"Oh, okay." Suzuno was surprised at how easily the girls' anger ceased.

"Could I . . . ask a question?" Danko smiled, and Suzuno smiled back as well. She had a feeling that all you had to do was stay on her good side and everything would be alright.

"Sure! What is it?"

"What did the Toroki look like?"

"Hmmm . . ." Danko looked up towards the sky, putting a finger to her chin as if she were thinking deeply. Suzuno seemed dissapointed. Wasn't it human? She already knew, but it was always best to double-check some things; it made her feel better to hear it directly from someone who actually saw it. "Well, it was almost like it was a person, but . . . it was an animal person. It was weird."

Suzuno couldn't believe it. An animal that looked human? Was that even possible?

X x x x x

Ooooh, look at all the story-stuff! XD Who likes Danko? What do you guys think? What do you think of this chapter overall? Yeay, they have bathtubs! I realized afterwards they had no such things in Fushigi Yuugi, but I didn't want to take out the scene either. XD So, in between then and Miaka's journey as the Priestess of Suzaku, bathubs dissapeard. Yeay! Lol!